The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 61 -
ABOUT THE DIVINE WORD IN THE HUMAN HEART
When Enoch had concluded his speech, Seth rose again and said: "Oh, what are we and what can we do? Nothing!
2
"When we discuss things among us as humans, we believe to be wise; but now it has become clear to me that in the sight of God all our wisdom is pure folly which cannot possibly please Him.
3
"Was not my earlier speech one which could have come only from the noblest human heart? What is it now? Nothing but folly; and I am like one confounded whose thoughts are scattered throughout the world and who in his dwelling asks for his hut.
4
"But why, why could we not realize our idle folly earlier and had to expose ourselves so awfully before the Lord? All of us must be blind or we could not possibly have worried dear Enoch quite unnecessarily with a pointless question, since we had already received the most marvelous confirmation from above through Abel, Enoch, Enos, Kenan and, finally, miraculously through Asmahael himself, and yet we were inclined to doubt the words of Enoch rather than look at our own blindness. Oh for this absurd folly! We should never have committed it, for a father should not have to be embarrassed in the presence of his children.
5
"However, since this is the case, it shall be left in the hands of God!
6
"But I am thinking in my heart: The most loving and holy Father will in His great goodness not hold our anxiousness against us and will advise us through His love and not His wisdom, compared to which we are so absolutely nothing; and that He will regard us as sleeping children dreaming that they are awake, or at least with their eyes closed thinking that if they see nothing the awake ones must or cannot see anything either.
7
"O Enoch, do keep awaking us and, hopefully, there will come the time when we will be able to see what you are seeing, and all of us through you now and one day
8
This is how it will be in the future, namely, that the Lord will awaken the children to be teachers of their parents and He will give the parents a childlike heart. And after us there will be children who in their helplessness will be doing greater things than we are doing in our strength. Thus, the Lord's will shall always be done!
9
"And you, dear Enoch, rise and tell me whether what I have said is right, and thus revive all our hearts! Amen."
10
Thereupon Enoch smiled lovingly at all the patriarchs and said: "O dear fathers, forgive me that I sometimes seem harsh, for it is not I, your son Enoch, who produces words for your instruction, but it is the Lord doing it at His goodwill. So it is not the fault of the instrument if the Lord uses it at His pleasure. And if I say things the meaning of which is hidden like the germ in the grain of seed, well-ordered nature already teaches us that the germ in the seed does not promptly bring forth fully ripened fruit once it has been planted in the soil, but that the grain around the germ must first perish and rot. Only then is the life freed and gradually grows in many a storm, in sunshine and rain, to become a blessed, thousand-fold fruit.
11
"Look, just like this it is also with every word Of the Lord. It is not going to bring fruit as it was given, but only if it was planted in the soil of our hearts in its protective hard shell If then this shell is through our love dissolved and consumed in the heart, the living germ, or the living, active understanding, will break through to the light of the sun of the spirit and ripen under many a stormy trial, the rain of love from on high and the light of grace from the most holy and most loving Father, to an invaluable fruit of all life and all love in the wisdom of God, our Father.
12
"O fathers, look, this is the will of the Lord; and thus we shall also take hold of everyone of His words. Only in this way shall we show the Lord that we are truly His children who understand the Father's Word and recognize His voice at all times. Amen."