ers, though they stand not upon retaliation, think with themselves that such a one is their debtor. Others, when they have done any such thing do not so much as know what they have done, but are like the vine which beareth grapes, and then seeks no further recompense. As a horse after a race, a hunting dog when he hath hunted, or a bee when she hath made her honey, looks not for applause so also doth one that rightly understands his own nature, when he has done a good turn. Thou therefore must be one of them who, whatever they do, do it without any further thought, and are in a manner insensible of what they have done. 6. Upon every action thou art about put this question to thyself: How will this, when it is done, agree with me? shall I have occasion to repent of it? yet a little while and I am gone, and all things are at an end; what then do I care for more than that my present action may be the proper action of one that is reasonable, whose end is the Common Good, who in all things is ruled by the same law of Right and Rea son, by which the Deity rules Himself. As thou thyself, whoever thou art, wert made for the perfection and consummation of a life that is truly sociable: what action soever of thine therefore that, either immediately or afar off, hath not reference to the Common Good, is disorderly action; yea, it is seditious. 7. O man! as a citizen thou hast lived and conversed in this great City, the world. City, the world. Whether just for so many years, or no, what is it unto thee! Thou hast lived as long as the welfare of the City required, which may be the common good of all. Why then should it be grievous unto thee if the same Nature that brought thee in doth now send thee out of the world! As if the prætor should fairly dismiss him from the stage whom he had taken in to act a while. To set a certain time to every man's living belongs unto Him only who was thy Creator and now is the Cause of thy dissolution; As for thyself, thou hast to do with neither. Go thy ways then well pleased and contented: for He it is that dismisseth thee. SPECIAL PREFACE TO SELECTIONS FROM THE S° CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES O far as the Truth and Beauty of Religion and of Morality are concerned the Wealth of all the ages is gathered in this volume; nothing new or different has been, nor for many centuries to come is likely to be, added. And this Wealth is common to all Sacred Scriptures of the World—each stating it in its own way. The Selections of this volume are arranged in chronological order; but each overlaps the others and all contain common teachings, renewed and reapplied, according to the eclectic spirit and method that marks and pervades all the Great Religions of the World. The Christian Scriptures and Religion were at first a re-expression and a re-form of the Jewish Scriptures and Religion. After about one hundred years they began to be eclectic and to gather freely from all Scriptures and Religions, every one of which-Egyptian, Persian, Brahmanic, Chinese, Jewish, Buddhistic, Greek, and Roman-was known and widely represented throughout the Roman Empire. For more than three centuries this cosmopolitanism of religious teachings and cults prevailed. In this atmosphere and environment of Eclecticism the Christian Religion grew and the Christian Scriptures were at length written. Of all this we now have accurate knowledge and with certainty may designate the Christian Scriptures and Religion as a timely reexpression and re-form of all the great Scriptures and Religions of the World to that date. To a certain extent the same may be said of all the other great Scriptures and Religions-inclusive of Islamism at a later era-but, in the widest and fullest extent of the term, Eclecticism was and is the spirit and method of genuine Christianity in its Scriptures as in its organized life. Selections I to XV are from the Four Gospels which, as a "survival of the fittest" out of a mass of more or less unreliable Traditions, contain the more useful and inspiring reports of the sayings and deeds of Joshua or Jesus of Nazareth, who is called the Anointed or the Christ. Only the Sayings are included in these Selections-all the Deeds, Historic Citations, Local Incidents, Comments or Opinions of observers and transcribers, together with all Personal and Geographic Names have been omitted as, impartially, they have been omitted from all the other Selections of this volume. The stanzas that follow express appropriately the religious and ethical spirit pervading all the Sacred Scriptures of the World but particularly those of the Christian Religion. FATHER, in the holy temple Of the pure and loving heart Dwell'st Thou ever, Thy rich blessings Of sweet grace and truth t' impart; Though the earth we travel over Seeking in each fane or shrine, Nowhere shall we Thee discoverWe ourselves are temples, Thine! We ourselves Thine only temples: Find we truth and righteousness; CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES-GOSPEL SELECTIONS JAH-VAH: Heaven Parent, Mother--Father, Our Father, Our Mother. SELECTION I. GLORY to the Holy One in the highest! Peace on Earth! Goodwill to men! 2. Now, O Holy One, lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen the Salvation which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people: even the Light which is to lighten all nations and the Glory of all Thy children upon earth. 3. Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! prepare the way of the Holy One, make clean His paths; elevate all that is low, bring down all that is high, straighten all that is crooked, make smooth all that is rough; that all flesh may see His Salvation. He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none; he that hath meat, let him do likewise; exact only what is just; do violence to no man; be content with your wages. The winnowing-time has come; the threshing floors shall be thoroughly cleansed, the wheat shall be gathered into storehouses and the chaff shall be burned in the unquenchable fire. 4. It is written: man shall not live by bread only but by every teaching that proceedeth from the Holy One! Again: thou shalt worship the Holy One and Him alone shalt thou obey! Again: thou shalt not tempt the Holy One who is Supreme! 5. The spirit of the Holy One is upon me; for he hath appointed me to publish Glad Tidings, to comfort the broken-hearted, to give sight to those whose minds are blinded, to heal those who are bruised, to proclaim deliverance to captives and to announce the acceptable time. 6. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Repent ye! Bring forth fruits worthy of Repentance! Say not: We have the righteousness of our fathers! Behold, the axe is now laid at the root of every tree, and every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire! 7. Blessed are the humble in spirit: theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they who sorrow for their sins; they shall be comforted. Blessed are they who are unselfish in spirit: they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: they shall be filled. Bless ed are the merciful: they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see the Holy One. Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be called the children of the Holy One. 8. Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: theirs is the approval of Heaven. Blessed are they who weep now; for they shall laugh. Blessed are they whom men hate, and whom they separate from their company, and whom they reproach, and cast out as evil for the Truth's sake: their approval is great in Heaven. Woe to them that are rich; for they have received their consolation. Woe to them that are full: for they shall hunger. Woe to them that laugh now; for they shall mourn and weep. Woe to them of whom all men speak well; for so did their fathers of the false prophets. SELECTION II. YE are salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its savor it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot. Ye are lights in the world; a city set on an hill cannot be hid; men do not light a candle and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick, that it may give light to all who are in the house. So let our light shine before men that they may see our good works and give the glory to Our Father who is in who is in Heaven. 2. Truly, truly, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle | shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be accomplished. Whosoever shall break one of even the least Commandments and teach men so, shall be least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them shall be great in the Kingdom of Heaven. Unless our righteousness exceed the righteousness of hypocrites we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. 3. It was said by them of old time: Thou shalt not kill; whosoever shall kill will be in danger of the judgment! but I say: Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment, and whosoever shall call his brother a fool shall be in danger of the fires of Gehenna. If thou bring a gift to the altar and rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave thy gift and go thy way first to be reconciled to thy brother; then come and offer the gift. 4. It was said by them of old time: Thou shalt not commit adultery! but I say: Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Therefore if thy right eye causeth thee to lust, pluck it out and cast it from thee! it is better for thee that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body should be cast into Gehenna. Or if thy right hand causeth thee to lust cut it off and cast it from thee! It is better for thee that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body should be cast into Gehenna. 5. It was said by them of old time: Thou shalt not forswear thy self, but shalt perform unto the Holy One thine oaths! but I say: Swear not at all; neither by Heaven which is the throne of the Holy One, nor by the earth which is His footstool, nor by thy head, of which thou canst not make one hair white or black; but let our communication be: Yea, yea; Nay, nay; whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 6. It hath been said: An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth! but I say: Resist not evil; whosoever may smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also; if any one sue thee at the law and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also; whosoever may compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain; give to him that asketh and from him that would borrow turn not away. 7. It hath been said: Thou shalt love thy neighbor and hate thine enemy! but I say: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use and persecute you; so shall we be children of Our Father who is in Heaven, who maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if we love them who love us, what merit have we! do not even the outcasts the same? if we salute our brethren only, what do we more than others! do not even the outcasts so? we therefore, let us be perfect, even as Our Father in Heaven is perfect. 8. Take heed that ye do not alms before men to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no approval from Our Father who is in Heaven; when thou doest alms do not sound a trumpet before thee, as hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have glory of men; truly they have this as their reward! but when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth, that thine alms may be in secret, and Our Father who seeth in secret Himself will approve thee openly. 9. When thou prayest, be not as hypocrites who love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men; truly they have this as their reward! but when thou prayest enter into thy closet and shut the door, and thus pray to Our Father in secret: and He who seeth in secret shall approve thee openly. When ye pray, use not vain repetitions as heathen do for they think they will be heard for their much speaking! be not like them; for Our Father knoweth what things we have need of before we ask Him. After this manner pray ye: Our Father, reverenced be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done on earth as in the heavens. Grant us day by day our needful |