# The Everlasting Gospel

This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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See also: a complete draft version.
* (j)
* There is not one Moral Virtue that Jesus Inculcated but Plato & Cicero did Inculcate before him. What then did Christ Inculcate? Forgiveness of Sins. This alone is the Gospel, & this is the Life & Immortality brought to light by Jesus, Even the Covenant of Jehovah, which is This: if you forgive one another your Trespasses so shall Jehovah forgive you, That he himself may dwell among you; but if you Avenge, you Murder the Divine Image & he cannot dwell among you because you Murder him; he arises Again & you deny that he is Arisen & are blind to Spirit.
* (d)
* Was Jesus Humber? or did he
* Give any Proofs of Humility?
* Boast of high Things with Humble tone,
* And give with Charity a Stone?
* When but a Child he ran away,
* And left his parents in dismay.
* When they had wander’d three days long
* These were the words upon his tongue:
* ‘No Earthly Parents I confess;
* I am doing my Father’s business.’
* When the rich learned Pharisee
* Came to consult him secretly,
* Upon his heart with Iron pen
* He wrote, ‘Ye must be born again.’
* He was too proud to take a bribe;
* He spoke with authority, not like a Scribe.
* He says, with most consummate Art,
* ‘Follow me, I am meek & lowly of heart,'
* As that is the only way to escape
* The Miser’s net & the Glutton’s trap.
* What can be done with such desperate fools
* Who follow after the Heathen Schools?
* I was standing by when Jesus died;
* What I call’d Humility they call’d Pride.
* He who loves his Enemies betrays his Friends;
* This surely is not what Jesus intends,
* But the sneaking Pride of Heroic Schools
* And the Scribes’ & Pharisees’ Virtuous Rules.
* For he acts with honest, triumphant Pride;
* And this is the cause that Jesus died.
* He did not die with Christian Ease,
* Asking pardon of his Enemies.
* If he had, Caiaphas would forgive;
* Sneaking submission can always live.
* He had only to say that God was the devil,
* And the devil was God, like a Christian Civil,
* Mild Christian regrets to the devil confess
* For affronting him thrice in the Wilderness;
* He had soon been bloody Caesar’s Elf,
* And at last he would have been Caesar himself,
* Like Dr Priestly & Bacon & Newton.
* Poor Spiritual Knowledge is not worth a button,
* For thus the Gospel Sir Isaac confutes:
* ‘God can only be known by his Attributes,
* And ass to the Indwelling of the Holy ghost
* Or of Christ & his Father, it’s all a boast
* And Pride & Vanity of the imagination,
* That disdains to follow this World’s Fashion.’
* To teach Doubt & Experiment
* Certainly as not what Christ meant.
* What was he doing all that time,
* From twelve years old to manly prime?
* Was he then Idle, or the Less
* Abut his father’s business?
* Or was his wisdom held in scorn
* Before his wrath began to burn
* In Miracles throughout the Land,
* That quite unnerv’d Caiaphas’ hand?
* If he had been Antichrist, Creeping Jesus,
* He’d have done any thing to please us;
* Gone sneaking into Synagogues,
* And not us’d the Elders & Priests like dogs,
* But Humble as a Lamb or Ass
* Obey’d himself to Caiaphas.
* God wants not Man to Humble himself:
* This is the trick of the ancient Elf.
* This is the Race that Jesus ran:
* Jumble to God, Haughty to Man,
* Cursing the Rulers before the People
* Even to the temple’s highest Steeple;
* And when he Humbled himself to God,
* Then descended the Cruel Rod:
* ‘If thou humblest thyself, thou humblest me;
* Thou also dwell’st in Eternity.
* Thou art a Man, God is no more;
* Thy own humanity learn to adore,
* For that is my Spirit of Life.
* Awake! arise to Spiritual Strife,
* And thy Revenge abroad display
* In terrors at the Last Judgment day.
* God’s Mercy & Long Suffering
* Is but the Sinner to Judgment to bring.
* Thou on the Cross for them shalt pray,
* And take Revenge at the Last Day.’
* Jesus replied, & thunders hurl’d:
* ‘I never will Pray for the World.
* Once I did so when I pray’d in the Garden;
* I wish’d to take with me a Bodily Pardon.’
* Can that which was of woman born,
* In the absence of the Morn,
* When the Soul fell into Sleep,
* And Archangels round it weep,
* Shooting out against the Light
* Fibres of a deadly night,
* Reasoning upon its own dark Fiction,
* In Doubt which is Self Contradiction?
* Humility is only doubt,
* And does the Sun & Moon blot out,
* Rooting over with thorns & stems
* The ruied Sould & all its gems.
* This Life’s dim Windows of the Soul
* Distorts the Heavens from Pole to Pole,
* And leads you to Believe a Lie
* When you see with, not thro, the Eye,
* That was born in a night to perish in a night,
* When the Soul slept in the beams of Light.
* (e)
* Was Jesus Chaste, or did he
* Give any Lessons of Chastity?
* The morning blush’d fiery red:
* Mary was found in Adulterous bed;
* Earth groan’d beneath, & Heaven above
* Trembled at discovery of Love.
* Jesus was sitting in Moses’ Chair,
* Thy brought the trembling Woman There:
* ‘Moses commands she be ston’d to death’.
* What was the sound of Jesus’ breath?
* He laid His hand on Moses’ Law;
* The Ancient Heavens, in Silent Awe,
* Writ with Cruses from Pole to Pole,
* All away began to roll.
* The Earth trembling & Naked lay
* In secret bed of Mortal Clay,
* On Sinai felt the hand divine
* Putting back the bloody shrine;
* And she heard the breath of God
* As she heard by Eden’s flood:
* ‘Good & Evil are no more!
* Sinai’s trumpets, cease to roar!
* Cease, finger of God, to write!
* The Heavens are not clean in thy Sight;
* Thou art Good, & thou Alone,
* Nor may the sinner cast on stone.
* To be Good only is to be
* A Devil, or else a Pharisee.
* Thou Angel of the Presence Divine,
* That didst create this Body of Mine,
* Wherefore has thou writ these Laws
* And Created Hell’s dark jaws?
* My Presence I will take from thee:
* A Cold Leper thou shalt be.
* Tho’ thou wast so pure & bright
* That Heaven was Impure in thy Sight,
* Tho’ thy Oath turn’d Heaven Pale,
* Tho’ thy Covenant built Hell’s Jail,
* Tho’ thou didst all to Chasos roll
* With the Serpent for its soul,
* Still the breath Divine does move,
* And the breath Divine is Love.
* Mary, Fear Not. Let me see
* The Seven Devils that torment thee.
* Hide not from my Sight thy Sin,
* That forgiveness thou maist win.
* Has no Man Condemned thee?’
* ‘No Man, Lord’ ‘Then what is he
* Who shall Accuse thee? Come Ye forth,
* Fallen fiends of Heav’nly birth
* That have forgot your Ancient love
* And driven away my trembling Dove.
* You shall bow before her feet,
* You shall lick the dust for Meat,
* And tho’ you cannot Love, but Hate,
* Shall be beggars at Love’s Gate.
* What was thy love? Let me see it;
* Was it love, or Dark Deceit?’
* ‘Love too long from Me had fled;
* ‘Twas dark deceit, to Earn my bread;
* ‘Twas Covet, or ‘twas Custom, or
* Some trifle not worth caring for:
* That they may call a shame & Sin
* Love’s temple that God dwelleth in,
* And hide in secret hidden Shrine
* The Naked Human form divine,
* And render that a Lawless thing
* On which the Soul Expands its wing.
* But this, O Lord, this was my Sin,
* When first I let these devils in
* In dark pretence to Chastity,
* Blaspheming Love, blaspheming thee.
* Thence Rose Secret Adulteries,
* And thence did Covet also rise.
* My sin thou hast forgiven me;
* Canst thou forgive my Blasphemy?
* Canst thou return to this dark Hell,
* And in my burning bosom dwell?
* And canst thou die that I may live?
* And canst thou Pity & forgive?’
* Then Roll’d the shadowy Man away
* From the Limbs of Jesus to make them his prey,
* An Ever devouring appetite,
* Glittering with festering Venoms bright,
* Crying: ‘Crucify this case of distress,
* Who don’t keep the secrets of Holiness!
* All Mental Powers by Diseases we bind,
* But he heals the Deaf & the Dumb & the Blind.
* Whom God has afflicted for Secret Ends
* He comforts & Heals & calls them Friends.’
* But when Jesus was Crucified,
* Then was perfected his glitt’ring pride.
* In three Nights he devour’d his prey,
* And still he devours the Body of Clay;
* For dust & Clay is the Serpent’s meat,
* Which never was made for Man to Eat.