vehemently desires the other?
16. For the angelic light-world, and also this our
visible world, must have the essence of dark death
for their life and source; there is a continual
hunger after it.
17. But each principle makes the source accord-
ing to its property. It gives to the evil its good,
and unites itself with it, and of three makes one,
so that there is no strife between the three principles.
But in the essence there is strife; and that must
be, or all were a nothing.
18. But we are to consider whence enmity has
its origin. God has in each principle created
creatures from the nature and proprium of the
principle, therein to remain. And if they remain
not therein, but introduce another thing by their
imagination into themselves, into their property,
that is an enmity and torment to them, as to the
devil and fallen man. Both these are gone out
from the light-world; the devil into the abyss of
the strong wrath-power through pride, and man
into this world, into the mystery of multiscience,
as into the wonders.
19. And now man has a difficulty and struggle
to come out again; and this world, into which
he has entered, holds him, for it will have him;
and if he go out from it by force, it becomes hostile
to him, assails him, and will not suffer him in itself.
20. Hence it is that the children of this world
do hate, vex, strike, kill and drive from them the
children of light, for the spirit of this world impels
them thereto. To which also the devil helps, for