12. And we see hereby, how even the wicked must serve God in the working of his grace, for he is its stormy wind; and his cursing and blasphemy against God's children are the heat and cold, wherewith God stirs his little plant of pearl in his children, so that it hungers after heavenly sap, and draws it into itselfand grows. And this is that which Christ said, He came to set up strife on the earth: for Christ's kingdom is a strife against hell and the devil; Christ strives without ceasing in his children and members, with Satan, about the kingdom.
13. For in the earthly man lies yet the ground of the Serpent, viz. a habitation of Satan, wherein Satan withstands the kingdom of Christ: So also on the contrary the kingdom of Christ in grace withstands the kingdom of Satan, with the cup of Christ; and this strife continues always while the earthly body continues.
14. For thus God's anger works in the love, that the love (viz. the eternal One and eternal Good) might be distinguishable, perceptible, and discernible; for in strife and opposite will the profundity or abyss, viz. the eternal One, which is without nature and creature, is manifest.
15. And therefore God has introduced himself with his holy Word of powers into nature and creature, as also into pain and torment, into light and darkness, that the eternal power of his Word in the Wisdom, together with the expressed Word, might be distinguishable and perceptible, that knowledge might be.
16. For without this the knowledge of the eternal One would not be manifest, neither would there be any joy; and though it were in being, yet it would not be manifest to itself. Thus it manifests itself through the introduction into nature, through the separability or distinguibility of the speaking; whereby the speaking brings itself into properties, and the properties into opposition or contrariety of will, and so through the opposition, the eternal Good, which brings itself along in the Word of the speaking, into distinguibility, becomes distinguishable, creaturely and conceivable. 1
17. Else if the evil in the contrary will were not profitable, God, viz. the eternal only Good, would not endure it, but annihilate it. 2 But thus it serves to the manifestation of the glory of God, and the kingdom of rejoicing; and it is an instrument of God, whereby he makes his Good conceivable,3 that the good may be known: for if there were no evil, then the good would not be known.
1 Imagible, imaginable, or comprehensible.
2 Or, make it to be nothing.
3 Imagible, representable, or discernible.
18. If there were no anger-fire there could be also no light-fire, and the eternal love would be hidden, for there would be nothing that could be loved. Thus the love of God has an occasion of love, for it loves the dereliction of that which is forsaken, viz. the weakness; that it 1 also might be great.
19. For God's love comes only to help the weak, lowly, humble, destitute, forlorn and forsaken, and not those that go on in the might and strength of the fire; not the might of self, but the impotency, and that which is forsaken. Whatsoever is lowly, disregarded, humble and destitute, in that, love works and dwells therein.
20. For love in its own property is nothing else but the divine humility out of the profundity or ground of the [eternal] One. Love neither seeks nor desires any thing but the One, for itself is the One, viz. the eternal Nothing, and yet is through All, and in All; but the appropriation of self-will is a nothing to it.
21. Therefore all is foolish and esteemed evil and base, in the sight of God's Love, whatsoever wills in its own self-ability: though it may well be profitable, as whereby the willing of nothing manifests itself yet it is, in the sight of the willing of nothing, only a phantasy, viz. a sport of its own driving on, and tormenting itself.
22. For that which wills nothing, but only that out of which it is proceeded, that has no torment in itself; for that, to itself, is nothing, but is, only to that out of which it is proceeded. It stands submissive to its Maker that made it, he may cause it to be something or nothing: and thus it is one and the same thing with the eternal One; for it torments not itself, it loves not itself, it feels not
12. And we see hereby, how even the wicked must serve God in the working of his grace, for he is its stormy wind; and his cursing and blasphemy against God's children are the heat and cold, wherewith God stirs his little plant of pearl in his children, so that it hungers after heavenly sap, and draws it into itselfand grows. And this is that which Christ said, He came to set up strife on the earth: for Christ's kingdom is a strife against hell and the devil; Christ strives without ceasing in his children and members, with Satan, about the kingdom.
13. For in the earthly man lies yet the ground of the Serpent, viz. a habitation of Satan, wherein Satan withstands the kingdom of Christ: So also on the contrary the kingdom of Christ in grace withstands the kingdom of Satan, with the cup of Christ; and this strife continues always while the earthly body continues.
14. For thus God's anger works in the love, that the love (viz. the eternal One and eternal Good) might be distinguishable, perceptible, and discernible; for in strife and opposite will the profundity or abyss, viz. the eternal One, which is without nature and creature, is manifest.
15. And therefore God has introduced himself with his holy Word of powers into nature and creature, as also into pain and torment, into light and darkness, that the eternal power of his Word in the Wisdom, together with the expressed Word, might be distinguishable and perceptible, that knowledge might be.
16. For without this the knowledge of the eternal One would not be manifest, neither would there be any joy; and though it were in being, yet it would not be manifest to itself. Thus it manifests itself through the introduction into nature, through the separability or distinguibility of the speaking; whereby the speaking brings itself into properties, and the properties into opposition or contrariety of will, and so through the opposition, the eternal Good, which brings itself along in the Word of the speaking, into distinguibility, becomes distinguishable, creaturely and conceivable. 1
17. Else if the evil in the contrary will were not profitable, God, viz. the eternal only Good, would not endure it, but annihilate it. 2 But thus it serves to the manifestation of the glory of God, and the kingdom of rejoicing; and it is an instrument of God, whereby he makes his Good conceivable,3 that the good may be known: for if there were no evil, then the good would not be known.
1 Imagible, imaginable, or comprehensible.
2 Or, make it to be nothing.
3 Imagible, representable, or discernible.
18. If there were no anger-fire there could be also no light-fire, and the eternal love would be hidden, for there would be nothing that could be loved. Thus the love of God has an occasion of love, for it loves the dereliction of that which is forsaken, viz. the weakness; that it 1 also might be great.
19. For God's love comes only to help the weak, lowly, humble, destitute, forlorn and forsaken, and not those that go on in the might and strength of the fire; not the might of self, but the impotency, and that which is forsaken. Whatsoever is lowly, disregarded, humble and destitute, in that, love works and dwells therein.
20. For love in its own property is nothing else but the divine humility out of the profundity or ground of the [eternal] One. Love neither seeks nor desires any thing but the One, for itself is the One, viz. the eternal Nothing, and yet is through All, and in All; but the appropriation of self-will is a nothing to it.
21. Therefore all is foolish and esteemed evil and base, in the sight of God's Love, whatsoever wills in its own self-ability: though it may well be profitable, as whereby the willing of nothing manifests itself yet it is, in the sight of the willing of nothing, only a phantasy, viz. a sport of its own driving on, and tormenting itself.
22. For that which wills nothing, but only that out of which it is proceeded, that has no torment in itself; for that, to itself, is nothing, but is, only to that out of which it is proceeded. It stands submissive to its Maker that made it, he may cause it to be something or nothing: and thus it is one and the same thing with the eternal One; for it torments not itself, it loves not itself, it feels not
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