Six Theosophic Points, and Other Writings

73. Fierce wrathful death is thus a root of life. And here, you men, consider your death and also Christ's death, who has begotten us again out of death through the fire of God; for out of death is the free life born. Whatever can go out from death is released from death and the source of wrath. That is now its kingdom of joy, that there is no longer any fierce source in it ; it has remained away from it in death (in the dark world) . And thus out of death life attains eternal freedom, where there is no more any fear or terror; for in life the terror is broken.

74. The right life is a power of joy, a perpetual well-being and pleasing delight; for there is no pain in it, save only a desire, which has all the property of pain, and yet the pain cannot uplift itself in it so as to kindle its property therein, for light and freedom hinder that.

p. 31

CHAPTER II

Of the propriuni of the principle. What the principle is, or what they all three are.

1. When life and movement appears, which previously existed not, a principle is present. Fire is a principle with its property, and light is also a principle with its property, for it is generated from fire, and yet is not the fire's property. It has also its own life in itself, but fire is cause thereof, and the terrible anguish is a cause of both.

2. But the will to anguish, which gives birth to the anguishful nature, and which is called Father, that it is impossible to search out. We inquire only how it brings itself into the highest perfection, into the being of the Holy Trinity; and how it manifests itself in three principles, and how the essence of each source arises ; what essence is, whence life with the senses has its origin, and the wonder of all beings.

3. Thus, we recognize the third principle, or the source of this world, with the stars and elements, to be a creation from the mai'vels of the eternal wisdom.

4. The third principle manifests the first two, though each is manifest in itself. But the eternal Being has willed in his wonders, which have been beheld in wisdom, to manifest himself in such a

p. 32

property, viz. according to the ground of eternity, according to the source of wrath and of love; and has created all into a creaturely and figurative being, evil and good according to the eternal origin. As we plainly see that in this world there is evil and good; of which, however, the devils are a gi*eat cause, who in their creation have at the fall moved more vehemently the fierce matrix in the wrath, God having moved himself more exceedingly according to the property of wrath, to cast them forth out of light into the death of fierce wrathfulness; whereby also the heavenly Essence was moved, so that very much which stood in freedom has become shut up in the earthly essence.

5. As we see in gold and its tincture, which is free from the earthly essence. For it resists fire and every quality, no quality can hold it in check, but only God's will; and that must come to pass repeatedly by reason of the unworthiness of the world.

6. And if we rightly consider the creation of this world and the spirit of the third principle, viz. the spirit of the great world with the stars and elements, we find therein the property of the eternal world as it were mixed, like unto a great marvel, whereby God, the highest good, has willed to manifest and bring into being the eternal wonders which existed in mystery.