(21) Wherefore we ought to offer to God sacrifices not costly, but such as He loves. And that compounded incense which is mentioned in the Law, is that which consists of many tongues and voices in prayer, or rather of different nations and natures, prepared by the gift vouchsafed in the dispensation for "the unity of the faith," and brought together in praises, with a pure mind, and just and right conduct, from holy works and righteous prayer. For in the elegant language of poetry,- "Who is so great a fool, and among men So very easy of belief, as thinks The gods, with fraud of fleshless bones and bile All burnt, not fit for hungry dogs to eat, Delighted are, and take this as their prize, And favour show to those who treat them thus," though they happen to be tyrants and robbers?

(4) In the midst of the covering and veil, where the priests were allowed to enter, was situated the altar of incense, the symbol of the earth placed in the middle of this universe; and from it came the fumes of incense. And that place intermediate between the inner veil, where the high priest alone, on prescribed days, was permitted to enter, and the external court which surrounded it - free to all the Hebrews - was, they say, the middlemost point of heaven and earth.

(31) And there was no other Cause of their Employment about offering Sacrifice, than because Man was earthly; and so the Word standing near the Soul in the Gate of the Light of Life, he heard their Prayers through the earthly Source [Quality or Property] of their Smells, [ror Incense;] and so they had a Token in the Fire, that their Prayer was acceptable to God; as may be seen in many Places in Moses, which shall be explained in its due Place.

(31) And when one burnt it, it smelt sweeter than any fragrant odour.

(29) In the center of the room, almost against the partition leading into the Holy of Holies, stood the Altar of Burnt Incense, made of wood overlaid with golden plates. Its width and length were each a cubit and its height was two cubits. This altar was symbolic of the human larynx, from which the words of man's mouth ascend as an acceptable offering unto the Lord, for the larynx occupies the position in the constitution of man between the Holy Place, which is the trunk of his body, and the Holy of Holies, which is the head with its contents.

(2) The incense which Balam-Quitzé brought was called Mixtán-Pom; the incense which BalamAcab brought was called Cavixtán-Pom; and that which Mahucutah brought was called Cabauil-Pom. The three had their incense and burned it when they began to dance facing toward the East. They wept for joy as they danced and burned their incense, their precious incense. Then they wept because they did not yet behold nor see the sunrise. But, then, the sun came up. The small and large animals were happy; and arose from the banks of the river, in the ravines, and on the tops of the mountains, and all turned their eyes to where the sun was rising. Then the puma and the jaguar roared. But first the bird called Queletzú burst into song. In truth, all the animals were happy, and the eagle, the white vulture; the small birds and the large birds stretched their wings.

The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE and MANNA. STRONG, mighty Vulcan, bearing splendid light, Unweary'd fire, with flaming torrents bright: Strong-handed, deathless, and of art divine, Pure element, a portion of the world is thine: All-taming artist, all-diffusive pow'r, 'Tis thine supreme, all substance to devour: Æther, Sun, Moon, and Stars, light pure and clear, For these thy lucid parts to men appear. To thee, all dwellings, cities, tribes belong, Diffus'd thro' mortal bodies bright and strong. Hear, blessed power, to holy rites incline, And all propitious on the incense shine: Suppress the rage of fires unweary'd frame, And still preserve our nature's vital flame.

(2) Let me bring to thee grains of incense wherewith I may purify myself and may also purify thine own overflow

(2) When the fire is lighted and the flame flickers, let a man offer his oblations between the two portions of melted butter, as an offering with faith.

(24) And the seventh mountain was in the midst of these, and it excelled them in height, resembling the seat of a throne: and fragrant trees encircled the throne.

The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE and MANNA. I Call the mighty, holy, splendid light, Aerial, dreadful-sounding, fiery-bright; Flaming, aerial-light, with angry voice, Lightning thro' lucid clouds with horrid noise. Untam'd, to whom resentments dire belong, Pure, holy pow'r, all-parent, great and strong: Come, and benevolent these rites attend, And grant my days a peaceful, blessed end. Next: XX: To the Clouds Sacred Texts | Classics « Previous: The Initiations of Orpheus: XVIII: To Thundring Jove Index Next: The Initiations of Orpheus: XX: To the Clouds » Sacred Texts | Classics

(10) The gods smelled the savor, the gods smelled the sweet savor, and collected like flies over a (sheep) sacrifice. Just then Beletili arrived. She lifted up the large flies (beads) which Anu had made for his enjoyment(!): 'You gods, as surely as I shall not forget this lapis lazuli around my neck, may I be mindful of these days, and never forget them! The gods may come to the incense offering, but Enlil may not come to the incense offering, because without considering he brought about the Flood and consigned my people to annihilation. Just then Enlil arrived. He saw the boat and became furious, he was filled with rage at the Igigi gods: 'Where did a living being escape? No man was to survive the annihilation! Ninurta spoke to Valiant Enlil, saying: 'Who else but Ea could devise such a thing?

(5) If a man performs his sacred works when these flames are shining, and the oblations follow at the right time, then they lead him as sun-rays to where the one Lord of the Devas dwells.

(12) "Shall be established in thy sanctuary, even though they lack (offerings

(4) What, then, shall I say further? Is it not those Ranks already mentioned, which are not entirely pure, that the present consecrating service excludes without distinction, in the same way as the Synaxis, so that it is viewed by the holy alone, in figures, and is contemplated and ministered, by the perfectly holy alone, immediately, through hierarchical directions? Now it is superfluous, as I think, to run over, by the same statements, these things already so often mentioned, and not to pass to the next, viewing the Hierarch, devoutly holding the Divine Muron veiled under twelve wings, and ministering the altogether holy consecration upon it. Let us then affirm that the composition of the Muron is a composition of sweet-smelling materials, which has in itself abundantly fragrant qualities, of which (composition) those who partake become perfumed in proportion to the degree to which they partake of its sweet savour. Now we are persuaded that the most supremely Divine Jesus is superessentially of good savour, filling the contemplative part of ourselves by bequests of Divine sweetness for contemplation. For if the reception of the sensible odours make to feel joyous, and nourishes, with much sweetness, the sensitive organs of our nostrils, --if at least they be sound and well apportioned to the sweet savour--in the same way any one might say that our contemplative faculties, being soundly disposed as regards the subjection to the worse, in the strength of the distinguishing faculty implanted in us by nature, receive the supremely Divine fragrance, and are filled with a holy comfort and most Divine nourishment, in accordance with Divinely fixed proportions, and the correlative turning of the mind towards the Divine Being. Wherefore, the symbolical composition of the Muron, as expressing in form things that are formless, depicts to us Jesus Himself, as a well-spring of the wealth of the Divine sweet receptions, distributing, in degrees supremely Divine, for the most Godlike of the contemplators, the most Divine perfumes; upon which the Minds, joyfully refreshed, and filled with the holy receptions, indulge in a feast of spiritual contemplation, by the entrance of the sweet bequests into their contemplative part, as beseems a Divine participation.

(62) And the Lord of Spirits seated him on the throne of His glory, And the spirit of righteousness was poured out upon him, And the word of his mouth slays all the sinners, And all the unrighteous are destroyed from before his face.

(2) O ye gods, whose perfume is delicious: Flame which proceedest from the Horizon: O thou who art in the place whence I have brought the keeper of his fold—let me have thine arm that I may make my observation at the Tank of Flame, that I may advance as an envoy and come with the report of it