Holy Instructions from the Prophet

INCONSTANCY

1. Nature urgeth thee to inconstancy, 0 man! Therefore guard thyself at all times against, it.

2. Thou art, from the womb of thy mother, various and wavering, from the loins of thy father inheriteth thou instability. How then shalt thou be firm ?

3. Those who gave thee a body, furnished it with weakness; but He who gave thee a soul, armed thee. with resolution. Employ it, and thou art wise be wise, and thou art happy.

4. Let him who doeth well, beware how he boasteth of it, for rarely is it of his own will.

5. Is not the event of an impulse, from without born of uncertainty enforced by accident, dependent on somewhat else? To thee, and to accident, is due the praise.

6. Beware of irresolution in the intent of thy actions; beware of instability in the execution; so shalt thou triumph over two great failings of thy nature.

7. What reproacheth reason more than to act contrarieties? What can suppress the tendencies to these, but firmness of mind?

8. The inconstant feeleth that he changeth, but he knoweth not why; he seeth that he escapeth from himself, but he perceiveth not how. Be thou incapable of change, in that which is right, and men will rely upon thee.

9. Establish unto thyself principles of action, and see that thou ever act according to them.

10. So shall thy passions have no rule over thee; so shall thy constancy ensure unto thee the good thou possesseth, and drive from thy door misfortune. Anxiety and disappointment shall be strangers to thy gates.

11. Suspect not evil in anyone until thou seeth it; when thou seeth, forget it not.

12. Who so hath been an enemy, cannot be a friend; for man mendeth not his faults.

13. How should his actions be right, who hath no rule of his life? Nothing can be just which proceedeth not from reason.

14. The inconstant hath no peace in his soul; neither can be at ease whom he concerneth himself with.

15. His life is unequal; his motions are irregular; his soul changeth with the weather.

16. Today he loveth thee, tomorrow thou art detested by him; and why? Himself knoweth not wherefore he now hateth.

17. Today he is the tyrant, tomorrow thy servant is less humble; and why? He who is arrogant without power, will be servile while there is no subjection.

18. Today he is profuse, tomorrow he grudgeth unto his mouth that which it should eat. Thus it is with him who knoweth not moderation.

19. Who shall say of the camelion: "He is black," when, the moment after the verdure of the grass, overspreadeth him?

20. Who shall say of the inconstant: "He is joyful," when his next breath shall be spent in sighing?

21. What is the life of such a man, but the phantom of a dream? In the morning he riseth happy, at noon he is on the rack; this hour he is a god, the next below a worm; one moment he laugheth, the next he weepeth; he now willeth, in an instant he willeth not, and in another he knoweth not whether he willeth or not.

22. Yet neither ease nor pain have fixed themselves on him; neither is he waxed greater, or become less; neither hath he had cause for laughter, or reason for his sorrow; therefore shall none of them abide with him.

23. The happiness of the inconstant is as a palace built on the surface of the sand; the blowing of the wind carrieth away its foundation; What wonder then that it falleth?

24. But what exalted form is this, that hitherward directs its even, its uninterrupted course - whose foot is on earth, whose head is above the clouds?

25. On his brow sitteth majesty; steadiness is in his port; and in his heart reigneth tranquility.

26. Though obstacles appear in his way, he deigneth not to look down upon them; though heaven and earth oppose his passage; he proceedeth.

27. The mountains sink beneath his tread; the waters of the ocean are dried up under the sole of his foot.

28. The tiger throweth herself across his way in vain; the spots of the leopard glow against him unregarded.

29. He marcheth through the embattled legions; with his hands he putteth aside the terrors of death.

30. Storms roar against his shoulders, but are not able to shake them; the thunder bursteth over his head in vain; the lightning serveth but to show the glories of his countenance.

31. His name is Resolution! He cometh from the utmost part of the earth; he seeth happiness afar off before him; his eye discovereth her temple beyond the limits of the pole.

32. He walketh up to it, he entereth boldly, and he remaineth there forever.

33. Establish thy heart, 0 man, in that which is right; and then know, the greatest of human is to be immutable.

SINCERITY

1. O thou who are enamored with the beauty of Truth, and hast fixed thy heart on the simplicity of her charms, hold fast thy fidelity unto her, and forsake her not; the constancy of thy virtue shall crown thee with honor.

2. The tongue of the sincere is rooted in heart; hypocrisy and deceit have no place in his words.

3. He blusheth at falsehood, and is founded; but in speaking the truth, he hath a steady eye.

4. He supporteth, as a man, the dignity of his character; to the arts of hypocrisy he scorneth to stoop.

5. He is consistent with himself; he is never embarrassed; he hath courage enough for truth; but to lie he is afraid.

6. He is far above the meanness of dissimulation; the words of his mouth are the thoughts of his heart.

7. Yet, with prudence and caution he openeth his lips; he studieth what is right, and speaketh with discretion.

8. He adviseth with friendship; he reproveth with freedom; and whatsoever he promiseth shall surely be performed.

9. But the heart of the hypocrite is hid in his breast; he maketh his words in the semblance of truth, while the business of his life is only to deceive.

10. He laugheth in sorrow, he weepeth in joy; and the words of his mouth have no interpretation.

11. He worketh in the dark as a mole, and fancieth he is safe; but he blundereth into light, and is betrayed and exposed, with dirt on his head.

12. He passeth his days in perpetual constraint; his tongue and heart are forever at variance.

13. He laboreth for the character of a righteous man; and huggeth himself in the thoughts of his cunning.

14. O fool, fool! The pains which thou taketh to hide what thou art, are more than would make thee what thou wouldst seem; and the children of Wisdom shall mock at thy cunning, when in the midst of security, thy disguise is stripped off, and the finger of derision shall point thee to scorn.

MISERY

HOLY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE PROPHET

MISERY

1. Feeble and insufficient as thou art, O man, in good; frail and inconsistent as thou art in pleasure; yet there is a thing in which thou art strong and unshaken. Its name is Misery.

2. It is the character of thy being, the prerogative of thy nature; in thy breast alone, it resideth; without thee, there is nothing of it. And behold, what is its source, but thine own passions?

3. He who gave thee these, gave thee also reason to subdue them; exert it, and thou shall trample them under thy feet!

4. Thine entrance into the world, is it not shameful? Thy destruction, is it not glorious-- Lo! men adorn the instruments of death with gold and gems and wear them above their garments.

5. He who begetteth a man, hideth his face; but he who killeth a thousand is honored.

6. Know thou, notwithstanding, that in this is error. Custom cannot alter the nature of truth, neither can the opinion of man destroy justice; the glory and the shame are misplaced.

7. There is but one way for a man to be produced; there are a thousand by which he may be destroyed.

8. There is no praise or honor to him who giveth being to another; but triumphs and empire are the rewards of murder.

9. Yet he who hath many children, hath many blessings; and he who hath taken away the life of another, shall not enjoy his own.

10. While the savage curseth the birth of his son, and blesseth the death of his father, doth he not call himself a monster?

11. The greatest of all human ills is sorrow; too much of this thou art born into; add not unto it by thy own perverseness.

12. Grief is natural to thee, and is always about thee; pleasure is a stranger and visiteth thee by times; use well thy reason, and sorrow will be cast behind thee; be prudent, and the visits of joy shall remain long with thee.

13. Every part of thy frame is capable of sorrow, but few and narrow are the paths that lead to delight.

14. Pleasures can be admitted only simply, but pains rush in a thousand at a time.

15. As the blaze of straw fadeth as soon as it is kindeled, so passeth away the brightness of joy, and thou knoweth not what become of it.

16. Sorrow is frequent, pleasure is rare; pain cometh of itself; delight must be purchased; grief is unmixed, but joy wanteth not its alloy of biterness.

17. As the soundest health is less percieved than the lightest malady, so the highest joy toucheth us less deep than the smallest sorrow.

18. We are in love with anguish; we often fly from pleasure; when we purchase it, costeth it not more than it is worth?

19. Reflection is the business of man; sense of his state is his first duty; but who remembereth himself a boy? Is it not in mercy, then, that sorrow is allotted unto us?

20. Man forseeth the evil that is to come; he remembereth it when it is past; he considereth not that the thought of affliction woundeth deeper than the affliction itself. Think not of thy pain, but when it is upon thee, and thou shalt avoid what most hurt thee.

21. He who weepeth before he needeth, weepeth more than he needeth; and why, but that he loveth weeping?

22. The stag weepeth not till the spear is lifted against him; nor do the tears of the beaver fall, till the hound is ready to sieze him; man anticipateth death by the apprehension of it: and the fear is greater misery than the event itself.

23. Be always prepared to give an account of thine action; and the best death is that which is least premeditated.