The Letters of martinez de pasqually And Pasqually's 12 Articles In Response to the Reaux Croix Propositions at Paris of 11 July, 1770                

The L. D. N. has not been able to reply sooner to T.P.'s positions for the reason of the last illness of his mother-in-law, which has compelled him to suspend all correspondence.

First. He thanks the T. P. for his offers, which prove the true zeal which the Reaux Croix have for La Chose. ?? owes about 3,000 livres, which he hopes to pay at some time, although with some inconvenience, after which he will be personally free to depart from Bordeaux without fear of reproach from his creditors, to whom he will be exposed if he departs before his debts are entirely liquidated.

Second. He does not wish to be a charge to the Reaux Croix, and asks nothing more than to re-join them, but he desires to make his expenses, hoping for them more fervour in the future than in the past.

Third. If the Reaux Croix wish to march precisely in the path which he has prescribed in his instructions, being at Paris he will sacrifice all things to that which will be for their advantage and success and will convince them by that which he has taught them in good faith, and for this reason will not limit his stay at Paris, and thus will it be always wherever he shall be obliged to go, more especially to instruct his disciples, but they must determine in good faith to serve a single and legitimate master, since their position as Reaux Croix will suffer no division of allegiance.

Fourth. It is not prudent to establish too many institutions, seeing the great difficulty of securing good subjects disposed to discharge all the duties which La Chose demands. He cannot consent without the risk of profaning it. All that he can do for the institutions projected by the T. S. will be to give the ceremonies of receptions, catechisms, and allegoric and symbolic instructions, as far as he is able to arrange one or two subjects, with reference to the true aim of La Chose, but the result should be that the institutions thus formed would be instructed in the truth which is not at the disposition of the T. S., and still less at that of the M. It is necessary, then, to be content with going before the T. S. and the Temple at Versailles.

Fifth. He was not able to instruct thoroughly for his chief any Reaux Croix if they would not bind themselves to the exact observance of the instructions, he should give them. He was very desirous of making a second self, but it was necessary that the Reaux Croix or particular Reaux Croix who should come ix: this instruction, should give him convincing proofs that he follows and will follow, from point to point, the instruction and the regime of temporal and spiritual living, so as to enable him to pass when he shall have received a reply from the T. S., and that he engage to follow them with the greatest exactitude. It is further necessary that the Reaux Croix should have done seven years of consecutive work within the circles of the master and in his person, such as is explained in ? small tract which has passed to the P. M. Deputy, and the true end cannot be attained otherwise.

Sixth. With regard to the papers and secret instructions concerning the Order which the T. S. recommends him to bring with him on coming to Paris, he replies that he had never removed them nor would he unless he should quit the kingdom he dwelt in; these were confided to him only as a trust, which he should give to his successor, and he was content simply to make extracts from the originals of such things as he thought necessary for the subjects which deserved them. Demands like this enabled him to perceive how little confidence T. S. had in him, upon that which he knew and could speak concerning La Chose. He adds that his knowledge was not a Special secret but was the fruit of a long and painful discipline of his spirit and a total renunciation of everything impure.

Seventh. When they demanded that he should instruct the Reaux Croix, he perfectly replied that he was always able to gain for them a perfect conviction when several of them would make the arrangements. La Chose being more favourable to them than to the master, it was necessary they should desire to follow in good faith the master, and observe with precision all that which he should prescribe for them for their spiritual and temporal conduct upon the subject; either in the different prayers for certain days of the year, of equinoxes, of solstices, and of fasts which should be observed during their life and in the course of the work. Thus, by their exactness filling up with precision the engagements, they contracted of good will towards the G. ?. of Lyons, or in the resignation which they should possess in order to receive with indifference the good and the pain that which it should please the Eternal to send them for the expiation of their faults, and a total renouncing of the things of this material world. He adds that he should not know how to veil himself with impunity before his disciples without veiling himself before the Eternal. All that he could do in this respect will become useless. It is the same with them as with the Reaux Croix who seek to veil themselves before the master and to serve him in appearance; he has no means of knowing the prevarications committed although he does not complain of it. He is content to pity the subject who turns aside from La Chose. All that the master can do and say for the advantage of the Reaux Croixs comes not directly from him, it is the result of constancy in labours, it is that in which he exhorts the Reaux Croixs to follow him.

Eighth. He replies in general to the things demanded by the T. S., that it is useless to think of them before the time and that power does not find, even among the Reaux Croix, any subject upon which to introduce a usage, which, though given in good faith, will not profane La Chose. The ?. ?.‚ De Granville, himself knows the impossibility of satisfying this demand. He advises the Reaux Croix, showing so much ambition, under pretext of seeking instruction, to study well the few ceremonies he has given them and reflect upon the spiritual leading they have had in the past and upon that which by every necessity they should have for the future, and they will then see very clearly that La Chose comes from above and not from the master; they will be still more convinced that the master is true and has kept the best faith with the Reaux Croix. They will understand that he is only an agent of La Chose, they will know that he who is Élus, the First among them, is not Élus by them and by their will, but that he is Élus by painful labours and his election is his reward. He counsels them further to reflect upon the different types, epochs and advents, sensible and physical, which have happened in universal nature, general and particular, and to read more carefully than they have done, even to the present, the different Operations of La Chose, who has really Operated in two substances; one, as Man-God, is the quality of true Adam, operating upon this earth among material men; the other, as divine man, operating by the resurrection, lives in all spiritual men. They will understand by this the necessity of subduing all their passions and submitting their wills to him who is endowed to act for La Chase and serve for an example to his disciples. They will understand further how very important it is never to scorn by pride his fellow, every man being infinitely dear to the Creator and most elevated in dignity, even though in this lower world being often the least before the G. A. Such are the reflections which the master exhorts his Reaux Croix brethren to make seriously in order to reach the end which they seek.

Ninth. With regard to the good faith which the Reaux Croix seek from the Master, in this matter, he replies that he has never turned from them, that he has even accused himself with having favoured them too much in taking upon himself to advance them before the prescribed time; the slight success which they had reaped proved how little they knew of the ways and customs of La Chose, and that he was not Surprised when they had not preserved their firmness, which he had hoped for them when he had left them alone at Paris, inasmuch as they had believed that La Chose came immediately from him, and that they had only to soliciting or frighten him, or offer a bridge of gold in order to secure his secret. It was not in his power alone to confer it, and it was useless to come to him by that route. He did not mourn over what he had done at Paris in favour of his first disciples in taking upon himself to receive the Reaux Croix. He had been forced and had acted in that with good faith, with the intention of making himself a buckler for his spiritual children and of proving by that which he advanced that if he had not been guided in this matter by the principal chief of La Chose he should have been broken down in the midst of his assembly and completely covered with shame and confusion; his imposture would have been known by his slight success in his work, where he might have had the greatest possible success in favour of subjects very poorly prepared to attain it, if the result could have been gained by his own physical powers. The master added, that having seen all the pains and merciless toils which he had felt and still feels for the work he had done on behalf of certain subjects before the time, that he would in the future absolutely take nothing upon himself, and would undertake nothing upon this subject which should not be given and taught by someone stronger than himself; that for ‘this reason he turned himself to that which could be produced by some particular work; that he had explained himself very strongly to P.H. de Granville when he was with him at Bordeaux and had expressly declared to him that even should he promise anything by force of solicitations, he should not at all regard it, since he did not hold to any way of granting it, which proved very clearly his sincerity and good faith. 

Tenth. The master wishes to find a physical means of opening his heart to the Reaux Croix, so that they may be able to read there his sincere attachment for them and his gratitude for the offers they have made him to procure some temporal good for him or for his wife and children, according to their words. The master replied earnestly as to the great respect which the Reaux Croixs had for him; that it was not in his power to accept temporal offers so advantageous, for first, he did not believe he had deserved them; second he could not and should not hope for any temporal and spiritual good in this lower world which might not come directly from the Eternal, to whom he was entirely devoted; that he felt himself sufficiently paid and satisfied with his subjects when he was happy enough to bring a man to his first principle of spiritual virtue, from which he had had the misfortune to deviate.

Eleventh. The master disapproved the excessive zeal of P. M. de Granville in what he had done and proposed as a favour to the Reaux Croix. He should have consulted him before undertaking anything, and he should know clearly what the master had said and written on this subject when he was at the Orient of Lyons, having highly recommended his management for La Chose – as much towards the chiefs as his members. He did not recognize in this enterprise of P. M. de Granville the great prudence which he had recognized on past occasions it was very unfortunate for the master that the said de Granville should be flattered on account of his power over the mind of his wife. He knew her wrong as well as her parents, who were her support and counsel before strange persons. In the absence of the master she unsealed with loud boasting a letter which the P. M., de Granville, had written him to engage her to determine her husband to accept the offers of the T. S. He knew that she was strongly opposed to what her husband generally professed of La Chose, having seen the various annoyances which had come from evil subjects who had been admitted. This letter was, in truth, more outrageous than satisfactory, above all on the part of P. M. de Granville, who had recently received new impressions of the integrity and good faith of the Master. This letter she burned in her wrath and it was not necessary for her to burn secretly the things most essential to the Order which were at her country seat. This letter occasioned a divorce between husband and wife, and a third party was mediator. It was necessary that the master should promise not to respond to this letter of M. de Granville, that he had been forced to delay for a time; he would, nevertheless, write after a few days to his Reaux Croix, the dear G. V. always rendering the justice which he owed to his zeal for the master, of which he was thoroughly convinced. If de Granville had confined himself only to writing to the master, as the T. S. had done, all would have been done admirably, and he would now be advancing towards Paris. He would at that time sooner have set out on foot than on horseback for the special satisfaction of T. S., but he had been compelled by his condition as husband and father of a family to deprive himself for some time of seeing his faithful subjects in nature, which may come sooner than now seems possible. All his consolation is in awaiting the proper time and of now seeing them in spirit. The master complains that the Reaux Croix have not accompanied their demands with the characteristic sign below their names, with their degrees and dignities in La Chose. The master could ignore such representations and demands, and was right in not responding to them, the certificate was not sufficient to obtain it. Those who have conducted 1ike things have broken the laws of the Order.

Twelfth. The master exhorts the Reaux Croix to reflect upon the response which he makes to their demands and objections, and they will see clearly his sincerity and good faith; the T. S. was wrong to think that the master hid express himself as if he wished to abandon the Order and its members, he worked at the instructions by writing more than ever, and was actually occupied with a work which would satisfy not only just men but would be very fitting to redeem the greatest sinners from their errors and lead them to the height of felicity. This work entitled ‘The Restoration and Reconciliation of Every Spiritual Being Created with its Primary Virtues, Powers and Dominion, to the Personal Enjoyment with which every person will clearly rejoice them in the presence of the Creator.' That he does not do this work for himself alone, nor thinks that he knows sufficient for himself, that he owes it to think of his faithful subjects whom he will never abandon, if they wish to persevere in La Chose and follow it implicitly.

The master exhorts the Reaux Croix to pray for the repose of the soul of his mother-in-law, as she had requested it before her death.

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