NEUOFFENBARUNGA variety of human laments – continued (10 April 1847)
1. It is true that this has deprived a lot of so-called tradesmen of their bread, and that some of them have become beggars. Also, many a farmer has been deprived of a good piece of land, which has made him very disadvantaged in the production of his crops; poor carters have lost their usual wages, and some landlords, who were a little more humane than others, have come under the wheels of the inhumane ones at the same time. But all this, well considered, can be calculated quite differently than it initially appears to the eye of a superficial observer; for here, in material terms, only he who had very much, lost much – but who had little anyway, could not lose much either.
2. Blacksmiths, who in former times could not be paid, now work much cheaper, if they only get a job. If someone has already gone into business in a big way, it does him no harm, for he has already earned something, and if he still wants a job, he must be cheap; in the process, however, he also becomes more human, so he has not lost much. But if someone of this class of professionals had only a very small business, which earned him not much more than a beggar's begging, he also did not lose much, and the gap between him and a former grand master has become smaller by a very significant amount; thus again a gain. The same is the case with all other professionals, as well as with the peasants, who have lost land; for he who had only a little land could not give away a large patch of it, and what he gave away, he was well compensated for. The large landowner could also give away a larger patch of his land, which he would also be paid for in time, but which he could easily wait for, because he has more than he needs anyway. It is the same case with the large and small farmers. The big ones have already made their cut, and it would be too outrageous to let them cut any longer; For the small innkeepers, however, it was only a miserable cruiser's income anyway, which they could easily get over, and since they could quite naturally offer only bad things to the guests for little money, and gradually had to make do more with fraud than with goods, this is a physical and spiritual gain for them and for their guests.
3. From this, however, it turns out that on this occasion nobody would have lost too much also in material respect; and the rod of chastisement is thus good – and gradually still becomes better and better. But – as you know – as the Hanochites in Noah's time themselves opened the water gates of the earth, by which they were then devoured, so also here these people have put the louse in their own fur; but I say: Continue like this! If the calm and fruitful ground of the earth is not enough for him, let him go to the sea and learn the difference between peace and calm, and between movement and storm. If it pleases him, and if the storms have not yet swallowed him up, he may return again; for beside the water, the solid ground also still continues, just as beside these innovations, the old Word of God also continues, and My grace for everyone who seeks it. But whoever is not interested in anything, but only in the innovations out of pure either general or special lust for rank, he may at least get into a very fast moving steam car and drive with it to his devils, and he can be assured that in My heavens no pitying Aaaw will follow him; because stupid fools are also for My heavens a disgusting abomination, and everywhere there is great laughter about them.
4. As for the scolding and complaining about the clergy, such complaints and scoldings do not reach My ear at all. I have initiated it so far that everyone can have My Word when he only wants it.
5. But from this everyone will easily see that with Me nothing is valid but a pure loving heart and a right faith in Me; to whom this is not enough, to whom the word of a gold-addicted pulpit orator is holier than what I Myself have spoken, let him remain in his stupidity; to whom the scourge is dearer than My grace, let him be scourged. To whom a house of prayer, magnificently built at great expense, is holier and more exalted than a pure heart – which is a temple of the Holy Spirit – let him go into his house of prayer, and on every Sunday or other holiday let him first be blessed with the monstrance, and then from the pulpit thereupon be cursed at least seven times into hell, and on being cursed again into hell, at the end
of the mass let him be blessed da capo with the monstrance.
6. People take great delight in the blind ceremony, they talk and write their mouths and fingers sore about the splendor of the Cathedral of Rome, and other exceedingly splendid minsters, and spend enormous sums on their preservation and decoration, usually under the title: "All for the greater glory of God!" That's right, that's right. Whoever wants to be a donkey, will remain one for eternity: How should such a miserable minster and all the minsters of the earth increase My honor?!
7. I have in the first place never sought My honor on earth, but only faith and love. According to this, every other vain display of honor, which makes an idol out of Me – the one, eternal, living true God – is an abomination; for I want to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, which is in the living heart of man, but not in a minster, and the true worship in spirit and in truth consists in that people recognize Me as their God and Father, and then love Me as that above all, and keep the commandments of love also towards their brothers. This is the true worship of God; but a minster is an abomination, and can contribute nothing to the greater glorification of My name, since it certainly does not show what I am capable of, but only what vain and arrogant people are capable of.
8. But whoever already wants to admire My power and greatness, let him go to the natural minsters, go to the earth itself, and look up to the sun, moon and stars, and he will surely have enough from which he can recognize the omnipotence of God, his Father.
9. When looking at a mountain, of course, neither a Gothic, nor a Moorish, nor a Roman, Jonic, Phrygian and even Babylonian type of construction can be recognized. Nor are there statues and other paintings and carvings by all sorts of so-called famous masters to be seen; but the hand of the Father can be seen in these great natural monasteries, and instead of statues and paintings, real living people and other creatures dwell in such monasteries, and instead of all the ornaments, there are to be seen in these monasteries magnificent forests and meadows covered with good and nourishing grass, all testifying to the power, greatness and wisdom of their eternal Master.
10. Such contemplation may well tune the human heart ad majorem Dei gloriam; but the contemplation of a minster only raises the heart of a donkey to the greater admiration of his still greater fellow donkeys, who evidently also had to be very great donkeys, because they believed that by their handiwork, by all kinds of carvings, paintings and gildings, by wax candlelight, rich clothes and wild bawling in addition, they could honor Him Who created earth, sun, moon and stars.
11. Even today, people spend large sums of money, make endowments and bequests, and only some new idol may be consecrated, or even a holy body may be placed in a so-called church under the title 'God's house', of course as a grace from Rome for a few hundred ducats free of charge, or, what is even more extraordinary, a body robe of Christ, swaddling, belts, etc., may be exhibited, and if this would happen in twelve churches simultaneously, which would quite naturally require twelve body robes, etc., it would have to be done in twelve churches at the same time. If this is to be done in twelve churches at the same time, it would naturally require twelve bodies. But all this does not matter; stupidity believes it, even if it scolds, and then sacrifices abundantly, and all this ad majorem Dei gloriam. What then should one say to this? Should one punish stupidity even more? It is not necessary; for it punishes itself by this very fact.
12. If one wanted to give something better, would it be accepted? One would have to work miracles; but the ephod also worked miracles. Would stupidity distinguish the fraudulent artificial miracle from a true natural one? Oh no! It would consider the true one, because it did not happen in a minster, as a
work of the devil, and the one who performed it as an arch-heretic. What good would that do?
13. Therefore, let stupidity remain what it is, a perpetual punishment of stupid donkeys and fools; but he who seeks wisdom and it's reward, also knows where to find it.
14. But wisdom will soon triumph over stupidity, but do not believe that the stupid will become wiser because of it; for this monstrosity will remain as long as hell will remain.
15. They say, how can I stand by and watch so many abominations for so long? Why don't I destroy this ancient idolatry with lightning and fire from heaven? I could do it in ancient times; why not now?
16. It is true that Sodom and Gomorrah perished, but Babel rose. Here, too, much fire has been hurled into idolatry, as at all times, but it rises again; therefore we let the wheat grow up with the tares; the time of separation will come soon enough. Why should one also bind oneself with a business on a minute's time, for which one has a whole eternity? Therefore, go ahead here! He who wants to be stupid, let him remain so; and he who wants to be wise, he knows where to knock.