6. And we are with very entire and punctual exactness to consider of this motion of the eternal Mystery of the spiritual world. 1. How it came to pass that such a wrathful, rough, gross and very compunctive essence and dominion was brought forth and made manifest, as we see in the outward forms of nature, as well in the moving things, as in the stones and earth. 2. Whence such a wrath did arise, which has compacted and introduced the powers of the properties into such a harsh nature [or rude quality] as we see in the earth and stones.
7. For we are not to think that there is the like in heaven, viz. in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there are only the properties of possibility; but not at all manifest in such a harsh property; but are as it were swallowed up; as the light swallows up the darkness, and yet the darkness does really dwell in the light, but not apprehended.
8. Now we are yet to search out how the desire of the darkness became manifest in the power of the light; that they both came mutually into the compaction or coagulation. And yet it affords us a far greater and more profound consideration; that when man could not stand in the spiritual mystery of the paradisical property [and estate],
1 Sir. 2 Or hinders.
that God cursed this compaction, viz. the earth; and appointed an earnest judgement to sever the good in this compaction again from the evil; so that the good must thus stand in the curse, that is, in death.
He that does here see nothing is indeed blind. Why would God curse his good essence, if something were not come into it which was opposite to the good? Or is God at odds with himself? as reason would be ready to fancy. For it is written in Moses, that God looked upon all that he had made, and behold it was very good.
9. Now man, for whose sake the earth was accursed, had not introduced anything into the earth, whereby it was now made so evil, as to cause God to curse it, save only the false and faithless imagination of his desire to eat of the evil and good: so as to awaken the vanity, viz. the centre of nature in him, and to know evil and good. From which desire the hunger entered into the earth;
whence the outward body was extracted as a mass; which set the hunger of its desire again upon its mother; and awakened the root of vanity out of the dark impression of the centre of nature, whence the Tree of Temptation, viz. evil and good, grew manifest to him; and when he did eat thereof the earth was accursed for his sake.
10. Now if man, by his powerful desire, did awaken the wrath in the earth, what then might Lucifer [not] be able to do, who was likewise an enthroned prince, and moreover had many legions? Lucifer had the will of the strong might and power of the centre of all essences in himself as well as Adam [had]. Adam was only one creature, but Lucifer was a king, and had a kingdom in possession, viz. a hierarchy in the spiritual world, viz. in the heavenly Salniter in the generation of the manifested word. He was an enthroned prince in the manifested power of God: therefore Christ calls him a prince of this world: for he sat in the essence (understand, in the spiritual essence) whence this world was breathed forth as a spiration.
11. He it is that by his false desire, which he introduced into the essence, did awaken the wrath in the internal, as Adam stirred up the curse. He raised the centre of nature with his dark wrathful property in the like wrathful properties; for he had first awakened the wrath of God in himself:
And then this awakened wrath entered into its mother, viz. into the magical generation, out of which Lucifer was created to a creature: whereupon the generation was made proud and aspiring, contrary to the right [or law] of eternity.
6. And we are with very entire and punctual exactness to consider of this motion of the eternal Mystery of the spiritual world. 1. How it came to pass that such a wrathful, rough, gross and very compunctive essence and dominion was brought forth and made manifest, as we see in the outward forms of nature, as well in the moving things, as in the stones and earth. 2. Whence such a wrath did arise, which has compacted and introduced the powers of the properties into such a harsh nature [or rude quality] as we see in the earth and stones.
7. For we are not to think that there is the like in heaven, viz. in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there are only the properties of possibility; but not at all manifest in such a harsh property; but are as it were swallowed up; as the light swallows up the darkness, and yet the darkness does really dwell in the light, but not apprehended.
8. Now we are yet to search out how the desire of the darkness became manifest in the power of the light; that they both came mutually into the compaction or coagulation. And yet it affords us a far greater and more profound consideration; that when man could not stand in the spiritual mystery of the paradisical property [and estate],
1 Sir. 2 Or hinders.
that God cursed this compaction, viz. the earth; and appointed an earnest judgement to sever the good in this compaction again from the evil; so that the good must thus stand in the curse, that is, in death.
He that does here see nothing is indeed blind. Why would God curse his good essence, if something were not come into it which was opposite to the good? Or is God at odds with himself? as reason would be ready to fancy. For it is written in Moses, that God looked upon all that he had made, and behold it was very good.
9. Now man, for whose sake the earth was accursed, had not introduced anything into the earth, whereby it was now made so evil, as to cause God to curse it, save only the false and faithless imagination of his desire to eat of the evil and good: so as to awaken the vanity, viz. the centre of nature in him, and to know evil and good. From which desire the hunger entered into the earth;
whence the outward body was extracted as a mass; which set the hunger of its desire again upon its mother; and awakened the root of vanity out of the dark impression of the centre of nature, whence the Tree of Temptation, viz. evil and good, grew manifest to him; and when he did eat thereof the earth was accursed for his sake.
10. Now if man, by his powerful desire, did awaken the wrath in the earth, what then might Lucifer [not] be able to do, who was likewise an enthroned prince, and moreover had many legions? Lucifer had the will of the strong might and power of the centre of all essences in himself as well as Adam [had]. Adam was only one creature, but Lucifer was a king, and had a kingdom in possession, viz. a hierarchy in the spiritual world, viz. in the heavenly Salniter in the generation of the manifested word. He was an enthroned prince in the manifested power of God: therefore Christ calls him a prince of this world: for he sat in the essence (understand, in the spiritual essence) whence this world was breathed forth as a spiration.
11. He it is that by his false desire, which he introduced into the essence, did awaken the wrath in the internal, as Adam stirred up the curse. He raised the centre of nature with his dark wrathful property in the like wrathful properties; for he had first awakened the wrath of God in himself:
And then this awakened wrath entered into its mother, viz. into the magical generation, out of which Lucifer was created to a creature: whereupon the generation was made proud and aspiring, contrary to the right [or law] of eternity.
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