xxii PREFACE. 



and of His Powers and Virtues, and divine (&%/). 

 This may happen even in the body, by the gift of 

 God. This is the Eegeneration (fl-aX/yyewstf/a). The 

 author of it is the enlightening Word of God the One 

 Man by the will of God. Baptism is to be added, 

 and His good Spirit must lead men thereto: those thus 

 regenerate will strive to bring all mankind to the same 

 blessed state. 



Neither any evil, nor has Fate, any power over those 

 who are thus pious and regenerate. They are rewarded 

 with immortality both of soul and body, becoming 

 partakers of Divinity, having attained The Supreme Good. 

 In death the union of soul and body is dissolved, but the 

 Soul survives. There can be no destruction of what is of 

 God and in God. From the perishing body (which is not 

 a destruction, but a dissolution of the union in order to be 

 renovated) a new body arises, and becomes immortal 

 through the immortal Soul. This cannot wholly be 

 attained in the present life; but, after death, the Man, 

 becoming entirely in harmony with God, employs himself 

 beyond the eighth or perfect zone in hymns of happine&lv,. 

 and praise. 



Those who adhere to the body, and surrender themselves 

 to its passions, are abandoned by God; they attain not 

 unto The Good, or to immortality, but becoming more and 

 more wicked they are given over for vengeance to the evil 

 demon, tormented by wicked demons and fire; retrograding 

 to reptilism, they are given over to be tormented by evil 

 passions and lusts, and, condemned to misery, are whirled 

 about the universe are converted into devils. No allusion 

 is however made by Hermes to the Egyptian judgment 

 by Osiris, or to that by Christ taught in the New Testa- 

 ment. 



Finally, the great end of Man is, when thus purified and 

 regenerated, to worship His Creator in His presence, and 

 to be united to Him, and to contemplate and adore 

 Him in holy Silence. In the " Poemandres " are three 

 several anthems of praise and blessing "verbal rational 



