On Divine Providence, Attainment, and other Problems
Individuality and Strength
A New Vision
Divine Adjustment
Creative Imagination
On overcoming
Laying up Treasure
The Power of words
Love, Life and Light
Through faith to freedom
Growth and Development
Preface
There is an ever-present principle of perfection which, when co-operated with, brings our own
personal life into a state of order. There is beneath the surface of things an inner harmony into
which we can enter , and with which we can become at-one.
This is the Inner Secret of all true religions; - to show people how to find this interior order and
harmony. and to become adjusted to them, and at one with them.
Many today are finding their life discordant: nothing goes smoothly: everywhere they go they
find trouble, and everything they do is done with strain and friction. The cause of all this
disharmony is that they are out of adjustment with the principle of order; they are not working
in agreement with the laws which govern their being: they are not thinking and living in accord
with the interior harmony which is beneath the surface of things.
They all desire that their outward life should be adjusted and harmonised, but before this can
become possible they must themselves become inwardly adjusted to the laws and principles of
life. Infinite Wisdom is always ready and willing to lead us into the way of order and peace.
Infinite Love for ever calls us to enter the Inner Harmony which is the Reality. Also, all the
experiences of life have the same object in view; to bring us into a state of Divine Adjustment.
The object of this book is to help people to find their way by an understanding of life and the
laws and principles which govern it.
Henry Thomas Hamblin.
'The Way of the Spirit is harmony and peace.'
CHAPTER ONE
THE STREAM OF BLESSEDNESS.
"There is a River known of old
From which the prophets drew;
A living stream that ever flows
The whole creation through.
And they who find this mystic stream
Shall never thirst again;
It flows from out the throne of God
To all the sons of men." (Henry Victor Morgan).
Too long has mankind suffered from the belief that it is not only "born to trouble as the
sparks fly upwards," but condemned to endure it, and that there is no way of escape. It is
still a common belief amongst many of us, who profess to believe in God, that disharmony is
inevitable. If we escape from certain evils, then we say we are "lucky". Too often,
alas! our only belief, as far as this life goes, is not in God ( a God who is of any practical use or
help in this life), but in chance and luck.
If we are lucky, well and good. If we are unlucky, then we must grin and bear it. Many of us do
not believe that there is any practical help to be derived from prayer. We think that at its best, it
is a beneficial exercise for the soul. In this modernistic age those who think differently are often
sneered at as believers in magic. In other words, man is a victim to chance and luck, to the
elements, to certain powers of destruction, or to influences which may either raise him up,
or cast him down; but yet over none of these has he any power of his own; and as for God -
well, He does not or cannot Interfere.
It is true that so long as, and to the extent that, we hold these views, we must remain victims
of fate, or chance, or luck, and of powers of evil and destruction. If we exclude from our mind
all belief in the God-given spiritual power promised to His children: liberty, mastery, dominion
(not by the self, but that power and mastery that is experienced by those who enter the liberty
of the sons of God), we must forever remain weak slaves and victims of fate, or chance, or
whatever it is that plagues and torments man.
Even scientists, such as Sir James Jeans and others, are coming round to the metaphysical idea
that the world is not so much a thing external to ourselves, as it is something that is held in the
mind. This is no new belief, for it has been accepted, in the past, by nearly all thinkers who, by
processes of reasoning, discovered that the only thing of which they could be certain was
consciousness.
Without going so far as to accept such a belief or reasoning, en bloc, we can at least see that if
we refuse to hold, or are incapable of holding, any idea of a life greater than that of man as a
helpless creature, the prey of countless evils and misfortunes, then we must continue to remain
victims of fate and chance. If it is not in the mind, it cannot be in the life.
If we do not include God, Liberty, Good, Love, freedom, dominion over nature and circumstances,
harmony and order, etc. in our philosophy, if we do not include these within our mental grasp,
then assuredly they can never appear in our life and experience. If we do not believe in God, or
in liberty and overcoming, we narrow our life and its possibilities down to those of the savage.
We shut out of our mind, and consequently out of our life, all the most glorious things in the
universe. We shut out of our experience all the possibilities and potentialities of god-hood.
The object of possessing a mind such as man possesses, capable of limitless expansion, is that
we may grow above the beast, above the savage, above the intellectual, and become god-men.
It is true that the greatest achievements of which we are capable, are that we may love
compassionately, be faithful and true, be patient and steadfast, and pure and noble. But even
these "fruits", which are of the heart rather than of the mind, have first to be included
in the mind, before they can be brought into consciousness and welded into the character. Yet in
addition to these "fruits of the spirit," it is necessary for us to enter into the truth
about God, that He is a God of love, order, harmony, wholeness, beauty, and peace; otherwise
our lives are full of anxiety and care instead of being carefree and full of joy.
My point is just this: that if we do not believe that greater things are possible, they must of
necessity remain impossible in our experience; whereas if we accept this larger truth about God
and life, thus bringing it within the horizon of our thought and the boundaries of our mind, then
greater and more glorious things become possible.
The first step, then, is to believe that greater things are possible, to believe that we are greater
than we seem, that we are spiritual beings, living in a spiritual universe, governed by spiritual
laws, and that all things are ours, if we do but exercise faith.
First of all, then, we have to believe that God really is good, that life is good, that there is a
friendliness in things, that a good and wise purpose is working out, or which is seeking to find
expression. This truth may be, and is, stated in a number of different ways: but it is always the
same truth. It is generally stated as "all good comes from the Lord”. This is a
fundamental truth. At first we think that we can create our own good. We think that we can
visualize it, and will it into manifestation. If we succeed in doing this we find that such
"good" is only fleeting; for 'Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted,
shall be rooted up'; and, also, 'Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it'.
This beginning stage of conscious effort is necessary, and has its place in the scheme of things,
but it is a stage that has to be left behind. It is only preliminary. Really, the first step is to
acknowledge that all good comes from the Lord.
But what do we mean by "coming from the Lord'? First of all, what do we mean by the
term "Lord''? By it I mean the One Creative Centre or Spiritual Source from Which all
creation or manifestation springs. This, in its essence, is pure and perfect. God, the Source,
is perfect, and can express only order and perfection.
Perfect order and good can come only from the One Source of all order and good. "All
things were made by him, and without him there was not any thing made that was made."
All that is real and perfect and good comes from the One Divine Source, and nothing else is
permanent, or real, or of God. Neither can good come from any other source, for there is only
one Source, one God, one Good.
The first lesson, then, that we have to learn, is that all good comes from the Lord, the One
Source and Fountain of Good. It is not necessary to define what is meant by the term good, for
we each know intuitively what is good, and what is not good. We know that sin, such as lust,
impurity, selfishness, hate, uncharitableness, untruthfulness, insincerity, unfaithfulness, living
below our ideals, fear, mistrust, is not good, but evil. We also know that disease, sickness,
penury, disaster, disharmony, wretchedness, misery, care, anxiety, ugliness, disorder are evil
and not of God, although He can bring good out of every experience. Intuition tells us that the
Divine idea concerning each one of us and the world in general is perfect, and that this Idea is
not merely a negative absence of evil, but a positive expression of love, truth, order, beauty,
wholeness - in other words, Heaven.
Heaven is where the Lord is, and where, consequently, Divine Order is. When we are conscious
of the Divine Presence we are in a state of Heavenly consciousness. Actually, the Divine Idea is
for ever being perfectly expressed, but we live in a lower consciousness ( a form of separate
consciousness), in which we fail either to live up to our privileges and possibilities, or to
apprehend or appreciate the Divine beauty and order.
Divine Love and Wisdom are continually endeavouring to lead us into the right way - the way of
order, perfection and harmony. But, man, being a free agent, cannot be forced or overruled, he
must come to the Truth in his own way, and of his own free will. In the true Path of Life is
harmony, peace, beauty, order and infinite good. Everything comes to pass at the right time,
and everybody and everything is in his and its right place at the right time, and the whole
works harmoniously in co-operation and co-ordination with one Supreme Will, which is Infinite
Love guided by Infinite Wisdom.
The disorders of life are due to our being out of the harmonious Stream of Life and Blessedness,
instead of in it. Such disasters and disorders are not "sent to try us," but to guide us
into the Path or Stream of true harmony and blessedness.
What I have termed "a Stream of Blessedness", Swedenborg terms "The
Stream of Providence". The meaning is identical. God is not the author of disorder and
misery, but is a God of love, harmony, beauty and perfection. We enter into a state of
blessedness, or into the Divine Providence, to the extent that we acknowledge that all good
comes from the Lord, and then to depend upon the Divine, instead of upon ourselves, or upon
human channels, or worldly methods. To the extent that we surrender to the Divine, do we bring
the Divine order into our life; or, rather are we brought into the Stream of Divine Providence or
state of blessedness.
I have said that the first step is to acknowledge that all good comes from the Lord. We have
seen that "good'. is a heavenly state of affairs. Consequently, 'good' can come only from
Heaven. the presence of God, and the expression of the Divine Idea. But, before proceeding
farther, let me make yet another digression. Some readers may already be in revolt, and want
to say: 'Yes, but what about discipline, what about chastening, what about being purified in the
fires of affliction ?" I am aware of all this. in fact, I have just read in Ecclesiasticus the
following: "My son, if thou come to serve the Lord, prepare thy soul for temptation. Set thy
heart aright and constantly endure, and make not haste in time of trouble. Whatsoever is
brought upon thee take cheerfully, and be patient when thou art changed to a low estate.
For gold is tried in the fire. and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity.' But such quotations
of which there are many in the Bible merely go to prove my point.
All the chastenings of life are due to the fact that we are not in the Stream of Blessedness.
We attract them to ourselves, and bring them into our life, through not living in harmony with
the Divine. We do not heed the Heavenly impulses from within which would fain guide us into
paths of peace and harmony. We still listen to the voice of desire, still follow the impulses of self,
still live in a state of spiritual lethargy, instead of braving the mountain passes of spiritual
attainment. The inevitable result of all this is suffering. Owing, however, to. the working of a
beneficient law - the operation of Divine love and wisdom - the effect of our wrong thinking and
acting is that what is brought to us, is not punishment, but remedial experience. Thus it is that
one of the secrets of the true art of living is to meet all life 's experience with co-operation, and
in a flexible and adaptable manner.
But all such suffering and experience would not be necessary if ( a) we were already perfect
and all-wise, or (b) if we always followed the impulses of the Divine within us, to live our life on
a higher level.
We put ourselves, then, in the stream of the Divine Blessedness or Providence, partly through
acknowledging that all good comes from the Spirit, from the One Central Source, and not from
ourselves, or our own efforts; and partly through depending upon the Divine Source instead of
upon our own efforts, wisdom, or subtlety. But, so I have found, it is necessary that this
acknowledgment that all good, all wisdom, and all deliverance, etc., come from God should not
remain merely an intellectual assent, or belief. It is true that we must first start with belief, but
this must pass on to a state of knowing, or realization through experience. "First within,
then without: first in the unseen, then in the seen. We learn the first truths about life even as
children are slowly taught but the further stage is one of actual knowing through experience.
It is a matter of attainment. Those who remain in a state of mere belief can never enter into
freedom, or live a wider and more spacious life. But those who pass on to a state of real
knowing, attain to a wider consciousness, in which they are free, to that degree, from the
limitations which restrict man, and which keep him bound, a helpless victim, to the wheel of
painful experience. Here, as in all spiritual truths, there is a subtle paradox. It is through
choosing the difficult path that we find ourselves in a state of freedom: it is through choosing
the easy path that we find life increasingly difficult. If we seek the personal happiness of the
selfhood we never find it: if we follow the painful path of duty and high achievement we find
rest to our soul, and joy which transcends mere happiness, even as the mountain towers above
the plain.
Most readers will want to know if suffering may legitimately be avoided. Some may have
discovered that through an attitude of the mind and will suffering can to a large extent be
either accepted or refused. Experience has taught me that it is wise to accept all life's
experiences and meet them in a spirit of co-operation. It is through being in mental conflict
with them that many evils arise. Thus we have yet another paradox, which is, that if we
accept life's experiences, thus accepting anything that life may bring, we not only rise
above fear and apprehension, because we accept that which we have feared, but we
also avoid the suffering that conflict and strain, due to opposition, cause. All this is somewhat
subtle and difficult to understand, but through experience and through meditation, being
helped and instructed by the Spirit, we enter into an inner understanding of this great truth.
Swedenborg truly says: 'To those who are in perception it is granted by the Lord to know
good and truth by an interior way'. It is through spiritual perception that we are able to
understand in an interior way these great truths which are a complete enigma to the
finest intellects.
The object of life is simply to prepare us for higher service, to make us ready for the sublime
revelation that is waiting for us, and to build us up so that we can bear the responsibility that
the revelation entails. We can meet all this with co-operation, willingness and self-discipline;
or we can wait for painful experience to drive us into the Path; or we can oppose life's
experiences, and thus cause further and quite unnecessary suffering.
If the object of life is to prepare us for godhood (or Sons-of-God-hood ) - and no one can read
the Bible understandingly without coming to this conclusion - then there is one Royal Road
which most people can follow, and this is Meditation. We become changed into the likeness
of that which we contemplate. If we meditate upon God, and upon the qualities which we
attribute to Him, which are the highest qualities of character that we can imagine, then
gradually these same qualities become built up in us. Concurrently, the evils in our nature
and selfhood die and pass away. Through contemplating the Divine, we become changed
into the nature of the Divine. This is the positive way of destroying all sin, weakness, and
imperfection. It is due to nothing that we can do ourselves. It is the work of the Spirit.
All that we have to do is to contemplate; but this, however, is an accomplishment that is
the result of much practice and patient persistence and perseverance.
When we contemplate we do not have any desire in our heart for anything except to know
God and be changed into His likeness. We have no thought about avoiding experience or
suffering; therefore, there is no conflict - no conflict between ourselves and the leading of
the Spirit: no conflict between ourselves and life's experience: no conflict between a thought
that God is love, and a thought that God is one who sends suffering. All conflict ceases,
and we rest in the Divine Presence, willing to receive all that life can give us, knowing that
whatever it is, it must be good; and that through 'trusting the current that knows the way',
we are carried along on a Stream of Blessedness to our highest good.
During such times of quiet contemplation of the Divine, instead of the fears that afflict the
selfhood or finite personality, come glorious revelations of blessing and love and care. As
Edward Carpenter wrote: " All the Divine forces hasten to minister to our
eternal joy".
We become blissfully conscious of a state of blessedness, of ministering angels, of being
led harmoniously in paths of peace and eternal joy. We then know that all is well, and that
in our experience the best is yet to be.
CHAPTER TWO
ON RESISTING THE TEMPTATION TO FEAR. AND THE OVERCOMING OF THE SIN OF DOUBT.
"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke XII. 32)
The life of the true man is a life of mastery. Not of mastery over others. but of mastery over 'self' and all its weaknesses and indulgences, and over fear. He who overcomes himself and his fears becomes a master of life and all its experiences.
Nowadays, we are told, in the popular Press, "not to worry," by which is meant that we should dismiss the cause of our worry from our mind, and that we should go to see a funny play instead, or do, or see something that would cheer us up. This is good advice as far as it goes; but unfortunately it does not go far enough. neither are its effects lasting. When the performance is concluded, back comes the cloud of worry, with its fears and apprehensions, worse than before.
Religious people speak of "leaving it to a Higher Power". This is not much better than the advice given in the popular press, because although it acknowledges a Power higher than that of the world, it yet uses the term only as a kind of anaesthetic. It does not master the trouble, but merely causes one to sink down into a state of coma, allowing things to drift. Only too often it is simply a mere hoping for the best. People who give or follow such advice are not masters, but are simply slaves of those influences and experiences, which overwhelm man if he does not overcome them, and rise above them.
But the overcoming of fear is something more than "not worrying". Merely dismissing a thing from the mind for a time is not mastering it. It is not the act of a hero, but of a coward. It is merely putting off the evil day. Later on the trouble has to be met, and by that time it may have assumed giant's dimensions. The more we shrink from a trouble, and the more we try to run away from it, the worse it appears to be. Fear becomes our master, if we accept it. The only wise thing to do is to meet it now, and destroy it, while it is yet young and small, before it grows into a domineering and destroying giant.
Nowadays, it is known that we are subjects of suggestion. We are not tempted by an individual with horns and tail, but by suggestion. It is known, also, that the suggestion that we accept becomes part of our life. Fear is suggestion of evil. If we accept it, evil becomes part of our life; but if we destroy the fear, evil cannot enter our life. When fear has been cast out we find that the thing of which we were afraid, either never reaches us, or turns out to be blessing.
The great thing to be overcome is fear, because "fear hath torment". And not only so, it is the cause of disease and ill-health, and of failure, unhappiness, and a host of negative ills. Fear cannot he overcome by running away from the thing or experience of which we are afraid or which we dislike. Suggestion of evil, which strikes fear in our heart, cannot be destroyed by refusing to meet its challenge and going to an entertainment instead. Fear must be faced; it must be met, challenged and overcome. When this is accomplished, we generally find that there is no substance behind the fear. But even if this is not so, we find that the experience is not as bad as we expected, and that power is given us to pass through it creditably.
I want to emphasize the point that if fear is killed and suggestion defeated, so that they find no lodging place in our mind, the thing that we fear does not materialize. If we overcome our fear, the thing of which we are afraid is overcome also. The event may come, but not the fearful thing that we feared. Thus what we have to do is to become perfectly fearless about the thing or threatened experience that causes the fear.
Here let me digress a little in order to point out two errors into which we all are liable to fall. First the use of thought control in the wrong way, or of a false right thinking, which of course is not right thinking at all. We may think that we are controlling our thoughts and practicing right thinking by avoiding all thoughts of difficulty, disharmony, unpleasant duty or event that we know must be met in the near future This is an insidious evil, more destructive to character than the habit of worrying. This mental cowardice is an evil that feeds and flourishes on itself; it saps the will, undermines the character and reduces one to impotency. The more we practice it the weaker we become, and the less able to carry on the battle of life. If we dodge the issue in this way, in our thoughts, then it becomes impossible for us to meet life with resolution; impossible to make firm and wise decisions; impossible for us to stand firm when the great moral crises of life sweep down upon us.
Every thought of evil that challenges us: every thought of difficult duties that have yet to be met: every reminder of unpleasant experiences lying in store, must not be dodged but must be met, challenged, and overcome through a mental use of the will, and through a recognition and affirmation of the power of God and the reality of Truth. This must be done firmly until we overcome in our mind the difficulties that we are tempted to dodge, and we have a consciousness of victory. Inward victory is necessary first, after which an outward overcoming becomes possible. If we continually gain the victory, mentally, over our difficulties and the things we dread we become stable in mind, firm in will, wise in choice, and generally balanced and poised.
The second error into which we are liable to fall is to fight against the experience which we dread, instead of becoming unafraid towards it. This is the cause of great suffering, for the semi-enlightened man knows enough about the power of prayer and the use of mind forces to create a great deal of extra trouble for himself. He tries to alter his life to suit himself, instead of seeking to go where life would lead him. He thus creates an inferno for himself; whereas Life would fain lead him, through experience, to his highest good, wherein is joy, harmony and peace. We have to overcome, although we must not rebel against, or run away from, the experience that we dread. What has to be overcome is not so much the experience as our own weakness. We have to overcome our fears; we have to overcome our reluctance to face life's difficulties, we have to go forward willingly to touch the bottom of every experience. Paradoxically, we must not attempt to overcome fear because we fear the cause of our fear, and wish to remove it. What we have to do is to destroy fear, so that we can face the issue, not merely bravely, but entirely without fear; and willingly, welcoming the experience with co-operation, thanking God for it, and praising Him for it.
Elsewhere I have said: "Overcome depression, and you overcome the cause of your depression." It is equally true to say that if you overcome fear, you overcome the cause of your fear .
Fear is of two kinds. There is the fear that is generated by some threatened unpleasant or painful experience of life. There are also the nameless fears of neurasthenia. I will deal with the former first. The remedy in each case is the same, yet in one sense it is different, as we shall show later.
First, then, let us consider the fear that is generated by difficult and alarming events, conditions or experiences. "Coming events cast their shadows before", in the form of fears, apprehensions, forebodings of impending evil, etc. Some sensitive people know when "evil" is approaching, through a sense of uneasiness. If they are uninstructed in such matters they simply worry and suffer, waiting for the calamity which in course of time duly comes to pass. Those who know what to do. at once set to work to realize the truth about God, His Divine order, and of themselves as children of God. until a sense of relief and peace is experienced. If they continue to maintain this sense of peace, then, when the evil happening comes to pass, they find that they are not involved in it, or are brought victoriously through it. Some may say at this point, that, if a coming event can be avoided, then it is not a coming event, but only a possibility, and all the talk about past, present and future being one is so much moonshine. Dunne shows us in his New Theory of the Universe. that while past, present and future are all stretched out as in one line, and the future is just as real as the past and the present; yet it is possible nevertheless, to avoid an experience. I explain this by the fact that the future as revealed in dreams, second sight. and such like, is not the real, perfect and true happening of life at all, but only the false. But this falsity, if it manifests, is as real in our present consciousness as anything can be. Indeed, because they are not the Real, such events can be avoided, not by seeking to avoid them, but through realizing the Truth.
I have already stated that we should never shrink from any experience; but be it noted, that God is the author of life and the protector of it and is not the cause of any negative ill. The Divine Providence does not lead us into danger, or disease, or accidents, or calamities, but protects us from them, if we do but deal with each event of life aright; and if we do but live every moment in conscious realization of the Presence of God.
The obvious thing to do is to realize the Truth. What do I mean by Truth?
I mean the truth about God - Love, and the truth about ourselves, as children of God abiding in the Light. God is Infinite Love, Divine Wisdom, Inexhaustible Resource, Omnipotent Power, and much more. God is Life Itself, Health, Wholeness, Harmony and all that is good. God, Who is all this; God, Who is the One Great Father Spirit, who is the Lord Omnipotent reigning supreme, is our Father. And we are His spiritual sons and daughters. Sons of God, spiritual beings, immortal, eternal, joint heirs with Jesus Christ - the friends of God.
Those who walk in the Light realize that they are spiritual beings, living in a spiritual universe, which is governed by spiritual laws, and that they are upheld by spiritual powers; while all the Divine Forces and the whole resources of a Heavenly Universe are behind them. Those who can but realize this find that it is true in spite of all the confusion and disorder of the world. They are in the world ( of disorder) , yet not of it. There is protection for every step. There is supply for every need. There is order at all times. The Divine Order is a reality. In it, every child of God is in his right place, at the right time, doing his right work, and doing it perfectly, as the late Mr. Rawson very wisely used to say.
If we did but live every moment in conscious realization of this great truth, which is the Truth about God, ourselves and the Universe, the ninety-first Psalm would be true in our experience. It would be true because fear (the suggestion of evil) would be killed utterly and have no power over us.
I can believe literally in the story of Daniel in the lions den. He, being a man of God, and one who had ventured his all and done great things for God, was delivered entirely from all fear. Because of this no animal could touch him. If we only had the same faith and trust and the same absence of fear through a realization of the presence and power of God, the Reality, we too would be immune.
Many of our readers are passing through experiences just as alarming, and probably more wearing and disintegrating. Long struggles with misfortune, long drawn out illnesses of loved ones, unemployment, misunderstanding by others, misrepresentations, and other troubles, these they think may be harder to endure than the sharp and sudden experience of Daniel. But the remedy is the same, and that is God - to throw oneself utterly and completely upon God. so that fear is utterly routed. The power of God is always available; and when it acts it always restores harmony - in the case of sickness, health - in the case of disorder of life in any form, order and peace. God is not a God of disease, sickness and disorder, but of health, wholeness, harmony, order.
The troubles, disorders and disasters of life fill us with fear. We must look upon them as temptations. All these suggestions of impending evil are temptations. Our duty is to overcome them, to resist them, to send them about their business. If we kill the fear by finding God, and taking our stand in Eternal Truth, then the temptation is overcome and we are delivered. Let me emphasize once more the important point that fear must be overcome. Thoughts of fear, or suggestions of evil, must not be dodged, for then they enter the subconscious to bring forth fruit after their kind in the outer life. They must be overcome by Truth, for no evil can stand against it. If one of our near relatives has died of an insidious disease, the fear-thought will come to us that we too will fall a victim to it. We must not on the one hand accept this suggestion, nor on the other hand, lightly dismiss it or dodge it, hoping for the best, but fearing the worst. What we must do is to meet the thought or suggestion boldly, bring it into the Light of Truth and let the Light dissolve it away. In the realization of God as Life, and as Wholeness, and of ourselves as children of God sharing with our Father His life and His wholeness, the fear is destroyed. and with it whatever modicum of actuality it had behind it. Every other form of fear can be killed in the same way. and must be killed if we are to live lives of victory and overcoming. We should never retire to rest without destroying all our fears.
Now a word or two about the nameless fears of neurasthenia in its various forms. Fear is not the cause of neurasthenia, but is a product of it. Yet, in spite of this, the cure of this disease is accomplished almost entirely by the overcoming of fear. In other words, overcome your fear, and you overcome your neurasthenia. Neurasthenics suffer from lack of the power of concentration, of application, and also from nameless fears.
The cause is one, and the cure is one. No one can cure a neurasthenic, he has to work out his own salvation. This is not the time or place to discuss the cause or causes of neurasthenia, sufficient for our purpose is the fact that by the overcoming of his fears the Neurasthenic can win his way back to health and happiness. But how can he overcome his fears ? His life is full of fears. He is subjected to waves of fear which dominate him. They sweep down upon him at intervals, and overwhelm him. How can he overcome ? He can overcome by taking his stand in Truth. A spiritually awakened person has a great advantage over one who is not awakened. The latter can only follow his Nerve Specialist's advice to deny his fears and to affirm that he is strong and unafraid. This is very much like trying to lift oneself by one's own belt, but it is the best that can be done in the circumstances. With one who knows he is a child of God it is very different. Here let me digress once more. Some may say: "But how can I know that 1 am a child of God, or that I am spiritually awakened?" The answer is that if you have any love of spiritual and heavenly things at all, and even if you have but a small measure of understanding of spiritual things you may know that the Spirit of God is in you: and not only in you, but coming into expression through you, thus galvanizing you into life - the real life. No one can love or understand spiritual things at all except the Spirit be in him, for spiritual things can only be spiritually discerned. I said a moment ago that the neurasthenic can overcome his fears by taking his stand in Truth. It is a great day when he realizes the truth of the words "Within you is the Power". When once a man awakens to this truth he is a changed being. He knows that the Power within him is not the power of his usual self-hood, but the Power of the Infinite.
In his battle and struggle towards liberty and sanity he has to distinguish at all times the difference between the power of his finite self, and the Power of the Infinite that is within him. If he relies on the Power of "self", he falls. If he relies on the Power of the Infinite, he overcomes. "I can do all things", said Paul, "through Christ which strengtheneth me". And again, "Yet not I but Christ". This expresses perfectly what I want to convey. All things are possible through the Infinite Power, the Power of the Eternal Logos, within us. "The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us." We are sons of God, because this same Word has been born in us.
Now, as a child of the Kingdom - as one in whom dwells the Infinite Life and Power of the Universe - the sufferer must refuse to accept the fear thoughts that attack him, or the suggestions of evil that assail him. He must look upon all such suggestions as temptations to sin. To doubt the Power within us, is to sin, for this Power is God. He can say: I am a child of God. Within me is the whole Power of the Universe. I go forward with Joy willingly to meet every experience, knowing that I shall find God in it, and Divine Love behind it. Whatever the experience may be, it can lead me only to my highest good. I welcome it, and thank God for it. The Divine Power within laughs at my fears. I walk in the Light; I abide in the Light; I am yoked with Christ and all is well."
'Be yoked with Me (walk in union with Me) and ye shall find rest to your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.'
CHAPTER THREE
ON DIVINE PROVIDENCE. ATTAINMENT, AND OTHER PROBLEMS.
"He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's Sake."
(Psalm XXIII)
The following is the substance of a letter which was sent me.
'Several friends have been discussing the different kinds of teaching derived from a study of the
91st Psalm and the lessons of the Beatitudes. The former seems to speak of temporal blessings
so openly, of protection from ills, of immunity from plague and generally of a life surrounded by
an environment which keeps away all strife. Jesus Christ on the other hand spoke openly to His
followers of persecution and hardship. He must have known the 91st
Psalm and yet He did not appear to be a living example of its wonderful teaching. The early
Christian martyrs had, indeed, a sorry time of tribulation and the 91st
Psalm could mean nothing to them of physical comfort, or health, or troubles overcome.
Do you think the Psalm is to be interpreted spiritually ? Yet it speaks so openly of the dangers of
life of today as of old.
Possibly if Christ had lived more to Himself He might have claimed the protection of God, but
then He could not have achieved His mission. Many people take the meaning to be literal and to
operate in daily life. I should like to do so, but it would make life so easy (if all we did were to
prosper) it might take away all the experience which is such a necessary part of our discipline.
I quite agree that if we are God's children, we should develop a 'God-consciousness' which puts
above the power of all evil, but whether we can live on the higher plane of worldly success and
above the reach of all life's little troubles I have my doubts.
"If you feel able to express an opinion on the above problem in the near future I am quite
sure many people will be greatly interested.'
In reply I must first point out that the 91stPsalm does
not refer to persecution but to a state of adeptship or attainment, which makes the adept
a master of negative ills and disorders. This is a state of mastery, but it is not the highest form
of attainment. The teaching of Jesus Christ leads up to the highest and last stage of attainment,
such as was achieved by John. The 91st
Psalm refers to the lower stage.
It is a mistake, however, to think that it is easy to live accordingly to the
91st Psalm. Let those who think so try it and then
see if they find it easy. To live up to the teaching of the 91st
Psalm requires such a
high state of faith and spiritual activity as to be quite beyond the comprehension, or even
the imagination, of most people.
Instead of discussing this matter. it is really very much better if we put the teaching to a
practical test and thus start on the great life of spiritual adventure.
We can arrive at merely a part of the state of mastership as outlined in the 91st Psalm only
through passing through the most searching experiences. through making great ventures in
faith. and through trusting ourselves and our all to God. When we have found out the secret of
Divine Providence and Spiritual Protection, when we have become great in prayer, and when, as
it were, we can bend the whole universe to our will, we are called upon to give it all up, and prepare
ourselves for the second and last stage of the great adventure. The Old Testament teaches the first stage,
the New Testament teaches the second stage.
That great apostle of faith, George Muller, became a master not only of circumstances, but
also of the elements. After reaching the age of 70 he traveled the world over on several great
preaching tours. On one of his voyages the vessel in which he was traveling was brought
almost to a standstill by a dense fog. As a delay in the voyage would have prevented Muller
from appearing at a meeting at which he was pledged to appear, he took the Captain below
and made him kneel down while he {Muller) prayed for the fog to disperse. The Captain thought
his strange passenger was mad, but Muller told him to go with him on deck and see the fog
clear away. Sure enough, when they reached the deck the fog was already clearing, and
soon disappeared altogether; thus enabling the passage to he concluded in time for the
meeting to be attended at the appointed time. Muller had prayed to some purpose for
over fifty years, and KNEW that when he prayed that for which he prayed was already
accomplished.
Like Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus he could pray:
Father, I thank Thee that Thou hast heard me. And I know that Thou hearest me always."
He possessed this power and in such a circumstance, in which he found himself, he felt
justified in using it. It was not for himself, for his own pleasure or convenience, but in order
that the Lord s work might be done.
But the time came when Muller had to surrender all this, and more, even himself. 'There was
a day.' he relates, "when I died, utterly died. I died to George Muller, his opinions,
preferences, taste and will - died to the world, its approval or censure - died to the approval
or blame even of my brethren and friends and since then I have studied only to show myself
approved unto God'. What happened to George Muller was what happens to all who seek en
trance to the Path of Attainment as shown and taught by our Lord Jesus
Christ. He had to surrender all that he had attained to and achieved. He had to surrender
the great Dr. Muller, the renowned man of faith and prayer. He had to surrender his power
to control his life and circumstances, and even forces of Nature and the elements.
He had to become just a child, or mere clay in the hands of the Potter. Then it was that a
greater Muller, or shall I say, a greater than Muller, arose. Henceforward he was a different
being, shaped and fashioned by God
into His own likeness and image. George Muller had entered upon the second and last stage.
The first stage, be it noted, is just as important and necessary as the second.
John Wesley once went to preach on a Village Green. He was met by the local bully, a terror
of a man. noted for his violence and fury. He had his arms full of stones, and thereupon said
that if Wesley attempted to preach he would stone him, which of course would have meant death,
or serious permanent injury. John Wesley simply tapped the man on the shoulder and said: "Look
here, my friend, you cannot throw a single stone unless my
Heavenly Father allows you to." The bully dropped the stones and became John Wesley's
supporter and body guard. John Wesley knew the truth of the 91st Psalm, and without such
knowledge and realization he would have been helpless. But towards God, Wesley was as a
little child, desiring only that He should lead him on in his own way and at His own time.
That Jesus was a unique Master of the first stage was evident. He mastered all the forces of
Nature. No one could assault Him, or even touch Him. His life was a life of positive mastery,
and not the negative existence which some seem to think it was. Some people seem to think
that the life of Jesus was a very negative thing. They apparently imagine that He and His
disciples were poor, hungry, ragged, and so on. On the contrary, although they refused
to hold any possessions they were not poor. All their needs were well supplied, and they
had money to give to the poor. The disciples always spoke of the poor as a class quite
distinct from themselves. It is one thing to spurn wealth, refusing all possessions, and
quite another thing to be a negative victim of poverty.
The life of Jesus was a life of mastery and positive strength. Negative ills had no power over Him.
And yet He was Love incarnate, and taught 'service', washing the disciples' feet as an object-lesson for them.
Neither did anyone 'take' the life of Jesus. Hear what He said about it. "Therefore doth my
Father love me, because I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me,
but I lay it down of myself. I have the power to lay it down. and I have power to take it again."
But there came a time when all this mastery had to be given up. All who are willing to enter the
very narrow path of final attainment have to give up all that they have gained. Those who will
not are those of whom Jesus spoke thus: "Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord,
shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father in Heaven. ...Many
will say unto me ...Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name ? And in thy name have cast
out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? Then will I profess unto them, I never
knew you.”
Doing the will of the Indwelling Lord is the second stage. We are brought to a stage where we have only one desire and that is that the Divine Will should be done. This corresponds to Christ's Gethsemane, where He surrendered all, and said: "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." This is the surrender of the personal will. This experience is beautifully described in Newman's hymn, Lead, Kindly Light. After this, events and experiences come to us, which if met co-operatively, result in the crucifixion and death of the self, and the resurrection, or raising up into fullness of life, of the Christ self, or Christ in us. All this corresponds to the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Again, after further experiences, there is the ascension to the Heavenly, or Universal consciousness, as typified in the bodily ascension of Jesus Christ.
Going back to the difficulties discussed by certain of our readers, Jesus was invulnerable, and was untouchable by the forces of evil, until He, of His own free will (following on His surrender in the Garden) , took down His defences. He was then taken by the soldiers. Otherwise they could not have touched Him, or hurt a hair of His head. Jesus did this so that the experience could
come to Him for which He had come into the world.
It was the same with the martyrs, I think, personally that either they were great awakened souls who came to earth for the sole purpose of enduring martyrdom, or they were souls who could reach attainment, at a bound, through martyrdom. The death of the self would be accomplished at one fell blow, so that they might enter or find the new life which is the great objective of all seeking souls, The one who will not give up his life (not necessarily literally, but in heart, mind and will) loses it (the real life) , while he who is willing to lose his life, finds the life which is eternal in the Heavens, and which means far more than this, Nothing less than martyrdom would have satisfied them, and they could have had no joy if they had not fulfilled their glorious
destiny ( which was what Jesus termed doing the will of the Father). Not only so, but if they had refused martyrdom they would of all people have been the most miserable and to be pitied.
Followers of Christ must always be ready and willing to suffer persecution. We are nowhere promised that it will be avoided, Indeed our Lord said: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." Again, He said: "Verily, I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's but he shall receive a hundredfold. with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life."
Everything in this life looks the opposite of what it really is. It looks dreadful to suffer for Truth, yet it really is the greatest joy, and it is the entrance to far greater joys than can be imagined or described; or rather, to bliss which is far higher than the greatest joy.
Because of this, martyrs went to the stake singing, and they sang in the flames. I believe that the Lord so possessed them that they transcended mere physical pain.
Although in these times we are not called upon to suffer martyrdom at the stake, yet we have to be willing to be stripped of all things, and to suffer all things, and to endure all things, and even to lay down our life, for the sake of the Kingdom so that the Indwelling Lord can come into His own, and that we find our true identity. It is seldom necessary that these things should be experienced literally, for what is needed most of all is the inward surrender of the heart, of the will, of our all. Then, when this takes place, we find that which no tongue can describe.
But while such persecution as the early Christians experienced is not in vogue today, yet all who are true followers of Jesus are nevertheless persecuted in other ways. Some may even think that they would rather have been a martyr, in the old days with their heroism and adventure, than pass through the scorn and ridicule of the world today. We all know how hard it is to be a fool for Christ. We all know how difficult to bear is ridicule. Some would rather be burned or fight a duel, than be subjected to ridicule and cruel, sarcastic tongues.
But the way has to be trodden by all aspirants. It is not an easy way, for the Path of Attainment is a greater thing than is generally realized, for it is the greatest thing in the Universe. But if we are yoked with Christ we find His words true. "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
No aspirant can avoid going through all the necessary stages of attainment, even as typified in the Gospels. If he is a true seeker he is already passing through them, and, possibly through lack of knowledge, may wonder what is the matter, or where he has gone wrong. If he meets all his experiences with willing co-operation, and with understanding, he will find that they are all entrances into joy and ever-increasing joy.
Being yoked with Christ does not lead to negative ills or disorders, but to adventures, and to conflict with those powers which hate His name and nature. and indeed, all for which the Name of Christ stands.
Some may say? Why should there be a crucifixion? Why martyrdom? Where is the necessity of such sacrifice and suffering?
These questions can be answered without entering into any theological or doctrinal discussion; and the answer is this. The lower cannot be raised to the higher except the higher stoops down to raise the lower. The "higher” is Love; and love, true love, desires to give itself for the sake of others. Indeed, it is not satisfied, neither can it be happy, except when it is doing so. You, dear reader, are doing, every day, the same thing that the martyrs did. You sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of helping or making happy and comfortable someone less happily circumstanced than yourself. You willingly give up your seat in the train to one who is older, or weaker, than yourself. You are just sitting down to a meal, perhaps, when someone, who is in trouble, calls at your door. In spite of the protests of your wife and family you leave your meal to spoil, in order to attend to the needs of the helpless, or lacking one. A woman sits up all night with a sick neighbour, sometimes night after night. She thinks nothing of it; yet she is exhibiting the same spirit that has animated in the past all martyrs. No work of social betterment has ever been accomplished except through the whole-hearted, devoted, self-sacrificing service of a few, who have given their strength, their health, yea, their very life for the sake of the common good. All such have had to face calumny, spite, misrepresentation and persecution, loss and suffering, for the sake of the cause they have held dear; and they have given gladly all that they had to life and the world. All pioneers of any new movement for the raising of humanity meet wIth bitter hostility. There are always to be found noble souls who are willing to lose all and to give themselves and their life for the cause. This is their joy and happiness.
But let us not spend time or energy in argument or speculation. Let us realize instead, and rejoice in the fact, that God is Love, God is Good, God is Wisdom, and desires for us only our highest good. Let us realize that Good comes entirely from the Lord ( our Divine Spiritual Source) and Good only. Realizing and acknowledging this let us go forward with confidence and joy, allowing the Spirit to bear us forward on the bosom of the Tide of Life, which is a Stream of Blessedness, to our highest good; knowing that all is well, and that our destiny is far more glorious than we can imagine.
A perfect Divine plan is being unfolded; and it is our joy and privilege to cooperate with it, and thus help our brother man to reach his high and glorious destiny.
Let us get down to actual facts and to firm reality by realizing, and living in the realization, that God is Love, and that behind every experience is Divine love. All the time that we spend in speculation is a waste of time and opportunity to realize the Truth. If instead of trying to puzzle these things out we meditate upon and realize the truth about God, and about ourselves as children of God, leaving the future in Divine hands, then all is well.
Whatever experience comes to us is a blessed one. In it we find Love itself, and through it are brought into closer fellowship and union with Christ. Such a life, lived in co-operation with the will of the Indwelling God, gives greatly improved health, and joy indescribable. It also gives us peace. "My peace I give unto you. Not as the world gives give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye believe in God, believe also in Me." Can we not imagine these words coming from the Lord within, the Indwelling God who is ordering our life, and ever seeking to lead us to our highest good?
"Ye believe in a God Transcendent and afar off, believe also in Me, the Lord within, Who desires to lead you to your highest good, if you will but cooperate, and be willing to go wherever I may lead you. You may not think, at times, that it is the best way. But My way for you is always the best way, and it leads to your eternal joy. You may want to go your own way, the way of self-hood, the way of self-will. But this can bring only suffering, unhappiness and discord to you. I, alone, know the way, and I can bring you into freedom, liberty and everlasting joy." Can we not hear the same Indwelling Lord say also, from the depths of our inmost being: 'Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.' It looks both heavy and difficult, and is difficult if we hold back, but if we co-operate, if we let go of self and go willingly, then we find that the yoke is indeed easy, while the burden is a source of constant renewal of strength.
Let me close by pointing out that things are not what they seem and that although it looks difficult to follow the Divine Way , it is only so at first, and then mainly is appearance. The way of co-operation with the purpose
and will of the Divine is the only path that can lead us to joy, peace, and happiness. It is also the only path that can lead us to liberty. We can never lose anything or become poorer by giving up ourselves, or what the self likes, to God. For whatever we give up is restored to us a hundredfold, even as our Lord said; or rather we find that He underestimated it, for we are given
something that is infinitely more precious that that which we have surrendered, Also, through this surrender, we avoid an amount of suffering, the extent of which cannot be realized, so great is it. If we do not surrender them we find that life removes things from us; things that we hold dear, so that the parting is very painful. But If we surrender ourselves and our all to the Lord within, Who is desirous of ruling our life, we find that nothing is taken
away from us, for the reason that no such experience is necessary.
Again, through our surrender to the Indwelling Love and Wisdom, all conflict ceases; and this produces health, the most precious of all earthly possessions. Ill-health and disease are produced by inward conflict as also are other painful and negative states. The inward surrender produces peace and rest, harmony and joy, so that health follows naturally, even as the sun rises after the night of darkness.
Again, disease is produced by strain, anxiety and care. When we surrender our all to God, there is no further strain, or anxiousness, or fear, for all these ungodly and health-destroying states of mind pass away. When we have surrendered all to the Lord, then there is nothing about which we can be anxious, for the reason that all things are in His care. When once we give God liberty to act as He pleases; when we surrender to Life and allow It to lead us where It pleases, we enter into peace and joy. It was said a moment ago that the path of surrender leads to liberty. It is the only path that can do so. Surrendering to the Lord is surrendering the things that keep us from Him, and from liberty and freedom. When we have given all we find that we can trust 'the Current which knows the Way" - the way that is care-free; that is, a state of liberty from negative ills, from inhibitions, from all that holds and binds.
Finally, at whichever stage each individual may be, it is the best at the time. The circumstances in which we find ourselves are the best for us at the time. The duty which lies before us and which is right at hand is our path of unfoldment. Doing household work, or answering a shop bell, or working in an office, or nursing a sick neighbour, or relation, may seem prosaic and ordinary. It may be, but to do our duty faithfully as unto God or as an offering to Life; to follow the promptings of the Lord within; to live the Golden Rule at all times; to endeavour to be love in every situation that life brings to us, is to enter the Path of Attainment, which is to lead a life of high adventure, Doing spectacular things is not; unless of course they are forced upon us.
In all events and circumstances of life let us remember that all Good comes from the Lord and Good only. Also that through trusting in God the Infinite, we are protected from every ill and preserved in every time of danger. Also, that all supply comes from the Lord, Who is the only Substance and only Source of all that we need. If we live in this higher consciousness we find that all is well, and we know that all will be well.
CHAPTER FOUR
INDIVIDUALITY AND STRENGTH
"If God is with me, I am in the majority."
"If God is for us, who can be against us?"
In spite of all that has been said in these pages about surrender and non-resistance, it must not be thought for a moment that we should surrender our individuality, or that we should allow another ego to dominate us. The 'I' of the individual must always remain as distinct from other individual egos. For reasons which cannot be given here it is necessary that this should be so. Each one of us should be positive and non-receptive to other egos, especially to those of a strong dominating kind. We should be negative, or receptive, only towards God. Paul said: 'Yet not I, but Christ'. He made his surrender only to God and Christ.
While it is true that we have to surrender our all to God, it is equally true that we must do nothing of the kind to other egos. Instead, it is necessary for us to develop strength and individuality. We have to become so strong that no dominating ego, either incarnate or discarnate, can have any power or influence over us. We have to maintain our liberty. And be free, individualized beings. If we do not thus maintain our freedom, we not only become weak creatures without individuality or character, but we also are liable to find ourselves dominated by some strong ego to such an extent that our life ceases to be our own.
But how can we maintain this strong attitude and yet be loving to all mankind? Loving humanity, however, does not mean being weakly affectionate, or "being in love", or surrendering ourselves to others in any way. Loving humanity means pouring out upon all a benediction of goodwill and blessing. A positive attitude is maintained. It is like the sun pouring out his rays upon both the evil and the good. One who is sufficiently advanced to love universally is strong enough to be lonely, and be in a raised-up position, from which he desires only to give in a spirit of benediction. Such a one, although he does not allow himself to sink down into a condition of general affectionate receptivity, and thus, in a sense, maintaining an aloof attitude, is yet willing to give himself for others, although he rigidly refuses to give himself to others. His love being universal is as the love of the Divine. Jesus Christ gave in a positive way. He said: "No man takes it (my life) from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.”
INDIVIDUALITY REMAINS.
Although it is true that the One Spirit - the Spirit of Christ - indwells all who have entered the new birth, yet each soul is an individualized unit. While it is possible to reach a state of universal consciousness in which the soul knows itself to be the soul of all men and even of all things, yet the individuality remains. There is unity combined with individuality, in place of separateness and selfish personality. Giving up the self is a surrender to the Lord alone. It is no surrender of the individuality; neither does it mean allowing stronger egos to dominate us, and thus to rob us of our freedom and individuality.
The Lord Jesus lived in a state of complete realization of Himself being the Incarnate Word, and could say not only, "I am the Son of God", but "I and the Father are one". The former statement represents one stage of attainment, according to Meister Eckhart, and the latter statement to a later and final stage of attainment. Yet, in spite of this, the Lord Jesus was most strongly individualized. There is no danger of confusing Him with Buddha, or Krishna, or any other great and enlightened teacher who claimed to have reached the final stage of illumination. They are each themselves, they each have their own respective, strongly-marked individuality. In fact, the higher their attainment, the more they tower above ordinary men, and the more strongly marked their individuality.
INDIVIDUAL ATTAINMENT TO UNIVERSAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
The great Christian mystics attained to a similar realization as their Lord. "I am the way," said the Lord Jesus. That is, the way to the same realization.
In passing let it be pointed out that the extraordinary claims made by the mystics, while legitimate for them, would be rank blasphemy if made by unattained people.
But to continue, each mystic has his or her own strong individuality. Although they all enter the Universal Consciousness they do not lose their own individuality. No two mystics are alike. Who could confuse Lady Julian with Madame Guyon or Jacob Boehme with Meister Eckhart? Some, however, who read this, may be of the naturally strong ego class. The danger in this case is a tendency to dominate others. Owing to a change of heart, it may be a loving domination; but, even so, it must cease. No ego must dominate another, even from the best of motives. Maintain a strong individualistic attitude, yes. But there must never be anything approaching a domination of others. Perfect liberty must be given to others, and such gentleness extended that the weakest and the most timid child of God may take courage to expand and express his or her individuality in the sunshine of our love and benediction.
FREEDOM NECESSARY
Unless we guard against it we are all liable to become the victims of suggestion. Other people with whom we are in contact may employ suggestion against us, either consciously or unconsciously. This may be done "for our good," but we must not allow it. It is much better for us to be free, and to make mistakes, than to be coerced into pursuing an exemplary course of action. It follows, of course, that we, on our part, must not coerce others, even by prayer, no matter how good and well-meaning our motive might be. Again, the books we read and even advertisements may affect us through suggestion. The picture of a man suffering from influenza used by an advertiser of a useless, highly priced nostrum may affect us adversely, by suggesting the possibility of our falling a victim to the epidemic. It may inject fear into us, in a subtle manner, so that unconsciously our defense is undermined.
We are surrounded by suggestions of all kinds. Even temptation is suggestion. Reading of poverty. penury and distress, may suggest to us that we may at sometime be reduced to the same pitiable condition. This is a temptation to sin against God. through doubting Him. We may be tempted to think that in an unfriendly world where self-interest rules instead of love, we may be forsaken and brought down to destitution. This is the sin of doubt. It is due to suggestion. If we allow it to find a lodging place within us, we lay ourselves open to the possibility of such a thing coming to pass. The suggestion must be killed as soon as it comes to us, and this can be accomplished by affirming Truth, God's truth about the matter, or the truth about God, and the truth about ourselves as children of God.
NOT RESISTANCE, BUT DENIAL.
In passing, may I point out that the domination of other and stronger egos cannot be defeated by making 'ructions', and creating angry scenes. All such displays are exhibitions of weakness. and through indulging in them we give ourselves into the hands of the enemy. We can overcome, however, by being quietly firm, mentally denying that others have any power over us. This is possible through realizing the Truth, and thus becoming established in God. If we stand firm in God, then no domination and no suggestion can affect us. "In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength." We have to realize that God, Who is Love, is all in all, and the only reality. It is very necessary that we should possess this strong realization of the Allness of Good. Particularly is this the case with those who are inclined to be psychic and open to psychic invasions, as they are called. People, who through ignorance, have practiced a negative, passive form of prayer, may find that they are being attacked by a power or entity that not only seeks to dominate them, but which endeavours to enter and possess their personality. This, of course, must be denied any reality. Those who are troubled in this way can refuse to recognize it, and declare that it has no reality; at the same time affirming the reality and allness of God, the All-Good, and that God loves them and that they are safe in His love.
MISLEADING VOICES.
Again, some may hear voices, which unfortunately they think are the Voice of God. If they challenge them, and deny them any reality, and if they refuse to be guided or influenced by them, then all is well. But if they listen to them they find that they become dominated and obsessed, so that they have no will of their own. This domination may not be confined to the one possessed, but through him it may be extended to others. The possessed one may think that he is the mouthpiece of God, and that he has a message to certain people which they must accept, because it is the Voice of God. If they give way they in turn become the victim of the same strong dominating entity. If anyone comes to you, or writes to you saying that the Lord has told him that you are to do a certain thing, have nothing whatever to do with him or it. Refuse to be influenced in this way. Maintain your own individuality by refusing point blank to do anything of the kind. Be guided by your own genius, common-sense and good judgment, and the good advice of those more experienced in these things than you yourself are. This sort of thing is not of the Lord; it is an insidious attempt to ensnare you. The Lord will guide you and bring you safely through all the difficulties and perplexities of this life, if you take your stand in God and Truth. It will be through the practical experience of life, that you will learn Divine Truth, and find God, if you will only be yourself, maintain your own individuality and freedom, always taking your stand in God, and God alone.
THE MARK OF THE SPIRITUAL MAN
Those who are possessed by a dominating spirit, although outwardly they may be perfect, and they themselves quite sincere, for they genuinely and unreservedly believe that the voice which they obey implicitly is the Voice of God, can be detected by those who are experienced in such matters. When meeting those who are genuinely led by the Spirit, and in whom the
Spirit of Christ dwells, one can feel and come into loving fellowship with a gentle sensitive nature or presence which makes us think of the Lord Jesus. We say to ourselves, this surely is like unto Jesus Christ, it is as though we were in the presence of the Master Himself. We feel that we are dealing with one so gentle, tender and sensitive that we must tread gently and speak softly, for fear of damaging so delicate a soul. It is like handling a rare and precious, fragile piece of china. How carefully we hold it, lest our rough clumsy hands should damage or break it! Such a soul never thrusts himself where he is not wanted; he is so considerate of others, so anxious not to cause trouble, so willing to take the lowest place, that those in whom the Light has begun to shine are filled with joy. There is a real communion of saints, a loving fellowship of the spirit, that is of the Lord; and which we know by intuition is of High Heaven itself.
DETECTING THE DOMINATING SPIRIT.
But in the case of those who are possessed by a dominating spirit, and who claim to be the mouthpiece of God, the reverse is the case. They may declare that they have reached the highest attainment, and because of this they speak with an assumption of authority, but inwardly we can find no joy or fellowship. Such people lack the inward gentleness and consideration for others, and the hidden Christlike nature that we find in the true brother who is filled with the Spirit of God. We sense the dominating spirit, instead of the Spirit of Christ.
Such persons claim always to be in the right. They never apologize or admit that they are in the wrong. They claim to be directed by the Voice of God, so that everything they do is always right. They claim to be the mouthpiece of God, dictating to others what they should do, and how they should act. All such attempts at domination, and indeed, any form of domination, must be denied any power. The law of non-resistance applies in such cases, so that we do not fight and cause "ructions", but act in love yet with firmness, taking our stand in God and Truth, thus preserving our own individual life, maintaining our own individual freedom. and being subservient only to God.
Of course, there are also those poor souls who are suffering from religious mania. In them we do not sense the strong dominating ego, but what we do sense is very disturbing; and in dealing with such cases we have to be very sure of the Allness or All Power of Good, of our own freedom and individuality, and of the fact that God, the Omnipotent, is our Rock and Fortress. These cases seem to be the result of two main causes, viz., (1) a lowering of bodily strength, due to fasting or lack of nourishing food, and (2) through listening to voices. and accepting the suggestion that he or she is a being specially chosen by Heaven to deliver a wonderful message to mankind. This subtle flattery seems to be fatal in some cases. The poor deluded one swallows the bait, and ever afterwards firmly believes that he or she is some special and wonderful instrument of Heaven, and the voice to which he or she listens is the Voice of God, and nothing less. Such a sad fate can be avoided by keeping the body adequately nourished, and through
Maintaining at all times a state of humility which refuses any suggestion that one is a wonderful being. specially selected by Heaven to give a great message to the world, and also through refusing to listen to voices. People who are liable to fall victims to mania are congenitally unbalanced. They seem to lack commonsense, sound judgment and a sense of proportion. Such should always endeavour to live a poised and balanced life, engaging in all the practical affairs of life, and giving these their principal attention. Such people are inclined too much towards the spiritual and psychic. They should, therefore, pay more attention to the practical affairs of life, in order to restore a state of healthy balance. This life is given us to live in a practical way. Our rationality, reason and good, sound, common-sense are given to us to use, and to guide us, so that we can live the life of good citizens. and be of help to others, and of some use in the world.
HOW TO BECOME STRONG
Now, many of us may recognize the necessity of being strongly individualistic and capable of resisting suggestion, but how to develop such strength, or how, or from whence, to procure it may present a difficult problem.
Reading and intellectual knowledge, however, will not bring us into a state of realization of the Truth. These have their legitimate use, but they can take us only part of the way. It is one thing, for instance, to read a portion of Scripture that describes a state of liberty that may be ours; and quite another thing to be able to realize the truth of it. Some of us, probably, have been reading the Bible all our life, yet it has been read without understanding, so that it has poured through our mind, like water through a sieve. We may have believed that there is power and strength to be found in the inspired word, but we have never been able to lay hold of it.
The mere reading of the word of God is not sufficient. To read a whole chapter, as one would an ordinary book, is better than not reading the Bible at all, but it will never bring the reader into a state of realization, or actual knowing by the soul, There is strength and power, wisdom and all knowledge, to be found in the word of God, but they are underneath the surface. I am not now referring to any esoteric or mystical interpretations that can be brought to light through any key or system of interpretation. They lead one to a deeper intellectual interpretation, but do not help as far as realization is concerned. Neither when 1 say that the realization of truth, or the inner meaning of Scripture, lies beneath the surface do I mean that there is some deep idea or mystery that can be dug out by close application and study. What I really should say, probably, is that Truth is within us, or that it is revealed to us inwardly, to the soul, through the awakening of an inward spiritual faculty. This is the work of the Spirit of Truth Himself, Who indwells us, and is ever ready to reveal Truth to us, not through the intellect, but direct to the soul.
George Muller says; 'As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the morning, so it should be with the Inner man. We should take food for that, as everyone must allow. Now, what is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read, pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts.'
A SUGGESTED METHOD.
But how shall we read or study the Bible so that by so doing we may enter into Truth, and also find strength in realizing Its power ? Certainly, not by reading chapter after chapter; and, certainly, not by studying the Sacred Scripture as one would study a Text Book of Science. The first thing to do is to acknowledge that the surface or literal meaning, while valuable, cannot bring us to an inner understanding. The next thing to do is to acknowledge that the Bible really refers to our own soul, its wanderings, its journey back to God, and final reconciliation and union. The next thing to do - and this is
most important - is to acknowledge that we cannot understand or enter into Truth, of ourselves, and that it is only as the Spirit of Truth (Who is our sole teacher) within us reveals Truth to our souls, that we can enter into a realization of Truth.
Having got thus far, we next see that it is while we meditate, or reflect, upon a small portion of Scripture, not trying to understand it, either literally or intellectually, but making ourselves inwardly receptive to the influence of the Spirit of Truth within, that it becomes possible for Truth to be revealed direct to our soul and for us to enter into a state of strength and confidence.
Now, in order to develop strength and maintain our individuality, without, of course, inflating the self-hood, let us, take, say, the second verse of Psalm 18. 'The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, In Whom I will trust."
When we commence we may find our mind in a state of chaos. Fear, or the domination of others, may send our thoughts tearing round and round, so that we cannot think of Truth at all, or concentrate upon the words before us. We, therefore, find it impossible to become quiet, or make any progress, because of our agitated state of mind. The best thing to do is first to pray for those who are the cause of our fear or agitation. We should not, however, pray that they may be coerced into doing this, that, or the other, or that they should be made to refrain from doing certain things; but we should pray that they may be Divinely blessed, and that they be led to do the right thing, and be guided in the right way, according to the will of God. When praying for others we must always give them perfect liberty, and also we must give God perfect liberty, praying that blessing may abound and God's perfect will be done, freely and without let or hindrance from ourselves.
When we have prayed for those who trouble us, even though it may seem folly to do so, we find that our mind becomes calmer and more tranquil.
CONCENTRATION.
Now we can take the first statement of Truth. ' The Lord is my Rock.' But still we may find that the mind pays no attention, because it is undisciplined and filled with anxious fears, resentments, and thoughts that are foreign to Truth. If however, we focus all our attention on the words, at the same time trying to shut out all unwanted thoughts, and repeat the statement of Truth over and over again, we gradually find that the mind becomes stilled, and a sense of understanding comes to us, and with it a great uplift of soul, and a sense of peace. We gradually become aware that we are established in the Infinite, that we have our being in the Eternal and that the Lord Omnipotent is our refuge, our strength, and our deliverer. Then we know that all is well, and that we are free from all domination, and that our strength is the strength of God and Omnipotence; or rather, that we have no strength of our own, but that the inexhaustible resources of the Infinite are ours to draw upon; and that in our weakness God's strength is made manifest.
It will be noticed that David does not say that he is his own rock, but that it is the Lord Who is his Rock. To declare that we are strength or power may produce a false sense of strength and power, but it does not lead us to the rock -"the Rock that is higher than I'. What we need is something that will connect us with Omnipotence - with the One Power of the Universe. To declare that we ourselves are this Power shuts the door of attainment in our face. It cuts us off from our one and only source - from all Life and Power. But the words of our text are indeed a statement of Truth, for they connect us to the One Power, yes, rather, to the one Source of Power. Thus do we become established in the Eternal, and become conscious of it. We enter into realization, which is something that can only be experienced, for it cannot be described.
ALLOWING FREEDOM TO OTHERS.
But this realization, that we are grounded in the Eternal, and that the One and Only Power is the
Power upon which we rely, and which can never fail us, does not cause us to dominate others.
What we claim for ourselves we readily grant to others. We claim to live our own individual life
to develop our own particular genius, and to follow our own higher intuition; and, therefore,
we desire that other people should do the same. The trouble that some parents experience
is very often due to the fact that they try to dominate their children and make them conform
to their own pattern, instead of allowing each one to give expression to his or her own
individuality. There is trouble among friends, due to the same failing, and even trouble
among the saints! While we must retain our freedom, and reject and shake off all attempts
to dominate us, we must be equally certain that we do not become guilty of trying to dominate
others. We must allow them the same liberty that we demand for ourselves.
GOD OUR STRENGTH IN EVERY SITUATION OF LIFE.
But this subject of the strength of God is far too good and helpful to be abandoned at this stage. The Lord God Omnipotent is our strength and our impregnable defense in every situation in life. The realization of this truth will bring us victoriously through every experience. If we are exposed to danger, it will protect us, for no evil can touch the one who is entirely unafraid, through putting his trust in the Only Power. The realization that God is the Only Power, makes the powers that are not of God have no effect. This is rather an obscure paradox, but many will understand what I mean.
Again, we must be exposed to infection. The realization of this truth that the Lord is our Rock, will make us immune. I knew a man once who used to visit patients suffering from the Plague. He was so unafraid, as a result of prayer, and was so sure of God's protection, that he was immune, and thus went scatheless.
Yet, again, we may have to meet experiences in everyday life every whit as difficult and trying as any met on the battlefields of France. The battles which are forever being carried on in the business world, for instance, are as merciless and devastating as any actual warfare. No mercy is shown to the weak; they are ruthlessly pushed to the wall. But in all these trying experiences, God is our rock and our strength, and the realization of this will bring us safely through, even 'though an host be encamped against us'. The Power that is in us and for us, is greater than the powers arrayed against us. The realization of God as the Only Power and as our Rock and Defense, puts to flight the lesser powers, which actually are not powers at all.
OVERCOMING FEAR.
And yet again, we may be subject to nervous fears. It is terrible to suffer from nameless fears. Some people are so obsessed with fear and apprehension that even to see the postman coming to their house almost stops the beating of their heart, through the fear that he may be bringing a letter bearing bad news. The great remedy is realization of the truth about God, as our Rock and Strength, and the truth about ourselves as children of God, hiding in the rock - 'the Rock that is higher than I'.
Just one thing more before concluding this chapter. We may be the victim of some weakness of character, and there may seem no way of escape. The path of victory lies in realizing God as our Rock and Strength, instead of fighting against the habit or weakness of character. We cannot gain the victory over ourselves by fighting a weakness, but only by finding in God that which supplies the deficiency that is the cause of our repeated failure.
The cause of all failure, and all failings, is due to a deficiency, i.e., a lack of God, or God quality, The remedy, obviously, is not to attack our failing which is but a negative effect, but to supply the deficiency which is the cause of our failing. Our prayerful attitude at all times should therefore be. "Lord, fill me with Thyself, so that all deficiencies may be made good. and that Christ may triumph in me, and be all-in-all to me."
CHAPTER FIVE
A NEW VISION.
"Behold, I make all things new." - Rev. 21. 5.
Most of us have heard of Pandora and the Magic Box. According to Greek mythology, Pandora was the first woman on earth. She was made from clay by the god Hephaestus. She was greatly endowed with mental gifts. but she was also possessed of a great curiosity. Up to this time mankind had lived in perfect harmony and free from evil, but through Pandora's curiosity earthly conditions became greatly changed. There was a box in the house of Epimetheus, her husband, which she was forbidden to open. But her curiosity overcame her, and she opened the box, whereupon all the evils that afflict mankind escaped. She endeavoured to repair her mistake by shutting it again quickly. but, alas, she was only successful in preventing Hope from escaping. So runs the story of Greek mythology. and it has a curious and interesting resemblance to the Bible allegory of the Garden of Eden. Today, it is as though a Box of a different kind had been opened. At one time we thought that God afflicted us, and that God did not want us to enjoy life on this earth at all. We used to think that there was no remedy in this life, and that at the best we could only look forward to a better existence beyond the grave. Every hope that we were permitted to indulge in was a post mortem hope. Religion to us was largely a post mortem religion. Even the word "peace' reminded us of cemeteries and graveyards, with their artificial flowers under a glass dome, together with a deeply black-bordered memorial card.
But now, thank God, a new day has dawned, a new hope has arisen, a brighter and better idea has come to man.
Deeply embedded in the subconscious mind of the race is a belief that there is an evil purpose in life, that there is some sinister motive, some omnipotent malignant power from which no one is safe, and which neither mankind nor God can control. If It were true that there is such an omnipotent power or influence for evil, it is obvious that God could not control it, for no power could control omnipotence.
The idea is demonstrably false for it is a philosophical impossibility for two omnipotent powers to have being. There can be only one omnipotent power, otherwise it would not be omnipotent. Therefore we take our stand upon this truth that there is only one Omnipotent Power and this Good: that there is only one Omnipotent Being and He is Love.
The natural man judges by appearances, but the child of God lays hold by faith of the truth that God is Love and Good; and he never lets go of it, in spite of appearances, and of those sense evidences that war against his belief. Judging by appearances, life is often an evil thing; but faith tells us that such is not the case, that life is good, and that man is the cause of his own troubles. Life, so faith and spiritual understanding tell us, is good;
but through man's separation from it (the true life) and by his opposition to it (subconscious mostly) a state of disorder is produced. Now there is not only embedded in man a belief in evil and its inevitableness, but there is also a love of doing those things which, because they are contrary to the Divine order, produce suffering. Some teachers suggest that we 'kill out desire', because desire produces suffering. We, however, cannot agree with this. We do not want to avoid suffering. We want to find out it meaning, to discover its cause, and to direct our desires into better channels so that they shall produce harmony in place of disorder. It is the wrong direction of desire that produces disorder. One who is capable of the lowest desires, is also capable of the highest. The greatest sinner is capable of becoming the greatest saint. A person who is capable of being neither very bad nor very good is a sort of alpaca, neither a sheep nor a goat.
Our Lord's allegory of the sheep and the goats, makes no provision for the alpaca, Let us not then try to make ourselves into spiritual alpacas, but rather direct our desires heavenward, cultivating the life of God in our soul. Through so doing our desires become transmuted, so that they are changed into a Heavenly nature. By the term "Heavenly nature" I do not mean longing for a better land and an easier life, but that our desires should be of the nature of the Divine order of Truth, of righteousness. According to our desires so are our thoughts. Because thoughts are creative, so do we become like unto our thoughts, and our life also.
There is nothing evil in the life which God has given us, but only good. It is a Stream of Blessedness which carries us along harmoniously to our highest good. It is not our own goodness or right thinking that carries us along to good and all that is lovely, true and heavenly, but the essential goodness of the Stream of Life itself. We must at all times acknowledge that all good is in the Stream and not in ourselves, otherwise we may have to pass through experiences similar to those of Job. He was tested because he thought that his good fortune was the result of his righteousness. That was his only fault. He had to learn that even the righteous may be tried and tested until they realize and acknowledge that all good comes from the Lord, and is not the result of their own righteousness.
We all have to learn this lesson, that goodness is in the Stream of Life and not in ourselves. The most that we can do is to co-operate with the Good, and thus allow the essential, innate Good, which is God in expression, to manifest. It is perfectly true that we ourselves are daily using energy that has its origin in God, and according to the way we either use it, or misuse it, it produces good or evil; but that is only one aspect of Truth. There is another aspect of Truth which is, that Life itself is a stream, essentially good in character and purpose, which will carry us on to our highest good, if we will but allow it to do so. Life is good, and its intention is good. Whatever is evil is due to an interruption in consciousness, but not in Reality, of the Divine Good Intention. We can either live, work and think in harmony with Life the Good, or against it. If we work against it every possible disorder may arise. We all, however, may be tested and tried and winnowed like wheat, but this is only a good process which if co-operated with by us and met with steadfastness, leads us to greater good, harmony and joy.
GOD ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING BETTER IN STORE.
Life is progress towards higher and better things; that is, if we co-operate with it. Of course, if we believe that life is evil, that it is a gradual deterioration, descending step by step into greater darkness and misery, it may become so in our experience. But, if we meet life in the right way, acknowledging its essential goodness, and looking for increasing good and blessing, then it becomes possible for these to come to pass in our experience. Life, because it is a progression toward higher and better things, has always something better for us in store. If, however. we think it to be evil, we act in such a way as to thwart its good purpose, thus bringing about disorder instead of harmony. But this is not the fault of Life, but of our misuse of it. Life is good in essence, being the product of Infinite Wisdom and Love, consequently it seeks to lead us to higher and better things, and to carry us on its bosom to that which is harmonious, beautiful and true. The realization of this truth that the intention of life is good and not evil - has proved to be a revelation, and the beginning of a new life to many. It is the Divine intention that we should be blessed, and that our life should be blessed. The processes of winnowing and testing are only for a time.
Their purpose is to open up the way for greater blessing and for a more complete realization of Love as the motive of life and the sustaining law and principle of the universe.
The unbelieving man judges by appearances: he sees evil, or what he thinks is evil, on every hand, and decides that life is evil in intention, that there is a malignant power abroad which may seize him at any moment.
The man of faith, on the other hand, believes the reverse to be the case. He starts with the premise that life God is Good, and Love and Wisdom, and that He rules the universe no matter how much outward events may make such a belief appear to be misplaced. He believes that "the Lord omnipotent reigneth," and that evil is no positive reality, but a negative departure from the good. He believes that if he maintains his faith in the Good in face of seeming evil, then his faith will be vindicated sooner or later. He who puts his faith in God can never be "let down" or forsaken. The only condition is that faith has to be maintained even to the last ditch, and even when that may seem lost. In times of extremity God can help us only when all shred of trust in self, or "the arm of flesh," is abandoned, and when the only thing the soul can do is to give up the struggle and cast itself entirely and completely upon God. When this is done, and persisted in, then faith is vindicated; and it is found that Truth has power to demonstrate itself.
Actually, we do not have to battle and struggle, but only to put Truth forward, to take our stand in it (or behind it), and to depend upon it. Then, if we do this, Truth, which is omnipotent, demonstrates itself by own power.
I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.
'In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world,' said Jesus. He was referring to the persecution which would come upon his disciples. In spite of it all he could say: 'Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.' These words are as true today as when they were uttered. There is no one who has not a certain amount of tribulation in his life, and all who are true to the light that they have, and are true representatives of Christ, meet with persecution and ridicule. But these things are only for a time. We discover that there is a Power for good that is greater than 'the world'. We find that the great truth that God is Love, Order, Harmony, Wholeness, and the only Reality, is able to demonstrate itself; for the reason that it is the only Reality.
And the One who said that He had overcome the world, was Love incarnate. The burden of his teaching was 'love'. It is through love and non-resistance, that we are to overcome. Love is the key to every situation in life. What would LOVE do? is a question which, if asked in the face of annoying and exasperating experiences, will always lead us into the right path of action, so that we are enabled to do just the right thing, through which harmony can be either maintained or restored.
THE POWER IN US.
The New Vision that has come to us reveals to us the fact that the Power of the Infinite is in us, and is not exterior to ourselves. At one time we thought that the Power was a long way off, but now we know, even as Paul did, that it is within. It is not the power of the finite man at all, but is the very life of God. Through comprehending the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, so Paul tells us, we become filled with all the fullness of God. Then he speaks of Him Who is able to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all we can ask
or think, according to the power that works in us.
Wonderful words these, if we will only accept them. It is not our own power of which Paul speaks, but the power, the whole power, of the Infinite. All the fullness of God filling us. Mighty and wonderful things become possible, through the Power that works in us.
But we must not aspire to perform wonderful feats of a magical or occult
character The wonder of the power in us is that it enables us patiently to work through the experiences of life, so that we become victorious. Unto him that overcomes great and wonderful things are promised - things so great and wonderful, indeed, as to leave us gasping. These great things do not come to us through the waving of a magic wand, but they are won by the patient "working through " of present conditions.
Our life may appear to be very restricted; our occupation may apparently lead nowhere; limitations may hem us in on every hand; we may feel suffocated by the hopelessness of it all. It may seem useless to continue; the only thing possible, so it may appear, would be to run away from it all, or in some way or other to cut the knot, or the tangled skein that baffles us and fills us with a feeling of hopelessness and despair. But there is no way of escape except the path of victory. All short cuts are a fallacy. If we rebel against life, we find that we are fighting against powers so great and overwhelming that it is like a man trying to stem the torrent of Victoria Falls. Or again, if we run away from experience, choosing an easier and happier path, we find that we have become a victim of a far greater tyranny than that from which we have run away. The way of escape is always along the path of victory. There is no exception to this rule.
While it is futile for man to try to oppose the power of gigantic waterfalls, he can yet harness it to his use. The energy that lies hidden in those swiftly moving waters can be converted into electrical power, which, in turn, can be carried by cable to light distant towns, to turn its machinery, and bring prosperity to man. In the same way, while we cannot successfully oppose life, yet hidden powers enable us to overcome and work through all experiences, until we become master of our life, through mastery over ourselves.
Within you is the power - the power that works in us - by means of which He is able to do for us exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think. God is able to do these wonders 'according to the power that works in us' if we go His way. That is, if we follow the path of life, which indeed is also the path of victory. If we go God's way we can never become failures, for God can never fail. God's way is the only right one for us. It is not a sanctimonious path, but one of true service.
POWER TO BE WELL.
"The Power that works in us" is universal in its application. It is not only a power for righteousness; it is not only a power that can bring us victoriously through all the experiences of life, but it is also a power that can keep us in health. Ill-health, I find, is mostly due to a lack of life. A plant that lacks life-energy through living in a poor soil is subject to diseases or parasitic invasions. The same plant, nourished in good soil, or soil enriched by the use of fertilizers, would possess such powers of resistance that the parasitic diseases would not be able to attack it successfully. It is the same with man. If he lacks life, then he may manifest various weaknesses, diseases and disorders. The more attention he pays to these the worse they may become; or if he apparently overcomes one set of symptoms, then another disorder soon appears. Ill-health, disease, etc. cannot be eradicated by attacking them, for they are only results, or effects, and an evidence of deficiency in life-power. What is needed is more
life-power. If we concentrate upon this, instead of upon our ailments, then there is some hope of success, because we are seeking to remedy the cause, instead of fighting against the effect. If we open ourselves to accept 'the Power that works in us', we receive a greater measure of life-power (or realize its presence), and then the weaknesses and disorders from which we may have suffered soon become things of the past.
POWER TO SUCCEED.
The truest success is to live one's life in such a way that one becomes a master instead of a slave. The basis of true success is character. Every difficulty met is a test of character. Every difficulty overcome is a stone well laid in the edifice of a true and lasting godlike success. God is not a weak failure, and does not want us to be failures. He measures success, however, not in terms of money or fame, but in terms of character and true worth. The cultivation and display of a fine character may not always bring worldly or material success, although not infrequently they do, but are in themselves the truest success. The amount of money that a man may have made, or the fame he may have won, can never bring satisfaction in the hour of death, when all things are beheld in the light of Eternity. But the victories of character, the possession of qualities of sterling worth, these are the things that satisfy when all the baubles of life are seen in their true light, and assessed at their real value.
The Power that works in us, creates and builds up character, which is in itself the only success, and the only basis of truly successful achievement.
"Within you is the Power." This is the keynote of the New Vision that has come to man.
CHAPTER SIX
DIVINE ADJUSTMENT
"1 realized that it was through Love that life, God's creation, came into being, and that through that same love it is sustained, and ever shall be."
Julian of Norwich.
Sooner or later those of us who are seeking the Kingdom are brought to the point when we have to acknowledge that we can do nothing right of ourselves, and that the only thing that matters and the only thing that can deliver us is a Divine adjustment.
Early on, in the new life of the spirit, we think that we can do very well, aided by Divine Powers. It is really extraordinary how well we can manage, what wonders we can perform, the extent that we can help others, and how mighty we are in prayer. But this elementary stage, which is both good and necessary at the time, has to be left behind. It is only a phase, and we must be willing
to relinquish it. Like everything else in the life of the spirit we have to give up a thing, only in order to allow something far better to come into our life. Some, through lack of knowledge, strive by might and main to retain the old experience. They make themselves quite distraught through so doing, and they experience much unnecessary suffering. They would think it very foolish of a caterpillar if it became distraught when it reached the next stage of its metamorphosis. They would see the foolishness of it because they know that the change is for the better. They would also meet their own metamorphosis of life in a co-operative spirit if they knew that the change is for the better, and that it is necessary to give up what has been gained, in order that entrance may be made into a fuller and more spacious and blessed life.
At first, we accomplish things ourselves by the use of inward powers. This is a great advance on the old method of striving to accomplish things by the use of our surface powers, a way that is trying and exhausting in the extreme. We are astonished at what these powers can achieve. But after a time we discover that while we possess powers which can be directed towards certain ends which appear to us to be desirable, yet the achievement of our aims and purpose, brings neither happiness nor true harmony into the life.
For instance, a man may be poor, and may decide that if he can only become well-to-do or rich, he will be happy, and a state of harmony will also be brought into his life. People sometimes write to me saying: 'Before anything can be put right in my life I must have money. All my troubles, sufferings and difficulties are due to lack of money, therefore, the first thing to do is to get money." This seems only reasonable to a beginner, but later experience proves to him that he is wrong, if he demands wealth he finds, when he has acquired it, that he is far more miserable, and his life far more full of trouble, disaster and tragedy than when he was poor.
Again, another may say: 'Before any advance can be made my health must be restored." Yet when he has demanded and obtained health from life, he may find all sorts of other troubles afflicting him, or his health and strength may lead him astray into all sorts of enjoyments and perhaps follies, so that his last state is worse than the first.
Or again, another may demand that he be successful. His aim may be most meritorious, for his work may aim at the uplift of humanity. Yet, when he has attained success, he finds that his life is full of care and complications, so that it becomes more and more difficult and unsatisfying. Some, however, may make none of these mistakes, and yet after years of seeking God, and striving to live the life of the Spirit, and a life of faith, find their life so full of difficulty, and so complicated, that they can go on no farther. No matter to which type it is that we belong. we discover at last that we cannot adjust our own life. but that it needs a Divine adjustment, for it is only Infinite Wisdom that can ever find a way of deliverance out of the complicated and hopeless position in which we find ourselves.
Now what is meant by Divine adjustment? What is meant is an adjustment in our life and affairs that is brought about by a power and intelligence greater than our own; and not only so, but an adjustment that is brought about by Infinite Wisdom, Infinite Knowledge and Infinite Love; not through a violation of law, but by bringing the life into harmony with law. The one law of life and of the Universe is love, so that it is simple to follow and obey. but not easy Paul says that love is the fullfilment of the law. We also know that love is life, and that it is the great healer and restorer. Therefore, if we desire that there should be brought about a state of Divine adjustment we must first be willing to love all, including our enemies.
Life is a stream - actually, a stream of blessedness, harmony and good - and all is well if we remain in it. Our sufferings and perplexities are due to our wandering away from the stream. Such sufferings are merely due to the fact that we have strayed from our true environment; and they have the effect of driving us back to the stream of harmony and good. Love is the key to every situation of life, because Love is the law and principle governing life. It is true that we wander from the harmonious stream of blessedness which is our true environment, through lust, impurity, doubt, fear, envy, or thoughts of these things; but these are all violations of the law of true love, because we cannot indulge in any of them without wronging somebody.
But to return, Life becomes so complicated and involved, it is like a tangled skein, that is in such a mesh that no one can unravel it. Or, it is as though we come up against a wall so solid that it forbids all further progress. Then we recognize the fact that it is nothing less than the Wisdom of God that can cope with the situation at all. We realize that we have come to the end of our tether. We declare that if we are to be delivered at all, then God must deliver us in His own way, and at His own time, according to His infinite wisdom, knowledge, love and power. The only contribution that we can make is to give in to Love, and to trust the Current that knows the way, calling upon God to deal with us entirely in His own way.
It is when this great surrender is made that the Power of God can operate on our behalf. Before the surrender is made, It cannot operate, for the reason that self-Will stands in the way. When self-will is removed, then the power of God can come in, to bring about a perfect (perfect because it is of the Divine Order) adjustment. It is only self-will and the lack of trust in God that prevents our good from coming to us, or which keeps us out of our true environment, which, in itself, is entirely good and harmonious. Divine adjustment would not be necessary if we lived in the consciousness of Truth and if we kept in the Stream of Blessedness, which is our true environment. This is so, for the reason that, all the time we are in the Stream. we abide in a state of perfect adjustment, and are in tune with the harmony of Heaven.
Now most of us probably need a Divine adjustment to be made, either in our affairs, or in our health, or in our character. It may be that circumstances have become difficult, through adverse world conditions, or through the wrong doing of others, or from a variety of causes. Every door is bolted and barred, every avenue of escape closed, everything that is attempted seems doomed to failure. The problem is so complicated that there is to human wisdom no way out - it seems as though the tangled skein of life can never be unraveled. But, where man fails, and where man is completely baffled and helpless, all things are clear and straightforward to the Mind that is infinite Where the human, finite mind fails the Infinite Mind can accomplish all things, with ease
and entirely without effort. This is not surprising when we remember that there is only the Reality, and that this is perfect. All that is not perfect is, in an Absolute sense, only an appearance, for the Reality alone is, or has any real being or substance. Infinite Mind sees the perfect reality, it beholds the Truth, and then all appearance of complexity and difficulty fades away. Our difficulties are cleared up, like the dissolving of a morning mist at the appearance of the rising sun; and this is so because God gives us eyes to see the Truth, and a mind to understand It, and a heart to love a situation which would fill us with anger, resentment or fear.
We have to remember that God's love and wisdom are forever seeking to help us, and to lead us to our highest good. There is no power working against us,
really, for 'the Lord omnipotent reigneth,'. and our life is in His hands.
We have also to remember that truth is Reality, and there is nothing real apart from Reality. We know that Truth is perfection, harmony and order; so that all that is imperfect, disharmonious and disorderly cannot be of Truth, or Reality, but is only an appearance. We have also to remember we can do nothing of ourselves to cure our troubles, but that the power of God and Truth can do so. We have reached the stage when, in one sense, we have to leave off doing anything ourselves, and instead to stand on one side and see the salvation of the Lord. We put our whole trust in God, in complete abandonment; and then it is that the wonderful thing is brought to pass.
But some may desire healing. It may be that their ill-health is such, and their attempts to find a remedy so unsuccessful, that they are in despair of ever enjoying health again. All orthodox medical resources may have been explored, but all in vain. Perhaps unorthodox methods have also been tried with equal ineffectiveness. Faith healing, prayer, right thinking, various cults, all
appealed to in vain, and yet there has come no release, still there comes no change !
It is at this point, when every thing has failed, that it is time to surrender all to God, and to declare that if one is to be healed, then God must do it Himself entirely in His own way, and at His own time. It is then, when the sufferer gives up entirely, that a beautiful healing takes place; a healing that is as effortless and lovely as the rising of the sun. It is when anxious effort and desire are relinquished that it becomes possible for the Spirit to restore all things to a state of wholeness, beauty and perfection. In other words when self-effort (most valuable in the case of less spiritually awakened people) is surrendered, that a Divine adjustment is brought about, entirely without effort or strain.
In all classes of healing, ranging from the magnetic kind and suggestion, up to the highest forms of spiritual and Divine healing, it is vital to bear in mind that the power is not of ourselves, but that it is a Power greater than ourselves that works through us, according to Divine law, as soon as we allow it to do so, by providing the right conditions. 'Yet not I, but Christ,' must always be the attitude of the healer or rather, the channel or instrument of healing.
CHRIST REIGNING IN US.
Finally, we may need a Divine adjustment as regards character and sin. Even a wrong thought is a sin, so we certainly all need a deliverance in this respect. Most of us have weaknesses of character, hardness of heart, wrong states of mind, un-Christlike desires from which it is our most earnest wish we should become free. Indeed our faults are so many, when we candidly examine ourselves and our motives, that it may seem impossible that they can ever be overcome. But if we acknowledge that God alone can heal our moral character, and renew our hearts, and change our desires; and also if we hold the whole matter up, so to speak, so that the Divine light and action can operate upon It, then we find that steadily and surely a regenerative change does take place, until we grow into the likeness of the Son of God.
We have to realize that Christ is in us, and is the hope of our glory. That is, a reigning Christ is reigning in us. Every wrong thought and desire can be wiped out if we appeal to the Indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ to wipe it out, so that we can see once again His purity and perfection. This necessitates constant vigilance on our part.
We have to do our share in the work of change and regeneration. We have to co-operate with Christ; we have to watch the gate of our thoughts and desires; we have to be ready to deal with evil suggestions, one of the worst of which is doubt of God's ability and willingness to save, deliver, provide for, protect and keep. While we cannot save or change ourselves, yet at the first sign of danger we can appeal to the Christ to wipe out the evil thought, desire or suggestion, and at the same time, to reveal his beauty, purity, love, patience and lovingkindness in its place. He "is able to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." He is able to change us into His own likeness, and "to present us faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."
Gradually the 'self' ('self' is our greatest and most persistent and subtle devil) is reduced in strength until it is abolished altogether, and only Christ remains, so that He is all in all. Yet we do not lose our real identity or true individuality; but, rather, it is revealed in us. This is the great mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages, and which Jesus Christ came to reveal. He came to become the first-born of many brethren; to establish a new order of men, who should become like unto Himself. This mystery is hidden from the wise (the intellectuals) and prudent, but is revealed unto babes, i.e., those who have been born again of the Spirit, or from above, and who are thus capable of learning spiritual things, and of growth in a new life; a life that is not that of an ordinary man, but of the Immortals.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CREATIVE IMAGINATION
'Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God.'- Romans XI, 33.
There is a right and a wrong way of doing everything; there is a right and a wrong way of using the Creative Imagination. By visualizing and strong willing, the imagination can be used, or rather, mis-used in such a way as to produce results. But these have no permanence, and can bring no real harmony into being. Such results are a creation of the mind of separateness and because of this have no divine foundation; therefore, like the house built upon the sand, spoken of by Jesus, they fall into ruin, because they have no true foundation.
The mind is creative. Our outward life is largely the result of the activity of our mind. It is also the result of the activity of the race mind. The human race has thought itself into its present state of disharmony, mostly subconsciously. It is for ever creating evil and disorder for itself. But we are called by God to cease doing this, and instead, to think God's thoughts after Him. To do this is, of course, the highest form of right thinking. 'Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.' Some of our readers may object to being called wicked, for the reason that they have put aside all carnal desires; but there is no greater sin than that of doubt, and most people will admit having had their doubts and fears, when everything in their life has appeared to go wrong. Again, they may object to being called 'unrighteous'; but righteousness is Divine order, and most of us surely admit that we do not live in a state of Divine order, and that our thought life is not in accord with it.
We see, therefore, that the Scriptural quotation refers to us. We are invited to forsake our 'ways' (attitude of mind and mode of life), and also our thoughts (creators of disorder), and return to the Lord (the One Source of all Harmony and Perfection).
We are invited to do this because God's thoughts (Reality and Truth) are so different from our human thoughts. 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.' Man's thoughts and man's ways produce disharmony, disorder and suffering. But God's thoughts and God's ways produce harmony, order, beauty and joy.
God is a God of Wholeness. The life that He has designed for man is a state of perfect wholeness. If we return to the Lord and forsake our wrong thoughts and ways, so that God's thoughts and ways may be followed, then a state of wholeness is brought about that is in itself a healing of the whole life, right from the centre to the circumference. It is because of this that I have used, elsewhere, the term Healing the 'Hard Times' Consciousness, for it is true healing that is needed; a Divine adjustment, a restoration to a state of complete wholeness.
All methods of healing either of mind, body or state, that are of the human mind, while they may produce a temporary relief, can never bring about a state of wholeness and Divine order.
The Divine invitation is not for us to visualize and concentrate upon in order to produce with our mental powers wealth, money and other things which when rightly used are necessary, but which, if thought too much of, become tyrants of the worst description; but instead the call comes for us to return unto the Lord, the author of all order and wholeness, and to forsake our thoughts, in order that the thoughts of God which are wholeness, perfection and harmony, should be allowed to operate, to our eternal good, and that of other people and the world at large.
But how can one return unto the Lord in the sense in which it is being interpreted in this article, it may be asked. People write to say that they have been Christians all their life, or for many years, yet they know nothing of the power of which we speak, and in no church can they find any instruction in the matter. They say that we possess something which they lack, how can they discover it. In reply it may be stated at once that information concerning the hidden things of the Spirit does not come to us, and cannot be found by us, until we are ready for it. But when we are ready for it, what we need comes to us just at the right moment.
THE ONE POWER OF INFINITE GOOD.
In order for healing to manifest in our life, and a state of wholeness to encompass and permeate it through and through, we have to turn to a Power greater than ourselves. We have also to believe that this Power is the only power. If we cannot at present believe it, we can declare it to be so. If we do this, then the truth of the matter is revealed to us later, generally in the midst of some trying experience. The reason this is necessary is a paradox. If we do not believe and declare that there is only one Power, the Power of Infinite Good, then we become conscious of other powers. By declaring the truth about God as the only Power, the other seeming powers, or powers of a lower