Lectionary Readings for Monday, July 1st, 2019

God’s Book of Ben Chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 5

1. Jehovih said: In the time I created life on the earth, and in the waters, and in the air
above the earth; I brought the earth into hyarti for a thousand years.

2. And the earth gave out light because of the darkness of the heavenly forests whither I
had brought her.

3. Man said: To know the beginning of things; what greater delight than this?

4. To know when the earth was made; and how the living were created!

5. The thousands of millions of kinds and species!

6. God said: Was not this answered unto thee? According to the light that man was
capable of receiving, so was he answered.

7. Man inquired: But why was not the truth told? Why the six days? And why the rib?

8. God said: That which man can accept, and is good for him, is given unto him. That
which man can not comprehend, can not be revealed to him.

9. Behold, even now, as hath been shown, thou usest false symbols to illustrate the
number ten.

10. Wouldst thou make man worship angels because they took on forms by his side?

11. Then thou wouldst lose influence over him, and angels would be his guides.

12. All teaching shall be to make man comprehend the Almighty’s dominion upon man.

13. Symbols and images that do this, are true lights, though false in fact.

14. Man said: How shall man find light, knowledge, wisdom, truth? Is there no all
teacher? Learning is void, because based on false grounds? The senses are void, because
they themselves are perishable and imperfect?

15. The insane man knoweth not his insanity. May not any man be also insane, and know
it not?

16. Where shall man find a true standing point to judge from?

17. Uz said: All thou seest and hearest, O man, are but transient and delusive. Even thine
own corporeal senses change every day.

18. To-day thou triest to raise up thy son in a certain way; but when thou art old, thou wilt
say: Alas, I taught him differently from what I would now.

19. Man inquired: Is this not then the best course, to devote myself wholly to doing good?

20. Es answered: Who shall tell thee what doing good is? Knowest thou?

21. Man said: To provide the best of everything for my wife, and for my sons and
daughters, and contribute to the poor.

22. Es said: Hadst thou created man, thou hadst given him hair or feathers and a cushion
for his head?

23. Bethink thee, then. Give thou one thing too much to thy wife and sons and daughters,
thereby preventing the calling out of their own talents, and, alas, thy works will be bad
instead of good.

24. Contribute to the poor one fraction too much, and thou injure instead of doing good.

25. Give him one fraction too little, and thou shalt rebuke thyself.

26. Man inquired: What, then, are good works? Shall I preach and pray for others?

27. God said: Man, thou shalt judge thyself as to what thou shalt do.

28. Within every man’s soul, Jehovih hath provided a judge that will soon or late become
triumphant in power.

29. Man said: Hear me: I am tired of reason and argument.

30. Now will I covenant with Jehovih. He only shall answer me; He will give me light:

31. To Thee, O Jehovih, I commit myself, to be Thine forever.

32. To serve Thee by doing nothing for mine own selfish ends; but by doing the best I can
for others, all my days.

33. My flesh body will I baptize every day in remembrance of Thee; for my body is
Thine, and I will keep it clean and pure before Thee.

34. Neither will I suffer my spiritual body to be injured by wicked thoughts or passions of
lust; for my spirit is Thy gift to me also.

35. Twice every day shall my spirit body be covenanted to Thee, in which times all
earthly thoughts shall depart away from me. And whatsoever light Thou bestowest on me,
that shall be a guide and ruler over me for the day thereof.

36. In the morning at sunrise will I turn to Thee, that I may be spurred up to swiftness in
doing good and in manifesting Thy light in my behavior. And at night before I sleep will I
recount my day’s labor, that I may see wherein I was short in doing with all my wisdom
and strength.

37. Thou, O Jehovih, shalt be my Confessor and Advisor; to Thee will I give praise
without ceasing. My prayers and anthems to Thee shall be without number. This do I
perceive is the highest of all aspiration.

38. For what better is it for God or the spirits of the dead to tell me a thing than for
mortals to tell me? Is not all wisdom necessary to be proved within each and every man?
Is it not better that my vision reach up to heaven and see it myself, than to be told of it by
the angels?

39. It is wiser for mortals to become pure as angels, than for angels to become impure as
mortals. Nay, I will not drag the spirits of the higher heavens down to the earth. If they
came and told me, it would be but hearsay testimony at best.

40. I will commune with them and weigh their words, as to whether they be wise and
adapted to founding Thy kingdom on earth.

41. Am I not done, O Jehovih? Thou hast sealed up thy kingdoms from me. Henceforth I
will neither preach nor hear preaching. Only to labor and to do good, and be in peace
within my own soul, and with my neighbors, and to glorify Thee.

42. I will do no more, nor will I multiply words with any one under the sun.

Chapter 6

1. God said: I declare in the name of Jehovih, the Whole. Through Him, and by His hand
have I been lifted up. hear me, O mortals! Give ear, O ye spirits of the dead! The Father
hath spoken; Him do I reveal; in Him bestow the tree of light.

2. I was in darkness, but am now in light. His presence is upon me. Hearken, then, to my
words, and be wise in your lives.

3. Seek not to disprove Him; seek not to prove that these things can not be; seek not to
deny His person, nor His spirit. Of such was my bondage. In bitterness of heart was I
bound in darkness. Those who deny, those who try to disprove Him, are in darkness.

4. He is the same to-day and forever. The prophets of old found Him; so also can ye. But
He cometh not to the denier, nor to the disprover.

5. He who will find His Person must look for Him. He who will hear His Voice must
hearken. Then cometh light.

6. All argument is void. There is more wisdom in the song of a bird than in the speech of
a philosopher. The first speaketh to the Almighty, proclaiming his glory. The second
ploddeth in darkness.

7. By my hand were the ancient libraries burnt, to draw man away from darkness.

8. Kosmon said: What hath great learning found that is valuable?

9. Shall learning, like riches, be acquired for one’s own selfish gratification?

10. If a rich man with his horded wealth do little for the resurrection of man, how much
less doth the learned man with a head full of knowledge? It neither feedeth nor clotheth
the sick and distressed, nor stayeth the debauchery and drunkenness of the great
multitude.

11. How shall we class the man of exact science? Where shall we find him? How shall
we know that he will not be disproved in time to come?

12. Yesterday it was said, a man can not fast forty days and live; to-day it is proven
possible.

13. Yesterday it was said, there is attraction of gravitation betwixt the sun and the earth;
to-day it is proven that there is no such thing. That no man can see without eyes or hear
without ears, in su’is (clairvoyance and clairaudience); to-day hundreds of thousands
know it to be so.

14. Yesterday it was said, thou shalt eat flesh and oil, because they supply certain things
for the blood, without which man can not live; to-day it is proven otherwise.

15. Yesterday the physician said: Take thou this, and it will heal thee; to-day the same
thing is proven to have no virtue.

16. This only is proven: That man is vain and conceited, desiring to make others believe
he is wise when he is not.

17. What healed the sick yesterday, will not to-morrow.

18. Philosophy that was good yesterday, is folly to-day.

19. Religions that were good for the ancients are worthless to-day.

20. Crime and pauperism grow up in the heart of them, even worse than in the regions of
the earth where they are not preached.

21. The physicians have not lessened the amount of sickness on the earth.

22. The lawyers have not lessened the rascality of the wicked, or depleted the number of
defrauders.

23. The march of Jehovih and His peoples is onward; it is like a tree of light, forever
growing, but man heedeth not the growth.

24. Man bindeth his judgment by things that are past; he will not quicken himself to see
and understand the All Light.