1. IN course of time, word came to Ahura, in Vara-pishanaha, of the proceedings of the Lord God, now styled De'yus, and of the revolt of all the lowest heavens in one fell swoop. And Ahura remembered his own shortcomings, thousands of years ago, and the terrible bondage that came upon him in the end. And he knew De'yus, who had been a sub-God under him hundreds of years, under the name p. 385 Anuhasaj, who had tried to break the lines in the arc of Spe-ta, in the resurrection of Ailkin.
2. So Ahura prayed to Jehovih, before the Holy Council in Vara-pishanaha, to know what he should say or do in the matter, or if nothing at all. Jehovih answered him, saying:
3. My Son, thou art no longer a child. Address thou the Lord God, or not address him, as seemeth fit in thine own eyes. Behold, I suffered thee to try the same road, that thou mightst understand Me and My kingdoms.
4. Thereupon Ahura determined to send word to De'yus, in his own name, and in his own way. Then, then, is what he sent, to wit:
5. To Anuhasaj, my one-time sub-God, greeting to thee in justice and wisdom. Wert thou inexperienced I would treat thee with respect. But thou knowest thou art false. And because thou art false, thou shalt reap in falsehood.
6. Behold, the day shall come when thy Gods will desert thee; for such is the tree thou hast planted in thy kingdoms. This rule holdeth on earth and in all the heavens. Can that which is unborn, restrain its own birth? Or that which is not quickened into life, restrain the Creator's hand?
7. So also is it of him that soweth for self; he shall reap a harvest of selfs. And thy Gods will be for themselves, and thy marshals, and all thy hosts; every one pulling in an opposite way.
8. Not suddenly will these things come upon thee; for thou shalt have a mighty kingdom and great honor and glory, such as no other God before thee hath had in these heavens. And thy people shall be jealous to serve thee, striving with all their might to outdo one another in worshipful obedience to thee. And thy name, even the names De'yus and Lord God, shall stand for a season the highest on the earth of all names that have ever been.
9. And yet the time shall come that thy names shall be cast out of earth and heaven. Even the deeds that thou shalt do shall be the means of making thy names execrable.
10. Think not, O my Lord God, that thou wilt deal righteously, and keep thyself holy. Behold, I, too, was a revolted God that sat up a kingdom for mine own glory. And, in the time of the beginning thereof, I was most resulute to practice righteousness in all things.
11. But the surroundings overcame me; for as I was allied to self, so selfish officers under me beset me on all occasions, and I was forced to find new places and new glories for them, or, by their grumbling, they would sow my fields with mutiny. I was powerless in the great kingdom I built up. Thou knowest the result.
12. Thinkest thou the larger thy kingdom, the greater will be thy power to avert thy fall? My experience was the opposite of this.
13. I admonish thee in wisdom and justice; I know thou art doing these things not for the raising up of the fruit of the earth, but for thine own aggrandizement and glory. And I say unto thee, the time will surely come when thy Gods will do the same things against thee. And in that time the wise and learned and truthful will fly from thee, but the drujas and slaves will not leave thee; but thou shalt be environed with them, and cast into hell.
14. Thou shalt heap misery upon millions of thy subjects, but thou shalt not escape the hand of justice: Thou shalt reimburse them every one. Thou hast cast thy net in shoal water; thine own feet shall be tangled in the meshes thereof.
15. Behold, I, too, once craved a great heavenly kingdom; now I weep day and night because I have it. And thou, too, shalt experience the time of scalding tears, to be rid of that which thou cravest even now.
16. Yet, how else shall the dumb be raised in heaven? Who else shall minister to the wandering spirits that overspread the earth? And the evil drujas? And the lusters, and foul-smelling? Shall I say to thee: Go on, thou self-presuming Lord God, the Great Spirit hath a rod in pickle for thee!
17. Yea, He answereth the ambition of men and Gods sooner or later; in a way they think not of, He bringeth them up with a round turn.
18. Thou art like a man desirous of great bulk, that shutteth up the pores of the skin of his flesh; thou seekest to shut up the course of the heavens that riseth out of the earth, upward forever. And as the one choketh up with a foul smell, and dieth, so shall it be with thy kingdom. Behold, the way of everlasting light is outward; onward, away from the corporeal world; but the way of darkness is toward the earth.
19. Sayest thou the spirits of the dead shall not rise away from the earth? And, in their ignorance of the higher heavens, become guides to mortals!
20. Behold, thou hast traveled far; and thou struttest about, saying: It is enough; I, the Lord God, have traveled p. 386 in the far-off heavens; stay ye at home, and work for me forever, that I may be glorified!
21. Wilt thou say: I, the Lord God,I, De'yus, am the only Son of the Void! Behold, by kingdom lieth in a little corner! Come and worship me, the Lord God, and ye shall see me on my throne!
22. Or wilt thou say: The impersonal space, senselessness, by accident fructified itself in corporeal substance, and became me, the Lord God, in size of a full-grown man, and then I created all the creations! Wherefore let men and angels fall down and worship the man, De'yus, who dwelleth in Hored, a ripple in the lowest heavens!
23. I profess not love to thee, Anuhasaj, but justice toward them beneath thee. For thou shalt hoodwink mortals, and even angels of little experience, to believe thou wert the very Creator; but thy Gods know thee as to who thou art, and the Gods above thee know also. All thy days at most have been but two thousand and seven hundred years! And the time shall come upon thee that thou shalt be forced by thine own fault to assert thou wert the very Creator, whose worlds have run thousands of millions of years! Who can carry so great a falsehood as this! And not carrying it, it shall fall down on thee and on thy people, and take root and spread abroad till thy place and thy Gods' places are the foundation of nothing but lies.
24. For the rule holdeth in all places, high and low, that according to the seed sown so shall be the harvest, whether good or bad. Nor can any man or God alter this rule, or bend it to the right or left.
25. If it be Jehovih's decree that some one shall make the name of God, and Lord God, and De'yus, execrable on earth and in heaven, it may be well that thou hast put thyself into the yoke to that end. Yet I would not have thee so, could I prevent it.
26. Thou wert one time my sub-God, and I remember thee well; thou wert young and full of promise. My judgment spake to me of thee, saying: A sub-God, to be proud of for thousands of years! But my judgment was not Jehovih's. My love for thee was early nipped in the bud. For thou wert forever talking of thyself. Thou madest thy neighbor Gods sick by forever relating thy experiences and thy prophecies as to what thou wouldst do.
27. And when Jehovih encompassed me about in mine own evil, thou didst tantalize me because I had not followed thy advice. Now I repeat unto thee, I could not follow any one's advice. And thou, too, shalt be environed about, and be unable to follow any one's advice. For such is the bondage of the Godhead, save we cut ourselves loose, making Jehovih the Head and Front, and ourselves His servants. For the God should not only be the greatest in his kingdom, but the most menial servant of his people; forever throwing off responsibility, and forever urging his subjects not to idolize him, but Jehovih! Forever showing them that their God is nothing more than themselves; that they must stand alone, and become, not slaves to their God, but independent beings full of manliness, having faith in the Great Spirit only.
28. By which the God bindeth not himself nor his people; giving full sway to the love of liberty in every soul, but in tenderness and love that harmonize with Jehovih's proceedings.
29. Now when thou camest back to me, after I was delivered out of hell, and my kingdoms raised to Vara-pishanaha, thou didst profess to understand these things, and of a truth, to love this philosophy. And thou didst pray fervently to Jehovih, repenting of thy former ways, taking part in the rites and ceremonies.
30. Then I opened my heart to thee. My much love for thee, as when I first knew thee, returned upon me a thousand fold. In joy and in tears I fell upon thee, and I praised Jehovih that He had sent me so sweet a love.
31. In each other's arms we repented, and we swore our mutual love forever. Then we both saw the way of Jehovih clear, and He made us strong and wise, full of rejoicing.
32. And we fell to, hand in hand, laboring with drujas, dark and most foul, teaching them day and night, forever repeating to their stupid minds. And when we were both well nigh exhausted thousands of times, and we slacked up, and withdrew for a short spell, we rested in each other's arms!
33. Then we reasoned and philosophised on the plans and glories of Jehovih's works; hopefully watching signs of progress in our wards. O the glory of those days! O the richness of thy wisdom and love to me in those days of darkness! For a hundred years we toiled thus, and I was blessed, and my people were blessed by thee, thou star of our love.
34. When we raised them up, my wards, four thousand millions, were lifted a small way up out of darkness, and our far-off Goddess, Atcheni, needed one who was great, like unto p. 387 thee, to travel in other regions. And I parted with thee. My soul was as if divided in twain.
35. For hundreds of years thou traveledst and became rich in knowledge; but not to return to me, to my bursting heart! What more can I say? Thou art in my place, and I am in mine; but Jehovih is with Wisdom, Love, Truth and Fidelity, for these are his abiding places.