Sirach 37:8

“Well did the Prophet Jeremiah describe many mortals when he said: ‘You are near God in the mouth but far from him in the heart.’ And have you not also read that direful warning of the prophet who said: ‘The priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money. At the same time they profess piety and proclaim that the Lord is with them.’ Have you not been well warned against those who ‘speak peace to their neighbors when mischief is in their hearts,’ those who ‘flatter with the lips while the heart is given to double-dealing’? Of all the sorrows of a trusting man, none are so terrible as to be ‘wounded in the house of a trusted friend.’”

3. Divine Counselors.

3. Divine Counselors.

9. Divine Counselors.

9. Divine Counselors.

14. Whet the appetites of your associates for truth; give advice only when it is asked for.

10. Divine Counselors.

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘Evil shall not overtake me’; but safety is found only when the soul craves reproof and the mind seeks wisdom. The wise man is a noble soul who is friendly in the midst of his enemies, tranquil among the turbulent, and generous among the grasping. Love of self is like weeds in a goodly field. Selfishness leads to grief; perpetual care kills. The tamed mind yields happiness. He is the greatest of warriors who overcomes and subdues himself. Restraint in all things is good. He alone is a superior person who esteems virtue and is observant of his duty. Let not anger and hate master you. Speak harshly of no one. Contentment is the greatest wealth. What is given wisely is well saved. Do not to others those things you would not wish done to you. Pay good for evil; overcome evil with the good.

“You well understand that no man would suffer his house to be broken into if he knew what hour the thief was to come. Be you also on watch for yourselves, for in an hour that you least suspect and in a manner you think not, shall the Son of Man depart.”

If confusion arises regarding the harmonization of these two versions of wisdom, immediate appeal is made to the Divine Counselors, who forthwith rule as to the proper combination of procedures. If there is any doubt as to the authenticity of something coming in from realms where rebellion has been rife, appeal is made to the Censors, who, with their Discerners of Spirits, are able to rule immediately as to “what manner of spirit” actuated the adviser. So are the wisdom of the ages and the intellect of the moment ever present with the Ancients of Days, like an open book before their beneficent gaze.