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TEMPLE
TALKS
0	
SERIES
NUMBER ONE
24
Y.
TEMPLE TALKS
BY
CHARLES FILLMORE
Series Number One
Being Extracts from Addresses Delivered
before the
Unity Society of Practical Christianity,
Kansas City, Mo.
1912
PUBLISHED BY
UNITY TRACT SOCIETY,
Unity Bldg., 913 Tracy Ave.,
Kansas City, Mo.
-17 )1171;ti
THE OVERCOMING POWER OF DIVINE FEARLESSNESS
T is written in the Scriptures,
"Every man's word shall be his
burden." We interpret this to
mean that the foundation of all burdens is in the thoughts of men. If this be true, and we know by experience that it is, we should give a large part of our attention to the discipline of our thoughts.
Through the power of thought we not only form states of mind in ourselves, but surround ourselves with a thought atmosphere which joins with the thought atmosphere of others and makes a race condition of good or ill, according to the character of the thought.
It is then incumbent on all people who teach the doctrine of Jesus Christ, the inner Truth of man's being, to gradually set in right relation all their thoughts. If we are
4	TEMPLE TALKS
bound in the atmosphere of the race thought, we must loose ourselves and establish a new thought atmosphere. This is the work we are striving to do.
We can concede that certain things are true, but it is not always so easy to demonstrate them. We know, though, that we can send out the power of thought and demonstrate whatever we wish, if we are faithful. Many people are burdened with the word of fear. Sometimes they know not what they fear—the fears come from the thought atmosphere.
As overcomers, we do away with our own fears, then with the race fear. We may establish ourselves in the Divine fearlessness by denying all fear and cause of fear and affirming the presence and power of Divine Mind. God is the source of all, and in him there is no fear. "Abiding in thee, I fear 'io evil." Let us take that word and establish right here a thought atmosphere of fearlessness.
OVERCOMING POWER	5
The fourth chapter of Nehemiah, summed up, states that Nehemiah, realizing the need of a restoration of Jerusalem, went to that city from Babylon, where he had been a captive for many years, and began rebuilding the walls. This chapter tells also of the opposition the builders met in their work, but it is written, "The people were minded to work," and I would call your attention to that as a central proposition. The Arabs, the Ammonites, and the barbarians around Jerusalem were opposed to the building of the walls because it closed them out from the city, and they sent messages to the Jews threatening to kill them if they continued the reconstruction. But Nehemiah kept on praying and working.
Among those in opposition to Nehemiah were certain of the children of Israel who took no interest in the work , and had no faith in it. These said to the builders ten times from all places, "Ye must return unto us." But Nehemiah prayed to God and
6	TEMPLE TALKS
encouraged his people, and they kept on with their work of restoration. This is all illustrative of the work that goes on in every one of us, when we realize that our bodies are indeed the temples of the living God and that we are his chosen city.
We are sometimes asked by what authority we take this Scripture to mean the rebuilding of the body. We recognize no authority but the Spirit of Truth, and every man may speak with assurance when he is led by the Spirit. But we refer those who require some authority other than the indwelling Lord, to Jesus, who was led by this Spirit of Truth. He at one time told the Jews that they might destroy the temple and he would raise it up in three days. They said such a statement was absurd, and reminded him that it took forty-six years to build the temple. "But he spake of the temple of his body."—John 2:21.
If Jesus Christ referred to his body when he spoke of the temple, by the same rule
OVERCOMING POWER	7
we interpret this lesson to mean the renewal of the walls of the true temple of God, which is man's body. The important thing for us to know is that our bodies need restoration. It is of vastly more importance for us to know how to rebuild the walls of these body temples than it is to study this Scripture as history. But if we can see in this history a lesson illustrating a work we all must do, then the Scripture account will be of value to us.
In the very beginning of this lesson-story it is related that "the people were minded to work." If you want real health you must change your mind. All the parables of true prophets show the movements of mind, and metaphysicians have no difficulty in discerning the meaning of the illustrations. You must be "minded," that is, willing to do the necessary mental and physical work. If there is a single break in your flesh anywhere, if there is the least departure from the Divine perfection, some of your body
8	TEMPLE TALKS
walls are down and they must be rebuilt. The first break was mental ; the first step in restoration is mental, and the second is physical. You must first have a mind to work. We find people who would like to be built up, and be perfectly healthy, but they are mentally lazy. The only way to . get healthy is to line up with the Principle of Health underlying all existence.
You have something to do for yourself. If you want somebody to give you pellets, or electricity, or even if you see a step farther and want some one to give you true words to make you well, you are not fulfilling the Divine Law. Every man is beholden to the Law and he must learn it and keep it for himself. All the conditions we do not like have been brought about by our own thinking, and they can only be remedied by disciplining our thoughts along true lines. We cannot shift the burden to another. We eat our own food and breathe our own air. We clearly understand that
OVERCOMING POWER	9
another cannot eat or breathe for us. If we went to school to study mathematics or music we would expect to do the work for ourselves. We could not sit down and let the professor play for us and saturate us with music to the extent of making musicians of us. It is the same in healing. We cannot let another saturate us with medicine or with metaphysical statements and expect to_ find true and permanent health. Individual culture is absolutely necessary. Every one must lay hold of the Truth for himself, through observing the spiritual law in his every thought, and repair his body and restore it to its glory as the temple of God. If we have a mind in that direction, the work is easy. Start with the proposition that you love to do the work ; that you love the Law and love to conform all your thoughts to it. Then you will overcome easily the race indifference to spiritual thought.
When you begin the work of rebuilding your body walls you will meet with some
10	TEMPLE TALKS
opposition. You will find the Arabs, and the Ammonites, and various barbaric, undisciplined thoughts that have not come within your civilization, in subtle opposition. They even make invasion in your dreams. What is the remedy? Divine fearlessness. When you know that there is but One Mind and that Mind is all-powerful, you have nothing to fear. You must establish yourself in the fearlessness of the Spirit. Do not depend upon anything outside of yourself to save you. Take an active part in the work, by laying hold of the indwelling Spirit, and making yourself consciously one with it.
When you find yourself invaded by fear thoughts, say, "There is nothing to fear from these powerless thoughts. Omnipotent Goodness reigns in my mind." Do not fight. Do not be aggressive. Nehemiah prayed and armed himself, but he did not go out to fight. Pray and arm yourself with the Word, which is the sword of the Spirit,
OVERCOMING POWER	11
and go on about your work. Do not admit the thought that you have a fight on hand. If you are one with Omnipotence you know that you have all the power of the universe on your side and nothing can be against you. You have nothing to do with enemies. So take the stand that there is no opposition to the work of health and harmony going right forward in your body and affairs.
But sometimes we find our own people calling us back to negation. These thoughts are really the most difficult to handle, because they are very near to us, our own families, those who were our associates before we came into the understanding of the Truth. They come to us in a subtle way and say to us ten times from every place, "You must return unto us. You can't get away from us." You may not hear this in just these words, but the thoughts will come. Then take a divine stand. There is nothing else to do. Many of your own thoughts are yet in an unregenerate, weak state, and from
l2	TEMPLE TALKS
them suggestions of doubt and fear come. You must cultivate power and fearlessness, and stand in the strength of the Lord.
Jesus Christ would not go up to Jerusalem until he was ready. He first established himself firmly in Spirit and threw the consciousness of Omnipotent Life out into the cells of his body, until they were obedient. This is a work we must all do. Eternal life does not come by a blind faith.
Sometimes these race thoughts come, saying, "Oh, you will have to return to the bondage of death. Everybody has to die; everybody has to be sick." You hear these statements on every side, and the thought atmosphere is stifling because of them. But stand firm in the Truth. You know your God has said, "Co forward." Take up the truth of the new life and stick to it.
We are followers of Jesus Christ, and he is leading us into a new :kingdom. All the old kingdoms are disappearing. The kingdom of Christ is being established in all the
OVERCOMING POWER	13
affairs of men. When we understand the underlying, unifying Principle of the One Mind, when we know that we are all one family, all the fighting ideas will be put away; and peace established in the whole earth.
But we who are forging ahead must stand by the Principle. God is Spirit. God is all, and in him we have Divine freedom. We are no longer in bondage to a law which tears down. We are not one with the opposition, the negative, ignorance and darkness, but we are one with the Universal Good. Positive affirmations will build you up and make you fearless.
A man once said to a doctor, "How is it you can stand the constant association with sickness? How do you keep from taking all these diseases?" The answer was, "I see only the curative side." Let us adopt this thought of health as the one reality. Health comes from understanding of the Divine Law and obedience to it. I know of
14	TEMPLE TALKS
people who make preparation in their homes for sickness. They have closets filled with medicine, and some have an extra room fitted up like a little hospital. They have set their thought-force in the direction of sickness, and somebody must get sick to fulfill the law of mind which they have put into action. See everybody healthy and always expect health in yourself, your family, and everybody. Think about the great Universal Health, and give no place in your mind to thoughts of disease.
I once read in a medical journal an instance showing the power of thought. A doctor diagnosed the cases of two young men who applied to him for help. He was to let them know the result next day by letter. He wrote to one that he was free from disease, but told the other his condition was very serious; that by going to the mountains he might prolong his life for a time, but his heart was bad and that he would eventually die. By mistake the letters were misdirected
OVERCOMING POWER	1 5
and the healthy young man received the one containing the word that his case was hopeless. Immediately he gave up his work and went to the mountains, but in a short time died. That patient for whom this diagnosis was intended received instead the word that he was perfectly healthy, and in a short time he was the picture of health.
Be careful what kind of thoughts you sow. They will keep piling up in your mind and the minds of others, and if your words are of impending evil, evil will come to pass in yourself or those who believe your words. You can produce a shaky feeling in your body by giving way to fear thoughts. It is my opinion that earthquakes are caused by the race fear. When a great wave of race fear-thoughts strikes the earth it. quakes and shakes like a trembling body of flesh.
But there is nothing to be afraid of when you know the Divine protection. Make a daily affirmation that the power of the Spirit goes before you and that nothing can harm
16	TEMPLE TALKS
or disturb you, and your body walls will be built up and the symmetry of the Divine Perfection will again appear in you as it did in Christ Jesus.
A PSALM OF DELIVERANCE
It has been said that the history of a nation is the history of a single individual. With this concept we can read history in a new light. Man does reflect his character into the world about him, and knowing this, we discern that all historical writings are our soul's experiences that we have passed through or are passing through. We have been constantly coming into expression in new masks and under new names. When we know this, a new relation, a new consciousness of unity is established, and we see that, although we read of occurrences that took place 2500 years ago, we were there; we are the people, and we are reading our own history.
All souls are one in the Universal. So when we read how the children of Israel conducted themselves when freed from certain conditions, we know that their experi-
18	TEMPLE TALKS
ences are just like those we are going through from day to day, as we pass from sense consciousness to spiritual consciousness. This freeing of the mind from ignorant thoughts should be a daily practice. If we let error, which in the Scripture is called sin, accumulate in consciousness, it burdens the mind and darkens the understanding. Consequently we should daily realize our freedom from sin through Christ, and sing songs of thanksgiving for our deliverance.
The condition of the body depends upon the action of the mind, and we will never make a perfect body until we learn the laws of mind. We are not bound by any outer law, but are free through obedience to the law of Being. People sometimes say, "Oh, you can't overcome the natural law—gravity, for example." But we can and we do overcome gravity every time we raise a foot or 'lift a hand. The will of man's mind is stronger than gravity, and through it he set; into operation the machinery that defies
PSALM OF DELIVERANCE	19
gravity. When we have the consciousness of the Universal Mind we rise superior to material limitations. It is when we overcome these limitations and come into the freedom of the Universal that we sing songs of deliverance. Our God really does deliver from the Babylon of sense. Babylon is typical of that confused state of mind in which sin has bound us. But if you have been taken captive and are in Babylon, you can be delivered out of that captivity and brought into your own land (spiritual consciousness) by the knowledge of the Truth about yourself, demonstrated in psalms of deliverance.
The fact is, we live in two states of consciousness. That .is why we feel the sense of bondage while perceiving the Truth that we are free. We must give up and willingly abandon the old state of consciousness, and by prayer and meditation make the perception of Truth an established state of mind. Daniel, in spite of the edict of the king, kept his windows opened toward Jerusalem,
20	TEMPLE TALKS
the City of Peace. The Spirit in man keeps him in a certain unity with the more interior realms, regardless of surroundings or the limitations of the sense body. The sense body must be lifted up, transformed; and this is done by a thought process which we know as prayer and meditation, and a daily acknowledgment of God in songs and recitations of truth.
There is power in music joined to words of freedom and joy. Mind and its outer expression go hand in hand. The great character molders of the race are those who write our songs. A philosopher once said he did not care who made the laws of a nation if he might write its songs. Words and music joined in consciousness really change the structure of the body. It is changed more readily by words and songs than by thoughts. The outer vibrations lay hold on the cells of the body and they quickly respond.
If we understand the laws of mind we
PSALM OF DELIVERANCE	21
can apply them in every department of life. Old conditions will often break quickly away, in response to some word of Truth. This is the result of accumulated thought-energy. Don't be surprised at the sound of your own voice. If you have not been accustomed to singing, begin now. If you sing songs of rejoicing and deliverance, you will release the bound cells in your body and set them vibrating in the Di\ ine Harmony, and the New Body in Christ will begin to form within the old.
The children of Israel were amazed at the changes that came to them. After praying for seventy years for their release from the worst kind of servitude, all at once the gates of Babylon opened for them and they were free. This was a revelation. The Babylonian revelers were chinking wine out of the sacred vessels which they had taken from the temple of God, when Cyrus the Persian came to the gates of Babylon with his army. In a single night the transforma-
22	TEMPLE TALKS
tion took place. Instead of the servitude of the Babylonians, Cyrus gave the Israelites their freedom and sent them back to their own land. In their return to Jerusalem they were in the desert from four to six months, where there were roving bands of Bedouin robbers, yet they made the journey safely. This was unexpected and consequently marvelous to them; but in it all they saw the hand of Jehovah. We find as we break away from the burden of sin, changes often come to us with just such rapidity. We can't conceive how they were brought about. True words produce results far beyond our understanding. The Law of the Lord is swift and mighty.
The union of words and music is found in many curative systems. The tom-tom of the savage, the Om, Om, of the Hindoo, our Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omniscient, are all intonations on different planes of consciousness. Man can place himself in any of these he desires. He can have the outer
PSALM OF DELIVERANCE	23
material, or the mental, or the glory of the Spirit. We all have that in our souls which is attuned to the Divine Harmony, and we can express it according to our understanding.
Many of the children of Israel preferred to remain in Babylon. During the seventy years' sojourn there they had made associations which they did not care to break. But the progressive ones went back to Jerusalem. So with us. We find ourselves encumbered with certain sense relations that we are unwilling to give up. We do not see how we can let go of one round of the ladder to take hold of the next round. Those who cling to the old and refuse to give it up for the new, tell us that the old religion is good enough for them. Their fathers got to heaven that way, and they choose to follow. They are not certain that their fathers are in heaven, but they prefer to stay in Babylon and be slaves rather than endure the giving up necessary to reach the Promised Land.
TEMPERANCE
This lesson is based on the experience of Daniel and his companions in Babylon, when they refused the king's portion of food, and chose instead pulse and water. The lesson is not only symbolical, but is susceptible of practical application.
Daniel represents spiritual judgment. The judge is familiar with the law, and should hear impartially every case presented to him, and decide, not according to his own ideas and opinions, but according to the law. There is a Daniel in each of us. This is not the king, the Will, because the Will is not always informed; but Daniel, the wise one, knows what the law is, and he stands by it. In this case it is the law of dietetics that he emphasizes and asks to be put to the test. A wise judge, a very Daniel, exists in the mind of every man. We all have God-given wisdom and judgment, and through
TEMPERANCE	25
these it is in our power to govern all the different functions of the body. Through one set of faculties we know what to eat for our highest good ; through another set we digest the food, and through still others we eliminate the impurities. We find within us a perfect system for supplying nourishment to the body, and we need never go outside of ourselves for the understanding of the processes. But this is all carried forward by intelligence, and we must familiarize ourselves with the general principles of mind to understand it.
The question constantly presents itself, How shall we attain our highest good? The answer is, By spiritual understanding and power. That which is attained through understanding must be expressed, and this expression requires power. "Faith without works is dead.- When once a point is attained act quickly upon it, and through use you will come into the powers of your own being.
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Good judgment gives us poise and balance in thought and act, and affects every function of the organism. When we have become in a measure acquainted with our power and know what the law is, we have poise and mastery, and have set the law into operation that will bring to us temperance. Temperance is the right relation and action between all the faculties of the organism. This includes perfect adjustment, which is brought about by conforming in thought and act to Truth. We know that every expression has its origin in mind. If there is intemperance, wrong relation between mind and body, to establish poise we must start with the thoughts working in the mind. The word "intemperance" has within it a mental significance. It refers primarily to temper. Anger is a phase of intemperance and defiles the body. A fit of anger will often make one sick at the stomach, and it will even scorch the corpuscles of the blood. You do not have to drink whisky to be in-
TEMPERANCE	27
temperate. If you indulge in any of the animal passions you are intemperate. All the force in the body is good, but it should not be allowed to run wild. It should be exercised under Divine judgment.
It is intemperate to desire constant amusement. When something external is required to satisfy; when you want to see something going on all the time and never get quiet, there is a dissipation of vital force, and gradually the body is disconnected from the mind. If you run around on the outside continually, you will never become poised, never know that you have dominion.
If you allow your business to interest you and attract your attention to the point of keeping you away from the inner spiritual life, that is intemperance. All the ways through which intemperance is manifesting must be submitted to Daniel, the wise judge in you. Daniel covered both planes of consciousness—the spiritual and the physical. He submitted all things to God first. So we
28	TEMPLE TALKS
find that through looking to our God we recognize the Source of all expression, within and without. Some think that the outer is separate from the inner; that God is not in all the details of their lives, their eating and drinking ; but the wise Daniel in you knows there is no separation. Daniel had wisdom and understanding far beyond all the magicians and necromancers of the Chaldeans. You know how wise the Chaldeans claimed to be: they originated astrology and nearly all of the occult science which is studied in this day. But there is a higher phase of mind—even the spiritual—and this Daniel had. He had understanding of visions and dreams ; in other words, he knew the symbology of the things that appear. He did not waste time chasing symbols, but he knew the ideas which symbols represent. Daniel had the faculty of interpreting dreams ; even when the dream was forgotten by the dreamer, he knew what it was and could tell its meaning. "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a
TEMPERANCE	29
night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven." He recognized and thanked the real source of his wisdom.
The result of the study of Truth is that we get deep into Being itself ; but it requires attention. If people would give to spiritual things just one-half the attention they give to the material, they would be much more successful in the demonstration of health and success.
Spiritual judgment is quickened by affirmation. If you will affirm for yourself the judgment of Spirit, you will have a finer discernment in the selection of your food. There is an intimate connection between thought and food. Certain ideas call for certain foods.	We have a way of follow-
ing off our appetite, no matter where it leads. It is not wise to suppress the forces in the body ; but they should be wisely directed, and expressed in the right way. Sometimes error desires ripe with such might, and flood you with such overwhelming force, that you
30	TEMPLE TALKS
think they must be good. But they may be the result of previous wrong education and habit, and it may not be wise to express them in the way they are tending. Refer them to the Daniel within, and you will find simplicity and temperance will aid the Spirit in the development of faculties that are now dormant. Daniel lived right in food and thought, had spiritual quickening, and talked with God in visions and dreams. We can do likewisie if we follow the same law.
Reform advocates give large attention to this subject of temperance as it relates to drinking, but overlook the food proposition. The idea seems to be that what one swallows by drinking is defiling, while if it is chewed it makes no difference what you swallow. Daniel dealt with both phases. He drank water and ate pulse and grew fair and fat in ten days. "Go thou and do likewise."
MAN'S POWER TO FORGIVE SIN
The teaching of Jesus Christ concerning man's power to forgive sins is the least understood of any of his commandments. A distinct separation is made between sin and its effects, and the sin is treated in one way and the effect in another. When a man's sins make him ill, his minister recommends a doctor. The doctor treats his body as merely a piece of machinery to be patched up. No real healing takes place, because both the minister and the doctor are ignorant of the cause of the illness.
Jesus always connected sin and sickness as cause and effect. When the man sick of the palsy was let down through the roof of a house, that he might be brought before Jesus for healing, there were those present who expected the healing to be done in some mysterious way ; and when Jesus spoke of forgiving the man's sins in order
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to heal him, they said, "This man blas-phemeth; who can forgive sins, save God alone?" These men lived in a material world and saw everything from a material viewpoint. They did not understand that the man's sins caused his palsy. As a proof of man's power to forgive sin, and thus heal the effects of sin, Jesus said when the man was brought for healing,
"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins (he said unto the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
"And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God."
Jesus taught plainly that the mind was the originating place of every act. He said if there was lust in the heart it was sin, even though- the overt act were not committed. All thinking people in this day
POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	33
accept without question, that the body is moved by the mind; and those who have made a study of mental processes have found that all the conditions of the body are brought about by the mind; also that there is a law of right thought, and that a departure from that law is sin, or "missing the mark," which is the original meaning of the word.
Forgiveness really means to give up something. When you forgive yourself, you cease doing the thing you ought not to do. Jesus was correct in assuming that :;.an had power to forgive sin. Sin is a falling short of the Divine Law, and repentance and forgiveness are the only means man has of getting out of sin and its effects, and coming into harmony with the Law. But who can tell what the Law is? Only those who study man as a spiritual and mental being. Study of manifestation alone is futile; it leads nowhere. We must get at the cause side. All sin is first a mental concept; and the
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first step in forgiveness is a change of mind, or repentapce. Some mental attitude, some train of mental energy, must be transformed. We forgive sin in ourselves every time we resolve to think and act according to the Divine Law. The mind must change from a material to a spiritual base. The Law is already fixed ; there is nothing in it to be changed, because God is the lawgiver and does not change. The change is all on the part of man, and within him. The moment he changes his mind the Divine Law rushes in and begins the healing work.
The Law is Truth, and the Truth is that all is Good. There is no power and no reality in sin. God's eyes are too pure to behold iniquity, and he beholds man as a pure spiritual being. The moment man realizes this, he puts himself in harmony with the Truth of Being, and the Law wipes out all his transgressions. In this way he is healed.
Man began his transgressions through de-
POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	35
siring to know, and in the process of seeking for knowledge he fell short. The sin was not in the desire to know, but in the disobedience and stubbornness of man in seeking knowledge in forbidden ways. Stubbornness and resistance to the Spirit will keep one out of forgiveness as long as he stays in that state of mind. This is the unpardon-
able sin.	It is simply a willful closing of
the mind against pardon and forgiveness. The only way to get out of this state of mind is to know that it has no power, but that man is free to obey the Divine Law.
In denying the reality of sin, send out your freeing thought to others as well as to yourself. Do not hold any one in bondage to the idea of sin. If you do, it will pile up and increase in power according tc the laws of mental action.
No one can understand how forgiveness sets the sin-bound soul and sick body free unless he studies mind and has some understanding of its laws. There is a universal
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thought substance in which thought builds whatever man wills. The right images become active through the power of thought. Man has unlimited power through thought, and he can give his power to things, or withhold it. If he thinks about the power of sin, he builds up and gives force to that idea until it engulfs him in its whirlpool of thought substance. He forgets his spiritual origin and sees the human only. He thinks of himself as a sinner, "born in sin and conceived in iniquity," instead of the "image and likeness of God." Man also sees the law of sowing and reaping, and fears his sins and their results. Then fear of the Divine Law is added to his burdens. The way out of this maze of ignorance, sin and sickness is through understanding the real being, and then forgiving, or giving up, all thoughts of the reality of sin and its effects in the body. But we must recognize the unity of the race in Christ, and include all people in our forgiving. A good freeing
	POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	37
statement is, "I do not believe in the power
	of sin in myself nor in others."	If one
tries to free himself while holding others in the thought of sin, he will not demonstrate his freedom. No man can rise except as he lifts the race with him in his thought. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." As by one man sin came into the world, so by one man is it taken away. As all were included in the sin of one, so all are included in the righteousness of one, and every man stands sinless before God in Christ Jesus. Recognition of this truth shall make men free, and the greater the number who enter into the recognition and declare the truth, the sooner shall all men know that they are free from sin in Christ.
THE SEEING MIND
The study of God and man is identical. Your understanding of the Divine Trinity involves an understanding of your place in it. There is the Father, the great Universal Mind ; the Son or Christ, which is I Am identified ; and the Holy Spirit, or manifestation. God, the great Supreme Source, is the foundation of all. The relation of man to this source is revealed to I Am, identity independent of any scripture, independent of tradition, independent of any external authority whatever. It comes from the light within. The first lesson in spiritual development is to know that every one has within him the light, the light of Divine understanding, "the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." Those who do not recognize that they have this inner light are in some of the reflected, secondary states of consciousness. The first
THE SEEING MIND	39
awakening is the "light" ; then come the other steps in order. The statement, "I am the light of the world," cannot be taken in a personal sense and applied to Jesus Christ alone, because he said, "Ye are the light of the world." He taught that the expression of the Universal light and power was possible to all men. Then let us seek the true. light—spiritual understanding.
The Hebrew Scriptures are undoubtedly the highest corroborative testimony of the light within; yet we should remember in studying them that the letter killeth; the Spirit maketh alive. In Genesis it is written that the earth was without form and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep. "And God said, Let there be light, and there was light." We may take this in a physical sense and say that it means the light of the sun and the moon; but it means more than that, because the sun and the moon were not created until the fifth day. Symbolically, that is, spiritually, the "earth" represents the
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personal consciousness, and the "light" that which perceives and knows. It is universally conceded that it is the mind that sees. The whole existence of man depends upon the consciousness which the mind takes of things. The eyes could not see unless the mind took up the sight images and transferred them to the optic nerves, where the mind sets up certain states of consciousness, and we say, "I see." It is the mind that establishes the consciousness, and the eye that receives the vibrations of light which are set up. Everything that the eye perceives in the realms without is a picture upside down, and the mind has to straighten it all out. If you had been blind until your were, say, fifty years of age, you would have to learn all the lessons of life over. You would know nothing of distance as measured by the eye, nor the relations of the world of form and color about you.
Metaphysicians understand the law by which we carry our bodies in mind, and how
THE SEEING MIND	41
we change them by changing our ideas. The eye has been built through ages upon ages of thought, hence it is a thought organ. The way to heal eye troubles and restore sight is to declare spiritual understanding, the illumination of spiritual light. As a treatment for sight take affirmations like these: "My sight is now perfect with the perfection of Divine Mind. Divine understanding is quickened in me, and I am illumined with the Christ light."
That the eye is dependent upon the mind is proved in very simple things. Not long ago a teller in a bank of this city gave out a thousand-dollar bill and counted it as a hundred dollars. That bill went through the hands of eight different people, all accepting it as one hundred dollars. It was then deposited at another bank as one hundred dollars. The teller at the first bank found he was nine hundred dollars short, and the second teller discovered that he was nine hundred dollars over. In
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tracing the bill through the hands of the eight different people who had received and paid it out, it was found that they all thought it was one hundred dollars. The mistaken thought that the first teller put upon the bill as he paid it out was carried right along and accepted by all who handled the money. This incident illustrates how we accept what the mind says about things, and also our power to put the stamp of nothingness or high value upon the things we see. If you want to realize abundance, see the Unlimited Resource and increase with your true thought all that comes to you. You thus enlarge your thoughts of plenty and see things in a larger way. This will lead up to the realization of the Infinite Abundance. Cease the human tendency to minimize, and begin to magnify in your mind everything that you want increased in your body or affairs.
Then see with the eye of I Am. Back of your eye are Infinite possibilities. Get
THE SEEING MIND	43
a right understanding of man—who he is and what his powers are—and all things shall be added unto you. The question is primarily to get the "light," and through it make connection with the Infinite Resource. Some people poise themselves in the outer, and think in some intellectual way, by some philosophy that has to do with the occult,
they will find the	But they find
only a temporary, reflected light, because they have not sought and made connection with the Supreme Light. Seek the Most High, and then you will know the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world of Truth.
God has given all of his transcendent powers to man, and it rests with us whether we will express them or not. We may connect ourselves with the light of God or with the outer darkness, or with the realm of reflected light. There are many philosophies, but only one Truth ; that is light, Divine Understanding. The light of Truth resolves
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everything into ideas. Those in understanding look upon the phenomenal world and interpret it from the ideas it represents, and not as it appears.
The popular picture-shows represent the action of man's mind. In watching the pictures on the screen we lose all thought of how they are made. The process illustrates the action of ideas as they are pictured forth from mind to manifestation. Ideas are represented by the little moving pictures, which the man away back at the rear of the house places in front of his powerful light. This light in man is the light of Divine Understanding. Whatever picture you hold in front of this light will be reflected into your body and affairs. If you want a perfect body, hold that concept in your mind and it will be perfected in the flesh.
All the potentialities of Mind must be called into expression in making the perfect body, and it must be made after the Divine pattern. In the Divine Mind is the
THE SEEING MIND	45
body of ideal man, the image and likeness of God. Job said, "Yet in my flesh shall I see God." That is a wonderful statement. Some think the body is a garment that gets worn out and is then to be cast off, and that somehow God will give them another body. But when we understand how mind makes body we see that we have what we have idealized. See God in your flesh, and that which seems corrupt and perishable will be transformed into a body of light. Every day see God in every part of your body. Say, "Every cell in my organism is now manifesting the life and intelligence of God." You can change your whole body by thus seeing God in your flesh. I Am is the focal point. I Am determines the character of both mind and body.
Begin right now proclaiming, as Jesus proclaimed, "I am the light of the world." It is not necessary to burden yourself with responsibility about anybody's world but your own. Let God light up all your faculties.
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If your memory seems not as good is it should be, proclaim the light, and as it shines your memory will be restored unto you.
Let us be thankful that now the light of Divine Mind is focused in our minds, and all power is ours to express Divine Understanding.
THE HEALING OF PERSONAL
WILL
Men are everywhere awakening to the necessity of disciplining their minds. We train the domestic animals and harness the forces of nature, yet let our own wills run wild. We can never be the perfect man we idealize until we have disciplined our minds and taken control of our thoughts. We cannot be truly religious until our minds are put in order and all our ideas brought into harmony with the Ideas in Divine Mind.
All worship should be for mental discipline and all meetings should begin by putting the faculties in a receptive attitude. Jesus Christ gave treatments for mental discipline, especially the will. He recognized the Higher Will, the God Will. He addressed the Divine Will as if it were intelligent Principle. He said, "Not my will, but thine, be done." Let us take that as our
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prayer this morning and enter into the consciousness of Divine Will.
(Silence)
In order to get the best lesson from this incident of the healing of Naaman's leprosy we should consider it as representative of one man. All of the incidents in the Scripture take place in the individual consciousness. They may be taken as historical facts given for the benefit of man's curiosity, or for his pleasure in reading about things that occurred in the past; but the only real, lasting profit comes from applying them to one's self as something that can be used in daily life.
The king of Syria is the ruling power of man's consciousness in the outer realms. He represents the aggregate sense- thoughts that have not yet come into Spirit and have not been disciplined along spiritual lines. These are the Gentile or heathen nations that lived outside the kingdom of Israel. The executive power in that consciousness is Naa-
HEALING PERSONAL WILL	49
man, the captain of the king's hosts, the Will.
The king of Israel has to do with the ruling power in the religious realm. But the religious are not always in understanding. There is, however, a prophet in Israel. This is Elisha, the Absolute Truth. There is in each one of us a realm of Truth, a knowing mind; call it "intuition" if you will, or the Higher Self. It is that in you which knows the Divine Law and fulfills it.
But the captain of the outer realm becomes diseased ; he is a leper. A leper is one who has starved out, first from mind and then from body, the consciousness of the Truth of Being. Sin and leprosy are considered in the Scriptures as synonymous terms. In the cleansing of the leprosy by Jesus, sin cleansing was the remedy. In Leviticus, 14th chapter, directions are given for the healing of leprosy. A lot of apparently foolish incantations were commanded of the priest. He was to take two birds
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and have one of them killed in an earthen vessel over running water. The living bird was to be dipped, with cedar wood, scarlet, and hyssop, in the blood of the bird that was killed. Then the man to be cleansed was to be sprinkled seven times and pronounced clean. After this a lamb was to be slain as a trespass offering, and the priest was directed to put some of the blood upon the tip of the right ear of • him that was to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand and upon the great toe of his right foot. Instead of a practical lesson this all seems like foolishness, and if men had attempted to carry out these directions in the time of our Pilgrim fathers they would have been burned or drowned. In our day they would be put in an insane asylum.
But we know this is symbolical of a certain cleansing of the mind. The number "seven" runs all through this chapter, and the number seven has reference to the seven fundamental principles of the natural man.
HEALING PERSONAL WILL	5 1
There are seven tones in the musical scale, seven colors of the solar spectrum, and the number seven is found in so many forms in the natural world that it is considered the numerical keynote of nature. So we see that the bathing by Naaman in the Jordan seven times had a significance.
This condition of leprosy is in the natural man—not the spiritual. The spiritual man is without sin. It is the man of the sevenfold nature who has sinned and not the twelvefold man. The larger man is established in the realm of perfect ideals, and through him the natural man is healed.
The prayer of Jesus Christ was that the kingdom of heaven might come into the earth; that the will of God might be done in earth as in heaven. This heavenly will is that every one shall be whole and perfect. Perfection is brought into expression by first disciplining the executive power, the power that has to do with the taking on or letting go of thoughts. Through the will we lay
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hold of thoughts. No one ever had an angry thought except he first willed to be angry. But if one links himself with the Divine Will he cannot poison his blood with anger. The Divine Will is perfect harmony, and to have the consciousness of harmony there must be a union with the will of harmony. This union brings the mind iiito the body in Divine order.
The will must direct the host of thoughts in Divine order. All adverse conditions can be set right by adjusting the will and bringing it into oneness with the will of God. When things go wrong it is because we have not said, "Not my will, but thine, be done." We shall never move in exact harmony until all the faculties are made one with the Infinite Mind.
Men can be lifted out of all limitations and discords by bringing the will into spiritual obedience. The will, through pride, vanity and assumption of knowledge, sets up a state of rebellion against the Divine Law.
HEALING PERSONAL WILL	53
This brings about that state called "carnal mind," whose end is disease and death.
Naaman represents this personal will. The fact that he was a warrior indicates opposition: he was constantly on the defensive. That state of mind will prevent the inflow of Divine Ideas into the mind of man. Receptivity is gained through obedience and cleansing the mind and body of its sevenfold errors. In the healing incantations in Leviticus there is repeated reference to "atonement for him before the Lord."
It makes a mighty difference whether you speak in the name of the Lord or in the name of personality. In the Scriptures there is a warning against going to those who have "familiar spirits" for instruction and help; that is because the Lord is ignored in the revelation.
If we appeal to the Christ in us, represented by Elisha the prophet, we shall be healed of that personal will, which wants its own way and refuses to be obedient to
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Spirit. This personal will starves out of the body the Divine influx of life, and makes the condition called "leprosy." For its cleansing we must wash in the river Jordan, which represents the perpetual flow of life force in the body. The body is constantly in that flow, but if it is not recognized it will not be a matter of consciousness. Nothing is really yours except that of which you are conscious.
Naaman, the willful one, had thought about self until he had forgotten the Infinite cleansing Life, and his whole system was in a state of starvation. In this condition men need help. Shall they seek some mighty occult power, or turn within in meekness and lowliness of heart to the Source of their being? This Scripture teaches that the latter is the one and only remedy.
The outer man likes display. He is brought up in a world where there are armies and bands and banners, and he thinks nothing is accomplished without them. But the in-
HEALING PERSONAL WILL	55
ner spiritual forces work silently. So under the symbol of the little Israelite maid the voice of Truth speaks, and there comes from the quiet within a thought that perhaps God may help in extremity. So Naaman sets out to find the prophet of Israel. But he is disappointed and angry when Elisha, instead of making some great display of power, merely sends a message that he go and bathe in the Jordan seven times. As he turned away in his rage his servants came near and said to him, "If the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith unto thee, Wash and be clean?" So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God ; "and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean."
Here is an illustration of the healing of the personal will, the giving up of man's will to God, the doing of simple things and
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getting large results.	It is the little things
that count. We find also that we frequently have to do things under spiritual guidance, that are contrary to established customs and apparently opposed to good sense. We must often do things that the world's standard has not yet accepted, because ignorant of spiritual and mental laws.
The will is not to be killed out nor put into subjection; we are not worms of the dust. Some try so hard to be obedient that they become servile. Neither is the will weakened by being made one with the Divine Will ; but it is strengthened. Every right act of the will is based on assurance, on faith; and faith is increased when in daily prayer or communion with God you recognize his will. Get into the Spirit, and every day practice the Presence of God. If you want to be built up according to the Divine standard you must get hold of your inner forces. These are invisible only to mortal sense. There are no occult or hidden things.
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You may feel the life-flow and see it and know its cleansing power in you, if you lay hold of the world within. Say every day, "I am cleansed by the One Infinite Life within me; I am conscious of the River of Life flowing through me, and my blood is purified and I am made alive in it." Make this a daily prayer. Begin Monday, and say it every day for seven days. If at the end of that time you have not attained the consciousness of the Life within you, begin again and say it for another seven days, and keep it up until you do realize the cleansing power. Take certain ideas in Divine Mind and apply them to your own consciousness. Do you believe in the absolute perfection of man? If you believe in sin you make sin manifest. Deny sin. This will be your first bath. There is no reality in sin. It is simply a mental condition that has to do with the mortal. The spiritual man is always perfect. Make definite statements claiming your spiritual perfection. Say, "No
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one can reflect upon me ideas of sin. I stand steadfast in my Christ perfection."
On the second day deny the reality of disease. Do not let any assumed authority make you think it is real. Deny heredity and affirm your sonship. Keep up this work of mental cleansing and you will find that you will carry the consciousness of the Truth down into the body and wipe out all the errors in the subconscious. Open the way through denials and obedience to Divine Will, and let the Word of Truth be made flesh in you.
THE POWER OF SILENT PRAYER
"Be still, and know that I am God." "When trouble is brewing, keep still." "When slander is getting off his legs, keep
still."
"When your feelings are hurt, keep still until you recover from your excitement. Things look poised and steady through an unagitated eye."
"When about to explode with righteous' indignation, wait quietly until you can speak calmly, then maybe you will not need to speak at all."
Silence is the most massive thing con-
ceivable.	Its strength is grandeur, power,
mastery.
"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
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A great many religionists are satisfied with the outer form of prayer. They know nothing of that inner closet which Jesus commanded us to enter, therefore their prayers are to an external God, and not to the "Father who heareth in secret." Prayer, to be answered, must be in accord with certain definite laws of mind. The instructions Jesus gave for prayer place one in harmony with these laws, and connect him with -tlw Father, the Source of all good. To pray aright we must know that there is one great Universal Mind filled with spiritual ideas which we may lay hold of through the inner faculties of the mind, called Spirit.
Do not be deceived by the thought that ideas are intangible. Ideas are the real of everything. They are alive, and their vital force and energy make the world go round. Ideas are brought into expression through thought, and the more orderly the thought the more perfect the expression. It is possible to get back into the silent realm, where
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all ideas are in order; and to know how to do this is the secret of spiritual power. Men rush to externality and lose center. Their thought-substance becomes threadbare, _and, Eke the prodigal, they live on husks. They know nothing of the great realm of spiritual ideas within them. Jesus pointed the way to it when he said, "Enter into thy closet and pray to thy Father." In this spiritual realm new thoughts come. The Divine Mind is new every moment, and men can renew their lives by entering into the "secret place" in silent communion.
To enter the silence is prayer. The closet —is your inner consciousness. The doors which open to the outer world must be closed when you enter the soul center. These doors are the five senses, which connect you with the world of effects. When you wish to enter the realm of Cause the first step is to dose the thought to the outer and center yourself within.
Every successful man will tell you that he
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first thought out his moves in his inner consciousness. He did not follow any beaten track. The door to success opens from within. Combinations of circumstances arise as the result of conscious union with the inner forces of being.
We talk too much. We rush around on the outside and waste our vitality, letting it run off the tongue in a stream of idle words. The amassing power of the silence is wonderful. If you want to enrich your consciousness say, "I will qiiit talking so much." No mortal man can control the tongue, but the mind of the Spirit has all power, and even this unruly member will obey it. If you would get into the peace and harmony of the Spirit you must stop talking about your
troubles.	Be still and listen to the Spirit, and you will find that a lot of your burdens will roll off. They are of the outer consciousness, and when you enter into the Christ Mind they disappear. You must unload, let go. Do not take the world or yourself
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too seriously. Things are not half so bad as they look. There is always a way out. Open up the untapped energies of your inner self and you will succeed in lines you never dreamed of.
Enlarge your capacity. Put more "steam" behind your ideas. If you can still the little ideas of mortal self and enter into the larger ones of the Universal, you will come' to know yourself as you are. This capability of knowing and realizing the inner powers of man saves from many a hard knock. It will help you to cease worrying and wasting your energy.
Do not enter into the silence with solemnity. The Divine Mind is joyous always. The Universe is the expression of the joy of God. You can't be happy with a long, pious face. Joy sends life bounding through the body, and you are healthy when you are happy. Seek the spirit of joy and goodness in the stillness, and your meditation shall be sweet and fruitful.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
The natural man seeks happiness. He looks forward to things that bring joy and satisfaction, and in a blind sort of way he goes about the attainment of his happiness. But he does it without a deep understanding of the Law. In other words, he has not light. So if I should say, "I wish you the light of the world," or "Let there be light," it would be equal to proclaiming for you a higher, deeper, clearer understanding, and consequent happiness.
All the ills of men come from ignorance, lack of understanding. Nothing comes by chance. At the new year many make new resolutions, and experience proves that these are not always kept. After a while there is a slipping back into the old way. This is because there is not a new mind; the old mind which seeks happiness in transitory things is still ruling. The mind of the flesh must give way to the Christ Mind before
LET THERE BE LIGHT	65
there can be any permanent success in keeping resolutions, or any abiding happiness.
So in the beginning, which is always "now" to the metaphysician, the first step is, "Let there be light." A perpetual outflow of "light" is taught in Genesis, but we have applied it to the creation universal, and have said that some time in the past God created the world and all the people. The great fiat of Divine Mind did go forth, but it was the expression of a great law always operative. The same law that rounds the grain of sand rounds the planet. In the eternal now Divine Mind is proclaiming, "Let there be light." Can you imagine when the principle of mathematics or of music began? Always wherever there has been intelligence desiring to express these principles, they have been ready at hand for expression. Let us not put away from us as far above us the creative Principle, the One Mind, but speak it into expression as we do music and mathematics.
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When Jesus Christ said, "I am the light of the world," he was not talking about the lights of this planet. It is true his light shall light the minds of all men, but in reality he was saying that I Am is the light of its own world. When he spoke about raising the "temple" he referred to his body; so in talking about the "light of the world" he meant his world. Each of us has our own world. No two of us see alike the things about us. Man's first concept of the external is all wrong. He judges of things as they appear, and later must learn the principle and figure everything out by it. Time was when men thought the earth was flat, and that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. This was the appearance, but it did not chord with the facts ; so there are many things which appear the very opposite of what they are in reality, and when the light of Truth shines in we begin to change our concept of them to fit the Truth instead of the appearance. This is especially
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true of our concept of man. He appears the opposite of that which he is in reality. When we say, "Let there be light," then we begin to see him as he is.
Light is the Understanding Principle in mind, and in Divine Order always comes
first into consciousness.	It is the first step of
the first day. When we take the second step we should not let go of the first. If we are in the Principle we will carry all the steps along together.
As a race we are coming into the understanding of wonderful laws of mind. We have a parallel in the laws of the air. Jesus compared the spiritual man to the air. Aviators find there are currents of air they know little about. In the race's mental atmosphere there are many currents of thought, and if you would keep abreast of the knowing quality you must continually declare, "I do know." Then you will be able to handle all these thought currents and keep above every adverse wind.
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Men know little about light. Theories about it have changed many times. Light is something which has to do with energy in the Universal Ether, but just what it is nobody knows. It has been discovered that there is no light outside of the eye. The whole air may be full of vibrations that turn to light in the eye, but there is no light without the eye to see it. Our eyes only receive certain vibratory rates of energy, consequently only a little of the great universe is seen, and no two people see things alike. By high statements the mind opens up and takes in more light.
Light depends upon consciousness, as sound is sound only when it impinges upon our ears. Light is Principle. It is in the I Am, in man. We make our own world and everything in it. The proclamations of the One Infinite Mind are going forth through its lawful avenue, man. We are individualized by our wills, and have the power to manifest the One Mind and Will in its full-
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ness, or its opposite. We can remain in darkness by thinking and speaking of our ignorance, or become illumined by proclaiming our union with the great Source of Light. Follow Jesus Christ and declare with him, "I am the light of the world," and keep on declaring it, whether the light shines into your consciousness all at once or not.
As you go on in your expression of Divine Mind you will find that you have many phases of mind in yourself to deal with. These we call "states of consciousness," and they must be brought into harmony under a sertain Law. The Law is revealed when man claims the light. All that becomes part of us does so through mental appropriation. We appropriate ideas out of Divine Mind as we eat food from the natural world. You must make an effort to eat, and you must make some mental effort before you can draw out of the Divine Mind its great ideas.
If you have been in the habit of drifting upon the sea of mind, stop, and take your
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Christ power and direct your thoughts to some purpose. You will never get anywhere until you do this. There are people who expect to demonstrate life, but often it is nothing more than an expectation. They will never attain until they go down into the darkness of the subconscious with the word "Let there be light," and illumine and lift up into life every cell of the organism. If you go down into a dark basement with a light it is no longer dark there. So if you take the light of life down into the body you illuminate it and deliver it from the darkness of sense.
The body is a part of the consciousness. If you leave it and float around in the imagination you will never bring it into the resurrection life. Do not be carried away with the delusion of soul-salvation and soul-development. There is no salvation but for the whole man—spirit, soul, body. These three are one, and are lifted up only as they are lifted up together. When you go down_
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into the subconscious with the light you find that the body is not material at all, any more than light is material.
Those who proclaim the resurrection in the light of spiritual understanding will demonstrate life just to the extent that they overcome the errors which have been built into the body-consciousness through ignorance. This overcoming is a daily work, and all the best in man must be given to it. He cannot attain unto the resurrection while he follows in the darkness and ignorance of the world, for he must work in the light. Step by step, following close after Jesus Christ, he shall come into newness of life, happiness and success, and these will be permanent and abiding.
THE MAN OF AUTHORITY
It is written in the Scriptures that in the beginning God created man male and female, and gave them dominion and power over all things.
Where is this dominion and power which inherently belongs to every one of us? The answer is, "In Spirit," and Spirit is omnipresent; but we must put ourselves in the spiritual state of mind in order to appreciate and realize it.
It is quite evident that, in our spiritual estate, we have dominion and power over all things. Then, we might properly ask for a restoration of that dominion and power. Pray, believing that you have received, and you shall receive. If we knew that there was a mighty force in the atmosphere here, and that our word would bring it into expression, we would certainly speak that word without hesitation.
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That is exactly what exists in the thought atmosphere, waiting for us to declare it into expression. Then let us pray for the restoration of the spiritual dominion and power and authority, which is rightfully ours. Thus we shall come into assurance and confidence, and a certain inner majesty and power that belongs to the spiritual man—the man of Reality, whom we are striving to express.
The Jews were surprised at the authority with which Jesus spoke. When he healed the man of palsy at Capernaum, the crowd was so great in and around the house where he was preaching that the friends of the sick man could not get him into the presence of Jesus through the door; so they went up on the roof and cut a hole through and let the man down. When Jesus saw their faith he said unto the sick of the palsy, "Son, thy sins are forgiven. . . . Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." And the Pharisees said, "Why, this man is a blasphemer. He pretends to forgive sin." "Can a man
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forgive sins?" "No; only God can forgive sins." And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said to them, "Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, take up thy bed, and walk?"
This dominion over adverse thoughts and conditions is the heritage of all men when they quicken the Christ consciousness, and the capacity or power in man to bring about results in mind and body through his word, is attracting, in this day, more attention than ever before. People everywhere are studying the power of words, and yet only to the extent that they understand, do their words have power. The ability to change states of consciousness depends upon the state of mind back of that consciousness. If you should tell the people whose consciousness is wholly in the material world, or realm of effects, that they could forgive sins and heal the sick, it would to them seem ridiculous and foolish, because it is not given to man
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in their state of mind to do these works, but to the man in spiritual dominion, power and authority.
But man in his higher states of mind has this power, because he is the direct offspring of Creative Mind. All true ideas, all states of mind, creative in character, originate in this Christ-man. We call him the Higher Self, the Divine Atma, the Supreme I Am.
All men have felt this power at certain epochs in their lives, but they have not learned how to exercise it at will. Suppose that you could habitually place yourself in that state of mind where you could control your feelings. 'Would riot that be a new mind, and wouldn't you create in yourself an entirely different kind of man from the one who gave up so easily to emotion and feeling?
This is what is meant by the man of dominion and power. It is found that, by continual practice in the control of mental states, man can arrive at a place where he has complete mastery over the sensations in
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the body. He can control his feelings until he is a stoic. Hundreds of illustrations of this could be cited in the recorded histories of those who have practiced control and mastery of thought and feeling. If you have read works of metaphysics and occultism, you are more or less familiar with experiences of adepts who have practiced this control of sensation in the body.
Although we may not consider these practices essential, they show how man can attain a certain mastery, and they point the way to a superior manhood. It isn't that we are aiming to have authority over our fellows; it isn't that we are striving through our ambitions to rule the world! No, "Greater is he that ruleth his own spirit than he that taketh a city." The object and aim of the true disciple of Jesus Christ is to get dominion', over his thoughts:, his feeling-al it is to contra himself, knowing that if the inner man is controlled, he will find it easy to control and handle outside conditions.
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The one object, then, of this study and dominion in man is to master the self, to control the feelings within; to cast out the discords and errors in mind' and body, and build up in their place peace, harmony and Truth, and all those conditions that lead to unity of soul and body.
To attain this place of authority we must get clear in our minds that, as spiritual beings, we have it already. It is an innate quality given us by the One Great Creative Mind. It isn't something that we have to attain to, but simply recognize. If we have been working in the outer realms, and intellectually striving to do miraculous things, wonderful things, even to controlling our fellows, the entire process must be reversed in this Christ dominion and authority. That intellectual state is the Pharisee who has no real understanding of the power of the Higher Self. When he sees a real spiritual worker forgiving sins, casting out error, healing the sick, and doing other marvelous things, he
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says, "By what authority do you do this? You are a blasphemer; you are claiming to do things that belong to God," not understanding that it is man's rightful estate, it is his Divine authority that casts out the evil, that heals and adjusts the mind of the subjective self.
Those who have concentrated their thoughts on material things until they are fixed in the limitation of the intellect, must have a change of mind. "Be ye transformed by the renewing., of your mind." That new state of mind is based upon understanding, the understanding that man is the offspring of a Spiritual Principle, and that that Spiritual Principle inhering in him is constantly asserting its supremacy over all things. When I realize that I am the direct offspring of the Supreme Ruling Mind of—theuniverse, there comes to me the consciousness and the power that I am supreme over everything, and especially over this intellectual man, this Pharisee. The Pharisee is in
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us all as a formed state of consciousness, and that formed mind is functioning in a formed universe, in a realm in which things are fixed, and it works by mathematical rules. But above and beyond this is another consciousness which is portrayed here as another man, the Christ-Man. It is that man who realizes that it is just as easy to heal a sick, sinful mind as it is to heal a sick body ; in fact, that a sick body cannot be permanently healed until the mistaken ways of thinking, called sins, are forgiven.
Evil and sin are merely states of mind, and it is given to the creative power in man to change his thoughts and put others in their place. Why, I hear you every day, saying, "Yes, I have changed my mind about that !What is it that changes its mind? Is it not the I Am? The thinking mind is one degree lower than that I Am. Then cultivate the I Am; cultivate power, dominion, authority, and you will find that through this culture you will come to a state where sensation,
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feeling and emotion, and every thought, will be obedient to you. As the Pharisee is found in all men, so the paralyzed man is there also. Our bodies are not fully alive to the Christ power; they are falling short as standards of wholeness, and it is to this personality of limitation that the I Am says, "Thy sins be forgiven thee; Arise, take up thy bed and walk."
If I should find that any member of my body was not properly functioning ; if my stomach didn't work, or my organs of elimination were not performing their office, or, if there was a single spot or place in my body that wasn't fulfilling my highest ideal of health, I should consider that the life force was being interfered with by some error thought, which is sin, and I would put myself in the place of authority and cast it out. I would sit in the silence of the Spirit and hold to that high authority and dominion, which I know to be mine, and there I should speak the word. I would consider the para-
THE MAN OF AUTHORITY	8 1
lyzed condition, it may be a little gray hair, or a tooth that isn't doing its proper living, or a wrinkle on the face, or any other evidence of shaky, lifeless nerves, as signs to the Man of Authority. These, and the many other defects in body, which we strive to cover up, are sins. It may be that you use a little hair dye, and let the dentist fill your teeth. Well, that will answer for the Pharisee, but it clow4 fulfill the law of the Spirit. I am telling you the Absolute Truth. I have not said I have practiced it, but I know that I must before I will be like Christ. I know the Truth, and I know that every man in the universe must finally come to this place where he will have to take the mastery and dominion, because we are all created with authority over the mind that makes the body ; and through that mind we can make a perfect body, and we will never be satisfied until we have this fruit of our mind's work.
So, if this is the Truth, I must tell it right in the face of opposite appearances. I
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must proclaim it as it is in Spirit, and we must, every one of us, take it up and demonstrate it—demonstrate it to the fullest that we know. If we follow up our simplest demonstrations with another and another and another, we will eventually stand where Jesus Christ stood, master of the body, and we can then say with him, "I can take it up, or I can lay it down." And that mastery comes through cleansing the mind of sins—that means shortcomings and failures—and carry-ing out the results of the right thoughts in the body. This is the meaning of the com-mand to "Arise, take up your bed and walk."
Some people think it necessary to forgive the sins of the mind only, but Jesus said, "Thy sins are forgiven; . . . take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." The cleansing of thought, and doing away with sin, is the first step. Then there must be a going forth into the body of the new life, which naturally comes when the barriers are re-
THE MAN OF AUTHORITY	83
moved. You must realize that this life-force is everywhere present. Don't allow any thought of separation to have place; don't entertain that prevalent idea of going away sometime, of leaving this old body as
a cast-off garment.	If you think that your
life is sometime going to withdraw from your body, it will at once begin the process. People ask us regularly, "Why do I have swollen joints? Why do I have rheumatism?" It is because, in a subtle way, you are believing that you are going to die. And do you know what your soul does? It begins
to withdraw from the extremities.	It pulls
the life-force out of a finger, or a nerve, or a gland, and you suffer pain in some part of your organism as a result of that thought of separation of soul and body. You want to
"cut that right out."	It doesn't belong to
the spiritual man, nor is it in line with his dominion over soul and the body; and you will never come into your inheritance as the Son of the living God, until you realize that
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all the fullness of the Godhead is here and now; and that all the lessons of life can be learned here. It is not necessary to go to the "land beyond the sky" to get an education. You are right in the midst of opportunities to learn just what you ought to know. "Now is the day of salvation."
Many people think that others have more power than they have; that some teacher or healer belongs to the "elect." God is not a respecter of persons. All power in mind and body is given unto you. Now, take advantage of that and use it, and you will be surprised how easily you can control, first, your thoughts, then your sensations and feelings. You won't be so selfish and "touchy;" you won't look upon the cuter with the importance you once did.
The moment you affirm your spiritual power it will begin to be poured into your consciousness, and you will realize your God-given dominion and authority.
SAFETY
A new understanding of God and man and the law of creation is in the world today. In our early training we had to have symbols—the chalk marks on the board of visibility—but now our minds are becoming more comprehensive and we can do sums in mental arithmetic. We are no longer in the kindergarten, but see absolute principles instead of pictures.
In considering the Divine protection, it is necessary that we come into a fuller understanding of this wonderful law, which when we invoke it, does save us from our ignorance.
This law is put into operation through the volition of the mind, and when once we know that with every thought we set into action an absolute, undeviating, unending force, and in addition, stir up an invisible substance all about us—which substance is quickened with our thought—we begin to
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comprehend the far-reaching effect of mind action.
If your mind is fearful and doubtful, it makes a fearful, doubtful condition in the Universal Substance and you do not get the results of your prayer for Divine Security because you have not complied with the law.
The law is that like attracts like.	Di-
vine Mind has unswerving faith in its power, and whoever invokes it must neither doubt nor waver. Jesus said to the sinking Peter, "0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
If you could imagine this universe filled with an invisible Substance that could be molded like the potter molds his clay, and that your mind was taking of it and making all kinds of figures with every thought, you would have a limited representation of that which really exists. Then, if we throw ourselves through our thoughts into this Universal Mind and have faith in it, really believe in it, we cannot help but succeed in
SAFETY	87
demonstrating according to the thought we send out. If it be for protection and safety, we will be protected, we will be saved. There are no two ways about it ; the Law is unfailing in its protection.
God is the everywhere-present Mind, and that Mind is all power; then the more I can strengthen my belief in it, or my faith in it, the better results I will have. Also when I resist any opposing thought, which is fear of cares, of accident, of impending danger, or disaster, the more pronounced will be the consciousness of the Everlasting Safety.
We say we rest upon the Everlasting Arms. What does that mean? It is a symbolical representation of the absolute trust of the little child. When the little child rests in the mother's arms, it is folded round. The mind of man reaches out for that same enfolding, and we have again and again heard people say that through a certain inner realization of God's omnipresence, they felt in themselves that folding round, and
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they knew that they were resting in the Everlasting Arms. They were so sure of God's protection that every fear disappeared, and like a little child they rested in the Supreme Security.
This inner security will come to anyone who practices the right understanding of the Principle—God Mind—and continually applies it through his thought. Infinite Mind is everywhere, but it is nothing to us unless we have a consciousness of it. Man is the All-Possibility, but he must work this into consciousness to be sure of it. If I am to be protected by the Infinite Mind I must cultivate that Mind. I must get into my mind the truth about it, and then there must be that laying hold, that resting, that leaning hard on the Infinite Omnipresent Protection, and doing away with everything that disturbs the peace and the harmony of that trust.
It is observed that those who succeed in demonstrating the quietness and harmony and
SAFETY	89
safety of God are the ones who avoid opposition and all fighting thoughts. "Make friends with thine adversary quickly."
There is no doubt that the Divine Mind flows constantly along lines of perfect security. I do not believe that God ever breaks himself up or meets with accidents of any kind, or knows anything of or thinks for a moment about disaster. If that be true of the One Mind, and that Mind is omnipresent, why can't we get into it? Why can't we let it into our minds, and not only have the consciousness of perfect safety, but be safe also? To have consciousness is one thing, and to express that consciousness is another. Some people perceive that things may be so and so, but they say it can't be carried out because there are so many resisting conditions, the environment is in opposition. But you can be saved from the environment, you can overcome the opposing conditions through a higher power, even Divine Power.
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Whoever cultivates the Omnipresent Mind knows that it is not only a Power, but an informing Intelligence. You can get results in both ways. You can apply it in power or intelligence. It makes the strongest man or woman to apply it in the overcoming of conditions, and yet that might be carried too far. I knew an example of this. A lady wanted to make a certain train, and she had been instructed in this overcoming power of mind. She was told that everything was obedient to her true thought and that she could have whatever she wanted by applying the law. She knew she was late, but she said she just kept treating that that train should wait for her—her affirmation being, "That train can't go off and leave me; that train has got to stay until I get there." And, sure enough, although she was fifteen minutes late, the train was waiting when she reached the depot. In telling of this she said, "Isn't that a demonstration?" Now, it is a question, whether it was or not. Grant-
SAFETY	9I
ing that her treatment held the train, probably fifty people awaited her convenience, and it occurred to me as I heard her tell of the "demonstration" that it would have been better had she treated herself for promptness, instead of delaying a lot of people who were on time.
But among these modern metaphysicians the law is often used in just that way. They consider themselves the center of the universe and that everybody and everything must bow to their will and convenience, whatever it may be. That, certainly is not the right understanding of the law, nor the right use of
it.	It is possible for us to thus dominate, and
we might, if we were strong enough, hold the sun in the heavens while we whipped our enemies, as did the allegorical Joshua.
If you find yourself opposing anybody or anything there is always more or less fear and the thought that you are going to run up against something, then in your mind you are in combat. The story goes that two
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men who were enemies met in a path and stopped and glared at each other. One of them said, "I don't step aside for a donkey," and the other, stepping aside, said,
do," and walked quickly by his enemy. That was meeting an opposing thought adroitly. A still better way would be to make friends with the opposition.
Take the attitude that there are no clashing thoughts in your world, no opposing thoughts, no resisting thoughts, and no failure thoughts. Drop all these, wipe them off your mind, cleanse your atmosphere; do not allow for a minute that there can be in anything that you are doing even the possibility of defeat. Hold steadily that you are one with the Infinite, safe Mind. "I will fear no evil; for thou art with me. Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me." You can see the thought you get of peace and safety by repeating that 23d Psalm. You may not understand the Oriental symbology, but you get the feeling. If you could add to that
SAFETY	93
feeling a definite understanding of Mind and its laws your security would be complete. Jesus Christ knew that this Father Mind was with him so powerfully that he said when Lazarus came forth, "I thank thee, Father that thou hast heard me, and I !'now that thou hearest me always." That same Power is with us every one, and that Divine Safety is doing away with accidents and disaster and failures, if we are positive enough and strong encugh in affirming our faith in the invisible guidance.
A traveling man, who has great faith in the Divine Guide, relates this experience: He was sitting reading, when it came into his mind that just ahead was a bridge that had been washed out. He hunted up the conductor and told him what had been revealed to him. The conductor was incredulous; there had been no storm, and he saw no reason whatever for such a disaster. But the man begged so hard that he have the train slow down at the bridge that they did
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so, and when they came to it they found a cloudburst had washed a span away. It was night and the train was saved from a great wreck by the warning.
Cultivate the thought of God as your safety and you will surely be taken care of. Affirm that you are taken care of ; that your friends are taken care of. The more you send out this peaceful, sustaining thought the more it works upon the omnipresent Substance of Divine Mind. You can clothe yourself about with this omnipresent Substance until you are cushioned on all sides.
We often have testimonials by ladies who have overcome burns through holding that there is no power in fire to burn Spirit. A vital force, a vibratory energy is sent from the center in the mind right out through the nerves, and the fire is put out. The pain of a burn is simply a continuation of the fire in the flesh. If you can bring to bear a stronger force it will put out the fire. You can heal yourself of all accidents, all dis-
SAFETY	95
abilities, by using this wonderful law of the Mind and realizing that you do live, move and have your being in the Infinite Life, Substance and Intelligence of God, the Father and Source of all that is.
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CONTENTS
The Overcoming Power of Divine Fear-
lessness 	 3
A Psalm of Deliverance		17
Temperance 		24
Man's Power to Forgive Sin		31
The Seeing Mind		38
The Healing of Personal Will		47
The Power of Silent Prayer		59
Let There Be Light		64
The Man of Authority		72
Safety 		85
CHARLES FILLMORE'S WRITINGS
Christian Healing, Revised Edition
A book of 266 pages, 51/2x71/2 inches in size, containing twelve lessons on the subject of Christian Healing and Spiritual Development, with a set of statements to be used in connection with each lesson. In addition to the twelve regular lessons there are thirteen chapters on subjects of interest to Truth students, including a chapter on "How Healing Is Done," with sample treatments for special cases.
In green paper cover, 75 cents, postpaid. In green cloth, stamped in gold with gold top, $1.50, postpaid.
Temple Talks No. 2
A booklet of 96 pages, 4x6 inches in size, containing thirteen selected addresses by Mr. Fillmore. In artistic paper cover, price 25 cents a copy, postpaid.
Temple Talks No. 3
Ninety-six pages, containing nine of Mr. Fillmore's selected addresses. In artistic paper cover, 25 cents a copy, postpaid.
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Address orders to
UNITY TRACT SOCIETY,
913 Tracy Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
	 RIES NUMBER TWO
TEMPLE TALKS
BY
CHARLES FILLMORE
Series Number Two
Being Extracts from Addresses Delivered
before the
Unity Society of Practical Christianity,
Kansas City, Mo.
1912
PUBLISHED BY
UNITY TRACT SOCIETY,
Unity Bldg.. 913 Tracy Ave.,
Kansas City, Mo.
THE RESURRECTING POWER
E study this morning the incident in
the Scriptures of the raising of
the Shunamite's son by Elisha.
It is related that a certain woman called the Shunamite had a son who died suddenly. She was a friend of Elisha the prophet, and her first thought in her need was to go for the man of God to come and restore her son to life. Elisha was on Mount Carmel, sixteen miles away. When Elisha saw her coming he sent his servant Gehazi to meet her and ask of her, "Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with thy child?" And she answered, "It is well." In the original Hebrew this reads, "Is it peace with thee? is it peace with thy husband? is it peace with thy child?" Her answer was, "It is peace."
This answer of the woman in the face of the most adverse conditions is what we call
4	TEMPLE TALKS
scientific. Not all of us at such a time would say, "It is well," but if we are in the understanding of the Truth and of the powers of the mind we can see that this answer is metaphysically correct. It cuts off all the error side of the proposition and makes possible the demonstration that "it is well." Here is a lesson for us. When we can say under all conditions, "It is well," we start the Divine Law into operation.
When Elisha heard the Shunamite's request that he come and raise her son to life, he gave his staff to Gehazi and told him to go and lay it upon the face of the child; but the treatment did not work. Here again we have a lesson. A staff is something one leans upon. A staff represents a negative phase of consciousness. Gehazi means "one who denies." The meaning of Elisha is the same as Jesus—"Jehovah, I Am, Savior." In the consciousness of every individual are these two—the denier and the saver. We call them Denial and Affirmation. One is
THE RESURRECTING POWER	5
Satan, the denier, the adversary ; the other is the definite, positive, spiritual I Am. We find in our healing system that a certain consciousness of Truth is necessary before we can demonstrate. The servant, Gehazi, is the word of the nothingness of error, sent forth as a denial of seeming conditions. He carries the staff, representing dependence, weakness, negation. A staff is a good thing for those who need it and do not know any better way, but it always weakens one to depend upon it. "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." It may comfort, but it cannot save. This woman came to Elisha not merely for comfort, but for the saving power of God. Be careful what kind of comfort you give to those in trouble. Too often it is on the negative side. What we want in sor-sow is not a little comfort, but the knowledge of how to get above and free from, wrong thoughts.
The resurrecting power in us comes through Elisha, Jesus Christ, I Am. "I Am
6	TEMPLE TALKS
the resurrection and the life." Make definite I Am statements of life and power. Jesus Christ dealt almost always in affirmations of I Am power. He demonstrated the power of I Am to save. This is why he is called the Savior. Through the demonstration of life in Christ Jesus, the soul and body are quickened and lifted up into fullness of living.
When Elisha came to the house of the Shunamite woman, he went to the upper chamber, where the child was, "and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm." Then Elisha walked about the room and again stretched himself upon the child. "And the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes." The restoration was complete.
This child, this inactive one, is within all who are not truly regenerated. All who complain of ills of various kinds have the
THE RESURRECTING POWER	7
negative consciousness of the Shunamite's son, which must be made alive by the I Am of God.
It is very important that we make the body wholly alive. One who loses his body is like a man who has lost his clothes. If you want to be "clothed upon," do not be led off with the idea that it is only necessary to save the soul. Get hold of this subjective child in you. Lay your eyes upon its eyes and open its perception. Touch the lips of flesh with your spiritual lips. See God in your flesh, as did Job. Then you must lay the whole spiritual man upon this body and make it alive. Take hold of it with your I Am power in the consciousness of the Life Omnipresent, and raise it up.
Read the promises, "I am the resurrection and the life : he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Do you believe this? Remember that anything that was ever done can be
8	TEMPLE TALKS
done again. What the Law produces once it will produce again.
I once heard of a man who advertised for room and board in exchange for his good Christian example. This Shunamite woman knew the value of a man of God, and she built a room for Elisha on the top of her house. This illustrates that a room should always be prepared in consciousness ready for the spiritual I Am, Christ. This heavenly guest should always find place, and his presence will prove the best friend we have in times of great need. This means more than leading an exemplary Christian life. It means that you shall have power and do the works that Jesus Christ did. If this raising of the Shunamite woman's son were mere history, it would pass away and do no real work in us; but if we get the understanding of the lesson it becomes alive in us, and goes on and on in consciousness. The body can be made conscious with living words like these:
THE RESURRECTING POWER	9
"I am the resuryection and the life. I am alive in Christ. I live in the One Life. I live, move and have my being in God." These true statements will awaken one to the consciousness of the indwelling life, and the demonstration will follow: the son (body) of the woman (soul) will be made alive in Christ.
THE RESURRECTION
Unless we look more deeply into the life of Jesus than the mere historical account] we shall miss the lesson, for it is all representative of that great universal fact, the history of a soul,; There is but one Soul, and that is the Christ Universal. Jesus Christ was passing through a change in consciousness when the crucifixion came. He said, "Follow me." If we would be relieved of the burdens of sin, sickness and death we must take all the steps he took. This is the lesson. He went all the way to the complete demonstration, and he is a safe guide. We should inquire into the meaning of every experience he had. The universal Principle, the Over-soul of this planet, was working its way into expression through this man. The same work is to be accomplished in all men.
THE RESURRECTION	11
We are indissolubly linked with Jesus, and, by the same obedience he gave to the Father, we shall arrive at spiritual dominion.
The important point in this lesson is I Am mastery. The crucifixion means the crossing out in consciousness of certain errors that have become fixed states of mind. There comes a time in the life of every man when the old pleasures grow pale and insipid and he begins to long for something better. Many people, when they reach this place, think they must die and go to heaven to find happiness, so they begin to look forward to a future place. This is not the teaching of Jesus Christ. We must begin to live here and now. You must face this question sooner or later. Instead of retiring from life or going away somewhere, you will find your satisfaction by entering into a deeper consciousness. You may seem to let go of the world and in a measure to retire, but you are really living a deeper, fuller, larger life than when you seemed more active in a worldly
12	TEMPLE TALKS
way. When you are through with the world's way, it all seems as child's play, and you see that the real object of life is to attain spiritual life.
By divine right you have dominion, and
it is only attained through mind.	It is an
inner consciousness. The great Universal Spirit shows us step by step how to enter into dominion and the overcomer's joy. We do this through dealing with states of mind, constantly holding to the highest aspirations of the soul, and eliminating by denial all that opposes the high ideal. In order to reach the goal, we must day by day let go of the old and take hold of the new. This is the crossing out of error, replacing it with Truth. It is often a crucifixion.
Every time you take a definite stand for the attainment of a certain thing you set up opposition in consciousness. That is, the old states of mind try to go on exercising dominion as they have been accustomed to doing, and they meet the new thoughts and
THE RESURRECTION	13
ideas which have become active in the mind. The result is a conflict, which ends only with the complete crossing out of the errors. These are the devils which are to be cast out. They are simply states of mind that are adverse to Truth. They are your own creations. By your word you have formed them and given them a certain degree of life and intelligence. If you speak to them in the understanding of your Christ dominion and authority you can cast them out. But you must speak the word. When you know that 1 Am is your real seat of power, you can be in absolute dominion over every thought.
This work is not child's play. The crucifixion has been called a tragedy, but it need not come all at once. We are passing through the crucifixion every day, and if we are faithful in all of the steps as they come we will hardly know when we take the final one, in such order will the transformation take place.
l4	TEMPLE TALKS
You have a spiritual center, and when you declare, "All power is given unto me in mind and in body," you bring all thoughts to the center. There you are linked with the Universal Consciousness. To declare that you are the "king of the Jews" may bring you a crown of thorns. I would not tell you that the way is always easy, but you will be the victor if you go forward. The natural man is intrenched in the intellect, and there is where the crucifixion takes place. The name Golgotha, meaning skull, is significant in this connection. Everything takes place in mind, and all the crucifixions are in the intellect.
Jesus uttered but few words on the cross. He was working within. The best overcom-ers are those who are quiet and silent outwardly in the midst of the crucifixion, but active in the inner consciousness.
Never criticise another when he is being crucified. The same man of the flesh is in every one to be overcome, and if you have
THE RESURRECTION	15
not yet arrived at the hour of his crucifixion, you will arrive.
Some one has said that the greatest issue before the people is how to attain health. This issue involves a consideration of eternal life, therefore the lesson we have this morning has a direct bearing upon health.
Instead of "The Resurrection," the original meaning of this lesson is "The Risen Life." It does not refer especially to the man Jesus, but to the raising of all life to the Divine consciousness. This is an important subject to the race and to every individual. It has been a matter for thought by men in all times, and is the foundation of the Christian faith. "If Christ be not raised,
your faith is vain."	If the resurrection of
this one man did not take place, then we have but little hope. The demonstration was necessary to the race.
This matter of the resurrection of Jesus, and the possible overcoming of death by all men, has been warped and misunderstood by
16	TEMPLE TALKS
religious teachers until but a vestige of the original truth is taught. Christian literature is dark with the death of Jesus and his going to a far-away heaven, right in the face of his declaration, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." The fact clearly brought out in the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is that man has power to overcome death, and that Jesus' experience was a demonstration and example for all. Jesus did not give up his body and leave it to the worms, but he put new life into it after the old had been crossed out. So Jesus did not die, and should never be referred to in the same category with those who fall asleep in the Adam- dream.
The body is self-perpetuating, self-renewing ; and this alone should give a hint of the importance of a right understanding of man's organism, and the power over it attained by Jesus. Through false reasoning all kinds of wrong conclusions have been reached and taught for truth. One of these errors is that
THE RESURRECTION	17
death is a part of the great original plan. Scripture has been quoted again and again to sustain this idea, but it should be remembered that "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" is said of the mortal man, who dies because he falls short of obedience to the Divine Law. There is another man, the true man, the Christ of God, who never fails to measure up to the Divine standard, and eternal life is his reward. So we should put away all theories about dying, and study life as it is in Spirit and as it is manifest in spiritual man. Then we shall arrive at the right understanding.
Again and again cases are cited of those who went into a comatose condition and have afterwards returned to consciousness; and some people have claimed that there is no difference between such an occurrence and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But this is not true. His resurrection was far more than these temporary awakenings. He resurrected his body through a law which
I8	TEMPLE TALKS
is set forth in the Scriptures under many symbols.
Certain discords produce certain effects. Anger, jealousy, fear, lust, etc., are the causes of the ills of the body. The sum total of these error thoughts is called in Scripture "carnal mind." This is an adverse state of consciousness, and it is this that causes the death of the body.
Then the first step in the resurrection is to do away with "carnal mind." This crossing out or crucifixion of error takes place daily in those who are following Jesus. Paul said, "I die daily." Unless the second step, the resurrection, also follows daily, the demonstration of life cannot be made.
So we find as we analyze the situation, that the body is not responsible for all the errors manifest in it, nor for its material appearance. The mortal ego makes pictures that are untrue, and builds them by thought into the muscles and blood and bones.
The difference between the resurrection
THE RESURRECTION	19
of Jesus Christ and all temporary resurrections is that he did away with error and wiped it completely out of his consciousness, and brought his mind and body into their spiritual perfection. He took on himself the `likeness of sinful flesh," that he might do this great overcoming work for the race and show all men how they might overcome death through taking the same mental steps that he took.
The body he raised was the same body that was crucified. This is beyond question. He not only appeared to his disciples, but showed them the marks of the nails in his hands and of the spear in his side. The crucifixion on Calvary was the final step in a work which had been going on in him for thirty-three years, and when he arose he was entirely free from the carnal mind with all its limitations. He had overcome, put entirely out of consciousness, all that carnal mind which he had taken on that he might free the race from its bondage. His body
20	TEMPLE TALKS
was no longer subject to the disintegrating effects of that mind ; and this was the difference between his resurrection and that of other men. He raised Lazarus and many others ; but they had not overcome the carnal mind, and the same old errors again produced the same results. The body is destroyed by sin and ignorance, and made alive in Christ through understanding and righteousness.
Jesus Christ was an overcomer, and all of his experiences tend to this one thing. The greatest work man can do is to follow him in this overcoming life. "To him that over-cometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." A throne is a seat of dominion. Jesus Christ's throne is within every man who will follow him all the way to the overcoming of death.
THE RESURRECTED BODY
There are three theories as to when we receive our resurrected bodies: ‘` (1) That we receive them immediately after death, while at the end of the world there is a great gathering and review of all the dead; (2) that after death the souls of Christians are conscious and happy, but do not receive their resurrection bodies till the end of the world; (3) that souls are unconscious between death and the judgment—but there is slight warrant in Scripture for this belief."
It is admitted that these are all theories—guesses by men, backed up by Scripture passages that seem to corroborate them. But which theory is correct? Just as many and strong passages of Scripture may be quoted in favor of one as another. There should be no misunderstanding upon this important point, because, as Paul says, if there be no resurrection from the dead our faith is vain.
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What Christianity needs is a practical understanding of a few facts, and an expurgation of a whole lot of theories. In this matter of the resurrection of the body we are told at the very outset, "Christ is the first fruits of them that slept." If he was the first fruits, why should the other fruit be any different from him? He said, "Follow me." He did not wait for the end of the world nor a great day of judgment in which to resurrect the body. When he had overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, he was, through the law of thought-purification ready for the change, and it came to him. So it will be with each one of us—when we have cast all sin out of our minds, our bodies will be so pure that they cannot come under any law of death or corruption.
It should be a simple proposition that will prove itself, this resurrection of the body. If by sin we cause the body to die, which is definitely stated in Scripture, then by casting out sin we should cause it to live. If it still
THE RESURRECTED BODY	23
continues to die after we have believed that we have been very good, then we should search ourselves still further for other more subtle sins, because there is no other source of death. Those who are putting this law to the test do find that their bodies are being resurrected from decay as they overcome the sins of the inhabiting mind. Thousands whom the doctors have said must give up their bodies to corruption right away, have found this law of casting out sin and through it have stopped the disintegrating process. If this can be done in a single instance, where is the limit of the law? And if this disintegration of the body is stopped through purification of the mind, does it not prove that there is such a law universal, and that it was the full compliance with this law that caused Jesus Christ's body to be resurrected?
It should then be an easy matter to figure out when the resurrection will take place and the kind of bodies we shall have. Flesh and blood—that is, the ordinary perishable flesh
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and blood—cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; neither does corruption inherit incorrup-tion. It is a sin to hold in thought that there is such a thing in reality as a perishable body of flesh. To establish this kingdom of God within us we must purify our minds to the point that we shall not even imagine such a condition in God's pure substance as corruption. Through this repeated and constant affirmation in mind of the one and only pure substance of God everywhere present, we change the life currents in the organism until the corruptible puts on incorruption. This is done day by day, thought by thought, and we have the palpable evidence going on right under our eyes of that same bodily resurrection that is finally summed up in a great bodily change—the sound of the "last trump," such as Jesus passed through.
But this point, where the Christ life becomes so strong in the consciousness that it transforms the whole organism and sets it free from all tendency to corruptiblity, has
THE RESURRECTED BODY	25
not yet been attained by any save Jesus. However, thousands are on the way, and have the evidence in their own flesh of a higher life that is setting it free, cell by cell, from the mortal law of death.
All we have to do is to keep right on overcoming the sins and false ideas in the mind, knowing that we are thereby resurrecting the body. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord."
LET CHRIST BE FORMED IN YOU
There is a principle in man which, if called into expression, will make him far, far above the average. The Scriptures teach very positively that this principle can be developed or formed in man. "Christ in you the hope of glory." If this principle can be called into expression in us, our most devout prayer should be for that consummation, to the end that we may realize our ideals. Then let us begin right--new the .,/,\development of the Christ principle. Let the Christ in you arrive. Let this Supreme One take the mastery. "Christ in me my hope of glory," is a good affirmation for one who desires to enter into the Christ consciousness. "Christ is risen in me," is another good statement. Many of us are holding Christ in the tomb of material limitations. He is not yet risen, because light has not yet broken into our understanding. We have not understood the mighty truth that Christ is the
CHRIST FORMED IN YOU	27
Divine Man Principle in us all. "Christ, the only begotten Son, is risen in me." Take that into deep spiritual understanding and it will quicken the Christ Man, and you will have power that you never had before.
* * * *
There are none of us but have asked these questions: "What is the meaning of life? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?" Those who have not had answers to these questions are unhappy. A certain discontent fills the mind when it is ignorant of the object and aim of existence. Nearly everybody has times of darkness, but those who have once received the Christ light are never without a certain assurance of guidance and safety, no matter what comes. Get but a glimpse of Divine life and all your way will be brighter. This present life consciousness is to be crowned with one of far greater capacity. As a race we are now in the kindergarten of life, and we must strive for the higher grades.
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Did you ever think what the crown of life is? We all have life, but what is the crown of life? What are we living for? Is it for the attainment of some earthly ambition? Do not set your ideal on a crown of temporal things. You will never get the real crown if you do. Those who are crowned with life, live eternally in the presence of God. This does not mean that we are to attain this crown in some other realm after we are dead, but here and now. Life is a science; it is the science of living under law.
We are told that those who strive for the mastery are temperate in all things. Then temperance must be a part of this life science that we are living. You must be temperate if you run this race of life successfully, because life is a very precious thing. Those who- ran in the Greek races had to be temperate in all things. They found that if they dissipated their life energy in sensuous pleasures they were weakened.
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Life in the body must be conserved and purified. As a race we are beginning to get glimpses of this law of the conservation of life. But it is usually taught from the material standpoint. In our schools, religion is divorced from psychology. Because the orthodox religious teachers have not taught a religious science, their doctrines are excluded from the fields of exact thought.
The attainment of the crown of eternal life depends upon the understanding of the science of right thinking. This is taught in Christianity, and, rightly understood, will form the only true science of living. Jesus attained the crown of life, and his teaching should be inquired into in its scientific aspect by all who aspire to permanent, enduring, eternal life.
The baptism, the death and the resurrection of Jesus are steps in the attainment of the crown of life. There is a spiritual baptism, and that leads to an effacement, a doing away with the earthly appetites and passions.
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That is real temperance. If we are striving for the mastery in this race for life, we should be giving heed to these things. If you are really giving attention to the higher teaching, if you are one of the students of the Lord God Almighty, you will begin to search yourself within. The resurrection is brought about by an inner concentration of the mind. First is the realization that there is an omnipresent principle of life; that there is a principle which will regenerate or transmute this coarser consciousness of life into a finer life. We are told by men of science that there is but one universal principle, and out of it comes all that we see in the visible world. That is true, and as you get hold of that inner consciousness you will find that there is a forming power in your mind. You have the power through your Higher Self to direct this formative principle to any part of your body, and as you direct it, transformations will go on wherever your attention is centered. Thus the consciousness of life it-
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self is increased until the field of life merges into the Great Universal Life, and this is "life eternal."
We are told that Jesus, on that wonderful Easter morning, stepped out of the tomb in his natural body. Here was a resurrection of the physical man. By using this law of right thought and right living. Jesus attained the crown of life, and we are commanded to follow him.
"IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT
QUICKENETH"
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." This is the testimony of one who lived in spiritual consciousness, who was inspired of God; and it must be, if his inspiration was received here in this earth, that it applies to us also. Starting with that understanding and seeking to find what Spirit is, and the power to apply it to everyday life, we will surely be inspired of the same Spirit ourselves. It seems strange that men should have lived millions of years on this planet and not be more familiar with the workings of Spirit. Men have not understood the true character of Spirit. They have thought that Spirit was related only to those vague, indefinite things that come with religion ; that man could not know very much about Spirit unless he was religious ; that he had to have unusual experiences of some kind to have an
THE SPIRIT QUICKENETH	33
understanding of Spirit, even to have an inkling of it. It was not thought possible to bring high spiritual states of mind into everyday business affairs.
But Jesus said, "It is the Spirit that quick-eneth." Jesus was a practical man, and he claimed to do all his work in the power of the Spirit. If he could use this power to heal people, and give superior wisdom in such simple things as preparing food, why should we not use Spirit in like ways? Should we not look up this matter and find out what he meant when he said, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing" ? Man today thinks that he can get profit out of material things. He is looking for things new; but can he get new things through material effort? No. The only new thing is Spirit. When you get into the Spirit you will begin to see things new, and new conditions will come into expression in your life; but nothing new comes from material methods. The same old round goes on
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year after year. All of these wonderful discoveries which come from the material are of the material. There is no profit in them. We think we are getting new knowledge from the study of books, but I assure you that if you look into history you will find that literature is threshing the same old straw. Plato anticipated all literature and philosophy.
We must follow the example of Jesus Christ. He said, "It is the Spirit that quick-eneth." Before him, Elihu, in the book of Job, said, "There is a Spirit in man, and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." This spiritual power is not so very far away. We do not have to search for it in foreign lands. It is very near to us, even in our mouth. It is a quality in the Word of Mind. We have found that the secret of Spirit is in. thought. That is the revealment of Spirit to man, for man is thought. When you think absolute Truth you are in touch with Spirit, and your thought
THE SPIRIT QUICKENETH	35
will surely yield some increase. You will get an increase in those things which you think about, whatever they may be. We have found that whenever we think on the positive side, we are thinking spiritually. If we think about the all-power and all-presence of life we are thinking spiritually, and this great essence of Spirit expresses itself in and through us, and we get a constant up-building along the life line. What you are seeking is the increase of health, and that is the only increase that you get that has any real benefit in it; and that comes through thinking about health, through thinking about God as your health. If you think about God as your intelligence, there is an increase of intelligence, because Spirit intelligence has an opportunity to precipitate through your mind.
The only real satisfaction in life comes from Spirit increase. If you start today thinking about Spirit, speaking about Spirit, believing in Spirit, you will manifest spiritual attributes. If you ask of the Lord to put
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you in touch with Spirit, to give you inspiration, you will have it. Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you. . . . That where I am, there ye may be also." He did not say after you were dead, but now. This "place" is a spiritual consciousness. But you must believe in it. You must, in other words, have this consciousness of the Spirit, the reality of the Spirit, and the truth of Spirit; and if you begin along that line and have your hours of silence, spiritual increase will be manifest in spiritual abundance. You will have more understanding in one moment of communion with the Spirit than you have got-/ ten in all your previous reading. Let every \one make it part of his daily thought and meditate upon spiritual things. It is practical. It is part of your nature. You are a divine trinity. Spirit is the highest principle in you ; soul next, and then body. But the Spirit is the source of all. You could not live a moment without Spirit. The life issues of your body are Spirit. As you join your conscious
THE SPIRIT QUICKENETH	37
mind with this wonderful subconscious, you renew your strength through Spirit. Unless we enter into that spiritual life, we have no enduring life. We will thus make our lives eternal by entering into the Spirit. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth ; the flesh profiteth nothing."
INTELLIGENCE AND SUBSTANCE
The intellect does not readily comprehend that within and without us, is a Universal Principle, pulsating with all the attributes which we conceive as only possible to personality. Yet we live, move and have our being in a sea of substance which is Intelligence itself, and has wisdom far beyond any we can imagine any personality to possess. Even on the lowest plane of materiality inventions are bringing about a condition of things which in a crude way hint at a Universal Mind. With the aid of the telephone one may communicate with thousands of different minds at the same time, and yet be miles away from them. Carry this on to the plane of Spirit, and we have a symbol of the Mind that speaks in the silence to all who listen. Poets and mystics have always claimed that trees, flowers, earth, air and water have a language that
INTELLIGENCE AND SUBSTANCE 39
can be understood by sympathetic minds. When Shakespeare said, "Look how the floor of heaven is thick inlaid with patines of bright gold ; there's not the smallest orb which thou behold'st, but in his motion like an angel sings," he was not indulging in the vagaries of his imagination, as has been the opinion of a practical world, but he gave voice to a truth which the ordinary mind does not sense. But cold science is today encroaching upon this domain of hidden beauty, as exemplified in recent experiments which show that light produces sound. The experimenter caused a beam of sunlight to pass through a prism so as to show the solar spectrum, or rainbow, and then by turning the disk and throwing the rays onto a preparation of silk, lampblack, etc., different tones were produced. Now who can say that sunlight does not have a language of its own, and that man, an epitome of all things in the universe, may not by virtue of his kinship, come into such harmony with the Creative
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Mind as to catch the thought and musical accompaniment of the sunlight, as Wagner did of the storm?
'We are beginning to realize that back of all form is the idea which it stands for; that the soul of things is their only reality, and that when we can come en rapport with that soul through the mind, a new universe is opened to us. Man is the focus of the Universal Mind, and may be likened unto the lamp in the magic lantern. The Ego, or Divine Principle, is the manipulator, and can at will, throw any image it wishes on the canvas of phenomena. So you who are thinking thoughts of error are throwing like images into your own or your neighbor's atmosphere, that will eventually cast their pictures on the canvas of matter, of which your material bodies form a part. By the same law, if you persistently think thoughts _of truth, regardless of temporary material seeming, the picture will sooner or later appear just as you formulate it in your mind. The
INTELLIGENCE AND SUBSTANCE 41
persistent holding in the mind that the universal intelligent Principle, which we call God, is a potent power working through you for the good only, will as certainly bring about that result as that the sun will rise tomorrow. It will not be a special dispensation of God for your particular case, but the outworking of a universal, inexorable law. Be wise; put yourself into the hands of this law; get understanding, and the health, peace and happiness certain to follow.
The operations of thought are not understood in detail, but we know that specific forms are built up and vivified with a seeming of life through certain modes of thinking. Every thought molds from the etheric essence a form symbol, which symbol has a certain degree of temporary life, and by virtue of that life impresses itself upon the body and shows forth in disease or health. Hence, thoughts have their hidden laws, with which those experienced have become familiar, and it is safe to follow their directions until you
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arrive at a stage of unfoldment where you know for yourself. It is evident that the condition of error in which humanity finds itself at the present period is the result of ages and ages of wrong thinking; and as "thoughts are things," before we can get a flood of new concepts we must clear away the old. It has been found that this can be done most effectively by the disintegrating power of denial. The great errors of the race have become universal beliefs, have formulated laws, and are regarded by the mass of the human family as the immortal creations of the Supreme Ruler. Deny these false claims and you will dissolve the brain cells that give them house-room.
THE END OF THE WORLD
The promise is, "Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth." Again we read, "Old things are passed away ; behold, all things are become new." In interpreting this Scripture, man has sought to verify these statements from a material rather than a spiritual concept of things, and has looked upon these words as a prophecy of some catastrophe which shall overtake this material world and visit destruction upon it. Some people have even gone so far as to figure out a certain date upon which the expected end of the world shall come. All this is because man has accepted the material viewpoint as the real, rather than the spiritual, and the effect has been the material states of consciousness which rule the race. But the many "end of the world" appointed times have not come to pass, and we must look for another interpretation of this misunderstood Scripture.
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The fact is, this world is., coming to an end and passing away every day. We live in two worlds—the mental and the material, the latter--the expression or manifestation of the former. If we look back even a few years we see that many changes have taken place: old customs, conditions, and things have passed away, passed out of use, and are now replaced by new.
But what are years? They cannot be counted as men count time; years represent :degrees of progress. New conceptions take form in consciousness, and change of methods replace old in the world of activities, according to the progressive ideals of the people. Time is not a factor. The desert places are made new and fruitful, and new species of plants are formed by aggressive men. Shall we have a new man? Yes, a new man, and a new earth upon which he will live; a new and higher form of man, and a new and better world brought into being through his progressive thought and act.
END OF THE WORLD	45
In the story of creation God said, "Let there be light, and there was light," "Let the dry land appear;" and the waters separated, and land did appear. If things were thus created by the power of the word, the spoken Word of God, new things may be created through this "Word" of God, Christman, which became flesh and dwelt among us.
This spoken Word of God is God speaking through substance, and this "Word" must be non, in action, now going on, now bringing forth the world. How? Through the powerful Word of God. If this Word is powerful in the physical and animal world, why not more powerful and in a greater degree in the spiritual world?
There are times when our words are strong because we are conscious of our power. Again, when we feel a lack of spiritual poise and power, our words are weak. Our words are founded upon mind, and the state of consciousness governs the power of the "word."
In the first chapter of John we read that
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"All things were made by the Word," and we are told that the creative power is the Word of God. The mind holds this "Word," and this "Word" enters into everything God makes.
Omnipotent, Omniscient Mind is moving the world from center to circumference. Man is both center and circumference, according to his appreciation of himself. If you are living on the circumference you are not conscious of the center, and you know nothing about the power of the creative mind within. Then take words, and return to the Lord.
Man has gone into the external of his being and lost his connection with his Good. He thinks himself an alien, a being apart from God. The remedy is, "Take with you words, and return unto the Lord." Prove the power of words. We have felt sin, but have not known how to come in touch with creative principles to do away with it.
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Choose certain words and use them, repeat them. It may seem at first like parrot repetition, but they will open the way. Why are we given the words in Scripture? That we may commit them and use them, and open the way for the Spirit.
Words express ideas, and ideas are what we are searching for. When the idea is formed we clothe it in language. Descriptions vary ; no two people see things just alike, no one language is understood by all, but the Spirit translates the idea to the understanding of each soul. Language is limitation of ideas. A certain cynical philosopher once said that language was invented by man to conceal ideas. In the ideal—realm- God creates; in the ideal—realm, man should be established. In .the ideal realm is the kingdom of heaven, and when this realm of ideas is fully realized by man, he will have a universal means of communication.
Ideas are expressed through substance. Thus in what we call "matter," one may
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realize the heavenly state and live in the bliss of the One Mind manifest. The new heaven and new earth may be realized through the true Word, and in this way the earth is to be rolled up as a scroll and pass away, because man is through with its material limitations. A new heaven and a new earth are necessary to meet the needs of the new man.
There is a subtle personality which may creep into one's use of the Word in selfish ways. This is the "adversary," the "Satan" of the Scripture. John Bunyan recognized this weakness in himself, which he called "spiritual pride." After preaching an eloquent sermon he was congratulated by one of his hearers upon the beautiful presentation of his subject, and he replied, "Yes, the devil told me that before I left the pulpit."
To get into the spiritual kingdom we must not allow human pride to stand in the way. We must deny personality. The personal man crucifies the Christ and keeps the Word
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from expressing itself. Watch personality, and say to it, in the words of Jesus Christ, "Get thee behind me, Satan."
Man can live only by the spoken Word of God. "My words are Spirit, and they are life." In every department of his being man is creating according to his word. The only creative law is the law of thought and word. Words spring forth into fruit; the "fruit of our lips" is good or evil. We are creating now ; every word produces results. Watch, and do not build the old material world, which is passing away, but through the power of your true Word create that higher, better world, which cannot pass away, because it is founded on principles of equity and justice.
Another point—we must cultivate patience ; we must not seek to build too fast. Our new world is founded upon the universal consciousness of good for all, and each one must arrive at it in his own way. We must not interfere with another's method of un-
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foldment. Every one under his own vine and fig-tree must work out his own salvation.
This is the fault with most reforms and reformers. They have their own idea of how the work must be done, and it may not be God's idea—not broad enough nor universal enough—and so it cannot endure. It passes away because it is not founded on Principle. Thomas Jefferson and the originators of our Constitution had the right idea. "Liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is to be given each individual through his privilege and freedom in the use of the Word.
We must be careful in our choice of words, for we may come into the very presence of the Father, or close the door upon him, through the character of our word. Watch 84 for the angry word, the word of condemnation, the impatient word; these are the little foxes which destroy the vines.
say unto you and I say unto all, Watch." Take words with you and return unto the Lord. If you want the fullness of Spirit,
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take a meek and lowly attitude, which is willing to know but one Will, and you shall return with the fullness of the Divine law active in you. Start with the resolve, "My word shall be with power and love." Say with Jesus Christ, "My words shall never pass away." Get into the way prepared by Jesus Christ, and you will find that the new heavens and the new earth are already established in our midst. Those who are desirous of getting into the "kingdom" are putting their words into new ways and right channels. They find the Spirit of the words and the Spirit in the words, and see here and now the "new heaven and the new earth."
ASCENDING AND DESCENDING CURRENTS OF LIFE
This subject includes a very broad consideration of both man and the universe. Our electricians tell us that everything, even the smallest cell in the visible world, is polarized. Each has its positive and negative poles, through which flows that invisible something called "electricity." All bodies are built up and sustain their form through this polarity. The earth is that kind of a magnet, and if for one moment the electrical flow stopped everything would disintegrate.
In soul also we find polarity. Man's mind is polarized. If the mind were not polarized there would be no ascending or descending currents of life. When the laws of mind are understood, men know how to control the currents in the body, and by mentally moving upon words, combined with the
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life forces in the organism, they gain that control which Jesus Christ demonstrated.
In this study the real instructor is within the man. You could tell me about conditions existing in nature, in other men, and in the cells and atoms of the universe, and I might understand intellectually and yet have no realization of the truth. This is the intellectual system taught in our schools, but it is not the method of instruction that will lead to understanding of the life forces in the universe and man. If we are part of the universe, and its energies are constantly flowing through and about us, we must lay hold of them with our conscious minds and souls, and be obedient to the law through which they are moved. The life in us must chord with the Universal Life. In order to bring this about we must enter into that state of consciousness in which the ascending and descending currents of life are felt by the individual and over which he has attained mastery.
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The life of Jesus Christ has more than a historical interest, and when he said, "I am from above, ye are from beneath," he must have referred to states of consciousness within himself. He was the type man developing within, and all his experiences were therefore symbolical of the changes that go on in all men while they are coming out of sense into spiritual consciousness.
We find in ourselves two states of mind, two currents of life—one apparently coming from below, the other from above. The positive is from above and is spiritual ; the negative is from below and is material. It is for us to choose which we will identify ourselves with. If the I Am identifies itself with the current from beneath, it attaches itself to the material world, and comes to know and feel in material sense. But if the higher Self is affirmed, spiritual identity is realized and the meaning understood of the statements of Jesus—"I am from above," "He who hath seen me hath seen the
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Father," "I am the Christ of God." By thus making definite and conscious union with the Father through Christ, man will know his spiritual relation to God and come into a new world. Jesus talked to the positive pole of his being, and it proved to be God. If we talk as he talked we will get the same results.
In this new-age discovery of the soul of man, we hear much about "vibrations." What shall we do with this subject? Every thrill we feel is evidence of vibratory forces. We live in a sea of vibratory energy, and we can poise ourselves in that sea where we will. All vibrations are polarized in affirmations. All vibrations are manifestations of I Am statements. The Word of the Spirit (and all things are primarily Spirit) sets up vibrations, and you can have any kind of effect in body and your mental field by polarizing yourself in positive or negative words. But if you give yourself up to the race currents from below, instead of pois-
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ing yourself in the Spirit above, you will be swept off your mental feet, and fall like a motorless aeroplane.
When Jesus said to the Jews, "Ye are from beneath, I am from above," he was talking to a people who considered themselves descendants of an elect race through human ancestry. They affirmed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be their fathers. They were in darkness, having no understanding of the spiritual fatherhood of man. They were thus engulfed in the current from beneath. No one will ever realize that he is from above until he affirms that he is Spirit and from above, and lays hold of spiritual power with the I Am.
The negative life currents from below will tell you how weak and how sinful you are, but the Spirit from above will make you feel your dominion and authority. When the I Am centers itself in Spirit, spiritual power is brought into consciousness and a new circulation of life force is set up in body.
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The blood moves with a strong, steady, equal flow through the arteries and veins, and a new whole man, perfectly poised and balanced, results. This is the new creature in Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus is the name of the Higher Man, spiritual man. That man is expressed through the person in I Am statements.
A new kingdom is being set up in the earth, and it must include all people. It begins in the individual consciousness and spreads from one to many, in unity and perfect obedience to Spirit. The affirmations of the natural man are centered in personality, and through ignorance he resists the Spirit. But true words, affirmed in the power of Spirit, will cleanse speedily all sins of ignorance and errors, and effects of sins, in the body. When with your affirmations of Truth you call down the currents from on high, you begin to feel a new life thrilling your mind and body. If there should be a temporary reaction, and the old sins seem to
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return with new power, do not give up to self-condemnation and regret and remorse, but take advantage of the law of complete repentance and forgiveness. You are saved through Christ Jesus, which means that you are saved through the real man demonstrated. Having once discerned that the Spirit has entered into you, lifted up and cleansed you, stick to it, and when the "accuser," the adverse state of mind, comes up and tells you that you are a sinner, rebuke him and say: "I am not a sinner. I never did sin ; I cannot sin. I am from above." You thus identify yourself with the spiritual man, who never sinned nor fell short in the least degree. Adam sinned, but he was not the spiritual man. Adam was self-consciousness, which had the breath of life breathed into him by the Lord God, spiritual I Am. If you affirm your identity with the pure, sinless, spiritual man, instead of with Adam, your sins are all cleansed, and they shall have no power over you. What does the
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forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ mean, if you are not to accept it as final and abide in it?
Machinists are very careful to keep all the bearings of their machinery well oiled that there may be no friction or wear of the parts. The body is a very fine piece of machinery, and its oil is love. If your joints creak, pour freely into your consciousness the oil of love. Love is from above. If you send a current of love through your body and environment your liver will work right, your stomach will be healed, and you will feel the thrill of life to your very finger tips. This is the redemption of the body. It is bringing consciousness of the kingdom into the soul and body. Thus the outer shall be as the inner, the below as the above, and the will of God be done in earth as in heaven.
THOUGHT HINTS
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." The majority of people think in the head and starve the heart, and the result is a lack of poise. The only true, well-balanced thinking is in union of the head and heart. We should practice thinking in our hearts, in the within ; this will establish equilibrium, and we shall find our souls. If we think wholly in the head, in the world without, we lose our souls ; and "what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul ?" The soul must be built up, and to accomplish this, soul-concentration must be practiced. Then let our daily prayer be that we may think in the heart. If we practice thinking in the heart we shall have better thinking in the head. At the heart we come in touch with the universal Soul of Being, and we feel and know God.
We find that our minds work along defi-
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nite lines in all successful thinking. The mind constructs temples, stone by stone, step by step. The power of man is in his mind, and the last step in constructive thinking is to realize the consummation of your idea. You start your thought with a certain idea, and carry it along in various steps until a conclusion is reached. That conclusion is the fruit of your thought, and this holding in mind the consummation is necessary to the completion of any line of thinking. If your thinking is without this definite conclusion, you go on and on and never arrive. God completed his creative process, and rested on the seventh day from all his work. Divine Mind is a type of the individual mind, and it is safe for us to follow it in all our thought processes.
Right here your attention is called to some of the side lines of thinking, showing how you may avoid discouragement if you do not see fulfillment at once of your ideal. For any seeming divergence there is probably a
62	TEMPLE TALKS
lack of concentration or of faith in the power of your own mind in unity with the Universal Mind. If you do not have confidence in all the steps of your mind, the consummation is disappointing. No matter what the seeming may be, you should declare completeness, because nothing is done without the Word. Say "It is finished," and rest in the consciousness of work done. Stick to the proposition that all is fulfilled and nothing is lacking. If you admit of lack you close the door against full consummation. All lines of thinking have to be carefully handled, because we are dealing with Principle, which works like chain lightning, but which may be stopped by a very little doubtful or weak thought. Do not put any limit upon your possibilities. Remember that when the large army of Assyrians encompassed the little band of Israelites within the city, Elisha saw the mountains round about full of chariots and soldiers, and the Israelites were delivered. Do not be discouraged. The uni-
THOUGHT HINTS	63
versal spiritual force with which you have charged your mind will accomplish great things for you. Stay with your ideal and make your I Am statements, no matter what the seeming, and you will rest confidently in the consciousness of work well done.
WORDS, CONSTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE
Our words do construct and destroy, and it was of their power that the Jehovah I Am said, "I make alive, and I kill." All the structures which we attribute to natural growth are the product of thoughts and words. "Without the Word was not anything made."
Study of the power of words reveals that they are constructive or destructive, according to the character of the idea which they convey. All things are first ideas; these ideas take form in mind and afterward become objective. The One Mind is the realm of Absolute Ideas. Substance is an Absolute Idea, but in coming into visibility the idea has its first movement, which is mental or etheric.
Our physicists have long been considering
WORDS	65
the cause side of materiality. They have held all kinds of theories, only to cast them aside as untenable. They now recognize that there is a Universal Ether, which they have postulated as lying back of matter, and they say it is made up of ions of force. But they cannot describe the all-potential spiritual Substance in terms of matter. God cannot be described in material terms, and we find it true along all lines of spiritual knowing, that the intellect cannot grasp the unlimited. The mind must enter into the Absolute to understand the Absolute. When scientists try to describe the Universal Ether, some of their comparisons are almost absurd. Sir Oliver Lodge calculates that in each one fifteen-thousandth of a cubic inch of ether there must be the energy of a million horse power station working continuously for forty million years.
Physicists have generally ceased trying to picture ether in terms of matter, but rather are inclined to explain matter in terms of
66	TEMPLE TALKS
ether. They tell us about atoms, yet atoms are so small that they have never been seen by men. They know they exist, because they have evidence of something which must have a cause, and they call it ether. The Universal Ether, which physicists are seeing with their minds and trying to estimate with their five senses, is the thought-stuff of Divine Mind. It is the real Substance which the Word uses to make the universe.
If you want spiritual understanding, you will not find it by studying from the material viewpoint. To know why words are constructive or destructive, you must get an understanding of the living, intelligent all-pervading Substance permeating everything. You may think of every "one fifteen-thousandth of a cubic inch of ether as filled with a million horse power energy working continuously for forty million years," but nothing in the material universe can give an idea of the force here waiting to be appropriated and put into expression.
WORDS	67
In the understanding of omnipresent spiritual Substance, we can see how all the so-called miracles of Jesus took place. He entered into the consciousness of this thought-stuff, and out of it multiplied the loaves and fishes. No material limitations could bind him, because he knew what was back of "matter," and he went in and out of closed doors as thought they were not. He entered into the Universal Substance and spoke words corresponding to its character.
We fall short in speaking our true world into expression, because we speak negative words. In the One Mind all things exist in perfection, and every word we speak should be in acknowledgment of that perfection. Such words are constructive. When we speak of anything less than the perfect, our words fall short of the perfect standard in Divine Mind, and some destructive condition ensues.
Secretary Coburn of Kansas has raised his voice in protest against thsoughtless talk
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about "drouth." He says that the use of that word has cost Kansas millions of dollars. The secretary does not speak as a metaphysician ; he speaks from observation. But we metaphysicians know the causes back of the effects he has observed. We have drouth and heat because we talk about them as real, and we make these conditions with our words. Let us stop talking about the heat and the dry weather, and be still in the one great harmony-giving Mind. We shall then be joined with the Law that makes the perfect world.
It is good for us to consider our words and take with us words and return unto the Lord. Then out of the Universal Substance we shall make a new world and a new body. Don't wait for a great resurrection day to come in the future. Wake up now. Through meditation and prayer you will come in touch with the One Substance, which is here as a great matrix. Out of it everything is formed, and from it, here upon
WORDS	69
this earth, you shall make the new heavens and the new earth.
The new race must have a new vocabulary, and all negative, untrue words must be eliminated. If God is love, there is no reality in hate. The word "hate" probably sends out the most destructive vibration of all words. It reaches the mind of him against whom it is directed, and comes back, still carrying destruction. Thus you get in yourself the effects of every word of hate you send out. Think of the power of words of love. They construct and sustain, because God, the Great Causing Mind, is Love.
THE COSMIC MAN, OR THE GRAND MAN OF THE UNIVERSE
As students of Truth, sons of the all-knowing Father, we stand at the Center and should fearlessly handle the so-called "mysteries" of Being. In reality, nothing is mysterious. There are no occult things to the man who knows the One Mind. Great minds are courageous, and no one makes much progress in spiritual understanding until he develops a fearless freedom. We should be like Moses, who fearlessly handled the serpents at the command of Jehovah. We may understand and use all the forces in existence if we go about it in the right way.
The Cosmic Man, or Grand Man of the Universe, often referred to by religious mystics, is the Christ, and the Christ is the Higher Self of man. Thus a seeming great mystery is reduced to simple numbers. We
THE COSMIC MAN	71
do not realize the nearness of this Cosmic Man, because we have not found our real selves. Jesus Christ educated his followers to discern the real man. They, like most people in our time, judged of man from the appearance, and he was trying to lead them into the understanding of the Truth and help them to find the Higher Self. When Jesus asked his disciples who men said the "Son of man" was, the reply came, "Some say John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." Then said he to them, "But whom say ye that I am?" Spiritual perception was awakened in Peter and he said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." "And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar- Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven." He said, "I am the light of the world. . . . Ye are the light of the world."
Spiritual perception reveals to us that we
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are not persons, but factors in the Cosmic Mind. Reveal yourself to yourself by affirming, "I am the Christ, the Son of the living God." Look at yourself not as flesh and blood, but as Spirit. Jesus Christ affirmed his true self, and the Father acknowledged him. The reason of the limited comprehension and power of the ordinary man is found in the fact that he sees the world about him as under material law, and agreeing with it, he makes himself part of it. We can easily reason ourselves into a higher estate, but have not the courage to affirm it. Whatever we can imagine, that we can attain; and if we can get a comprehension of our spiritual estate we can demonstrate it. Christ Jesus is the Cosmic Man, the Grand Man of the Universe, demonstrated, developed, brought out.
If we lose ourselves in outer study we become separated from the Center, and let go our hold on mind, the propelling force. It is possible for us to look out upon the
THE COSMIC MAN	73
universe with the eye of sense and see all things as material. Everything is then a passing show, and we the puppets. But the spiritual man knows that the universe is spiritual and within himself, and he studies it spiritually.
All of the great men of the world have realized to some extent the powers of the Higher Self. Napoleon said he was not as other men. He was not under laws and conditions and circumstances, but he made circumstances. He felt his dominion as the Son of God, although he did not understand it. In what is called "genius" there is a gleam of the spiritual man expressing himself without reference to the world without. When the race thought presses down, the genius ceases to manifest his great powers; but if he will go by himself, and come in touch again with his Higher Self—the Christ —he shall once more express his genius.
The spiritual man is a law unto himself; and when we claim our Divine Sonship, like
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Jesus, we take on authority and rise superior to the mortal law. Nature loves to obey the man who speaks to her with authority born of true dominion. The Cosmic Man, the Grand Man of the Universe, sings, "I set the pace for the human race." The Divine Law of the Unlimited is written in the heart of every man, and will assert itself when he proclaims it.
Jesus Christ came as the demonstration of the Cosmic Man. He walked on the waters, fed the multitudes from the universal ether, went through closed doors, and in every way showed himself superior to the laws to which ignorant men hold themselves in bondage. It is also the privilege of the Cosmic Man to sweep away all discord, sickness and death. The mind of the flesh believes in weakness, hunger, demands sleep, and in various ways limits man. But if man will identify himself with the Cosmic Man all these beliefs will be dissolved, and he will be free indeed. All is ours now ; all we
THE COSMIC MAN	75
need to bring it into expression is to agree with the Real Self. Every morning say, "I am now in possession of all things. In the beginning God created me with full capacity and with dominion over all things. I am not personality, but Christ. God is my Father, and I Am his obedient Son. There is nothing I cannot do, because I know that with my almighty spiritual power all things are possible to me. I live in the Universal Spirit. I am not material, I am not weak, I am not sick ; I am Spirit, and I now and forever identify myself with the Christ of God."
Preach to yourself a sermon like that every morning, another at night, and many times through the day. It is necessary to preach to the intellectual man and tell him the truth. He is very tenacious of what he thinks is true, and he must learn the truth, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little, until he becomes quickened.
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If you have to walk instead of fly, you have not found yourself. If you are afraid of anything you have not found yourself. The Higher Self is not under any limitation whatever. If we follow the Lord Jesus Christ we shall do the things that he did, and greater, and the works will be done in just the way that he did his mighty works—through the realization of the Cosmic Mind and its oneness with the Father.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING AND OCCULTISM
To get a complete understanding of a question requires that we go to the foundation and search out the cause of all that is involved in the subject. In considering the tendency of the mind to wander into forbidden paths for knowledge, we would first inquire, What is the cause of this tendency? Why should the great All-Good give to man or express through him a faculty that requires discipline, that needs to be coached and taught, and that must sometimes enter into knowledge through hard experience? It must be that God is the Principle of Life, and that through man he is demonstrating himself. If God had already demonstrated his perfection there would be no necessity for creation. But we see creation going on, and there is proof that the one
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great Mind is constantly expressing itself. We are part, and an important part, of that expression. Every finer impulse that we feel must have its source in the progressive Mind of the universe.
There are two great phases of mind—cause and effect. We cannot find cause by studying effect, but must enter directly into the cause side and study it until it reveals itself to us. Jesus said, "God is Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." The sequence of this is that we must look into the spiritual side of every proposition.
As students, we find that the faculties of mind can be expressed along definite, orderly lines, or in indefinite, disorderly ways. One of these inherent faculties is the desire to know; we call it the "understanding," because it is constantly seeking knowledge, This faculty may be suppressed by the will, and the mind then settles down in a state of ignorance. If it is expressed in the outer
SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING	79
realm alone, it becomes mere curiosity ; flits here and there seeking knowledge and finding it not, because it has not made connection with the real source, which is absolute know-
ing.	Every question has its spiritual root, and that root is in the realm of absolute ideas.
Roughly speaking, man is a threefold being. His intellect expresses through the head, the emotional nature through the heart, and the physical through the body. But this is not all of man; if we go deeper we find that he has a spiritual nature and organism through which he expresses Spirit. All these departments of man's being are necessary that he may have complete consciousness, and express all of his faculties in the orderly processes of creation. This brings us back to mind. Man is mind in every phase of his being, and he should not stop with the individual, limited consciousness, but merge himself into the universal Mind and come into the consciousness of the Absolute. This applies to every faculty, and
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constitutes that worship which Jesus described as "in spirit and in truth.'
In the story of Manasseh (II Chronicles 33:1-13), we have symbolized the understanding faculty of the mind seeking in the outer realm for expression. All the Scriptures are allegorical. Paul says, in referring to certain well-known passages, "which things are an allegory." Jesus gave his teachings in parables, and the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a series of allegories typifying some phase of man's mental, physical, or spiritual development. These allegories may have a basis in history; but that is a minor consideration. The point for us is to find out what the various characters represent, get the lesson, and apply it in our lives. History repeats itself, and whatever has occurred is occurring now. If we study the Scriptures in this way they become illuminated.
We read in the lesson that Manasseh was twelve years of age when he began to reign.
	SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING	81
Twelve is a full number, representing completeness of a certain phase of consciousness in man. At the age of twelve Jesus was found in the temple talking of spiritual things with the learned doctors. When the consciousness has covered twelve degrees of expression there begins a new reign of the understanding. Children at about the age of twelve begin to bloom into puberty ; a new life force begins to reign in the consciousness. At this age the intellect is quickened, and if it connects itself with the outer, and falls into nature worship, it does "that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah," because that which
	lies back of nature is not discerned.	It is
here that the mind becomes enamored of the occult and mystical, and strays into forbidden paths seeking knowledge. One might study until doomsday and not understand what is meant by "eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of man" unless he sought understanding of the Spirit of Truth. The intellect cannot grasp spiritual things.
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There must be a quickening of spiritual understanding before the deep things of Spirit can be known. The top brain must be quickened. In the natural man all his ideas cluster about his front brain. There are people who study the teachings of Jesus Christ with much interest and have a very good intellectual comprehension of them, but they have not felt the quickening life. These are not much better off than those who are in the old thought. They must let go in the intellectual man and drop down in consciousness to the very center of their being and come in touch with quickening life. This is drinking the Christ blood. We must live more, be more conscious that we are alive, within and without.
When we really live in Spirit we shall not be curious about the dead and will not be led astray by the occult. We will know that astrological signs have no power over us, because to man is given dominion over all things. Luck and chance have no part
SPIRITUAL UNDERSTANDING	83
in our world, but everything is in divine order and comes about according to Law. We should not be found looking in our teacups or to the lines of our hand for information about the future, but should know that our thoughts make our future and we can make it what we will. There is only one Source of knowledge, and if one continues to search in these forbidden ways he will fall captive in the hands of the Assyrians and be led to Babylon, as was Manasseh. Babylon, means confusion, and typifies the mixed state of mind of those who are delving into the occult for knowledge. Manasseh, through seeking in forbidden paths for knowledge, fell in bondage to the king of Assyria, who is mortal mind, the personality, the big I. He was held in captivity until he repented and sought the help of God. When he did this he was restored to Jerusalem, City of Peace. All running to and fro for knowledge is a waste of time. There is but one way to know. "Be still, and know that I
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am God." Follow Jesus Christ and seek within for understanding. Soon a new consciousness will begin to form, and you will know about God and man, and man's relation to God and the universe. You can then say with Victor Hugo, "There are no occult things. Everything is luminous to the mind that knows."
LOYALTY TO TRUTH
We understand that the Bible and all Scriptures are for the guidance of men, in their character building or soul development. It must then follow that every character in this Bible represents some dominant trait or some faculty in the minds of men. When read in this light we get the inner meaning of Scriptures and they become of real profit to
us.
In the story of Daniel in the lions' den we have illustrated loyalty to God or loyalty to the Divine Law. Daniel is that in us which discerns Truth, the interpreter of the Law. He represents the Judge Universal. In the first chapter of Daniel it is related that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem, captured the children of Israel, and carried them away to Babylon. Daniel was one of the captives and became one of the
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rulers in Babylon. Babylon means "confusion," and represents a mixed state of mind. The Chaldean wise men, to whom Nebuchadnezzar first appealed for the interpretation of his dream, were astrologers, soothsayers, mediums, and gave themselves up to occultism in all forms. This confused state of mind dominated all their worship, and they were unable to interpret the higher symbols. This is representative of a condition prevailing to some extent in nearly all until they learn the Law and through observance of it work out of confusion into harmony.
Daniel even in this state of confusion was true to the One Spirit and applied his spiritual knowledge, and through his integrity and loyalty to the Law was made ruler under Nebuchadnezzar. His spiritual insight gave him supremacy over the Babylonian astrologers, and when the king wished a dream interpreted he found Daniel the highest authority. We have this Daniel of true dis-
LOYALTY TO TRUTH	87
cernment in us, and yet certain lesser powers seek to dispossess him in his dominion. We wonder why it is when we know the Law, and are so desirous of keeping it, that we find in ourselves these opposing forces. The explanation is found in our lack of loyalty to the true God. Man must continually affirm his true spiritual estate, and when tempted to seek in occult ways for knowledge, he must be loyal to the Divine Law within him. In all things God must be exalted instead of personality. This was the secret of Daniel's success. In the exercise of his spiritual power he gave all the glory to God and refused his personality any credit.
When Darius, the Median, captured the Babylonian kingdom, he made Daniel the first of three presidents. Under these three presidents were one hundred and twenty princes. These princes and the presidents, being jealous of Daniel, "sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom ; but they could find none occasion nor
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fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him." They decided there was no charge to be made against him unless it was "concerning the law of his God." To entrap Daniel in his worship, these presidents and princes assembled before the king and asked of him that he establish a law that "whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, 0 King, he shall be cast into the den of lions." Darius signed the decree, and according to the law of the Medes and Persians it could not be changed, for the law of the Medes and Persians "al-tereth not."
Daniel knew that the writing was signed; but he disregarded the outer law, and with his windows opened toward Jerusalem he prayed three times a day, as was his custom. The men who had sought occasion against him accused him before the king, and the king, being friendly toward Daniel, tried to deliver him from the lions' den; but he could
LOYALTY TO TRUTH	89
not, because the law of the Medes and Persians was unchangeable.
The personality always demands its "rights," and its edict is that everything that will not bow down to it shall be broken. But the inner consciousness recognizes the Truth that everything comes from the one spiritual Source, and it keeps the word of Jehovah. This spiritual center is in every man. It is Jerusalem, City of Peace. The personality makes laws which, like the laws of the Medes and Persians, are tenacious in their realm of expression. They cannot be set aside, but must find expression whenever the word has gone forth. However, those who know the spiritual law may overcome every lesser law through trust in the Higher Principle. Many think that the word they send forth operates only in the outer world; but it works also in the subjective consciousness. The soul of the spiritual man has to meet and handle the laws which the personality has laid down.
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The lion is a big cat, and cats represent the idea of life tenacity. They symbolize the life in us that never gives up. The life force is centered in the lower part of the body, and the love force in the upper part. The Sphinx, with the head of a woman and the body of a lion, represents the union of these subjective forces in man. When you send forth a word you pass a law; and when this word meets the inner life forces there is apt to be trouble, unless you are spiritually quickened and go into the silence with strong statements of loyalty to the Higher Law. The life in the soul will take up your word and grind it to powder, or make you stronger, according to your attitude toward the spiritual Law. If you are absolutely true to God you will not be hurt of the lions within, and your demonstration will give you new and greater power.
Nebuchadnezzar walked through the city of Babylon and took to himself the credit for its glory ; but he was called to account
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for this exaltation of personality. To humble him he was compelled to dwell with the beasts of the field and eat grass as oxen till he should know "that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will." This is representative of a certain change that goes on in the consciousness when man gets puffed up in personal pride. Man must realize, even in material things, that all comes from the Universal.
.You will observe in this narrative that Daniel did not become king. I Am is always king. The changes from one ruler to another show how one state of consciousness follows another. When Belshazzar, the son of Nebuchadnezzar, came to the throne he was not observant of the Divine Law. He was a sensualist. He gave a great feast to a thousand of his lords, and took the golden vessels which had been brought from the temple at Jerusalem, and he and his princes and his wives and his concubines drank wine
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from them and "praised the gods of gold, and of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." At the feast a hand came forth and wrote upon the wall, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. The king and his guests were seized with consternation, and had recourse to astrologers for interpretation of the strange writing, but none could read it. Then they called Daniel, who interpreted it as a message of warning to Belshazzar that he had been weighed in the balances and found wanting, and that his kingdom should be divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night, so history says, Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Mede took his kingdom.
All this history is constantly being repeated in the mind of man. The ego, changing from one mental viewpoint to another, takes on these various states of consciousness. The sacred vessels are all in our body. If they are used to sensual ends, there is always the writing on the wall,
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"Weighed in the balances, and found wanting." The Divine Law is always writing its decree in us, but it takes a Daniel to discern it ; and the Daniel spirit is in us, every one. We do not understand, because we do not abide in the inner mind. If we do not recognize the Divine Law, there is a downfall and another king comes into expression. So there is a succession, age after age, of various kings, various dominating egos. The king is always I Am. What you say is established as a law in your kingdom. We will never fully understand ourselves and our power through thought and word to make laws, until we search out every department of being and study Spirit, soul and body. The Scriptures tell of all of these, and all their historic characters represent various attitudes and powers of mind.
Every one has a subjective consciousness which is not directly under his conscious control. It therefore seems in opposition, and in the Bible it is described as the "adversary,"
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the "devil." It is simply the stored-up memories of experiences that we have passed through but have not yet put in order. When properly linked with the conscious mind, and harmonized through Christ, a new power comes to the individual. As an illustration : A lady dreamed some one was following her, and she turned and saw a dark, swarthy man. He said to her, "I am the devil," and he kissed her. She said that after this dream she developed ability to paint, something she could not do before. The man she saw was her own subjective consciousness, and the dream indicated that her thoughts had made a certain union with it. The consequence was, new power came to her. Daniel in the den of lions must have made a union with his subjective self under the Divine Law, and the whole of his being entered into absolute trust in that law and the subsequent victory. Most men cannot go into the den of lions, because they do not believe that God dwells in their souls. Yet
LOYALTY TO TRUTH	95
Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." This union is made in prayer and meditation, and Daniel was given to prayer. When the soul is loyal to God it is safe from all destructive thoughts.
All this does not happen in one night, but is a daily prayer and meditation. Daniel opened his windows toward Jerusalem three times a day. Do not be content with a few moments of prayer once a day, but decide in yourself to know the law for yourself, and to be true to it at all times ; and remember it is the God of Daniel, the inner discerner of Truth, that closes the mouths of the lions.
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CONTENTS
The Resurrecting Power	 3
The Resurrection 	 10
The Resurrected Body	21
Let Christ Be Formed in You	26
"It Is the Spirit that Quickeneth"	32
Intelligence and Substance	38
The End of the World	43
Ascending and Descending Currents of
Life 	52
Thought Hints	60
Words ; Constructive and Destructive . . 	 64
The Cosmic Man, or the Grand Man of
the Universe 	70
Difference Between Spiritual Understand-
ing and Occultism	77
Loyalty to Truth	85
CHARLES FILLMORE'S WRITINGS Christian Healing, Revised Edition
A book of 266 pages, 51/2x71/2 inches in size, containing twelve lessons on the subject of Christian Healing and Spiritual Development, with a set of statements to be used in connection with each lesson. In addition to the twelve regular lessons there are thirteen chapters on subjects of interest to Truth students, including a chapter on "How Healing Is Done," with sample treatments for special cases.
In green paper cover, 75 cents, postpaid. In green cloth, stamped in gold with gold top, $1.50, postpaid.
Temple Talks
This booklet is one of a series of five. They are all uniform in size and style. Each book contains ninty-six pages, 4x6. The volumes are numbered One, Two, Three, Four and Five.
The five books include fifty-two addresses delivered by Mr. Charles Fillmore in Unity Auditorium at Kansas City. They have been chosen from the best of Mr. Fillmore's addresses, and we recommend them to all who are searching for a message of Truth.
Temple Talks, in artistic paper covers, 25 cents per volume; cloth bound, stamped in gold, 75 cents per volume.
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YALE UNIVERSFY
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SERIES NUMBER THREE
TEMPLE TALKS
BY
CHARLES FILLMORE
Series Number Three
Being Extracts from Addresses Delivered
before the
Unity Society of Practical Christianity,
Kansas City, Mo.
1 9 1 2
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THE BOOK OF THE LAW, A
SYMBOL OF SUBJECTIVE
CONSCIOUSNESS
N the thirty-fourth chapter of II
Chronicles it is written that Jo-
siah, king of the Jews, restored
the worship in the temple after it had been neglected for about seventy years. The Jews had followed after the religions of the heathen nations about them, and were worshiping idols and practicing sorcery. Josiah commenced his reign when he was eight years old, and the record is that "while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father." He destroyed all the idols, broke down all the altars of Baalim, and repaired the temple at Jerusalem. Money had been collected to pay for the repairs, and when this money was brought out, Hilkiah the priest found "a book of the law of the Lord. About eight hundred years before this time Moses
4	TEMPLE TALKS
had given the Law, but there were not many copies of it. In this day, when millions of copies of the Scriptures are in circulation, we can hardly realize the dearth of Bibles in ancient times. Every manuscript had to be copied by hand. This lack of Scriptures in the hands of the people continued up to the time of the Reformation. Luther never saw a Bible until he was twenty years old. The Scriptures were found only in monasteries, written on parchment, and they were read at religious exercises by the priests.
All this history is suggestive; but it makes little difference to us what the old Jews had or what they did. There is small profit in reading history unless one gets the lesson taught in the recital. This history is symbolical, and a study of the inner meaning of the names of these persons who discovered the Book of the Law, Hilkiah the high priest, Josiah the king, and Shaphan the scribe, reveals that they are used to represent states
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	5
of mind in man. Every character in this recital is a symbolical representative of some phase of mind in human consciousness.
Man has numerous egos. The ego that attains control in the outer consciousness is king; but in the subjective consciousness there are many other egos striving to get the rule. The Scripture is true in its parables, and the dominating ego is always represented as the king. In this lesson Josiah is king and all the others are subjective. Recent experiments in psychology report the case of a young lady who had manifested three distinct egos. A hypnotist who experimented with the case, put to sleep the dominating ego. Then one of the subjective egos came forth and took possession of her brain. One of these egos was a very good girl and one was very bad ; but all were characteristic of the young lady in her every-day life. All claimed to be the one real individual. Search within yourself and you find your dominating ego, and many subjective desires,
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or egos, trying to work themselves to the surface.
Man is like a temple filled with people. Every cell is an identity. We could not have life without identity. All our thoughts are producing egos, forming states of consciousness. Every experience we have is packed away in the subconscious. Our religious experiences make a religious ego, referred to as the high priest. He discerns the Book of the Law and hands it to Shaphan the scribe. The scribe is memory, who reads to the king out of the subjective Law.
As the Scriptures are unraveled and applied to the individual we come more and more into the consciousness of the great kingdom of Mind and its many palaces. The great Law of Being is written deep down in the essence of all things. We should not pray to an outside God for the fulfillment of our desires, but we should search within and find the law by which they can surely be brought to pass. But suppose that for sev-
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	7
enty years, or less time, we have neglected the law, so that it has been more and more submerged and forgotten in the subconsciousness ; what is the result ? The temple begins to fall into ruins. Then the high priest, the subjective spiritual ego, calls our attention to the Law Supreme, written in the inward parts. The king, the ruling ego, is repentant, and is forgiven his shortcomings.
The idea of Perfect Man, known mystically as the Christ, is the Book of the Law. We change from the mortal states of consciousness to the spiritual by understanding, thinking and speaking the Truth. By this process we become an entirely new man—no longer the man of small affairs, striving for personal aims, but the man universal, who lives in a great world, seeing the Larger Self not only in himself, but in all. The memories of the little self, that fill the subconscious and hide the Book of the Law, are cleared away; we turn within, repair the temple, and begin to establish the true worship of God.
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The record is that the book of the law was found "when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the Lord." Money represents reserve force. Every one of us has a great reserve force, a subjective energy which is well symbolized by money. When it is brought forth through recognition and mental concentration on ideas of energy and power, every faculty is quickened. Sight, hearing, memory—in fact, all the powers of body and mind—are resurrected. Thus the Book of the Law is uncovered and man remembers the law of his own being.
Physical scientists are just recently telling us that they can see, with a certain electrical apparatus, an envelope of light surrounding people. This light has long been known to Hindoo mystics as the "astral light." It is the sensitive plate of the mind. Upon it every thought is written by the scribe, and the record falls back and becomes part of the subconscious memory. In the beginning
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	9
the Supreme Mind wrote within us the Supreme Law ; and when we seek we shall find it, and come into the full stature of the perfect man in Christ Jesus, through thinking the thoughts of the One Mind and building a new state of consciousness according to the Law. Every one must go within and find the Book of the Law for himself, and not depend upon any man or any book for his guide.
In the One great Mind every one has a definite place. If, as Jesus Christ said," the very hairs of your head are numbered," it must be that God intended us to do a specific work. The trouble with many people is, they are trying to do a work that does not belong to them. The only way to find your work is to know the Law. It is not a matter of guesswork when you get your direction from the Spirit within you. Man has the power to realize all his ideals. It is merely a question of recognition and use.
MAN'S POWER TO FORGIVE
SIN
The teaching of Jesus Christ concerning man's power to forgive sins is the least understood of any of his commandments. A distinct separation is made between sin and its effects, and the sin is treated in one way and the effect in another. When a man's sins make him ill, his minister recommends a doctor. The doctor treats his body as merely a piece of machinery to be patched up. No real healing takes place, because both the minister and the doctor are ignorant of the cause of the illness.
Jesus always connected sin and sickness as cause and effect. When the man sick of the palsy was let down through the roof of a house, that he might be brought before Jesus for healing, there were those present who expected the healing to be done in some mysterious way; and when Jesus spoke of
POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	11
forgiving the man's sins in order to heal him, they said, "This man blasphemeth: who can forgive sins but one, even God?" These men lived in a material world and saw everything from a material viewpoint. They did not understand that the man's sins caused his palsy. As a proof of man's power to forgive sin, and thus heal the effects of sin,. Jesus said when the man was brought for healing,
"But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house. And he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and went forth before them all: insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God."
Jesus taught plainly that the mind was the originating place of every act. He said if there was lust in the heart it was sin, even though the overt act were not committed. All thinking people in this day accept with-
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out question, that the body is moved by the mind; and those who have made a study of mental processes have found that all the conditions of the body are brought about by the mind; also that there is a law of right thought, and that a departure from that law is sin, or "missing the mark," which is the original meaning of the word.
Forgiveness really means to give up something. When you forgive yourself, you cease doing the thing you ought not to do. Jesus was correct in assuming that man had power to forgive sin. Sin is a falling short of the Divine Law, and repentance and forgiveness are the only means man has of getting out of sin and its effects, and coming into harmony with the Law. But who can tell what the Law is? Only those who study man as a spiritual and mental being. Study of manifestation alone is futile; it leads nowhere. We must get at the cause side. All sin is first a mental concept ; and the first step in forgiveness is a change of mind, or re-
POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	13
pentance. Some mental attitude, some train of mental energy, must be transformed. We forgive sin in ourselves every time we resolve to think and act according to the Divine Law. The mind must change from a material to a spiritual base. The Law is already fixed ; there is nothing in it to be changed, because God is the lawgiver and does not change. The change is all on the part of man, and within him. The moment he changes his mind the Divine Law rushes in and begins the healing work.
The Law is Truth, and the Truth is that all is Good. There is no power and no reality in sin. God's eyes are too pure to behold iniquity, and he beholds man as a pure spiritual being. The moment man realizes this, he puts himself in harmony with the Truth of Being, and the Law wipes out
all his transgressions.	In this way he is
healed.
Man began his transgressions through desiring to know, and in the process of seeking
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for knowledge he fell short. The sin was not in the desire to know, but in the disobedience and stubbornness of man in seeking knowledge in forbidden ways. Stubbornness and resistance to the Spirit will keep one out of forgiveness as long as he stays in that state of mind. This is the unpardonable sin. It is simply a willful closing of the mind against pardon and forgiveness. The only way to get out of this state of mind is to know that it has no power, but that man is free to obey the Divine Law.
In denying the reality of sin, send out your freeing thought to others as well as to yourself. Do not hold any one in bondage to the idea of sin. If you do, it will pile up and increase in power according to the laws of mental action.
No one can understand how forgiveness sets the sin-bound soul and sick body free unless he studies mind and has some understanding of its laws. There is a universal thought substance in which thought builds
POWER TO FORGIVE SIN	1 5
whatever man wills. Thus the right images become active through the power of thought. Man has unlimited power through thought, and he can give his power to things, or withhold it. If he thinks about the power of sin, he builds up and gives force to that idea
antil it engulfs him in its whirlpool of thought substance. Thus man forgets his . spiritual origin and sees the human only. He thinks of himself as a sinner, "born in sin and conceived in iniquity," instead of the "image and likeness of God." Man also sees the law of sowing and reaping, and fears his sins and their results. Thus fear of the Divine Law is added to his burdens. The way out of this maze of ignorance, sin, and sickness is through understanding the real being, and then forgiving, or giving up, all thoughts of the reality of sin and its effects in body. But we must recognize the unity of the race in Christ, and include all people in our forgiving. A good freeing statement is, "I do not believe in the power of sin in myself nor
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in others." If one tries to free himself while holding others in the thought of sin, he will not demonstrate his freedom. No man can rise except as he lifts the race with him in his thought. "I, if I be lifted up, will craw all men unto me." As by one man sin came into the world, so by one man is it done away with. As all were included in the sin of one, so all are included in the righteousness of one, and every man stands sinless before God in Christ Jesus. Recognition of this truth shall make men free, and the greater the number who enter into the recognition and declare the truth, the sooner shall all men know that they are free from sin in Christ.
"CHRIST IS RISEN"
Today we should rise to a realization of that mighty statement, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." From the minds of unnumbered millions this Easter day there is now proceeding the thought, "I arpohe Resurrection and the Life." But hiit% many understand the real meaning as they utter the wonderful truth which these words embody?
The first statement, "I Am," is that which includes all else. If I were to ask you what is the greatest, most wonderful, most mysterious thing in existence, what would you say? Man! But what is man? I can get a thousand different answers to that question, but
the	truest is this: Man is God manif est.
You can describe man as spirit, as soul, as body, or as all these, and yet not epitomize the whole nature of man as God did when he told Moses to say, "I Am." Think about yourself in your true relation, as the real I
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Am of God, and you will find that, wrapped up in the swaddling clothes of many external descriptions is the real thing, the greatest of all creation, I Am.
The greatest of all the metaphysicians of all the ages have never answered the question, "What is self-identity? What is that which says 'I Am'?" It must be God; it must be the all-Potential, all-Possible One, and it is, it is.
When God expresses himself, he says, "I Am," and that expression is man.
As we this morning give attention to the Spirit, let us realize that it is I Am. I Am is Spirit, and I Am is the lifting-up power. I Am is also the tearing-down power in those who are using wrong words in its name. The resurrection, the lifting-up, is the one dominant idea that is now being put forth by all people who really think and understand; and we are here to set that mighty I Am power into expression in all of its fullness, in all of its Truth. Then, let us pray to the
CHRIST IS RISEN	19
Great Omnipresence by quietly entering into the silence of mind and in meditations and affirmations realize "I Am is the Resurrection and the Life."
Let the Spirit and the Truth into your soul and say earnestly and fervently, "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Say it till the air palpitates with the thought; say it until tongues of living fire fill you and thrill you with Christ Life.
(Silence)
The word Easter is from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of light or spring, in whose honor a festival was held in April. There has always been a time of rejoicing at about this season because of the springing forth of new life in the earth. When Christianity gave to the pagan nations the more spiritual truth taught by Jesus Christ, they found it expedient to incorporate, in order that these people might be reconciled, all, or nearly all, of their customs and rites and ceremonies in a religious way. And this is
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why we have Easter, and why it has become separated from its pagan idea and adopted and incorporated into Christianity as the time of the resurrection of Jesus.
Easter has a spiritual as well as a material side, and to the one who is bringing forth his spiritual nature, its significance in that realm is important. In order to understand this significance, it is necessary to go back and inquire what it was that was crucified. Some say it was Christ, others that it was Jesus. We say that it was neither of these. Christ is the perfect idea in Divine Mind, and could not have been killed. Jesus, as represented in this Scripture, is the perfected man, having all the attributes and powers of the Christ. This one also is indestructible. What was it, then, that was crucified?
There has been built up in the race-consciousness an ego which does not recognize God as the One Source of knowledge and power. This ego works from its own personal knowledge, and is trying to form a
CHRIST IS RISEN	21
world of its own within God's world. It is in Scripture designated as the "adversary," sometimes translated "devil." Its only personality is in the man who gives it sway in his consciousness. Every man has it in degree, and we are all sinners until the true Mind as it is in Christ is formed in us. Jesus Christ came to establish this Mind, and he took on for the time all the limitations of the average man. He had a perception of this mission, and the necessity of a certain crucifixion. This crucifixion he prophesied for himself, and insisted upon carrying out, and rebuked Peter when he suggested that it might not be. The "adversary" does not like to admit that it is a bundle of errors that must be wiped out; but this is just what must occur in everyone who demonstrates the Christ-consciousness. The false ego must be crucified.
Jesus Christ went through this experience for the benefit of all who desire to put on Christ. Not that we shall be wholly re-
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lieved of trial or suffering, but that we shall be carried along and finally succeed in getting out of sin, sickness and death, and into the kingdom of eternal life. We may seem to suffer during the crucifixion, as did Christ and Jesus when the adverse mind was being destroyed. When we know what is going on, we are not afraid nor concerned about the outcome. When the follower of Jesus suffers pain, he does not attribute to it a physical origin, but searches in the consciousness of the "adversary" for the cause, and having found it, immediately allows it to be crucified on the cross—that is, crossed out.
It is this adverse ego that causes all the trouble in the world. Its selfishness and greed make men grovel in the mire of materiality, when they might soar in the heavens of spirituality. It is this false ego that causes the body to be sick and die. The body is the "lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world," by this adverse mind, which Paul calls the "carnal mind." Jesus said
CHRIST IS RISEN	23
it was a liar from the beginning and the father of lies. It fastens its hypnotism upon the nobler aspirations and makes them commonplace. It betrays into the hands of materialism the Christ-consciousness, and finally meets its own crucifixion. Jesus took on himself "the likeness of sinful flesh," and it was this "likeness" that was crucified, not Christ, the spiritual mind, nor Jesus, the perfected body, but Judas, the carnal mind, the Adversary, Satan, the Error Ego, the "Sinful Flesh." This crucifixion goes on day by day in those who are striving to know God. Paul said, "I die daily." Every time we deny some selfish thought or habit, we crucify the carnal ego. Man's consciousness is a unit and all its experiences are co-ordinated. When one part suffers, other parts sympathize. Thus the good suffers with the evil in the crucifixion, and error or sin must be wholly eradicated before the body can ascend and remain in the high mind of God. Thus Jesus Christ suffers with Judas—yet
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not hopelessly. “In all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
The Spirit reveals to those who are seeking the kingdom that their efforts are crowned with success whenever they give up willingly the sinner Judas, and allow him to be crucified. The real mind and the real body cannot be killed, but always rise to higher planes of thought after every crucifixion. Since there is sympathetic connection through identification of man with his thought, there must of necessity be suffering in the crucifixion, until by the word of denial the error is eliminated.
This is the resurrection—the coming to consciousness of the one undying Life, Love, Substance and Intelligence—Divine Mind, finding its perfect manifestation in man's consciousness. This Truth, having been formed in the conscious thought, works itself into manifestation in three steps, or days. The first step is, "I am Spirit;" the second step is, "I am Mind," and the third, "My body is
CHRIST IS RISEN	25
spiritual." The indwelling I Am at the center of the consciousness, and the great Over-soul that inspired Jesus, is Christ. The body is lifted up by a concentrated realization of spiritual thought in conscious mind, based upon an understanding of the great law of undying spiritual potentiality. Jesus said, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." So we, in stepping out of the tomb of mortality, should always make a unity with the Father, and through this establish a sure foundation for the ascension which is to follow.
The loving Mary represents human sympathy which "stoops down" and looks into the tomb for the Lord, but "he is risen," and she finds him walking in the garden. Beware of the limitations of human love—look for your masterful I Am thought, Jesus, in the Omnipresent Living Force and Vitality of the One Life penetrating and permeating every part of your body, which is the garden of God. Human sympathy holds us to ma-
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terial conditions when we think we are free. Those who are spiritualizing the consciousness are very apt to be pulled back into mortal ways through their personal loves, when just about to succeed. When Jesus said to Mary, "Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father," he represented the Wisdom of the I Am in this respect, which does not allow human love to bind it on its upward way.
"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." The weeping Mary and the sad disciples "stooping down" and looking into the tomb for their living Master, represent the forgetfulness of sense-consciousness in the presence of negativeness. Jesus plainly taught that he would rise from the dead, yet his disciples forgot this, and sought amongst the dead for the living. The church is looking into the tomb for the victorious Jesus, when it teaches that he was crucified and that he "died" on the cross. Paul talked about being "crucified with
CHRIST IS RISEN	2 7
Christ," but he meant that, accompanying Christ in crossing out our sins, we shall rise above them as he did. This is made possible through the overcoming work done by him. By the quickening within us of the Christ-consciousness of life, we enter into life. "If Christ be not risen from the dead your faith is vain."
It will not be through the introduction into his veins of some vitalizing serum that man shall overcome death and immortalize his body, but through a realization of the Christ-mind and its power to raise that body to a higher life-consciousness. Jesus told Mary that he would go before her into Galilee, which means that the Spiritual Consciousness precedes the human concept of life (Mary) into the Divine Energy, represented by Galilee (vibration). We must ever be sending out our ideals ahead of our realizations until we arrive at the goal—conscious unity with God, "My Father and your Father, and my God and your God."
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All the graveyards and tombs will be deserted and turned into parks when men and women decide to follow Jesus in the resurrection. It is the bodies of people that are buried, and it is these same bodies that we are commanded to raise up. This resurrection is not at some great Easter day, but every day that the consciousness perceives the mighty Truth that man does not have to die, but can with Jesus go through a transforming process which results in the redemption of the body. This transformation is the resurrection, and it is a daily casting off of the old and putting on of the new. This change goes on until the whole man is renewed, and he becomes indeed a new creature in Christ Jesus. It is in this way we "put on immortality."
We literally "die daily" and are resurrected daily. The three "days" or steps in mentality that bring the consciousness of the Indwelling Life in the body, can be realized in a moment and all the degrees taken in a
CHRIST IS RISEN	29
flash of spiritual light when the soul is seeking God.
"For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."—I Cor. 15:21, 22.
OBEDIENCE
Paul says we seek a country from which we came forth, and to which we shall return. We are travelers that have wandered away from home and have riot found our wanderings pleasant. The outer man looks upon the home he is seeking as a place fixed in the heavens, but a fuller realization of Truth shows that this home is in the place Jesus pointed out—"the kingdom of God is within you.- Having once established yourself in this place it is an easy matter to externalize it.
We shall find the kingdom of God by closing the doors of the outer consciousness and turning the attention within. There we shall find the king enthroned, and when we realize this truth it will become a reality to us. There are certain attitudes of mind that make it easy to find the kingdom. One is receptivity—mental obedience. Let us be
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still and go into the kingdom with this keyword, "I am obedient unto the heavenly vision.
(Silence)
We consider man first a spiritual being, then a mental and physical being. When we speak of Principle, we mean the principle as it is related to Spirit. All so-called principles in the outer world are secondary. The real principle is always Spirit, and by Spirit we also mean the higher range of mind. According to Webster's Dictionary, Spirit and mind are almost synonymous. When we understand that Spirit and mind are closely related we get a better understanding of what Spirit is and what we are as spiritual beings. We should deal with our mind as if it were a Spiritual Principle—which it is. We may thus erase from consciousness all misunderstanding of mind, and give place to a broader, higher understanding of the Real Self. If we are spiritual beings it behooves us to
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study ourselves in relation to the Supreme One, who is our Source.
We are related to the Universal Mind by certain faculties, one of which is faith. Instead of looking upon faith as something which belongs especially to the religious nature, we see that it has to do with every department of life. When Jesus Christ called his disciples, his first was Peter. Peter represents faith. Peter's first name was Simon, which means hearing or listening. This name, therefore, stands for that type of mind which is open to spiritual influx through aspiration, prayer and affirmation. These are the positive attitudes of obedience.
Theology teaches that man's disobedience opened the door to all the ills of the flesh, and finally to death through sin. If disobedience is the cause of all man's troubles, obedience is the remedy for them. According to the allegory given in Genesis, man was originally in direct touch with Divine Mind. He walked and talked with God. If man is
OBEDIENCE	33
the offspring of God he must be of the same character, and if he is of the same character he should know what is going on in the universe. In right relation with Divine Mind he may know all the secrets of nature. The poet has said that if he could understand the flower in the crannied wall he would know God. He would know the secret of making things. That same secret power is in man, forming his life and intelligence, and all that goes to make him an intelligent being. But men live so much on the surface, so much in personal egotism, that they separate themselves from God and his creative laws. So in order to get back to their original estate, they must study these processes and co-operate with them. In other words, they must become obedient to the Divine Law.
Obedience is the first step in bringing forth faith. Jesus called Simon Peter a "rock." He became established in the reality of the Spiritual Principle. Paul says that faith is substance. It gives a firm base to the mind
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and keeps it from being carried off in the vagaries of mortal thought. Wherever you concentrate you can feel a gathering together of spiritual power. If you concentrate on strength, you have a new consciousness of strength. This is the gathering together of the "waters," or weak elements of thought that float around without a center. Faith forms this center and the "dry land" appears.
As we listen to the Spirit we become more and more obedient, and ideal spiritual realities become substantial in our consciousness. By prayer and obedience we can dissolve the egotism that builds up the personality which shuts us away from the Universal Life. For example, in ear troubles metaphysicians give treatments for obedience.
listening, receptive, obedient attitude of mind will relieve the tension that is producing the trouble in the ears. Children crying with earache may be relieved by a denial of stubbornness and disobedience, and an affirmation of obedience.
OBEDIENCE	35
When Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians he heard the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave him command what he should do, and Paul
wrote later,	was not disobedient to the heavenly vision." If Paul had refused to do as he was told, the mighty works that he did in the name of Jesus Christ would never have followed. Believe in the reality of the heavenly commission to you. By earnest obedience you will bring the law into manifestation and bless yourself and the world.
When Samuel heard the voice of the Lord he thought it was the High Priest calling him, and he ran to Eli to find what was wanted. But Eli said he called him not. Three times he heard the call of the Lord, and then Eli, perceiving that the Lord had called the child, told him to say, when the voice came again, "Speak, Lord, thy servant hcareth.- Thus Samuel's point of attention was turned from the without to the within. We hear in the world all kinds of voices,
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and it is possible in the development of the inner consciousness, to hear the voice of the soul and mistake it for the voice of the Spirit. But if you are determined to know only the Lord Jesus Christ, and open yourself continually to the Spiritual Mind within, you shall discern between the soul and the Spirit and be always safely guided. To attain this inner guidance say to it, "Speak, Lord, thy servant heareth."
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS
People say, "What can a man do with the thoughts of his mind?" He can do everything with them. They are under his absolute control. He can direct them. He can coerce them. He can hush them or crush them. He can dissolve them and put others in their place. There is no other spot in the universe where man has mastery. The dominion which is his by Divine right is over his own thoughts. When man apprehends this, and commences to exercise that dominion, he has begun to open the, way to God, the only door to God—through mind and thought.
"Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors" (R. V.). Jesus' comments were, "How can you expect men to forgive your transgressions until you have first forgiven them their transgressions?" This we find to be in harmony with a law of
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mind. That is, an idea must be dissolved before another can take its place. If you have in mind a thought that some one has wronged you, you cannot let in the cleansing power of the Spirit until you have dissolved and cast out the idea of the mortal wrong. You may be wondering why you do not get spiritual illumination like others. What kind of thoughts is your mind filled with? Have you made room in your mind by forgiving your transgressors, or is it filled with thoughts of resentment against this one, and a feeling that you have been slighted by that one? Jesus recognized a right law of mind when he said, "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your tres-
passes" (Matt. 6:14).	In this is a state-
ment of Science on any of its planes, physical or metaphysical. "Thoughts are things," and they occupy space. They are alive and think themselves after their kind. They
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS	39
bring forth fruit according to the seed planted by thought in the mind.
Tell me what kind of thoughts you are holding about yourself or your neighbor, ,and I will tell you what you will experience in health, finances and family relations. Are you suspicious of your neighbor? How can the great love and trust of the Father find place when the room is occupied by mistrust? "Try the power there is in trusting one an-other—there's magic in it—white magic." Are you accusing men of being thieves and highwaymen? With that thought generating its currents of fear and terror, and filling your whole consciousness with its darkness, where is there room for the Father's aura of protection? Love and Trust are dynamic. Build walls of vibratory substance out of Love. Send out invisible messengers of protection ; they are better guards than policemen or revolvers. Have you forgiven all the thieves and highwaymen, your thoughts or the thoughts and opinions of the world
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about their transgressions? Say to them, "I forgive your transgressions, and the Father forgives mine."
The question is not, "How guilty is that man?" but, "How do I stand in the sight of the Father as to my ideas about his guilt ?Reform yourself first. That means very much more to one in the understanding of mind and its laws than to the ordinary individual.
He who knows not himself wholly, but just his superficial, external personality, thinks he is reformed when he conforms to the moral and municipal law. He may be filled with self-righteousness and daily lift up his voice in prayer, thanking God that he is not as other men are, but he has not "forgiven men their transgressions." He looks upon every man not conforming to his standard of morality, religion or finances, as a transgressor, and thanks God for his supposed insight and perspicuity. But he is not at peace. There is something lacking.
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS	41
God does not talk to him "face to face," because the mind, where God and man meet, is darkened with the smoke of the belief that other men are sinners. God is too pure to behold iniquity. So our first resolve in starting reforms is that we will forgive all men their transgressions, that the Father may forgive us eur transgressions.
"All men" includes ourselves. Forgive yourself. Let the finger of denial erase every sin or "falling short" which you have charged to yourself. Say to that part of your being which is liable to "fall short," "Thy sins be forgiven thee—go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee." Then see to it that there is no further sin. Treat it as a mental transgression instead of a physical or moral deflection. Deny in thought the tendency to the error way, and hold yourself firmly to the Christ Spirit, which you divinely are. Part company forever with "accusing conscience." He is the friend and "whipper in" of sinners, and not
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of those who have resolved to sin no more.
The real search of all people is to find God. They may think they are looking for other things, but will eventually admit that it was God they sought, especially after they have once felt his presence in their souls. This being true, our whole aim should be to make the place where we meet God so pure that we shall never mistake his voice nor be hidden from his face. This place we know is in the mind—the inmost recess of the soul —the kingdom of heaven within you.
"Shall I be in debt so long as I hold debts against others ?" This we find to be the law of mind. A thought of debt will produce debt. So long as you believe in debt you will go into debt, and accumulate the burdens that follow that thought. Whoever has not forgiven all men what they owe him, stands liable himself to fall into debt. Shall you hand receipted bills to all who owe you? No; that would not be erasing the idea of debt from your mind. First, deny in mind
FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS	43
that any man or woman owes you. If necessary, go over the names separately and forgive the idea of obligation you hold against them. It is opposed to Divine Law—the law of universal equilibrium.
In Spirit, there is no obligation. The true disciples have all things in common. Commence your liquidation of debts at the right place, where they exist as living, original, producing entities, and that is in idea. The world will never be free from the bondage of debt and interest until men go to their minds and erase the ideas that are generating debt and interest. If you forgive all your debtors, will they never pay you. Examine the law of mind and see. Analyze the idea of debt, and see if it doesn't involve an idea of lack. Debt is a thought of absence with lack at both ends. You believe you lack what is owing you, and also that he who owes, lacks, or he would have paid, rather than have incurred the obligation. So there is error at both ends, and nothing in the mid-
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dle. This being true, according to the law of mind, we should dissolve by denial every idea that another owes us, or that we owe anybody, and hold thoughts right the oppo-site—fill our minds with ideas of abundance.
We have abundance, and all have abundance. Such thoughts will more quickly bring to us that which is rightfully ours than any other. See abundance everywhere, and the thought of fullness in your mind will bring to you its fruits. Then let the law work itself out. In this way the Father will forgive us our debts. The Father is the everywhere-present Spirit, in which all that appears has origin. Governed by law, the love of God would see us always happy and abundantly provided for, but the wisdom of God demands that order and right relation exist in our minds before this shall be possible.
THE TWELVE POWERS OF MAN
The development of man is under law. Creative Mind is not only law, but it is governed by the action of the law which it sets up. We have thought that man was brought forth under the fiat or edict of a great creative Mind, that could make or unmake at will, or change its mind and declare a new law at any time ; but a clear understanding of ourselves and the unchangeableness of Divine Mind brings us to the place where we see that everything has as its foundation in a rule of action, a law, which law must be observed by both creator and created.
Man grows, expands, develops. His development is not primarily under the physical law, because that is secondary. There is a law of Spirit, and the earthly is but the minor showing forth of some of the phases of that law. We begin our existence as ideas in Divine Mind ; those ideas are ex-
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pressed and developed and brought to fruitage, and this expression is the important part of the soul's growth.
Evolution says man evolves ; but there is also involution, and that involution is based upon the development of ideas in mind. What we are is the result of our consciousness, and that consciousness is the result of seed ideas, sown in our minds. When Froe-bel, the great teacher of children, began his primary school, he thought a long time before he gave it a name. One day it came to him : "A Children's Garden" ; so he called it a "Kindergarten."
That is exactly what humanity is—the Garden of God. Jesus says the "word" of God is the seed, and he gives illustrations of the various places in which the seed is sown, and the results. We know the seed, or Word of God, is sown in the minds of men, and these seed ideas go through many changes, and they bring forth a harvest according to the capacity of the receiving soil.
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If you have the will to do the will of God, the exercise of your will in that direction strengthens your will, and you begin to expand in will power. If you have faith in things invisible, there is growing in your mind the faith-seed, and your faith is increased. Every word or idea in Divine Mind is sown in the mind of man, and grows there—ac-cording to man's receptivity.
So it is found that all the faculties that exist in the Divine Mind, the Twelve Pillars of the Temple of God, are in this way expresed through the mind, the soul, and the body of man. Some have claimed that this Bible is a work on physiology. So it is. But it is a work on both psychology and physiology, and treats of spirit, soul and body as a unit. And here the mere physical students of the body have not understood the Bible. They have looked for descriptions of flesh and bones, when in truth those things have no active existence without the accompanying life and intelligence.
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Jesus Christ, the Great Teacher, who knew what was in man, began his evolution with Spirit; he is the "Only begotten Son of God," and he is the type which we are striving to follow, not only in spiritual culture, in soul culture, but in physical culture. If you would bring forth the very best that is in you, study the methods of Jesus Christ, and, studying them in all their details, getting at the spirit of everything that is written about this wonderful man, you will find the key to the true development of your soul and body, and by carrying out his system, there will be revealed to you a new man, a man you never dreamed of, existing in the hidden realms of your own subconsciousness. This subconscious realm has twelve great centers of action, with twelve presiding soul- identities. When Jesus Christ arrived at a certain place in his development, he called his twelve disciples. This means that when man gets to a point in his development where he should take the next step, and come out of mere
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personal consciousness into universal consciousness, he begins to select deeper and larger powers—he sends his thought down into these inner centers of his organism, and through his word quickens them to life. Where before they have worked in the personal, now they begin to expand and work in the universal. This is the first and second coming of Christ. The first coming is the receiving of Truth in the conscious mind, and the second coming is the awakening and regeneration of the subconscious through the Christ Mind.
Man expands and grows under the Divine Evolution in ways similar to the growth of an industrial plant. As the business expands, it is found that system is necessary. Instead of one man with a few helpers doing all the work, he requires many helpers. Instead of a few workers, he finds hundreds necessary, and in order to maintain system and efficiency he must have heads for the various departments. Scripture symbology
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gives these heads of departments in man's consciousness as Twelve Disciples.
Each of these twelve department heads has control of a certain function in soul or body, and they work through an aggregation of cells called by physiology ganglionic centers. Jesus, the I Am, or central identity, has his throne in the top-head, where phrenology locates spirituality. This is the mountain where he so often went to pray. The following is a rough outline of the Twelve Disciples, the faculties which they represent, and the cell-centers at which they preside:
Faith—Peter—center of brain.
Discrimination—James—pit of stomach. Love—John—back of heart. Strength—Andrew—small of back. Power—Philip—loot of tongue. Imagination—Bartholomew—between the eyes.
Understanding—Thomas—front brain. Will—Matthew---center front brain.
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Order—James, son of Alphzeus—navel. Dissipation or Elimination—Thaddwus--lower part of back.
Zeal—Simon the Canaanite—back head. Appropriation or Life Conserver—Judas —generative function.
The names of these faculties are not ar-bitrary—they can be expanded or changed to suit a broader understanding of their full nature. For example, Philip, at root of tongue, governs taste ; he also controls the action of the larynx, also all power vibrations. So the term power expresses but a small part of his official capacity.
The first disciple that Jesus called was Peter, and you all know that Peter represents faith. Faith in what? Faith in things spiritual. Faith in God. We begin our religious experience, we begin our unity with the Divine Mind, by having faith in that Mind. People who live wholly in the intellect deny that man can know anything about God, because they have not quickened
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faith. The way to bring forth the God Presence, to make yourself conscious of God, is to say, "I have faith in God; Vhave faith in Spirit ; I have faith in things invisible." And those affirmations of faith, that praise to the Invisible God, the Unknown God, will make that God visible to your mind, and your faith faculty will be strengthened. In this way the Faith disciple is called.
The next disciple that comes into expression is James. He is discrimination, good judgment. James is that in us which chooses and determines. It may be in the matter of food ; it may be in the matter of judgment about the relation of forces external; it may be in the choosing of a wife or a husband—in a thousand different ways this faculty is developed in man. The judge is apt to get critical and condemn, and then he must call upon his brother John, love.
James and John are brothers, and Jesus called them "Sons of Thunder." These brothers preside over the great body brain
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called the solar plexus, or sun-center. James has his throne at the pit of the stomach, and John just back of the heart. But they are closely related. You will find that whatever affects your stomach will sympathetically affect your heart. People with weak stomachs nearly always think they have heart trouble.
Jesus Christ called those two disciples the "Sons of Thunder" because of the tremendous vibration that goes forth from the solar plexus. When your sympathies are aroused you will find that you begin to breathe deep and strong; and if you are very sympathetic you can feel the vibrations as they go out to the person or thing to which you are directing your thought. All fervor, all that high energy that comes from soul passes through this center.
The next faculty that we bring into expression in divine order, is Bartholomew, the imagination. We are told that the imagination has its center of action directly between the eyes. This is the point of expression of
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a set of tissues that extend back into the brain and connect with an imaging, or picture-making function near the root of the optic nerves. Through this faculty you can project an image of things without, or ideas within, to any part of the body. You can project the image of, for instance, jealousy to any part of your body and make a yellow spot there, or you can image and project a beauty spot by thinking goodness and perfection for everybody. Bartholomew is connected directly with the soul and has great power in the pictures of the mind. Jesus saw him under a fig tree, a long way off, before he was visible to the natural eye. Do not imagine anything but good, because it will, sooner or later, under the law, come into expression, unless you head it off, eliminate it, dissolve it.
We have faculties of elimination, as well as appropriation, and if you know how to handle them you can expel error from your thought-body. The Denial Disciple is
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Thaddaeus, presiding at the lower part of your organism, controlling elimination, the action of the lower bowels and the rectum. And I would say that all of these faculties are necessary to the perfect expression of the man. None are despised or unclean. They have not been understood, and through ignorance man has called them mean until they act in that way and cause him pain and sorrow.
When a center loses its power it should be baptized by the Word of the Spirit, the Water of Life. We are told in the Scriptures that Philip went down to Gaza, and there baptized the eunuch, and that Gaza is "a desert place." Now, Gaza—if you will examine your Bible Helps—means a "citadel of strength." It refers to the nerve center in man where Andrew—strength, reigns. Gaza is the physical throne of Strength as Jerusalem is the throne of Love.
Philip, power, and Andrew, strength, are connected with a great nerve, and there is a
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constant vibration going on between the two. You will find that if your back is weak it will affect your voice, showing the sympathy between the two centers,
The back grows weak under the burden of material thought. If you are given to pains in your back, or to periods of easy exhaustion under strain, you may know at once that you need treatment for freedom from material burdens. Eliminate from your mind all thought of the burdens of the world, the burdens of your life, and all seeming labors. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
The fact is that we are pressed upon by these ideas of materiality; thoughts make things, and these material ideas that are pressing upon us are just as substantial in the realm of mind as are these material things in the realm of matter. Everything has origin in thought, and material thoughts will bring forth material things. So you should baptize and cleanse with your spiritual word
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every center, as Philip baptized the eunuch at Gaza. Baptism is cleansing. It always represents the erasing power of the mind. You remember that this eunuch was a representative of Candace, Queen of Ethiopia. That means darkness, the unenlightened.
When the baptizing power of the word is poured upon a center, it eliminates and cleanses all material thought, and your impotence is vitalized with new life, and your whole subconsciousness is awakened and quickened. The word of the Lord is there sown in your body, and once you sow the word of Truth in any of these centers, the cells of which are like little phonograph records, they take the thought you give them, and carry it through the whole organism. The strength baptism goes to the uttermost parts of the body. Every one of the twelve tribes will, under the Divine law, feel the new strength.
Thomas represents the understanding power of man. He is called the doubter,
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because he wanted to know about everything. Thomas is in the front brain, and his twin, Matthew, the will, occupies the same brain area. We are told that these two faculties are jointly in occupation of this part of the "promised land." Like Ephraim and Manasseh, their inheritance is undivided. James, the son of Alphee. us, is divine order. His center is at the navel. Thaddeeus is the expurgator, and has a very important office. He needs your relaxing baptism. Simon, the Canaanite, is zeal—at the medulla, the back head. When you burn with zeal, and you are anxious to accomplish great things, you will generate heat
at the base of your brain.	If this is not
balanced with co-operation of the supplying faculties, you will burn up the tissues and stop the natural flow of blood to the brain.
These powers are all expressed and developed under Divine Mind—remember that. "Not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord." You must keep the
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equipoise ; you must, in all the bringing forth of these twelve powers of man, realize that they come from God—they are directed by the word of God—man is their head.
Judas, who betrayed Jesus, has his throne in the generative center. Judas governs the life consciousness in the body, and without his wise co-operation the organism is drained of its essential substance and dies. Judas is selfish—this is his "devil." Judas governs the most subtle of the "beasts of the field." But he can be redeemed. We certainly could not exist without life; but that life must be guided in Divine ways. There must be a righteous expression of life. Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, must in the end be cleansed of his devil, selfishness—then he will allow the life force to flow to every part of the body. Instead of being a thief—drawing to the sex center the vital forces necessary to the sustenance of the whole man—Judas willM become a supplier. He will give his life to every faculty. Now
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he drains the whole man, and the body dies as a result of his selfish thievery.
So, if you would build up your faculties under the Divine Law, redeem Judas. First have faith in the power of the Spirit, and then speak to Judas the word of purity ; speak to Judas the word of unselfishness. Baptize him with the whole Spirit--Holy Spirit. If there is in you a selfish desire to exercise sensation, to have the pleasures of sense in any of its capacities, give it to the Lord, because, in no other way can you get eternal life.
Jesus Christ came to give us eternal life. But, suppose that we should have an increase of life, with our present selfish subconscious state of mind, what would be the result? Why, we would draw a larger volume of life, and for a time have a little more pleasure, but the end would be death of the body.
Judas also extends his selfishness out into the world. He is greedy for gold, for jew-
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els, for houses, for lands, for the good things of the world. But in the end he has to let go of them.
If I could tell you how to make a million dollars every day for the next three hundred and sixty-five days, this building would not hold the audience, and yet, I assure you that these words of advice as to how to control your life, how to build up the whole man, is of more value to you than a million dollars a day would be. The powerlessness of things to help men when life is at stake was illustrated in the wreck of the Titanic. For example, one man said that he decided to go back to his cabin, where he had over three hundred thousand dollars worth of jewels and money, and take them with him. He opened the case where he kept his valuables, and then he thought, "What baubles ; they can do me no good," and he selected from all that rich store a little pin, closed the case and threw it on -the floor. Instead of money and jewels he took three oranges and went
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back on deck. That man came to himself. But he needed the help of God. He needed spiritual understanding ; he needed the realization of the Divine Power. So every one of us will find that the real issue is not to gain the things of the world. "For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world and forfeit his life?" No ! The real issue is the development of the powers of the soul. It is the bringing forth of the real man, through the Law of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Benediction: We thank Thee, Almighty Father, for the revelation of thy Law. We thank thee for this understanding. We are thy ministers, and thy creators—we bring forth ourselves under thy law. Now, we ask thy blessing. The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make his face to shine upon thee and give thee peace. Amen.
WISE MEN
It sometimes takes men a long time to appreciate the wonderful things lying all about them. 'We are a progressive people, looking for new and greater things, and yet some of the greatest discoveries are not yet appreciated by us. Probably the most wonderful discovery that has ever been made is this, "Wherever man centers his attention there he gets results according to his faith." This is so very near to us, and is such a stupendous proposition, that we have not realized it as the greatest discovery.
It is widely accepted by people who believe the Scriptures and apply their knowledge, that man is originally and naturally a spiritual being. Jesus Christ gave expression to this when he said, "Glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." This was a centering by him of his attention upon that glory which is spir-
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itual consciousness, and includes everything, especially understanding. As metaphysicians we have found that we get into this higher consciousness by affirming, "My spiritual understanding is now restored." This is exactly what Jesus Christ was doing when he said, "Glorify thou me." We have that same privilege of concentration, of placing ourselves in that spiritual realm of consciousness called the Kingdom of God. We will now enter into the mind of the Spirit with the prayer, "My spiritual understanding is now restored."
(Silence)
Wise men from the East came to find the young child Jesus and bring to him presents. This is representative of that wisdom which comes to man as he rises from sense consciousness to spiritual consciousness. It is said by wise men (and I mean by wise men those who are familiar with spiritual law) that with the birth of the Christ in man's consciousness there is provided by the Father
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all that is necessary for the care of the Christ-child. The new consciousness of the new life is first formed in the mind, but it has a visible expression. Jesus was the visible expression of the Christ. The visible expression was in harmony with its mental prototype, which was founded in a higher law than the ordinary man comprehends. Jesus represents what is going on in every one of us who receives the Truth and applies it. Every believer in the new birth, in regeneration, needs wisdom to deal with the new forces, the new life and substance that are quickened in him. Wisdom is more precious than rubies and through it we shall become masters of all things, as Jesus demonstrated.
Spiritual-minded people who pray for the descent of the Spirit often receive more than they can handle. The Spirit flows into the consciousness and they are illumined, but the old trend of mind remains active, and, with increased powers which they do not control,
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they often go into fanaticism. "The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light," said Jesus. Those who become leaders in the intellectual world usually have a self-confident, self-sufficient quality that carries them forward. They do not consult men nor books, but work out their problems for themselves. The spiritually-minded often lack confidence in themselves and the Higher Law. They seek authorities without instead of the Wisdom within. Let us seek an all-around development and look always to the All-informing Wisdom, and be persistent in applying it. This means in every department of life.
Wisdom does not come with a great illumination, but a little here and a little there the light comes gradually to us, and is incorporated into consciousness with use. We should follow that light in all the relations of life, and make it the foundation principle of all that we do. Then all that we come in touch with will be glorified with the light.
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But the light within and the light without must be connected before our illumination becomes a permanent, shining glory. We see in all the world just what is in ourselves, and if we have the Spirit of Wisdom we shall see good everywhere. If we see that which is not good, then we have not Wisdom. There is some good to be found in all things; let us speak of that. It is said that even tombstones speak well of those beneath them.
Begin the realization of Wisdom by affirming: "I know the law of Good, and I open the way to that good. I and my Father are one Wisdom. I throw all my force into the omnipotent glory and see light everywhere."
Does this light manifest in what we call the organic world? Yes. Light from the higher consciousness causes the face to shine. Probably those who have this experience do not know all that goes on in consciousness, but every cell vibrates to the high thought. A bar of steel can be set in* such active
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vibration that it will emanate light. When Jesus Christ was on the mount of transfiguration/ his whole body, and even his garments, did shine. In those who know the Truth a change goes on in the very brain cells, in every atom of the organism, and the light within shines to the without. "They that be wise shall shine as the sun, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever."
But we must cultivate a shining state of mind, and express it through all the avenues of our being. The shining of the Spirit reveals a grand unity. We are all of one Spirit. Paul said we were all of one blood; that is, one life. Some one has said that human sympathy is the connecting link between man and man. Sympathy is another name for love. We must, with wisdom, have love. Love and wisdom meeting in the heart, make the perfect man. Love is the wife of wisdom. Wisdom is masculine; love is feminine. You cannot leave love out
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of wisdom, any more than you can leave woman out of the life of man.
The three wise men were not from the Orient, but from the East. The East, in Scripture, always means the within. We have within us a reserve force, the summing up of all we have ever been, of all the lives we have ever lived. I once heard the explanation given that the wise men as incarnated in the individuality of Jesus were Life, Love and Wisdom, and these accompanied him all through his life. He drew upon them and they were the foundation of all the works that he did.
We do not all at once receive power to do marvelous things. This power is the result of accumulated experience reduced to order. When men build a structure they first get their material together. So we must accumulate the necessary spiritual forces before we can do any great spiritual work. When we gather together our forces and direct them in wisdom, the work of regener-
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ation goes grandly forward. We are building a house not made with hands, a habitation eternal in the heavens. This is the perfect spiritual body. The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God and it must pass away, but the wisdom of God abides forever. We must build in the wisdom that endures. When we do this, our building will never pass away. This knowledge gives security and confidence. No difference what occurs we shall abide, if we fashion our lives, our bodies in Divine Wisdom. There is something in us which says, "I am one with Truth; before the worlds were framed I was." This is the Spirit of Wisdom.
THE DAY OF REST
That there is a law back of the universe, none of us deny ; but all the details, all the statutes, all the governing principles of that law are not plain to us. If they were, we would observe the law of God, the law universal, the law of the cosmos, and everything would go on in our lives as it does in the eternal heavens. There would be no conflict; we would not run against each other ; there would be no resistance, but perfect harmony would pertain in all our ways.
There is such a law and rule in every man's life; it is not a law external, but a law internal, a law of Spirit, of Mind. This law is based in thought, and when man begins the observance of some simple thought action he finds that it opens the door to a larger understanding, and also makes way for a better use of the powers of the mind.
The mind has its steps of activity and rest.
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You can, if you practice mental rest, come into a place in your consciousness where you stop personal effort and rest in Spirit. Yet it is not the rest of inactivity, but the rest of Divine Energy. Instead of making any effort on your own account, the Great Universal makes the effort for you.
Metaphysicians practice holding thoughts of peace until they find this place. Jesus pointed the way to this quiet state when he said, "My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you." "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He discovered that place in his consciousness, and he practiced until he could , at will; throw himself into that state of mind and radiate it to others. Everyone who finds that same place of rest that he found, is rested.
It is a very good thing to know how to rest yourself after your labors. It is also good to know how to lay all your burdens on Jesus. We will begin our meeting this
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morning by resting in the consciousness of the great Universal Mind. The open door is to appreciate or acknowledge that there is such a place, then mentally affirm it and rest in it. We will say, as a centralizing thought, "I rest in the consciousness of Spirit as given by Jesus Christ. I rest this day and all days from all my labors."
(Silence)
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy." It is popularly supposed that this command originated with Moses, but recent discoveries in cuneiform records in the buried city of Nineveh reveals that the Chaldeans had a seventh day of rest. It is also found that in the pagan nations, long before the Hebrews were known to history, there were days of rest, which would indicate that a regular day of rest has long been observed by the human family. So it must be right and good for man to rest from his labors at intervals suited to his needs.
As metaphysicians, we would search out
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the law which, reflected into externals, causes man to need this day of rest. We know that there must be a cause for every act, and by finding that cause we can better observe the law. If we give ourselves up wholly to external rule we gradually come under the law we have created, and are eventually its slaves. Instead of giving us good, as it should, it brings restrictions and burdens. In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees, following literally the law of Moses, had become its slaves. They had made the law of the sab-bath oppressive by their restrictions. For example, a blind man could not carry a staff on the sabbath day, because that would be bearing a burden. Neither could a man wear sandals that had metal pegs in them. That would also be carrying burdens. Nor could a man use false teeth on Sunday, because that would be bearing burdens. They also had a law that one could go only two thousand paces from his domicile on the sab-bath day, but, in order to extend the journey,
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they got around it by carrying along a little something to eat, which they partook of at the end of the two thousand paces, and where a man ate was his domicile. So he could go on another two thousand paces. There were many similar evasions of the law which showed that they did not understand its principle.
No work could be done on the sabbath day. One of the restrictions was that no woman could look in a mirror, because, if she looked, she might see a gray hair and pluck it out, and that would be a species of labor. When Jesus came, men had made the burden of the law grievous, and he sought to set them free. He and his disciples went into the fields of grain on the sabbath day and plucked the heads and rolled them in their hands and ate them. Now, that was sacrilege in the sight of the Pharisees, and, in extreme cases, that sacrilege was punishable by death. They were looking for opportunities to accuse him, and here was a
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good one. But he said, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sab-bath." Man is greater than the law. He healed the man with the withered hand on the sabbath day, and he called their attention, to certain occurrences in the Old Testament, where David, being enhungered, went in and ate the precious or sacred shewbread, which was only for the priests. He showed them that the necessities and demands of men are greater than the law. Man makes the law. Jesus said, "Isn't it better to do good on the sabbath day than to do harm ?" He said to the man with the withered hand, "Stretch forth thy hand," and he was healed. All of which indicates that the same power that sets free the bondage of self-imposed laws of a religious character can also set free the law that binds the members of the body. It is as easy to say "Thy sins be forgiven thee," as it is to say "Take up thy bed and walk."
In Genesis it is written that God created for six days, and rested on the seventh. Giv-
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ing that a metaphysical interpretation we find that Divine Mind had six moving periods in the ideal, followed by a rest. The mind of God saw in Spirit seven steps, and having taken those seven steps under a righteous law, there was a rest ; and that rest goes out into all creation. It does not mean that all nature rests one sidereal day out of seven ; that the growth of animal and plant life, or the movements of the heavenly bodies, stop on the seventh day. Not at all. There is a constant going forth of the six great impulses of Divine Mind, and an inner rest. There is activity and rest everywhere, and when we know this law and observe it, our days of activity and our day of rest will follow each other in order, and there will be none of that exhaustion, that breaking down, which comes to people who constantly push ahead and have no days of rest, who have no periods or stopping places in life's drama.
In the time of Jesus, Saturday was the sabbath day ; and among the Jews it is now.
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The Christian church desired to commemorate resurrection day instead of the day that he lay in the tomb, hence the adoption of the first day as the sabbath. For a long time the early church observed both days, the Jews' sabbath and the Christian sabbath. They had two Sundays. Some people would like to have two Sundays now—or even more, they are so eager for rest of a certain kind.
However, this is not a matter of observing days, but ascertaining the needs and laws governing men. It isn't that we shall observe a certain day of the week for our Sunday. The Chinese have an entirely different Sunday from ours, and they get along very well. It is really a matter of knowing what the needs of your mind and body are. Your attention was called to the six days' creation as being six movements of the mind. First, is the making manifest of light. "And God said, Let there be light." This is the perception of the law. You will find, in your own
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experience, in the exercise of your mind, that the first perception of Truth is like a flash of light. You will see how certain things are in the realms of the ideal, and no one can explain to you just how you see it. Then the next step is the second day, when the heavens appear, which is faith in things spiritual. Then that takes form, and you begin to see it as substance—the dry land appears—that is the third day. And so you go on for six days, according to the symbology of the Scriptures, until your mind rests. That is the sabbath of the mind—the seventh day.
You will be surprised at the consciousness of peace and satisfaction which will come to you when you take that attitude of resting in the Lord, resting in the Spirit. The great majority of people who live in the outer world know nothing about absolute rest ; that rest that gives satisfaction and builds up the man. They think that rest is going to sleep. The fact is that, unless the mind enters into rest firstlit carries its activities into sleep, and
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it works all night, and the man is as tired when he wakes in the morning as he was when he went to sleep. That isn't rest. That isn't entering into that great universal satisfaction. Before you fall asleep, if your mind has been very active, you should put it into the rest of the Spirit, and then that consciousness will enter into the body, and your whole being will be rested. Every muscle, every nerve in that organism will come under the law of spiritual rest. It is a wonderfully good thing to know this law. If you use it, it will build you up ; it will give you strength and energy for the next day's work.
A good metaphysician makes his statements of Truth, or utters his prayers, and then rests in the consciousness that the law will do its perfect work without further effort on his part. You know people, probably, who do the very best they know how, and after they have done that best, are constantly thinking, "Well, I ought to have done bet-
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ter, or I might have done this or that, or the other thing." They are never satisfied with their work. They keep the mind in a state of agitation, a state of unrest. You get nervous, you get wrought up ; you destroy your vital force in such states of constant activity. If you find yourself getting nervous or tense, at once take the attitude of work well done, and say, "I rest ; I am satisfied with what I have done." "What I have done, I have done," and let it rest at that. "What I have done, I have done the very best that I knew how, and I rest in the consciousness that it is well done."
But there is even a deeper rest than this, and that is that spiritual rest that Jesus Christ realized and promised to those who believed in him. That is the rest of God. There is a great spiritual rest in which man can feel the peace of the Universal Mind ; and it is possible for us to enter into that rest and come to the place in mind, in affairs, too, where there will be a cessation of the mental
82	TEMPLE TALKS
and physical activities that wear us out. Instead of being torn down, we will be built up, when we rest in the sabbath day of the Spirit.
All of God's Creative work is done and he rests in the Great Sabbath Day. It is given to the Son, the Lord God, to carry out the ideals of Divine Mind. In other words, Divine Mind is entering into that second step, faith in its Word to do that which it has spoken forth. Man is the offspring of God and works in mind like his Father, hence what we have done is good, and very good. Put the stamp of the very good on all that you have done. Although you may have made mistakes, if you will put the thought of goodness into what you have done, it will lead on to something better. By taking this attitude you will do your work a little better next time, and you will see a little farther into the work that you are doing ; and it will be shown to you how you may accomplish a little more, if you rest in the Eternal Goodness. God, as the Great Universal Mind,
THE DAY OF REST	83
is working with you. He is working with every one of us. There is no other source of life or intelligence but the one Divine Life and the one Divine Intelligence. Then cooperate with it, enter into it, make it part of your life, by abiding in its activity and its rest.
You will notice in the Genesis account that in the seventh day God rested from all his labors, and he blessed the sabbath day. Now, do you ever bless your day of rest? If you bless, you will find an added satisfaction and increase in whatever you are doing, because blessing has increasing power. Whatever you bless you increase. If you bless the good, you increase the good. If you curse, you destroy. Cursing is always destructive, while blessing is always constructive. All metaphysicians take that law of blessing into all their affairs, and they increase the good by blessing all their words and acts, and all the people to whom they minister.
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We know that the good in Divine Mind can be expressed, can be blessed into the lives of men and into the world, until it will transform the whole universe. But we should not let out zeal eat us up. I know people who work in the name of the good until they are nervous wrecks. They wear themselves to a frazzle in good works, and when they go down, people say, "Oh, what a blessed spirit; how she or he has worked for God r But they didn't work understandingly. They didn't work understandingly because they didn't know the law of rest.
I don't wear myself out by working all day and all night, in the service of God, even. God wants me to rest in his Spirit ; so I insist upon having my rest. Not that I want to sleep all the time. That isn't rest. That is animal cessation of activity. But, when I rest in the Spirit, I go into the silence, and I commune with God. I say, "Father, I am thy obedient Son; I want to do thy
THE DAY OF REST	85
will and thy work; but I want to keep on living. I don't want to wear out my organism; I don't want to break down my mental activity; I don't want to disrupt the law between mind and body; but I want to enter into the peace and harmony of Spirit on the one side, and activity on the other." We must all do that if we would sustain the equipoise between mind and body ; and the only way to accomplish this is to insist upon the law that this day of rest is made for man; that man shall not be driven by the law. I must not allow myself to be driven by external conditions. The idea that I must work continuously, from morning till night, to make a living—no! That/ is allowing the law to make a slave of me.
The only condition that God requires of you is obedience to his law. Take that into your mind and begin at once the observance of the law of life, and you will have energy and capacity ; you will do in five minutes that which now takes you all day. You will find
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that, through taking God into partnership with you, through entering into God's rest, new powers will arise in you, and you will know what forces rule in the silence ; you will know the power of the Spirit to build you up; and this is the rest of God. Tel is that place of peace which Jesus Christ said he would prepare for those who believed in him. And this is the rest into which we can all enter, if we only believe in it. But you must believe in it for yourself; you must believe in it as being prepared for you, and then, through your word, enter into it. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Those words are constantly going forth and are being spoken to every one of us. If you are tired; if you are burdened with worldly care; if you are nervous; if you are tense; if even the organs of your body are not working properly because of some hard, irritant, burdened, or anxious, or fear state of mind, just let go, relax, and go into the rest of God.
THIS ONE THING I DO
This one thing I do" is the key to success in life. It of course makes a difference what that "one thing" is; but whatever you decide to do, do it with all your might. Do it as if it were the only thing in the universe, and you cannot fail Observation proves that this is true. Look about you in the world and you will find that those who succeed follow some one ideal and stick to it, to the exclusion of everything else.
We are following the spiritual side of life, and the question naturally arises, Can we apply this law of singleness of purpose to spiritual principles, and can we have success in applying it in the same proportion that we find people in the world having? Our answer is that, in the spiritual realm, singleness of purpose is more potent than in the natural realm. Again and again the wise in spiritual things have called our attention to the neces-
88	TEMPLE TALKS
sity of singleness of purpose in attaining the kingdom.
The most successful people in demonstra-ing the power of the Spirit have been the Jews. Their history shows that they differed from all other religious people in this one respect ; that they worshiped one God, while the Gentiles had many gods. You remember the sermon that Paul preached to the Athenians on Mars Hill in which he told them that he had observed that they were superstitious, but that he came to proclaim the character of the unknown God, to whom they had erected an altar. It is said that there were 3000 images of gods in Athens at this time.
The Jewish people have, through the worship of the one God, developed a certain center of life, energy, vitality and force of character that has distinguished them wherever they have been. They are a peculiar people, and that peculiarity is the result of singleness of purpose in spiritual things. Not that they are necessarily more spiritual than others, but
THIS ONE THING I DO	89
they have a vital force in them which could only have been brought about through great concentration of thought upon some one idea. This concentration of thought has not always expressed itself in the accumulation of material things. If you were asked the dominant characteristic of the Jewish people you would doubtless say, "The getting of money." That is the material outpicturing of a spiritual idea. The mind can concentrate upon the One God and become Jesus, or it can throw that same concentration upon gold and become Judas. Jacob, by sharp practices, got away with all the cattle of his father-in-law. He represents the man who sees the power of spiritual ideas, but reduces them to a material basis. But Jacob finally had his famine.
A large idea will work out in large ways. A man's acts never reach higher than his ideals. If we would do great things we must have great ideals. What is the largest and greatest idea that you can conceive? You
90	TEMPLE TALKS
will say at once, "Divine Mind." It is the imminent force in the universe; it is the one source of life, substance and intelligence in man. Then if we would have all success, let us turn our attention to that and make it the ideal and the impetus of everything that we do. Will there be any lack of success in our lives if we are true to this One Mighty Idea ? No. We will be pushed to every goal in spite of seeming weakness, in spite of seeming inability. The question is, How true are we to the One God?
Some people say that success depends upon a good constitution, and it is true that health does play a large part in the drama of life. People sometimes fail because they have not the mental and physical stamina. They have not continually drawn upon the One Infinite Life as the basis of health. It is necessary then that we look to Divine Mind, the One God, as the source of our health, and establish ourselves in his strength and wholeness.
THIS ONE THING I DO	91
You who have had experience in following this law will testify that you always get abiding health when you look to God. But we meet people every day who claim to be followers of the One God, who is the health of his people, and yet who resort to all kinds of remedies to attain health. Then they wonder why they are not successful ; they wonder why they have ills. A lady said to me the other day, "I don't understand why I don't get well. I am doing everything to get health. I am trying -atbw the healing waters of a famous medical spring, and I am taking a tonic, and have two doctors, and a trained nurse, and I've just tried everything, and you people have been treating me, too. Now I would just like to know why I don't get well?" It never seemed to occur to her that she had a divided mind, that she was scattering her ideas, and getting farther and farther from the One Life Source. We smile at her when we understand the necessity of singleness of mind in spiritual healing,
92	TEMPLE TALKS
but perhaps, like this woman, if we had not had our attention called to the proposition, we would have asked in all innocence why it was we were not made well when we were so indefatigable in our efforts.
It is necessary that we understand that there is one great underlying Principle of Life. It is not material, but spiritual. You can't get life out of materiality any more than you can get blood out of a turnip. Life comes from Spirit. It is generated in the spiritual consciousness in man, and the more you call upon that inner spiritual consciousness, the more your mind works with this spiritual Principle of Life, the more you build up your vitality.
We all want more vitality, more abundant life. We want to be vitalized and energized and quickened and made powerful and strong by the One Spirit. How shall this be brought about ? By looking to a thousand and one outer aids? By taking a little of this and a little of that, and believing
THIS ONE THING I DO	93
what the mixed medical science of the day says? Certainly not! Of course, one can work on that plane, and sometimes seem to have a measure of success, but it isn't lasting; it isn't permanent ; it isn't true. We can attain health only through singleness of purpose to the one Source of Health, which is the source of everything, the Supreme Mind and its Word, Christ.
If you want success financially, remember that God is your Resource. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." Then be single to the one thought, "God is my supply and support." Welcome all that comes, but see it as coming from Divine Mind. Give thanks to God constantly for plenty, and you will find that the idea of abundance will become a plastic working principle in your mind, and through your mind, into all of your affairs. Be single to the idea of abundance, see abundance, talk abundance, think abundance ; do not let any other thought come into your mind, and you
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will demonstrate abundance in spite of all adversities.
In matters of wisdom and understanding and knowledge, the same law holds good. Be true to the spiritual Principle of Knowing and let no other thought come into consciousness. God is the Great Wisdom. Center your thoughts constantly on the omnipresence of Knowledge, and it will educate your brain. If you wish to understand the Spirit of this Bible, take God into your mind as the all-informing Life, and the light of Divine Mind will be thrown into your consciousness and you will know whatever you wish to know.
“Be ye therefore perfect," said Jesus, "even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." We have thought that was an impossibility. How could man be as perfect as God? The answer is simple. God is the One Mind and we are the offspring of that Mind. We are its expression and it is striving to express itself in us in its fullness.
THIS ONE THING I DO	95
Cannot the spring rise as high as its source? Why put any limits upon it? It must be a joy to the Divine Mind to find someone in the world who will stand up and let it express itself in him in all of its fullness. That is what made Jesus Christ greater than the ordinary man. He was willing to let the fullness of God into his mind and body. If we were, every one of us, willing to let this One God, this One Mind, express itself in us as Infinite Wisdom, as Unfailing Life, as constantly increasing supply and support, as eternal goodness, could we ever fail in any of these things? It would be impossible. Then let us do this one thing, be true to the God Likeness. Behold as in a mirror the image of the One Ideal and become like it.
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CONTENTS	
The Book of the Law		3
Man's Power to Forgive Sin		10
Christ Is Risen		17
Obedience 		30
Forgive Us Our Debts		37
The Twelve Powers of Man		45
Wise Men 		63
The Day of Rest		71
This One Thing I Do		87
CHARLES FILLMORE'S WRITINGS Christian Healing, Revised Edition
A book of 266 pages, 51/2x71/2 inches in size, containing twelve lessons on the sub. ject of Christian Healing and Spiritual Development, with a set of statements to be used in connection with each lesson. In addition to the twelve regular lessons there are thirteen chapters on subjects of interest to Truth students, including a chapter on "How Healing Is Done," with sample treatments for special ceases.
In green paper cover, 75 cents, postpaid. In green cloth, stamped in gold with gold top, $1.50, postpaid.
Temple Talks
This booklet is one of a series of five. They are all uniform in size and style. Each book contains ninty-six pages, 4x6. The volumes are numbered One, Two, Three, Four and Five.
The five books include fifty-two addresses delivered by Mr. Charles Fillmore in Unity Auditorium at Kansas City. They have been chosen from the best of Mr. Fillmore's addresses, and we recommend them to all who are searching for a message of Truth.
Temple Talks, in artistic paper covers, 25 cents per volume; cloth bound, stamped in gold, 75 cents per volume.
UNITY TRACT SOCIETY, 913-917 Tracy Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
, YALE UNIVERSITY
	i924
SERIES NUMBER FOUR
TEMPLE TALKS
BY
CHARLES FILLMORE
Series Number Four
Being Extracts from Addresses Delivered
before the
Unity Society of Practical Christianity,
Kansas City, Mo.
1912
PUBLISHED BY
UNITY TRACT SOCIETY,
Unity Bldg., 913 Tracy Ave.,
Kansas City, Mo.
HEALTH IS CATCHING
OU may know certain things and
yet not be conscious that you
know them. Our minds are con-
scious only as we assert consciousness by bringing to attention of I Am the things we wish to realize. This morning we shall consider the subject, "Health Is Catching." This is a self-evident proposition, yet we are not always conscious of it. If our minds are not turned consciously in that direction we may go off into error and think that disease is catching. Consciousness eats (affirms) of the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil. If good is desired it must be affirmed. Begin with an affirmation of the omnipotence of health. Heath means spiritual harmony, poise and balance of all the faculties, and it comes from an appreciation of the One Infinite Mind as all-present and all-powerful. Our affirmation and
4	TEMPLE TALKS
prayer this morning will be, "I am poised and balanced in the consciousness of the presence and power of the One Infinite Mind. God is the health of his people."
(Silence)
That health is catching should go without argument. It should not be necessary to even mention the adverse proposition. Of course health is catching. There is nothing but health. The universe is founded on harmony, on the right adjustment of all things, and that of necessity leads to health.
We accept many things without understanding them. If some one suggests a certain proposition and you accept it on his understanding, you have not laid hold of the real, and you never will understand until you know for yourself the logic and reason upon which it is founded. It is one thing to accept as true another's conclusion, but quite another to be logically convinced of it.
How have you thought of this proposition that health is catching? If it appeals to you
HEALTH IS CATCHING	5
that disease is catching, it is because of the universal teaching that it is so. People and newspapers and books are constantly telling us how to avoid the contagion of disease. They keep the thought of sickness active in consciousness, with the natural result that many minds are charged with the thought of disease instead of being poised in the idea of health. Directly the opposite course should be taken. The consciousness should be charged with the logical truth and understanding that health is the foundation of all. We are all naturally healthy ; disease is the neg-ative—the no-thing of Being.
The teaching of Jesus Christ along this line is plain to those who read spiritually. He was positive in the thought of health and he became a radiant center of healing thoughts. He thought about the universal health until his very clothing was charged with health-giving virtue. The woman sick for years, who had suffered many things of many physicians and was not bettered, but made worse,
6	TEMPLE TALKS
touched the hem of his garment and was healed.
Health is a matter of mind education. Spiritual man is perfectly healthy. But we have to deal with the mentality. It has power to form ideas of disease or health, as it may elect. We have placed before us two states of consciousness, the real and the unreal, the true and the false. We intuitively know that health and harmony are the essence of Being, and that is why we are always striving for them. By thinking and talking about health as the one reality, we make ourselves healthy. Some health teachers sow seeds of disease when they are ignorant of this law of the mentality to create conditions according to the dominant thought. Physicians and boards of health often generate the very condition they seek to avoid. They describe symptoms of diseases and how to avoid them, and the great danger of contagion, until people are panic stricken, and the whole thought atmosphere reeks with disease instead of
HEALTH IS CATCHING	7
health. Through fear the radiant health of the body is repressed, the vitality lowered and the naturally healthy man believes himself sick.
There must be a total reversion of this process of education in the matter of health. The doctors should learn more and talk more about the reality of health and the overcoming power of man, and less about disease. There are all sorts of theories about microbes of various kinds, but the very latest is that all microbes are by nature constructive, and that disease microbes are these naturally good workers in a state of anarchy. Why these builders of the body should turn about and try to destroy it, men of material science do not explain, but metaphysicians know the cause. It is thoughts of anger, jealousy, fear, worry, etc., thrown by the carnal mind into the ranks of the body builders that causes them to turn and rend it.
We are told that everything may become infected with disease microbes; they get into
8	TEMPLE TALKS
the food and the water and into the body. Everything must be sterilized. When we travel we must carry our own drinking cups, and at every turn we are met with some warning. I read the other day that our health board had reported that the straps dangling in our street cars were just reeking with disease germs. We are told that when we walk the streets we gather disease germs on our shoe soles, and that the ladies' skirts are alive with them. Everybody who believes these things is kept in a constant tremor of fear. If we know the very first principles of mind action we see that this state of fear brings forth conditions after its kind. "The thing that I greatly feared hath come upon me."
However, these teachers of the people tell the truth when they say that a strong, assertive state of mind, in other words a well vitalized man, is not subject to these negative conditions. But they do not tell how to attain the consciousness of power and force that will turn destructive microbes into con-
HEALTH IS CATCHING	9
structive ones. This is the secret of metaphysicians. The fact is that all manifest life is formed of life germs or microbes. The water we drink has no life except that given it by microbes. Suppose there was in the water an adverse, destructive microbe; what power could it have over one who was strong in the realization of the universality of health, one who was constantly vitalizing himself with health thoughts, who knows God as the Universal everywhere-present life, the fountain of health?
It may be true of us, at it was of Jesus Christ, that our minds may be so charged with the idea of health that everything we touch will be healed. He said to the woman who touched the hem of his garment, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." So it is a matter of mind, of faith, and not of mere outer radiation. In order to make health permanent and our minds radiating centers of health, from which everything and everybody may catch health, we must school
10	TEMPLE TALKS
our thoughts and train them to think about health as the one and only reality. Common schools do not teach us how to care for our thoughts, but how to get ahead in the world. In his illustration of the sheep and the goats, Jesus used the sheep as representing man's true thoughts, and the I Am as the shepherd. Your thoughts must be under your care as sheep are under the care of the shepherd. He leads them out to pasture and watches over them that no wild animals may destroy them. The wolf represents an invading, devouring thought of lack. Thoughts, like sheep, fall down the mountain side and into crevices, and the I Am must rescue them and restore them to the fold. We must watch our thoughts as carefully as the shepherd watches his sheep. Goats are sensual thoughts. They are the obstinate, adverse microbes that have to be put aside when you separate and discipline your mind.
The whole object of creation is to make a man. What kind of a man are you making?
HEALTH IS CATCHING	I I
Are you making a man who believes in discord and fear, or are you making one who believes in the real? If you believe in the man that God made, adverse outer conditions have no power over you. The Son of God is potentially perfect in all of us, but as in Jesus Christ, he must be brought forth a living, seeing, tangible reality. This is accomplished only by practice in affirming the reality of the Good. We all have the desire to be good, true and healthy, and this desire must be fulfilled in us and through us into all things, because it is true. First is the mental concept of perfection, then its outworking through obedience to the law. We must take the constructive side of every proposition. To guard against the invasion of adverse thoughts, poise yourself in a steady faith in the Omnipresent Good, and dwell upon it as the one reality to the total exclusion of every thought of an opposite.
In Oriental countries the shepherd calls his sheep by name and they obey his com-
12	TEMPLE TALKS
mand. So you can name your thoughts, and they will answer to the name you give them. When you name "strength," every strength-giving thought will listen, and if you speak with authority, they will respond to your word. If you name health, all the microbes that are building a strong, perfect body will give attention. If you speak of power, that dominion which you desire will be manifest. This is worth knowing, and it is easily applied. And it is worth more than all the knowledge of the world. Striving for things, and personal ambitions, are not to be compared with this culture of the mind. What doth it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses dominion over his soul?
THE LAMB OF GOD
One of the attitudes of mind which opens to spiritual understanding and spiritual power is non-resistance, a consciousness that right, truth, innocence is its own defense. When you have that consciousness, you are not aggressive; you simply rest in your own innocence. Our subject today is "The Lamb of God," and we should know what that means in our own consciousness. Our prayer and meditation this morning will be, "I do not resist evil in any of its forms. I rest in the consciousness of my spiritual innocence."
(Silence)
In the New Testament Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Word of God, and the Lamb of God. In the latter appellation he is the least understood by men, because they have not in themselves demonstrated the principle which
14	TEMPLE TALKS
the Lamb of God represents. By nature we are the Son of man. Through spiritual understanding we know ourselves to be the Son of God. We know also that all that is in Divine Mind is in us, consequently the Word of God must be expressed in and through us, because we are the Word or thought of God-Mind. The unselfishness of God is bestowed upon us and in this respect we are the Lamb of God.
Jesus Christ in his life demonstrated that life-giving principle, which is designated as the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world. Selfishness lays hold of the life forces and stops their free action. Selflessness lets the everywhere-present life flow without obstruction and it thus becomes a cleansing stream.
It is the Lamb of God that takes a certain stand in the presence of opposition and, through a law not understood by men, has the victory. We should, if we would be followers of Jesus Christ in the regeneration,
THE LAMB OF GOD	1 5
know more about that state of mind which the Lamb of God represents.
Every man must bring out in himself all the possibilities of Man. In an analysis of the Lamb in its relation to ourselves and the race, it is necessary to go back a little. We have to admit, although the thought is not strictly scientific, that humanity has fallen into sinful ways. We are told that there was a time when the human race on this planet was almost extinct. Lack of spiritual understanding in men had separated them from the One Life. It was necessary that a new understanding should be brought to them, a new influx of life, a new mentality, in order that they be saved from total extinction. This was the office of Jesus Christ. He had the consciousness of life and proclaimed it. He knew that he was sent to bring the human family to a higher standard of manhood. There was need of this standard, not only in an external way, but within men. Through thinking material, sensual
16	TEMPLE TALKS
thoughts the race had polluted the life and substance which had been given to it by the Father, and it was, through the infusion of Jesus Christ, offered a panacea.
Life is first a mental concept, an idea, which finds expression in the living, acting personality. Blood represents life. It is not merely a stream of material corpuscles flowing through the body, but the active principle of _being. That the turbid blood of the body may be quickened into swift action by thought-energy: common observation shows. This, however, is the key to a law that, used in Divine ways, makes perpetual or eternal life possible. This constant flow of life is a mighty purifier of all life. Jesus opened the way for us to this pure stream, and in order to come into direct relations with him, we must take the stand that there is a pure, unpolluted spiritual life and substance quickened in us through him.
The lamb in its mentality represents the attitude of nonresistance. Lambs do not
THE LAMB OF GOD	1 7
fight nor selfishly contend for anything. Jesus did not fight; he was the Lamb of God. Those who follow him in his lamb-likeness must cultivate the nonresistant spirit. The absolutely innocent, nonresistant principle of being easily demonstrates over all antagonism. Victory comes through this Lamb. It takes high, clear spiritual understanding to appreciate this, but it is a truth that we can enter into a state of mind in which we realize our innocence, justice and righteousness in the sight of God, and know it to be equal to the doing away of all warring elements within or without. We do not have to fight. In the presence of anger or opposition we can so rest in the consciousness of absolute innocence that all enmity will be overcome.
If you preached this doctrine to unregenerate man he would say you were cowardly; that you would never win unless you stood up for your rights. Here the lion and the lamb lie down together in that you know that true courage and innocence are in harmony with
18	TEMPLE TALKS
Divine Law. Jesus Christ was in one of his aspects a lion, absolutely fearless. This phase of his consciousness was manifest in his early ministry. He condemned the Pharisees, drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip of cords, and proclaimed his power right and left. He was the king and had come to set up a kingdom. But as he went on in his ministry he became more and more mellow, less resistant. He seemed to allow any indignity. When Peter cut off the ear of the High Priest's servant Jesus immediately healed it, and when they put him on the cross he said, "Father forgive them." This was the victory of the Lamb, and it was in this respect that he came to instruct man in the law of absolute nonresistance.
Doubtless those who hear of the lion and the lamb lying down together will tell you that this is possible only when the lamb is inside the lion. I assure you that these two may become perfectly friendly, and there
THE LAMB OF GOD	19
will be no tendency on the part of the lion to devour. It will come through unselfish striving for the good of all instead of the good of self. The difference between the lion and the lamb is that the one is selfish, the other unselfish. From the inception of Jesus Christ's ministry, Christianity has stood forth as a wonderful example of unselfishness. Men infused with the Christ Spirit have ten thousand times made martyrs of themselves for Christ's sake. Doubters and skeptics have always marveled that men and women would so willingly endure privations for the sake of helping others. Commerce and religion go side by side as pioneers in strange lands, but commerce strives to gain for self, while religion sacrifices self for others. We read in history that a priest in Rome reported to the Pope that certain flaxen-haired children were being sold in the slave market. It was found that the children were Saxons and that they came from Briton, a country then unknown to the Ro-
20	TEMPLE TALKS
mans. Yet these early Christian priests volunteered to go to Briton and work for the conversion of those darkened souls and they soon made Christianity the ruling religion. And so throughout the history of the followers of Jesus Christ ; they have been willing to undertake seemingly impossible tasks for the sake of helping their fellow-men.
Back of all symbols, back of all theology is a principle which, if demonstrated in your life, will work miracles for you and solve all your problems. How far have you carried your unselfish devotion to the principle of your being? Just to the extent that you have done this have you entered into the consciousness of the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world. If you enter into that inner innocence within you, you have the victory over all enemies. Take an attitude of absolute spiritual innocence and no longer war with nor oppose the things that seem to be standing in your way. Relax your mind and muscles with the realization that there is
THE LAMB OF GOD	21
no opposition or resistance in Divine Mind, and hold yourself in that impregnable place. Then will begin the purification of your blood and the rejuvenation of your flesh.
We have need of the assurance that Jesus Christ the Divine Helper in us overcomes all difficulties when we enter into the innocence of the Lamb of God, and in the very presence of evil say, "I am the Son of God, the Lamb of God. I do not resist. I stand with Jesus Christ and say to all men and all resisting, persecuting thoughts, `Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.'
DECEPTIVE PROMISES OF THE
DEVIL
"God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth." We should pray in the Spirit and in the understanding. In order that we may get answers to our prayers it is necessary that we understand ourselves and our God. New Thought people have been accused of being sacrilegious because they do not pray after the rules laid down in the Book of Prayer. Proclamation and affirmation in Spirit and in Truth is prayer. It is the acknowledgment that you have already received.
Men, as a rule, pray only at critical periods and then their prayers are howls of agony. When they get into a tight place, then they call upon God. We have faith in prayer. We believe that a man should so accustom himself to the prayerful attitude of mind that he will be what Paul terms "in-
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	23
stant in prayer," that is, constant in prayer ; in other words, that he will "pray without ceasing" It is possible for one to be so conscious of the Divine Presence that he will be continually in a state of thanksgiving and appropriation. Prayer in its highest is the power of man to appropriate the Universal Goodness in all its fullness.
Then let us be about our Father's business and establish ourselves in the consciousness of the one Truth. We have found by experience that our thoughts have to be sifted. Sometimes they are turned over to the adverse mind, or "Satan," to be sifted, as illustrated in the Disciple Peter, but it does not need to be so. We can have them sifted by the Divine Mind much more efficiently. To have this done, it is necessary to make denials of error and affirmations of Truth. This will sift out the ignorance and foolishness, and all at once the mind will clear up. For our prayer this morning we will make this proclamation, "I am no longer deceived by the
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carnal consciousness. I am wise with the wisdom of the Spirit."
(Silence)
Our subject is "The Deceptive Promises of the Devil." This designation of evil as a personality does not involve us in the belief that there is such a being as the devil. It is used in this way for convenience and in order that we may handle our subject easily, just as in higher mathematics x is used to represent the unknown quantity in solving problems. "Devil" is a convenient appellation for a wide group of error thoughts, and when so used covers a lot of ground. It seems, as we look over the religious history of the various races of the earth, that the habit of reducing principles to personalities has been almost universal. Man has observed certain conditions about him, and not understanding the causes, has attributed them to some god or devil. If the conditions brought him happiness and comfort, he said they came from his good deity; if their tendency was destructive, he
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	25
laid the cause at the door of some imaginary bugaboo. The primitive mind does not seek out causes ; it sees effects; it is credulous, believing, receptive, open, childlike.
In the allegory of man in the garden of Eden lwe have, pictured in simple numbers, the history of every man. The character of the devil is here first illustrated in the Scriptures. Adam and Eve, man in his native purity and innocence, is beginning a certain unfoldment of consciousness and in that stage of development comes in contact with a thought realm which may be termed the Universal Negative. In the allegory this is called "serpent" for convenience.
When was the beginning? We cannot imagine a beginning to the Principle of Life any more than we can imagine a beginning to the principle of mathematics. But we can conceive of a time when the sons of men had a beginning as a human race. We have carved out of the great Universal Life and Substance a world and called it ours. But
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creation did not begin with our race-birth. There are principalities and powers in Being we know not of. Like a boy in mathematics working out his problems and carrying along his partial products, the human race has many partial products to deal with. Both the wise and the ignorant thoughts of all ages of thought creation are open to the primitive mind. The wisdom of the Spirit within and the wisdom of sensation without are always present to the developing mind. When from the Lord God the clear light of wisdom shines into consciousness, we intuitively know the right thing to do. But the carnal mind says, "You can eat of the tree of evil and not suffer the consequences. Evil is not evil—it is good in disguise." Man listens to the subtle arguments of his sense desire, and reaps the results of eating, that is, appropriating, that dual state of mind called the knowledge _of good and evil.
The most subtle phase of the devil is sensation, sense consciousness. Physiology
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	27
finds the germs of life in the body to be in the form of minute serpents. Pleasurable sensations are produced by these little serpents flashing through the nerves. This burns up the vital force, and reaction and negation result. This is life action from the sense side, without spiritual understanding. The serpent makes us believe that we can exist in this consciousness of action and reaction, good and evil, and live, but experience proves the contrary.
In the Sunday School lesson for today we read that when Jesus Christ reached a certain state of mind he was baptized by the Spirit. When men step out into a larger field of attainment, they are quickened by the Spirit and driven forth to the use of their untried capacities. These capacities exist in their undeveloped, undisciplined condition in every one of us. They are not evil nor will they bring evil upon us, if we use them in Divine Understanding. It is the baptism of the Spirit that arms us with a wisdom
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superior to sense, and we meet material concepts with statements of the Higher Law. All about us we see the results of a wise use of undeveloped resources. In the beginning of the use of petroleum it was nearly all thrown away. But it was found that in further refining, naptha was produced, and by still further refining, other useful products were obtained, until now we have over sixty products from crude petroleum. So this wilderness of undeveloped resources in man can be refined under the Divine Law and made to bloom as the rose.
How could you get along without life? Yet life left alone without directive force, runs wild. Without the understanding of the true law of use the wisdom of the serpent is adopted. The Hindoos call it maya, that is, illusion. It makes men believe things that are not fundamentally true. It will tell you that you can get pleasure out of sense life. Beware of the wisdom of the serpent, the devil. He will promise you that out of
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	29
material things you can get satisfaction. He told Jesus that he could live on material substance, but Jesus knew better and said to him, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of the mouth of God." If we are tempted to believe that we can satisfy soul and body with material things we are listening to false promises. This idea that matter and the pleasures of the world will satisfy both soul and body is carried out by people everywhere. Some think that the pleasures of travel will bring the necessary satisfaction. Others think if they could have a fine house, an automobile, good clothes, with money in the bank, their souls would rejoice. But it is the carnal mind, the devil, making these deceptive promises. The soul will never be satisfied with material things.	It must be
fed with the ideas that will give it an understanding of Divine Mind.
Then the adverse mind took Jesus up into the pinnacle of the temple and told him to
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cast himself down, for it was promised, "He shall give his angels charge over thee." Here again we find the tendency to use the law in doing foolish and unnecessary things, in order to prove to the world around,ohe power of Spirit. You who have had experience as teachers and healers have probably been told many times that if you would only heal a certain person all his friends would believe. If you followed this satanic suggestion and tried to bring about the healing with such a result in view, you were tempting the Lord. To all such proclaim the convincing power of Truth.
Again, the devil took Jesus up into a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the earth, promising them all to him if he would only fall down and worship him. We are tempted many times to worship that which is not spiritual. We bow down to a thousand worldly conditions which we know are not spiritual, yet we meekly submit and carry them on our necks as a yoke, thinking
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	31
that by so doing we shall gain power and dominion. We should stand upright and not let usage, precedent, custom and fashion burden us. We should be bold and independent in the exalted power of Spirit, and not seek material dominion. Do nothing to gain place or position, except through service to the Lord thy God.
All these promises of advantage to come to us through worshiping the adversary arise in the wilderness of our own minds. It is not necessary to look outside for a devil. There is a universal thought of devil carried by the race, but it will not bother you if you set .your "own devil right. When you speak the word to your personality, as did Jesus, you will have no trouble with the great Beelzebub.
But when you have developed spiritually until you discern and proclaim eternal life in Christ Jesus here and now, then you will, like him, be accused of having a sure enough devil. People will say, "Now we know
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you are crazy, for nobody in his right mind would talk about living forever, when Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all our ancestors are dead." And when you proclaim your spiritual identity, and say with Jesus, "Before Abraham was I am," they will tell you that you are not yet fifty years old, and anybody who makes such wild statements about his age must have the very prince of devils. That is what they said about Jesus, and they are saying the same things today about those who are following him in every jot and tittle of the law.
When Jesus Christ ceased to believe the promises of the devil, he came into the realization of immortal life, and he was not afraid to talk it right out. He had to meet the Pharisee, the doubter and the scouter, but he never gave in. To know the Truth is salvation, if one sticks to his original propositions.
Jesus Christ is the great Helper and Comforter, but no one is saved except
DECEPTIVE PROMISES	33
through his own proclamation of the truth and continual abiding in it. When we are saved from our own adverse mind we are no longer worried about any outside devil. Most people are afraid of the devil, or malicious animal magnetism, or the adverse thoughts of others, or some subtle something that they feel but cannot express. This fear condition is in the wilderness of the untaught, undisciplined mind. In the understanding of the Truth we know there is nothing to fear. Everything is cleared up and straightened out by knowing and declaring this truth, "The Mind that was in Christ Jesus is in me, and I am not afraid of any adverse condition."
JESUS CHRIST, MEDIATOR
One of the most mysterious statements made by the Apostle Paul is this: "Your
life is hid with Christ. in God."	It is a
mystery to one not in the realization of it, that there is an inner consciousness of life. It requires the Christ Spirit, and the Jesus Christ faith and understanding, to appreciate that statement. It cannot be described, but must be known by experience. It is necessary to withdraw to the "secret place" within to get an inkling of its hidden mystery. We can every one have this consciousness of Christ and God if we go to the place in Spirit where our "life is hid with Christ in God." Let us do that this morning. The way to that inner secret place is through mind. By it we shall find the holy of holies. Let us be still, forget everything in the outer, close all the doors of the conscious mind, and think in the subconscious with
JESUS CHRIST, MEDIATOR	35
these words: "My life is hid with Christ, in God."
(Silence)
The first proposition that presents itself to our minds in the study of Jesus Christ as Mediator is, Does man need a mediator between him and God? When one who does not understand the law of the land wishes to plead his case before a judge, he employs a lawyer to do the pleading for him. By this simple illustration we see that it is necessary for one not acquainted with the law of God, to have a mediator, an interpreter of the law. After he arrives at understanding he can present his own case, i f he becomes versed in the law.
That there is need of a better understanding of God by man is patent to all. We see the evidences all about us of an intelligence and power that far transcends ours, yet we do not commune with it, nor understand it. It is true there have been many professed mediators who have said the law is thus and
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so, and that you can arrive at the kingdom of God through following certain rules ; but the people who have followed those rules have uusally been disappointed. The Law of Life is not understood by man. God dwells in our midst, and yet far from us, because we lack understanding of his law.
There is, however, an intimate relation existing between the mind of God and the mind of man, and Jesus Christ knew how to establish harmony in that relation. The Scriptures teaching his doctrine have been read in the letter, and their material symbols applied in a material way. Thus man has fallen short of understanding him. Everyr, thing is first a mental concept, an idea. This is the key to the law—Divine Ideas. Jesus Christ told again and again of the relations existing in the kingdom of heaven, and the paramount relation, the one upon which all the others rest, is life. He came, he said, as a mediator between God Life and man's life. He came to bring to the consciousness
JESUS CHRIST, MEDIATOR	37
of men, more abundant life. We see that we have fallen short of appreciation of the Source of Life, and must find and make connection with that Source. If we do not understand the law of life it is necessary that we be led and instructed by one who knows what life is, and how to quicken the life force in the body and make alive the flesh. We read that Jesus took away the veil and through his flesh made for us a new consciousness. In this he became the Great Mediator. He perfected, spiritualized, and lifted up his body, and gave to us a new living Substance which we are to lay hold of and make ours here and now, in a way more real than the physicist lays hold of his ideal life-giving serum.
The teaching of life after death is not borne out by the Scriptures. "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?" The new version reads, "For what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world,
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and forfeit his life?" It is not that we are to be saved from destruction after death, but from lack of life force, disappointment, and unfufilled desires here and now. There is a continual refinement and spiritualization of the body under the impulse of the Divine Life, and man does make a union with God in the secret places of his body.
In the old dispensation the work of Jesus Christ was foretold in symbols of blood cleansing ; when he came he did away with all these animal sacrifices by making himself an offering once for all for the sins of man. The children of Israel went through the forms and ceremonies, but did not fulfill the law, because those ordinances were external. They never came into the understanding that it was the sinful ideas of the flesh that had to be given up. Blood, representing life, was freely sprinkled in the old ceremonies, but it did not cleanse the character ; no one let go of his old ideas and came into the new. But Jesus taught the spirit of the Law when
JESUS CHRIST, MEDIATOR	39
he said, "Deny thyself, and follow me." He knew how to bring into the minds and bodies of men the Word of Life through sacrifice and denial, that by it they might be transformed and become new creatures.
Moses said to the children of Israel, "Go forward." Progress is the word; progress along every line. Through the quickening life in the body man gets new capacities and a new body. But he must sacrifice the old. He must give up his thoughts about the old body of flesh and let it pass away. How shall he do this? Not through the death of the body, but by letting go of all thoughts of the past, the future, and sin, sickness, and death. Think about Omnipresent Life, and affirm unity with it. Meditate upon it and pray for it. Pray to the Father in secret, and he will reward you openly.
Christ is the mediator between the lost idea of life and the found idea, and he is thus a very necessary factor in the demonstration of eternal life. He went through the same
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changes we are going through, but the preponderance of his thought was hid in God. He identified himself with God. "He who hath seen me hath seen the Father." He communed with the Holy Ghost. He lifted up the mortal, born of Mary, and put it in the immortal, and we owe him a great debt. We believe in him as the great mediator between us and Divine Mind, and know ourselves joint heirs with him of the kingdom of heaven. If we are not conscious of the Infinite Life, we can be helped into that consciousness through Jesus Christ.
But some say it is not necessary to believe in him. They think if they live good, moral lives after the manner of men they have fulfilled the Law. Right here is a very fine point. Man, judging by appearances and following the mortal law as his guide, fails to make any sacrifice of self, and he does not go forward. Progress is a process of letting go of old ways and adopting new ways. Through Jesus Christ men put off all the lim-
JESUS CHRIST, MEDIATOR	41
itations of mortal thought as to ignorance of God-Mind, and put on the consciousness which Jesus had of God with us. Those who live good lives after the old way follow the natural law, but never rise to the spiritual, and they do not get the quickening, progressive life taught by Jesus Christ. It is necessary, if one would have the fullness of Divine Mind, to know God as Jesus Christ knew him. We have potentially what he had, but we must be awakened to a consciousness of it; and we must have a mediator to awaken us to our unity with God, and also to establish us in that unity. Jesus tore away the veil of materiality in the flesh, and men are now awakening to the truth that the body is not a material thing, but a living, spiritual organism that shall go on living forever. Through him we shall be bodily lifted up into the heavens, and this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal shall put on the immortal.
FIRST STEPS IN REGENERATION
The first step in every movement of mind and body is belief or faith. If we had no belief in the possibility of walking, we could not walk. Everything has its inception in mind.
We believe there is a spiritual man, a higher man, a real man, the type-man, Christ. But we must put this belief into active operation in our minds before we can demonstrate it. Our silent prayer this morning will be, "I believe in the coming forth in me of the mind and body of the Spirit."
(Silence)
We consider this morning the very beginning of that process in mind and body termed regeneration. In the consideration of this question we must first admit that there is necessity of regeneration. If man is perfect in his present state of consciousness he does not need redemption ; but, if there is a falling
FIRST STEPS IN REGENERATION 43
short, he certainly needs awakening and a renewal. This reformation will lead to the putting on of the mystically called "celestial" or Christ body.
It is admitted by all who have looked into the subject that man is not living up to his highest. He can do very much better in demonstrating health and perfection of body than he is now doing. This is the conclusion of all philosophers who have investigated man either spiritually or physically. Even doctors tell us that the body should be self-perpetuating. It has all the machinery necessary to its renewal. But there is deterioration; the functions do break down. There must then be something wrong. As thinking people we should inquire into the matter and find out where we fall short, and what the steps necessary to regeneration and redemption are.
"Conceived in sin and born in iniquity" is all too true of man's physical bringing forth. Men breed their animals with saner minds than they do their children. But we can
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make atonement for our ignorance and redeem our bodies from this heritage of sin. The greatest of all teachers said, "Ye must be born from above." There must be a change of consciousness and structure of man's body through the action of a law higher than the natural.
The church has discerned this, and regeneration is made part of its doctrine, but the teachings of the church, as interpreted by its ministers, pertain almost exclusively to the moral status of mind and soul. The body is not recognized as having part in the redemption work. New truth, or new perceptions of old truth, is necessary that we may bring the whole man into the regeneration. If we read the New Testament in the Spirit we see that it shows clearly the steps that lead to the redemption of both soul and body.
The first step is to know that we need regeneration ; the second is to believe in the spiritual man, and in our power to bring him into manifestation.
FIRST STEPS IN REGENERATION 45
The lesson today refers especially to spiritual-minded people—people who believe in God, and who follow the Spirit up to their highest understanding. This is brought out in the symbols of Zacharias and Elizabeth, in Luke 1 :5-23. They were followers of the Jewish teaching, and Zacharias was a priest, officiating daily in the temple, but had not yet brought forth the spiritual body—"And they had no child."
One day, while he was ministering in the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him he should have a son. But he doubted and said to the angel, "Whereby shall I know this ? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years." As a result of his doubt Zacharias became dumb.
The second step in regeneration is here hinted at. We must believe in the possibility ; we must believe in the spiritual body and have faith that it can be brought forth. People live generation after generation worshiping God, believing in God, but they divorce
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their belief from the immediate activities of life, so they do not bring forth the fruit. The spiritual mind and spiritual body are essential working parts, and unless they are so recognized the body of Christ is not brought forth, because the Christ-child is not begotten in consciousness through faith. This lesson is to show us how there must be a going forth of substance in faith. This is a step everyone must take. The reason we have to get quiet and go into the silence is because of the universal race belief in the unreality of things spiritual. One translation says that Zacharias was "made silent," which is more significant that the old translation, "Thou shalt be dumb." We find silence and meditation necessary in our first steps in regeneration, that we may discern the reality of spiritual things. Our eyes and ears, and all our outer senses, have so long lived in forms that they cannot at first realize the formless. In order to realize the tangibility of ideas we have to introvert consciousness. During our
FIRST STEPS IN REGENERATION 47
first steps in the regenerate life, we become silent—stilling the outer thoughts, and becoming alive in the consciousness of Spirit. This cultivation of the "silence" is an absolute necessity in the present race consciousness. If we had not degenerated, but had gone on in spiritual evolution under the law of obedience to Spirit, the practice of silence would not be necessary. We would with open eyes behold the spiritual as the real, and accept it.
All people have a desire to be spiritual; they feel the need of a fuller expression of the ideal, but do not always understand how to attain what they seek. Here the lesson points the way through John, the Forerunner. Everything starts with the ego, the identity. Every man has a dominant idea which makes the character of his mind for the time being. It is possible to form a new ego on a higher plane of consciousness, and that is what the Spirit is constantly urging devoted Christians
to do. The reason we have ills of mind and „._.
body is because we do not go forward in
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bringing forth the spiritual man. The real man is sidetracked by a thousand different issues; and we do not let John, the Way-maker, into our minds.
John is that state of consciousness which precedes and prepares the way for the Christ-mind. He is portrayed as a man of great natural ability, a man of fire and power, but not great in spiritual understanding. This is indicative of the state of mind that lays the foundation for Christ. We must get back to the simplicity of nature, with her energy and power.
John came eating locusts and wild honey. He came out of the wilderness, a man of no culture ; he was natural. One of the necessary steps in our unfoldment is that we become natural and do away with the artificial, with all that is not strictly true. We might go into detail and show how we are bound with the artificial, but we shall consider instead that inner fire and energy that _comes forth in the regeneration and sets us free.
FIRST STEPS IN REGENERATION 49
People say, "Oh, it is no use talking about demonstrating the perfect spiritual body. We see those who claim to believe in eternal life getting old and having trials and troubles just like the rest of the world." But no matter what is said, go right on believing in the spiritual man. It makes no difference about the appearing man. You must have faith in the spiritual man within you, faith that he is being formed in you. That others do not see should not weaken your faith. Make every ideal a reality. Insist upon it and before long you will begin to have new experiences. All sense consciousness shall give way to the new spiritual consciousness, and the new mind and the new body will be a tangible reality to you. Then you can truly say, "Mine eyes have seen thy salvation."
DIVINE EVOLUTION
Let us pray. The apostle's admonition to us is that we should pray in the Spirit with the understanding. It is also written, "Be ye renewed in the spirit of your mind." Metaphysicians have found by investigation and experience that mind has many spheres or phases of consciousness. There is a spiritual mind and a material mind ; in fact, a mind for everything that we know through feeling or realization of any kind.
The only unifying, renewing source for the mind is Spirit, and it is in prayer that we come into close relation with the Great Universal Spirit. In order to renew our minds we must go about it in a scientific way. We must get before us the right idea of Spirit, and be positive and definite in the attitude of unity and renewal.
Prayer is something more than supplication. It is recognition and affirmation. The
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mind needs quickening, and positive affirmations of Truth to fill it with renewing power. Let us then affirm, "I am renewed in the spirit of my mind." Let us give thanks that we are this moment renewed. Let us go within and say, "Father, I thank thee that I am renewed in the spirit of my mind."
(Silence)
The dictionary definition of evolution is development or growth, and it is in a materialistic interpretation the doctrine of the derivation of all forms of life by gradual modification from one rudimentary form. This theory of creation claims that the germ pre-exists in the parent, and that it contains all the parts of the fully formed organism in a minute form.
Evolution is variously distinguished as materialistic evolution, which denies everything but matter and motion in the evolutionary process ; agnostic evolution, which postulates an unknown and unknowable as the basis and explanation of the process ; and theistic
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evolution, which assumes a God back of all, working out results along the unalterable line of natural law, and by physical forces exclusively ; often improperly confounded with the development theory.
The doctrine of evolution, according to the dictionary, is the development of all forms of life through a gradual change and improvement from one primal elementary germ. Lord Kelvin once said that if the whole universe were destroyed it could be reproduced again from a single cell.
Your attention is called to these various theories of evolution because they are in some of their aspects widely accepted. Although the Christian ministry originally denounced Darwin and his theories, a goodly share of them are now teaching something akin thereto. Instead of the six day's creation of Genesis, originally taught in a literal sense, they are proclaiming six great periods of development corresponding to the geological ages written in the crust of the earth.
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Not understanding the true character of God, they have not been able to explain the involution of Spirit, as idealized in the first chapter of Genesis, and its evolution through many forms, as symbolically expressed in the second, and all succeeding chapters in the Bible.
But a new school of thought, in which involution and evolution are rationally explained, is gradually gaining attention in the world. The premise of this school is that the foundation of all existence is a Great Universal Mind. Instead of looking at matter as cause, mind is placed in power as the evoluting intelligence and power. It is to this school I would call special attention, because it is the true and only solution of existence. Mind is all and the foundation of all. There could be no material evolution without mind as the intelligent, immanent power.
When Darwin first gave forth his theory of the descent of man he was called an
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atheist, and an infidel, because he seemed to have left God out of his scheme of creation. This non-recognition of God was the result of lack of understanding of the connecting link between Spirit and matter, which is mind. When this connecting link is once understood there ceases to be any gulf between science and religion. Science can never explain its various theories clearly until it accepts the true relation, and religion cannot understand its own doctrines until it comprehends their law and method of demonstration.
We are told by the material schools of evolution that the primal cell has within it all the elements that enter into its ultimate growth, and that the different outpicturings or expressions are the result of desire on the part of the energy within to express itself without. We cannot ignore this Divine Law of development from a single cell to the great body of cells. We see the evidences of this law everywhere and there is no reason
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why it should be overlooked in the building of a larger man—even the Christ-man. We have been pushed to a certain point by the Law, but now we must consciously unify ourselves with the Great Mind back of the universe and become its direct conscious cooperator in the process of going forward to the fulfillment of its "image and likeness." Instead of being like driftwood we must express within ourselves the directive force through application and understanding of law and co-operation therewith.
No one is satisfied with the present state of man. The whole race is alive with a new desire, a new impulse, a new impetus. Not understanding the import of this new impelling force, men are striving in material ways to bring about the higher expression. They are trying to evolve as material beings instead of spiritual. Right here the understanding of Spiritual Law is an important factor.
In one of the more recent translations of
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Genesis the passage, "The Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters," is written: "The Spirit of God was waving over the face of the waters." This means that the Spirit of God vibrates over the waters. The waters are the negative, receptive states of mind, and the Spirit of God is constantly sending out waves, vibrations, energies into every part. This energy is imparted to every cell and all the aggregations of cells. A large per cent of the human organism is water. It is plastic and receptive to every wave of thought, and man can produce in it any condition he may desire. It is an easy matter to bring to bear upon this all-potent substance the renewing power of mind and build from a single high ideal a germ that will grow and expand until through the evolutionary law it will make an entirely new organism.
This is exactly what Christianity teaches. “Be renewed through Jesus Christ" is the burden of the Scriptures. You can distin-
DIVINE EVOLUTION	5 7
guish between Jesus and Christ all you wish, but the one lesson to be learned is that there is a new mind, a progressive mind, that makes a new man. This is the standard and that standard was demonstrated by the man, Jesus Christ ; but before Jesus was Christ. These two righteously joined make the Di-Vine Man, the Son of God, and we should, every one of us, be about the process of bringing forth in ourselves this Perfect Man.
This work is preceded by a clearing away in consciousness of the obstacles which have accumulated in the mind through ignorance of the Law. In Scripture this is given as John the Baptist coming to make straight the way of the Lord. If the Divine harmony had always obtained we would never have had sin. The organism would have been continually new because, in the spirit of their minds, men walked and talked with God.
We can never know the Divine Law until we make union with the Divine Mind within. This will bring us back to the natural man,
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symbolized by John the Baptist. We must go within and regulate the body, not from the without, but from the within. The Higher Power, the Christ, cannot express itself perfectly in an imperfect body. There must be a baptism of the natural, a change of mind, repentance, a letting go of all lustful passions and appetites. The easy way to accomplish this is through denial and affirmation. "Now are ye clean through the word."
People sometimes say, "If there is a universal law, I will just throw myself on that law and be carried along to perfection." But this will not do. The time has come to choose whom you will serve. Some simple rules of thought will bring forth in you a new consciousness. _But you must do your part. Apply yourself to the law as a child in school, and you will come into the new consciousness, even Christ Jesus.
Do not think that health and the new body will come in some marvelous way, or
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by any external means. It will not come by listening to sermons, or teachers or reading books, or even by Jesus Christ, as a Savior outside of you. You will never get it in that way. You will grow faster if you sit by yourself every day for a time and throw your thought down into your organism. Be renewed in the Spirit of your mind, and set going in the cells of your organism a new and higher life and substance. Do not look for separation and corruption of your body, but for unification. Get together and keep together spirit, soul and body in Christ Jesus. As you hold to perfection, you will awake day by day to a new realization of your own
inner perfection.	If you belittle yourself,
you will never rise to the perfection which is yours in Spirit. Be about the Father's business, go within and know for yourself what this means: "I am that I am:'
GOOD WILL TOWARD ALL MEN
One of the promises of Jesus Christ is. "Ask what ye will in my name and it shall be done unto you." We have all asked, but have we received? Disappointment has probably been so frequent in the asking of some that they have ceased to ask, believing; doubt has come in and they no longer follow the injunction with assurance of its fulfillment.
But there is a reason for the failure to receive, and it is that asking has not been done in the right way, or the right place. There is a place where we must go in order to commune with God. Jesus pointed out that place and gave instructions about finding it. He warned against the prayers that were made on street corners, and all loud prayers made to be heard of men. He said, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father
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which seeth in secret ; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Prayer is spiritual communion between God and man. We must recognize a certain law that spirit may commune with spirit. Talking with a loud voice, telling God what he has done and what we wish him to do, is not- prayer. We must reverse the process if we want our prayers to be answered. To get the results that are promised we must observe the law, close the doors on the outer world and get still within, and find the place where God-consciousness is. It is deep down in the inner man that we meet God, and whatever spiritual word we put forth there will be fulfilled. It takes experience to be able to center yourself in the Spirit for spiritual communion, but if you practice the Presence of God every day it will soon become easy.
Let us pray in that way this morning; close your mind to the outer world and turn your attention within. There ask for
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"whatsoever you will" and it shall be done. We will pray in secret and our Father will reward us openly.
(Silence)
This morning we study the subject, "Good Will Toward All Men," based upon the message of the angels at the birth of Christ, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
You will notice that in this message there are three steps: first, glory to God; second, peace on earth, and third, good will toward men. These three steps are representative of three movements of mind. These three movements are expressed in both the race and the individual.
We find all of this message given by exalted minds at all times. It has a definite relation to every member of the race. The first step is the lifting up, the glorification of the Spirit in us. This is the direct emanation of the All-Potential Principle of Being, which we name God. The second step is to
GOOD WILL TO MEN	63
establish peace in our minds. No great mental or spiritual work can be done unless we make the mind like a placid pool, reflecting the stars and suns on high. There must be peace of mind before there can be any great expression of the law of Spirit. The third step is the working out of the law in every detail of life, in our own minds and in our relation to our fellows. Good will means kindness, courtesy, a willingness to look after the interests of others before our own. "Do unto others as ye would that they should do unto you." It is unselfishness, the Divine courtesy, the working out of the Principle of Love in the mind and all the relations of life.
We hold that the reason men and women do not succeed in the world, the reason they have ill-health, lack and discords of various kinds, is the non-fulfillment of the law of love, one manifestation of which is courtesy.
Love relates us to our fellows, and it also relates the I Am to its faculties, the mentality and the body. This great power, love,
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seems to go out from the higher to the lower in waves. That is a crude way of expressing it, but words are often crude. All students of religion recognize these three great spiritual impulses which have gone forth since the dawn of history: The first from Adam to Noah ; then from Noah to Jesus, and from Jesus to the present time—and now the fulfillment.
The message, "Glory to God in the highest," was a specific message and impulse going out from Divine Mind for expression in individual minds. The first movement of this spiritual wave among men was the lifting up of the God-idea—God was glorified. This was succeeded by an era of fixed religious doctrines, a crystallization of the original message. Then came an awakening to the universal kindness and love, and the knowledge that we are all of one blood. All this is the outworking of the great wave started two thousand years ago by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. We are now
GOOD WILL TO MEN	65
in the third movement of this message and law, "good will toward men.-
I would call your attention especially to the place of good will in demonstrating health and finances. We all want good health and success in all of our affairs. This
is not selfishness.	It becomes selfish only
when we seek our good regardless of the rights of others. Under the Divine Law no man will get rich, but every man will have abundance, and a willingness to spread abroad the substance of the Divine Resource. The good things of the earth will be as free and universal as good health is to all who observe the law.
The financial world is seeing the folly of competition and is beginning to follow the principle of co-operation, thus recognizing in a way the law of unity, which is love. Business men are fast grasping this idea, because experience demonstrates that they get better results in that way, although they may not realize that it is because they are using the
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Divine Law of Love. There is, of course, much cleansing yet to be done in the world
of affairs.	It still has a "devil," the adverse consciousness which thinks there is gain in selfishness.
Courtesy and kindness are the handmaidens of Love. These are becoming everywhere active in the intercourse between men and nations. The value of courtesy as a factor in business success is everywhere acknowledged. Not long ago a cigar company that has a line of stores throughout the country, sent eighteen hundred telegrams, one to each of their store managers, saying, "Have you thanked every man that bought a cigar of you today ?" Why did this company spend money for messages of that kind? Because they realized the value of the good will of their patrons, and that courtesy wins that good will. Jesus said, "The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light."
A department store manager was once
GOOD WILL TO MEN	67
asked what he considered the best quality in a salesman and he said, "Tact, nine-tenths of which is courtesy." This manager made it a rule in his store to have every customer satisfied no matter what the cost. You may say his motive was mercenary, but suppose he did start with that kind of motive, it would lead to something better. The practice of good will would help to establish the feeling of good will. The great law of love pertains to the small things as well as the great, and the man who is uniformly kind and courteous to his fellows is doing a great work for mankind as well as for himself.
A certain grocery company in a large city has a weekly meeting of salesmen. At this meeting the men are given lessons in courtesy. One morning one of these salesmen was in a grocery store waiting to see the proprietor, when an elderly lady, carrying many bundles, came to the door. The salesman opened the door for her and helped her with her bundles, arranging and tieing them up into one pack-
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age. The proprietor took notice of what was going on, and when he came to give the salesman an order he made it larger than he had been in the habit of doing, and the lady was so pleased with the politeness of the man that she became a regular patron of the grocery.
A kindly helpfulness and interest in the welfare of others starts a progressive wave of like character, and, as it goes forward, many we know not of receive its benefits.
A lady calling over the telephone was given the wrong number three times in succession, each time being connected with a store in the neighborhood. Finally the girl who answered the telephone in the store said, "Maybe I can help you get the right number." This led to a friendly conversation over the 'phone and the next day the lady called at the store and asked to see the girl who had been so courteous to her, and the result was that store gained a new customer. Most of us, if called to the
GOOD WILL TO MEN	69
'phone three times in that way, would have become irritated about it. Remember that courtesy has its root in love, and by showing kindness to all, love is cultivated.
Every one is striving for the attainment of some cherished ideal, the consummation of which often falls short. This failure is caused by some condition of mind. Some violation of the law of love is doubtless responsible. It may be that you are not courteous, but blunt and brusque. When things go about so far and then come to a standstill, it is well to consider whether you are keeping the law of love, which is patient courtesy. "Love suffereth long and is kind." Don't get cross if things go wrong, but set yourself right. It may be that you are in a state of mental antagonism toward someone or something. If so, you will need to change your attitude. To be courteous at all times is a good test of the law. Try a hard stunt and be courteous to those you have not liked.
A daily paper in our city recently told of
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a man here who demonstrated that courtesy was worth while in attaining success. He started as a shoe salesman, and he made it his business to satisfy every customer that came to him. It soon became known that he was able to sell shoes where other clerks failed, and he rose to the highest position in his department. After twelve years of service he saw an opening to enter into business for himself, but twenty-five thousand dollars was required for the venture, and he had not the money. But his uniform courtesy had made many friends for him, and to one of these who he knew had money he presented the proposition, and he was loaned the necessary capital and bought the store.
One day a lady went into his store, and after trying on many pair of shoes, started to leave, offended because the clerk had become irritated with her. The proprietor met her at the door and courteously asked to be allowed to try to fit her. In a little while she left the store with the shoes, much pleased
GOOD WILL TO MEN	7 1
with his kind consideration. After the customer was gone the proprietor called the clerk and said to him, "I spent ten thousand dollars and many years hard work to get that woman into my store, and you have driven her out in a few minutes by your lack of courtesy. I cannot afford to keep you in my employ. You are dismissed."
To your courtesy add patience. Patience leads to peace, and peace and prosperity go hand in hand. Young men and women complain that they have no capital to go into business with, yet God has provided these most valuable assets for the taking, and they command capital everywhere. If you really love your fellowmen, and make it a practice to show it in daily acts of kindness and courtesy, you can start doing business this very day.
THE INNER MEANING OF THE
NAME
Our silent prayer this morning will be, "In the name of Jesus Christ be thou whole." This is the spiritual man, the Am in each of us speaking to the personality, the mental man. In study of man's consciousness we should analyze the constituent parts of mind and its relation to the body. The body and its mentality are creations of I Am. When we say, "In the name of Jesus Christ be thou whole," we are speaking in the Spirit, and if we have a correct understanding of the Truth, we will bring forth results. Let us hold the Truth of Being in the Universal, and with conviction and authority say to our mind and body, “Be thou whole."
(Silence)
One of the most mystical ideas in connection with the Christian religion is that
INNER MEANING OF THE NAME 73
of the power of the name of Jesus Christ. The early diciples were told by the great Teacher to go forth and proclaim power and authority in his name. They did so, and the Scriptures state that the results following were healing and demonstrations of the power of the Holy Spirit.
Reference to the power of the name is found in the old Scriptures, but it never seems to have been used as an active energy, as executive power, until Jesus Christ gave it the new impetus of his transcendent spiritual understanding.
Every name has character according to the associated ideas with which the mind beholds it. Just how this is brought about in consciousness requires a good deal of metaphysical discernment. But we do know that ideas have character and they attract other ideas like themselves. Man is the greatest associator of ideas in the universe. He is the epitome of creation. He has power greater than anything else in creation
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because of his I Am attractive generative force. Through I Am identity he is the center for the expression of power, and consequently there is a superior force in his ideas.
This leads us to a consideration of the Supreme Name of man, which is Jehovah—"I Am that I Am"—"I will be what I will to be." The expression of this Supreme Man is Adam, which in the original Hebrew means "red earth." This man is manifest life and substance—the soul and its body. But the real man, the man in the "image and likeness of God," is I Am.
An aggregation of ideas makes the man. Every man should be named according to his character. His name should indicate what he has earned, what he has thought out and worked out in his life. His name should not be meaningless, as the number of a convict in the penitentiary. The savage races seem to
have recognized this intuitively.	In the
nomenclature of the American Indians the
INNER MEANING OF THE NAME 75
name was descriptive of the character. The early Hebrews named men and women according to the states of consciousness they had developed, and the name was often changed as the state of consciousness advanced.
Adam, the original association of ideas in the Jehovah Mind, appears under many names in the Old Testament, until his highest development in Jesus Christ. For example, Jacob, meaning the supplanter, a progressive state of consciousness, is pictured as moving from place to place. His mind was unfolding as one who beholds new scenes. He was full of imagination. He saw the ladder reaching from earth to heaven and the angels ascending and descending upon it. His history indicates that he was not yet in a steadfast state of mind as to spiritual things. Later in his experiences he attained poise and peace and he was called "Israel," which means "joy of the Lord."
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We are all gotig through these experiences, and our names should be changed as we develop higher points in character. Changes in consciousness take place according to changed attitude toward the great Universal Mind. When man comes to himself his name is simply I Am.
"Moses said unto God: Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.. . . This is my name forever."
The name of God and man are identical. It is written Jehovah, but no man can pronounce it aright until he is in the transfigured consciousness of the Christ. The old orthodox Hebrews always said the name Jehovah silently when they read their Scriptures
INNER MEANING OF THE NAME 77
aloud. They held the name in great reverence and did not dare to speak it audibly, because they were taught by their wise ones that they were on holy ground. There is an occult meaning in the name, and as we arrive at the understanding of man's mind, and its relation to the Universal, we see why the Hebrews were so careful about uttering the name of the Lord God.
The power of the Great Name was demonstrated in Jesus Christ. In him it was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, and by it was given to the mentality of the race the eternal life idea, the idea of authority and power over all thoughts, formed and formless, in "heaven" and in "earth." This lifted man into a broader, higher consciousness and gave added power to the name of every man who enters into his Most High Good, the Supreme 1 Am.
In the name of Jesus Christ the early disciples worked miracles, based on faith. They had faith in his name and through
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that faith they brought about mavelous results. Peter and John healed the man lame from birth. His feet and ankle bones received strength and he walked as other men, when they spoke the healing word in the name of Jesus Christ.
It is now dawning on us in this day that there is a scientific reason for this power in the name of Jesus Christ.
We see this law partly exemplified in the world. Men's names are associated with their works. At one time every throne in Europe trembled at the name of Napoleon. This leveler of thrones said, "I am not as other men are." His ambition stirred the superconsciousness and the higher law of man worked for him. But he did not fulfill that law.
If we had open-eyed faith it would not be necessary to introvert consciousness, and go into the silence. But we have established an outer realm of thought and identified ourselves with a name not our own. We
INNER MEANING OF THE NAME 79
must go within and speak the name of the spiritual man until we know it as our own.
In the beginning of spiritual development every man's name is John—the gift of God. It afterward becomes Jesus Christ. Every man shall pass from the John state of preparation to the Jesus Christ state of completeness. It makes a great difference what name you give to the new experiences and the changes that come in thought and in body when the Spirit begins its redemptive work in you. If you name these experiences evil, they will take on that character; if you name them good, they will prove themselves good.
Adam was given power to name the beasts of the field, and by his naming he gave them their character. This is a very mystical subject. The animals still retain the character given them by the thought consciousness of the Adamic man. The earth in all of its forms, the mineral, the animal and the vegetable worlds, are all subject to the thought of man. The gentle beast and
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the venomous sepent were all named by the Adam man, and it is ours to rename them ; it is ours to lift up all things in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the Way. He opened a new consciousness in the race thought and we are to enter into it and work out his will in the name of I Am. He said, "I am the Way, I am the Door. I am the Resurrection and the Life." His power was in his use of I Am, spoken in understanding.
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing." If there is no good in the flesh, there is certainly no evil in it. It has no power either way. All power is in I Am. All the fleshly appetites and passions seem evil because they have been so named, and they are fulfilling the character given them. The so-called animal propensities will work out righteousness in us when we know that all power and force came from God. That which is working out in unrighteous-ness shall fulfill God's will, when we bring it into right relation with I Am.
THE BOOK OF THE LAW
In the eighth chapter of Nehemiah it is recorded that the people of Israel gathered themselves together to listen to the reading of the Book of the Law by Ezra, the scribe. After an absence of thirteen years, Ezra appeared at the water gate with the Scriptures from which he read. He stood on a pulpit of wood above the people, and, as he read, the people bowed in adoration. Doubtless, as the custom was, they knelt and bowed their faces to the ground.
Metaphysically, _ these historical symbols represent states of mind in those who seek to know the Divine Law. Man must grow into a fuller realization of spiritual consciousness. Being is manifested in its universe, in which man stands at the head. The question is, What is the law of the universe and how shall we observe it? This lesson, to the met-
aphysician, illustrates the first step.	Ezra
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read the Scriptures on the first day of the month. The first day, the first step, is temporary. It is a staging on which mind rests its case. Ezra stood on a pulpit of wood—wood is perishable, temporary ; he stood at the water gate—water is a negative element representing a negative state of mind. When he read, all the people bowed—another evidence of negation. Then he read from the books of Moses, and the tenor of these is the negative, "Thou shalt not." To receive the Law from the Spirit, man must assume this negative or receptive mental attitude.
"Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find." If we would know the Divine Law, we must put ourselves in this asking or receptive state. God does not give us anything unless we pay for it. The earning is not done by muscular work, nor any outside effort whatever, but with the mind. When a man would seek God, he must still all external striving. God is Spirit, and the Law Divine must be spiritually compre-
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	83
hended. Every one who seeks in the right way, finds; the Law must be known by every man for himself.
If you have been reading the Scriptures all your life, it may be that you are looking to them as the source of eternal life. Right here many people go astray. From childhood they have been taught that the Scriptures are the very Word of God. If God is an exact Principle and never makes a mistake, the Bible cannot be his Word, because it is full of mistakes and contradictions. It was plainly taught by Jesus that the Scriptures are not the direct Word of God, but a witness or testimony of the spiritual Word, designated by Jesus as I Am. We should read out of the Bible just as an attorney before the courts would cite the law in support of his case. He would not try to bolster up the opposing side by citing authorities in their favor. In the Old Testament we read that God is the author of evil, and brings destruction and death to his people.
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This does not prove our case. We reject it because it is out of harmony with the Truth of Being as revealed by the Spirit of Truth.
When the Truth of Being is discerned, through the quickening of the Spirit, which is the one and only authority, then all books are read and passed upon through spiritual discernment. Light comes from the Spirit, not from any book. Books are valuable only as they are the expression of spiritual understanding. The point to be specially emphasized and remembered is that there is no authority for Truth in this world but the Spirit of Truth. So do not make the Truth conform to any book, but see that every book conforms to the Truth before you quote it.
It is said that the devil can quote Scripture. This was illustrated when Jesus met the adversary in the wilderness. The devil quoted from the Scripture nearly as glibly as Jesus, but Jesus had understanding of the Higher Law and could prove his statements, while the adversary could not.
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	85
Our understanding of the Bible is that it is the greatest of all books ever written. It took inspiration to write it; it takes inspiration to read it. But there are deflections in it caused by the limitations of language, the ignorance and bias of translators, and the lack of full comprehension on the part of the writers. We now have a copy of the Leeser translation of the Old Testament. Isaac Leeser, the translator, is himself a Hebrew and understands the language. We, therefore, have reason to believe that he gives a clearer, truer meaning to the Scriptures than one who is not a born Israelite. For example, in the old King James Version—Psalms 116:15 reads: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints." Lee-ser gives this, "Grievous in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his pious ones." Instead of supporting the old theory of the joy of the Lord over the death of the saints, the correct translation of this passage implies that the Lord grieves when his pious ones so far
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forget his law and are so sinful as to fall victims to death.
The old translators had creeds to substantiate, and without any qualms of conscience, they put in a word here and left out a word there, or changed the text altogether, to make it support some church doctrine. For instance, in translating, "Ye search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life," the little word "ye" was dropped at the beginning of the verse and the statement thus given the force of a command by Jesus to study the Scriptures, while the very opposite is clearly shown by the revised version. If we study the Bible in the Spirit, we shall know when we meet these errors, and be enabled to discern the Truth. We see that they do not agree with the Principle of Being, but have been used to bolster up preconceived ideas, and theology of the early church fathers. The Bible becomes a new and illuminated book to all who will break away from the letter and read it in
THE BOOK OF THE LAW	87
the light of the Spirit of Truth promised by Jesus.
Every man has two states of mind, the mortal and the spiritual. We are constantly forming character around one or the other of these. The question is, Which shall have supremacy ; which shall lead the procession of thoughts in the mind? All thoughts are marshaled with either the carnal or the spiritual, and you can prove which is leading by the results you get. If you find yourself in a world of discord and sickness and the final dissolving of your body, you have been following the adverse ego, the personality. If you are growing in peace and harmony and satisfaction, you are giving expression to the spiritual ego. The mortal ego has to be dealt with as part of the consciousness. Ezra stood up and read the Law, calling the attention of all the people, including those of carnal mind, to the Law. When Jesus talked to the old Jews about their reading of the Scriptures he said, "Ye search the Scrip-
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tures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life." You will not demonstrate the Truth until you get away from all books, and cease this worship of the letter of the Law. You must take the second step, and the third step, and come into that positive state of mind which knows spiritual things from within. Unless your hope of demonstrating eternal life is based on your own inner spiritual knowing, you are building on the sand. Everything external will fail. When you know the Law within yourself, then you speak with authority. You stand one with the great Creative Mind.
If you would grow in spiritual understanding begin to pray and affirm that you have within you the Christ Mind. Rise up in your authority and speak the true Word. Declare, "God is good and God is all, and I am one with him. I speak the Word with power and authority."
REAL AND REFLECTED SPIRITUALITY
Man can be the reflection of the Universal Spirit or he can have a living realization of that Spirit. It depends upon his attitude toward the Spirit, and toward the realms without. It is possible to get a clear concept and description of the One Infinite Mind, and at the same time live nine-tenths of one's existence in the outer state of consciousness. As a rule men have a Sunday God and a week-day Mammon; that is, they worship God about one-seventh of the time. This produces separation and a form of spirituality which is merely reflected.
We are all striving to be spiritual. You may not think so, but you are seeking your higher self, your ideal, and that is Spirit. The more thorough our understanding of the law of the Spirit, the better fitted we are to attain our ideals. We observe in our daily
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life that the doing of some little neglected duty—it may be repairing the fence, or writing a letter, or sweeping out some neglected corner—gives a certain satisfaction, and we have a feeling of having done something worth while, though outwardly it may be trivial. Satisfaction always follows a duty well done.
A larger satisfaction will come through doing our duty in all our relations with our Creator and Source. We should be honest and confidential with God and establish a real soul communion with him. If we would deal with spiritual things with the same industry that we do material things, we would soon find the Reality of Being.
In our communion with God it is necessary to overcome a tendency to formality, which is reflected into our consciousness from the past. When we try to come in close communion with the Father, we find that a lot of reflected ideas about his personality stand in our way, and we have to get rid of
SPIRITUALITY	9l
formalism and creeds and doctrines, and the old staid ways of approaching Supreme Mind. We want the Real manifest in us and in our affairs. God is a mathematical reality. There is in Being neither luck nor miracle, but a definite cause is always followed by an effect. If we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly ; if we sow bountifully, we reap bountifully. That is law. Every wise man has seen that law, but because of reflected states of consciousness that law has not been given proper expression. Now the time has come when the law shall not only be known, but expressed in every individual.
Jesus Christ came to loose men's minds from all reflected ideas, and bring to light the Absolute Ideas of Divine Mind. If you find yourself living in a little world, it is because you have built it upon a foundation of limited reflected ideas. If you would like your world to be governed by Divine Law, pray for and affirm the expression of that law in all that you do. But you must
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be alert, and, as Jesus said, "Watch." It is possible to build up ideals in the outer reflected state of consciousness, that seem to express the Principle. But unless they are based in the Absolute they will prove to be reflections. Try all your plans by spiritual standards ; give them over to the Spirit that they may be re-formed, not in a reflected state of mind, but in the Spirit. Jesus Christ laid down laws of life, and not all people have realized how deep and far-reaching they are. All of his commandments are for the purpose of leading people up out of the reflected race-ideas into the reality of Spirit.
Last week the daily press gave an account of the catching of a thief in New York that was heralded as a New Thought demonstration. A woman had some diamonds stolen, and applied to a New Thought teacher for help to catch the thief. When he was caught the woman insisted that the teacher, and not the police, should have the credit. Was that real or reflected spirit-
SPIRITUALITY	93
uality ? Refer to Jesus Christ. He said, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where thieves break through and steal." Also, "If any man take thy coat, let him have thy cloak also." There is no suggestion here that we should try to catch thieves or that we should keep a revolver in the house to shoot burglars. Victor Hugo illustrated the Christ doctrine in this relation in the character of the good bishop who befriended the convict Jean Valjean. After his escape from prison, and while being entertained by the bishop, Valjean stole the silverware of the good man at night, but was captured by the police next day, with the goods marked with the bishop's monogram, on his person. When the court called upon the bishop to testify against Valjean, he at first refused to go, saying that he had lost nothing ; but when finally summoned he told the judge that he had given Valjean the silver candlesticks and that he could make no charge against him.
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If you had had the experience of the woman who lost the diamonds, what would you have done? You would, as a Practical Christian, have searched yourself first to find out w_ jiy thieves disturbed you. In the first place, you might find that you had been thinking about and fearing thieves, when the truth is that in Spirit, where you truly abide, there are no thieves. Again, if you are under the Divine Law, you would not have any diamonds laid up. Diamonds are not for the people of the Lord. An excess of jewelry is evidence that you are living in the reflected instead of the real world. People who know the Real have jewels of the soul far more brilliant than those laid up upon the earth. Possessions that are subject to moth and rust and thieves, are not in the kingdom of the Real.
Let the people who desire the treasures of the world, have them. Let us not try to fit our world to these limited things, but to Absolute Ideas. You may, by a certain
SPIRITUALITY	95
will force, try to make things in the outer conform to your plans; but the only way to adjust the outer to the Real is by working from within, from the spiritual center.
The Law is that you shall become one with the Spirit and work yourself up to a realization of your unity with Divine Law, instead of imposing power in an external way to further your selfish interests. All acts should be preceded by specific affirmations of Divine Wisdom; then there will be no "missing the mark," or sin. Things will come your way when you let go of all selfishness and work in the love and wisdom of the Spirit. The Divine Law will then take care of you and all that concerns you, and righteousness and justice will rule in your world.
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CONTENTS	
Health Is Catching 		3
The Lamb of God 		13
Deceptive Promises of the Devil 		22
Jesus Christ, Mediator 		34
First Steps in Regeneration 		42
Divine Evolution 		50
Good Will Toward All Men 		60
The Inner Meaning of the Name 		72
The Book of the Law 		82
Real and Reflected Spirituality 		90
CHARLES FILLMORE'S WRITINGS Christian Healing, Revised Edition
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TEMPLE TALKS
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Series Number Five
Being Extracts from Addresses Delivered
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HOW TO BUILD UP A WASTED
BODY
LL things have character to us ac-
cording to our idea of them.
The Lord's Prayer, for instance,
is not the same to all individuals, because of different viewpoints. If you have prayed, "Thy kingdom come ; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and have thought about heaven as a place somewhere in the sky, the prayer, to your consciousness, is very different from the prayer as it is in the consciousness of one who looks at it in a metaphysical light. To get the very best results from prayers and parables they must be looked upon spiritually. The mere letter of the law is not its fulfillment. The Scripture account must be read according to the Spirit. Then it becomes alive. In spiritual understanding, "Thy kingdom come" means the rule of the One Omnipresent Mind is
4	TEMPLE TALKS
established in our consciousness, which includes both the soul and the body. It means the appreciation of Principle, of law. You look within and there make your union with the Principle, then project it into the without. Thus the coming of the kingdom is made a practical reality.
Let us take the Lord's prayer, silently first, realizing its truth in Spirit, then audibly expressing it by the power of the spoken Word.
(Silence)
The Bible text for today's lesson is found in the first chapter of Nehemiah, which relates that Nehemiah, cup-bearer to king Xerxes, while walking in Babylon, where he was a captive with the other children of Israel, heard one of his brethren from Jerusalem tell of the destruction of the walls of that city and the burning of its gates. He was seized with a great desire to return to the land of his people and build up the walls of the city and restore it to its former glory.
BUILDING UP A WASTED BODY 5
He began the work by praying to the Lord. In that prayer he confessed the sins of his people, and in a spirit of contrition called upon the covenant-keeping God to hear his prayer and prosper him in his mission.
All the different characters and places spoken of in the Scriptures refer to states of consciousness. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, tells of man. The Adam man was the first great central idea, and the Christ man is the concluding idea. All the intervening characters introduce different attitudes of man's mind. We see here a history of ourselves. Every man is made up of the same constituent parts—mind and body. That which makes the difference in men is the different arrangement of fundamental ideas. In this way individual characters are formed.
The breaking down of the walls of Jerusalem and the burning of its gates when its people are carried away to Babylon (led off into sense consciousness) all refers to
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something we are passing through. To get the lesson I must refer it to myself.
The children of Israel followed after Baal and became idol worshipers; they bowed down to external forms of nature instead of Spirit ; they looked to the without instead of the within. The result was, they were taken captive and carried from Jerusalem, the City of Peace. Jerusalem is the ruling spiritual—consciousness in mind and body, and mind and body are one. If we lose ourselves in the outer world, we set up cross-currents, and excessive heat is caused in some part of the body. Then some of the gates will be burned. Sometimes it will be the eyes that smart and burn, or the mouth may be blistered. It is all pictured here. Then the walls are destroyed ; that is, the tissues of the body are broken down, and a wasted condition follows.
The question is, How shall these walls be built up? What steps shall be taken to re-
store the wasted tissues?	The first step is
BUILDING UP A WASTED BODY 7
the recognition of God. That is what Nehemiah did. He made his prayer right there in Babylon, in the confusion of sense -consciousness. We sometimes feel that we must be good before we can pray. That is not necessary. We should begin to pray wherever we may be, and through prayer we shall be introduced to the other steps, and thus go on to full salvation from error thoughts.
The children of Israel had been led away by the allurements of the world, the flesh and the devil. They must turn from these things and confess that they have wandered from God. So the next step after recognizing God and turning to him in prayer, is to confess sins and ask forgiveness. If we would come to perfect restoration of mind and body we must take these steps.
We are told that every great character represents a great affirmation. That is, all great men have had back of them some idea upon which they built. Buddha imagined
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himself a god come down to earth, and this was the incentive that moved him. Paul, the apostle, claimed that Jesus Christ had appointed him to teach the gospel, and he was so imbued with this idea that it was the foundation of his enthusiasm and his eloquence. It was the force that constantly moved him to the giving up of self, and made him willing to endure all things for Christ's sake.
Napoleon had no strong religious idea moving him, but he did have a strong idea of the star of destiny. He was a philosopher. If he had made unity with God through prayer, his idea of some power pushing him forward would have made him a man, not of mere ambition, but of spiritual force and value to the world.
A companion of Phillips Brooks, the great minister, tells that once when they were crossing the ocean he missed Mr. Brooks, and found him in his cabin on his knees praying aloud to God. He was asking for more
BUILDING UP A WASTED BODY 9
power. The friend quietly closed the door, saying to himself, "That is where that man gets his great power."
Every man of power has some secret character-making force, some affirmation to which he gives himself. With that affirmation there goes also a great denial—a will to let go of little things. Circumstances and environment are nothing. God is no respecter of persons. It is all a matter of applying the Law. If there are broken places in your walls, if your gates are burned with sense consciousness, begin with Principle and give yourself to the Spirit. I am not talking religion, not asking you to accept anything blindly, because I say it is so; but I am showing you the relation in the world of the power of mind to affirm itself into a heavenly consciousness, unto which both mind and body shall be lifted. This will restore the broken flesh even when it seems past restoring.
Go home, and if you are puffed up with pride of intelligence, or pride of the world,
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get down on your knees and confess to God. All pride must be given up. You must begin with the personal man and erase him. Give up personality and enter into the mind of the Spirit. You will then see things as you never saw them before.
Your body must be "lifted up ;" it must be glorified by the power of your exalted ideas of its spiritual character. Then
insist upon seeing it as spiritual.	By the
logic of mind we know whatever has spiritual source must be spiritual. The senses tell us strange tales about the body, just as they tell us strange tales about the movement of the sun over the face of the earth. Deny appearances and stay with the Truth. If you hold the body in spiritual consciousness it will begin to express Spirit. After periods of realization of power in the silence there is a distinct lifting up of the whole man. Some people think this applies only to mind, but it applies also to body. Say "I am lifted up in Spirit, in soul, in body." Thus you pro-
BUILDING UP A WASTED BODY I I
ject the power of your word through the law of mind, from the within to the without.
Some metaphysicians say that if you have pure thoughts, it is not necessary to give attention to food and drink. But we should remember that sense-consciousness is the most subtle of the "beasts of the field."
You will find in the grains and fruits and nuts the ideas in the form of food that the body needs for sustenance. Choose the foods that have the greatest affirmation back of them. But remember, food is only part. "Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding out of the mouth of God.- It is the Word of God in the food that gives it its nourishing quality. We read of grains of wheat found with the old mummies of Egypt. Those grains were probably about five thousand years old, and yet after they were found it is said they were planted and grew. Think of the power and perfection of the "life" idea stored away in those little grains of wheat. No wonder
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wheat is called "the staff of life." Oats are good muscle-builders, too. An Englishman once said to a Scotchman, "Why, in your country you eat oats; in our country we feed them to our horses." "Well," said the Scotchman, "that is why in your country you have such good horses, and why we, in our country, have such fine men."
Fine bodies come primarily from fine thoughts, but there is a second movement of the mind in which ideas as food are taken into the body. As you grow in spiritual understanding you will eliminate all coarse, unnatural foods, and adopt the foods prepared for you by the Great Universal Resource.
We are told, in a succeeding lesson, that Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls of the city. Many steps had to be taken, many prayers uttered. He had i., line up with the Principle. So with us; every day brings some new lesson. Denying and giving up some limitation, there
BUILDING UP A WASTED BODY l3
comes some new power, some new quality, and we have new assurance, new courage to do things. No difference what our occupation, we find new ways of doing our work, the result of broadening the mind with the Great Universal. The whole Universe is filled with Spirit Resource. All about us and within us are potentialities, awaiting our bidding to come into manifestation. Let us affirm and deny, take hold of the new and let go of the old. Let us go back to Jerusalem, the "City of Peace" within us, and all the stress and strain of life will be removed, and the body will be -wholly restored. "It is not I, but the Father within me, he doeth the works."
THE TRUE DEFENSE
One who exercises systematic thinking gets familiar with the various mental states of consciousness. When he sits in the silence, in prayer and meditation, he knows the three planes of thought—whether they are spiritual, psychic or material. He can tell by what we may call mental feeling. Some people designate it as vibrations. Sometimes when we sit in the silence we feel crosscurrents. That, we know, is only the psychic or soul realm. But, if we continue to hold some central idea, a peaceful state of consciousness will come. Then we know we are in Spirit. This peaceful state comes from holding thoughts and practicing peace. We can have peace in spite of all turmoil from within or without.
Jesus Christ was a Master. He had formed a state of consciousness in Spirit, and had joined the inner Peace of God. Then
THE TRUE DEFENSE	15
he had peace to impart. You can take a state of consciousness and hold it until everybody catches it, as a furnace will radiate heat and warm a whole house. So we see how the peace of Jesus Christ may be realized and passed on to all who believe. Let us take his peace and establish it in our hearts. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid."	If you do not at first feel
peaceful, continue to declare peace, and quietly rest in it until the peaceful state is fully established. "The peace of Jesus Christ is here. I am grounded in his peace." We will all enter into this thought and establish here a center of peace.
(Silence)
The object of this gathering is to find out by study, instruction and meditation what a Christian should do under certain circumstances. The average person goes to church to hear what the minister says on some political subject, or to hear a novel reviewed, or to listen to a discourse on what the chil-
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dren of Israel did when they marched througii the wilderness, or to listen to the discussion of some abstract proposition in the life of Jesus Christ. But we are all here as Christians to learn how to handle our minds. Every situation that comes up has a necessary part to play in the life of every individual. We all must take part in the race—life. It is of vital importance then that we know what attitude of mind to assume when certain issues arise. If we have lived the ordinary race life we have been radical on one side or the other of every issue, and this old state of mind needs to be reconstructed. We are coming into the kingdom of heaven, and must be prepared to take the right stand when the issues arise.
We find when we enter the true Christianity that it is spiritual. It is mystical, esoteric, allegorical in all its lessons. Within it all is the real spiritual Law, the law that governs all life, and meets every demand made upon it. When we get into the under-
THE TRUE DEFENSE	1 7
sta:Iding of metaphysical Christianity we came into a new kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is first in mind; then it is to be es-
tablished in the earth.	For this we pray
daily, "Thy kingdom come ; thy will be done on earth is it is in heaven." Heaven is the realm of orderly mind, so when we repeat the Lord's prayer we are saying, "Let that which is in mind be manifest in form." When this inner spiritual kingdom is manifest in the outer, then everything will be in Divine Order.
When we pass from old states of mind—the carnal, or natural—into that place where we sit on the Throne of Dominion, a new state of consciousness is set up. Instead of the old ways of self and personal associates, we find a new kingdom. We pass from the personal world into the Universal. A new ruler has come into our lives, and more or less resistance follows. Sometimes the strongest opposition comes from one's associates. It is necessary to know how to han-
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dle this opposition and harmonize it with the New Kingdom.
Jesus Christ taught that the only true defense is nonresistance; and all true Christians find that it is a law of mind, and the only safe attitude the Christian can take. All who take an active part in opposition and antagonism suffer the reaction that always follows. So Jesus Christ impressed on his followers that they were not to carry a sword or fight their enemies. When Peter cut off the ear of the high priest's servant, Jesus told him to put up his sword, saying, "They that take the sword shall perish with the sword." Peter did not know of the rule of the new kingdom. It is a kingdom of mind, a kingdom of Spirit, a kingdom of love, and we, as we look the world over and see the tumult and contending conditions, know that this kingdom of Jesus Christ is the only remedy.
But if we are nonresistant and negative we will simply be swept away. Nonresistance in Christ is not a negative _attitude of
	THE TRUE DEFENSE	I9
mind; it is a positive force in Truth. If we live we must think. The mind is bound to be active or we will fall asleep. The full life is lived by the positive thinker. A man may
	be positive and yet not aggressive	this de-.
scribes the nonresistant attitude. By nonresistance we are lifted up into a higher realm of thought, and a peace comes and flows out as oil on troubled waters. In the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew we read that "there shall be wars and rumors of wars.— These warring thoughts need never lead to an open break if the Divine Law is applied. In the last few years we have witnessed many imminent wars, but they have been prevented by arbitration.
We read of the conflict between capital and labor. What shall be the Christian's attitude? Shall he enter in and take sides? Right here we have a lesson of the power of a positive attitude of peace. Some one must come in and pour out love and justice and understanding upon the stormy sea of warring
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race thoughts. When people get together ir. understanding, all problems will be solved. When men and women are in contending states of mind they cannot get understanding. They can see only one side of a proposition. In order to get the right solution of every problem, both sides must be adjusted in righteousness. It is our office to speak peace and open the way for understanding and an adjustment of all differences. We can do exactly as Jesus did: establish the Spirit of Peace in the world. Remember, when you read the papers and hear discussions of antagonistic factions, to pour out the Peace of Jesus Christ, and send the Word of Peace to all the warring elements, that they may be harmonized.
We may be saved from all trials and tribulations, and all bodily conditions resulting from anger and hate if we take the harmonizing power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ and unify with it—holding it in thought until it radiates in all of our sur-
THE TRUE DEFENSE	21
roundings. When the Seventy were sent out they were told to bless every house that received them, with their Word of Peace. Do you have any concept of the peace that was established in those houses by speaking the Peace of Jesus Christ? I assure you your word will join with the words sown by the masters, and take form and accomplish that whereunto you send it, if you speak it in faith.
The whole race is passing from Egyptian darkness through the wilderness into the Promised Land, and is having various experiences, described allegorically in the wanderings of the children of Israel. You may in your individual life taste the bitter waters or endure the drouth, but the Law is yours to smite the Rock of spiritual Life and drink the water of life. Sometimes we seem to think that spiritual things are not real, but they are ; and they become more and more real to us as we think and meditate upon them and use them.
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If you were told that the salvation of the race depended upon you, you would be very diligent in working for it. The truth is, it does depend upon you. Every individual's thought goes to help make up the great race thought, and the race will not be perfect until every member is perfect; therefore, think to a purpose; think scientifically. Jesus Christ understood and demonstrated the underlying laws of thought, and established a kingdom of righteousness and peace. Follow him; and if another oppose and slander you, do not retaliate. "A soft answer turneth away wrath." Give no place to revenge. Don't try to break down your enemy or kill him, but do away with all antagonism. You get the victory and the glory by being positive in the good; by knowing that good is the one and only reality. "God is good, and my good is my God." If we take that and stand by it, it will demonstrate in us and in all that concerns us.
Some think if they give up the self they
THE TRUE DEFENSE	23
will lose their identity. But we reach a higher place by letting go of transitory things, and find that instead of losing anything we have gained. What you attain in Spirit will endure and become part of your life and body.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you and abide.
THE METAPHYSICS OF ORDER
Let us begin our worship this morning by proclaiming in the sight of God, in the sight of ourselves, that our lives are now ordered after the spiritual law, and that the life so ordered has in it no misstep, no regrets. The way to bring Divine Order into our lives is to "Acknowledge me in all thy ways." We must ask definitely for what we want. Today we will ask for and affirm Divine Order. Let us say in the silence: "The power, order and harmony of the Spirit are now manifest in me and in all my affairs." This will be our silent prayer.
Silence
A man who stands united with his thought conceives magnificently of himself.—Emerson.
The hand of God is upon all them that seek him for good.—Ezra 8:22.
The heavens themselves, the planets and this center,
Observe degree, priority and place,
Insisture, course, proportion, season, form,
Office and custom, in all line of order.—Shakespeare.
METAPHYSICS OF ORDER	25
All sane people acknowledge the necessity of observing some law in their daily living, but the great majority have a human standard. Now the whole race is awakening to the knowledge of the Higher Law, and more people are every day giving attention to the law of Spirit in their lives.
Order is heaven's first law. When we receive more spiritual life it is necessary
that it be put in right relation.	I f it is not,
mental discord will be increased. This applies to all we do. Everything must be in
order.	If you affirm prosperity, that, too,
must be brought into orderly conditions. You may be declaring life and prosperity, and at the same time be holding with your true thoughts some disorganizing thought. This will produce inharmony and discord in your affairs. Lack of orderly arrangement of thought is responsible for many delayed demonstrations.
We find in the Scriptures constant reference in symbols, and also direct commands,
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to order as a fundamental law of the universe and of man. There must be order in the
spiritual life as well as the material.	All
peoples have observed this, and especially the. people of God. Paul said, "Let all things be done decently and in order."
The whole world has changed in the last decade in the matter of order. A few years ago the average business man piled his letters all together on his desk, and had to fumble them all over to find what he wanted. Now he has a card index, and he knows from a glance at the card just where to find the particular letter or paper that he wants.
You have probably all had experience with people who sell books, encyclopedias for instance, for one dollar down and one dollar a month—as long as you live. These firms have a "follow-up" system. You get a nice letter telling you the merits of the book, and if you do not answer you get another one in just one month, suggesting that you cannot get along without their book.
METAPHYSICS OF ORDER	2 7
If this letter is not heeded by you, a third one comes telling you that you simply cannot exist without that book. By this time, perhaps, the "follow-up" system has begun to take hold of you, and you begin to believe that the book is an absolute necessity to you. You have felt the power of the "follow-up-suggestion system of the man behind the letter.
This orderly system of thought-suggestion is widely used in the business world, and unless you are strong in your own conviction as to what your needs are, you will be loaded up with many things for which you have no use. The remedy is, establish yourself in the spiritual law. You will come under one or the other of these laws, the man-made or the spiritual, and it is for you to choose which is best.
You want to know, then, the metaphysics of order. How shall you order your life by the Divine plan? By laying down as a truth that there is such a plan and by making
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it yours through affirming your oneness with the Omnipresent Divine Mind, in which that plan exists in its righteousness. Say:
as the offspring of God and his executive power, am one with his perfect wisdom now ordering my life in the Divine Harmony." Ask for, then affirm the Divine Order. Put yourself in touch with Spirit. You will come into consciousness of a new world and find yourself doing many things differently, because the orderly mind that directs the universe is working through you. It will not be long until you break forth in original ways of doing many things ; changes will come in the way you eat and dress, in the way you write your letters, and in everything that you do. A harmonious relation will be established in all of your affiairs. Things that were out of harmony will easily adjust themselves when you open the way in your mind for the manifestation of Divine Order.
There is an orderly procedure in bringing forth man, even in the material sense.
METAPHYSICS OF ORDER	29
The birth of Jesus Christ is an example. His coming was foretold, arranged beforehand. It was not left to chance. His mother magnified the Lord before he was born. This illustrates that it is necessary to have order from the very beginning. The bringing forth of John the Baptist is an example of the orderly coming of another state of consciousness.
The same law holds good in our houses and our food, in our daily intercourse with our fellows, in even the mottoes on our walls. Dr. Morgan, of London, was married when a young man, and his father, a strict religionist, came to see him. The father went all through the new home, then said to his son, "No man could tell whether this house was dedicated to God or the devil. There is nothing on the walls to indicate the character of the one who is here recognized as supreme." The power of the Word should be expressed in our houses. Should we not surround ourselves with words sugges-
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tive of spiritual things? If words count, and we know they do, should we not be careful of all, every idea, taken into consciousness through the eye as well as through the ear or the tongue?
From their inception to their expression, words are important. The law is fulfilled not only in mind, but in manifestation also. Every suggestion that enters the mind brings forth like expression in act. The time is coming when it will be unlawful to print in the daily papers any record of crime, or of anything that will bring discord into the lives of readers. Just yesterday I read in the daily paper of a man who committed a crime and in his pocket was found a newspaper clipping describing almost identically the same criminal act. This was the fruit of suggestion. How many such suggestions does one large daily paper carry to its thousands of readers in its recital of the daily horrors that make up intense news? As the world comes more and more under the spir-
METAPHYSICS OF ORDER	31
itual law, editors and publishers will not ask their readers what they want, but will give them what they should have for their highest good. And as the people are raised to higher planes of consciousness they will demand reading of uplifting character. They will be just as careful of what they read as they are now beginning to be of their foods. There will be the same demand for pure
reading as for pure food.	If it is against
the law of dietetics to adulterate foods, how much more is it against the law of thought to adulterate the Truth. 'We can see the necessity of •order and law according to
Spirit.	Everything that deteriorates should
be kept out of our mental food even more carefully than it is out of our material food.
This applies also to music. Is music in the Divine Mind? Certainly. The re-ligous tendency of man's soul reaches out for expression in music. When our thoughts are in right relation, our nerves will not be twinged by inharmonious songs. We bring
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about whatever we hold in thought. Our own does come to us. If we lay hold of Spirit only the Divine Harmony will be expressed in us, and the song celestial shall be sung by us.
This spiritual law is operative in food and clothing. If we think about order and harmony, our taste in seeming material things will change. We will desire the purest foods, and there will be more harmony in the colors we choose to wear. "If God so clothe the lilies of the field, will he not much more clothe you?" Some think it impossible to be clothed like the lilies of the field, but I see no reason why. If man stands above all creation, has he not power to clothe himself in the richness and glory of Spirit? Out of the air we may manufacture the things we eat and wear. This is not a flight of fancy. Some chemists are already considering the possibility. It is not an assumption of theoretical metaphysics that we may be able to make our food and cloth-
METAPHYSICS OF ORDER	33
ing from the air, but a logical conclusion following the understanding of God as the Omnipresent Resource of all that appears. So long as we believe in the slow processes of what we call nature, we shall place ourselves under that kind of a law. But if we know the spiritual law, and the power of the Word, we bring into operation in our lives an entirely different law. Where is the limit? There is none.
So let us begin anew, and lay down the law of order in all that we do. If there is a tendency to hurry, stop and affirm Divine Order and rest yourself in its poise. Geologists tell us that our world has been whirling around the sun for over five hundred million years, and that man has been on the planet for over fifty million years. So you _see there is no hurry. Remember that you five in eternity now. This thought of omnipresent eternity will alleviate nervous tension. Put every thought and act under the Divine Law. Even if you think you are
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going to miss a car, do not hurry; another car will come along, and if your mind is in Divine Order, it will be your car.
If you are disorderly and indefinite along any line, put yourself at once under the Order of Divine Mind, by affirming daily that the same Law that swings the stars in the cushioned ethers, is operative in and through your life and all your affairs.
THE UNITY OF WILL AND LOVE
We are all striving to attain happiness. The ultimate object of every effort we make is to gain comfort, contentment, happiness.
I remember a story a socialistic friend told a man who came to his door asking for work, and the following conservation took place: Socialist: "Why do you want work?" Man: "To get money." Socialist: "Then it is not work you want, but money. Why do you want money?" Man: "I want to buy coal." Socialist: "Oh, then it is not money you want, but coal. Why do you want coal?" Man: "My family needs it to keep warm." Socialist: "Then it is not coal you want, but warmth. Why do you want warmth?" Man: "We want to be comfortable that we may be happy." Socialist: "Then it is not work that you want, nor money, nor coal, but comfort and happiness."
The desire for happiness is thus demon-
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strated to be the moving power back of all. effort, and this roundabout, circuitous way of attaining it characterizes all of the mortal man's seeking.
One individual thinks he would be happy if he had health; another, if he had money; and still another, if he had better family relations, and so on. But happiness does not come when all these have been externally attained. The reason is that the mind has not been harmonized. One is unhealthy, or inharmonious in relation with others, because he has not found the center of his being, and from that center established all his faculties in divine order. The consciousness of man is like a fine piece of machinery. It must be put together in right relations to get good results. The thoughts must be properly adjusted. Spirit, soul, and body must be fitly joined together through the harmonious action of the mind. If the will is set in a certain attitude, and ignores the other faculties, the man is one-sided, and disaster to some por-
UNITY OF WILL AND LOVE	37
tion of his being follows. But if a powerful will is balanced by tenderness and love, harmony will ensue. The lesson to the willful is the awakening of love. We are told that if we want friends we must be a friend; and it is true also that if we want love we must be a lover.
The results of the thoughts of wise men have been given to us in all literature in narratives, fables and allegories, showing how mind works in its various attitudes, and how the union of the faculties is brought about. Probably the deepest of all symbolical literature is the Bible. In the Sunday school lesson today (Esther 5th chapter) we have the story of Queen Esther pleading for her people, and it is a good illustration of the union of will and love. Queen Esther was a Jewess, a captive in Babylon with the other children of Israel, when she was made the wife of Xerxes, the Persian king. Her cousin, Mordecai, became the enemy of Ha-maan, one of the sub-rulers under Xerxes.
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Hamaan desired to have revenge upon Mordecai, and he induced the king to make a law that on a certain day all the Jews in the king's province should be slain. Then there was great sorrow among the Hebrew people, for the laws of the Medea and Persians were unalterable. But Mordecai begged of Esther that she entreat the king for her people's deliverance, and she promised to do so, although the law was that whosoever should come into the inner court unto the king without a summons from him should be put to death, except those to whom the king held out the golden scepter.
Esther's first step in carrying out her plan to save her people was to send word to all the children of Israel that they fast and pray with her for three days. At the end of that time she went unbidden into the presence of the king. When the king saw Esther standing in the court he extended to her the golden scepter and said, "What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be
UNITY OF WILL AND LOVE	39
given thee to the half of my kingdom." Then Esther made a feast and invited the king, and at the feast she asked for the lives of her people, who were to be destroyed at the wish of Hamaan, and her request was granted.
This is really a beautiful symbolical picture of how to harmonize a dominant, selfish will with subjective love. Xerxes, the king, represents the will. History tells us that, like Alexander the Great and Napoleon, his ambition was to be ruler of the world. This same spirit is in all willful men and women. Their one desire is to dominate. Xerxes raised a great army of five million soldiers to help him carry out his ambitions. He crossed the Hellespont on two bridges built for the occasion. His willfulness and narrowness are shown in his acts after the storm which destroyed the bridges. He ordered the architects who planned them to be slain, the Hellespont to be lashed with three hundred lashes, to be bound with fetters, and seared
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with a hot iron. This illustrates the superstition and lack of understanding of an unbalanced will. When we are pig-headed and want our own way at any cost, we are Xerxes. The will has been allowed to take possession of the man, and all the other faculties are in abeyance. When this is the state of man's mind, he is out of poise, out of balance. The result is disaster. When Xerxes was met at the Pass of Thermopylae by three hundred Spartans they defeated him, and he went back to Persia with less than five thousand of his five million soldiers.
This is your history when you give yourself up to the selfish domination of the will. If you are exercising your will without love, beware! You must make a union of will and love in your consciousness; then all goes smoothly. We are all striving to be the perfect image and likeness of God. To bring this about, we must study our minds. Your most profitable study is yourself. "The proper study of mankind is man."
UNITY OF WILL AND LOVE	4 1
At first you may find it difficult to get hold of the faculty of love if you have allowed it to fall into disuse. This Bible story shows how to go about the restoration of love to her rightful place in consciousness, and the withdrawal of the cruel and destrue-Live laws of thought which have been made. In order to have the unity of will with love, we must extend our thoughts to her (golden scepter). When the thought of love is quickened, there is an outpouring, a desire to give. Then all fixed, hard states of consciousness begin to soften. People starve for want of love. They are in the throes of a tense mind because they are not expressing love. The will is acting separate from love. It has set up definite laws, fixed and unchangeable. You are making such laws constantly through the power of your thought and word, and unless you melt the hard states of mind and body with Divine Love you will suffer. It cannot be helped. It is a law, and it must be fulfilled. If you look into your own con-
42	TEMPLE TALKS
sciousness and see that you desire to dominate, to carry your point regardless of others, you need to speak the word of love. Relax; let go. All at once a change will come. Say, "I am meek and lowly of heart." All. the set and rigid ideas, and the rigid conditions they have made in body, will go when you make a union with Divine Love, and let it express through you. A hard, set will hardens the muscles and the arteries.
So also a willful state of mind reaches out into the material world, and lays hold of material things. The love of God is the attractive power of the universe, and it will draw to you spiritual things, through which every need will be supplied. Love is the great attractive power in man. Love is the great unifying element. The great Principle of the universe is love. "God is love." "But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
REMISSION OF SINS
We have found by experience that we get our very best lessons by taking the positive side of a proposition instead of the negative. The quick way, the only way to attain perfection, is to start with the truth that man is sinless. I might go on and prove this to you by showing how the mind builds with ideas as its foundation, but you can get a better
proof by affirming,	am a pure and sinless
being." Establish that in your consciousness, meditate upon it, affirm it as truth. It is a much easier way of overcoming than to let yourself drop down into the negative, sinful state of mind. So take this prayer into the center of consciousness: "I am in Truth pure and sinless, and I ask for the overcoming power of the Spirit in the forgiveness of all that which seems to be sin."
(Silence)
I might give you a quotation from the
44	TEMPLE TALKS
Scriptures as a text for our lesson, but you can choose one for yourself ; the Bible is filled with them. Christianity was instituted to save men from their sins. Sin began with the Adamic man, and through the unity of the race we have all become involved in the resulting sense consciousness.
Sin is a failure to apprehend and conform to the law of Being. We are sinners to the extent that we fall short of the Divine Standard of man. How the overcoming is accomplished is dearly set forth in the Scriptures, but its significance has been overlooked because the teaching is veiled in symbols. When once we get into a certain light of mind, which is spiritual understanding, the veil is taken away and we read the Spirit of the Scriptures instead of the letter.
So the first step in overcoming the ignorance of the law is to get the light of Divine Understanding into the mind of man. Then the overcoming of sin is easy. So long as we are in ignorance as to the real character
REMISSION OF SINS	45
of Being, we think and act in darkness. Man is both spiritual and mental. Everything he does originates in the mind, and here we must start reforms of every character.
"The light shines in the darkness." To comprehend the light we must go into the various realms of consciousness and become what is called in Scripture an "overcomer." The light shines everywhere. The universe is charged with a great light. Even material science asserts this. A universal shining substance fills all space, yet we do not discern it because our minds are not quick enough, not swift enough to catch the light and chord with it.
We get from electricity an idea of the quick, swift energy called "light." Back of electricity is a light which material science has named the universal ether. It is the source of light and life; in fact, all things are modes of motion in it, for it is everywhere and in everything, yet not under any law of locality or gravity or limitation of any
46	TEMPLE TALKS
kind: This is the "light that never shone on land or sea," yet there could be no light on land or sea without it as the ever-present emitting ray. The Scriptures tell us about this light. It is written that in the beginning God said, "Let there be light, and there was light." This Universal Light comes into our minds as understanding. I can't tell you how light is reflected into your mind and flashes as understanding, but you can prove it. The first thing to do is to affirm yourself to be light; to declare your Divine Nature, absolutely pure, sinless, shining with the brightness of spiritual light. You came forth from that light and you now exist in it. Darkness in the body is a wrong relation of its cells; they are not fitly joined together. There will be no need of the sun, nor of the moon, nor any outside light when our bodies are lighted with the glory of the Spirit. Our minds and bodies wouletioNt:.414‘vb be filled with this spiritual glow if we had faith in the light and our spiritual purity. We have the
REMISSION OF SINS	47
consciousness through which the light of the Spirit is received, and the light never goes out. If it went out for one instant man would go out.
In overcoming the darkness which is the result of sin, we must assume that we are in the light of Divine Wis4om; that is the starting point of our existence. Through the grace of this light we attain perfection. We could not attain perfection unless we were in essence sinless and pure in God's perception.
Then what about sin? Is sin that awful, real thing which men have believed it to be? Does it bring eternal torment? If I am a pure, sinless being in spiritual consciousness, and have all power when in right relation to my Source, where is the bondage of sin? Sin is merely a wrong relation of certain mental impulses and can be wiped off my consciousness as easily as I wash my face. There are in the Bible nine terms to express sin, and also nine for its removal.
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Forgive, remit, take away, cover up, blot out, destroy, wash away, cleanse, remember no more. This last term covers them all. Forgive and forget your sins and the sins of all men. Do good and not evil, and you will receive the Light Divine.
John the Baptist came as a forgiver of sin. He baptized his disciples by plunging them under water. That is exactly what we must all do if we would be cleansed wholly of sin. We must make a wholesale denial of the whole sinful brood. John cleanses the mind of the thought of man's impurity—this must precede that greater cleansing which is to follow; i. e., the baptism of Jesus of both mind and body. Water is cleansing; it is a symbol of that state of mind in which we do away with the grime and dirt of materiality. If we find our minds building up material conditions as real, we are sinners, because all is Spirit. If we build into consciousness the belief in the reality of evil in any of its aspects, that is sin, because Good
REMISSION OF SINS	49
is all. We cannot believe in the presence or power of anything that in any way opposes the power of God ; if we do, we sin. We are saved through cleansing ; that is, through giving up, letting go of all our ignorance and material thoughts. Then follows the baptism of Jesus, or of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of Jesus is the positive, upbuilding baptism of fire. But we cannot have that until we take first the washing of John the Baptist. When the mind is filled with material ideas, with sense desires, there is no room for the higher principles which have expression through spiritual thought.
We agree with the church that it is necessary to be baptized by sprinkling, dipping and plunging, because these represent different ways of forgiveness. We accept all the rituals and observances of the church, but in the spiritual application instead of the letter. We do not think it necessary to go to the river and be plunged in its waters, while a minister says a prayer for us. The church
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tells us that its ordinances are the symbols of an inward grace. Then why not get at the proposition from the viewpoint of the inward grace? We are no longer children, requiring kindergarten paraphernalia, but growing up into maturity in the Spirit. Then let us take our baptism in the Spirit. Sin is a mental state. The baptism must, then, be of the mind. We must forgive first, before we can reasonably expect forgiveness.
Say to the Father, "I am willing to let go of all false, material ideas of you, of my neighbor and of myself." Take that baptism every day, and you will come into a new understanding of yourself and the world in which you live. We cling so tenaciously to the material ideas and to our material surroundings that we do not give spiritual ideas a chance to express. The matter of sin is simply holding to wrong ideas, which are in due course followed by doing wrong acts. Salvation comes through eliminating, casting out, denying error thoughts, and affirming
REMISSION OF SINS	51
true thoughts. Here in a nutshell is the baptism of both John and Jesus.
Hold to the Absolute Truth, which is, "I and all men are sinless beings through our unity with Divine Light." John Bunyan once said, as he watched a drunken man, "But for the grace of God there goes John Bunyan." It is not wise to look upon ourselves as better than others. Condemnation ill becomes us. 'We all have in the mortal consciousness all the follies and sins and weakness we see in others. We are all of one blood. But through understanding the law of our being, the mortal consciousness is dissolved and passes away. Then there is room for the spiritual consciousness, which we build up as we establish ourselves in the Truth of Being. John Bunyan was not in danger of becoming a drunkard. He clung too closely to the power of God in him.
I have told you that in your center of consciousness there is a White Light. It has a nerve center in your body, and by concen-
52	TEMPLE 'I ALKS
trating at the top of your head you will find it. The light will begin to glow for you if you will give your attention to it and think of yourself as light, the "image and likeness," the sinless offspring of the One Mind. This Perfect Self is the Christ, "the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world." It is the Truth of every one of us. The difference between spiritual people and others, is that those who are spiritual have awakened to the Christ consciousness. If we hold to this indwelling Christ we shall find it easy to overcome the illusions of sense which have bound us with seeming bonds of steel in sinful prisons.
It is sometimes necessary to go into the details of overcoming sin. Sin is broader in its scope than mere moral deflections. There are sins of omission and sins of commission. In the various illustrations given by Jesus Christ we are shown that sometimes the sin is in not doing. In the story of the Prodigal Son, the father gave the gold ring and made
REMISSION OF SINS	53
the feast for the one who took his inheritance and did something with it, although he sinned in the doing. This indicates that the great Universal Good values action, even though it turns out badly, above inaction. The servant who buried his one talent received a sharp reproof. Expression is the law of life. It is better to do something and miss the mark than it is to miss it by doing nothing. If you go wrong, you can be forgiven, but if you never make a move what chance is there for God to forgive you?
The Scriptures teach that there is only one sin which cannot be forgiven, and that is the sin against the Holy Ghost. What is the Holy Ghost? It is the Universal Teacher, the instructor. All followers of Jesus should receive daily instruction of the Holy Ghost. The sin against the Holy Ghost is non-recognition of it. When we ignore this instructor in ways of righteousness we put ourselves outside the Divine schoolhouse. So the only unpardonable sin is to ignore the
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Holy Ghost as teacher. Once take the stand that you are willing to be taught by the Spirit and you place yourself in line with his forgiving power and all your sins will be forgiven.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE
SECOND TEMPLE
Your body is the temple of the living God, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. This is the thought for our morning meditation. Prayer and meditation are very closely allied. Scripture quotations are meaningless to the mind that fails to grasp their spiritual import. They make no deep, lasting impression, because they have not been prayed over or meditated upon. This statement that the body is the temple cannot be realized all at once. It must be taken to God in prayer,
in meditation, in earnest thought.	It is a
large proposition and worthy of our most serious attention. If these bodies are temples of God when the Spirit dwells in them, we should seek above all else to have that abiding Spirit, because our eternal happiness depends upon it. Let us be still and go into the silence, realizing that God dwells in us and that the body is his temple.
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In the Bible it is written that about 536 years B. C., the children of Israel, then in Babylon in captivity, were by king Cyrus set free and allowed to return to Palestine and rebuild the temple of Solomon, which had been destroyed. This second temple lacked the splendor of the first; so much so, that when it was finished and the priests and the Levites ministered in it, and the young men played on harps in celebration, the old men who had seen the first temple wept. Yet the people rejoiced that they again had a place of worship.
To us, the study of this Scripture is of importance just to the extent that it gives a clew to our relation to God, to man, and to ourselves. The profitable Scripture is that which shows us lines of life parallel with our own. We do not tell you that the Bible is altogether allegory, and yet Paul says, referring to what seems a real narrative in the Old Testament, "which thing is an allegory." When we can see the allegorical meaning in
THE SECOND TEMPLE	5
all these narrations we shall know the difference between reading the Bible in the letter and in the Spirit.
To unlock the allegories of the Bible we must have a key, and that key is this: There is a Universal Creative Mind, and all things that appear are brought forth by and through the power of thought. If we take this key we can unlock all mysteries, and all doors that seem to have been closed will yield to it. Man is the thought of God, and man's mind is doing in degree what God's has done —thinking his world into expression. When we know this we can understand all of God's handiwork and man's place in Being. There is a great spiritual force surrounding and filling us, that uplifts and refines us when we give ourselves up to its Law. The whole universe is working to one object—the bringing forth of the perfect man. If we have reached a certain step in that process, our minds have power in our world equal in degree to the One Supreme Mind. This
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mighty creative work of mind is under exact Law, hence it cannot be hurried; but in patience we must win our lives, and let the orderly law of the Spirit have its way in us. Our bodies are first in the ideal; they are thought structures; then they are expressed in shape and form, which is the second building.
The first temple of Solomon was not in the external, but the ideal. The second temple was not equal to the first, because the mind builds an ideal, but does not work it out perfectly in the external. All of God must be expressed in order to make these bodies his temple, and we are content with only a part.
Most people think they would be satisfied with fleshly health ; but this is far short of the great ideal temple of Solomon (Son-o'-man).
Jesus taught that the temple must be. built upon rock in order to stand the wind and wave. That rock is faith in the inner spirit-
THE SECOND TEMPLE	59
ual character of man. This faith in the Omnipresent Mind is a real, substantial thing. Have you convinced yourself that the One Divine Mind is here as a real substance? If you have, you are not afraid of death, nor that there will be an end to the world. You are not filled with quakings and fear when people talk about the end of life. You know that this cannot be. Your confidence is God as eternal Omnipresent Substance is the foundation of your temple.
If you have weak spots in your character you will find that they are caused by some wrong thought. You have not in some point realized the truth .of the One Mind as a fundamental, constituent part of your being. The One Mind is absolute unity ; in it there are no disintegrating thoughts. In building character, deceptive thoughts weaken. If you have the idea that you can deceive another, you yourself are deceived. Confucius said, "How hard it is for a man to conceal himself r' If you are deceptive it is written
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in the lines of your face; but above all, it has its effect on your body, and your foundation slips away. The study of mind reveals all this. You must have a consciousness of the things that are real before the temple can become strong and abiding.
Not long ago I read of a party of young men who planned to have a picnic, and it was arranged that each one was to bring a bottle of wine and put it into a common receptacle. But one young man of economical turn of mind decided to bring a bottle of water instead of wine, thinking to pour it into the wine brought by the others without being found out. It seems, however, that each of the young men had the same thought, and when they began to draw off their wine it was found to be only water. So a single thought of deception grows in consciousness as it is harbored, and may spread until it involves the whole body.
If one wants to build the second temple as perfect as the first, let him be true to him-
THE SECOND TEMPLE	61
self and the Law. All the richness and beauty and wonder of Solomon's Temple is in your thought body. If you want to build this ideal body into manifestation, stay with the Absolute Truth. Put away all the weak thoughts, and deceptive thoughts, and disintegrating thoughts, and make all your thinking constructive--pure, true, holy.
"I AM" IS MIGHT.
All people who have studied metaphysics, and understand somewhat the action of the mind and its laws, recognize that there is one Law, and through that law all things come into expression; also that there is one universal Mind, the Source and sole Origin of all real intelligence. First is mind, then that mind expresses itself in ideas, then those ideas make themselves manifest. This is a metaphysical statement of the Divine Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The trinity—Mind, the expression of Mind, and the manifestations of Mind—is found in simple numbers and complex combinations everywhere.
The metaphysics of the Hebrew Scriptures have been but slightly comprehended. They were written far ahead of the race thought, and it is probable that those who wrote them did not understand all that was involved in the Word of the Spirit. It is
"I AM" IS MIGHT	63
seldom that great writings are fully understood. Less than one hundred years ago, a book aiming to give the names of all the English poets was published in London, and Shakespeare's name was left out. It is said that a great man must be dead five hundred years before his work will be appreciated.
We read in the Hebrew Scriptures of Jehovah, and the translators have erroneously rendered it in the English "Lord." Lord means an external ruler. Bible students say that Jehovah means the self-existent One. Then instead of reading "Lord," we should read I Am. It makes a great difference whether we think of I Am, self-existence, within, or "Lord," master, without. All Scripture shows that Jehovah means just what God told Moses it meant—I Am. "This shall be my name unto all generations." So instead of "Lord," say I Am, whenever you read it, and you will get a clearer understanding and realization of what Jehovah is. Jehovah-jireh means "I Am
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the provider." If we expect to demonstrate prosperity from without we find it a slow process; but if we know I Am is the Provider, we have the key to the inexhaustible resource. God was also known to the Israelites as Jehovah-shalom—"I Am peace." It is found we can demonstrate peace of mind by holding the words, "I Am peace," with the understanding that the real I Am is Jehovah within. But if we start any demonstration and try to apply the I Am to personality, we fall short. This is frequently the cause of lack of results in carrying out the laws that all metaphysicians recognize as fundamentally true. The mind does not always comprehend I Am in its highest, and does not always discern that the all-knowing, Omnipotent One is within man. This recognition must be cultivated, and every one should become conscious of I Am presence. This consciousness will come through prayer and meditation upon Truth. In Truth there is but one I Am—Jehovah, the Omnipotent
ATAC 13 MIGHT	65
God. If you take Jehovah-shalom into mind and hold it with the thought of a mighty peace, you will feel a consciousness, a mighty harmonizing stillness, that no man can understand. It must be felt, realized, and acknowledged by your I Am, before the Supreme I Am can pour out its power. Then you will know you have touched something; but you cannot explain to another just what it is, because you have gone beyond the realm of words and made union with the Cause side of existence. It is the quickening of your divinity through the power of the Word. This Divine nature is in us all, waiting to be brought into expression through our recognition of the power and might of I Am.
We should not fail to always think of the spiritual law under which I Am moves. It is possible for man to take I Am power and apply it in external ways and leave out the true spiritual law. In our day we are proclaiming that man can use I Am power to restore health, bring financial prosperity
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and increase happiness ; in fact, that he can, through its righteous and lawful use, have everything that he desires. But some people are using this power in a material way, neglecting soul culture, building up the external without taking the intermediate step between the Supreme Mind and its manifestation in the outer. We should remember that the soul must grow as well as the body. I know a man who was overtaken with physical disability and loss of eyesight some seven years ago. In his extremity he turned to the spiritual law for help. I saw him not long since, and his physical condition was unchanged. But there was a great change in his soul. He had found the light and he was filled with inward rejoicing. He had become blind that he might see. But his family thought all his dependence on Truth had been a failure. During all these seven years he has managed his business and it has prospered, and his family has been well provided for. He was for a time disappointed and rebellious be-
"I AM" IS MIGHT	67
cause his eyes were not healed ; but now he is glad, because through the prayer and thought he was forced to adopt he has found the inner light.
So when you find yourself disappointed because you do not at once demonstrate health or success, be at peace and know that your earnest prayers and your meditations are working out in you a soul growth that shall yet manifest beyond your greatest hopes. Remember that if the powers of man are expressed they must also be manifested; but do not expect any real manifestation without
expression.	It is easier to seek the Truth willingly and be watchful and obedient than it is to be forced by some severe experience. Hard experiences are not necessary if we are obedient to the Truth that saves us from them. Each day should have its time of prayer and meditation. The soul cannot grow without them, and no man who neglects them will develop his spiritual powers.
The Great I Am is not far away from
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man and the earth. Spirit is closely connected with the little things of daily life. "The kingdom of heaven is come unto you." This means that the Mighty One is with us in all ways. We are all in touch, heart with heart, and a real sympathy makes us one. In reality we all love the simple life. The pomp and parade and pageantry of the external world do not satisfy the soul. It is the small things that touch the heart and appeal to us. We want realities. Even on the stage we demand the realistic. I once read of a playwright who tried to give all of his scenes the touch of realism, and in one play he had electric fans so placed that they would blow to the audience the odors of the viands the actors were eating, thus convincing the people that the food was real. While one of his plays was being given, a cat strayed in, came on the stage, stretched before the fireplace, laid down, and went to sleep. The audience applauded. This added a touch of naturalness the playwright was anxious to
"I AM" IS MIGHT	69
introduce as a permanent feature of the play. But it is hard to get a cat to do things when you want it to do them. However, the playwright set himself to study out how he could induce the cat to go through with its part, and he hit upon this plan : About noon each day he shut the cat up in a very small box, so that it had no room to stretch, then let it out just at the time its appearance on the stage was desired. Of course the first thing it did was to stretch, then drink from a saucer of milk set ready for it; then it would lie down before the fireplace and go to sleep. So he solved the problem, and this little touch of commonplace realism became the hit of the whole play.
It is on such little things as these that success hinges in the play called "life." I Am Might is not in the storm, nor the earthquake, nor the fire, but in the "still small voice," according to Elijah the Tishbite.
THE FIERY TEST
One of the most vital sayings of Jesus Christ was, "I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly." Another translation of this text reads, "I am come that they might have life and abundance." The central idea is more life. In restoring health to man he needs first more vital force; in other words, more life. Various methods are practiced to gain life, but there is only one way, and that is by the creative law. In the beginning God said: "Let us make man in our image." The "God said" is the key to tlae creative law, and the one great Source of all manifest life is Mind. Everything in the body comes through the mind, and if we wish to vitalize, if we want more life energy, more force, we must begin with a mental affirmation of what we want; and through our mind we shall come into the realization of the One Life
THE FIERY TEST	71
always with us. Life is an omnipresent principle, and through worshiping or acknowledging it we shall gain a realization of more abundant life. Let us join this morning in gaining this consciousness of more life, by
holding in the silence this thought:	now
accept and realize, and incorporate into my mind and body, the more abundant life of Jesus Christ."
(Silence)
In this day of religious freedom we are not afraid to inquire into the miracles of the Bible. We are fearless in our inquiry of how the wonderful things there recorded were done. There is a recognition on our part that law is universal, and that what was done by man at one time can be done by other men at any time under like conditions. There was a time when the Bible was considered a sacred book, and it was thought sacrilegious to investigate its teachings with freedom. But with fearless freedom is the only way to study it, and
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when studied in this way it is found to be a scientific book, and the things recorded as miracles were lawful and orderly.
The story of the children of Israel in the fiery furnace is not an unusual occurrence to those who are trained in the so-called mystic side of religion. In the days of Solomon, when he became entangled in the worship of Baal, he made the children of Israel to pass through the fire; and it seems it was the custom to have certain religious adepts attain dominion over fire. This fire test is not peculiar to any one religion, for it is found in the secret religious rites of many races. This leads us to consider whether or not there is a power in man greater than fire, and whether the fiery test has relation to the action of the soul over elemental forces. Everything without has its source within. If the fiery test was practiced by religious adepts, it must have some relation to man's spiritual nature. It was no idle word when God gave to man dominion, mastery and
THE FIERY TEST	73
authority over all things. This means over all the elements. We are sometimes afraid of fire; but it is a universal element, and we must learn how to handle it. We are told that the very atmosphere could be burned up with a match if the right relations were established. We have learned some of the laws of fire, but there are others yet in mystery.
Fire is really a manifestation of life, and our life being part of the Great Life, we should know how to adjust ourselves to it. In order to do this we must know that we are no longer subject to the race idea of life as a transitory thing, but realize it as a friendly principle. Before we can abide in the fire, which is within and without the body, we must have a certain dominion ; we must be master of the life forces. This is attained through following the law of dominion through the Christ. When the children of Israel were put into the fiery furnace, it was so hot that the men who put them in were destroyed ; yet Daniel and his com-
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pantons were not harmed, "nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them." When the king looked in, he saw a fourth one walking in the midst of the flames, and the form of the fourth was like the Son of God. What is the Son of God? The Son of God is Jesus Christ. Stated metaphysically, Christ is the Idea of Perfect Man, and Jesus is the manifestation; but it takes the two to make the perfect expression. The Idea must be clothed, and when it is properly clothed, man becomes a great blaze of glory. When John sun' him on Patmos "his eyes were as a flame of fire, and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength." We often speak of the eye of fire and the light of intelligence. But there is a higher light—the light of Spirit. What
is this light that makes spiritual glory?	It
is fire under the dominion of Spirit. It is the same fire that cooks our meals and warms our houses, raised to the spiritual degree.
THE FIERY TEST	75
Man must realize that life is fire, and that he has dominion over it through his mind. He must put the Christ Life into the elemental fire in his body, and it will begin at since to change its appearance and glow with spiritual light. It is no longer an elemental force; it becomes divine. It has infused into it a new consciousness, a consciousness of mastery. Here is the secret of walking through the fire. The Son of God must be present in the demonstration. If it had not been for his presence the children of Israel would have been burned up. He was in each of them. They were adepts, and their names mean Life, Love and Power. When rounded out in the universal consciousness of Life, Love and Power we are the three children of Israel, and the fourth in the furnace is I Am. Through our own I Am power we are enabled to walk in the midst of the fiery furnace within our souls.
Every one must pass through the fire sooner or later. Some are passing through
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it every day, but not recognizing it, because they do not know the relation between mind and body, and of these to the elements. But even physiology teaches that with every movement we generate a force and explode an energy which is a form of fire. You are afire to the extent that you have energy and life. When the fires of life slow down you lose your energy. Sooner or later there will be a reaction. The forces within will be set free, and if you do not know how to handle them you will be burned up. Decomposition is a fire, a chemical fire. It can be carried to the point, in religious zeal, of absolutely burning up the body, like Elijah, who went up in a chariot of fire, the result of cross-currents he set up through his fiery, antagonistic nature. If you become enthusiastic to the point of losing your poise, or if you become angry and jealous, you throw' into your system fiery cross-currents that will finally consume your body, if the peace and harmony of the Spirit be not invoked. There
THE FIERY TEST	77
is no danger whatever from the fiery element if you have the presence of the Son of God. You must equalize all the forces of your being in the One Harmonious Mind, and then you are safe.
Jesus gave instructions for enduring the fiery test. When you have a feeling of anger, remember that it is a destroying fire; then do as he taught—"forgive." "Resist not." Then an equalization takes place; the high voltage of the mind upon the body is eliminated, and harmony is restored. The teaching of Jesus Christ has nothing in common with war and violence. If you give way to the fires of anger and jealousy and the baser passions, you will be consumed. This is what Jesus Christ referred to when he talked about the everlasting fire into which the disobedient should be cast. This fire becomes a purifier, and those who accept its cleansing work shall come forth tried as gold and refined as silver. Every one will have to remain in a state of purification or hell
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just as long as he holds to the errors which require purification. "Where no fuel is, the fire goeth out."
Body paralysis follows lack of nerve force. So long as you form cross-currents you will burn out a fuse somewhere in your body, and that part cannot function until you put in a new fuse with words of life and substance and power. The law is no respecter of persons. If you break the law of being and burn out a fuse, you alone are the cause of the disturbance and bodily inhar-mony resulting. But the Son of God will restore all things and equalize your mind and body. There is no condition but can be remedied if you draw upon the Christ Life. There is no other way to demonstrate, no other way to walk through the fire, except through understanding mind and body and their relation to the Great Universal. The first step is to make yourself absolutely free to investigate and know for yourself spiritual things. You cannot do this while you are
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bound by what others say, or by your past teaching. You cannot be a free Son of God until you take your freedom and dominion, know the Law for yourself, and appropriate it. We are here to lay hold with Jesus Christ and come with him into Divine harmony. "Our Gcd is a consuming fire
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN
Prayer is the reaching out of the soul for its source, so any statement of Truth taken into the mind and meditated upon is a form of prayer, because it leads to a better understanding of man's relation to God. In our lesson today we have the statement, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." Did you ever think seriously about that proposition? That commission pertains to men universally. Perhaps you have read it thinking it applied to a few men in a past dispensation; but it applies to all men at all times. When once you get a clear understanding of the power of thought to send out its emanations and fix conditions in yourself and others, you will know jutt how sins are remitted and retained. It means that we should hold no one as falling short of the Divine Idea of perfection. It
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may be that you help to retain sins in others by sending out the thought of sin and imperfection. And if you bind others with your thought you can also set them free by your thought. This is man's responsibility. He is his brother's keeper, and is responsible for every thought he sends out.
That we may get a better understanding of this power to forgive sin, let us take into the silence and realize the importance of "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."
(Silence)
To understand the responsibility of man it is necessary to know his place in the Divine Economy. The question whether or not man is a responsible being is one that has been discussed by philosophers always. Some have held that he is responsible ; others, that he is not. We cannot evade the question nor arrive at any other conclusion than that man is, in a certain aspect of his being,
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responsible; but he must, in order to be free, put all responsibility upon God ; so both arguments are true. Man is responsible; man is not responsible. This is not a paradox when understood in Truth. Without understanding we are all at sea. What is the understanding of the great Creative Law? It is that God is Mind, and all things are first, mental ; second, mental ; third, mental ; and so on to infinity. Everything is a mental process, and must be resolved into ideas.
In the Scriptures it is stated that after God finished the work of creation "there was not a man to till the soil," and the Lord God created man and put him in the garden and told him to go to work. This is all symbology. At the same time, when we know what ideas are here represented, we know where this Adam man belongs in the Divine Economy. He has place, and there is responsibility resting upon him ; but when he knows his relation to the whole, he can free himself from personal responsibility. When,
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however, he tries in his personal consciousness to shift the responsibility, he becomes a nonentity, a shirk, a hobo. Unloading our burdens on others and evading our duties breeds selfishness. We all have a mighty duty, and that is to carry out the Divine Law and bring forth the Christ Man; and this is the responsibility resting upon all. But if you realize the Universal, and know that it is not you of yourself, but the Father in you, who does the work, the burden of responsibility will all slip away.
While some try to evade all responsibility, others allow themselves to be weighed down by a great sense of responsibility. This is personality. As metaphysicians we are constantly dealing in our healing ministry with the thoughts of men, and we find that a large number of the ills of the body are caused by extreme ideas of responsibility. The great majority are taking on an excess of responsibility. If these knew the Universal Burden Bearer, they would find life a joy
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instead of a burden. The way to get freedom from all cumbering cares is to take up and deny all limitations. The first step with most people is to free the mind from all the little details of personal responsibility that accumulate as a great load, heavy to be borne. Remember the promise of the Master, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Some are burdened with their religion. They think it necessary to be constantly on the defensive, forgetting that "Truth defensive hath lost its hold on God." Some may claim they have no religion ; but they have. Every man has a religion, and it has first place in all his thoughts. He may not acknowledge the true God, but he believes in an invisible power of some kind, whether he calls it Providence, fate, or "luck: What a great freedom would come to the whole race if the mathematical law of mind were universally taught! If people understood the Law that they could send out be-
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fore them a spiritual force and have every day what they desired, it would make easy the way and remove many a burden. The man who thus exercises his dominion shifts all responsibility upon the Universal Mind, when he understands his relation to it as the working Will.
In the Conservation Congress held here recently, a Presbyterian divine of New York city, treasurer of the Foreign Missionary Society, in speaking of the conservation of the soil, said it had come to him that all soil was holy, and that "Holy Land" really refers to all land. He said religion should be more practical, and to make it so all the errors that had been carried along should be dropped as fast as new light came. One of these errors is that it is necessary to fight for religion. Don't burden yourself with the idea that you are responsible for the Truth. Live the Truth ; that is the best way to fulfill your responsibility. Make the Truth an everyday thing; make it practical. Let all
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ground be holy ground, all substance holy Substance. "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof."
It is not wise to load up with household responsibilities. Some make themselves slaves to the home, to providing and preparing food and clothing. Let the Universal be responsible, and set your mind free from cares. If you have a boy who depends on you, tell him, silently if necessary, that he is free to shift for himself. This will throw him on his own resources and bring out his manhood. But don't try to get rid of duties in a personal way. Raise the consciousness to the realization that God is equal to the carrying on of this universe. Then fulfill the law of God by letting him work through you. You will be more successful, have more joy, and find everything going smoothly if you will say, "The Father within me, he doeth the works. Not my will, but thine, be done."
SPIRITUAL MAN EXPRESSED IS GOD MANIFEST
"In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
We are striving in this age to bring the abstract down to the concrete; to show the relation of the metaphysical to the physical ; to make what has been a far-away God a present reality ; to help men know that they are not different from God, but that God dwells in them, and that they are not only like him, but are of the same essence, being his offspring. All this depends upon consciousness. A study of consciousness along broad lines leads to the conclusion that it has two great phases of expression, which may be termed the within and the without, or spiritual and material. The extent of man's consciousness is the measure of his capabilities. Your strength, your intelligence, the hold you have on life—in fact, all you
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are—depends on consciousness ; it is the keynote to all character.
There are certain universal truths accepted by the mind as having a logical foundation ; but we may accept them and assent to them without realizing or having consciousness of them. The intellect perceives that they are true, but the consciousness does not lay hold of them. We have read in this Bible again and again that man was created in the image and likeness of God, and pronounced good. Yet in the face of this we count ourselves and other men evil. This cannot be true if the original creation was true. It must be that something more than mental perception is necessary to help us grasp this original spiritual creation.
We have found that by training the mind to realize the Truth in feeling, we have experiences of which the ordinary man knows nothing. Men have in them the spiritual nature, all-good, all-powerful, all-wise; but they have not found it because they have not
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looked for it as a living, feeling thing. It must be believed in and realized as an indwelling force of mind and body. If we search this great truth that man is created in the image and likeness of God, it will be revealed to us. "He that asketh receiveth.-Let us pray believing that we have received the truth, and by affirmation and meditation let us build up within us that state of consciousness which realizes the Divine nature.
All creation tends to the one thing: that is, the bringing forth of man ; and the manifestation of that man is a perfect body. So the apostle says, "In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." This is the Messianic man, to whose coming the race has always looked forward. The old Jews taught that he would come as a temporal king, but the spiritually wise have always known that the Messiah is the ideal Man. He is in the consciousness of Divine Mind as an idea of perfect Man, and in this perfect ideal Man there dwells all the
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fullness of the Godhead bodily. Another name for this perfect ideal man is Christ, and Christ dwells in all of us as an all-potential idea. The great problem is how to get hold of this idea and express it. We cannot do this in any happy-go-lucky way. There is a scientific way, and we have found that it is through mind. The expression of man is his body. If the Divine Mind images us as perfect, we must in turn hold that perfection in mind and stamp it upon our bodies. Do not attribute to an arbitrary God your deficiencies of body, because they do not come in that way. It is not necessary to condemn ourselves; but if imperfections appear, it is only character manifesting itself, and our work should be to perfect the body by reforming the character. Man has in him all the powers of Being, and his manifestation does not depend upon the fiat of some far-off God, but upon the Principle within him striving to manifest more and
more of itself.	In Christ is all perfection,
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and his expression in us depends upon our free will.
We allow our bodies to express the innate life to a certain degree, then repression begins. This might be called a reaction of mind. We need lessons in the fuller expression of the mind through the body. All people are influenced to some extent by food, by heat and cold; and in the effort to protect themselves they go to the other extreme, and suppress their powers by closing up the avenues of expression. At this time of the year we are often asleed what causes the symptoms called "hay fever." Hay fever is a condition resulting from suppression of life, and the remedy is a right adjustment of life force to mind and body. Under Divine Law the body is self-regulating, and will always take care of the poisons that are put into it by ignorant thought. The pores of the skin eliminate poisons, and when they become closed by too much clothing or change in weather, the system tries to throw
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off the impurities through the mucous lining. The system has been overloaded with fatty substances and certain poisons called "toxins." All animal products—meat, butter, and eggs—when used as food carry into the system certain elements not natural to it, and all the bodily organs are taxed in their efforts to cast them out. The doctors give one of these poisons the polite name of "urea." You get a good dose of it when you eat a nice, juicy steak. The juice is "urea," or animal urine.
Bernard Shaw, when asked how long he had been a vegetarian, said: "I have not eaten anybody for twelve years." That is a forcible way of putting a great truth. The whole animal creation is one with us in the great unity of life, and when we eat our fellow creatures we sin against the great Principle of Being. This is really the cause of the physical disorders that arise from eating flesh foods.
To give the body freer expression Ray-
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mond Duncan adopted the clothing of ancient Greece. In nearly every city he and his family were threatened with arrest because they were accused of not being properly clothed. The complaint against them was largely on account of the fact that they clothed their little son in the Greek style, and the authorities considered that the child was suffering, especially in winter. When Mr. Duncan was arrested in New York and brought before the court he asked the doctor who brought the charge against him, if he had any children, and the doctor said that he had six. Mr. Duncan then asked him if any of them had had colds and measles and diphtheria and various other children's diseases, and the doctor admitted that they had had nearly all of them. "Well," said Mr. Duncan, "I think you should be arrested for improperly clothing your children. My son has never taken medicine, and has never had a cold, nor any of the diseases mentioned." The judge quickly discharged him.
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I know indirectly of a doctor who failed to raise his family of children. They all died of throat troubles. He had one son left, and he determined to make a change in his manner of caring for and clothing this child ; so he let him go barefoot summer and winter, and the boy grew up healthy and strong, the result of giving him bodily freedom. You have all heard of the boy in Rome, who was gilded at a carnival. He was smothered to death. We smother ourselves with our clothing. When winter comes we increase our clothing, and it clings close to us. The result is suppression. Sometimes the suppression is made greater by the use of stays. Under these conditions the different organs of the body do not have proper expression. We must have absolute freedom. Some are agitating the question of going back to the Garden of Eden style. Jack London tells how Darling, the Nature man, who lives in a South Sea Island, came to adopt the Adam and Eve costume. He
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lived in Portland, Oregon, and was broken in health, having nervous prostration. One night in his delirium he escaped from his nurses, and when he came to himself he was in the forest without any clothing. He lived there for three months, unclothed, and depending for food on what he could find at the hand of Nature. At the end of three months he was a strong, well man, and he determined never again to be trammeled with anything that hindered the expression of his being; so he went to the South Sea Island, where he might live undisturbed by the laws of civilized people, and go unclothed.
We are on the verge of great reforms upon this earth, the result of changes in thought. There is a spiritual kingdom within, and it is coming to the surface. In your flesh you shall see God; that is, you shall see that in you dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
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CONTENTS
How to Build Up a Wasted Body	 3
The True Defense	 14
The Metaphysics of Order	24
The Unity of Will and Love	35
Remission of Sins	43
The Foundation of the Second Temple . 	
"I Am" Is Might	62
The Fiery Test	70
The Responsibility of Man	80
Spiritual Man Expressed Is God Mani-
fest	87
CHARLES FILLMORE'S WRITINGS Christian Healing, Revised Edition
A book of 266 pages, 51/2x71/2 inches in size, containing twelve lessons on the subject of Christian Healing and Spiritual Development, with a set of statements to be used in connection with each lesson. In addition to the twelve regular lessons there are thirteen chapters on subjects of interest to Truth students, including a chapter on "How Healing Is Done," with sample treatments for special cases.
In green paper cover, 75 cents, postpaid. In green cloth, stamped in gold with gold top, $1.50, postpaid.
Temple Talks
This booklet is one of a series of five. ...y are all uniform in size and style. -dch book contains ninty-six pages, 4x6. The volumes are numbered One, Two, Three, Four and Five.
The five books include fifty-two addresses delivered by Mr. Charles Fillmore in Unity Auditorium at Kansas City. They have been chosen from the best of Mr. Fillmore's addresses, and we recommend them to all who are searching for a message of Truth.
Temple Talks, in artistic paper covers, 25 cents per volume; cloth bound, stamped in gold, 15 cents per volume.
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