Of God's labors in atmospherea.--containing an account of the establishing on the earth the names: Lord God, and De'yus, and Dyaus, and Deity, and Te-in, and Sudga, and Osiris, and Baal, and Ashtaroth. Covering a period of two thousand four hundred years; that is, from the time of Abraham, and Brahma, and Po, and Eawahtah, to the time of Moses, and Chine, and Capilya. This Book of God pertaineth to both, the earth and lower heavens, and containeth an exposition of the labors of the above false Gods, and their fall and environment in hells, all save Baal and Ashtaroth.
Chapter I
1. Jehovih spake to God on the throne, in Craoshivi, saying: These are My divisions in the cycle of My Daughter, Cpenta-armij: Two hundred years; four hundred years; five hundred years; three hundred years; four hundred years, and six hundred years; after which I shall send dawn. Five successors shalt thou have, and their reign shall be according to the divisions I have made.
2. Forty years' indulgence in a great light have I allotted to thee, My Son; so thou shalt perfect all the orders of Lords and Lordesses in the lowest lower kingdoms of these My heavens. Neither shall it be dark during my reign; and thy labor shall be productive of a great harvest for My etherean worlds. For which reason thou shalt prepare to reap in fifty years, and again in fifty years, and again in fifty years, and again in fifty years. And for each reaping, behold, My daughter Cpenta-armij will send to thee ships of deliverance for all thou mayst have prepared as Brides and Bridegrooms.
3. And behold, I give a new law unto thee; which is, that thou shalt cause thy Lords to deliver unto thee for thy kingdoms all whom they have raised to grade fifty, in advance of thy reapings, in divisions of time like unto thine.
4. And thou shalt call together to thy capital thy Lords from all the divisions of the earth, once every reaping; and ye shall sit in Council of Div for seven days each time, and ye shall constitute My Holy Eleven; nor shall the Div be larger or smaller than eleven during its life-time. And the Div shall make laws relating to the affairs of each of the heavenly places, to make them harmonious, one with another, and these shall be called Divan Laws.
5. God inquired concerning the light and darkness of the cycle. Jehovih said: The first division shall rate seventy; the second, fifty; the third, forty; the fourth, eighty; the fifth, thirty; and the sixth, twenty.
6. God inquired concerning the Lord of the Lord-dom. Jehovih answered him, saying: Because he is not a teacher, he shall not be eligible to the rank of Div. But he shall have the benefit of all the decrees, and all the kingdoms of My other Lords; for he is the earth's body-guard, and a beneficent unto them.
Chapter II
1. When the Diva were assembled, God propounded the duties of the Lord-dom. On which the members spake at length, and then God decreed:
2. First: The Lord God of Maitraias not having, from this time forth forever, force to enforce: Permission to use violent force, neither by fire nor water, save in hells or knots.
3. Second: By the Arc of Spe-ta: By the decree of the Most High: The Lord God of Maitraias is bound by the same rule as the Lords of the lowest heavens; whose walls and pillars of fire are abolished, save on special occasions; whose respective kingdoms are open and free for all spirits above the es'yan grade.
4. Third: The Lord God of Maitraias' times and successors shall be the same as the Diva: The stations of the hosts of the Lord God shall be according to the heavenly realms of the Lords, with Maitraias as the Lord-dom in chief.
5. Fourth: The hosts of the Lord God shall be distinguished from ashars and asaphs by the name Mishm, but of a single one the name shall be Mish-ah. And their leaders shall be called captains and generals.
6. Fifth: The labor of the Lord God shall be to prevent drujas returning to the earth to dwell with corporeans; to capture drujas on the earth and carry them off to the nearest Lord's heavenly place, and there deliver them. Force by violence or without consent being abolished, the mishm shall devise strategems, by games and tournaments, or otherwise persuasively.
7. Sixth: The mishm shall not arrest fetals, nor infants, nor the wards of ashars, nor spirits in chaos on battle-fields; for these labors belong to the Lords and their hosts.
8. Seventh: Where there are companies of millions of drujas, and the Lord God hath not a sufficient number of mishm, the Lord God shall summon the nearest Lord for help, and it shall be given unto him.
9. Eighth: In no case shall it be the labor of the Lord God to teach the captured drujas, nor to house them, nor to provide them with schools and factories, nor hospitals, nor nurseries, for these labors are the Lord's, to whom the Lord God of Maitraias shall deliver them.
10. Ninth: To prevent the establishing of heavenly kingdoms by self-constituted Lords and Gods, otherwise false Lords and false Gods; the Lord God of the Lord-dom of Maitraias shall be the central head, in conjunction with all the Lords of the lowest heavens; and his voice shall be the rule and guide as to the manner of such labor.
11. Tenth: The Lord God shall have one hundred thousand messengers; and he shall determine their stations and routes of travel.
12. This was the first section of Divan Law in the heavens of the earth.
Chapter III
1. In God's heavenly place, Craoshivi, Jehovih said: For My chosen on the earth, of Abram, and Po, and Brahma, and Eawahtah, provide thou in Craoshivi; for they shall not tarry in the lowest heavens.
2. And for the infants of My chosen, who die in infancy, suffer them not to be engulfed in hada, but bring them also to the place of My God.
3. The Diva then decreed: Lines of roadways from the earth up to the kingdom of God for such transport, and appointed officers and laborers to prevent the spirits of God's chosen from falling into the hands of the drujas, and to bring them to Craoshivi. The Diva said: On the third day after the death of a mortal, his spirit shall be borne to the home of God. And it was so.
4. But as to the heathen, the Diva decreed: The labor of the Lords of all the divisions of hada and of the earth shall be with the undelivered sons and daughters of the earth and her heavens; but in no case shall they labor more with the Faithists; for the Faithists, mortals and spirits, come under the higher law, which is of Jehovih, through His Son, God of Craoshivi. This was the second section of the Divan law.
5. And herefrom rose the saying: The believers go to God, but the unbelievers go to his Lords; they that live the higher law on earth escape hada. And after some years the Diva passed the law, according to the saying, and called it the third section of the Divan law, and it was so promulgated throughout heaven and on earth.
6. Now it came to pass in course of time that some corporeans, who belonged not to the societies of Faithists of any of the tribes of Jehovih's chosen, became believers in the All Person, and that to live by the All Highest light was the fulfillment of the Divan law. And they joined not the Faithists, nor followed the rites and ceremonies.
7. God propounded this in Diva: Where shall the spirits of such be delivered? Behold, even on the earth they have delivered themselves away from the druks; shall we now suffer them to fall into the kingdoms of mixed company in hada?
8. Upon this the Diva decreed: A separate kingdom shall be prepared for them that believe, who have lived isolate, and who know not the rites and ceremonies. This was the fourth section of the Divan law. The fifth was like unto it, but explanatory, which was:
9. To have faith in One Great Person, the Ever Present Spirit, Creator and Ruler, is well; but to have such faith, and yet not committing one's self to an association of brethren of like faith, proveth such lack of discipline as requireth beginning at the fifth grade in the es'ean world.
10. The sixth section of the Divan law provided: The name for the kingdom for them that profess faith in the Great Person, Jehovih, but are without practice, shall be called Me-de, and its place shall be in the first remove from the earth.
Chapter IV
1. Jehovih spake to God, saying: Because thou hast founded Me-de thou shalt make Me-de-ci laws; and thou shalt send thy surveyors down to hada and to the earth also, and they shall choose a heavenly place for thy new kingdom. And thither shalt thou go and create a plateau and holy place and capital, and provide a throne for it.
2. And when thou hast completed thy work thou shalt call to the throne a sub-God, who shall rule in thy place with wisdom, and power, and love, in My name.
3. But since many of My chosen forget Me and so apostate themselves, thy sub-God shall also receive their spirits, and his kingdom shall be their kingdom till they are purged of their sins.
4. God spake in the Council of Craoshivi, relating what Jehovih had said to him, and the Council then ratified the commandments of Jehovih. And there was selected one A-chung-le, and made sub-God of Me-de, with the title Anubi, signifying mediator, and judge of grades.
5. God said: Anubi shall have a badge, and a pair of scales; with mine own hands will I invest him. And, accordingly, the place, the kingdom, the person, and the badge of office were duly established by God under the commandment of Jehovih through his kingdom of Craoshivi. And the term of office was made to correspond with God's and his Lords'.
6. Thus was put upon the throne in the heavenly place, Me-de, Anubi, who had been A-chung-le, an angel of a thousand years in the colleges of Jehovih, most wise and full of love, and industrious withal.
7. Again Jehovih spake to God, saying: From this time forth My colleges shall be in Craoshivi; from this time forth My schools and primaries shall be in the kingdoms of My Lords. The Diva afterward made this another section of the Divan law.
8. So God and his Lords removed all his colleges and places of great learning to Craoshivi; but the schools and primary educationals were left in the dominions of the Lords, their heavenly places.
9. Now, during the dawn of dan, four etherean Gods had sojourned on the earth, walking with four mortals, namely: With Po, of Jaffeth; Abram, of Arabin'ya; Brahma, of Vind'yu, and Eawahtah, of Guatama. And the four Gods preached through these four men, explaining Jehovih and His kingdoms; and the angels of Jehovih inspired many followers unto them. For four years these Gods dwelt on the earth, and then ascended into the upper regions.
10. Jehovih spake to God concerning the matter, saying: For four years I bestowed My light in Person on the corporeal earth, and then I departed; for it is well that men and angels learn to be self-raising. For which reason I left four substitutes, Lords of heaven, on the earth, with My four peoples whom I delivered. And I commanded these My substitutes to abide upon the earth for forty years, in order to indulge My chosen in a surety in My creations founded in corpor.
11. Provide thou unto them; for My substitutes are ethereans; and thou shalt have their places filled by atmosphereans from the highest grades.
12. The Diva then made a section of the Divan law, providing for the four who stood highest in the grades in Craoshivi to take the places, to dwell with the Faithist in the names of the Great Spirit; and the names given were: To Jaffeth, Te-in; to Arabin'ya, Jehovih; to Vind'yu, Ormazd; to Guatama, Egoquim; according to the languages, and to the capabilities of mortals to pronounce words.
13. The Diva then made another section of the Divan law, which was the title to be given to the four angels thus provided to bestow the Voice of Jehovih on mortals,and the title was O-yra; that is, O the High Heaven; and Y, going to; and ra, the earth.
14. The twelfth section of the Divan law provided that each O-yra should have ten thousand attendants; angels from above the eightieth grade, from the colleges of Craoshivi, and their attendants were to sojourn on the earth with the Faithists as inspiring spirits and protectors.
15. The thirteenth section of the Divan law made the terms of office for the O-yra eleven years each; and the same for their attendants.
16. The fourteenth section of the Divan law explained the duties of the O-yra and their attendants, which were: that the O-yra should reside with the chief rab'bah or high priest, and be his inspirer; being with him day and night; and by virtue of his presence make the chief rab'bah know the voice of the All Highest. And the attendants first in rank were to dwell in the same way with the ordinary rab'bah, and for the same purpose. And the other attendants were to dwell with the multitude in like manner, and for the same purpose. And each O-yra was to have a heavenly place in the mortal temple, where he could meet his attendants in Council in reference to the Faithists and their affairs.
17. The fifteenth section of the Divan law made the O-yra and his attendants the heavenly kingdom for the ashars of the Lords who dwelt with mortals.
18. The sixteenth Divan law provided for the O-yra to increase the number of his attendants, according to the increase of the number of Faithists in each of the four divisions of the earth.
19. Such, then, were the chief of the Divan laws made in heaven in the cycle of Cpenta-armij, during the first two hundred years. And all the kingdoms of atmospherea were established and officered; and all the people in these heavens became organic as soon as passing the es'yan age. Nor was there any dissatisfaction amongst any of the Gods, or Lords, or other officers, or in any of the colleges, or hospitals; and never since the foundation of the world had there been such prosperity in the resurrections of the inhabitants of heaven.
Chapter V
1. And the harmony of heaven reigned on earth; war ceased amongst men on all the divisions of the earth. And man began to esteem wisdom, and truth, and virtue, and industry. The inspiration of the angels set man to imitating the affairs of heaven. He built schools and colleges, nurseries and hospitals, and factories for silk cloth, and linen cloth, and cotton cloth, and for paper; and factories for making glass, and leather; and factories for smelting iron, and copper, and silver, and gold.
2. Three great peoples sprang upon the earth within two hundred years; in Jaffeth, in Vind'yu, and in Arabin'ya; and a fourth great people were overspreading Heleste in every quarter. And the kings of Heleste were sending emigrants by thousands and thousands into Uropa.
3. The Lords sent ashars of great wisdom to dwell with mortals, to teach them by inspiration in regard to all knowledge; to teach them to spin and weave finely; to teach them the seasons, the times of the earth, and moon, and sun, and stars; to observe them with lenses, as had been the case in the cycle of Osiris, but was lost on the earth. Yea, the spirits of thousands of years previous were brought back to the earth, to reveal to mortals the lost arts and sciences.
4. By night and by day these angels remained in the presence of mortals, and by virtue of their presence spake unto the souls of men, and made them to understand.
5. And the Lord God of Maitraias restrained the drujas of heaven from coming back to afflict mortals or lead them astray. He guarded the earth around about on all sides, so that, in heaven, the Lords and the Divan hosts, in mirth, styled him The Savior of Men!
6. Jehovih rebuked them, saying to God: They that sow in mirth oft reap in sorrow. But even the Lords, with all their wisdom, saw not what was in store for their successors.
Chapter VI
1. The O-yra, the four angels with their thousands of assistant angel hosts, dwelt on the earth, with the Faithists; inspired them in peace, and rites, and ceremonies; inspired them in prayers, and psalms, and sacred dances; dwelt with them day and night; talked to their spirits when they slept; led them by inspiration to happy marriages, that they might beget offspring capable of the Voice.
2. And in each of the four countries the Faithists became as bands of brothers and sisters. And there came to them from the kings' peoples tens of thousands, and joined them, living as Faithists, casting their wealth into the rab'bah's hands, for the benefit of the poor.
3. In two hundred years there were in Jaffeth three million Faithists. In Arabin'ya there were two million Faithists. In Vind'yu there were four million Faithists. In Guatama there were one million Faithists.
4. But the Faithists were mostly poor people, and inhabited many far-apart regions.
5. But the kings' peoples were rich, and had large cities, an abundance of elephants, and horses, and camels, and asses, and cheetahs.
6. The Faithists had little learning as to books and instruments for measuring the stars, and moon, and sun; they derived their knowledge from the angels of the Lords. The Faithists' knowledge pertained mostly to perfecting the soul; but the knowledge of the kings' peoples pertained mostly to earthly matters, and to the gratification of self.
Chapter VII
1. The Anubi's labor on earth was to win the disaffected of the kings' peoples into association; and as far as possible bring them to the rites of Faithism.
2. Anubi sent tens of thousands of angels into all the regions of the earth. By inspiration and otherwise these angels established the rites of Anubi.
3. By these rites even kings were converted to Faithism and the full ceremonies of the brethren.
4. And by the same means were the Maichung, of Jaffeth, made into Faithists; and by the same rites were the Effins, of Vind'yu, converted into Faithists, adopting all the rites and ceremonies of Emethachavah afterward.
5. And it came to pass in course of time that there were no suffering poor in all the world. The Faithists had gathered them all up and made brethren of them; and the contributions to the Faithists by the kings' peoples rendered all the people comfortable.
6. For the degree of Anubi any one (who desired to learn heavenly things) was eligible. The rites and ceremonies were in dark chambers; and the angels of heaven, clothed in sar'gis, took part therein. And the angels taught mortals by the voice the mysteries of spirit communion; how to sit in circles and in crescents; taught the four dark corners, and the four bright sides; taught them how to ascertain from what grade in heaven the spirits came; how to keep off evil spirits; how to attract righteous spirits; taught them how to develop in su-is and sar'gis; the secrets of falling water; the application of lotions to the skin, that would make poundings and rappings.
7. The second degree taught the people of the Great Spirit and His secret names; taught them His high holy heavens, where all is rest and happiness forever. Whoever took the second degree had to live one year with the poorest of the poor, going about soliciting alms, reserving only the poorest of things for himself. And if he found a person naked he must take off his clothes and give them to that person. Men and women alike served the same conditions.
8. The third degree taught the dominions of God and the Lords, and the place of their abiding, and the irrespective labors in heaven. And the members must learn the names of the God or Gods, Lord or Lords, and the Divan laws; the words of salutation; the anthems; the prayers; the praise; the positions of utterance; the orders of marching; to write sacred names; the secret of begetting pure offspring, and the key to the two preceding degrees.
9. The fourth degree taught the arrangement of the heavens; the places of the sun and stars and moon; the places and grades of the unseen worlds; the localities of the lower and higher heavens; the places and dominions of false Lords and false Gods; the places in hada, and of hells and knots; of familiar spirits, and also of fetals, both the harmless and the destructive vampires, that live on mortals and in swine and cattle, that induce mortals to eat flesh food for that purpose; the key to the place of the north star; the position of the earth's vortex; the vortices that move the corporeal worlds, and hold them in place; and the rules for building temples and pyramids, with their spirit chambers.
10. Besides this there was the fifth degree, which reached the secret of life in the flesh; the power of will and how to use it far and near; how to rule over others without their knowing it; to cast spells; to enter the prophetic state; to estimate numbers without counting; to find proportions and distances without measuring; to forecast the time of things; to find the weight of things without weighing; to find the power of the capstan before it is made, and of the lever and screw; to find the friction of things before they were moved, in order to know the power required. The fifth degree was called the degree of prophecy; and the place of initiation was called the college of prophecy.
11. In this degree the angels came in sar'gis and taught these things orally, and mortals initiated thus learned them. But no one could take the fifth degree without having become proficient in all the four preceding degrees, and without the recommendation of the rab'bah (or priest) who had charge of the college.
12. And such was the wisdom of God that only Faithists could receive the degrees, save the first degree; and, therefore, the greatest knowledge of the earth was kept in secret with the Faithists. And the kings' people, even the richest and most powerful, were beholden to the sons and daughters of the Faithists. To build a palace or a temple, or an aqueduct or canal, or a ship or any great affair, the kings and the kings' people were obliged to employ Faithists of the fifth degree to superintend the work.
Chapter VIII
Of Anuhasaj; who, by treachery, becometh Lord God, second in rank to God, Son of Jehovih
1. Jehovih spake to God in Craoshivi, his heavenly place, saying: Behold, I have given great light to the earth and her heavens hundreds of years; and My Gods and Lords are becoming conceited in their own power and wisdom to rule in heavenly places.
2. Now will I try them for a season, by sending them a'ji'an darkness; for My Gods and Lords must learn to master the elements I have created in the firmament.
3. So Jehovih brought the earth and her heavens into a dark region for a season.
4. Anuhasaj, a one-time sub-God under Ahura, the false, was cast into hell, and then delivered out of hell, whereupon he repented, and became a Faithist in heaven; serving many years in holy works in Ailkin, a heavenly place of great wisdom.
5. And it came to pass that Ailkin was raised into a new heavenly place, called Vara-pishanaha; and in the removing, behold, Ahura ordered Anuhasaj from the line because of his inharmony. And Anuhasaj suffered himself to become angered.
6. Satan (self) said unto Anuhasaj: Who art thou, that one of less wisdom ordereth thee? Anuhasaj said: Alas, I am a fool, and without will to assert myself.
7. For many years Anuhasaj became a wandering spirit in heaven, going from kingdom to kingdom, doing nothing; and at times descending to the earth, observing the kingdoms of the earth.
8. Satan came again to him and said: Hear thou my voice, and thou shalt triumph over all other Gods. Anuhasaj said: What shall I do? And satan said: Go thou to Ahura, who offended thee in presence of the Chieftainess, Cpenta-armij, and say to him: O God, I crave thy forgiveness. Thou wert right, and I was wrong. I have repented most bitterly. Now I come to thee, with faith in Jehovih. Him will I serve forever. Turn me not off, O Ahura; remember thine own one-time shortness; and the high Gods above thee accepted thee.
9. Satan continued: Ahura will delight in thee and take thee at thy word. And thou shalt enter Vara-pishanaha, asking for the lowest of places; practicing humility in all thy behavior. But be thou fruitful in making acquaintances with such as shall serve thee afterward.
10. Satan continued: And whether it be fifty years, or a hundred, or two hundred, bide thou thy time. But the time shall surely come when thou shalt be exalted; and thou shalt solicit and accept a place in the dominions of the Lord God in the Lord-dom of heaven and earth, Maitraias.
11. Satan continued: And whether it be one hundred years more, or two hundred years, it mattereth not to thee; but thou shalt finally attain to the Lord-dom, and be duly installed and crowned Lord God of heaven and earth.
12. And when thou art thus exalted, thou shalt seek to have appointed such Lords to the ten divisions of earth as are thine own special friends. And it shall come to pass that the whole earth and her heavens shall be thine, and thy title shall be Lord God, and all people on earth and in heaven shall be thy servants.
13. Anuhasaj said: Thou art the wisest of Gods, O satan. All thou hast advised will I do; neither shall any one in heaven or earth know my designs.
14. And it came to pass in course of another hundred years, Anuhasaj was promoted on the staff of the Lord God, the guardian, where he served the Lord God one hundred and seventy years. So the Lord God named Anuhasaj for his successor.
15. So God came from Craoshivi and crowned Anuhasaj Lord God of heaven and earth; with great pageantry and display, God gave him a throne and placed him upon it. And from this time forth Anuhasaj was known and saluted as Lord God, which is the first rank below God.
16. The Lord God said unto satan: Who first shall I bring into my favor? Satan said: Thou shalt first bring into thy favor Anubi, Master of the Scales of Heaven, and when thou hast this to thy liking, thou shalt call him Thy Son and Savior of Men!
17. The Lord God said unto satan: Who next shall I bring into my favor? Satan said: Thou shalt next bring into thy favor the ten Lords of the heavenly kingdoms of the earth. And when thou hast them to thy liking, thou shalt exalt the chief one of them to be above the rest; and him that thou exaltest thou shalt call Osiris, for it is a name loved on earth and in heaven.
18. Satan said: Thou shalt re-establish thy Lord-dom and call it Hored, and it shall be the central kingdom of all the heavens belonging to the earth.
19. And Anubi shall send the spirits of his department to thy heavens; and Osiris and all the other Lords shall send the spirits of their departments to thy kingdom. And in no case shall any more spirits be sent to Craoshivi; for all people in heaven and earth shall be taught that thy kingdom is the All Highest Place; and that thou art the All Highest God, even the Creator of all things; and all angels and mortals shall be thy servants.
20. Then went the Lord God to work earnestly, but slowly and surely. The Lords of all the divisions of the earth were his special friends, and of such kind as would willingly do his bidding. And they were learned and of high grade of heavenly experience of more than a thousand years.
21. And the Lord God told no one in heaven or on the earth of his designs; gave no sign or token in his behavior that would make messengers or swift messengers look at him to read him; and he passed for the meekest and holiest of Gods.
22. But the time came at last for which the Lord God had labored hundreds of years; and he gave a festival in his heavenly place, inviting the Lords and captains and generals and marshals, whom he knew would willingly do his bidding.
23. And they came even as the Lord God had planned, and it was a time of great joy. And when the feast was ended, then spake the Lord God before them, spake as one moved in sorrow to do a solemn duty for the sake of Jehovih.
24. The Lord God said: O my brothers, hear the words of your Lord God! Behold, I have charge of the Lord-dom of heaven and earth, I am as a guardian that standeth by a corn-field to see the corn grow unmolestedly. My experience is not of a year, nor of a hundred years, but of thousands of years.
25. In Jehovih's name I speak before you; for the love I bear for the souls of men and angels. I belong not to the Diva as do ye Lords; my voice findeth vent in the fullness of the Father in me.
26. Who is here that hath not seen great decline, during the last hundred years, in these heavens, in the faith of angels in the All Person? Speak then, O ye Lords; and if ye have hearts for more energetic service for the Father and His kingdoms, now let your tongues have full liberty, as becometh Gods.
27. Anubi said: thou art wise, O Lord God. God of Craoshivi layeth the blame on a'ji.
28. Then spake Hi-kas, whose heavenly place was over Jaffeth, he said: My Lord God and my Lords, before your wisdom I bow. I am but as a child in heaven, little more than a thousand years. My tongue should be silent before you, my long experienced Lords. Hear me though in my little wisdom, and pity me for it.
29. To the east or west, or north or south, all things grow, in heaven and on the earth; I have seen no greater wisdom than this. One thing groweth not, the Diva. Behold, the Diva made laws hundreds of years ago, and they were wise laws in the time they were made. Ye and I, all of us, are bound by the old Divan laws. The laws have not grown.
30. Gods older than I am, and Lords also, tell us that the All Light is a Person and hath Voice; and moreover that long ago He spake to high-raised Gods, saying: These things, shall be thus and so.
31. I appeal to your judgment, O my Lord God and My Lords, was that not a wise doctrine for the ancients? For on this authority angels and mortals fell down and worshipped Him they saw not. And they were obedient to do the will of their masters and teachers on this self-asserted authority of a Person no one had seen!
32. Which is to say: It is wiser to worship Him we know not, and cannot comprehend, and is therefore as nothing before us, than to hearken to the words of most wise Gods and Lords.
33. If to worship that which we are ignorant of is the highest of worship, then the fool is the greatest of worshippers. For he is ignorant of all things. And by virtue of this reason, he who is the wisest must be the poorest of worshippers. And of a truth, is it not so, both in heaven and on earth?
34. With the acquisition of knowledge, they all put away the Unknowable; the ignorant are devout worshippers. Shall we hold our tongues, saying: Wh-ce, Wh-ce! The ignorant must not know the truth; the whole truth!
35. To do this, are we not hypocrites? Some have come to us from far-off regions, saying there are more delightful heavens, much higher! Why, then, shall we not all run away and leave this?
36. My Lord God, and my Lords, these heavens are good enough, if improved. The earth is good enough, if improved. We want larger kingdoms and more adorned thrones in our heavens and on the earth.
37. Next spake Che-le-mung, whose heavenly kingdom was over Arabin'ya. He said: My Lord hath spoken soul words. With knowledge, what more need angels or mortals? What value to them is it to say: Beware! The Unseen heareth and seeth? Or, halt and consider the Divan laws?
38. My Lord God, for the wisest and best and most honest to assume dominion, this I have not seen. Thy kingdom should be the largest and most adorned of all kingdoms. And thou shouldst have, to labor with thee, Lords with kingdoms greater than all Craoshivi. Cannot our Gods and our Lords make these heavens the greatest of all regions in the universe? Shall we and our people forever run off to etherea in search of higher heavens? And not improve our own? To exalt a place by going away from it, who hath seen this done?
39. Arc-wotchissij spake next: his heavenly kingdom was over Vind'yu. He said: O that I had not struggled so long to put away wisdom like this! All that hath been spoken I have understood. But I curbed my soul; I thought I was alone in such reason. Now, so suddenly, I have not words well schooled. I speak little, lest I trip myself up afterward. It is the joy of my life to listen to such wise arguments. Another time I will say more.
40. After him spake Baal, whose heavenly kingdom was over Heleste and the south end of Jaffeth to the sea, a young Lord of great promise. He said: How shall one of my inexperience speak before such Gods as are here! But because ye have touched upon a matter dear to my soul, my words will forth. I have seen all these heavens, and even Craoshivi, waning for hundreds of years. Our kingdoms are like old women, resigned to routine, living, but dead.
41. We have the same rites and ceremonies as the ancients; parades and salutations and anthems sung for thousands of years; and to whom? A figure-head that is void of shape and person and sense. Who is here that hath not deserved honor more than such a being? My Lord God hath labored two thousand years! I have seen him in Vara-pishanaha for more than a hundred years, stooped to the vilest labor, over bad-smelling drujas, teaching them, washing them!
42. The Lord God should have a kingdom wide as the earth, and a million attendants to do him honorable parade. And when he goeth forth he should have hundreds of thousands of heralds and trumpeters to proclaim he is coming. We need such. We need wider fields and more pomp and glory in our heavens; and kingdoms with great capital cities, and thrones arrayed in splendor.
43. Then rose Ashtaroth, assistant to Baal, and Lordess of the East Wing of his heavenly place. She said: Here are other Lordesses, can speak wisely. As for me, my words are few. The ancients have taught us to be plain in all things. And we have made our heavens like orchards stript of leaves and blossoms. As fast as angels are made bright and useful, they are persuaded to become Brides and Bridegrooms to Jehovih, and fly off to remote worlds. Our own beloved earth, that brought us forth, together with her heavens, are thus forever stript of the most valuable fruitage and ornaments.
44. We all know that atmospherea is extensive enough to contain all the angels the earth will bring forth in millions of years! I appeal to thee, my Lord God, and to ye, most wise Lords, are not these Brides and Bridegrooms hoodwinked by the tales of the etherean Gods? And by the parade and pageantry of the marriage ceremony? And by the fire-ships, and pomp and splendor of the marshals, and trumpeters, and music, and the high-raised Gods?
45. Behold, we have here one who can invent all these glories, even our Lord God. He should have such a heavenly place of splendor that the Brides and Bridegrooms would fly to him instead of the far-off heavens.
46. After this manner spake the Lords and Lordesses, and when they had all spoken, there rose up Anuhasaj, now lawfully anointed Lord God. He said:
Chapter IX
1. Most wise Lords, in words ye have done me great honor. There let the matter end. I perceive what any one can understand, which is that the centre of the heavens should be here. The heirs of the earth and atmospherea, why should they be carried off to other heavens? Sufficient is it for us that we cultivate our own. I am not competent for so great a work. Rather shall ye choose from amongst yourselves the highest, best, wise man, and make him your God. I will be his servant to do whatsoever he putteth upon me.
2. I have traveled far, and took the measure of many worlds. I declare unto you there are no glories in the far-off worlds, but what can be built up in these heavens, and even on the very earth.
3. Hear me then and judge ye, not for my fitness, but for my unfitness, and so dismiss me save to make me your servant.
4. Send not off the highest raised angels, but make these heavens suitable unto them.
5. Make this kingdom the All Highest heavenly kingdom; and make your God the highest of all Gods, even the Creator. Him shall ye surround with a capital city, a heavenly place paved with diamonds and most precious gems. And his throne shall be the most exalted, highest of all glories. To which none can approach, save by crawling on their bellies. Yea, such majesty shall surround your God as becometh a Creator; and such newly-invented rites and ceremonies, dazzling beyond anything in all the worlds!
6. The rites and ceremonies should be carried to the highest. Without rites and ceremonies a people are as a dead people; they are as an army without discipline. In fact, discipline is void without the formalities of rites and ceremonies. To not have these is to have every one do for self, which is the dissolution of all union. Baal hath spoken wisely on this; we need new rites and ceremonies, adapted for the highest grades. We shall no longer bow to a God we know not, a scattered substance wide as the universe!
7. Because ye have spoken, I am pleased. Because ye have come to my feast, I am delighted. To be with one's own loves, what is greater than that? It hath been said, man shall love all alike; but I say unto you that that is impossible. We have our preferences, and we delight to come together. Who shall say us nay?
8. And yet, my Lords and Lordesses, shall we not deliberate on these things? And council with our best loves upon it; for such is the construction of the mind that it oft seeth better through others' eyes. And, above all, shall we not mature the subject to know if in our own souls we are sincere, doing all things for the good of heaven and earth, and not for ourselves.
9. Ye know how Ahura's kingdom prospered until he began to work for his own glory; let us not, then, fall into his errors, but from his errors learn to avoid similar ones. And now, since the time of the feast is ended, and our respective kingdoms waiting us, I declare the assembly dissolved. Arise, then, my Lords and Lordesses, and go your way. And whatsoever ye may have on this matter, desiring to commune with me, do ye even so through messengers, which ye already have.
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