mently, to see if he could dominate over all thrones,
and over the essence of the Deity in gentleness;
which proved to be his fall, as will happen also to
the present world.
20. Therefore let every man learn hereby to
beware of pride and covetousness ; for the devil's
fall came through pride and covetousness, in that
he kindled in himself the centre of the dark world.
Hence he was cast out of the light-world into the
dark world. And thus it fares with all men, who,
abandoning meekness and humility, enter into
wrath, pride, covetousness and envy. All these
imaginate into the centre of the dark Nature, as
into the origin of Nature, and withdraw into the
dark fire of the source of anguish, where the noble
image is introduced into another quality; so that
it must be in fear and enmity, each form of life
being hostile to the other.
21. And we see also very exactly hercfrom, how
God's kingdom is found only in the bright clear light
in freedom, in love and gentleness ; for that is the
property of the white clear light. As is to be seen
in outer nature, that where there is a pleasant,
mild and sweet matter for the outer fire (which
is but the fierceness of the inner fire), that also
a pleasant light and odour arise from it. Much
more is this so in the spirit-fire, to which no com-
prehensible or external being belongs; but where
the seven spirits of Nature make in themselves a
fire, which is only a property and a source of fire,
as indeed the dark world and light-world stand in
such a spiritual property.