And as the Light hath quite another property than the Fire has, for it giveth and yieldeth itself forth; whereas the Fire draweth in and consumeth itself, so the holy Life of Meekness springeth forth through the Death of Self-will, and then God's Will of Love only ruleth, and doth all in all. For thus the Eternal One hath attained Feeling and Separability, and brought itself forth again with the feeling, through Death, in great Joyfulness, that there might be an Eternal Delight in the Infinite Unity, and an Eternal Cause of Joy; and therefore that which was before Painfulness, must now be the Ground and Cause of this motion or stirring to the Manifestation of all Things. And herein lyeth the Mystery of the hidden Wisdom of God. _Every one that asketh receiveth, every one that seeketh findeth, and to every one that knocketh it shall be opened. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Ghost, be with us all. Amen._ DIALOGUE IV THE WAY FROM DARKNESS TO TRUE ILLUMINATION There was a poor Soul that had wandered out of Paradise, and come into the kingdom of this World; where the Devil met it, and said to it: Whither dost thou go, thou Soul that art half blind? THE SOUL SAID I would see and speculate into the Creatures of the World, which their Creator hath made. THE DEVIL SAID How wilt thou see and speculate into them, when thou canst not know their essence and property? Thou wilt look upon their outside only, as upon a graven image, and canst not know them thoroughly. THE SOUL SAID How may I come to know their essence and property? THE DEVIL SAID Thine eyes would be opened to see them thoroughly, if thou didst but eat of _that_, from whence the Creatures themselves are come to be _good_ and _evil_. Thou wouldst then be as God himself is, and know what the Creature is. THE SOUL SAID I am now a noble and holy Creature: but if I should do so, the Creator hath said that I should die. THE DEVIL SAID No, thou shouldst not die at all; but thy eyes would be opened, and thou wouldst be as God himself, and be Master of Good and Evil. Also, thou wouldst be mighty, powerful and very great, as I am; all the subtlety that is in the Creatures would be made known to thee. THE SOUL SAID If I had the knowledge of Nature and of the Creatures, I would then rule the whole World as I listed. THE DEVIL SAID The whole ground of their knowledge lieth in thee. Do but turn thy Will and Desire from God or Goodness into Nature and the Creatures, and then there will arise in thee a lust to taste; and so thou mayest eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and by that means come to know all things. THE SOUL SAID Well then, I will eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, that I may rule all things by my own power, and be of myself a Lord on Earth, and do what I will, even as God himself doth. THE DEVIL SAID