(50) But if thou fightest and strivest with the devil, and keepest the gate of love in thy astral birth, and so departest from hence as to the body, then thy soul remaineth in the word quite hidden from the devil, and reigneth with God, even unto the day of the restitution of that which was lost.

(25) Now, after that a man hath walked in all the ways that lead him unto the truth, and exercised himself therein, not sparing his labour; now, as often and as long as he dreameth that his work is altogether finished, and he is by this time quite dead to the world, and come out from Self and given up to God alone, behold! the Devil cometh and soweth his seed in the man’s heart. From this seed spring two fruits; the one is spiritual fulness or pride, the other is false, lawless freedom. These are two sisters who love to be together. Now, it beginneth on this wise: the Devil puffeth up the man, till he thinketh himself to have climbed the topmost pinnacle, and to have come so near to heaven, that he no longer needeth Scripture, nor teaching, nor this nor that, but is altogether raised above any need. Whereupon there ariseth a false peace and satisfaction with himself, and then it followeth that he saith or thinketh: “Yea, now I am above all other men, and know and understand more than any one in the world; therefore it is certainly just and reasonable that I should be the lord and commander of all creatures, and that all creatures, and especially all men, should serve me and be subject unto me.” And then he seeketh and desireth the same, and taketh it gladly from all creatures, especially men, and thinketh himself well worthy of all this, and that it is his due, and looketh on men as if they were the beasts of the field, and thinketh himself worthy of all that ministereth to his body and life and nature, in profit, or joy, or pleasure, or even pastime and amusement, and he seeketh and taketh it wherever he findeth opportunity.

(120) Now if the soul would willingly bring its light and knowledge into the human mind, then it must fight and strive hard and stoutly, and yet has a very narrow passage to enter in at; it will often be knocked down by the devil, but it must stand to it here, like a champion in the battle. And if it now gets the victory, then it has conquered the devil; but if the devil prevails and gets the better, then the soul is captivated.

(73) And this firmament of heaven is his throne or footstool, and the qualifying or fountain spirits of his natural body rule in the whole body of this world, and all is tied, bound or united with them, all whatsoever that stands in the astral birth in the part of love: The other part of this world is tied, bound and united with the devil.

(122) But if the house of flesh be once destroyed, and that the soul is not yet conquered or vanquished in its house, but is free and unimprisoned, then the fight is ended, and the devil must be gone from this spirit eternally.

(25) I do not write this for my own praise, but that if it go so with you, you should not despair about it; for there belongeth and is requisite a mighty enduring hard labour and stoutness, for him that fighteth with the devil, between heaven and hell; for the devil is a potent prince.

(71) For instead of thy heaven thou hast the wrath-devil sitting there; but if thou breakest through, then he must get him gone, and the Holy Ghost ruleth and reigneth in that seat; and in the other part, viz. the fierceness, the devil tempteth thee, for it is his nest; and the Holy Ghost opposeth him, and the new man lies in his own heaven, hidden under the protection of the Holy Ghost, and the devil knoweth not the new man, for he is not in the devil's house, but in heaven, in the firmament of God.

(130) Therefore he has set upon him the crown of honour, of might, power and authority, so that there is in heaven no higher nor more excellent nor mightier than he is, except God himself in his Ternary. And this is one king, rightly described, with a true ground in the knowledge of the spirit. Of the second King LUCIFER, now so called, because of his Fall.

(31) Therefore I must now look for no other than his fierce wrath, but my stay, trust and refuge is the Champion in the Fight, who has often delivered me from his bands, in this Champion I will fight against him, till my departure out of this life. Of the terrible, lamentable and miserable Perdition of Lucifer in the Seventh Nature-Spirit. The sad Mourning House of Death.

(5) Not in the guise that man o'ercometh man, But conquers it because it will be conquered, And conquered conquers by benignity. The first life of the eyebrow and the fifth Cause thee astonishment, because with them Thou seest the region of the angels painted. They passed not from their bodies, as thou thinkest, Gentiles, but Christians in the steadfast faith Of feet that were to suffer and had suffered. For one from Hell, where no one e'er turns back Unto good will, returned unto his bones, And that of living hope was the reward,— Of living hope, that placed its efficacy In prayers to God made to resuscitate him, So that 'twere possible to move his will. The glorious soul concerning which I speak, Returning to the flesh, where brief its stay, Believed in Him who had the power to aid it; And, in believing, kindled to such fire Of genuine love, that at the second death Worthy it was to come unto this joy. The other one, through grace, that from so deep A fountain wells that never hath the eye Of any creature reached its primal wave,

(52) Here the spirit answereth, that at the end of the time of this corrupted birth or geniture, after the resurrection from the dead, this place or space where the earth now is will be left to the devil for a propriety or possession and house of wrath, yet not through and in all the three births or genitures, but only in the outermost, in which he now stands: But the innermost will hold him captive in its might and strength, and use him for a footstool, or as the dust under its foot, which innermost birth he will never be able either to comprehend or to touch.

(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."]

(110) The spirit alone understands this hidden secret, which spirit must fight daily and hourly with the devil, the outward flesh cannot comprehend it; also the astral spirits in man cannot understand it, neither is it comprehended by man at all, unless the animated or soulish spirit unite, qualify and operate with the innermost birth or geniture in nature, in the centre, where the light of God is set opposite against the devil's kingdom, that is, in the third birth or geniture, in the nature of this world.

(114) And then there riseth up the striving or fighting fire in man, just as it rose up in heaven with Michael and Lucifer, and so the poor soul comes to be miserably crushed, stretched, tormented and put upon the rack.

(91) For the devil cannot be expelled quite out, away, beyond God, into another kingdom of angels; but a place must be reserved to him for a habitation.

(126) ["This strife and battle is about that most high, noble, victorious garland, till the corrupted, perished Adamical man is killed and dead, in which the devil has an access to man.

(93) But, that afterwards the astringent and bitter qualities awaken behind, and coimage afterwards to the framing of the word, signifieth that indeed all is as it were one body, but the heaven and the Holy Spirit, together with the heart of God, has its proper seat to itself; and the devil, together with the wrath of God, can comprehend neither the Holy Spirit nor the heaven; but the devil, together with the wrath, hangeth in the outward birth in the word, and the wrath helpeth to image all in the outermost birth in this world, all whatsoever that stands in the comprehensibility or palpability; just as the astringent and bitter qualities afterwards rouse themselves behind to the framing of the word, and qualify, operate or unite therewith.

(30) For the triumphing joyous light in my spirit sheweth it me sufficiently, in which I have also searched into the depth of the Deity, and described it rightly, according to my gifts and the impulse of the spirit, though in great feebleness and weakness, in that my original and actual sins have often bolted the door against me, and the devil has danced before it, as a whorish woman, and rejoiced at my captivity and anguish; yet that will bring very little profit to his kingdom.

(24) I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

(88) But when the heart of God sheweth forth itself with its clarity or brightness, then there riseth up the whole host or army of all the three kingdoms of the angels; and in this rising up of the heart of God the Man JESUS CHRIST is King and Chief. He leadeth the royal chorus or choir, with all the holy souls of men, till the Last Judgment Day. And then the holy men are perfect angels, and the wicked, perfect devils, and that in its eternity.