Levi H. Dowling - The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ

"Hear, now, O protoplast, and earth, and plant and beast!

"Bear, now, ye creeping things of earth, ye fish that swim, ye birds that fly!

"Hear, now, ye winds that blow, ye thunders and ye lightnings of the sky!

"Hear, now, ye spirits of the fire, of water, earth and air!

"Hear, now, O everything that is, or was, or evermore will be, for Wisdom speaks from out of the highest plane of spirit life:

"Man is a thought of God; all thoughts of God are infinite; they are not measured up by time, for things that are concerned With time begin and end.

"The thoughts of God are from the everlasting of the past unto the never ending days to come--And so is man, the Spirit-man.

"But man, like every other thought of God, was but a seed, a seed that held within itself the potencies of God, just as the seed of any plant of earth holds deep within itself the attributes of every part of that especial plant.

"So spirit-man, as seed of God, held deep within himself the attributes of every part of God.

"Now, seeds are perfect, yea, as perfect as the source from which they come; but they are not unfolded into life made manifest.

"The child in utero is perfect as the mother is.

"So man, the seed, must be deep planted in a soil that he might grow, untold, as does the bud unfold to show the flower.

"The human seed that came forth from the heart of God was full ordained to be the lord of plane of soul, and of the plane of things made manifest.

"So God, the husbandman of every thing that is, threw forth this human seed into the soil of soul; it grew apace, and man became a living soul; and he became the lord of all the kingdom of the soul.

"Hark, now, let every creature hear, The plane of soul is but the ether of the spirit plane vibrating not so fast, and in the slower rhythm of this plane the essences of life are manifest; the perfumes and the odours, the true sensations and the all of love are manifest.

"And these soul attributes become a body beautiful.

"A multitude of lessons man must learn upon the plane of soul; and here he tarries many ages until his lessons are all learned. "Upon the boundary of the plane of soul the ether began to vibrate slower still, and then the essences took on a garb; the perfumes and the odours and the true sensations and the all of love were clothed in flesh; and man was clothed in flesh. "Perfected man must pass through all the ways of life, and so a carnal nature was full manifest, a nature that sprang forth from fleshly things. "Without a foe a soldier never knows his strength, and thought must be developed by the exercise of strength. "And so this carnal nature soon became a foe that man must fight, that he p. 14 might be the strength of God made manifest. "Let every living thing stand still and hear! Man is the lord of all the plane of manifests; of protoplast, of mineral, of plant, of beast; but he has given up his birthright, just to gratify his lower self, his carnal self. "But man will full regain his lost estate, his heritage; but he must do it in a conflict that cannot be told in words. "Yea, he must suffer trials and temptations manifold; but let him know that cherubim and seraphim that rule the stations of the sun, and spirits of the mighty God who rule the solar stars are his protectors and his guides, and they will lead to victory. "Man will be fully saved, redeemed, perfected by the things he suffers on the plane of flesh, and on the plane of soul. "When man has conquered carnal things his garb of flesh will then have served its purpose well and it will fall, will be no more. "Then he will stand untrammeled on the plane of soul where he must full complete his victories. "Unnumbered foes will stand before the man upon the plane of soul; there he must overcome, yea, overcome them every one. "Thus hope will ever be his beacon light; there is no failure for the human soul, for God is leading on and victory is sure. "Man cannot die; the spirit man in one with God, and while God lives man cannot die. "When man has conquered every foe upon the plane of soul the seed will have full opened out, will have unfolded in the Holy Breath. "The garb of soul will then have served its purpose well, and man will need it never more, and it will pass and be no more. "And man will then attain unto the blessedness of perfectness and be at one with God."

Table of Contents

1. Augustus Cæsar reigned and Herod Antipas was ruler of Jerusalem.

2. Three provinces comprised the land of Palistine: Judea, and Samaria, and Galilee.

3. Joachim was a master of the Jewish law, a man of wealth; he lived in Nazareth of Galilee; and Anna, of the tribe of Judah, was his wife.

4. To them was born a child, a goodly female child, and they were glad; and Mary was the name they gave the child.

5. Joachim made a feast in honour of the child; but he invited not the rich, the honoured and the great; he called the poor the halt and the lame, the blind, and to each one he gave a gift of raiment, food or other needful thing.

6. He said, The Lord has given me this wealth; I am his steward by his grace, and if I give not to his children when in need, then he will make this wealth a curse.

7. Now, when the child was three years old her parents took her to Jerusalem, and in the temple she received the blessings of the priests.

8. The high priest was a prophet and a seer, and when he saw the child he said,

9. Behold, this child will be the mother of an honoured prophet and a master of the law; she shall abide within this holy temple of the Lord.

10. And Mary did abide within the temple of the Lord; and Hillel, chief of the Sanhedrim, taught her all the precepts of Jews, and she delighted in the law of God.

11. When Mary reached the age of womanhood she was betrothed to Joseph, son of Jacob, and a carpenter of Nazareth.

12. And Joseph was an upright man, and a devoted Essene.

Table of Contents

1. Near Hebron in the hills of Judah, Zacharias and Elizabeth abode.

2. They were devote and just, and every day they read the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms which told of one to come, strong to redeem; and they were waiting for the king.

3. Now, Zacharias was a priest, and in his turn he led the temple service in Jerusalem.

4. It came to pass as Zacharias stood before the Lord and burned the incense in the Holy Place, that Gabriel came and stood before his face.

5. And Zacharias was afraid; he thought that some great evil was about to come upon the Jews.

6. But Gabriel said, O man of God, fear not; I bring to you and all the world, a message of good will, and peace on earth.

7. Behold, the Prince of Peace, the king you seek, will quickly come.

8. Your wife will bear to you a son, a holy son, of whom the prophet wrote,

9. Behold, I send Elijah unto you again before the coming of the Lord; and he will level down the hills and fill the valleys up, and pave the way for him who shall redeem.

10. From the beginning of the age your son has borne the name of John, the mercy of the Lord; his name is John.

11. He will be honoured in the sight of God, and he will drink no wine, and from his birth he will be filled with Holy Breath.

12. And Gabriel stood before Elizabeth as she was in the silence of her home, and told her all the words that he had said to Zacharias in Jerusalem.

13. When he had done the service of his course, the priest went home, and with Elizabeth rejoiced.

14. Five months passed by and Gabriel came to Mary in her home in Nazareth and said,

15. Hail Mary, hail! Once blessed in the name of God; twice blessed in the name of Holy Breath; thrice blessed in the name of Christ; for you are worthy, and will bear a son who shall be called Immanuel.