SATAN'S MIGHT AND GOD'S ALMIGHTINESS. ENOCH'S SABBATH SPEECH

1. Following this speech of Abedam, Enoch, contemplating his innermost, found Abedam's assertions verified.

2. Continuing his contemplation on the breeding fly and the healthy apple he then asked Abedam:

3. "Holy, most loving Father, is Satan also allowed to approach Your tabernacle, just like the naughty fly attacking the healthy apple?

4. "Look, truly, this seems strange to happen in the realm of life and light; - what has the spirit of all darkness to do there?"

5. And Abedam answered him: "Enoch, what concern of yours is this, since My love and mercy are too great for you to ever grasp and comprehend?

6. "Since My love and mercy may even extend to the darkest of spirits, how can you ask this as if you might come off badly in My immediate vicinity?

7. "Behold, the earth's sun is a great light dispensing its rays, the greatest part of which reaches endlessly remote spaces of the universe. Should for that reason the earth and its neighbors be upset because their luminous mother is so wasteful with her rays? And if they could do this, should not the luminous mother be able to forthwith ask them:

8. "Children, why do you trouble yourselves; do I treat you badly for all that and does not each of you have a proper, abundant amount of light and warmth?'

9. "Behold, the same thing applies also to Me. Therefore, do not trouble yourself about My great, inscrutable ways, but remain unconcernedly on the little ones of My love for you. Do not talk about the great realms of darkness and you can be fully assured that the still strong prince of death will have little to do and to settle with you and with all brothers of your love.

10. "I tell you though: Eternities would not suffice for you to fathom the greatness of his might and strength; but, he is nevertheless a finite, created spirit, and where his power ceases forever to exist, My own, infinite one is only about to begin.

11. "Therefore, be unconcerned; for, since you are in My hands, your slightest whiff is already mightier than all the strength, might and power of Satan.

12. "He is like a hungry, roaring lion craving for food. Woe betide the animal that succumbs to him or has been scented by his keen nose; I tell you: Even the mammoth would fare badly in such a battle.

13. "But although the lion roars with wrath and hunger, he does not heed the oftentimes many flies buzzing around his ears.

14. "Behold, therein lies the great might of that which is meek and little; often, a fly can bother a whole pride of lions, whereas this same pride of lions is of no concern to the fly.

15. "You have long since become a fly in humility; therefore, leave the lion alone so that he will not bother you, and then begin your pious work unconcernedly. Amen."

16. Thereupon Enoch thanked the high Abedam fervently in his heart for this great deliverance and strengthening and finally said: "Amen; Your holy will be done.

17. Thus listen, all you fathers, brothers and children, who already have an open ear:

18. "We are here gathered together in the middle of the day of the Lord in the sublime presence of the supreme, most holy, loving Father, Who is God, God the Powerful, the Strong, the almighty Creator of heaven and earth.

19. "What shall we do, considering our limitation, to appreciate as much as possible this endless grace, of which the whole earth is unworthy?

20. "Whenever we render a service to one another, the recipient can render the helper an extra service.

21. "If someone has led me a hundred paces, I lead him in turn two hundred paces - one hundred because he went along with me, and one hundred because he led me. We are then even and no one owes his brother for a service rendered more than at the utmost the threefold service in return. If he wishes to do more, he is quite free to do so; but in this case his brother has become his debtor also.

22. "Whoever gives me a piece of bread, to him I give back three pieces: One piece for his piece, one piece for his good intention and one piece for the effort of his hand; say, can he then want more from me?

23. "As I have said, it is indeed easy to reciprocate a thousand fold, as the case may be, not only twofold or threefold, the brother's service and kindness, even if someone had saved my life by snatching me from a rock face about to crash down upon my head so that I would be crushed under the great weight of the rock; for I can still die for him and can carry him on my hands all my life.

24. "But - what can we do here? What do for our Father, our Creator, for Him, the holy Giver of all good gifts? For Him, Who first gave us ourselves, Who gave us the beautiful great earth for ourselves for the time being, - the sun, this glorious, beneficial light, - the stars, countless lights of the night, and also the moon! Who could count all the treasures He has given us?

25. "To top it all, He now came to us Himself so as to enrich us forever with even greater treasures of life eternal.

26. "To enrich us through His love, mercy and grace, through His living Word, and above all through the most inexpressible promises.

27. "Listen, listen you fathers, brothers and you children all! What can we possibly do to this Benefactor in return? - What give Him without at first having received it countless times over from Him?

28. "O fathers, brothers and children, truly this is one of the greatest and most important questions, indeed, this is a question so profound that to answer even a small part of this Question of all questions the whole of eternity might be too short!

29. "If somebody asked: 'How many grains of sand does the earth contain, and how many dewdrops the whole, almost endlessly great ocean and, finally, how many stellar suns burn in the vast spaces of infinity?', - look, infinitely great as they may sound, these questions might perhaps be sufficiently answered even by a more or less enlightened cherub. Indeed, he would probably calculate the amount of sand on earth in such a manner as to take our breath away and demonstrate to us the dewdrops of the ocean in a manner as to make us all soon exclaim: 'Do spare us your great answer for one droplet is quite sufficient for us!'

30. Thus he would probably not fail to inform us on the number of stellar suns in such a way as to make the whole earth tremble, just as if our most holy Abedam would - in a very low voice - proclaim to it: 'Listen, you unfaithful one! Tomorrow I will cleanse you in the fire of My wrath!'

31. "O fathers, brothers and children, great, even unbearably great though these answers would be, - yet they are not impossible to give, even though they are unpalatable to us worms in the dust.

32. "However, tell me and give me your opinion as to which of the greatest and wisest of primordial archangels would dare to give a valid, - indeed, before God valid - answer to my principal question contained in this my speech.