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Moorish Science Temple of America — Part 1
Page 51
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" confess‘his guilt, art not thou unto him a criminal? Or art thou guiltless,
thee into her port. But weary not on the way; for when art arrived at
ee
oe - — ot
. enemies made by truth, better than the friends obtained by flattery?
THE DIVINE INSTRUCTIONS -
2. The statesman proclaimeth that he hath it; the tuler of
people claimeth the praise of it—but findeth the subject that he
sesseth it?
3. Evil is not requisite to man; neither can vice be necessary to be
tolerated; yet how many evils are permitted by the connivance of the
laws; how many crimes committed by the decree of the council!
4. But be wise, O muier, and iecarn, O thou that are to command
the nations! One crime authorized by these is worse than the escape of
ten from punishment. .
§. When the people are numerous, when thy sons increase about
thy table; sendest thou them not out to slay the innocent, and to fall
before the sword of him whom they have not offended?
6. If he objects of thy desire demanding the lives of a thousand
sayeth thou not: “J will have it.” Surely thou forpettest that He who
created thee, created also these: and that their blood is as rich as thine.
7, Sayest thou, that justice cannot be executed without wrong?
Surely thine own words condemn thee.
8. Thou who flatterest with false hopes the criminal that he may
pos-
because he cannot punish it?
9. When thou commandest to the torture him whom is but suspected
of ill, darest thou to remember, that you mayest rack the innocent? inn
10. Is thy purpose answered by the event? Is thy sou! satisfied * '
with his confession? Pain will enforce him to say what is not, as easy -
as what is, and anguish hath caused innocence to accuse herself,
11. That thou mayest not kill him without cause, thou dost worse
than kill him; that thou mayest prove if he be guilty, thou destroyeth
him innocent. :
12. © blindness to all truth! O insuficience of the wisdom of the
wise! Know, when thv judge shall bid thee account for this, thou shalt
wish ten thousand guilty to have gone free, rather than one innocent
then to stand forth against thee.
13. Insufficient as thou art to the maintenance of justice, how shalt
thou arrive at the knowledge of truth? How shalt thou ascend to the
footstep of her throne?
14. As the owl is blinded by ‘the radiance of the sun, so shall the ~
brightness of her counterance dazzle thee in thy approaches. ,
15. If thou wouldst mount onto her throne, first bow thyself at
her footstool; if thou wouldst arrive at the knowledge of her, first inform
thyself of thine own ignorance,
16. More worth is she than pearls, therefore seek her carefully ; the
emerald and the sapphire, and the ruby are as dirt beneath her feet;
therefore pursue her manfully.
17. The way to her is labor; attention is the pilot that mtst conduct
her, the toil shafl be to thee for pleasure.
18. Say not unto thyself: “Behold, truth breedeth hatred, and I will
avoid it; dissimufation raiseth friends, and I will foiiow it.” Are not the-
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