Sentence:  It was not just the sky, but a god with wills and intentions, seen as sovereign of all... In fact, "Tian" was another reverent term to address the supreme god: "<WSD>Heaven</WSD>, for the help of the inferior people, made for them rulers, and made for them instructors" ("Great Declaration I" in the "Book of History")... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The supreme God or Nature which controls the universe.