we love in her the Divine Spirit; children should be loved, not because we love the children but, because we love in them the Divine Spirit. Divine Spirit. Nothing but the Supreme Being should be adored by a wise man. How can such a man have delusion or sorrow? For he realizes the Unity.

SELECTION II.

ON that Effulgent Power, which is the Supreme One, the Light of the Universe, do we meditate, governed by the mysterious light which resides in us for purposes of thought; We ourselves are manifestations of the Supreme Being. He is the One Deity, He is the Great Soul, He is the Soul of all Beings.

2. The wise give divers names to that which is One; poets make the beautiful-winged manifold by their words, though He is One. There is only One who is omnipotent, eternal, omnipresent; He is the Great Soul of which all others are but parts; in the beginning He arose the Source of golden light, the only Ruler of all that is; He established the earth and the sky.

3. Who is the Supreme One to whom we should offer worship? He who gives life; He He who gives strength; He whose blessings all desire; He whose shadow is death and from whom immortality proceeds; He who through His power is the only King of the breathing and awakening world; He whose power

is proclaimed by the snowy mountains, the sea, and the distant river; He through whom the sky is bright and the earth is firm; He through whom heaven was established, yea, the heaven of heavens; He who measured out the light in the air.

4. Wherever the mighty waterclouds went, where they placed the seed and lit the fire, thence arose He who is the Only Life; He who is Supreme above all; He is the One to whom we should offer worship. The world lay in darkness, as asleep; Then He, who is self-existent, the Most High, the Almighty, manifested Himself and dispelled the gloom. He whose nature is beyond our reach, whose being escapes our senses, who is invisible and eternal, He, the All-pervading Spirit whom the mind cannot grasp, even He shone forth.

5. Let us adore the supremacy of that Spiritual Sun, who illuminates all, who re-creates all, from whom all proceed, to whom all must return; whom we invoke to direct our undertakings aright in our progress toward His holy seat.

6. O Thou who givest sustenance to the world, unveil Thy face now hidden from us by its veil of golden light, so that we may see the truth and know our whole duty! Our Father in Heaven be favorable to us! Eternal One protect us evermore! We have no other Friend, no other Father than Thou, O Father of Heaven, the Father of Men!

SELECTION III.

A WISE man must discharge all his moral duties, even though he does not constantly perform the ceremonies of religion; he will fall very low if he performs ceremonial acts only and fails in the discharge of his moral duties. Religious acts which proceed from selfish views with regard to this world, such as offering prayers to obtain rain, or with hope of reward in the next world, are external and selfish. But acts performed without self-love are internal and disinterested.

2. Religious exercises performed to obtain reputation, or for an appearance of sanctity, come from inferior influences of the soul and are

of little worth. The best worship is that which is offered without expect ing to attain any particular object; and that is the worst which is performed for the accomplishment of a particular end. The religious exercise of the body is to be pure; of the lips, to speak always truly and kindly; of the thoughts, to control selfish inclinations and cherish benevolent tendencies.

3. The worship of spiritual wisdom is far better than worship by the offering of things. They who are ignorantly devoted to the mere ceremonies of religion are fallen into thick darkness; but they are in still thicker gloom who are solely attached to fruitless speculations. The Lord of Life should not be worshipped with faded flowers; those

that grow in thine own garden are far better than any other; with the flowers that are gathered there must be reverence, itself a flower.

4. Why say: I will go on a pilgrimage to the holy city! Why long for the sacred wells! How can the true holy city be attained by an evil-doer! Though we live in the desert, sanctity is not there; neither is it in the sky; nor is it at the confluence of holy rivers on earth. Convert thy body into a temple; give up evil thoughts, and see the Holy One with thine internal eye.

5. Darkness is never dispelled by a painted flame; so Scripture will never free the soul from fear without the light of inward experience.

Though a dog were to roam to the

sacred city, he would not thereby be changed into a lion; or if a swine were to travel to a holy spot, he would not thereby become an elephant; so no pilgrimage will make a saint of a man who has no holy aspirations.

6. Be thy creed or thy prayers what they may, unless thou hast truth within thee thou wilt not find the path to true happiness; he in whom the truth dwells is twice-born. The source of final happiness is in the heart, and he is a fool who seeks it elsewhere; he is like the shepherd who searched for the lamb that was in his own bosom.

7. Why bring stone from the hills to build fine temples for the Supreme One to dwell in! He constantly dwells within you. Any place where

the mind of man can be undisturbed is suitable for the worship of the Supreme Being.

SELECTION IV.

THAT Supreme Spirit, which thou believest to be one and the same with thyself, resides in thy bosom perpetually, and is an all-knowing inspector of thy goodness and thy wickedness. The soul itself is its own witness and its own refuge; offend not thy conscious soul, the supreme internal witness of men. The simple say in their hearts: No one sees us! Yet the Holy One sees them, even the Spirit within their own breasts. His light, like the morning star, dwells in the inmost heart of every

man.

2. He is dear to me who is free from enmity, merciful, the friend of all nature, exempt from pride and selfishness, the same in pain and pleasure, patient of wrongs, contented, constantly devout, of subdued passions and firm resolves. He also is my beloved of whom mankind are not afraid, and who is not afraid of mankind; who is free from the influence of impatience and the dread of harm. He is dear to me, who is unexpecting, just, pure, impartial, and free from distraction of mind; who is the same in friendship and hatred, in honor and dishonor; who is unsolicitous about the event of things; who is of a steady mind, to whom praise and blame are the same.

3. The way to eternal beatitude is open to him who, without omission,

speaketh the truth; to be dumb for the remainder of life is better than to speak falsely. The sacrifice of a thousand horses has been put in the balance with one true word, and the true word weighed down the thousand sacrifices. No virtue surpasses that of veracity. There are two roads which conduct to perfect virtue; to be true, and to do no evil to any creature.

4. It is not good to forget a benefit, but it is good to forget an injury on the moment. Return good for evil. Abstain from unlawful gains. Immediately relinquish any advantage that has been gained without equity. Be chaste; resist sensual appetites; neither Sacred Scriptures, nor religious ceremonies, nor pious austerities, nor the offering of sacrifices, nor liberality, will procure felicity to a man contaminated with sensuality.

5. Who is this natural beauty who advances with so much grace? The rose is on her cheeks; her breath is pure as morning dew; joy tempered with modesty animates her countenance. It is Health, the daughter of Exercise and Temperance.

6. The true rule in business is to guard and do by the things of others as they do by their own. Do not force upon thy neighbor a hat that hurts thine own head.

7. Among those who labor for future happiness, he is greatest who lives well in his own household; he who despises women despises his mother; when women are honored

the Divinities are pleased, when they are not honored all undertakings fail.

8. It is true charity when one builds resting-places or drinkingfountains for wanderers; or provides food, or raiment, or medicine, for the needy; this is true charity, and bears much fruit. The narrowminded ask: Is this one of our tribe, or is he a stranger? but to those who are of a noble disposition the whole world is but one family.

SELECTION V.

Shun wealth and pleasures repugnant to law; and avoid even lawful acts, if they may cause pain or offence to mankind. Of all pure things, purity in the acquisition of riches is the best; he who preserves purity in becoming rich is really pure, not he who is purified by who is purified by water.

2. No man can acquire knowledge of the soul without abstaining from evil actions, and having control over his senses and his mind; nor can he obtain it, though with a firm mind, if he is actuated by desire for reward. Imperishable wealth is to be free from coveting the possessions of others. What a rich man uses and gives, constitutes his real wealth. That which thou hoardest, whose is it? Other covetous men will sport with it. Labor makes known the true worth of a man, as fire brings the perfume out of incense.

3. What is religion? It is tenderness toward all creatures.

Large

rivers, great trees, wholesome plants, and wealthy persons are not created for themselves but to be of service to others. He who considers all beings as existing in the Supreme Spirit, and the Supreme Spirit as pervading all beings, cannot view with contempt any creature whatsoever.

4. He who injures any living creature does it unto the Deity, who is pleased with him who does good to others and who is always desirous of the welfare of all creatures. He who, to give himself pleasure, injures animals that are not injurious adds nothing to his own happiness, either living or dead; but he who never gives pain to any creature but seeks the good of all sentient beings enjoys bliss without end. The heartless one who would carelessly trample on a worm that crawls upon the earth, is darkly alienate from the Deity, who dwells with him who embraces all things with his love.

SELECTION VI.

FOOLISH are they who are perpet| ually inquiring where the Deity resides; for He dwells in all things in his fulness. his fulness. Kine are of different colors, but all milk is white; the flowers on altars are of many species, but all worship is one; systems of faith are different, but the Deity is one.

2. The object of all religions is alike; all men seek the object of their love, and all the world is love's dwelling. Why talk of shrines and temples! He is a true shrine whose

3. The Supreme Being is with him. who sincerely counts his prayers on sacred beads and with him who bows down, in sincerity, before idols; He is the friend, the intimate, the companion and the confidant of every one who is sincere.

4. Heaven is a palace with many doors, and each one may enter in his own way; virtue and vice are Heaven and Hell. Virtue is what man owes to himself; though there were no Heaven nor any One to rule the world, virtue would be none the less the binding law of life.

5. False is the creed of those who hold that it is profitable to renounce the present life; Can ye not see that eternal existence begins in this life! He who neglects to perform the duties of this life is not fit for this world, much less for any higher world.

6. The soul is the principle of life which the Sovereign Wisdom employed to animate bodies; matter is inert and perishable; only the soul thinks, acts, and is immortal. There is an invisible, eternal existence superior to this visible one, which does not perish when all things perish; those who attain to this never return.

7. The All-merciful Judge of the Dead waits, enthroned in immortal light, to welcome the good into His kingdom of joy, into the homes He has prepared for them, where He, as the One Being, dwells. Justice is so dear to the heart of Him that if, in

were found He would cause the universe to shrivel like a serpent's skin to cast it off for ever.

SELECTION VII.

O ALL-HOLY, O All-wise, O Allmerciful, O All- just One! expand my knowledge of Thyself and of myself that I may auspiciously comprehend and do Thy will.

2. Though this body be reduced to ashes the indwelling spirit survives and is immortal. O Compassionate One! lead us by the good Path from which there is no returning that we may attain Salvation. Thou knowest all our struggles. Help us to escape from degrading sin.

3. O All-pervading Beloved! May all our bodily organs and powers grow in perfection. May the Truth be our all in all. May all virtues increase in us whose supreme delight is Thyself. Thou art the Eye of the eye, the Ear of the ear, the Speech of the speech, the Mind of the mind; knowing Thee thus the illumined, after going forth from this world and freeing themselves from the final body, attain immortal life.

4. Different is the Good from the Pleasant. He who accepts the Good attains freedom, but he who chooses the Pleasant misses the end. The wise accepts the Good, the unwise chooses only that which is pleasant and thus binds himself with fetters. Dwelling in ignorance but thinking themselves wise the fools wander hither and thither, as blind men led