Now I must tell you what the False Light is, and what belongs to it.
All that is contrary to the true light belongs to the false. It
belongs of necessity to the true light that it never seeks to
deceive, nor consents that anyone should be injured or deceived; and
it cannot be deceived itself. But the false light both deceives
others, and is deceived itself. Even as God deceives no man, and
wills not that any should be deceived, so it is with His true light.
The true light is God or Divine, but the false light is nature or
natural. It belongeth to God, that He is neither this nor that, and
that He requires nothing in the man whom He has made to be partaker
in the Divine nature, except goodness as goodness and for the sake
of goodness. This is the token of the true light. But it belongs to
the creature, and to nature, to be something, this or that, and to
intend and seek something, this or that, and not simply what is good
without asking Why. And as God and the true light are without all
self-will, selfishness, and self-Seeking, so the "I, Me, and Mine"
belong to the false light, which in everything seeks itself and its
own ends, and not goodness for the sake of goodness. This is the
character of the natural or carnal man in each of us. Now observe
how it first comes to be deceived. It does not desire or choose
goodness for its own sake, but desires and chooses itself and its
own ends rather than the highest good; and this is an error and the
first deception. Secondly, it fancies itself to be God, when it is
nothing but nature. And because it feigns itself to be God, it takes
to itself what belongs to God; and not that which belongs to God
when He is made man, or when He dwells in a Godlike man; but that
which belongs to God as He is in eternity without the creature. God,
they say, and say truly, needs nothing, is free, exempt from toil,
apart by Himself, above all things: He is unchangeable, immoveable,
and whatever He does is well done. "so will I be," says the false
light. "The more like one is to God, the better one is; I therefore
will be like God and will be God, and will sit and stand at His
right hand." This is what Lucifer the Evil Spirit also said. Now God
in eternity is without contradiction, suffering, and grief, and
nothing can injure or grieve Him. But with God as He is made man it
is otherwise. The false light thinks itself to be above all works,
words, customs, laws, and order, and above the life which Christ led
in the body which He possessed in His human nature. It also claims
to be unmoved by any works of the creatures; it cares not whether
they be good or bad, for God or against Him; it keeps itself aloof
from all things, and deems it fitting that all creatures should
serve it. Further, it says that it has risen beyond the life of
Christ according to the flesh, and that outward things can no longer
touch or pain it, even as it was with Christ after the Resurrection.
Many other strange and false notions it cherishes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account