The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

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.