(26) O Man! Here consider thyself, here thou seest, from whence the Devil and his fierce wrathful Malice has its Original, as also God's Wrath, and the hellish Fire, also Death and Hell, and eternal Damnation. Ye Philosophers, observe that!

(30) But, to speak briefly, the Good is from the one and the whole Cause, but the Evil is from many and partial defects. Almighty God knows the Evil qua good; and, with Him, the causes of the evils are powers producing good. But, if the Evil is eternal, and creates, and has power, and is, and does, whence do these come to it? Is it either from the Good, or by the Good from the Evil, or by both from another cause? Everything that is according to nature comes into being from a defined cause. And if the Evil is without cause, and undefined, it is not according to nature. For there is not in nature what is contrary to nature; nor is there any raison d' etre for want of art in art. Is then the soul cause of things evil, as fire of burning, and does it fill everything that it happens to touch with baseness? Or, is the nature of the soul then good, but, by its energies, exists sometimes in one condition, and sometimes in another? If indeed by nature, even its existence is an evil, and whence then does it derive its existence? Or, is it from the good Cause creative of the whole universe? But, if from this, how is it essentially evil? For good are all things born of this. But if by energies, neither is this invariable, and if not, whence are the virtues? Since it (the soul) comes into being without even seeming good. It remains then that the Evil is a weakness and a falling short of the Good.

(51) "From hence, in the Creation, Good and Evil are existed: And I exhort the Reader to conceive our very deep Sense right, and not mistake or go astray here, but to read our other Writings, where these Things are sufficiently explained." Of the great Sin, and contrary or opposite Will; and of the eternal Enmity of King Lucifer, together with his whole Host or Army against God.

(64) Now perhaps you may say, Is there not Good and Evil in Nature? And seeing every Thing comes from God, must not then the Evil also come from God? Answer.

(12) Thou must not here think, that God has made some new Thing, which never was before; for if that were so, then there had been another God, which is not possible to be. For without, or besides this one only God, nothing is at all, for the Gates of Hell are not any where without, beyond, or absent from this one only God; only there is a Partition or Distinction between the Love in the Light, and the kindled Wrath in the Darkness, so that the one cannot comprehend the other, and yet hang one to another as one Body.

(5) Here we must again take in Hand the highest Depth of the Deity, and see out of what King Lucifer became a Creature, or what was the first Source or Fountain of Evil or Malice in him?

(1) Those enquiring whence Evil enters into beings, or rather into a certain order of beings, would be making the best beginning if they established, first of all, what precisely Evil is, what constitutes its Nature. At once we should know whence it comes, where it has its native seat and where it is present merely as an accident; and there would be no further question as to whether it has Authentic-Existence.

But a difficulty arises. By what faculty in us could we possibly know Evil?

All knowing comes by likeness. The Intellectual-Principle and the Soul, being Ideal-Forms, would know Ideal-Forms and would have a natural tendency towards them; but who could imagine Evil to be an Ideal-Form, seeing that it manifests itself as the very absence of Good?

If the solution is that the one act of knowing covers contraries, and that as Evil is the contrary to Good the one act would grasp Good and Evil together, then to know Evil there must be first a clear perception and understanding of Good, since the nobler existences precede the baser and are Ideal-Forms while the less good hold no such standing, are nearer to Non-Being.

No doubt there is a question in what precise way Good is contrary to Evil- whether it is as First-Principle to last of things or as Ideal-Form to utter Lack: but this subject we postpone.

(110) this was the second Enmity against God, from whence is exifted the four Quality in this World, for it was not so from Eternity; as you have an Example thereof in this, viz. if you let any sweet Thing in the Warmth, and let it stand therein, it grows sour of itself; as also Water, Beer or Wine in a Vessel will do; but none of the other Qualities alter, but only into a Stink, which is caused by the Quality of Water. Now thou wilt ask, Question. Why did God suffer Lucifer’s Evil Spirit, which proceeded out of the Body of Lucifer, to come into Him? Could he not hinder it? Answer.

(21) But neither is the Evil in things existing. For, if all things existing are from the Good, and the Good is in all things existing, and embraces all, either the Evil will not be in things existing, or it will be in the Good; and certainly it will not be in the Good, for neither is cold in fire, nor to do evil in Him, Who turns even the evil to good. But, if it shall be, how will the Evil be in the Good? If forsooth, from Itself, it is absurd and impossible. For it is not possible, as the infallibility of the Oracles affirms, that a "good tree should bring forth evil fruits," nor certainly, vice versa. But, if not from Itself, it is evident that it will be from another source and cause. For, either the Evil will be from the Good, or the Good from the Evil; or, if this be not possible, both the Good and the Evil will be from another source and cause, for no dual is source, but a Unit will be source of every dual. Further, it is absurd that two entirely contraries should proceed and be from one and the same, and that the self-same source should be, not simplex and unique, but divided and double, and contrary to itself, and be changed; and certainly it is not possible that there should be two contrary sources of things existing, and that these should be contending in each other, and in the whole. For, if this were granted, even Almighty God will not be in repose, nor free from disquietude, if there were indeed something bringing disturbance even to Him. Then, everything will be in disorder, and always fighting; and yet the Good distributes friendship to all existing things, and is celebrated by the holy theologians, both as very Peace, and Giver of Peace. Wherefore, things good are both friendly and harmonious, every one, and products of one life, and marshalled to one good; and kind, and similar, and affable to each other. So that the Evil is not in God, and the Evil is not inspired by God. But neither is the Evil from God, for, either He is not good, or He does good, and produces good things; and, not once in a way, and some; and at another time not, and not all; for this would argue transition and change, even as regards the very Divinest thing of all, the Cause. But, if in God, the Good is sustaining essence, God, when changing from the Good, will be sometimes Being, and sometimes not Being. But, if He has the Good by participation, He will then have it from another; and sometimes He will have it, and sometimes not. The Evil, then, is not from God, nor in God, neither absolutely nor occasionally.

(63) Yet you must not therefore conceive, that in God there is Good and Evil, for God himself is the Good, and has the Name from Good, which is the triumphing eternal Joy: Only all the Powers proceed from him, which you can search out in Nature, and which are in all Things. Question.

(35) The Learned have had many Disputations, Questions, Conceits and Opinions concerning the fierce Malignity and Evil that is in all the Creatures, even in the very Sun and Stars in this World; moreover, there are some so very poisonous and venomous Beasts, Worms, and Vegetables in this World, that thereupon rational Men have justly wondered, and some have concluded peremptorily, That God must needs have also willed the Evil, seeing he has created so much that is Evil: And some have laid the Blame and Fault thereof upon the Fall of Adam, and some have imputed it to the Work and Doings of the Devil.

(125) Now show thou me any Place, to which thou sendest thy covetous or lustful Spirit, be it to Man, Beasts, Garments, Fields, Money, or any Thing whatsoever, where God is not: From him is all, and He is in all, Himself is all, and He upholds and supports all. Objection. [Nota.] Then thou wilt say: But he is with his Wrath in many Things which are so hard and evil, that they are not suitable to, or capable of the Deity. Answer.

(32) In short, I would have you to understand, that God (in so far as He is good) is goodness as goodness, and not this or that good. But here mark one thing. Behold! what is sometimes here and sometimes there is not everywhere, and above all things and places; so also, what is to-day, or to-morrow, is not always, at all times, and above all time; and what is some thing, this or that, is not all things and above all things. Now behold, if God were some thing, this or that, He would not be all in all, and above all, as He is; and so also, He would not be true Perfection. Therefore God is, and yet He is neither this nor that which the creature, as creature, can perceive, name, conceive or express. Therefore if God (in so far as He is good) were this or that good, He would not be all good, and therefore He would not be the One Perfect Good, which He is. Now God is also a Light and a Reason,40 the property of which is to give light and shine, and take knowledge; and inasmuch as God is Light and Reason, He must give light and perceive. And all this giving and perceiving of light existeth in God without the creature; not as a work fulfilled, but as a substance or well-spring. But for it to flow out into a work, something really done and accomplished,41 there must be creatures through whom this can come to pass.

(58) Now open here the Eyes of thy Spirit, and behold God thy Creator. Question. Here now the Question is, From whence has Heaven, or whence borrows it, this Power, that it causeth such Mobility in Nature? Answer.

(46) "This foregoing Question is thus understood or meant; as when I say, God knoweth not the Evil; also God willeth not the Evil, according to the Tenure of the Scriptures; then I understand or mean, that in his Love (which alone is the one only Good, and is alone called God) there is no Glimpse of Evil revealed or manifested; otherwise, if any Evil was revealed or manifested therein, then the Love would not be the eternal Meekness and Humility.

(63) Now let us view these in the Ground from whence all has its Original, and see how it is an Enmity against God: And therein you will see, what is the Beginning and Root of Sin, and wherefore in God it cannot be suffered or endured.

(1) What do you think stood in the Place of this World, before the Time of the World? Or, 2. Out of what do you think the Earth and Stars came to be? Or, 3. What do you think there is in the Deep above the Earth? Or, 4. From whence did the Deep exist? Or, 5. How do you think Man is the Image of God, wherein God dwells? Or, 6. What do you suppose God's Wrath to be? Or, 7. What is that in Man which displeases God so much, that he torments and afflicts Man so, seeing he has created him? And 8. That he imputes Sin to Man, and condemns him to future Punishment? 9. Why has he created that, wherein, or wherewith Man commits Sin? Surely that Thing must be far worse. 10. For what Reason, and out of what, is that come to be? Or, 11. What is the Cause, or Beginning, or the Birth or Geniture of God's fierce Wrath, out of or from which, Hell and the Devil are come to be? Or, 12. How comes it, that all the Creatures in this World do bite, scratch, strike, beat, and worry one another, and yet Sin is imputed only to Man? Or, 13. Out of what are poisonous and venomous Beasts and Worms, and all Manner of Vermine come to be? Or, 14. Out of what are the holy Angels come to be? And 15. What is the Soul of Man? And lastly, 16. What is the Great God himself?