The Household of God
Volume 2
Rise and spiritual prime of the first world empire Hanoch
- Chapter 241 -
ENOCH'S SPEECH ON THE FUTILITY OF A COERCED FAITH AND A LOVE FOR THE LORD COERCED THROUGH GOD'S VISIBLE PRESENCE. THE NATURE OF HUMILITY (28th January 1843)
When they had all overcome their great sadness a little, Enoch rose and, stepping up to Lamech, said the following words:
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"Listen, brother Lamech, and listen all! You all have now with your eyes seen the Lord, the holy, most loving Father, in action and heard His divine, almighty, holy Father's voice and everyone had to confess and say in his own heart: 'Truly, no man can speak like this!'
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"You have also seen deeds by Him which no man can ever do out of himself, except the Lord, Whom you have now seen and heard, does them through him.
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"You now believe undoubting that it is the Lord; but behold, neither this your belief nor this your love for Him benefits you in any way because you were coerced to believe in the Visible and to love the Tangible since you could not help it, for you all were driven by His almighty presence which drew you all irresistibly to Him.
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"Since this is of no avail to you, the question arises as to what you shall do now so that the faith in Him and the love for Him may benefit you!
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"Look, dear brothers, this is a rather important question which I must answer to you all!
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"Of course you now ask in your hearts and say: 'Well, why shall all this be good for nothing to us? Has it not already benefited us endlessly and will do so forever?'
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"In asking this you are right, my dear brothers; but I tell you: Such a benefit is not under discussion here. For everything the Lord does is for our benefit, provided we use the same properly; however, if we use it wrongly, then it can also turn out to our greatest detriment.
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'That the Lord created us and gave us a free, independent existence and created for us a glorious earth carrying us and providing us with all sorts of things, - who would say this is of no avail to us!
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"But - when is all this of avail to us? - Only when we use it in accordance with the divine will and love!
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"If we do not use it thus, it soon brings about our judgment, which is the first death of the spirit, and then dispatches us from this death, which is the judgment, to the real and eternal one.
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"Now behold, just as the Lord once created you for a free, independent life by bestowing on you the living energy out of Him, He has now newly formed you out of Him, faithful and loving.
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'This faith and this love do not as yet belong to you in the least and do not give you life, but are for all merely a judgment, since you are now coerced thus to believe and love.
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"But what shall you do in order to escape from the clutches of judgment?
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"Behold, for this we all have only a single means, and this is called the true, great humility of the heart! And wherein does this consist?
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"It consists in that you deem yourselves unworthy of this grace which has now fallen to the share of all of you, and consider yourselves the least among the people and diligently teach them to recognize God as the Lord and sole true Father; and further, that, having worked the whole day in the name of the Lord, you then say at the end of the day in your hearts, full of living love for Him:
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"O Lord and Father, look graciously down on us lazy and indolent servants and consider our work as though it were something before You. For we realize and actively confess before You that all that is good in our work, was done by You; whereas we only hindered Your work through our clumsy hands. Therefore, accept our will instead of the work, and always only Your holy will be done!'
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"Behold, only with such a frame of mind will this faith and this love be of benefit to you!
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"Do now promise this to the Lord in your hearts and you will attain to a truly living spirit, and your children and grandchildren will share your blessing with you eternally in the Lord! Amen."