(23) But when the devil saw that the lust was in Adam, then he stung confidently at the Salitter in Adam, and infected yet more and more the Salitter out of which Adam was made.

(9) Christ saith, The devil was a Murderer [John viii. 44] and liar from the beginning, and did not stand in the truth. But seeing these justifiers and disputers assist the devil so steadfastly, and pervert God's truth, and change it into lies, in that they make of God a thirsty and fierce wrathful devil, and such a one as has created and still willeth evil, so all of them, together with the devil, are jointly murderers and liars.

(51) But the infectious lust, evil attraction or impulse of the devil, who had infected and spoiled the Salitter of which Adam was made, that brought man into an evil longing or lust to eat of both the qualities, the evil and the good, whereof I will write clearly here following, and demonstrate it. Of the Creation of Angels.

(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.

(105) Also he is a murderer and father of lies, and a founder of hell, a spoiler and corrupter, and destroyer of all that is good, and an eternal enemy of God, and of all good angels and men; against whom I, and all men that think to be saved, must daily and hourly struggle and fight, as against the worst and arch enemy. The final Condemnation.

(167) Thou sayest, if thy fall had not been, man would never have been thought of. Answer. O thou lying devil! Though that should be true, yet the Salitter out of which man is made (which is also from eternity, as well as that out of which thou art made), had stood in eternal joy and bright glory, and had likewise risen up in God, and had tasted of the gracious, amiable, blessed love in the seven spirits of God, and enjoyed the heavenly joy.

(104) Thus king Lucifer is the beginning of sin and the sting of death, and the kindling of God's wrath, and the beginning of all evil, a corruption, perdition and destruction of this world; and whatever evil is done, there he is the first author and causer thereof.

(28) For heaven has but one form or manner: nothing grows there which is not good. Lord Lucifer alone has deformed and dressed this world in that manner: Therefore was mother Eve ashamed, when she had eaten of that which was dressed by the evil quality; in like manner also she was ashamed of her members of generation, which she had caused by the biting of this apple.

(43) On the other hand, the life of the natural man, where he hath a lively, subtle, cunning nature, is so manifold and complex, and seeketh and inventeth so many turnings and windings and falsehoods for its own ends, and that so continually, that this also is neither to be uttered nor set forth. Now, since all falsehood is deceived, and all deception beginneth in self-deception, so is it also with this false Light and Life, for he who deceiveth is also deceived, as we have said before. And in this false Light and Life is found everything that belongeth to the Evil Spirit and is his, insomuch that they cannot be discerned apart; for the false Light is the Evil Spirit, and the Evil Spirit is this false Light. Hereby we may know this. For even as the Evil Spirit thinketh himself to be God, or would fain be God, or be thought to be God, and in all this is so utterly deceived that he doth not think himself to be deceived, so is it also with this false Light, and the Love and Life that is thereof. And as the Devil would fain deceive all men, and draw them to himself and his works, and make them like himself, and useth much art and cunning to this end, so is it also with this false Light; and as no one may turn the Evil Spirit from his own way, so no one can turn this deceived and deceitful Light from its errors. And the cause thereof is, that both these two, the Devil and Nature, vainly think that they are not deceived, and that it standeth quite well with them. And this is the very worst and most mischievous delusion. Thus the Devil and Nature are one, and where nature is conquered the Devil is also conquered, and, in like manner, where nature is not conquered the Devil is not conquered. Whether as touching the outward life in the world, or the inward life of the spirit, this false Light continueth in its state of blindness and falsehood, so that it is both deceived itself and deceiveth others with it, wheresoever it may. From what hath here been said, ye may understand and perceive more than hath been expressly set forth. For whenever we speak of the Adam, and disobedience, and of the old man, of self-seeking, self-will, and self-serving, of the I, the Me, and the Mine, nature, falsehood, the Devil, sin; it is all one and the same thing. These are all contrary to God, and remain without God.