CHAPTER 30.

Jesus receives news of the death of his father. He writes a letter to his mother. The letter. He sends it on its way by a merchant.

Oneday as Jesus stood beside the Ganges busy with his work, a caravan, returning from the West, drew near.

2And one, approaching Jesus, said, We come to you just from your native land and bring unwelcome news.

3Your father is no more on earth; your mother grieves; and none can comfort her. She wonders whether you are still alive or not; she longs to see you once again.

4And Jesus bowed his head in silent thought; and then he wrote. Of what he wrote this is the sum:

5My mother, noblest of woman kind; A man just from my native land has brought me word that father is no more in flesh, and that you grieve, and are disconsolate.

6My mother, all is well; is wellfor father and is well for you.

7His work in this earth-round is done, and it is nobly done.

8In all the walks of life men cannot charge him with deceit, dishonesty, nor wrong intent.

9Here in this round he finished many heavy tasks, and he has gone from hence prepared to solve the problems of the round of soul.

10Our Father-God is with him there, as he was with him here; and there his angel guards his footsteps lest he goes astray.

11Why should you weep? Tears cannot conquer grief. There is no power in grief to mend a broken heart.

12The plane of grief is idleness; the busy soul can never grieve; it has no time for grief.

13When grief comes trooping through the heart, just lose yourself; plunge deep into the ministry of love, and grief is not.

14Yours is a ministry of love, and all the world is calling out for love.

15Then let the past go with the past; rise from the cares of carnal things and give your life for those who live.

16And if you lose your life in serving life you will be sure to find in it the morning sun, the evening dews, in song of bird, in flowers, and in the stars of night.

17In just a little while your problems of this earth-round will be solved; and when your sums are all worked out it will be pleasure unalloyed for you to enter wider fields of usefulness, to solve the greater problems of the soul.

18Strive, then, to be content, and I will come to you some day and bring you richer gifts than gold or precious stones.

19I’m sure that John will care for you, supplying all your needs; and I am with you all the way, Jehoshua.

20And by the hand of one, a merchant, going to Jerusalem, he sent this letter on its way.

Brahmic priests are enraged because of Jesus’ teaching and resolve to drive him from India. Lamaas pleads for him. Priests employ a murderer to kill him. Lamaas warns him and he flees to Nepel.

Thewords and works of Jesus caused unrest through all the land.

2The common people were his friends, believed in him, and followed him in throngs.

3The priests and rulers were afraid of him; his very name sent terror to their hearts.

4He preached the brotherhood of life, the righteousness of equal rights, and taught the uselessness of priests, and sacrificial rites.

5He shook the very sand on which the Brahmic system stood; he made the Brahmic idols seem so small, and sacrifice so fraught with sin, that shrines and wheels of prayer were all forgot.

6The priests declared that if this Hebrew boy should tarry longer in the land a revolution would occur; the common people would arise and kill the priests, and tear the temples down.

7And so they sent a call abroad, and priests from every province came. Benares was on fire with Brahmic zeal.

8Lamaas from the temple Jagannath, who knew the inner life of Jesus well, was in their midst, and heard the rantings of the priests,

9And he stood forth and said,My brother priests, take heed, be careful what you do; this is a record-making day.

10The world is looking on; the very life of Brahmic thought is now on trial.

11If we are reason-blind; if prejudice be king today; if we resort to beastly force, and dye our hands in blood that may, in sight of Brahm, be innocent and pure,

12His vengeance may fall down on us; the very rock on which we stand may burst beneath our feet; and our beloved priesthood, and our laws and shrines will go into decay.

13But they would let him speak no more. The wrathful priests rushed up and beat him, spit upon him, called him traitor, threw him, bleeding, to the street.

14And then confusion reigned; the priests became a mob; the sight of human blood led on to fiendish acts, and called for more.

15The rulers, fearing war, sought Jesus, and they found him calmly teaching in the market-place.

16They urged him to depart, that he might save his life; but he refused to go.

17And then the priests sought cause for his arrest; but he had done no crime.

18And then false charges were preferred; but when the soldiers went to bring him to the judgment hall they were afraid, because the people stood in his defense.

19The priests were baffled, and they resolved to take his life by stealth.

20They found a man who was a murderer by trade, and sent him out by night to slay the object of their wrath.

21Lamaas heard about their plotting and their plans, and sent a messenger to warn his friend; and Jesus hastened to depart.

22By night he left Benares, and with haste he journeyed to the north; and everywhere, the farmers, merchants and the sudras helped him on his way.

23And after many days he reached the mighty Himalayas, and in the city Kapivastu he abode.

24The priests of Buddha opened wide their temple doors for him.

Jesus and Barata. Together they read the sacred books. Jesus takes exception to the Buddhist doctrine of evolution and reveals the true origin of man. Meets Vidyapati, who becomes his co-laborer.

Amongthe Buddhist priests was one who saw a lofty wisdom in the words that Jesus spoke. It was Barata Arabo.

2Together Jesus and Barata read the Jewish Psalms and Prophets; read the Vedas, the Avesta and the wisdom of Guatama.

3And as they read and talked about the possibilities of man, Barata said,

4Man is the marvel of the universe. He is a part of everything, for he has been a living thing on every plane of life.

5Time was when man was not; and then he was a bit of formless substance in the molds of time; and then a protoplast.

6By universal law all things tend upward to a state of perfectness. The protoplast evolved, becoming worm, then reptile, bird and beast, and then at last it reached the form of man.

7Now, man himself is mind, and mind is here to gain perfection by experience; and mind is often manifest in fleshy form, and in theform best suited to its growth. So mind may manifest as worm, or bird, or beast, or man.

8The time will come when everything of life will be evolved unto the state of perfect man.

9And after man is man in perfectness, he will evolve to higher forms of life.

10And Jesus said, Barata Arabo, who taught you this, that mind, which is the man, may manifest in flesh of beast, or bird, or creeping thing?

11Barata said, From times which man remembers not our priests have told us so, and so we know.

12And Jesus said, Enlightened Arabo, are you a master mind and do not know that man knows naught by being told?

13Man may believe what others say; but thus he never knows. If man would know, he must himself be what he knows.

14Do you remember, Arabo, when you was ape, or bird, or worm?

15Now, if you have no better proving of your plea than that the priests have told you so, you do not know; you simply guess.

16Regard not, then, what any man has said; let us forget the flesh, and go with mind into the land of fleshless things; mind never does forget.

17And backward through the ages master minds can trace themselves; and thus they know.

18Time never was when man was not.

19That which begins will have an end. If man was not, the time will come when he will not exist.

20From God’s own Record Book we read: The Triune God breathed forth, and seven Spirits stood before his face. (The Hebrews call these seven Spirits, Elohim.)

21And these are they who, in their boundless power, created everything that is, or was.

22These Spirits of the Triune God moved on the face of boundless space and seven ethers were, and every ether had its form of life.

23These forms of life were but the thoughts of God, clothed in the substance of their ether planes.

24(Men call these ether planes the planes of protoplast, of earth, of plant, of beast, of man, of angel and of cherubim.)

25These planes with all their teeming thoughts of God, are never seen by eyes of man in flesh; they are composed of substance far too fine for fleshly eyes to see, and still they constitute the soul of things;

26And with the eyes of soul all creatures see these ether planes, and all the forms of life.

27Because all forms of life on every plane are thoughts of God, all creatures think, and every creature is possessed of will, and, in its measure, has the power to choose,

28And in their native planes all creatures are supplied with nourishment from the ethers of their planes.

29And so it was with every living thing until the will became a sluggish will, and then the ethers of the protoplast, the earth, the plant, the beast, the man, began to vibrate very slow.

30The ethers all became more dense, and all the creatures of these planes were clothed with coarser garbs, the garbs of flesh, which men can see; and thus this coarser manifest, which men call physical, appeared.

31And this is what is called thefall of man; but man fell not alone for protoplast, and earth, and plant and beast were all included in the fall.

32The angels and the cherubim fell not; their wills were ever strong, and so they held the ethers of their planes in harmony with God.

33Now, when the ethers reached the rate of atmosphere, and all the creatures of these planes must get their food from atmosphere, the conflict came; and then that which the finite man has called, survival of the best, became a law,

34The stronger ate the bodies of the weaker manifests; and here is where the carnal law of evolution had its rise.

35And now man, in his utter shamelessness, strikes down and eats the beasts, the beast consumes the plant, the plant thrives on the earth, the earth absorbs the protoplast.

36In yonder kingdom of the soul this carnal evolution is not known, and the great work of master minds is to restore the heritage of man, to bring him back to his estate that he has lost, when he again will live upon the ethers of his native plane.

37The thoughts of God change not; the manifests of life on every plane unfold into perfection of their kind; and as the thoughts of God can never die, there is no death to any being of the seven ethers of the seven Spirits of the Triune God.

38And so an earth is never plant; a beast, or bird, or creeping thing is never man, and man is not, and cannot be, a beast, or bird, or creeping thing.

39The time will come when all these seven manifests will be absorbed, and man, and beast, and plant, and earth and protoplast will be redeemed.

40Barata was amazed; the wisdom of the Jewish sage was revelation unto him.

41Now, Vidyapati, wisest of the Indian sages, chief of temple Kapavistu, heard Barata speak to Jesus of the origin of man, and heard the answer of the Hebrew prophet, and he said,

42You priests of Kapavistu, hear me speak: We stand today upon a crest of time. Six times ago a master soul was born who gave a glory light to man, and now a master sage stands here in temple Kapavistu.

43This Hebrew prophet is the rising star of wisdom, deified. He brings to us a knowledge of the secret things of God; and all the world will hear his words, will heed his words, and glorify his name.

44You priests of temple Kapavistu, stay! be still and listen when he speaks; he is the Living Oracle of God.

45And all the priests gave thanks, and praised the Buddha of enlightenment.

Jesus teaches the common people at a spring. Tells them how to attain unto happiness. Relates the parable of the rocky field and the hidden treasure.

Insilent meditation Jesus sat beside a flowing spring. It was a holy day, and many people of the servant caste were near the place.

2And Jesus saw the hard drawn lines of toil on every brow, in every hand. There was no look of joy in any face. Not one of all the group could think of anything but toil.

3And Jesus spoke to one andsaid, Why are you all so sad? Have you no happiness in life?

4The man replied, We scarcely know the meaning of that word. We toil to live, and hope for nothing else but toil, and bless the day when we can cease our toil and lay us down to rest in Buddha’s city of the dead.

5And Jesus’ heart was stirred with pity and with love for these poor toilers, and he said,

6Toil should not make a person sad; men should be happiest when they toil. When hope and love are back of toil, then all of life is filled with joy and peace, and this is heaven. Do you not know that such a heaven is for you?

7The man replied, Of heaven we have heard; but then it is so far away, and we must live so many lives before we reach that place!

8And Jesus said, My brother, man, your thoughts are wrong; your heaven is not far away; and it is not a place of metes and bounds, is not a country to be reached; it is a state of mind.

9God never made a heaven for man; he never made a hell; we are creators and we make our own.

10Now, cease to seek for heaven in the sky; just open up the windows of your hearts, and, like a flood of light, a heaven will come and bring a boundless joy; then toil will be no cruel task.

11The people were amazed, and gathered close to hear this strange young master speak,

12Imploring him to tell them more about the Father-God; about the heaven that men can make on earth; about the boundless joy.

13And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, A certain man possessed a field; the soil was hard and poor.

14By constant toil he scarcely could provide enough of food to keep his family from want.

15One day a miner who could see beneath the soil, in passing on his way, saw this poor man and his unfruitful field.

16He called the weary toiler and he said, My brother, know you not that just below the surface of your barren field rich treasures lie concealed?

17You plow and sow and reap in scanty way, and day by day you tread upon a mine of gold and precious stones.

18This wealth lies not upon the surface of the ground; but if you will but dig away the rocky soil, and delve down deep into the earth, you need no longer till the soil for naught.

19The man believed. The miner surely knows; he said, and I will find the treasures hidden in my field.

20And then he dug away the rocky soil, and deep down in the earth he found a mine of gold.

21And Jesus said, The sons of men are toiling hard on desert plains, and burning sands and rocky soils; are doing what their fathers did, not dreaming they can do aught else.

22Behold, a master comes, and tells them of a hidden wealth; that underneath the rocky soil of carnal things are treasures that no man can count;

23That in the heart the richest gems abound; that he who wills may open up the door and find them all.

24And then the people said, Make known to us the way that we may find the wealth that lies within the heart.

25And Jesus opened up the way; the toilers saw another side of life, and toil became a joy.

The Jubilee in Kapavistu. Jesus teaches in the plaza and the people are astonished. He relates the parable of the unkept vineyard and the vine dresser. The priests are angered by his words.

Itwas a gala day in sacred Kapavistu; a throng of Buddhist worshippers had met to celebrate a Jubilee.

2And priests and masters from all parts of India were there; they taught; but they embellished little truth with many words.

3And Jesus went into an ancient plaza and he taught; he spoke of Father-Mother-God; he told about the brotherhood of life.

4The priests and all the people were astounded at his words and said, Is this not Buddha come again in flesh? No other one could speak with such simplicity and power.

5And Jesus spoke a parable; he said, There was a vineyard all unkept; the vines were high, the growth of leaves and branches great.

6The leaves were broad and shut the sunlight from the vines; the grapes were sour, and few, and small.

7The pruner came; with his sharp knife he cut off every branch, and not a leaf remained; just root and stalk, and nothing more.

8The busy neighbors came with one accord and were amazed, and said to him who pruned, You foolish man! the vineyard is despoiled.

9Such desolation! There is no beauty left, and when the harvest time shall come the gatherers will find no fruit.

10The pruner said, Content yourselves with what you think, and come again at harvest time and see.

11And when the harvest time came on the busy neighbors came again; they were surprised.

12The naked stalks had put forth branch and leaf, and heavy clusters of delicious grapes weighed every branch to earth.

13The gatherers rejoiced as, day by day, they carried the rich fruitage to the press.

14Behold, the vineyard of the Lord! the earth is spread with human vines.

15The gorgeous forms and rites of men are branches, and their words are leaves; and these have grown so great that sunlight can no longer reach the heart; there is no fruit.

16Behold, the pruner comes, and with a two-edged knife he cuts away the branches and the leaves of words,

17And naught is left but unclothed stalks of human life.

18The priests and they of pompous show, rebuke the pruner, and would stay him in his work.

19They see no beauty in the stalks of human life; no promises of fruit.

20The harvest time will come and they who scorned the pruner will look on again and be amazed, for they will see the human stalks that seemed so lifeless, bending low with precious fruit.

21And they will hear the harvesters rejoice, because the harvest is so great.

22The priests were not well pleased with Jesus’ words; but they rebuked him not; they feared the multitude.

Jesus and Vidyapati consider the needs of the incoming age of the world.

TheIndian sage and Jesus often met and talked about the needs of nations and of men; about the sacred doctrines, forms and rites best suited to the coming age.

2One day they sat together in a mountain pass, and Jesus said, The coming age will surely not require priests, and shrines, and sacrifice of life.

3There is no power in sacrifice of beast, or bird, to help a man to holy life.

4And Vidyapati said, All forms and rites are symbols of the things that men must do within the temple of the soul.

5The Holy One requires man to give his life in willing sacrifice for men, and all the so-called offerings on altars and on shrines that have been made since time began, were made to teach man how to give himself to save his brother man; for man can never save himself except he lose his life in saving other men.

6The perfect age will not require forms and rites and carnal sacrifice. The coming age is not the perfect age, and men will call for object lessons and symbolic rites.

7And in the great religion you shall introduce to men, some simple rites of washings and remembrances will be required; but cruel sacrifice of animals, and birds the gods require not.

8And Jesus said, Our God must loathe the tinseled show of priests and priestly things.

9When men array themselves in showy garbs to indicate that they are servants of the gods, and strut about like gaudy birds to be admired by men, because of piety or any other thing, the Holy One must surely turn away in sheer disgust.

10All people are alike the servants of our Father-God, are kings and priests.

11Will not the coming age demand complete destruction of the priestly caste, as well as every other caste and inequality among the sons of men?

12And Vidyapati said, The coming age is not the age of spirit life and men will pride themselves in wearing priestly robes, and chanting pious chants to advertise themselves as saints.

13The simple rites that you will introduce will be extolled by those who follow you, until the sacred service of the age will far outshine in gorgeousness the priestly service of the Brahmic age.

14This is a problem men must solve.

15The perfect age will come when every man will be a priest and men will not array themselves in special garb to advertise their piety.

Jesus in Lassa. He meets Meng-ste who aids him in reading the ancient manuscripts. He goes to Ladak. Heals a child. Relates the parable of the king’s son.

InLassa of Tibet there was a master’s temple, rich in manuscripts of ancient lore.

2The Indian sage had read these manuscripts, and he revealed to Jesus many of the secret lessonsthey contained; but Jesus wished to read them for himself.

3Now, Meng-ste, greatest sage of all the farther East, was in this temple of Tibet.

4The path across Emodus heights was difficult; but Jesus started on his way, and Vidyapati sent with him a trusted guide.

5And Vidyapati sent a message to Meng-ste, in which he told about the Hebrew sage, and spoke for him a welcome by the temple priests.

6Now, after many days, and perils great, the guide and Jesus reached the Lassa temple in Tibet.

7And Meng-ste opened wide the temple doors, and all the priests and masters gave a welcome to the Hebrew sage.

8And Jesus had access to all the sacred manuscripts, and, with the help of Meng-ste, read them all.

9And Meng-ste often talked with Jesus of the coming age, and of the sacred service best adapted to the people of the age.

10In Lassa Jesus did not teach. When he had finished all his studies in the temple schools he journeyed toward the West. In many villages he tarried for a time and taught.

11At last he reached the pass, and in the Ladak city, Leh, he was received with favor by the monks, the merchants, and the men of low estate.

12And in the monastery he abode, and taught; and then he sought the common people in the marts of trade; and there he taught.

13Not far away a woman lived, whose infant son was sick nigh unto death. The doctors had declared, There is no hope; the child must die.

14The woman heard that Jesus was a teacher sent from God, and she believed that he had power to heal her son.

15And so she clasped the dying infant in her arms and ran with haste and asked to see the man of God.

16When Jesus saw her faith he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said,

17My Father-God, let power divine o’ershadow me, and let the Holy Breath fill full this child that it may live.

18And in the presence of the multitude he laid his hand upon the child and said,

19Good woman you are blest; your faith has saved your son. And then the child was well.

20The people were astonished and they said, This surely is the Holy One made flesh, for man alone cannot rebuke a fever thus and save a child from death.

21Then many of the people brought their sick, and Jesus spoke the Word, and they were healed.

22Among the Ladaks Jesus tarried many days; he taught them how to heal; how sins are blotted out, and how to make on earth a heaven of joy.

23The people loved him for his words and works, and when he must depart they grieved as children grieve when mother goes away.

24And on the morning when he started on his way the multitudes were there to press his hand.

25To them he spoke a parable; he said, A certain king so loved the people of his land that he sent forth his only son with precious gifts for all.

26The son went everywhere and scattered forth the gifts with lavish hand.

27But there were priests who ministered at shrines of foreign gods,who were not pleased because the king did not through them bestow the gifts.

28And so they sought to cause the people all to hate the son. They said, These gifts are not of any worth; they are but counterfeits.

29And so the people threw the precious gems, and gold and silver in the streets. They caught the son and beat him, spit upon him, drove him from their midst.

30The son resented not their insults and their cruelties; but thus he prayed, My Father-God, forgive these creatures of thy hand; they are but slaves; they know not what they do.

31And while they yet were beating him he gave them food, and blest them with a boundless love.

32In certain cities was the son received with joy, and he would gladly have remained to bless the homes; but he could tarry not, for he must carry gifts to every one in all the king’s domain.

33And Jesus said, My Father-God is king of all mankind, and he has sent me forth with all the bounties of his matchless love and boundless wealth.

34To all the people of all lands, lo, I must bear these gifts—this water and this bread of life.

35I go my way, but we will meet again; for in my Fatherland is room for all; I will prepare a place for you.

36And Jesus raised his hand in silent benediction; then he went his way.

Jesus is presented with a camel. He goes to Lahore where he abides with Ajainin, whom he teaches. Lesson of the wandering musicians. Jesus resumes his journey.

Acaravan of merchantmen were journeying through the Kashmar vale as Jesus passed that way, and they were going to Lahore, a city of the Hand, the five-stream land.

2The merchantmen had heard the prophet speak, had seen his mighty works in Leh, and they were glad to see him once again.

3And when they knew that he was going to Lahore and then across the Sind, through Persia and the farther West, and that he had no beast on which to ride,

4They freely gave to him a noble bactrian beast, well saddled and equipped, and Jesus journeyed with the caravan.

5And when he reached Lahore, Ajainin and some other Brahmic priests, received him with delight.

6Ajainin was the priest who came to Jesus in the night time in Benares many months before, and heard his words of truth.

7And Jesus was Ajainin’s guest; he taught Ajainin many things; revealed to him the secrets of the healing art.

8He taught him how he could control the spirits of the air, the fire, the water and the earth; and he explained to him the secret doctrine of forgiveness, and the blotting out of sins.

9One day Ajainin sat with Jesus in the temple porch; a band of wandering singers and musicians paused before the court to sing and play.

10Their music was most rich and delicate, and Jesus said, Among the high-bred people of the land we hear no sweeter music than that these uncouth children of the wilderness bring here to us.

11From whence this talent and this power? In one short life theysurely could not gain such grace of voice, such knowledge of the laws of harmony and tone.

12Men call them prodigies. There are no prodigies. All things result from natural law.

13These people are not young. A thousand years would not suffice to give them such divine expressiveness, and such purity of voice and touch.

14Ten thousand years ago these people mastered harmony. In days of old they trod the busy thoroughfares of life, and caught the melody of birds, and played on harps of perfect form.

15And they have come again to learn still other lessons from the varied notes of manifests.

16These wandering people form a part of heaven’s orchestra, and in the land of perfect things the very angels will delight to hear them play and sing.

17And Jesus taught the common people of Lahore; he healed their sick, and showed to them the way to rise to better things by helpfulness.

18He said, We are not rich by what we get and hold; the only things we keep are those we give away.

19If you would live the perfect life, give forth your life in service for your kind, and for the forms of life that men esteem the lower forms of life.

20But Jesus could not tarry longer in Lahore; he bade the priests and other friends farewell; and then he took his camel and he went his way toward the Sind.

Jesus crosses Persia. Teaches and heals in many places. Three magian priests meet him as he nears Persepolis. Kaspar, and two other Persian masters, meet him in Persepolis. The seven masters sit in silence seven days.

Four-and-twentyyears of age was Jesus when he entered Persia on his homeward way.

2In many a hamlet, town and neighborhood he paused a while and taught and healed.

3The priests and ruling classes did not welcome him, because he censured them for cruelty to those of low estate.

4The common people followed him in throngs.

5At times the chiefs made bold to try to hinder him, forbidding him to teach or heal the sick. But he regarded not their angry threats; he taught, and healed the sick.

6In time he reached Persepolis, the city where the kings of Persia were entombed; the city of the learned magi, Hor, and Lun, and Mer, the three wise men,

7Who, two-and-twenty years before, had seen the star of promise rise above Jerusalem, and who had journeyed to the West to find the new-born king;

8And were the first to honor Jesus as the master of the age, and gave him gifts of gold, gum-thus and myrrh.

9These magi knew, by ways that masters always know, whenJesus neared Persepolis; and then they girt themselves, and went to meet him on the way.

10And when they met, a light much brighter than the light of day, surrounded them, and men who saw the four stand in the way declared they were transfigured; seeming more like gods than men.

11Now, Hor and Lun were aged men, and Jesus placed them on his beast to ride into Persepolis; while he and Mer led on the way.

12And when they reached the magi’s home they all rejoiced. And Jesus told the thrilling story of his life, and Hor and Lun and Mer spoke not; they only looked to heaven, and in their hearts praised God.

13Three wise men from the North were in Persepolis; and they were Kaspar, Zara and Melzone; and Kaspar was the wisest master of the magian land. These three were at the home of Hor and Lun and Mer when Jesus came.

14For seven days these seven men spoke not; they sat in silence in the council hall in close communion with the Silent Brotherhood.

15They sought for light, for revelation and for power. The laws and precepts of the coming age required all the wisdom of the masters of the world.

Jesus attends a feast in Persepolis. Speaks to the people, reviewing the magian philosophy. Explains the origin of evil. Spends the night in prayer.

Afeast in honor of the magian God was being held, and many men were gathered in Persepolis.

2And on the great day of the feast the ruling magian master said, Within these sacred walls is liberty; whoever wills to speak may speak.

3And Jesus standing in the midst of all the people, said, My brothers, sisters, children of our Father-God:

4Most blest are you among the sons of men today, because you have such just conceptions of the Holy One and man.

5Your purity in worship and in life is pleasing unto God; and to your master, Zarathustra, praise is due.

6Well say you all, There is one God from whose great being there came forth the seven Spirits that created heaven and earth; and manifest unto the sons of men are these great Spirits in the sun, and moon, and stars.

7But in your sacred books we read that two among these seven are of superior strength; that one of these created all the good; the other one created all that evil is.

8I pray you, honored masters, tell me how that evil can be born of that which is all good?

9A magus rose and said, If you will answer me, your problem will be solved.

10We all do recognize the fact that evil is. Whatever is, must have a cause. If God, the One, made not this evil, then, where is the God who did?

11And Jesus said, Whatever God, the One, has made is good, and like the great first Cause, the seven Spirits all are good, and everything that comes from their creative hands is good,

12Now, all created things have colors, tones and forms their own; but certain tones, though good and pure themselves, when mixed, produce inharmonies, discordant tones.

13And certain things, thoughgood and pure, when mixed, produce discordant things, yea, poisonous things, that men call evil things.

14So evil is the inharmonious blending of the colors, tones, or forms of good.

15Now, man is not all-wise, and yet has will his own. He has the power, and he uses it, to mix God’s good things in a multitude of ways, and every day he makes discordant sounds, and evil things.

16And every tone and form, be it of good, or ill, becomes a living thing, a demon, sprite, or spirit of a good or vicious kind.

17Man makes his devil thus; and then becomes afraid of him and flees; his devil is emboldened, follows him away and casts him into torturing fires.

18The devil and the burning fires are both the works of man, and none can put the fires out and dissipate the evil one, but man who made them both.

19Then Jesus stood aside, and not a magus answered him.

20And he departed from the throng and went into a secret place to pray.

Jesus teaches the magians. Explains the Silence and how to enter it. Kaspar extols the wisdom of Jesus. Jesus teaches in the groves of Cyrus.

Now,in the early morning Jesus came again to teach and heal. A light not comprehended shown about, as though some mighty spirit overshadowed him.

2A magus noted this and asked him privately to tell from whence his wisdom came, and what the meaning of the light.

3And Jesus said, There is a Silence where the soul may meet its God, and there the fount of wisdom is, and all who enter are immersed in light, and filled with wisdom, love and power.

4The magus said, Tell me about this Silence and this light, that I may go and there abide.

5And Jesus said, The Silence is not circumscribed; is not a place closed in with wall, or rocky steeps, nor guarded by the sword of man.

6Men carry with them all the time the secret place where they may meet their God.

7It matters not where men abide, on mountain top, in deepest vale, in marts of trade, or in the quiet home; they may at once, at any time, fling wide the door, and find the Silence, find the house of God; it is within the soul.

8One may not be so much disturbed by noise of business, and the words and thoughts of men if he goes all alone into the valley or the mountain pass.

9And when life’s heavy load is pressing hard, it is far better to go out and seek a quiet place to pray and meditate.

10The Silence is the kingdom of the soul which is not seen by human eyes.

11When in the Silence, phantom forms may flit before the mind; but they are all subservient to the will; the master soul may speak and they are gone.

12If you would find this Silence of the soul you must yourself prepare the way. None but the pure in heart may enter here.

13And you must lay aside all tenseness of the mind, all business cares, all fears, all doubts and troubled thoughts.

14Your human will must be absorbed by the divine; then you willcome into a consciousness of holiness.

15You are within the Holy Place, and you will see upon a living shrine the candle of the Lord aflame.

16And when you see it burning there, look deep within the temple of your brain, and you will see it all aglow.

17In every part, from head to foot, are candles all in place, just waiting to be lighted by the flaming torch of love.

18And when you see the candles all aflame, just look, and you will see, with eyes of soul, the waters of the fount of wisdom rushing on; and you may drink, and there abide.

19And then the curtains part, and you are in the Holiest of All, where rests the Ark of God, whose covering is the Mercy Seat.

20Fear not to lift the sacred board; the Tables of the Law are in the Ark concealed.

21Take them and read them well; for they contain all precepts and commands that men will ever need.

22And in the Ark, the magic wand of prophecy lies waiting for your hand; it is the key to all the hidden meanings of the present, future, past.

23And then, behold, the manna there, the hidden bread of life; and he who eats shall never die.

24The cherubim have guarded well for every soul this treasure box, and whosoever will may enter in and find his own.

25Now Kaspar heard the Hebrew master speak and he exclaimed, Behold, the wisdom of the gods has come to men!

26And Jesus went his way, and in the sacred groves of Cyrus, where the multitudes were met, he taught and healed the sick.

Jesus stands by a healing fountain. Reveals the fact that faith is the potent factor in healing and many are healed by faith. A little child teaches a great lesson of faith.

Aflowing spring that people called the Healing Fount, was near Persepolis.

2And all the people thought that at a certain time of year their deity came down and gave a virtue to the waters of the fount, and that the sick who then would plunge into the fount and wash would be made whole.

3About the fount a multitude of people were in waiting for the Holy One to come and potentize the waters of the fount.

4The blind, the lame, the deaf, the dumb, and those obsessed were there.

5And Jesus, standing in the midst of them, exclaimed, Behold the spring of life! These waters that will fail are honored as the special blessing of your God.

6From whence do healing virtues come? Why is your God so partial with his gifts? Why does he bless this spring today, and then tomorrow take his blessings all away?

7A deity of power could fill these waters full of healing virtue every day.

8Hear me, you sick, disconsolate: The virtue of this fount is not a special gift of God.

9Faith is the healing power of every drop of all the waters of this spring.

10He who believes with all his heart that he will be made whole bywashing in this fount will be made whole when he has washed; and he may wash at any time.

11Let every one who has this faith in God and in himself plunge in these waters now and wash.

12And many of the people plunged into the crystal fount; and they were healed.

13And then there was a rush, for all the people were inspired with faith, and each one strove to be among the first to wash, lest all the virtue be absorbed.

14And Jesus saw a little child, weak, faint and helpless, sitting all alone beyond the surging crowd; and there was none to help her to the fount.

15And Jesus said, My little one, why do you sit and wait? Why not arise and hasten to the fount and wash, and be made well?

16The child replied, I need not haste; the blessings of my Father in the sky are measured not in tiny cups; they never fail; their virtues are the same forevermore.

17When these whose faith is weak must haste to wash for fear their faith will fail, have all been cured, these waters will be just as powerful for me.

18Then I can go and stay a long, long time within the blessed waters of the spring.

19And Jesus said, Behold a master soul! She came to earth to teach to men the power of faith.

20And then he lifted up the child and said, Why wait for anything? The very air we breathe is filled with balm of life. Breathe in this balm of life in faith and be made whole.

21The child breathed in the balm of life in faith, and she was well.

22The people marveled much at what they heard and saw; they said, This man must surely be the god of health made flesh.

23And Jesus said, The fount of life is not a little pool; it is as wide as are the spaces of the heavens.

24The waters of the fount are love; the potency is faith, and he who plunges deep into the living springs, in living faith, may wash away his guilt and be made whole, and freed from sin.

Jesus bids the magians farewell. Goes to Assyria. Teaches the people in Ur of Chaldea. Meets Ashbina, with whom he visits many towns and cities, teaching and healing the sick.

InPersia Jesus’ work was done and he resumed his journey towards his native land.

2The Persian sage went with him to the Euphrates; then with a pledge that they would meet again in Egypt land the masters said, Farewell.

3And Kaspar went his way unto his home beside the Caspian Sea; and Jesus soon was in Chaldea, cradle land of Israel.

4In Ur, where Abraham was born, he tarried for a time; and when he told the people who he was,and why he came, they came from near and far to speak to him.

5He said to them, We all are kin. Two thousand years and more ago, our Father Abraham lived here in Ur, and then he worshipped God the One, and taught the people in these sacred groves.

6And he was greatly blessed; becoming father of the mighty hosts of Israel.

7Although so many years have passed since Abraham and Sarah walked these ways, a remnant of their kindred still abide in Ur.

8And in their hearts the God of Abraham is still adored, and faith and justice are the rocks on which they build.

9Behold this land! It is no more the fruitful land that Abraham loved so well; the rains come not as in the former times; the vine is not productive now, and withered are the figs.

10But this shall not forever be; the time will come when all your deserts will rejoice; when flowers will bloom; when all your vines will bend their heads with luscious fruit; your shepherds will again be glad.

11And Jesus preached to them the gospel of good will, and peace on earth. He told them of the brotherhood of life, and of the inborn powers of man, and of the kingdom of the soul.

12And as he spoke, Ashbina, greatest sage of all Assyria, stood before his face.

13The people knew the sage, for he had often taught them in their sacred halls and groves, and they rejoiced to see his face.

14Ashbina said, My children of Chaldea, hear! Behold, for you are greatly blest today, because a prophet of the living God has come to you.

15Take heed to what this master says, for he gives forth the words that God has given him.

16And Jesus and the sage went through the towns and cities of Chaldea and of the lands between the Tigris and the Euphrates;

17And Jesus healed a multitude of people who were sick.

Jesus and Ashbina visit Babylon and remark its desolation. The two masters remain in company seven days; then Jesus resumes his homeward journey. Arrives in Nazareth. His mother gives a feast in his honor. His brothers are displeased. Jesus tells his mother and aunt the story of his journeys.

Theruined Babylon was near, and Jesus and the sage went through her gates and walked among her fallen palaces.

2They trod the streets where Israel once was held in base captivity.

3They saw where Judah’s sons and daughters hung their harps upon the willows, and refused to sing.

4They saw where Daniel and the Hebrew children stood as living witnesses of faith.

5And Jesus lifted up his hands and said, Behold the grandeur of the works of man!

6The king of Babylon destroyed the temple of the Lord in old Jerusalem; he burned the holy city, bound in chains my people and my kin, and brought them here as slaves.

7But retribution comes; for whatsoever men shall do to other men the righteous Judge will do to them.

8The sun of Babylon has gonedown; the songs of pleasure will be heard no more within her walls.

9And every kind of creeping thing and unclean bird will, in these ruins, find their homes.

10And in the temple Belus, Jesus and Ashbina stood in silent thought.

11Then Jesus spoke and said, Behold this monument of folly and of shame.

12Man tried to shake the very throne of God, and he assayed to build a tower to reach to heaven, when, lo, his very speech was snatched away, because in lofty words he boasted of his power.

13And on these heights the heathen Baal stood—the god wrought out by hands of man.

14Upon yon altar, birds, and beasts, and men, yea children have been burned in awful sacrifice to Baal.

15But now the gory priests are dead; the very rocks have shuddered and have fallen down; the place is desolate.

16Now, in the plains of Shinar Jesus tarried yet for seven days, and, with Ashbina, meditated long upon the needs of men, and how the sages could best serve the coming age.

17Then Jesus went his way, and after many days he crossed the Jordan to his native land. At once he sought his home in Nazareth.

18His mother’s heart was filled with joy; she made a feast for him, inviting all her kindred and her friends.

19But Jesus’ brothers were not pleased that such attention should be paid to one they deemed a sheer adventurer, and they went not in to the feast.

20They laughed their brother’s claims to scorn; they called him indolent, ambitious, vain; a worthless fortune hunter; searcher of the world for fame, who, after many years returns to mother’s home with neither gold, nor any other wealth.

21And Jesus called aside his mother and her sister, Miriam, and told them of his journey to the East.

22He told them of the lessons he had learned, and of the works that he had done. To others he told not the story of his life.

Back to Index Next