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The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ
CHAPTER 91
Jesus at the feast in Jerusalem. Heals an impotent man. Gives a practical lesson in healing. Affirms that all men are the sons of God.
The feast time came and Jesus and the twelve went to Jerusalem.
2 Upon the day before the Sabbath day they reached Mount Olives and they tarried at an inn before Mount Olives on the north.
3 And in the early morning of the Sabbath day they went in through the sheep gate to Jerusalem.
4 The healing fountain of Bethesda, near the gate, was thronged about with people who were sick;
5 For they believed that at a certain time an angel came and poured a healing virtue in the pool, and those who entered first and bathed, would be made whole.
6 And Jesus and the twelve were standing near the pool.
7 And Jesus saw a man near by who had been stricken eight and thirty years; without a hand to help he could not move.
8 And Jesus said to him, My brother, man, would you be healed?
9 The man replied, I earnestly desire to be healed; but I am helpless and when the angel comes and pours the healing virtues in the pool,
10 Another who can walk, steps in the fountain first and I am left unhealed.
11 And Jesus said, Who sends an angel here to potentize this pool for just a favored few?
12 I know it is not God, for he deals just the same with every one.
13 One has no better chance in heaven’s healing fountain than another one.
14 The fount of health is in your soul; it has a door locked fast; the key is faith;
15 And every one can have this key and may unlock the door and plunge into the healing fount and be made whole.
16 And then the man looked up in hopeful mood and said, Give me this key of faith.
17 And Jesus said, Do you believe what I have said? According to your faith it shall be done. Arise, take up your bed and walk.
18 The man at once arose and walked away; he only said, Praise God.
19 And when the people asked, Who made you whole? the man replied, I do not know. A stranger at the pool just spoke a word and I was well.
20 The many did not see when Jesus healed the man, and with the twelve he went his way up to the temple courts.
21 And in the temple Jesus saw the man and said to him, Behold you are made whole; from henceforth guard your life aright;
22 Go on your way and sin no more, or something worse may fall on you.
23 And now the man knew who it was who made him whole.
24 He told the story to the priests and they were much enraged; they said, The law forbids a man to heal upon the Sabbath day.
25 But Jesus said, My Father works on Sabbath days and may not I?
26 He sends his rain, his sunshine and his dew; he makes his grass to grow, his flowers to bloom; he speeds the harvests just the same on Sabbath days as on the other days.
27 If it is lawful for the grass to grow and flowers to bloom on Sabbath days it surely is not wrong to succor stricken men.
28 And then the priests were angered more and more because he claimed to be a son of God.
29 A leading priest, Abihu, said, This fellow is a menace to our nation and our laws; he makes himself to be a son of God; it is not meet that he should live.
30 But Jesus said, Abihu, Sir, you are a learned man; you surely know the law of life. Pray tell who were the sons of God we read about in Genesis, who took to wife the daughters of the sons of men?
31 Our father Adam; who was he? From whence came he? Had he a father? or did he fall from heaven as a star?
32 We read that Moses said, He came from God. If Adam came from God, pray, was he offspring, was he son?
33 We are the children of this son of God; then tell me, learned priest, Who are we if not sons of God?
34 The priest had urgent business and he went his away.
35 And Jesus said, All men are sons of God and if they live a holy life they always are at home with God.
36 They see and understand the works of God, and in his sacred name they can perform these works.
37 The lightnings and the storms are messengers of God as well as are the sunshine, rain and dew.
38 The virtues of the heavens are in God’s hands, and every loyal son may use these virtues and these powers.
39 Man is the delegate of God to do his will on earth, and man can heal the sick, control the spirits of the air, and raise the dead.
40 Because I have the power to do these things is nothing strange. All men may gain the power to do these things; but they must conquer all the passions of the lower self; and they can conquer if they will.
41 So man is God on earth, and he who honors God must honor man; for God and man are one, as father and the child are one.
42 Behold, I say, The hour has come; the dead will hear the voice of man, and live, because the son of man is son of God.
43 You men of Israel, hear! you live in death; you are locked up within the tomb.
44 (There is no deeper death than ignorance and unbelief.)
45 But all will some day hear the voice of God, made plain by voice of man, and live. You all will know that you are sons of God, and by the sacred Word, may do the works of God.
46 When you have come to life, that is, have come to realize that you are sons of God, you who have lived the life of right, will open up your eyes on fields of life.
47 But you who love the ways of sin will, in this resurrection, stand before a judgment bar, and be condemned to pay the debts you owe to men and to yourselves.
48 For whatsoever you have done amiss must be performed again, and yet again, until you reach the stature of the perfect man.
49 But in due time the lowest and the highest will arise to walk in light.
50 Shall I accuse you unto God? No, for your prophet, Moses, has done that; and if you hear not Moses’ words you will not hearken unto me, for Moses wrote of me.
CHAPTER 92
The Christines at a feast in Lazarus’ home. A fire rages in the town. Jesus rescues a child from the flames and stays the fire by the Word. He gives a practical lesson on how to redeem a drunken man.
Now, Lazarus was at the feast and Jesus and the twelve went with him to his home in Bethany.
2 And Lazarus and his sisters made a feast for Jesus and the twelve; and Ruth and Asher came from Jericho; for Asher was no longer hostile to the Christ.
3 And while the guests sat at the board behold a cry, The village is a-fire! and all rushed out into the streets, and, lo, the homes of many neighbors were in flames.
4 And in an upper room an infant lay asleep, and none could pass the flames to save. The mother, wild with grief, was calling on the men to save her child.
5 Then, with a voice that made the spirits of the fire pale and tremble, Jesus said, Peace, peace, be still!
6 And then he walked through smoke and flame, climbed up the falling stair, and in a moment came again, and in his arms he brought the child. And not a trace of fire was on himself, his raiment, or the child.
7 Then Jesus raised his hand, rebuked the spirits of the fire, commanding them to cease their awful work, and be at rest.
8 And then, as though the waters of the sea were all at once poured on the flames, the fire ceased to burn.
9 And when the fury of the fire was spent the multitudes were wild to see the man who could control the fire, and Jesus said,
10 Man was not made for fire, but fire was made for man.
11 When man comes to himself and comprehends the fact that he is son of God, and knows that in himself lies all the powers of God, he is a master mind and all the elements will hear his voice and gladly do his will.
12 Two sturdy asses bind the will of man; their names are Fear and Unbelief. When these are caught and turned aside, the will of man will know no bounds; then man has but to speak and it is done.
13 And then the guests returned and sat about the board. A little child came in and stood by Jesus’ side.
14 She laid her hand on Jesus’ arm and said, Please, Master Jesus, hear! my father is a drunken man; my mother toils from morn till night and when she brings her wages home my father snatches them away and squanders every cent for drink, and mother and us little ones are hungry all the night.
15 Please, Master Jesus, come with me and touch my father’s heart. He is so good and kind when he is just himself; I know it is the wine that makes another man of him.
16 And Jesus went out with the child; he found the wretched home; he spoke in kindness to the mother and the little ones, and then upon a bed of straw he found the drunken man.
17 He took him by the hand and raised him up and said, My brother, man, made in the image of our Father-God, will you arise and come with me?
18 Your neighbors are in sore distress; they have lost all they had in this fierce fire, and men must build their homes again and you and I must lead the way.
19 And then the man arose; the two went arm in arm to view the wrecks.
20 They heard the mothers and the children crying in the streets; they saw their wretchedness.
21 And Jesus said, My friend, here is a work for you to do. Just lead the way in helpfulness; I’m sure the men of Bethany will furnish you the means and help.
22 The spark of hope that had so long been smouldering in the man was fanned into a flame. He threw his ragged coat aside; he was himself again.
23 And then he called for help; not for himself, but for the homeless ones; and everybody helped. The ruined homes were built again.
24 And then he saw his own poor den; his heart was stirred into its depths.
25 The pride of manhood filled his soul; he said, This wretched den shall be a home. He worked as he had never wrought before, and everybody helped.
26 And in a little while the den became a home indeed; the flowers of love bloomed everywhere.
27 The mother and the little ones were filled with joy; the father never drank again.
28 A man was saved, and no one ever said a word about neglect or drunkenness, nor urged him to reform.
CHAPTER 93
The Christines go through a field of ripe wheat, and the disciples eat of the wheat. Jesus exonerates them. The Christines return to Capernaum. Jesus heals a withered hand on the Sabbath, and defends his deed.
Another Sabbath day had come and Jesus and the twelve walked through a field of ripened wheat.
2 And they were hungry and they took the heads of wheat and in their hands threshed out the grain and ate.
3 Among the men who followed them were Pharisees of strictest sect, and when they saw the twelve thresh out the wheat and eat, they said to Jesus,
4 Sir, why do the twelve do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?
5 And Jesus said, Have you not heard what David did when he and those who followed him had need of food?
6 How he went to the house of God and from the table in the Holy Place took of the presence bread and ate, and gave to those who followed him?
7 I tell you, men, the needs of man are higher than the law of rites.
8 And in our sacred books we read how priests profane the Sabbath day in many ways while they are serving in the Holy Place, and still are free from guilt.
9 The Sabbath day was made for man; man was not made to fit the Sabbath day.
10 The man is son of God and under the eternal law of right, which is the highest law, he may annul the statute laws.
11 The law of sacrifice is but the law of man, and in our law we read that God desires mercy first; and mercy stands above all statute laws.
12 The son of man is Lord of every law. Did not a prophet sum the duties of the man when in the book he wrote: In mercy follow justice and walk humbly with your God?
13 Then Jesus and the twelve returned to Galilee, and on the day before the Sabbath day they reached the home of Jesus in Capernaum.
14 And on the Sabbath day they went up to the synagogue. The multitudes were there and Jesus taught.
15 Among the worshippers was one, a man who had a withered hand. The scribes and Pharisees observed that Jesus saw the man, and then they said,
16 What will he do? Will he attempt to heal upon the Sabbath day?
17 And Jesus knew their thoughts and he called to the man who had the withered hand and said, Arise, stand forth before these men.
18 And Jesus said, You scribes and Pharisees, speak out and answer me: Is it a crime to save a life upon the Sabbath day?
19 If you had sheep and one of them fell in a pit upon the Sabbath day would you do wrong to take it out?
20 Or would it please your God to let it suffer in the mire until another day?
21 But his accusers held their peace.
22 And then he said to them, Are sheep of greater value than a man?
23 The law of God is written on the rock of Right; and Justice wrote the law, and Mercy was the pen.
24 And then he said, Man, raise your hand and stretch it forth. He raised his hand; it was restored.
25 The Pharisees were filled with rage. They called in secret council the Herodians, and they began to plot and plan how they might bring about his death.
26 They were afraid to publicly accuse, because the multitudes stood forth in his defense.
27 And Jesus and the twelve went down and walked beside the sea, and many people followed them.
CHAPTER 94
The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus reveals to the twelve the secret of prayer. The model prayer. The law of forgiveness. The holy fast. The evil of deceit. Almsgiving.
Next morning e’er the sun had risen Jesus and the twelve went to a mountain near the sea to pray; and Jesus taught the twelve disciples how to pray. He said,
2 Prayer is the deep communion of the soul with God;
3 So when you pray do not deceive yourselves as do the hypocrites who love to stand upon the streets and in the synagogues and pour out many words to please the ears of men.
4 And they adorn themselves with pious airs that they may have the praise of men. They seek the praise of men and their reward is sure.
5 But when you pray, go to the closet of your soul; close all the doors, and in the holy silence, pray.
6 You need not speak a multitude of words, nor yet repeat the words again and then again, as heathen do. Just say,
7 Our Father-God who art in heaven; holy is thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
8 Give us this day our needed bread;
9 Help us forget the debts that other people owe to us, that all our debts may be discharged.
10 And shield us from the tempter’s snares that are too great for us to bear;
11 And when they come give us the strength to overcome.
12 If you would be discharged from all the debts you owe to God and man, the debts you have incurred by wilfully transgressing law,
13 You must pass by the debts of every man; for as you deal with other men your God will deal with you.
14 And when you fast you may not advertise the deed.
15 When fast the hypocrites they paint their faces, look demure, assume a pious pose, that they may seem to men to fast.
16 A fast is deed of soul, and like a prayer, it is a function of the silence of the soul.
17 God never passes by unnoticed any prayer, or fast. He walks within the silence, and his benedictions rest on every effort of the soul.
18 Deception is hypocrisy, and you shall not assume to be what you are not.
19 You may not clothe yourselves in special garb to advertise your piety, nor yet assume the tone of voice that men conceive to be a holy voice.
20 And when you give to aid the needy ones, blow not a trumpet in the street, nor synagogue to advertise your gift.
21 He who does alms for praise of men has his reward from men; but God regardeth not.
22 In giving alms do not let the right hand know the secret of the left.
CHAPTER 95
The Sermon on the Mount, continued. Jesus pronounces the eight beatitudes and the eight woes. Speaks words of encouragement. Emphasizes the exalted character of the apostolic work.
And Jesus and the twelve went to the mountain top, and Jesus said,
2 Twelve pillars of the church, apostles of the Christ; light-bearers of the sun of life and ministers of God to men:
3 In just a little while you must go forth alone, and preach the gospel of the king, first to the Jews and then to all the world.
4 And you shall go, not with a scourge of cords to drive; you cannot drive men to the king;
5 But you shall go in love and helpfulness and lead the way to right and light.
6 Go forth and say, The kingdom is at hand.
7 Worthy are the strong in spirit; theirs the kingdom is.
8 Worthy are the meek; they shall possess the land.
9 Worthy they who hunger and who thirst for right; they shall be satisfied.
10 Worthy are the merciful; and mercy shall be shown to them.
11 Worthy they who gain the mastery of self; they have the key of power.
12 Worthy are the pure in heart; and they shall see the king.
13 Worthy they who are maligned and wronged because they do the right; their persecutors they shall bless.
14 Worthy is the trustful child of faith; he shall sit in the throne of power.
15 Be not discouraged when the world shall persecute and call you curst; but rather be exceeding glad.
16 The prophets and the seers, and all the good of earth, have been maligned.
17 If you are worthy of the crown of life you will be slandered, vilified and curst on earth.
18 Rejoice when evil men shall drive you from their ways and cause your name to be a hiss and byword in the street.
19 I say, rejoice; but deal in mercy with the doers of the wrong; they are but children at their play; they know not what they do.
20 Rejoice not over fallen foes. As you help men rise from the depth of sin, so God will help you on to greater heights.
21 Woe to the rich is gold and lands; they have temptations multiform.
22 Woe unto men who walk at will in pleasure’s paths; their ways are full of snares and dangerous pits.
23 Woe to the proud; they stand upon a precipice; destruction waits for them.
24 Woe to the man of greed; for what he has is not his own; and, lo, another comes; his wealth is gone.
25 Woe to the hypocrite; his form is fair to look upon; his heart is filled with carcasses and dead men’s bones.
26 Woe to the cruel and relentless man; he is himself the victim of his deeds.
27 The evil he would do to other men rebounds; the scourger is the scourged.
28 Woe to the libertine who preys upon the virtues of the weak. The hour comes when he will be the weak, the victim of a libertine of greater power.
29 Woe unto you when all the world shall speak in praise of you. The world speaks not in praise of men who live within the Holy Breath; it speaks in praise of prophets false, and of illusions base.
30 You men who walk in Holy Breath are salt, the salt of earth; but if you lose your virtue you are salt in name alone, worth nothing more than dust.
31 And you are light; are called to light the world.
32 A city on a hill cannot be hid; its lights are seen afar; and while you stand upon the hills of life men see your light and imitate your works and honor God.
33 Men do not light a lamp and hide it in a cask; they put it on a stand that it may light the house.
34 You are the lamps of God; must not stand in the shade of earth illusions, but in the open, high upon the stand.
35 I am not come to nullify the law, nor to destroy; but to fulfill.
36 The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms were written in the wisdom of the Holy Breath and cannot fail.
37 The heavens and earth that are will change and pass away; the word of God is sure; it cannot pass until it shall accomplish that whereunto it hath been sent.
38 Whoever disregards the law of God and teaches men to do the same, becomes a debtor unto God and cannot see his face until he has returned and paid his debt by sacrifice of life.
39 But he who hearkens unto God and keeps his law and does his will on earth, shall rule with Christ.
40 The scribes and Pharisees regard the letter of the law; they cannot comprehend the spirit of the law;
41 And if your righteousness does not exceed the righteousness of scribe and Pharisee you cannot come into the kingdom of the soul.
42 It is not what man does that gives him right to enter through the gates; his pass word is his character and his desire is his character.
43 The letter of the law deals with the acts of man; the spirit of the law takes note of his desires.
CHAPTER 96
The Sermon on the Mount, continued. Jesus considers the Ten Commandments. The philosophy of Christ the spirit of the Commandments. Jesus unfolds the spiritual aspects of the first four Commandments.
God gave the Ten Commandments unto men; upon the mountain Moses saw the words of God; he wrote them down on solid rock; they cannot be destroyed.
2 These Ten Commandments show the justice side of God; but now the love of God made manifest brings mercy on the wings of Holy Breath.
3 Upon the unity of God the law was built. In all the world there is one force; Jehovah is Almighty God.
4 Jehovah wrote upon the heavens and Moses read,
5 I am Almighty God and you shall have no God but me.
6 There is one force, but many phases of that force; these phases men call powers.
7 All powers are of God; and they are manifests of God; they are the Spirits of the God.
8 If men could seem to find another force and worship at its shrine, they would but court illusion, vain,
9 A shadow of the One, Jehovah, God, and they who worship shadows are but shadows on the wall; for men are what they court.
10 And God would have all men to be the substance, and in mercy he commanded, You shall seek no God but me.
11 And finite man can never comprehend infinite things. Man cannot make an image of the Infinite in force.
12 And when men make a God of stone or wood or clay they make an image of a shade; and they who worship at the shrine of shades are shades.
13 So God in mercy said, You shall not carve out images of wood, or clay, or stone.
14 Such idols are ideals, abased ideals, and men can gain no higher plane than their ideals.
15 The God is Spirit, and in spirit men must worship if they would attain a consciousness of God.
16 But man can never make a picture or an image of the Holy Breath.
17 The name of God man may not speak with carnal lips; with Holy Breath alone can man pronounce the name.
18 In vanity men think they know the name of God; they speak it lightly and irreverently, and thus they are accursed.
19 If men did know the sacred name and spoke it with unholy lips, they would not live to speak it once again.
20 But God in mercy has not yet unveiled his name to those who cannot speak with Holy Breath.
21 But they who speak the substitute in idle way are guilty in the sight of God, who said,
22 You shall not take the name of God in vain.
23 The number of the Holy Breath is seven, and God holds in his hands the sevens of time.
24 In forming worlds he rested on the seventh day, and every seventh day is set apart as Sabbath day for men. God said,
25 The seventh is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; remember it and keep it wholly set apart for works of holiness; that is, for works not for the selfish self, but for the universal self.
26 Men may do work for self upon the six days of the week; but on the Sabbath of the Lord they must do naught for self.
27 This day is consecrated unto God; but man serves God by serving man.
CHAPTER 97
The Sermon on the Mount, continued. Jesus unfolds to the twelve the spiritual aspects of the fifth and sixth Commandments.
God is not force alone; for wisdom is his counterpart.
2 When cherubim instructed man in wisdom’s ways they said that wisdom is the Mother of the race, as force is Father of the race.
3 The man who honors the almighty and omniscient God is blessed, and in the tables of the law we read,
4 Pay homage to your Father and your Mother of the race, that your days may be prolonged upon the land that they have given you.
5 The letter of the law commands; You shall not kill; and he who kills must stand before the judgment seat,