(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!

(123) So in this manner lord Lucifer brought the Deity into anger and wrath; ["that is, kindled the eternal nature according to the first Principle;"] seeing he, together with all his angels, as a malicious devil, fought or strove against the Deity, intending to bring and subdue the whole circumference, circuit or region under his innate spirits, that they should form, frame, figure and image all, and the whole circumference, region or extent should bow, yield and suffer itself to be ruled and formed by the kindled sharpness of the innate spirits.

(2) The Scripture and the Faith and the Truth say, Sin is nought else, but that the creature turneth away from the unchangeable Good and betaketh itself to the changeable; that is to say, that it turneth away from the Perfect to “that which is in part” and imperfect, and most often to itself. Now mark: when the creature claimeth for its own anything good, such as Substance, Life, Knowledge, Power, and in short whatever we should call good, as if it were that, or possessed that, or that were itself, or that proceeded from it,—as often as this cometh to pass, the creature goeth astray. What did the devil do else, or what was his going astray and his fall else, but that he claimed for himself to be also somewhat, and would have it that somewhat was his, and somewhat was due to him? This setting up of a claim and his I and Me and Mine, these were his going astray, and his fall. And thus it is to this day.

(34) Now then, seeing the devils kindled their own bodies, intending thereby to domineer over the whole Deity, therefore the creator also, in his wrath, kindled this third spirit, or this third birth or geniture in nature, and imprisoned the devil therein, and made an eternal lodging therein for him, that he might not be higher than the whole God. ["Understand, in the outward sources or qualities; for the outermost of all, is also the innermost of all."]

(72) Pray tell me, Why was the devil expelled or thrust out? Surely thou wilt say, Because of his pride, in that he would needs be above God. But guess, Sir, with what the devil would be so: What power had he to do it? Here tell me, if thou knowest anything of it; if thou knowest nothing, be silent and attentive.

(110) This was the second enmity against God, from whence is existed the sour quality in this world, for it was not so from eternity; as you have an example thereof in this, viz. if you set 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 Himself? Could God not hinder it? Answer.

(8) Now when this spirit in the animated or soulish spirit, out of or from the heart of Lucifer and his legions, roved (or speculated) into the Deity; ["that is, brought its will thereinto, as into the genitrix;"] then it was no other than a tearing, breaking, stinging, murdering and poisonous burning: Concerning which Christ said,[John viii. 44] The devil is a liar and murderer from the beginning; and has not continued in the truth.

(2) The learned have produced many and various monsters concerning the beginning of sin, and original of the devil, and scuffled one with another about it; every one of them thought he had the axe by the handle, yet it continued hidden from them all till this very time.

(18) And yet, any one might say, "if the Beautiful and Good is beloved and desired, and esteemed by all (for even that which is non-existing desires It, as we have said, and struggles how to be in It; and Itself is the form-giving, even of things without form, and by It alone, even the non-existing is said to be, and is superessentially)--"How is it that the host of demons do not desire the Beautiful and Good, but, through their earthly proclivities, having fallen away from the angelic identity, as regards the desire of the Good, have become cause of all evils both to themselves and to all the others who are said to be corrupted? and why, in short, when the tribes of demons have been brought into being from the Good, are they not like the Good? or how, after being a good production from the Good, were they changed? and what is that which depraved them, and in short, what is evil? and from what source did it spring? and in which of things existing is it? and how did He, Who is Good, will to bring it into being? and how, when He willed it, was He able? And if evil is from another cause, what other cause is there for things existing, beside the Good? Further, how, when there is a Providence, is there evil, either coming into existence at all, or not destroyed? And how does any existing thing desire it, in comparison with the Good?

(76) In this quality stands hell and eternal perdition, as also the eternal enmity and murderous den, and such a creature the devil is come to be.

(9) Now when God had bound up the devil in the darkness through the closure of the heaven, which heaven is everywhere in all places, then he began again his wonderful birth or geniture in the seventh nature-spirit, and all generated again as it had done from eternity.

(34) The birth or geniture of light, munificence and welldoing to be an eternal hellish pain and torment; the food of pleasing relish to be an eternal abomination and stink, a loathing of all fruits; and the house of Lebanon and cedars to be a stony and rocky house of fire; the sweet scent or relish to be a stink, and a house of ruin and desolation, an end of all good; the divine body to be a black, cold, hot, eating, corroding, and yet not consuming devil, who is an enmity against God and his angels: And so he has all the heavenly hosts or armies against him. Now observe:

(23) But, neither are the demons evil by nature; for, if they are evil by nature, neither are they from the Good, nor amongst things existing; nor, in fact, did they change from good, being by nature, and always, evil. Then, are they evil to themselves or to others? If to themselves, they also destroy themselves; but if to others, how destroying, or what destroying?--Essence, or power, or energy? If indeed Essence, in the first place, it is not contrary to nature; for they do not destroy things indestructible by nature, but things receptive of destruction. Then, neither is this an evil for every one, and in every case; but, not even any existing thing is destroyed, in so far as it is essence and nature, but by the defect of nature's order, the principle of harmony and proportion lacks the power to remain as it was. But the lack of strength is not complete, for the complete lack of power takes away even the disease and the subject; and such a disease will be even a destruction of itself; so that, such a thing is not an evil, but a defective good, for that which has no part of the Good will not be amongst things which exist. And with regard to the destruction of power and energy the principle is the same. Then, how are the demons, seeing they come into being from God, evil? For the Good brings forth and sustains good things. Yet they are called evil, some one may say. But not as they are (for they are from the Good, and obtained a good being), but, as they are not, by not having had strength, as the Oracles affirm, "to keep their first estate." For in what, tell me, do we affirm that the demons become evil, except in the ceasing in the habit and energy for good things Divine? Otherwise, if the demons are evil by nature, they are always evil; yet evil is unstable. Therefore, if they are always in the same condition, they are not evil; for to be ever the same is a characteristic of the Good. But, if they are not always evil, they are not evil by nature, but by wavering from the angelic good qualities. And they are not altogether without part in the good, in so far as they both are, and live and think, and in one word--as there is a sort of movement of aspiration in them. But they are said to be evil, by reason of their weakness as regards their action according to nature. The evil then, in them, is a turning aside and a stepping out of things befitting themselves, and a missing of aim, and imperfection and impotence, and a weakness and departure, and falling away from the power which preserves their integrity in them. Otherwise, what is evil in demons? An irrational anger--a senseless desire--a headlong fancy.--But these, even if they are in demons, are not altogether, nor in every respect, nor in themselves alone, evils. For even with regard to other living creatures, not the possession of these, but the loss, is both destruction to the creature, and an evil. But the possession saves, and makes to be, the nature of the living creature which possesses them. The tribe of demons then is not evil, so far as it is according to nature, but so far as it is not; and the whole good which was given to them was not changed, but themselves fell from the whole good given. And the angelic gifts which were given to them, we by no means affirm that they were changed, but they exist, and are complete, and all luminous, although the demons themselves do not see, through having blunted their powers of seeing good. So far as they are, they are both from the Good, and are good, and aspire to the Beautiful and the Good, by aspiring to the realities, Being, and Life, and Thought; and by the privation and departure and declension from the good things befitting them, they are called evil, and are evil as regards what they are not: and by aspiring to the non-existent, they aspire to the Evil.

(89) But Lucifer has kindled his qualifying or fountain spirits even in the innermost birth or geniture, and now his qualifying or fountain spirits generate an animated or soulish devil's spirit, which is an eternal enemy of God.

(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.

(26) And this [process] together [with the agents therein] is the wrath or anger of God, the source and original of the hellish fire. As we see by Lucifer, who elevated and compressed himself so hard together with his legions, that the sweet fountain-water in him was dried up, wherein the light kindleth, and wherein the love riseth up.

(90) For when God was angry in his outermost birth or geniture in nature, then it was not his purposed determinate will to be kindled, neither has he effected that kindling; but he has drawn the Salitter together, and thereby has prepared an eternal lodging for the devil.

(79) In this hour king Lucifer prepared for himself the hell and eternal perdition, which now stands in the outermost qualifying or fountain spirit of the nature of God, or in the outermost birth or geniture of this world.

(83) Thou hast a very good example and instance of this, if thou wilt but see, and wilt not be stark blind here; viz. in the beasts, fowls and all vegetations or growths in this world: All these were created before man was created, who is and signifieth the second host or army, which God created instead of expelled Lucifer, out of the place of Lucifer. Question. But now, what did the astringent or harsh quality do in Lucifer? Answer.

(73) Thou must not think that the devil has thus powerfully and mightily overcome the Deity. No; but he has kindled the wrath of God, which, indeed, had otherwise rested eternally in secret, and so he has made the Salitter of God to be a murderous den; for if fire be cast into a heap of straw, and the straw kindled, it will burn. God has not, on that account become a devil.