,transcriber's note3     ,every effort  
has been made to replicate this text as 
faithfully    as possible1 including    
obsolete and variant spellings4 ,obvious
    typographical errors in punctuation 
7misplaced quotes and the    like7 have 
been corrected4 ,corrections in brackets
 in the    text are explained in a note 
at the end of the book4     ,numbers    
within curly brackets preceded by a     
carat character were    superscripted in
 the original4 ,example3 ,x#b4          
,,the ,,hidden ,,power  ,and ,other     
,papers upon ,mental ,science  by  ,t4  
,,troward  ,late ,divisional ,judge1    
,punjab4 ,honorary ,member of the       
,medico-,legal ,society of ,new ,york4  
,first ,vice-,president ,international  
,new ,thought ,alliance        ,new     
,york ,robert ,m4 ,mc,bride  ,company   
,copyright1 #aiba1 by ,s4 ,a4 ,troward  
,all rights reserved  ,sixth ,printing  
,september #aicf ,printed in the ,united
 ,states of ,america     ,,publisher',s 
,,note   ,the material comprised in this

 volume has been selected from          
unpublished manuscripts and magazine    
articles by ,judge ,troward1 and ,the   
,hidden ,power is1 it is believed1 the  
last book which will be published under 
his name4 ,only an insignificant portion
 of his work has been deemed unworthy of
 permanent preservation4 ,whenever      
possible1 dates have been affixed to    
these papers4 ,those published in #aijb 
appeared originally in ,,expression3 ,a 
,journal of ,mind and ,thought1 in      
,london1 and to some of these have been 
added notes made later by the author4   
,the ,publishers wish to acknowledge    
their indebtedness to ,mr4 ,daniel ,m4  
,murphy of ,new ,york for his services  
in the selection and arrangement of the 
material4     ,,contents    ,,chapter   
,,page        ,i ,the ,hidden ,power    
#a       ,,ii ,the ,perversion of ,truth
                                #db     
,,iii ,the ,i ,am                       
#ei       ,,iv ,affirmative ,power      
#fc        ,v ,submission               

#fg       ,,vi ,completeness            
#gd      ,,vii ,the ,principle of       
,guidance                               
#ha     ,,viii ,desire as the ,motive   
,power                             #he  
,,ix ,touching ,lightly                 
#ib        ,x ,present ,truth           
#if       ,,xi ,yourself                
#ii      ,,xii ,religious ,opinions     
#aje     ,,xiii ,a ,lesson from         
,browning                               
#aac      ,,xiv ,the ,spirit of         
,opulence                               
#aah       ,,xv ,beauty                 
#abc      ,,xvi ,separation and ,unity  
#abi     ,,xvii ,externalisation        
#ada    ,,xviii ,entering into the      
,spirit of ,it                          
#adf      ,,xix ,the ,bible and the ,new
 ,thought           ,i4 ,the ,son       
#aec          ,,ii4 ,the ,great         
,affirmation                            
#aff         ,,iii4 ,the ,father        
#agh          ,,iv4 ,conclusion         
#ahe       ,,xx ,jachin and ,boaz       

#aib      ,,xxi ,hephzibah              
#aig     ,,xxii ,mind and ,hand         
#bjd    ,,xxiii ,the ,central ,control  
#bji     ,,xxiv ,what is ,higher        
,thought                                
#bac      ,,xxv ,fragments              
#bae     ,,the ,,hidden ,,power ,,and   
,,other ,,essays     ,i  ,,the ,,hidden 
,,power   ,to realise fully how much of 
our present daily life consists in      
symbols is to find the answer to the    
old1 old question1 ,what is ,truth8 and 
in the degree in which we begin to      
recognise this we begin to approach     
,truth4 ,the realisation of ,truth      
consists in the ability to translate    
symbols1 whether natural or             
conventional1 into their equivalents2   
and the root of all the errors of       
mankind consists in the inability to do 
this1 and in maintaining that the symbol
 has nothing behind it4 ,the great duty 
incumbent on all who have attained to   
this knowledge is to impress upon their 
fellow men that there is an inner side  

to things1 and that until this inner    
side is known1 the things themselves are
 not known4  ,there is an inner and an  
outer side to everything2 and the       
quality of the superficial mind which   
causes it to fail in the attainment of  
,truth is its willingness to rest       
content with the outside only4 ,so long 
as this is the case it is impossible for
 a man to grasp the import of his own   
relation to the universal1 and it is    
this relation which constitutes all that
 is signified by the word ,truth4 ,so   
long as a man fixes his attention only  
on the superficial it is impossible for 
him to make any progress in knowledge4  
,he is denying that principle of ,growth
 which is the root of all life1 whether 
spiritual intellectual1 or material1 for
 he does not stop to reflect that all   
which he sees as the outer side of      
things can result only from some        
germinal principle hidden deep in the   
centre of their being4  ,expansion from 
the centre by growth according to a     

necessary order of sequence1 this is the
 ,law of ,life of which the whole       
universe is the outcome1 alike in the   
one great solidarity of cosmic being1 as
 in the separate individualities of its 
minutest organisms4 ,this great         
principle is the key to the whole riddle
 of ,life1 upon whatever plane we       
contemplate it2 and without this key the
 door from the outer to the inner side  
of things can never be opened4 ,it is   
therefore the duty of all to whom this  
door has1 at least in some measure1 been
 opened1 to endeavour to acquaint others
 with the fact that there is an inner   
side to things1 and that life becomes   
truer and fuller in proportion as we    
penetrate to it and make our estimates  
of all things according to what becomes 
visible from this interior point of     
view4  ,in the widest sense everything  
is a symbol of that which constitutes   
its inner being1 and all ,nature is a   
gallery of arcana revealing great truths
 to those who can decipher them4 ,but   

there is a more precise sense in which  
our current life is based upon symbols  
in regard to the most important subjects
 that can occupy our thoughts3 the      
symbols by which we strive to represent 
the nature and being of ,god1 and the   
manner in which the life of man is      
related to the ,divine life4 ,the whole 
character of a man's life results from  
what he really believes on this subject3
 not his formal statement of belief in a
 particular creed1 but what he realises 
as the stage which his mind has actually
 attained in regard to it4  ,has a man's
 mind only reached the point at which he
 thinks it is impossible to know        
anything about ,god1 or to make any use 
of the knowledge if he had it8 ,then his
 whole interior world is in the         
condition of confusion1 which must      
necessarily exist where no spirit of    
order has yet begun to move upon the    
chaos in which are1 indeed1 the elements
 of being1 but all disordered and       
neutralising one another4 ,has he       

advanced a step further1 and realised   
that there is a ruling and an ordering  
power1 but beyond this is ignorant of   
its nature8 ,then the unknown stands to 
him for the terrific1 and1 amid a tumult
 of fears and distresses that deprive   
him of all strength to advance1 he      
spends his life in the endeavour to     
propitiate this power as something      
naturally adverse to him1 instead of    
knowing that it is the very centre of   
his own life and being4  ,and so on     
through every degree1 from the lowest   
depths of ignorance to the greatest     
heights of intelligence1 a man's life   
must always be the exact reflection of  
that particular stage which he has      
reached in the perception of the divine 
nature and of his own relation to it2   
and as we approach the full perception  
of ,truth1 so the life-principle within 
us expands1 the old bonds and           
limitations which had no existence in   
reality fall off from us1 and we enter  
into regions of light1 liberty1 and     

power1 of which we had previously no    
conception4 ,it is impossible1          
therefore1 to overestimate the          
importance of being able to realise the 
symbol for a symbol1 and being able to  
penetrate to the inner substance which  
it represents4 ,life itself is to be    
realised only by the conscious          
experience of its livingness in         
ourselves1 and it is the endeavour to   
translate these experiences into terms  
which shall suggest a corresponding idea
 to others that gives rise to all       
symbolism4  ,the nearer those we address
 have approached to the actual          
experience1 the more transparent the    
symbol becomes2 and the further they are
 from such experience the thicker is the
 veil2 and our whole progress consists  
in the fuller and fuller translation of 
the symbols into clearer and clearer    
statements of that for which they stand4
 ,but the first step1 without which all 
succeeding ones must remain impossible1 
is to convince people that symbols are  

symbols1 and not the very ,truth itself4
 ,and the difficulty consists in this1  
that if the symbolism is in any degree  
adequate it must1 in some measure1      
represent the form of ,truth1 just as   
the modelling of a drapery suggests the 
form of the figure beneath4 ,they have a
 certain consciousness that somehow they
 are in the presence of ,truth2 and this
 leads people to resent any removal of  
those folds of drapery which have       
hitherto conveyed this idea to their    
minds4  ,there is sufficient indication 
of the inner ,truth in the outward form 
to afford an excuse for the timorous1   
and those who have not sufficient mental
 energy to think for themselves1 to cry 
out that finality has already been      
attained1 and that any further search   
into the matter must end in the         
destruction of ,truth4 ,but in raising  
such an outcry they betray their        
ignorance of the very nature of ,truth1 
which is that it can never be destroyed3
 the very fact that ,truth is ,truth    

makes this impossible4 ,and again they  
exhibit their ignorance of the first    
principle of ,life--namely1 the ,law of 
,growth1 which throughout the universe  
perpetually pushes forward into more and
 more vivid forms of expression1 having 
expansion everywhere and finality       
nowhere4  ,such ignorant objections need
 not1 therefore1 alarm us2 and we should
 endeavour to show those who make them  
that what they fear is the only natural 
order of the ,divine ,life1 which is    
over all1 and through all1 and in all4  
,but we must do this gently1 and not by 
forcibly thrusting upon them the object 
of their terror1 and so repelling them  
from all study of the subject4 ,we      
should endeavour gradually to lead them 
to see that there is something interior 
to what they have hitherto held to be   
ultimate ,truth1 and to realise that the
 sensation of emptiness and             
dissatisfaction1 which from time to time
 will persist in making itself felt in  
their hearts1 is nothing else than the  

pressing forward of the spirit within to
 declare that inner side of things which
 alone can satisfactorily account for   
what we observe on the exterior1 and    
without the knowledge of which we can   
never perceive the true nature of our   
inheritance in the ,universal ,life     
which is the ,life ,everlasting4   ,,ii 
,what1 then1 is this central principle  
which is at the root of all things8 ,it 
is ,life4 ,but not life as we recognise 
it in particular forms of manifestation2
 it is something more interior and      
concentrated than that4 ,it is that     
unity of the spirit which is unity1     
simply because it has not yet passed    
into diversity4 ,perhaps this is not an 
easy idea to grasp1 but it is the root  
of all scientific conception of spirit2 
for without it there is no common       
principle to which we can refer the     
innumerable forms of manifestation that 
spirit assumes4  ,it is the conception  
of ,life as the sum-total of all its    
undistributed powers1 being as yet none 

of these in particular1 but all of them 
in potentiality4 ,this is1 no doubt1 a  
highly abstract idea1 but it is         
essentially that of the centre from     
which growth takes place by expansion in
 every direction4 ,this is that last    
residuum which defies all our powers of 
analysis4 ,this is truly the unknowable1
 not in the sense of the unthinkable but
 of the unanalysable4 ,it is the subject
 of perception1 not of knowledge1 if by 
knowledge we mean that faculty which    
estimates the relations between things1 
because here we have passed beyond any  
questions of relations1 and are face to 
face with the absolute4  ,this innermost
 of all is absolute ,spirit4 ,it is     
,life as yet not differentiated into any
 specific mode2 it is the universal     
,life which pervades all things and is  
at the heart of all appearances4  ,to   
come into the knowledge of this is to   
come into the secret of power1 and to   
enter into the secret place of ,living  
,spirit4 ,is it illogical first to call 

this the unknowable1 and then to speak  
of coming into the knowledge of it8     
,perhaps so2 but no less a writer than  
,st4 ,paul has set the example2 for does
 he not speak of the final result of all
 searchings into the heights and depths 
and lengths and breadths of the inner   
side of things as being1 to attain the  
knowledge of that ,love which passeth   
knowledge4 ,if he is thus boldly        
illogical in phrase1 though not in fact1
 may we not also speak of knowing the   
unknowable8 ,we may1 for this knowledge 
is the root of all other knowledge4     
,the presence of this undifferentiated  
universal life-power is the final       
axiomatic fact to which all our analysis
 must ultimately conduct us4 ,on        
whatever plane we make our analysis it  
must always abut upon pure essence1 pure
 energy1 pure being2 that which knows   
itself and recognises itself1 but which 
cannot dissect itself because it is not 
built up of parts1 but is ultimately    
integral3 it is pure ,unity4 ,but       

analysis which does not lead to         
synthesis is merely destructive3 it is  
the child wantonly pulling the flower to
 pieces and throwing away the fragments2
 not the botanist1 also pulling the     
flower to pieces1 but building up in his
 mind from those carefully studied      
fragments a vast synthesis of the       
constructive power of ,nature1 embracing
 the laws of the formation of all       
flower-forms4 ,the value of analysis is 
to lead us to the original              
starting-point of that which we analyse1
 and so to teach us the laws by which   
its final form springs from this centre4
  ,knowing the law of its construction1 
we turn our analysis into a synthesis1  
and we thus gain a power of building up 
which must always be beyond the reach of
 those who regard the unknowable as one 
with not-being4  ,this idea of the      
unknowable is the root of all           
materialism2 and yet no scientific man1 
however materialistic his proclivities1 
treats the unanalysable residuum thus   

when he meets it in the experiments of  
his laboratory4 ,on the contrary1 he    
makes this final unanalysable fact the  
basis of his synthesis4 ,he finds that  
in the last resort it is energy of some 
kind1 whether as heat or as motion2 but 
he does not throw up his scientific     
pursuits because he cannot analyse it   
further4 ,he adopts the precisely       
opposite course1 and realises that the  
conservation of energy1 its             
indestructibility1 and the impossibility
 of adding to or detracting from the    
sum-total of energy in the world1 is the
 one solid and unchanging fact on which 
alone the edifice of physical science   
can be built up4 ,he bases all his      
knowledge upon his knowledge of the     
unknowable4 ,and rightly so1 for if he  
could analyse this energy into yet      
further factors1 then the same problem  
of the unknowable would meet him still4 
,all our progress consists in           
continually pushing the unknowable1 in  
the sense of the unanalysable residuum1 

a step further back2 but that there     
should be no ultimate unanalysable      
residuum anywhere is an inconceivable   
idea4  ,in thus realising the           
undifferentiated unity of ,living       
,spirit as the central fact of any      
system1 whether the system of the entire
 universe or of a single organism1 we   
are therefore following a strictly      
scientific method4 ,we pursue our       
analysis until it necessarily leads us  
to this final fact1 and then we accept  
this fact as the basis of our synthesis4
 ,the ,science of ,spirit is thus not   
one whit less scientific than the       
,science of ,matter2 and1 moreover1 it  
starts from the same initial fact1 the  
fact of a living energy which defies    
definition or explanation1 wherever we  
find it2 but it differs from the science
 of matter in that it contemplates this 
energy under an aspect of responsive    
intelligence which does not fall within 
the scope of physical science1 as such4 
,the ,science of ,spirit and the        

,science of ,matter are not opposed4    
,they are complementaries1 and neither  
is fully comprehensible without some    
knowledge of the other2 and1 being      
really but two portions of one whole1   
they insensibly shade off into each     
other in a border-land where no         
arbitrary line can be drawn between     
them4 ,science studied in a truly       
scientific spirit1 following out its own
 deductions unflinchingly to their      
legitimate conclusions1 will always     
reveal the twofold aspect of things1 the
 inner and the outer2 and it is only a  
truncated and maimed science that       
refuses to recognise both4  ,the study  
of the material world is not            
,materialism1 if it be allowed to       
progress to its legitimate issue4       
,materialism is that limited view of the
 universe which will not admit the      
existence of anything but mechanical    
effects of mechanical causes1 and a     
system which recognises no higher power 
than the physical forces of nature must 

logically result in having no higher    
ultimate appeal than to physical force  
or to fraud as its alternative4 ,i      
speak1 of course1 of the tendency of the
 system1 not of the morality of         
individuals1 who are often very far in  
advance of the systems they profess4    
,but as we would avoid the propagation  
of a mode of thought whose effects      
history shows only too plainly1 whether 
in the ,italy of the ,borgias1 or the   
,france of the ,first ,revolution1 or   
the ,commune of the ,franco-,prussian   
,war1 we should set ourselves to study  
that inner and spiritual aspect of      
things which is the basis of a system   
whose logical results are truth and love
 instead of perfidy and violence4  ,some
 of us1 doubtless1 have often wondered  
why the ,heavenly ,jerusalem is         
described in the ,book of ,revelations  
as a cube2 the length and the breadth   
and the height of it are equal4 ,this is
 because the cube is the figure of      
perfect stability1 and thus represents  

,truth1 which can never be overthrown4  
,turn it on what side you will1 it still
 remains the perfect cube1 always       
standing upright2 you cannot upset it4  
,this figure1 then1 represents the      
manifestation in concrete solidity of   
that central life-giving energy1 which  
is not itself any one plane but         
generates all planes1 the planes of the 
above and of the below and of all four  
sides4 ,but it is at the same time a    
city1 a place of habitation2 and this is
 because that which is the within is    
,living ,spirit1 which has its dwelling 
there4  ,as one plane of the cube       
implies all the other planes and also   
the within1 so any plane of             
manifestation implies the others and    
also that within which generates them   
all4 ,now1 if we would make any progress
 in the spiritual side of science--and  
every department of science has its     
spiritual side--we must always keep our 
minds fixed upon this innermost within  
which contains the potential of all     

outward manifestation1 the fourth       
dimension which generates the cube2 and 
our common forms of speech show how     
intuitively we do this4 ,we speak of the
 spirit in which an act is done1 of     
entering into the spirit of a game1 of  
the spirit of the time1 and so on4      
,everywhere our intuition points out the
 spirit as the true essence of things2  
and it is only when we commence arguing 
about them from without1 instead of from
 within1 that our true perception of    
their nature is lost4  ,the scientific  
study of spirit consists in following up
 intelligently and according to definite
 method the same principle that now only
 flashes upon us at intervals fitfully  
and vaguely4 ,when we once realise that 
this universal and unlimited power of   
spirit is at the root of all things and 
of ourselves also1 then we have obtained
 the key to the whole position2 and1    
however far we may carry our studies in 
spiritual science1 we shall nowhere find
 anything else but particular           

developments of this one universal      
principle4 ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven is  
within you4   ,,iii  ,i have laid stress
 on the fact that the innermost within  
of all things is living ,spirit1 and    
that the ,science of ,spirit is         
distinguished from the ,science of      
,matter in that it contemplates ,energy 
under an aspect of responsive           
intelligence which does not fall within 
the scope of physical science1 as such4 
,these are the two great points to lay  
hold of if we would retain a clear idea 
of ,spiritual ,science1 and not be      
misled by arguments drawn from the      
physical side of ,science only--the     
livingness of the originating principle 
which is at the heart of all things1 and
 its intelligent and responsive nature4 
,its livingness is patent to our        
observation1 at any rate from the point 
where we recognise it in the vegetable  
kingdom2 but its intelligence and       
responsiveness are not1 perhaps1 at once
 so obvious4 ,nevertheless1 a little    

thought will soon lead us to recognise  
this also4  ,no one can deny that there 
is an intelligent order throughout all  
nature1 for it requires the highest     
intelligence of our most highly-trained 
minds to follow the steps of this       
universal intelligence which is always  
in advance of them4 ,the more deeply we 
investigate the world we live in1 the   
more clear it must become to us that all
 our science is the translation into    
words or numerical symbols of that order
 which already exists4 ,if the clear    
statement of this existing order is the 
highest that the human intellect can    
reach1 this surely argues a             
corresponding intelligence in the power 
which gives rise to this great sequence 
of order and interrelation1 so as to    
constitute one harmonious whole4 ,now1  
unless we fall back on the idea of a    
workman working upon material external  
to himself--in which case we have to    
explain the phenomenon of the           
workman--the only conception we can form

 of this power is that it is the ,living
 ,spirit inherent in the heart of every 
atom1 giving it outward form and        
definition1 and becoming in it those    
intrinsic polarities which constitute   
its characteristic nature4  ,there is no
 random work here4 ,every attraction and
 repulsion acts with its proper force   
collecting the atoms into molecules1 the
 molecules into tissues1 the tissues    
into organs1 and the organs into        
individuals4 ,at each stage of the      
progress we get the sum of the          
intelligent forces which operate in the 
constituent parts1 plus a higher degree 
of intelligence which we may regard as  
the collective intelligence superior to 
that of the mere sum-total of the parts1
 something which belongs to the         
individual as a whole1 and not to the   
parts as such4 ,these are facts which   
can be amply proved from physical       
science2 and they also supply a great   
law in spiritual science1 which is that 
in any collective body the intelligence 

of the whole is superior to that of the 
sum of the parts4  ,spirit is at the    
root of all things1 and thoughtful      
observation shows that its operation is 
guided by unfailing intelligence which  
adapts means to ends1 and harmonises the
 entire universe of manifested being in 
those wonderful ways which physical     
science renders clearer every day2 and  
this intelligence must be in the        
generating spirit itself1 because there 
is no other source from which it could  
proceed4 ,on these grounds1 therefore1  
we may distinctly affirm that ,spirit is
 intelligent1 and that whatever it does 
is done by the intelligent adaptation of
 means to ends4  ,but ,spirit is also   
responsive4 ,and here we have to fall   
back upon the law above stated1 that the
 mere sum of the intelligence of ,spirit
 in lower degrees of manifestation is   
not equal to the intelligence of the    
complex whole1 as a whole4 ,this is a   
radical law which we cannot impress upon
 our minds too deeply4 ,the degree of   

spiritual intelligence is marked by the 
wholeness of the organism through which 
it finds expression2 and therefore the  
more highly organised being has a degree
 of spirit which is superior to1 and    
consequently capable of exercising      
control over1 all lower or less         
fully-integrated degrees of spirit2 and 
this being so1 we can now begin to see  
why the spirit that is the innermost    
within of all things is responsive as   
well as intelligent4  ,being            
intelligent1 it knows1 and spirit being 
ultimately all there is1 that which it  
knows is itself4 ,hence it is that power
 which recognises itself2 and           
accordingly the lower powers of it      
recognise its higher powers1 and by the 
law of attraction they are bound to     
respond to the higher degrees of        
themselves4 ,on this general principle1 
therefore1 spirit1 under whatever       
exterior revealed1 is necessarily       
intelligent and responsive4 ,but        
intelligence and responsiveness imply   

personality2 and we may therefore now   
advance a step further and argue that   
all spirit contains the elements of     
personality1 even though1 in any        
particular instance1 it may not yet be  
expressed as that individual personality
 which we find in ourselves4  ,in short1
 spirit is always personal in its       
nature1 even when it has not yet        
attained to that degree of synthesis    
which is sufficient to render it        
personal in manifestation4 ,in ourselves
 the synthesis has proceeded far enough 
to reach that degree1 and therefore we  
recognise ourselves as the manifestation
 of personality4 ,the human kingdom is  
the kingdom of the manifestation of that
 personality1 which is of the essence of
 spiritual substance on every plane4    
,or1 to put the whole argument in a     
simpler form1 we may say that our own   
personality must necessarily have had   
its origin in that which is personal1 on
 the principle that you cannot get more 
out of a bag than it contains4  ,in     

ourselves1 therefore1 we find that more 
perfect synthesis of the spirit into    
manifested personality which is wanting 
in the lower kingdoms of nature1 and1   
accordingly1 since spirit is necessarily
 that which knows itself and must1      
therefore1 recognise its own degrees in 
its various modes1 the spirit in all    
degrees below that of human personality 
is bound to respond to itself in that   
superior degree which constitutes human 
individuality2 and this is the basis of 
the power of human thought to           
externalise itself in infinite forms of 
its own ordering4  ,but if the          
subordination of the lower degrees of   
spirit to the higher is one of the      
fundamental laws which lie at the bottom
 of the creative power of thought1 there
 is another equally fundamental law     
which places a salutary restraint upon  
the abuse of that power4 ,it is the law 
that we can command the powers of the   
universal for our own purposes only in  
proportion as we first realise and obey 

their generic character4 ,we can employ 
water for any purpose which does not    
require it to run up-hill1 and we can   
utilise electricity for any purpose that
 does not require it to pass from a     
lower to a higher potential4  ,so with  
that universal power which we call the  
,spirit4 ,it has an inherent generic    
character with which we must comply if  
we would employ it for our specific     
purposes1 and this character is summed  
up in the one word goodness4 ,the       
,spirit is ,life1 hence its generic     
tendency must always be lifeward or to  
the increase of the livingness of every 
individual4 ,and since it is universal  
it can have no particular interests to  
serve1 and therefore its action must    
always be equally for the benefit of    
all4 ,this is the generic character of  
spirit2 and just as water1 or           
electricity1 or any other of the        
physical forces of the universe1 will   
not work contrary to their generic      
character1 so ,spirit will not work     

contrary to its generic character4  ,the
 inference is obvious4 ,if we would use 
,spirit we must follow the law of the   
,spirit which is ,goodness4 ,this is the
 only limitation4 ,if our originating   
intention is good1 we may employ the    
spiritual power for what purpose we     
will4 ,and how is goodness to be        
defined8 ,simply by the child's         
definition that what is bad is not good1
 and that what is good is not bad2 we   
all know the difference between bad and 
good instinctively4 ,if we will conform 
to this principle of obedience to the   
generic law of the ,spirit1 all that    
remains is for us to study the law of   
the proportion which exists between the 
more and less fully integrated modes of 
,spirit1 and then bring our knowledge to
 bear with determination4   ,,iv  ,the  
law of spirit1 to which our             
investigation has now led us1 is of the 
very widest scope4 ,we have followed it 
up from the conception of the           
intelligence of spirit1 subsisting in   

the initial atoms1 to the aggregation of
 this intelligence as the conscious     
identity of the individual4 ,but there  
is no reason why this law should cease  
to operate at this point1 or at any     
point short of the whole4 ,the test of  
the soundness of any principle is that  
it can operate as effectively on a large
 scale as on a small one1 that though   
the nature of its field is determined by
 the nature of the principle itself1 the
 extent of its field is unlimited4 ,if1 
therefore1 we continue to follow up the 
law we have been considering1 it leads  
us to the conception of a unit of       
intelligence as far superior to that of 
the individual man as the unity of his  
individual intelligence is superior to  
that of the intelligence of any single  
atom of his body2 and thus we may       
conceive of a collective individuality  
representing the spiritual character of 
any aggregate of men1 the inhabitants of
 a city1 a district1 a country1 or of   
the entire world4  ,nor need the process

 stop here4 ,on the same principle there
 would be a superior collective         
individuality for the humanity of the   
entire solar system1 and finally we     
reach the conception of a supreme       
intelligence bringing together in itself
 the collective individualities of all  
the systems in the universe4 ,this is by
 no means a merely fanciful notion4 ,we 
find it as the law by which our own     
conscious individuality is constituted2 
and we find the analogous principle     
working universally on the physical     
plane4 ,it is known to physical science 
as the law of inverse squares1 by which 
the forces of reciprocal attraction or  
repulsion1 as the case may be1 are not  
merely equivalent to the sum of the     
forces emitted by the two bodies        
concerned1 but are equivalent to these  
two forces multiplied together and      
divided by the square of the distance   
between them1 so that the resultant     
power continually rises in a            
rapidly-increasing ratio as the two     

reciprocally exciting bodies approach   
one another4  ,since this law is so     
universal throughout physical nature1   
the doctrine of continuity affords every
 ground for supposing that its analogue 
holds good in respect of spiritual      
nature4 ,we must never lose sight of the
 old-world saying that a truth on one   
plane is a truth on all4 ,if a principle
 exists at all it exists universally4   
,we must not allow ourselves to be      
misled by appearances2 we must remember 
that the perceptible results of the     
working of any principle consist of two 
factors--the principle itself or the    
active factor1 and the subject-matter on
 which it acts or the passive factor2   
and that while the former is invariable1
 the latter is variable1 and that the   
operation of the same invariable upon   
different variables must necessarily    
produce a variety of results4 ,this at  
once becomes evident if we state it     
mathematically2 for example1 a1 b or c1 
multiplied by x give respectively the   

results ax1 bx1 cx1 which differ        
materially from one another1 though the 
factor x always remains the same4  ,this
 law of the generation of power by      
attraction applies on the spiritual as  
well as on the physical plane1 and acts 
with the same mathematical precision on 
both2 and thus the human individuality  
consists1 not in the mere aggregation of
 its parts1 whether spiritual or        
corporeal1 but in the unity of power    
resulting from the intimate association 
into which those parts enter with one   
another1 which unity1 according to this 
law of the generation of power by       
attraction1 is infinitely superior1 both
 in intelligence and power1 to any less 
fully integrated mode of spirit4 ,thus a
 natural principle1 common alike to     
physical and spiritual law1 fully       
accounts for all claims that have ever  
been made for the creative power of our 
thought over all things that come within
 the circle of our own particular life4 
,thus it is that each man is the centre 

of his own universe1 and has the power1 
by directing his own thought1 to control
 all things therein4  ,but1 as ,i have  
said above1 there is no reason why this 
principle should not be recognised as   
expanding from the individual until it  
embraces the entire universe4 ,each man1
 as the centre of his own world1 is     
himself centred in a higher system in   
which he is only one of innumerable     
similar atoms1 and this system again in 
a higher until we reach the supreme     
centre of all things2 intelligence and  
power increase from centre to centre in 
a ratio rising with inconceivable       
rapidity1 according to the law we are   
now investigating1 until they culminate 
in illimitable intelligence and power   
commensurate with ,all-,being4  ,now we 
have seen that the relation of man to   
the lower modes of spirit is that of    
superiority and command1 but what is his
 relation to these higher modes8 ,in any
 harmoniously constituted system the    
relation of the part to the whole never 

interferes with the free operation of   
the part in the performance of its own  
functions2 but1 on the contrary1 it is  
precisely by means of this relation that
 each part is maintained in a position  
to discharge all functions for which it 
is fitted4 ,thus1 then1 the             
subordination of the individual man to  
the supreme mind1 so far from curtailing
 his liberty1 is the very condition     
which makes liberty possible1 or even   
life itself4 ,the generic movement of   
the whole necessarily carries the part  
along with it2 and so long as the part  
allows itself thus to be carried onwards
 there will be no hindrance to its free 
working in any direction for which it is
 fitted by its own individuality4 ,this 
truth was set forth in the old ,hindu   
religion as the ,car of ,jaggarnath--an 
ideal car only1 which later ages        
degraded into a terribly material       
symbol4 ,jaggarnath means ,lord of the  
,universe1 and thus signifies the       
,universal ,mind4 ,this1 by the law of  

,being1 must always move forward        
regardless of any attempts of           
individuals to restrain it4 ,those who  
mount upon its car move onward with it  
to endlessly advancing evolution1 while 
those who seek to oppose it must be     
crushed beneath its wheels1 for it is no
 respecter of persons4  ,if1 therefore1 
we would employ the universal law of    
spirit to control our own little        
individual worlds1 we must also         
recognise it in respect to the supreme  
centre round which we ourselves revolve4
 ,but not in the old way of supposing   
that this centre is a capricious        
,individuality external to ourselves1   
which can be propitiated or cajoled into
 giving the good which he is not good   
enough to give of his own proper motion4
 ,so long as we retain this infantile   
idea we have not come into the liberty  
which results from the knowledge of the 
certainty of ,law4 ,supreme ,mind is    
,supreme ,law1 and can be calculated    
upon with the same accuracy as when     

manifested in any of the particular laws
 of the physical world2 and the result  
of studying1 understanding and obeying  
this ,supreme ,law is that we thereby   
acquire the power to use it4 ,nor need  
we fear it with the old fear which comes
 from ignorance1 for we can rely with   
confidence upon the proposition that the
 whole can have no interest adverse to  
the parts of which it is composed2 and  
conversely that the part can have no    
interest adverse to the whole4  ,our    
ignorance of our relation to the whole  
may make us appear to have separate     
interests1 but a truer knowledge must   
always show such an idea to be mistaken4
 ,for this reason1 therefore1 the same  
responsiveness of spirit which manifests
 itself as obedience to our wishes1 when
 we look to those degrees of spirit     
which are lower than her own            
individuality1 must manifest itself as a
 necessary inflowing of intelligence and
 power when we look to the infinity of  
spirit1 of which our individuality is a 

singular expression1 because in so      
looking upwards we are looking for the  
higher degrees of ourself4  ,the        
increased vitality of the parts means   
the increased vitality of the whole1 and
 since it is impossible to conceive of  
spirit otherwise than as a continually  
expanding principle of ,life1 the demand
 for such increased vitality must1 by   
the inherent nature of spirit1 be met by
 a corresponding supply of continually  
growing intelligence and power4 ,thus1  
by a natural law1 the demand creates the
 supply1 and this supply may be freely  
applied to any and every subject-matter 
that commends itself to us4 ,there is no
 limit to the supply of this energy     
other than what we ourselves put to it  
by our thought2 nor is there any limit  
to the purposes we may make it serve    
other than the one grand ,law of ,order1
 which says that good things used for   
wrong purposes become evil4 ,the        
consideration of the intelligent and    
responsive nature of spirit shows that  

there can be no limitations but these4  
,the one is a limitation inherent in    
spirit itself1 and the other is a       
limitation which has no root except in  
our own ignorance4  ,it is true that to 
maintain our healthy action within the  
circle of our own individual world we   
must continually move forward with the  
movement of the larger whole of which we
 form a part4 ,but this does not imply  
any restriction of our liberty to make  
the fullest use of our lives in         
accordance with those universal         
principles of life upon which they are  
founded2 for there is not one law for   
the part and another for the whole1 but 
the same law of ,being permeates both   
alike4 ,in proportion1 therefore1 as we 
realise the true law of our own         
individuality we shall find that it is  
one with the law of progress for the    
race4 ,the collective individuality of  
mankind is only the reproduction on a   
larger scale of the personal            
individuality2 and whatever action truly

 develops the inherent powers of the    
individual must necessarily be in line  
with that forward march of the universal
 mind which is the evolution of humanity
 as a whole4  ,selfishness is a narrow  
view of our own nature which loses sight
 of our place in relation to the whole1 
not perceiving that it is from this very
 relation that our life is drawn4 ,it is
 ignorance of our own possibilities and 
consequent limitation of our own powers4
 ,if1 therefore1 the evidence of        
harmonious correlation throughout the   
physical world leads irresistibly to the
 inference of intelligent spirit as the 
innermost within of all things1 we must 
recognise ourselves also as individual  
manifestations of the same spirit which 
expresses itself throughout the universe
 as that power of intelligent           
responsiveness which is ,love4   ,v     
,thus we find ourselves to be a         
necessary and integral part of the      
,infinite ,harmony of ,all-,being2 not  
merely recognising this great truth as a

 vague intuition1 but as the logical and
 unavoidable result of the universal    
,life-principle which permeates all     
,nature4 ,we find our intuition was true
 because we have discovered the law     
which gave rise to it2 and now intuition
 and investigation both unite in telling
 us of our own individual place in the  
great scheme of things4 ,even the most  
advanced among us have1 as yet1 little  
more than the faintest adumbration of   
what this place is4 ,it is the place of 
power4 ,towards those higher modes of   
spirit which we speak of as the         
universal1 the law of man's inmost      
nature makes him as a lens1 drawing into
 the focus of his own individuality all 
that he will of light and power in      
streams of inexhaustible supply2 and    
towards the lower modes of spirit1 which
 form for each one the sphere of his own
 particular world1 man thus becomes the 
directive centre of energy and order4   
,can we conceive of any position        
containing greater possibilities than   

these8 ,the circle of this vital        
influence may expand as the individual  
grows into the wider contemplation of   
his unity with ,infinite ,being2 but any
 more comprehensive law of relationship 
it would be impossible to formulate4    
,emerson has rightly said that a little 
algebra will often do far more towards  
clearing our ideas than a large amount  
of poetic simile4 ,algebraically it is a
 self-evident proposition that any      
difference between various powers of x  
disappears when they are compared with x
 multiplied into itself to infinity1    
because there can be no ratio between   
any determinate power1 however high1 and
 the infinite2 and thus the relation    
between the individual and ,all-,being  
must always remain the same4#a          
,footnote #a3 ,x#b 3 ,xn 33 ,x#aj ,xn4  
,but this in no way interferes with the 
law of growth1 by which the individual  
rises to higher and higher powers of his
 own individuality4 ,the                
unchangeableness of the relation between

 all determinate powers of x and        
infinity does not affect the relations  
of the different powers of x between    
themselves2 but rather the fact that the
 multiplication of x into itself to     
infinity is mentally conceivable is the 
very proof that there is no limit to the
 extent to which it is possible to raise
 x in its determinate powers4  ,i trust 
unmathematical readers will pardon my   
using this method of statement for the  
benefit of others to whom it will carry 
conviction4 ,a relation once clearly    
grasped in its mathematical aspect      
becomes thenceforth one of the          
unalterable truths of the universe1 no  
longer a thing to be argued about1 but  
an axiom which may be assumed as the    
foundation on which to build up the     
edifice of further knowledge4 ,but1     
laying aside mathematical formul1 we may
 say that because the ,infinite is      
infinite there can be no limit to the   
extent to which the vital principle of  
growth may draw upon it1 and therefore  

there is no limit to the expansion of   
the individual's powers4 ,because we are
 what we are1 we may become what we     
will4  ,the ,kabbalists tell us of the  
lost word1 the word of power which      
mankind has lost4 ,to him who discovers 
this word all things are possible4 ,is  
this mirific word really lost8 ,yes1 and
 ,no4 ,it is the open secret of the     
universe1 and the ,bible gives us the   
key to it4 ,it tells us1 ,the ,word is  
nigh thee1 even in thy mouth and in thy 
heart4 ,it is the most familiar of all  
words1 the word which in our heart we   
realise as the centre of our conscious  
being1 and which is in our mouth a      
hundred times a day4 ,it is the word ,i 
,,am4 ,because ,i am what ,i am1 ,i may 
be what ,i will to be4 ,my individuality
 is one of the modes in which the       
,infinite expresses itself1 and         
therefore ,i am myself that very power  
which ,i find to be the innermost within
 of all things4  ,to me1 thus realising 
the great unity of all ,spirit1 the     

infinite is not the indefinite1 for ,i  
see it to be the infinite of ,myself4   
,it is the very same ,i ,,am that ,i am2
 and this not by any act of uncertain   
favour1 but by the law of polarity which
 is the basis of all ,nature4 ,the law  
of polarity is that law according to    
which everything attains completion by  
manifesting itself in the opposite      
direction to that from which it started4
 ,it is the simple law by which there   
can be no inside without an outside1 nor
 one end of a stick without an opposite 
end4  ,life is motion1 and all motion is
 the appearance of energy at another    
point1 and1 where any work has been     
done1 under another form than that in   
which it originated2 but wherever it    
reappears1 and in whatever new form1 the
 vivifying energy is still the same4    
,this is nothing else than the          
scientific doctrine of the conservation 
of energy1 and it is upon this          
well-recognised principle that our      
perception of ourselves as integral     

portions of the great universal power is
 based4  ,we do well to pay heed to the 
sayings of the great teachers who have  
taught that all power is in the ,i ,,am1
 and to accept this teaching by faith in
 their bare authority rather than not   
accept it at all2 but the more excellent
 way is to know why they taught thus1   
and to realise for ourselves this first 
great law which all the master-minds    
have realised throughout the ages4 ,it  
is indeed true that the lost word is the
 one most familiar to us1 ever in our   
hearts and on our lips4 ,we have lost1  
not the word1 but the realisation of its
 power4 ,and as the infinite depths of  
meaning which the words ,i ,,am carry   
with them open out to us1 we begin to   
realise the stupendous truth that we are
 ourselves the very power which we seek4
  ,it is the polarisation of ,spirit    
from the universal into the particular1 
carrying with it all its inherent       
powers1 just as the smallest flame has  
all the qualities of fire4 ,the ,i ,,am 

in the individual is none other than the
 ,i ,,am in the universal4 ,it is the   
same ,power working in the smaller      
sphere of which the individual is the   
centre4 ,this is the great truth which  
the ancients set forth under the figure 
of the ,macrocosm and the ,microcosm1   
the lesser ,i ,,am reproducing the      
precise image of the greater1 and of    
which the ,bible tells us when it speaks
 of man as the image of ,god4  ,now the 
immense practical importance of this    
principle is that it affords the key to 
the great law that as a man thinks so he
 is4 ,we are often asked why this should
 be1 and the answer may be stated as    
follows3 ,we know by personal experience
 that we realise our own livingness in  
two ways1 by our power to act and our   
susceptibility to feel2 and when we     
consider ,spirit in the absolute we can 
only conceive of it as these two modes  
of livingness carried to infinity4      
,this1 therefore1 means infinite        
susceptibility4 ,there can be no        

question as to the degree of            
sensitiveness1 for ,spirit is           
sensitiveness1 and is thus infinitely   
plastic to the slightest touch that is  
brought to bear upon it2 and hence every
 thought we formulate sends its         
vibrating currents out into the infinite
 of ,spirit1 producing there currents of
 like quality but of far vaster power4  
,but ,spirit in the ,infinite is the    
,creative ,power of the universe1 and   
the impact of our thought upon it thus  
sets in motion a veritable creative     
force4 ,and if this law holds good of   
one thought it holds good of all1 and   
hence we are continually creating for   
ourselves a world of surroundings which 
accurately reproduces the complexion of 
our own thoughts4 ,persistent thoughts  
will naturally produce a greater        
external effect than casual ones not    
centred upon any particular object4     
,scattered thoughts which recognise no  
principle of unity will fail to         
reproduce any principle of unity4 ,the  

thought that we are weak and have no    
power over circumstances results in     
inability to control circumstances1 and 
the thought of power produces power4    
,at every moment we are dealing with an 
infinitely sensitive medium which stirs 
creative energies that give form to the 
slightest of our thought-vibrations4    
,this power is inherent in us because of
 our spiritual nature1 and we cannot    
divest ourselves of it4 ,it is our truly
 tremendous heritage because it is a    
power which1 if not intelligently       
brought into lines of orderly activity1 
will spend its uncontrolled forces in   
devastating energy4 ,if it is not used  
to build up1 it will destroy4 ,and there
 is nothing exceptional in this3 it is  
merely the reappearance on the plane of 
the universal and undifferentiated of   
the same principle that pervades all the
 forces of ,nature4 ,which of these is  
not destructive unless drawn off into   
some definite direction8 ,accumulated   
steam1 accumulated electricity1         

accumulated water1 will at length burst 
forth1 carrying destruction all around2 
but1 drawn off through suitable         
channels1 they become sources of        
constructive power1 inexhaustible as    
,nature itself4  ,and here let me pause 
to draw attention to this idea of       
accumulation4 ,the greater the          
accumulation of energy1 the greater the 
danger if it be not directed into a     
proper order1 and the greater the power 
if it be4 ,fortunately for mankind the  
physical forces1 such as electricity1 do
 not usually subsist in a highly        
concentrated form4 ,occasionally        
circumstances concur to produce such    
concentration1 but as a rule the        
elements of power are more or less      
equally dispersed4 ,similarly1 for the  
mass of mankind1 this spiritual power   
has not yet reached a very high degree  
of concentration4 ,every mind1 it is    
true1 must be in some measure a centre  
of concentration1 for otherwise it would
 have no conscious individuality2 but   

the power of the individualised mind    
rapidly rises as it recognises its unity
 with the ,infinite life1 and its       
thought-currents1 whether well or ill   
directed1 then assume a proportionately 
great significance4  ,hence the ill     
effects of wrongly directed thought are 
in some degree mitigated in the great   
mass of mankind1 and many causes are in 
operation to give a right direction to  
their thoughts1 though the thinkers     
themselves are ignorant of what         
thought-power is4 ,to give a right      
direction to the thoughts of ignorant   
thinkers is the purpose of much         
religious teaching1 which these         
uninstructed ones must accept by faith  
in bare authority because they are      
unable to realise its true import4 ,but 
notwithstanding the aids thus afforded  
to mankind1 the general stream of       
unregulated thought cannot but have an  
adverse tendency1 and hence the great   
object to which the instructed mind     
directs its power is to free itself from

 the entanglements of disordered        
thought1 and to help others to do the   
same4 ,to escape from this entanglement 
is to attain perfect ,liberty1 which is 
perfect ,power4   ,,vi  ,the            
entanglement from which we need to      
escape has its origin in the very same  
principle which gives rise to liberty   
and power4 ,it is the same principle    
applied under inverted conditions4 ,and 
here ,i would draw particular attention 
to the law that any sequence followed   
out in an inverted order must produce an
 inverted result1 for this goes a long  
way to explain many of the problems of  
life4 ,the physical world affords       
endless examples of the working of      
inversion4 ,in the dynamo the sequence  
commences with mechanical force which is
 ultimately transformed into the subtler
 power of electricity2 but invert this  
order1 commence by generating           
electricity1 and it becomes converted   
into mechanical force1 as in the motor4 
,in the one order the rotation of a     

wheel produces electricity1 and in the  
opposite order electricity produces the 
rotation of a wheel4 ,or to exhibit the 
same principle in the simplest          
arithmetical form1 if #ajbe then #ajeb4 
,inversion is a factor of the greatest  
magnitude and has to be reckoned with2  
but ,i must content myself here with    
only indicating the general principle   
that the same power is capable of       
producing diametrically opposite effects
 if it be applied under opposite        
conditions1 a truth which the so-called 
magicians of the middle ages expressed  
by two triangles placed inversely to one
 another4 ,we are apt to fall into the  
mistake of supposing that results of    
opposite character require powers of    
opposite character to produce them1 and 
our conceptions of things in general    
become much simplified when we recognise
 that this is not the case1 but that the
 same power will produce opposite       
results as it starts from opposite      
poles4  ,accordingly the inverted       

application of the same principle which 
gives rise to liberty and power         
constitutes the entanglement from which 
we need to be delivered before power and
 liberty can be attained1 and this      
principle is expressed in the law that  
as a man thinks so he is4 ,this is the  
basic law of the human mind4 ,it is     
,descarte's cogito1 ergo sum4 ,if we    
trace consciousness to its seat we find 
that it is purely subjective4 ,our      
external senses would cease to exist    
were it not for the subjective          
consciousness which perceives what they 
communicate to it4  ,the idea conveyed  
to the subjective consciousness may be  
false1 but until some truer idea is more
 forcibly impressed in its stead it     
remains a substantial reality to the    
mind which gives it objective existence4
 ,i have seen a man speak to the stump  
of a tree which in the moonlight looked 
like a person standing in a garden1 and 
repeatedly ask its name and what it     
wanted2 and so far as the speaker's     

conception was concerned the garden     
contained a living man who refused to   
answer4 ,thus every mind lives in a     
world to which its own perceptions give 
objective reality4 ,its perceptions may 
be erroneous1 but they nevertheless     
constitute the very reality of life for 
the mind that gives form to them4 ,no   
other life than the life we lead in our 
own mind is possible2 and hence the     
advance of the whole race depends on    
substituting the ideas of good1 of      
liberty1 and of order for their         
opposites4 ,and this can be done only by
 giving some sufficient reason for      
accepting the new idea in place of the  
old4 ,for each one of us our beliefs    
constitute our facts1 and these beliefs 
can be changed only by discovering some 
ground for a different belief4  ,this is
 briefly the rationale of the maxim that
 as a man thinks so he is2 and from the 
working of this principle all the issues
 of life proceed4 ,now man's first      
perception of the law of cause and      

effect in relation to his own conduct is
 that the result always partakes of the 
quality of the cause2 and since his     
argument is drawn from external         
observation only1 he regards external   
acts as the only causes he can          
effectively set in operation4 ,hence    
when he attains sufficient moral        
enlightenment to realise that many of   
his acts have been such as to merit     
retribution he fears retribution as     
their proper result4 ,then by reason of 
the law that thoughts are things1 the   
evils which he fears take form and      
plunge him into adverse circumstances1  
which again prompt him into further     
wrong acts1 and from these come a fresh 
crop of fears which in their turn become
 externalised into fresh evils1 and thus
 arises a circulus from which there is  
no escape so long as the man recognises 
nothing but his external acts as a      
causative power in the world of his     
surroundings4  ,this is the ,law of     
,works1 the ,circle of ,karma1 the      

,wheel of ,fate1 from which there       
appears to be no escape1 because the    
complete fulfilment of the law of our   
moral nature to-day is only sufficient  
for to-day and leaves no surplus to     
compensate the failure of yesterday4    
,this is the necessary law of things as 
they appear from external observation   
only2 and1 so long as this conception   
remains1 the law of each man's          
subjective consciousness makes it a     
reality for him4 ,what is needed1       
therefore1 is to establish the          
conception that external acts are ,,not 
the only causative power1 but that there
 is another law of causation1 namely1   
that of pure ,thought4 ,this is the ,law
 of ,faith1 the ,law of ,liberty2 for it
 introduces us to a power which is able 
to inaugurate a new sequence of         
causation not related to any past       
actions4  ,but this change of mental    
attitude cannot be brought about till we
 have laid hold of some fact which is   
sufficient to afford a reason for the   

change4 ,we require some solid ground   
for our belief in this higher law4      
,ultimately we find this ground in the  
great ,truth of the eternal relation    
between spirit in the universal and in  
the particular4 ,when we realise that   
substantially there is nothing else but 
spirit1 and that we ourselves are       
reproductions in individuality of the   
,intelligence and ,love which rule the  
universe1 we have reached the firm      
standing ground where we find that we   
can send forth our ,thought to produce  
any effect we will4 ,we have passed     
beyond the idea of two opposites        
requiring reconciliation1 into that of a
 duality in which there is no other     
opposition than that of the inner and   
the outer of the same unity1 the        
polarity which is inherent in all       
,being1 and we then realise that in     
virtue of this unity our ,thought is    
possessed of illimitable creative power1
 and that it is free to range where it  
will1 and is by no means bound down to  

accept as inevitable the consequences   
which1 if unchecked by renovated        
thought1 would flow from our past       
actions4  ,in its own independent       
creative power the mind has found the   
way out of the fatal circle in which its
 previous ignorance of the highest law  
had imprisoned it4 ,the ,unity of the   
,spirit is found to result in perfect   
,liberty2 the old sequence of ,karma has
 been cut off1 and a new and higher     
order has been introduced4 ,in the old  
order the line of thought received its  
quality from the quality of the actions1
 and since they always fell short of    
perfection1 the development of a higher 
thought-power from this root was        
impossible4 ,this is the order in which 
everything is seen from without4 ,it is 
an inverted order4 ,but in the true     
order everything is seen from within4   
,it is the thought which determines the 
quality of the action1 and not vice     
versa1 and since thought is free1 it is 
at liberty to direct itself to the      

highest principles1 which thus          
spontaneously reproduce themselves in   
the outward acts1 so that both thoughts 
and actions are brought into harmony    
with the great eternal laws and become  
one in purpose with the ,universal      
,mind4 ,the man realises that he is no  
longer bound by the consequences of his 
former deeds1 done in the time of his   
ignorance1 in fact1 that he never was   
bound by them except so far as he       
himself gave them this power by false   
conceptions of the truth2 and thus      
recognising himself for what he really  
is--the expression of the ,infinite     
,spirit in individual personality--he   
finds that he is free1 that he is a     
partaker of ,divine nature1 not losing  
his identity1 but becoming more and more
 fully himself with an ever-expanding   
perfection1 following out a line of     
evolution whose possibilities are       
inexhaustible4  ,but there is not in all
 men this knowledge4 ,for the most part 
they still look upon ,god as an         

individual ,being external to           
themselves1 and what the more instructed
 man sees to be unity of mind and       
identity of nature appear to the less   
advanced to be an external              
reconciliation between opposing         
personalities4 ,hence the whole range of
 conceptions which may be described as  
the ,messianic ,idea4 ,this idea is not1
 as some seem to suppose1 a             
misconception of the truth of ,being4   
,on the contrary1 when rightly          
understood it will be found to imply the
 very widest grasp of that truth2 and it
 is from the platform of this supreme   
knowledge alone that an idea so         
comprehensive in its adaptation to every
 class of mind could have been evolved4 
,it is the translation of the relations 
arising from the deepest laws of ,being 
into terms which can be realised even by
 the most unlearned2 a translation      
arranged with such consummate skill     
that1 as the mind grows in spirituality1
 every stage of advance is met by a     

corresponding unfolding of the ,divine  
meaning2 while yet even the crudest     
apprehension of the idea implied is     
sufficient to afford the required basis 
for an entire renovation of the man's   
thoughts concerning himself1 giving him 
a standing ground from which to think of
 himself as no longer bound by the law  
of retribution for past offences1 but as
 free to follow out the new law of      
,liberty as a child of ,god4  ,the man's
 conception of the modus operandi of    
this emancipation may take the form of  
the grossest anthropomorphism or the    
most childish notions as to the         
satisfaction of the ,divine justice by  
vicarious substitution1 but the working 
result will be the same4 ,he has got    
what satisfies him as a ground for      
thinking of himself in a perfectly new  
light2 and since the states of our      
subjective consciousness constitute the 
realities of our life1 to afford him a  
convincing ground for thinking himself  
free1 is to make him free4  ,with       

increasing light he may find that his   
first explanation of the modus operandi 
was inadequate2 but when he reaches this
 stage1 further investigation will show 
him that the great truth of his liberty 
rests upon a firmer foundation than the 
conventional interpretation of          
traditional dogmas1 and that it has its 
roots in the great law of ,nature1 which
 are never doubtful1 and which can never
 be overturned4 ,and it is precisely    
because their whole action has its root 
in the unchangeable laws of ,mind that  
there exists a perpetual necessity for  
presenting to men something which they  
can lay hold of as a sufficient ground  
for that change of mental attitude1 by  
which alone they can be rescued from the
 fatal circle which is figured under the
 symbol of the ,old ,serpent4  ,the hope
 and adumbration of such a new principle
 has formed the substance of all        
religions in all ages1 however          
misapprehended by the ignorant          
worshippers2 and1 whatever our          

individual opinions may be as to the    
historical facts of ,christianity1 we   
shall find that the great figure of     
liberated and perfected humanity which  
forms its centre fulfils this desire of 
all nations in that it sets forth their 
great ideal of ,divine power intervening
 to rescue man by becoming one with him4
 ,this is the conception presented to   
us1 whether we apprehend it in the most 
literally material sense1 or as the     
ideal presentation of the deepest       
philosophic study of mental laws1 or in 
whatever variety of ways we may combine 
these two extremes4 ,the ultimate idea  
impressed upon the mind must always be  
the same3 it is that there is a ,divine 
warrant for knowing ourselves to be the 
children of ,god and partakers of the   
,divine nature2 and when we thus realise
 that there is solid ground for         
believing ourselves free1 by force of   
this very belief we become free4  ,the  
proper outcome of the study of the laws 
of spirit which constitute the inner    

side of things is not the gratification 
of a mere idle curiosity1 nor the       
acquisition of abnormal powers1 but the 
attainment of our spiritual liberty1    
without which no further progress is    
possible4 ,when we have reached this    
goal the old things have passed away and
 all things have become new4 ,the       
mystical seven days of the old creation 
have been fulfilled1 and the first day  
of the new week dawns upon us with its  
resurrection to a new life1 expressing  
on the highest plane that great doctrine
 of the octave which the science of the 
ancient temples traced through ,nature1 
and which the science of the present day
 endorses1 though ignorant of its       
supreme significance4  ,when we have    
thus been made free by recognising our  
oneness with ,infinite ,being1 we have  
reached the termination of the old      
series of sequences and have gained the 
starting-point of the new4 ,the old     
limitations are found never to have had 
any existence save in our own           

misapprehension of the truth1 and one by
 one they fall off as we advance into   
clearer light4 ,we find that the        
,life-,spirit we seek is in ourselves2  
and1 having this for our centre1 our    
relation to all else becomes part of a  
wondrous living ,order in which every   
part works in sympathy with the whole1  
and the whole in sympathy with every    
part1 a harmony wide as infinitude1 and 
in which there are no limitations save  
those imposed by the ,law of ,love4  ,i 
have endeavoured in this short series of
 articles to sketch briefly the         
principal points of relation between    
,spirit in ourselves and in our         
surroundings4 ,this subject has employed
 the intelligence of mankind from grey  
antiquity to the present day1 and no one
 thinker can ever hope to grasp it in   
all its amplitude4 ,but there are       
certain broad principles which we must  
all grasp1 however we may specialise our
 studies in detail1 and these ,i have   
sought to indicate1 with what degree of 

success the reader must form his own    
opinion4 ,let him1 however1 lay firm    
hold of this one fundamental truth1 and 
the evolution of further truth from it  
is only a question of time--that there  
is only ,one ,spirit1 however many the  
modes of its manifestations1 and that   
the ,unity of the ,spirit is the ,bond  
of ,peace4     ,,ii  ,,the ,,perversion 
,,of ,,truth   ,there is a very general 
recognition1 which is growing day by day
 more and more widespread1 that there is
 a sort of hidden power somewhere which 
it is within our ability1 somehow or    
other1 to use4 ,the ideas on this       
subject are exceedingly vague with the  
generality of people1 but still they are
 assuming a more and more definite form1
 and that which they appear to be taking
 with the generality of the public is   
the recognition of the power of         
suggestion4 ,i suppose none of us doubts
 that there is such a thing as the power
 of suggestion and that it can produce  
very great results indeed1 and that it  

is par excellence a hidden power2 it    
works behind the scenes1 it works       
through what we know as the subconscious
 mind1 and consequently its activity is 
not immediately recognisable1 or the    
source from which it comes4 ,now there  
is in some aspects1 its usefulness1 its 
benefit1 but in other aspects there is a
 source of danger1 because a power of   
this kind is obviously one which can be 
used either well or ill2 in itself it is
 perfectly neutral1 it all depends on   
the purpose for which it is used1 and   
the character of the agent who employs  
it4  ,this recognition of the power of  
suggestion is in many instances taking a
 most undesirable form1 and ,i commend  
to your notice1 in support of this      
observation1 numerous advertisements in 
certain classes of magazines--many of   
you must have seen many specimens of    
that kind--offering for a certain sum of
 money to put you in the way of getting 
personal influence1 mental power1 power 
of suggestion1 as the advertisements    

very unblushingly put it1 for any       
purpose that you may desire4 ,some of   
them even go into further particulars1  
telling you the particular sort of      
purposes for which you can employ this1 
all of them certainly being such uses as
 no one should ever attempt to make of  
it4  ,therefore1 this recognition of the
 power of suggestion1 say even as a mere
 money-making power1 to leave alone     
other misapplications of it1 is a       
feature which is taking hold1 so to say1
 of certain sections of the public who  
do not realise a higher platform in     
these things4 ,it is deplorable that it 
should be so1 but it is in the nature of
 things unavoidable4 ,you have a power  
which can be used affirmatively1 and    
which can be used negatively1 which can 
be used for higher purposes1 and can be 
used for lower purposes1 and            
consequently you will find numbers of   
people who1 as soon as they get hold of 
it1 will at once think only of the lower
 purposes1 not of the higher4  ,in      

support of what ,i say--although this is
 by no means1 ,i suppose1 intended as a 
low application1 probably it is intended
 as a high application1 but ,i cannot   
say ,i agree with it--but to show you   
that ,i am talking from actual facts ,i 
will read you a note which ,i have made 
from the ,daily ,mail1 of the #bjth     
,january1 that ,i daresay some of you   
may have seen4 ,it is an article headed 
,killing by ,prayer1 and the article    
goes on to say that a certain circular  
has been sent round to the different    
hospitals and other places where the    
study of vivisection goes forward to    
this effect4 ,in this circular1 signed  
with the letters ,m4 ,c41 the writer    
says that he accidentally heard of a    
person who was in the habit of praying  
from time to time for the death of one  
of our leading vivisectors and that     
always the man indicated died4 ,that is 
what ,m4 ,c4 heard by chance during     
conversation at a hotel dinner4 ,then   
thinking over this1 ,m4 ,c4 goes on to  

say that he 7or she7 tried praying that 
the man most likely to cause suffering  
to innocent subjects by his experiments 
might be removed1 and the consequence   
was that about a fortnight later one of 
our most distinguished medical          
scientists died4  ,i do not know who the
 scientist in question was2 ,i daresay  
some of you may be aware of the name4   
,however1 that is what the ,daily ,mail 
tells us1 and it also states that the   
,anti-,vivisection ,societies were      
unanimous in condemning this circular1  
and very properly so4 ,now you see the  
sender of that circular1 whoever he was1
 obviously thought he was doing a very  
good piece of work4 ,i myself am by no  
means any friend of vivisection4 ,i do  
not think any one can have a real       
knowledge of the truth and remain in    
touch with it1 but ,i certainly agreed  
with the ,anti-,vivisection ,societies  
in condemning such a circular as that4  
,you see there is the assumption that   
prayer1 or mental power1 can be used to 

remove a person from the stage of life1 
and ,m4 ,c4 claims that he did it in the
 case of this particular scientist4     
,that brings back another parallel1     
almost1 ,i might say1 an historical     
parallel1 to our mind2 that of ,dr4     
,anna ,kingsford1 taking place perhaps  
some forty years ago1 who claimed--of   
course she was a very strong            
anti-vivisectionist--that by            
thought-power she caused the death of   
,claude ,bernard1 the great vivisection 
scientist of ,france4 ,certainly at the 
time that she put out her forces he did 
die1 but on the other hand1 it has been 
remarked that it was from that very date
 that her own break-up commenced1 and   
never ceased till she herself passed    
into the other world4 ,so you see these 
actions are likely to revert to the     
sender1 even if they are successful4    
,now in these two cases the ultimate    
object was not a low one1 it was one    
which was supposed to be for the benefit
 of humanity and of the dumb creation4  

,but that does not justify the means4   
,the maxim1 ,the end justifies the      
means1 is the greatest perversion of    
truth1 and still more so if this hidden 
power1 the power of suggestion1 is used 
to injure any one for a more personal   
motive than in these cases which ,i have
 cited4 ,the lower the motive1 the lower
 the action becomes1 and to suppose that
 because mental means are employed they 
make any difference in the nature of the
 act is a very great mistake4  ,it has  
been sometimes my painful duty to       
sentence people to death for murder1 and
 therefore ,i claim that ,i have a very 
fair knowledge of what differentiates   
murder from those cases in which life is
 taken which do not amount to murder2   
and speaking from the judicial          
experience of a great many years1 and   
the trial of a large number of cases    
which have involved the question whether
 the death penalty should be passed or  
not1 ,i have no hesitation in saying    
that to kill by mental means is just as 

much murder as to kill by poison or the 
dagger4 ,speaking judicially1 ,i should 
have not the least hesitation in hanging
 any one who committed murder by means  
of mental suggestion4 ,psychological    
crime1 remember1 is crime just the same2
 possibly it is more deeply dyed crime1 
because of the greater knowledge which  
must go along with it4 ,i say that the  
psychological criminal is worse than the
 ordinary criminal4  ,one of the        
teachings of the ,master is on this very
 point4 ,i refer you to the miracle of  
the fig tree4 ,you know that he         
exhibited his power of killing not a    
person1 not even an animal1 but a tree4 
,and when the disciples said to him1 see
 how this tree which you cursed has     
withered away1 he replied1 ,well1 you   
can do exactly the same thing1 and goes 
on to say1 nothing shall be impossible  
to you4 ,therefore if you can kill fig  
trees1 you can kill people1 but1        
forgive1 if you have aught against any1 
that your heavenly ,father may forgive  

you4  ,he says in effect3 now you have  
seen that this hidden power can be used 
to the destruction of life1 at your     
peril use it otherwise than as a ,divine
 power4 ,use it with prayer to ,god and 
with forgiveness of all against whom you
 have any sort of grudge or ill-feeling1
 and if its use is always prefaced in   
this way1 according to the ,master's    
directions1 then nobody can use it to   
injure another either in mind1 body or  
estate4  ,perhaps some of you may be    
inclined to smile if ,i use the word    
sorcery1 but at the present day1 under  
one name or another1 scientific or      
semi-scientific1 it is nothing but the  
old-world sorcery which is trying to    
find its way among us as the hidden     
power4 ,sorcery is the inverted use of  
spiritual power4 ,that is the definition
 of it1 and ,i speak upon authority4 ,i 
refer you to the ,bible where you will  
find sorcery takes a prominent place    
among the list of those things which    
exclude from the heavenly ,jerusalem2   

the heavenly ,jerusalem not being a town
 or a city in this place or that place1 
but the perfected state of man4         
,therefore1 use sorcery1 and you cannot 
reach that heavenly state4  ,it is on   
this account that we find in            
,revelations that wonderful description 
of two symbolical women2 they represent 
two modes of the individual soul4 ,of   
course they go further1 they indicate   
national things1 race evolution and so  
on4 ,why8 ,because all national         
movements1 all race evolutions1 have    
their root in the development of the    
individual4 ,a nation or a race is only 
a collection of individuals1 and        
therefore if a principle once spreads   
from one individual to another1 it      
spreads to the nation1 it spreads to the
 race4 ,so1 therefore1 these two        
symbolical women represent primarily two
 modes of soul1 two modes of thought4   
,you know perfectly well the description
 of the two women4 ,one1 the woman      
clothed with the sun1 standing with the 

moon under her feet1 and with a diadem  
of stars about her head2 the other      
seated upon an earthly throne1 holding a
 golden cup1 and the cup is full of     
abominations4 ,those are the two women1 
and we know that one of them is called  
in the ,scripture1 ,babylon1 and we know
 which one that is4 ,one of the marks of
 this woman--mind you that means the    
class of individuality--is the mark of  
sorcery1 the mark of the inverted use of
 spiritual and mental powers4  ,but what
 is the end of it8 ,the end is that this
 ,babylon becomes the habitation of     
devils1 the hold--or1 as the original   
,greek has it1 the prison of evil1 an   
unclean spirit1 the cage of every       
unclean bird4 ,that is the development  
which takes place in each individual who
 sets out to misuse this mental power4  
,the misuse may have a very small       
beginning1 it may be such as is taught  
in a certain school1 which ,i am told   
exists in ,london1 where shop assistants
 are trained in the use of magnetic     

power1 in order to decoy or compel      
unknowing purchasers into buying what   
they do not want4 ,i am told there is   
such a school2 ,i cannot quote you my   
authority4 ,that is a trifling matter4  
,i go into a shop and spend two or three
 shillings in buying something which1   
when ,i get home1 ,i find absolutely    
useless1 and ,i say1 ,how in the name of
 fortune did ,i come to buy this        
rubbish8 ,well1 ,i must have been       
hypnotised into it4 ,it does not make   
much difference to me1 but it makes a   
great deal of difference to the young   
man or young woman who has hypnotised   
me1 because it is the first step on the 
downward path4 ,it may be only a matter 
of sixpence1 but it leads on step by    
step1 and unless that path is retraced1 
the final end is that of ,babylon4      
,therefore it is that ,st4 ,john says1  
,i heard a voice from ,heaven saying1   
',come forth1 my people1 out of         
her'--and that is out of ,babylon--come 
forth1 my people1 out of her--that is   

out of this inverted mode of using      
spiritual power--come forth1 my people1 
out of her1 that ye have no fellowship  
with her sins and that ye shall receive 
not of her plague4 ,therefore1 against  
this inverted use of the hidden power ,i
 warn every one from the first day when 
he begins to realise that there is such 
a thing as mental or spiritual power    
which can be exercised upon other       
persons4  ,are we then on this account  
to go continually in terror of suffering
 from malicious magnetism1 fearing that 
some enemy here1 or some enemy there1 is
 turning on this hidden power against   
us8 ,if so1 we should go in trepidation 
continually4 ,no1 ,i do not think there 
is the least reason for us to go in fear
 in this way4 ,to begin with there are  
comparatively few who know the law of   
suggestion sufficiently well to use it  
either affirmatively or negatively1 and 
of those who do know it sufficiently to 
make use of it1 ,i am convinced that the
 majority would wish only to use it in  

all kindness1 and for the benefit of the
 person concerned4 ,that1 ,i am         
confident1 is the attitude of           
nine-tenths1 or ,i might perhaps say    
ninety-nine hundredths1 of the students 
of this subject4 ,they wish to do well1 
and look upon their use of mental power 
as an additional means of doing good4   
,but after all1 human nature is human   
nature1 and there remains a small       
minority who are both able and willing  
to use this hidden power injuriously for
 their own purposes4  ,now how are we to
 deal with this minority8 ,the answer is
 simple4 ,just see them in their true   
light1 see them for what they really    
are1 that is to say1 persons who are    
ignorant of the real spiritual power4   
,they think they have it1 and they have 
not4 ,that is what it is4 ,see them in  
their true light and their power will   
fall away from them4 ,the real and      
ultimate power is that of the           
affirmative2 the negative is            
destructive1 the affirmative is         

constructive4 ,so this negative use of  
the hidden power is to be destroyed by  
the use of the affirmative1 the         
constructive power4 ,the affirmative    
destroys the negative always in one way1
 and that is not by attacking it1 not by
 running at it like a bull in a china   
shop2 but by building up life4 ,it is   
always a building power--it is building1
 building1 building life and more life1 
and when that life comes in1 the        
negative of necessity goes out4  ,the   
ultimate affirmative position is that of
 conscious union with the source of     
life4 ,realise this1 and you need not   
trouble yourself about any action of the
 negative whatever4 ,seek conscious     
union with the ultimate1 the first      
cause1 that which is the starting point 
of all things1 whether in the universe  
or in yourself as the individual4 ,that 
starting point is always present2 it is 
the same yesterday1 to-day and forever1 
and you are the world and the universe  
in miniature1 and it is always there    

working in you if you will recognise it4
 ,remember the reciprocity between      
yourself and this truly hidden power4   
,the power of suggestion is a hidden    
power1 but the power which creates all  
things is the hidden power which is at  
the back of all things4 ,now realise    
that it is in yourselves and you need   
trouble about the negative no longer4   
,this is the ,bible teaching regarding  
,christ2 and that teaching is to bring  
about this conscious personal union with
 the ,divine ,all-creating ,spirit as a 
present living power to be used day by  
day4  ,the ,bible tells us there is such
 a thing as the mystery of iniquity1    
that is to say1 the mystery of the      
spiritual power used invertedly1 used   
from the diabolical standpoint2 and when
 the ,bible speaks of the mystery of    
iniquity1 it means what it says4 ,it    
tells us there are powers and           
principalities in the invisible world   
which are using precisely these same    
methods on an enormous scale2 because1  

remember one thing1 there is never any  
departure in any part of the ,universe  
from the universal rule of law2 what is 
law upon earth is law in ,heaven1 law in
 ,hell1 law in the invisible and law in 
the visible2 that never alters4 ,what is
 done by any spiritual power1 whether it
 is a spiritual power of evil or of     
good1 is done through the mental        
constitution which you have4 ,no power  
alters the law of your own mind1 but a  
power which knows the law of your mind  
can use it4  ,therefore1 it is so       
essential that you should know the law  
of your own mind and realise its        
continual amenability to suggestion4    
,that being so1 the great thing is to   
get a standard for fundamental1         
unchangeable1 and sufficient suggestion 
to which you can always turn1 and which 
is automatically impressed upon your    
subconscious mind so deeply that no     
counter-suggestion can ever take its    
place2 and that is the mystery of       
,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,that is why 

we are told of the mystery of ,christ1  
the mystery of godliness in opposition  
to the mystery of iniquity2 it is       
because both the mystery of the ,divine 
and the mystery of the diabolical are   
seeking to work through you1 and they   
can only work through you by the law of 
your own mental constitution1 that is to
 say1 by the law of subconscious mind   
acting and re-acting upon your conscious
 mind and upon your body1 and so upon   
your circumstances4  ,the mystery of    
,christ is no mere ecclesiastical       
fiction4 ,people have distorted it1 and 
made it not clear1 by trying to explain 
what at that time and in those days was 
not properly known1 by trying to explain
 what they did not know2 because what is
 commonly now known regarding the laws  
of mind was unknown then4 ,but now this 
light has come we begin to see that the 
,bible teaching regarding ,christ has a 
great and a deep meaning1 and it is for 
these reasons ,st4 ,paul said to the    
,corinthians3 ,little children of whom  

,i travail again in birth1 until ,christ
 be formed in you4 ,that is why he      
speaks of ,christ in you the hope of    
glory1 that is to say1 the ,christ      
conception1 the realisation of the      
,christ principle as exhibited in the   
,christ person1 brings you in touch with
 the personal element in the ,universal 
,spirit1 the divine creative1 first     
moving ,spirit of the ,universe4  ,then 
you see that realising this as your     
fundamental fact1 it is continually     
impressed upon your subconscious mind1  
even when you are not thinking of it1   
because that is the action of the       
subconscious mind to take in and reason 
and argue in its own deductive way upon 
things of which you are not at the      
moment consciously thinking4 ,therefore 
it is that the realisation of that great
 promise of redemption1 which is the    
backbone of the ,bible from the first   
chapter of ,genesis to the last chapter 
of ,revelations1 is according to a      
scientific law4 ,it is not a hocus-pocus

 business1 it is not a thing which has  
been arranged this way and might just as
 well have been arranged in some other2 
it is not so because some arbitrary     
,authority has commanded it1 and the    
,authority might just as well have      
commanded it some other way4  ,no1 it is
 so because the more you examine it1 the
 more you will find that it is          
absolutely scientific2 it is based upon 
the natural constitution of the human   
mind4 ,and it is therefore that ,christ1
 as set forth in the ,bible--whether in 
the ,old ,testament symbology1 or in the
 ,new ,testament personality--is the    
fulfilling of the law1 in the sense of  
specialising in the highest degree that 
which is common to all humanity4 ,as we 
realise this more and more1 and         
specialise it more and more1 so we shall
 rise to higher and higher intercourse  
and more and more consciousness of      
reciprocal identity1 reciprocal life    
with the ,universal ,power1 which will  
raise us above any possibility of being 

touched by any sort of malicious        
suggestion4  ,if anybody should be1     
then1 so ill-willed towards us and so   
lamentably ignorant of spiritual truth  
himself as to seek to exercise the power
 of malicious suggestion against us1 ,i 
pity the person who tries to do it4 ,he 
will get nothing out of it1 because he  
is firing peas out of a pea-shooter     
against an iron-clad war vessel4 ,that  
is what it amounts to2 but for himself  
it amounts to something more4 ,it is a  
true saying that ,curses return home to 
roost4 ,i think if we study these       
things1 and consider that there is a    
reason for them1 we need not be in the  
least alarmed about negative suggestion1
 or malicious magnetism1 of being       
brought under the power of other minds1 
of being got over in some way1 of being 
done out of our property1 of being      
injured in our health1 or being hurt in 
our circumstances1 and so on4  ,of      
course if you lay yourself open to that 
kind of thing1 you will get it4 ,knock1 

and it shall be opened unto you4 ,that  
is why the ,scripture says1 ,he that    
breaketh through a hedge1 a serpent     
shall bite him4 ,that is the serpent    
that some of us know something about1   
that is our old enemy ,nahash4 ,some of 
you1 at any rate1 are sufficiently      
trained in the inner sciences to know   
the serpent ,nahash4 ,break down the    
hedge1 that is to say1 the conscious    
control of your own mind1 and above all 
the hedge of the ,divine love and wisdom
 with which ,god himself will surround  
you in the personality of ,his ,son1    
break down this hedge and of course     
,nahash comes in4 ,but if you keep your 
hedge--and remember the old ,hebrew     
tradition always spoke of the ,divine   
,law as the hedge--if you keep your     
hedge unbroken1 nothing can come in     
except by the door4 ,christ said1 ,i am 
the door1 by me if any man enter in1 he 
shall be saved4  ,i have spoken of the  
two great mysteries1 the mystery of     
godliness and the mystery of iniquity1  

the mystery of ,christ and the mystery  
of anti-,christ4 ,now1 it is not        
necessary1 mind you1 that you should    
understand these mysteries in full in   
order to get into your right position4  
,if it were necessary that we should    
fully understand these mysteries1 either
 to get away from the one or to get into
 the other1 ,i think all of us would    
have an uncommonly bad chance4 ,i       
certainly should4 ,i can touch only the 
fringe of these things1 but we can      
realise the principle of the affirmative
 and the principle of the negative which
 underlies them both2 one is the mystery
 of light1 the other is the mystery of  
darkness4  ,i do not say do not study   
these mysteries2 they are exactly what  
we ought to study1 but do not think that
 you remain in a state of danger until  
you have completely fathomed the        
mystery4 ,not a bit of it4 ,you can     
quite get on the right side without     
understanding the whole thing1 exactly  
as you travel on a railway without      

understanding the mechanism of the      
engine which takes you along4  ,so then 
we have these two mysteries1 that of    
light and that of darkness1 and         
therefore what we have to do is to      
exercise our will to receive the mystery
 of light1 and then that will make for  
itself a centre in our own hearts and   
beings1 and you will become conscious of
 that centre4 ,whether you understand it
 or not1 you will become conscious of   
it--and then from that centre1 that     
centre of light in yourself1 you can    
start everything in your life1 whether  
spiritual or temporal4 ,you do not have 
to go further back2 you do not have to  
analyse the why and the wherefore of    
these things in order to get your       
starting point4 ,it may interest you    
afterwards1 it may strengthen you       
afterwards to do so1 but for a practical
 starting point you must realise the    
,divine presence in yourself1 which is  
the son of ,god manifested in you1 that 
is the ,divine principle of personality 

speaking within yourself4  ,so then1    
having realised this as your centre1 you
 carry the all-originating affirmative  
power with you1 all through everything  
that you do and everything that you are2
 day and night it will be there1 it will
 protect you1 it will guide you1 it will
 help you4 ,and when you want to do so  
you can consciously apply to it and it  
will give you assistance1 and because   
you take this as your starting point1 it
 will manifest itself in all your       
conditions2 because1 remember1 it is a  
very simple law of logic that whatever  
you start with will manifest itself all 
down the sequence which comes from it4  
,if you start with the colour red you   
can make all sorts of modifications and 
bring out orange1 purple and brown1 but 
the red basis will show itself all down 
the scale of colour1 and so if you start
 with a basis of blue1 blue will show   
itself all down the scale of various    
colours4  ,therefore1 if you start with 
the affirmative basis1 the one starting 

point of the ,divine spirit1 not taking 
it lower down the stream1 but going to  
the fountain head1 that affirmative     
principle of life will flow all through1
 showing its own quality to the very    
tips of your fingers and beyond that out
 into all your circumstances4 ,so that  
the divine presence will be continuously
 with you1 not as a consequence of your 
joining this ,church or that1 following 
this idea1 or that teacher1 but because 
you know the truth for yourselves1 and  
you have realised it as an actual living
 experience in your own mind and in your
 own heart2 and therefore it is that    
this personal recognition of the ,divine
 love and wisdom and power is what ,st4 
,paul calls ,christ in you1 the hope of 
glory4  ,each one who recognises this1  
is one who answers the ,biblical        
description of a true ,israelite indeed4
 ,that word ,israelite in the ,bible is 
a very deeply symbolical word1 and      
carries an immense amount of meaning    
with it4 ,so get this recognition as the

 real working fact that each one of you 
is an ,israelite indeed1 and if so1 then
 make yourselves perfectly happy with   
the everlasting statement1 which is as  
true now as it was on the day on which  
it was uttered3 ,there is no divination 
or enchantment against ,israel4  #aiji4 
,,iii  ,,the ,i ,,am   ,we often do not 
sufficiently recognise the truth of     
,walt ,whitman's pithy saying1 ,i am not
 all contained between my hat and my    
boots1 and forget the two-fold nature of
 the ,i ,,am1 that it is at once both   
the manifested and the unmanifested1 the
 universal and the individual4 ,by      
losing sight of this truth we surround  
ourselves with limitations2 we see only 
part of the self1 and then we are       
surprised that the part fails to do the 
work of the whole4 ,factors crop up on  
which we had not reckoned1 and we wonder
 where they come from1 and do not       
understand that they necessarily arise  
from that great unity in which we are   
all included4  ,it is the grand         

intelligence and livingness of          
,universal ,spirit continually pressing 
forward to manifestation of itself in a 
glorious humanity4  ,this must be       
effected by each individual's           
recognition of his power to co-operate  
with the ,supreme ,principle through an 
intelligent conception of its purpose   
and of the natural laws by which that   
purpose is accomplished--a recognition  
which can proceed only from the         
realisation that he himself is none     
other than the same ,universal          
,principle in particular manifestation4 
,when he sees this he sees that ,walt   
,whitman's saying is true1 and that his 
source of intelligence1 power1 and      
purpose is in that ,universal ,self1    
which is his as well as another's just  
because it is universal1 and which is   
therefore as completely and entirely    
identified with himself as though there 
were no other expression of it in the   
world4  ,the understanding which alone  
gives value to knowledge is the         

understanding that1 when we employ the  
formula ,i am1 therefore ,i can1        
therefore ,i will1 the ,i ,,am with     
which the series starts is a being who1 
so to speak1 has his head in heaven and 
his feet upon the earth1 a perfect      
unity1 and with a range of ideas far    
transcending the little ideas which are 
limited by the requirements of a day or 
an hour4 ,on the other hand1 the        
requirements of the day and the hour are
 real while they last1 and since the    
manifested life can be lived only in the
 moment that now is1 whether it be      
to-day or ten thousand years hence1 our 
need is to harmonise the life of        
expression with the life of purpose1 and
 by realising in ourselves the source of
 the highest purposes to realise also   
the life of the fullest expression4     
,this is the meaning of prayer4 ,prayer 
is not a foolish seeking to change the  
mind of ,supreme ,wisdom1 but it is an  
intelligent seeking to embody that      
wisdom in our thoughts so as more and   

more perfectly to express it in         
expressing ourselves4 ,thus1 as we      
gradually grow into the habit of finding
 this inspiring ,presence within        
ourselves1 and of realising its forward 
movement as the ultimate determining    
factor in all true healthful mental     
action1 it will become second nature to 
us to have all our plans1 down to the   
apparently most trivial1 so floating    
upon the undercurrent of this ,universal
 ,intelligence that a great harmony will
 come into our lives1 every discordant  
manifestation will disappear1 and we    
shall find ourselves more and more      
controlling all things into the forms   
that we desire4  ,why8 ,because we have 
attained to commanding the ,spirit and  
making it obey us8 ,certainly not1 for  
if the blind lead the blind both shall  
fall into the ditch2 but because we are 
companions of the ,spirit1 and by a     
continuous and growing intimacy have    
changed1 not the mind of the ,spirit1   
but our own1 and have learned to think  

from a higher standpoint1 where we see  
that the old-world saying know thyself  
includes the knowledge of all that we   
mean when we speak of ,god4         ,i  
,,am ,,is ,,one  ,this may seem a very  
elementary proposition1 but it is one of
 which we are too apt to lose sight4    
,what does it mean8 ,it means           
everything2 but we are most concerned   
with what it means in regard to         
ourselves1 and to each of us personally 
it means this4 ,it means that there are 
not two ,spirits1 one which is myself   
and one which is another4 ,it means that
 there is not some great unknown power  
external to myself which may be actuated
 by perfectly different motives to my   
own1 and which will1 therefore1 oppose  
me with its irresistible force and pass 
over me1 leaving me crushed and broken  
like the devotee over whom the car of   
,jaggarnath has rolled4 ,it means that  
there is only one mind1 one motive1 one 
power--not two opposing each other--and 
that my conscious mind in all its       

movements is only the one mind          
expressing itself as 7not merely        
through7 my own particular              
individuality4  ,there are not two ,i   
,,ams1 but one ,i am4 ,whatever1        
therefore1 ,i can conceive the ,great   
,universal ,life ,principle to be1 that 
,i am4 ,let us try fully to realise what
 this means4 ,can you conceive the      
,great ,originating and ,sustaining     
,life ,principle of the whole universe  
as poor1 weak1 sordid1 miserable1       
jealous1 angry1 anxious1 uncertain1 or  
in any other way limited8 ,we know that 
this is impossible4 ,then because the ,i
 ,,am is one it is equally untrue of    
ourselves4 ,learn first to distinguish  
the true self that you are from the     
mental and physical processes which it  
throws forth as the instruments of its  
expression1 and then learn that this    
self controls these instruments1 and not
 vice versa4 ,as we advance in this     
knowledge we know ourselves to be       
unlimited1 and that1 in the miniature   

world1 whose centre we are1 we ourselves
 are the very same overflowing of joyous
 livingness that the ,great ,life       
,spirit is in the ,great ,all4 ,the ,i  
,,am is ,one4     ,,iv  ,,affirmative   
,,power   ,thoroughly to realise the    
true nature of affirmative power is to  
possess the key to the great secret4 ,we
 feel its presence in all the           
innumerable forms of life by which we   
are surrounded and we feel it as the    
life in ourselves2 and at last some day 
the truth bursts upon us like a         
revelation that we can wield this power1
 this life1 by the process of ,thought4 
,and as soon as we see this1 the        
importance of regulating our thinking   
begins to dawn upon us4 ,we ask         
ourselves what this thought process is1 
and we then find that it is thinking    
affirmative force into forms which are  
the product of our own thought4 ,we     
mentally conceive the form and then     
think life into it4  ,this must always  
be the nature of the creative process on

 whatever scale1 whether on the grand   
scale of the ,universal ,cosmic ,mind or
 on the miniature scale of the          
individual mind2 the difference is only 
in degree and not in kind4 ,we may      
picture the mental machinery by which   
this is done in the way that best       
satisfies our intellect--and the        
satisfying of the intellect on this     
point is a potent factor in giving us   
that confidence in our mental action    
without which we can effect nothing--but
 the actual externalisation is the      
result of something more powerful than a
 merely intellectual apprehension4 ,it  
is the result of that inner mental state
 which1 for want of a better word1 we   
may call our emotional conception of    
ourselves4 ,it is the self which we feel
 ourselves to be which takes forms of   
our own creating4 ,for this reason our  
thought must be so grounded upon        
knowledge that we shall feel the truth  
of it1 and thus be able to produce in   
ourselves that mental attitude of       

feeling which corresponds to the        
condition which we desire to            
externalise4  ,we cannot think into     
manifestation a different sort of life  
to that which we realise in ourselves4  
,as ,horace says1 ,nemo dat quod non    
habet1 we cannot give what we have not  
got4 ,and1 on the other hand1 we can    
never cease creating forms of some sort 
by our mental activity1 thinking life   
into them4 ,this point must be very     
carefully noted4 ,we cannot sit still   
producing nothing3 the mental machinery 
will keep on turning out work of some   
sort1 and it rests with us to determine 
of what sort it shall be4 ,in our entire
 ignorance or imperfect realisation of  
this we create negative forms and think 
life into them4 ,we create forms of     
death1 sickness1 sorrow1 trouble1 and   
limitation of all sorts1 and then think 
life into these forms2 with the result  
that1 however non-existent in           
themselves1 to us they become realities 
and throw their shadow across the path  

which would otherwise be bright with the
 many-coloured beauties of innumerable  
flowers and the glory of the sunshine4  
,this need not be4 ,it is giving to the 
negative an affirmative force which does
 not belong to it4 ,consider what is    
meant by the negative4 ,it is the       
absence of something4 ,it is not-being1 
and is the absence of all that          
constitutes being4 ,left to itself1 it  
remains in its own nothingness1 and it  
only assumes form and activity when we  
give these to it by our thought4  ,here1
 then1 is the great reason for          
practising control over our thought4 ,it
 is the one and only instrument we have 
to work with1 but it is an instrument   
which works with the greatest certainty1
 for limitation if we think limitation1 
for enlargement if we think enlargement4
 ,our thought as feeling is the magnet  
which draws to us those conditions which
 accurately correspond to itself4 ,this 
is the meaning of the saying that       
thoughts are things4 ,but1 you say1 how 

can ,i think differently from the       
circumstances8 ,certainly you are not   
required to say that the circumstances  
at the present moment are what they are 
not2 to say so would be untrue2 but what
 is wanted is not to think from the     
standpoint of circumstances at all4     
,think from that interior standpoint    
where there are no circumstances1 and   
from whence you can dictate what        
circumstances shall be1 and then leave  
the circumstances to take care of       
themselves4  ,do not think of this1     
that1 or the other particular           
circumstances of health1 peace1 etc41   
but of health1 peace1 and prosperity    
themselves4 ,here is an advertisement   
from ,pearson's ,weekly3--,think money4 
,big moneymakers think money4 ,this is a
 perfectly sound statement of the power 
of thought1 although it is only an      
advertisement2 but we may make an       
advance beyond thinking money4 ,we can  
think ,life in all its fulness1 together
 with that perfect harmony of conditions

 which includes all that we need of     
money and a thousand other good things  
besides1 for some of which money stands 
as the symbol of exchangeable value1    
while others cannot be estimated by so  
material a standard4  ,therefore think  
,life1 illumination1 harmony1           
prosperity1 happiness--think the things 
rather than this or that condition of   
them4 ,and then by the sure operation of
 the ,universal ,law these things will  
form themselves into the shapes best    
suited to your particular case1 and will
 enter your life as active1 living      
forces1 which will never depart from you
 because you know them to be part and   
parcel of your own being4     ,v        
,,submission   ,there are two kinds of  
submission3 submission to superior force
 and submission to superior truth4 ,the 
one is weakness and the other is        
strength4 ,it is an exceedingly         
important part of our training to learn 
to distinguish between these two1 and   
the more so because the wrong kind is   

extolled by nearly all schools of       
popular religious teaching at the       
present day as constituting the highest 
degree of human attainment4 ,by some    
this is pressed so far as to make it an 
instrument of actual oppression1 and    
with all it is a source of weakness and 
a bar to progress4 ,we are forbidden to 
question what are called the wise       
dispensations of ,providence and are    
told that pain and sorrow are to be     
accepted because they are the will of   
,god2 and there is much eloquent        
speaking and writing concerning the     
beauty of quiet resignation1 all of     
which appeals to a certain class of     
gentle minds who have not yet learnt    
that gentleness does not consist in the 
absence of power but in the kindly and  
beneficent use of it4  ,minds cast in   
this mould are peculiarly apt to be     
misled4 ,they perceive a certain beauty 
in the picture of weakness leaning upon 
strength1 but they attribute its        
soothing influence to the wrong element 

of the combination4 ,a thoughtful       
analysis would show them that their     
feelings consisted of pity for the weak 
figure and admiration for the strong    
one1 and that the suggestiveness of the 
whole arose from its satisfying the     
artistic sense of balance which requires
 a compensation of this sort4 ,but which
 of the two figures in the picture would
 they themselves prefer to be8 ,surely  
not the weak one needing help1 but the  
strong one giving it4 ,by itself the    
weak figure only stirs our pity and not 
our admiration4 ,its form may be        
beautiful1 but its very beauty only     
serves to enhance the sense of something
 wanting--and the something wanting is  
strength4 ,the attraction which the     
doctrine of passive resignation         
possesses for certain minds is based    
upon an appeal to sentiment1 which is   
accepted without any suspicion that the 
sentiment appealed to is a false one4   
,now the healthful influence of the     
movement known as ,the ,higher ,thought 

consists precisely in this--that it sets
 itself rigorously to combat this       
debilitating doctrine of submission4 ,it
 can see as well as others the beauty of
 weakness leaning upon strength2 but it 
sees that the real source of the beauty 
lies in the strong element of the       
combination4 ,the true beauty consists  
in the power to confer strength1 and    
this power is not to be acquired by     
submission1 but by the exactly opposite 
method of continually asserting our     
determination not to submit4  ,of       
course1 if we take it for granted that  
all the sorrow1 sickness1 pain1 trouble1
 and other adversity in the world is the
 expression of the will of ,god1 then   
doubtless we must resign ourselves to   
the inevitable with all the submission  
we can command1 and comfort ourselves   
with the vague hope that somehow in some
 far-off future we shall find that      
,good is the final goal of ill1  though 
even this vague hope is a protest       
against the very submission we are      

endeavouring to exercise4 ,but to make  
the assumption that the evil of life is 
the will of ,god is to assume what a    
careful and intelligent study of the    
laws of the universe1 both mental and   
physical1 will show us is not the truth2
 and if we turn to that ,book which     
contains the fullest delineation of     
these universal laws1 we shall find     
nothing taught more clearly than that   
submission to the evils of life is not  
submission to the will of ,god4 ,we are 
told that ,christ was manifested for    
this end1 that he should destroy him    
that hath the power of death--that is1  
the devil4 ,now death is the very       
culmination of the ,negative4 ,it is the
 entire absence of all that makes ,life1
 and whatever goes to diminish the      
living quality of ,life reproduces1 in  
its degree1 the distinctive quality of  
this supreme exhibition of the          
,negative4 ,everything that tends to    
detract from the fulness of life has in 
it this deathful quality4  ,in that     

completely renovated life1 which is     
figured under the emblem of the ,new    
,jerusalem1 we are told that sorrow and 
sighing shall flee away1 and that the   
inhabitant shall not say1 ,i am sick4   
,nothing that obscures life1 or         
restricts it1 can proceed from the same 
source as the ,power which gives light  
to them that sit in darkness1 and       
deliverance to them that are bound4     
,negation can never be ,affirmation2 and
 the error we have always to guard      
against is that of attributing positive 
power to the ,negative4 ,if we once     
grasp the truth that ,god is life1 and  
that life in every mode of expression   
can never be anything else than         
,affirmative1 then it must become clear 
to us that nothing which is of the      
opposite tendency can be according to   
the will of ,god4 ,for ,god 7the good7  
to will any of the evil that is in the  
world would be for ,life to act with the
 purpose of diminishing itself1 which is
 a contradiction in terms to the very   

idea of ,life4 ,god is ,life1 and ,life 
is1 by its very nature1 ,affirmative4   
,the submission we have hitherto made   
has been to our own weakness1 ignorance1
 and fear1 and not to the supreme good4 
,but is no such thing as submission1    
then1 required of us under any          
circumstances8 ,are we always to have   
our own way in everything8 ,assuredly   
the whole secret of our progress to     
liberty is involved in acquiring the    
habit of submission2 but it is          
submission to superior ,truth1 and not  
to superior force4 ,it sometimes happens
 that1 when we attain a higher ,truth1  
we find that its reception requires us  
to re-arrange the truths which we       
possessed before3 not1 indeed1 to lay   
any of them aside1 for ,truth once      
recognised cannot be again put out of   
sight1 but to recognise a different     
relative proportion between them from   
that which we had seen previously4 ,then
 there comes a submitting of what has   
hitherto been our highest truth to one  

which we recognise as still higher1 a   
process not always easy of attainment1  
but which must be gone through if our   
spiritual development is not to be      
arrested4 ,the lesser degree of life    
must be swallowed up in the greater2 and
 for this purpose it is necessary for us
 to learn that the smaller degree was   
only a partial and limited aspect of    
that which is more universal1 stronger1 
and of a larger build every way4  ,now1 
in going through the processes of       
spiritual growth1 there is ample scope  
for that training in self-knowledge and 
self-control which is commonly          
understood by the word submission4 ,but 
the character of the act is materially  
altered4 ,it is no longer a             
half-despairing resignation to a        
superior force external to ourselves1   
which we can only vaguely hope is acting
 kindly and wisely1 but it is an        
intelligent recognition of the true     
nature of our own interior forces and of
 the laws by which a robust spiritual   

constitution is to be developed2 and the
 submission is no longer to limitations 
which drain life of its livingness1 and 
against which we instinctively rebel1   
but to the law of our own evolution     
which manifests itself in continually   
increasing degrees of life and strength4
  ,the submission which we recognise is 
the price that has to be paid for       
increase in any direction4 ,even in the 
,money ,market we must invest before we 
can realise profits4 ,it is a universal 
rule that ,nature obeys us exactly in   
proportion as we first obey ,nature2 and
 this is as true in regard to spiritual 
science as to physical4 ,the only       
question is whether we will yield an    
ignorant submission to the principle of 
,death1 or a joyous and intelligent     
obedience to the principle of ,life4    
,if we have clearly grasped the fact of 
our identity with ,universal ,spirit1 we
 shall find that1 in the right          
direction1 there is really no such thing
 as submission4 ,submission is to the   

power of another--a man cannot be said  
to submit to himself4 ,when the ,i ,,am 
in us recognises a greater degree of ,i 
,,am-ness 7if ,i may coin the word7 than
 it has hitherto attained1 then1 by the 
very force of this recognition1 it      
becomes what it sees1 and therefore     
naturally puts off from itself whatever 
would limit its expression of its own   
completeness4  ,but this is a natural   
process of growth1 and not an unnatural 
act of submission2 it is not the        
pouring-out of ourselves in weakness1   
but the gathering of ourselves together 
in increasing strength4 ,there is no    
weakness in ,spirit1 it is all strength2
 and we must therefore always be        
watchful against the insidious          
approaches of the ,negative which would 
invert the true position4 ,the ,negative
 always points to some external source  
of strength4 ,its formula is ,i ,,am    
,,not4 ,it always seeks to fix a gulf   
between us and the ,infinite            
,sufficiency4 ,it would always have us  

believe that that sufficiency is not our
 own1 but that by an act of uncertain   
favour we may have occasional spoonfuls 
of it doled out to us4 ,christ's        
teaching is different4 ,we do not need  
to come with our pitcher to the well to 
draw water1 like the woman of ,samaria1 
but we have in ourselves an             
inexhaustible supply of the living water
 springing up into everlasting life4    
,let us then inscribe ,no ,surrender in 
bold characters upon our banner1 and    
advance undaunted to claim our rightful 
heritage of liberty and life4     ,,vi  
,,completeness   ,a point on which      
students of mental science often fail to
 lay sufficient stress is the           
completeness of man--not a completeness 
to be attained hereafter1 but here and  
now4 ,we have been so accustomed to have
 the imperfection of man drummed into us
 in books1 sermons1 and hymns1 and above
 all in a mistaken interpretation of the
 ,bible1 that at first the idea of his  
completeness altogether staggers us4    

,yet until we see this we must remain   
shut out from the highest and best that 
mental science has to offer1 from a     
thorough understanding of its           
philosophy1 and from its greatest       
practical achievements4  ,to do any work
 successfully you must believe yourself 
to be a whole man in respect of it4 ,the
 completed work is the outward image of 
a corresponding completeness in         
yourself4 ,and if this is true in       
respect of one work it is true of all2  
the difference in the importance of the 
work does not matter2 we cannot         
successfully attempt any work until1 for
 some reason or other1 we believe       
ourselves able to accomplish it2 in     
other words1 until we believe that none 
of the conditions for its completion is 
wanting in us1 and that we are therefore
 complete in respect of it4 ,our        
recognition of our completeness is thus 
the measure of what we are able to do1  
and hence the great importance of       
knowing the fact of our own             

completeness4  ,but1 it may be asked1 do
 we not see imperfection all around8 ,is
 there not sorrow1 sickness1 and        
trouble8 ,yes2 but why8 ,just for the   
very reason that we do not realise our  
completeness4 ,if we realised that in   
its fulness these things would not be2  
and in the degree in which we come to   
realise it we shall find them steadily  
diminish4 ,now if we really grasp the   
two fundamental truths that ,spirit is  
,life pure and simple1 and that external
 things are the result of interior      
forces1 then it ought not to be         
difficult to see why we should be       
complete2 for to suppose otherwise is to
 suppose the reactive power of the      
universe to be either unable or         
unwilling to produce the complete       
expression of its own intention in the  
creation of man4  ,that it should be    
unable to do so would be to depose it   
from its place as the creative          
principle1 and that it should be        
unwilling to fulfil its own intention is

 a contradiction in terms2 so that on   
either supposition we come to a reductio
 ad absurdum4 ,in forming man the       
creative principle therefore must have  
produced a perfect work1 and our        
conception of ourselves as imperfect can
 only be the result of our own ignorance
 of what we really are2 and our advance1
 therefore1 does not consist in having  
something new added to us1 but in       
learning to bring into action powers    
which already exist in us1 but which we 
have never tried to use1 and therefore  
have not developed1 simply because we   
have always taken it for granted that we
 are by nature defective in some of the 
most important faculties necessary to   
fit us to our environment4  ,if we wish 
to attain to these great powers1 the    
question is1 where are we to seek them8 
,and the answer is in ourselves4 ,that  
is the great secret4 ,we are not to go  
outside ourselves to look for power4 ,as
 soon as we do so we find1 not power1   
but weakness4 ,to seek strength from any

 outside source is to make affirmation  
of our weakness1 and all know what the  
natural result of such an affirmation   
must be4  ,we are complete in ourselves2
 and the reason why we fail to realise  
this is that we do not understand how   
far the self of ourselves extends4 ,we  
know that the whole of anything consists
 of all its parts and not only of some  
of them2 yet this is just what we do not
 seem to know about ourselves4 ,we say  
rightly that every person is a          
concentration of the ,universal ,spirit 
into individual consciousness2 but if   
so1 then each individual consciousness  
must find the ,universal ,spirit to be  
the infinite expression of itself4 ,it  
is this part of the ,self that we so    
often leave out in our estimate of what 
we are2 and consequently we look upon   
ourselves as crawling pygmies when we   
might think of ourselves as archangels4 
,we try to work with the mere shadows of
 ourselves instead of with the glorious 
substance1 and then wonder at our       

failures4 ,if we only understood that   
our better half is the whole infinite of
 ,spirit--that which creates and        
sustains the universe--then we should   
know how complete our completeness is4  
,as we approach this conception1 our    
completeness becomes a reality to us1   
and we find that we need not go outside 
ourselves for anything4 ,we have only to
 draw on that part of ourselves which is
 infinite to carry out any intention we 
may form in our individual              
consciousness2 for there is no barrier  
between the two parts1 otherwise they   
would not be a whole4 ,each belongs     
perfectly to the other1 and the two are 
one4 ,there is no antagonism between    
them1 for the ,infinite ,life can have  
no interest against its                 
individualisation of itself4 ,if there  
is any feeling of tension it proceeds   
from our not fully realising this       
conception of our own wholeness2 we are 
placing a barrier somewhere1 when in    
truth there is none2 and the tension    

will continue until we find out where   
and how we are setting up this barrier  
and remove it4  ,this feeling of tension
 is the feeling that we are not using   
our ,whole ,being4 ,we are trying to    
make half do the work of the whole2 but 
we cannot rid ourselves of our          
wholeness1 and therefore the whole      
protests against our attempts to set one
 half against the other4 ,but when we   
realise that our concentration out of   
the ,infinite also implies our expansion
 into it1 we shall see that our whole   
self includes both the concentration and
 the expansion2 and seeing this first   
intellectually we shall gradually learn 
to use our knowledge practically and    
bring our whole man to bear upon        
whatever we take in hand4 ,we shall find
 that there is in us a constant action  
and reaction between the infinite and   
the individual1 like the circulation of 
the blood from the heart to the         
extremities and back again1 a constant  
pulsation of vital energy quite natural 

and free from all strain and exertion4  
,this is the great secret of the        
livingness of ,life1 and it is called by
 many names and set forth under many    
symbols in various religions and        
philosophies1 each of which has its     
value in proportion as it brings us     
nearer the realisation of this perfect  
wholeness4 ,but the thing itself is     
,life1 and therefore can only be        
suggested1 but not described1 by any    
words or symbols2 it is a matter of     
personal experience which no one can    
convey to another4 ,all we can do is to 
point out the direction in which this   
experience is to be sought1 and to tell 
others the intellectual arguments which 
have helped us to find it2 but the      
experience itself is the operation of   
definite vital functions of the inner   
being1 and no one but ourselves can do  
our living for us4  ,but1 so far as it  
is possible to express these things in  
words1 what must be the result of       
realising that the self in us includes  

the ,infinite as well as the            
,individual8 ,all the resources of the  
,infinite must be at our disposal2 we   
may draw on them as we will1 and there  
is no limit save that imposed by the    
,law of ,kindness1 a self-imposed       
limitation1 which1 because of being     
self-imposed1 is not bondage but only   
another expression of our liberty4 ,thus
 we are free and all limitations are    
removed4  ,we are also no longer        
ignorant1 for since the self in us      
includes the ,infinite we can draw      
thence all needed knowledge1 and though 
we may not always be able to formulate  
this knowledge in the mentality1 we     
shall feel its guidance1 and eventually 
the mentality will learn to put this    
also into form of words2 and thus by    
combining thought and experience1 theory
 and practice1 we shall by degrees come 
more and more into the knowledge of the 
,law of our ,being1 and find that there 
is no place in it for fear1 because it  
is the law of perfect liberty4 ,and     

knowing what our whole self really is1  
we shall walk erect as free men and     
women radiating ,light and ,life all    
round1 so that our very presence will   
carry a vivifying influence with it1    
because we realise ourselves to be an   
,affirmative ,whole1 and not a mere     
negative disintegration of parts4  ,we  
know that our whole self includes that  
,greater ,man which is back of and      
causes the phenomenal man1 and this     
,greater ,man is the true human         
principle in us4 ,it is1 therefore1     
universal in its sympathies1 but at the 
same time not less individually ourself2
 and thus the true man in us1 being at  
once both universal and individual1 can 
be trusted as a sure guide4 ,it is that 
,thinker which is behind the conscious  
mentality1 and which1 if we will accept 
it as our centre1 and realise that it is
 not a separate entity but ourself1 will
 be found equal to every occasion1 and  
will lead us out of a condition of      
servitude into the glorious liberty of  

the sons of ,god4     ,,vii  ,,the      
,,principle ,,of ,,guidance   ,if ,i    
were asked which of all the spiritual   
principles ranked first1 ,i should feel 
inclined to say the ,principle of       
,guidance2 not in the sense of being    
more essential than the others1 for     
every portion is equally essential to   
the completeness of a perfect whole1 but
 in the sense of being first in order of
 sequence and giving value to all our   
other powers by placing them in their   
due relation to one another4 ,giving    
value to our other powers1 ,i say1      
because this also is one of our powers4 
,it is that which1 judged from the      
standpoint of personal                  
self-consciousness1 is above us2 but    
which1 realised from the point of view  
of the unity of all ,spirit1 is part and
 parcel of ourselves1 because it is that
 ,infinite ,mind which is of necessity  
identified with all its manifestations4 
,looking to this ,infinite ,mind as a   
,superior ,intelligence from which we   

may receive guidance does not therefore 
imply looking to an external source4 ,on
 the contrary1 it is looking to the     
innermost spring of our own being1 with 
a confidence in its action which enables
 us to proceed to the execution of our  
plans with a firmness and assurance that
 are in themselves the very guarantee of
 our success4  ,the action of the       
spiritual principles in us follows the  
order which we impose upon them by our  
thought2 therefore the order of         
realisation will reproduce the order of 
desire2 and if we neglect this first    
principle of right order and guidance1  
we shall find ourselves beginning to put
 forth other great powers1 which are at 
present latent within us1 without       
knowing how to find suitable employment 
for them--which would be a very perilous
 condition1 for without having before us
 objects worthy of the powers to which  
we awake1 we should waste them on petty 
purposes dictated only by the narrow    
range of our unilluminated intellect4   

,therefore the ancient wisdom says1     
,with all thy getting1 get              
understanding4  ,the awakening to       
consciousness of our mysterious interior
 powers will sooner or later take place1
 and will result in our using them      
whether we understand the law of their  
development or not1 just as we already  
use our physical faculties whether we   
understand their laws or not4 ,the      
interior powers are natural powers as   
much as the exterior ones4 ,we can      
direct their use by a knowledge of their
 laws2 and it is therefore of the       
highest importance to have some sound   
principle of guidance in the use of     
these higher faculties as they begin to 
manifest themselves4  ,if1 therefore1 we
 would safely and profitably enter upon 
the possession of the great inheritance 
of power that is opening out before us1 
we must before all things seek to       
realise in ourselves that ,superior     
,intelligence which will become an      
unfailing principle of guidance if we   

will only recognise it as such4         
,everything depends on our recognition4 
,thoughts are things1 and therefore as  
we will our thoughts to be so we will   
the thing to be4 ,if1 then1 we will to  
use the ,infinite ,spirit as a spirit of
 guidance1 we shall find that the fact  
is as we have willed it2 and in doing   
this we are still making use of our own 
supreme principle4 ,and this is the true
 understanding which1 by placing all the
 other powers in their correct order1   
creates one grand unity of power        
directed to clearly defined and worthy  
aims1 in place of the dispersion of our 
powers1 by which they only neutralise   
each other and effect nothing4  ,this is
 that ,spirit of ,truth which shall     
guide us into all ,truth4 ,it is the    
sincere ,desire of us reaching out after
 ,truth4 ,truth first and ,power        
afterwards is the reasonable order1     
which we cannot invert without injury to
 ourselves and others2 but if we follow 
this order we shall always find scope   

for our powers in developing into       
present realities the continually       
growing glory of our vision of the      
ideal4  ,the ideal is the true real1 but
 it must be brought into manifestation  
before it can be shown to be so1 and it 
is in this that the practical nature of 
our mental studies consists4 ,it is the 
practical mystic who is the man of      
power2 the man who1 realising the       
mystical powers within1 fits his outward
 action to this knowledge1 and so shows 
his faith by his works2 and assuredly   
the first step is to make use of that   
power of infallible guidance which he   
can call to his aid simply by desiring  
to be led by it4     ,,viii  ,,desire   
,,as ,,the ,,motive ,,power   ,there are
 certain ,oriental schools of thought1  
together with various ,western offshoots
 from them1 which are entirely founded  
on the principle of annihilating all    
desire4 ,reach that point at which you  
have no wish for anything and you will  
find yourself free1 is the sum and      

substance of their teaching2 and in     
support of this they put forward a great
 deal of very specious argument1 which  
is all the more likely to entangle the  
unwary1 because it contains a           
recognition of many of the profoundest  
truths of ,nature4 ,but we must bear in 
mind that it is possible to have a very 
deep knowledge of psychological facts1  
and at the same time vitiate the results
 of our knowledge by an entirely wrong  
assumption in regard to the law which   
binds these facts together in the       
universal system2 and the injurious     
results of misapprehension upon such a  
vital question are so radical and       
far-reaching that we cannot too forcibly
 urge the necessity of clearly          
understanding the true nature of the    
point at issue4 ,stripped of all        
accessories and embellishments1 the     
question resolves itself into this3     
,which shall we choose for our portion1 
,life or ,death8 ,there can be no       
accommodation between the two2 and      

whichever we select as our guiding      
principle must produce results of a kind
 proper to itself4  ,the whole of this  
momentous question turns on the place   
that we assign to desire in our system  
of thought4 ,is it the ,tree of ,life in
 the midst of the ,garden of the ,soul8 
or is it the ,upas ,tree creating a     
wilderness of death all around8 ,this is
 the issue on which we have to form a   
judgment1 and this judgment must colour 
all our conception of life and determine
 the entire range of our possibilities4 
,let us1 then1 try to picture to        
ourselves the ideal proposed by the     
systems to which ,i have alluded--a man 
who has succeeded in entirely           
annihilating all desire4 ,to him all    
things must be alike4 ,the good and the 
evil must be as one1 for nothing has any
 longer the power to raise any desire in
 him2 he has no longer any feeling which
 shall prompt him to say1 ,this is good1
 therefore ,i choose it2 that is evil1  
therefore ,i reject it2 for all choice  

implies the perception of something more
 desirable in what is chosen than in    
what is rejected1 and consequently the  
existence of that feeling of desire     
which has been entirely eliminated from 
the ideal we are contemplating4  ,then1 
if the perception of all that makes one 
thing preferable to another has been    
obliterated1 there can be no motive for 
any sort of action whatever4 ,endue a   
being who has thus extinguished his     
faculty of desire with the power to     
create a universe1 and he has no motive 
for employing it4 ,endue him with all   
knowledge1 and it will be useless to    
him2 for1 since desire has no place in  
him1 he is without any purpose for which
 to turn his knowledge to account4 ,and 
with ,love we cannot endue him1 for that
 is desire in its supreme degree4 ,but  
if all this be excluded1 what is left of
 the man8 ,nothing1 except the mere     
outward form4 ,if he has actually       
obtained this ideal1 he has practically 
ceased to be4 ,nothing can by any means 

interest him1 for there is nothing to   
attract or repel in one thing more than 
in another4 ,he must be dead alike to   
all feeling and to all motive of action1
 for both feeling and action imply the  
preference for one condition rather than
 another2 and where desire is utterly   
extinguished1 no such preference can    
exist4  ,no doubt some one may object   
that it is only evil desires which are  
thus to be suppressed2 but a perusal of 
the writings of the schools of thought  
in question will show that this is not  
the case4 ,the foundation of the whole  
system is that all desire must be       
obliterated1 the desire for the good    
just as much as the desire for the evil4
 ,the good is as much illusion as the   
evil1 and until we have reached absolute
 indifference to both we have not       
attained freedom4 ,when we have utterly 
crushed out all desire we are free4 ,and
 the practical results of such a        
philosophy are shown in the case of     
,indian devotees1 who1 in pursuance of  

their resolve to crush out all desire1  
both for good and evil alike1 become    
nothing more than outward images of men1
 from which all power of perception and 
of action have long since fled4  ,the   
mergence in the universal1 at which they
 thus aim1 becomes nothing more than a  
self-induced hypnotism1 which1 if       
maintained for a sufficient length of   
time1 saps away every power of mental   
and bodily activity1 leaving nothing but
 the outside husk of an attenuated human
 form--the hopeless wreck of what was   
once a living man4 ,this is the logical 
result of a system which assumes for its
 starting-point that desire is evil in  
itself1 that every desire is per se a   
form of bondage1 independently of the   
nature of its object4 ,the majority of  
the followers of this philosophy may    
lack sufficient resolution to carry it  
out rigorously to its practical         
conclusions2 but whether their ideal is 
to be realised in this world or in some 
other1 the utter extinction of desire   

means nothing else than absolute apathy1
 without feeling and without action4    
,how entirely false such an idea is--not
 only from the standpoint of our daily  
life1 but also from that of the most    
transcendental conception of the        
,universal ,principle--is evidenced by  
the mere fact that anything exists at   
all4 ,if the highest ideal is that of   
utter apathy1 then the ,creative ,power 
of the universe must be extremely       
low-minded2 and all that we have        
hitherto been accustomed to look upon as
 the marvellous order and beauty of     
creation1 is nothing but a display of   
vulgarity and ignorance of sound        
philosophy4  ,but the fact that creation
 exists proves that the ,universal ,mind
 thinks differently1 and we have only to
 look around to see that the true ideal 
is the exercise of creative power4      
,hence1 so far from desire being a thing
 to be annihilated1 it is the very root 
of every conceivable mode of ,life4     
,without it ,life could not be4 ,every  

form of expression implies the selection
 of all that goes to make up that form1 
and the passing-by of whatever is not   
required for that purpose2 hence a      
desire for that which is selected in    
preference to what is laid aside4 ,and  
this selective desire is none other than
 the universal ,law of ,attraction4     
,whether this law acts as the chemical  
affinity of apparently unconscious      
atoms1 or in the instinctive1 if        
unreasoned1 attractions of the vegetable
 and animal worlds1 it is still the     
principle of selective affinity2 and it 
continues to be the same when it passes 
on into the higher kingdoms which are   
ruled by reason and conscious purpose4  
,the modes of activity in each of these 
kingdoms are dictated by the nature of  
the kingdom2 but the activity itself    
always results from the preference of a 
certain subject for a certain object1 to
 the exclusion of all others2 and all   
action consists in the reciprocal       
movement of the two towards each other  

in obedience to the law of their        
affinity4  ,when this takes place in the
 kingdom of conscious individuality1 the
 affinities exhibit themselves as mental
 action2 but the principle of selection 
prevails without exception throughout   
the universe4 ,in the conscious mind    
this attraction towards its affinity    
becomes desire2 the desire to create    
some condition of things better than    
that now existing4 ,our want of         
knowledge may cause us to make mistakes 
as to what this better thing really is1 
and so in seeking to carry out our      
desire we may give it a wrong direction2
 but the fault is not in the desire     
itself1 but in our mistaken notion of   
what it is that it requires for its     
satisfaction4 ,hence unrest and         
dissatisfaction until its true affinity 
is found2 but1 as soon as this is       
discovered1 the law of attraction at    
once asserts itself and produces that   
better condition1 the dream of which    
first gave direction to our thoughts4   

,thus it is eternally true that desire  
is the cause of all feeling and all     
action2 in other words1 of all ,life4   
,the whole livingness of ,life consists 
in receiving or in radiating forth the  
vibrations produced by the law of       
attraction2 and in the kingdom of mind  
these vibrations necessarily become     
conscious out-reachings of the mind in  
the direction in which it feels         
attraction2 that is to say1 they become 
desires4 ,desire is therefore the mind  
seeking to manifest itself in some form 
which as yet exists only in its thought4
 ,it is the principle of creation1      
whether the thing created be a world or 
a wooden spoon2 both have their origin  
in the desire to bring something into   
existence which does not yet exist4     
,whatever may be the scale on which we  
exercise our creative ability1 the      
motive power must always be desire4     
,desire is the force behind all things2 
it is the moving principle of the       
universe and the innermost centre of all

 ,life4 ,hence1 to take the negation of 
desire for our primal principle is to   
endeavour to stamp out ,life itself2 but
 what we have to do is to acquire the   
requisite knowledge by which to guide   
our desires to their true objects of    
satisfaction4 ,to do this is the whole  
end of knowledge2 and any knowledge     
applied otherwise is only a partial     
knowledge1 which1 having failed in its  
purpose1 is nothing but ignorance4      
,desire is thus the sum-total of the    
livingness of ,life1 for it is that in  
which all movement originates1 whether  
on the physical level or the spiritual4 
,in a word1 desire is the creative      
power1 and must be carefully guarded1   
trained1 and directed accordingly2 but  
thus to seek to develop it to the       
highest perfection is the very opposite 
of trying to kill it outright4  ,and    
desire has fulfilment for its           
correlative4 ,the desire and its        
fulfilment are bound together as cause  
and effect2 and when we realise the law 

of their sequence1 we shall be more than
 ever impressed with the supreme        
importance of ,desire as the great      
centre of ,life4     ,,ix  ,,touching   
,,lightly   ,what is our point of       
support8 ,is it in ourselves or outside 
us8 ,are we self-poised1 or does our    
balance depend on something external8   
,according to the actual belief in which
 our answer to these questions is       
embodied so will our lives be4 ,in      
everything there are two parts1 the     
essential and the incidental--that which
 is the nucleus and raison d'tre of the 
whole thing1 and that which gathers     
round this nucleus and takes form from  
it4 ,the true knowledge always consists 
in distinguishing these two from each   
other1 and error always consists in     
misplacing them4  ,in all our affairs   
there are two factors1 ourselves and the
 matter to be dealt with2 and since for 
us the nature of anything is always     
determined by our thought of it1 it is  
entirely a question of our belief which 

of these two factors shall be the       
essential and which the accessory4      
,whichever we regard as the essential1  
the other at once becomes the           
incidental4 ,the incidental can never be
 absent4 ,for any sort of action to take
 place there must be some conditions    
under which the activity passes out into
 visible results2 but the same sort of  
activity may occur under a variety of   
different conditions1 and may thus      
produce very different visible results4 
,so in every matter we shall always find
 an essential or energising factor1 and 
an incidental factor which derives its  
quality from the nature of the energy4  
,we can therefore never escape from     
having to select our essential and our  
incidental factor1 and whichever we     
select as the essential1 we thereby     
place the other in the position of the  
incidental4 ,if1 then1 we make the      
mistake of reversing the true position  
and suppose that the energising force   
comes from the merely accessory         

circumstances1 we make them our point of
 support and lean upon them1 and stand  
or fall with them accordingly2 and so we
 come into a condition of weakness and  
obsequious waiting on all sorts of      
external influences1 which is the very  
reverse of that strength1 wisdom1 and   
opulence which are the only meaning of  
,liberty4  ,but if we would ask         
ourselves the common-sense question     
,where can the centre of a man's ,life  
be except in himself8 we shall see that 
in all which pertains to us the         
energising centre must be in ourselves4 
,we can never get away from ourselves as
 the centre of our own universe1 and the
 sooner we clearly understand this the  
better4 ,there is really no energy in   
our universe but what emanates from     
ourselves in the first instance1 and the
 power which appears to reside in our   
surroundings is derived entirely from   
our own mind4  ,if once we realise this1
 and consider that the ,life which flows
 into us from the ,universal            

,life-,principle is at every moment new 
,life entirely undifferentiated to any  
particular purpose besides that of      
supporting our own individuality1 and   
that it is therefore ours to externalise
 in any form we will1 then we find that 
this manifestation of the eternal       
,life-,principle in ourselves is the    
standpoint from which we can control our
 surroundings4 ,we must lean firmly on  
the central point of our own being and  
not on anything else4 ,our mistake is in
 taking our surroundings too much au    
grand serieux4 ,we should touch things  
more lightly4 ,as soon as we feel that  
their weight impedes our free handling  
of them they are mastering us1 and not  
we them4  ,light handling does not mean 
weak handling4 ,on the contrary1        
lightness of touch is incompatible with 
a weak grasp of the instrument1 which   
implies that the weight of the tool is  
excessive relatively to the force that  
seeks to guide it4 ,a light1 even       
playful handling1 therefore implies a   

firm grasp and perfect control over the 
instrument4 ,it is only in the hands of 
a ,grinling ,gibbons that the carving   
tool can create miracles of aerial      
lightness from the solid wood4 ,the     
light yet firm touch tells not of       
weakness1 but of power held in reserve2 
and if we realise our own out-and-out   
spiritual nature we know that behind any
 measure of power we may put forth there
 is the whole reserve of the infinite to
 back us up4  ,as we come to know this  
we begin to handle things lightly1      
playing with them as a juggler does with
 his flying knives1 which cannot make   
the slightest movement other than he has
 assigned to them1 for we begin to see  
that our control over things is part of 
the necessary order of the universe4    
,the disorder we have met with in the   
past has resulted precisely from our    
never having attempted consciously to   
introduce this element of our personal  
control as part of the system4  ,of     
course1 ,i speak of the whole man1 and  

not merely of that part of him which    
,walt ,whitman says is contained between
 his hat and his boots4 ,the whole man  
is an infinitude1 and the visible       
portion of him is the instrument through
 which he looks out upon and enjoys all 
that belongs to him1 his own kingdom of 
the infinite4 ,and when he learns that  
this is the meaning of his conscious    
individuality1 he sees how it is that he
 is infinite1 and finds that he is one  
with ,infinite ,mind1 which is the      
innermost core of the universe4 ,having 
thus reached the true centre of his own 
being1 he can never give this central   
place to anything else1 but will realise
 that relatively to this all other      
things are in the position of the       
incidental and accessory1 and growing1  
daily in this knowledge he will learn so
 to handle all things lightly1 yet      
firmly1 that grief1 fear1 and error will
 have less and less space in his world1 
until at last sorrow and sighing shall  
flee away1 and everlasting joy shall    

take their place4 ,we may have taken    
only a few steps on the way as yet1 but 
they are in the right direction1 and    
what we have to do now is to go on4     
,x  ,,present ,,truth   ,if ,thought    
power is good for anything it is good   
for everything4 ,if it can produce one  
thing it can produce all things4 ,for   
what is to hinder it8 ,nothing can stop 
us from thinking4 ,we can think what we 
please1 and if to think is to form1 then
 we can form what we please4 ,the whole 
question1 therefore1 resolves itself    
into this3 ,is it true that to think is 
to form8 ,if so1 do we not see that our 
limitations are formed in precisely the 
same way as our expansions8 ,we think   
that conditions outside our thought have
 power over us1 and so we think power   
into them4 ,so the great question of    
life is whether there is any other      
creative power than ,thought4 ,if so1   
where is it1 and what is it8  ,both     
philosophy and religion lead us to the  
truth that in the beginning there was no

 other creative power than ,spirit1 and 
the only mode of activity we can        
possibly attribute to ,spirit is        
,thought1 and so we find ,thought as the
 root of all things4 ,and if this was   
the case in the beginning it must be so 
still2 for if all things originate in   
,thought1 all things must be modes of   
,thought1 and so it is impossible for   
,spirit ever to hand over its creations 
to some power which is not itself--that 
is to say1 which is not ,thought-power2 
and consequently all the forms and      
circumstances that surround us are      
manifestations of the creative power of 
,thought4  ,but it may be objected that 
this is ,god's ,thought2 and that the   
creative power is in ,god and not ,man4 
,but this goes away from the            
self-evident axiomatic truth that in the
 beginning nothing could have had any   
origin except ,thought4 ,it is quite    
true that nothing has any origin except 
in the ,divine ,mind1 and ,man himself  
is therefore a mode of the ,divine      

,thought4 ,again1 ,man is               
self-conscious2 therefore ,man is the   
,divine ,thought evolved into individual
 consciousness1 and when he becomes     
sufficiently enlightened to realise this
 as his origin1 then he sees that he is 
a reproduction in individuality of the  
same spirit which produces all things1  
and that his own thought in             
individuality has exactly the same      
quality as the ,divine ,thought in      
universality1 just as fire is equally   
igneous whether burning round a large   
centre of combustion or a small one1 and
 thus we are logically brought to the   
conclusion that our thought must have   
creative power4  ,but people say1 ,we   
have not found it so4 ,we are surrounded
 by all sorts of circumstances that we  
do not desire4 ,yes1 you fear them1 and 
in so doing you think them2 and in this 
way you are constantly exercising this  
,divine prerogative of creation by      
,thought1 only through ignorance you use
 it in a wrong direction4 ,therefore the

 ,book of ,divine ,instructions so      
constantly repeats ,fear not2 doubt not1
 because we can never divest our        
,thought of its inherent creative       
quality1 and the only question is       
whether we shall use it ignorantly to   
our injury or understandingly to our    
benefit4  ,the ,master summed up his    
teaching in the aphorism that knowledge 
of the ,truth would make us free4 ,here 
is no announcement of anything we have  
to do1 or of anything that has to be    
done for us1 in order to gain our       
liberty1 neither is it a statement of   
anything future4 ,truth is what is4 ,he 
did not say1 you must wait till         
something becomes true which is not true
 now4 ,he said3 ,know what is ,truth    
now1 and you will find that the ,truth  
concerning yourself is ,liberty4 ,if the
 knowledge of ,truth makes us free it   
can only be because in truth we are free
 already1 only we do not know it4  ,our 
liberty consists in our reproducing on  
the scale of the individual the same    

creative power of ,thought which first  
brought the world into existence1 so    
that the things which are seen were not 
made of things which do appear4 ,let us1
 then1 confidently claim our birthright 
as sons and daughters of the ,almighty1 
and by habitually thinking the good1 the
 beautiful1 and the true1 surround      
ourselves with conditions corresponding 
to our thoughts1 and by our teaching and
 example help others to do the same4    
,,xi  ,,yourself   ,i want to talk to   
you about the livingness there is in    
being yourself4 ,it has at least the    
merit of simplicity1 for it must surely 
be easier to be oneself than to be      
something or somebody else4 ,yet that is
 what so many are constantly trying to  
do2 the self that is their own is not   
good enough for them1 and so they are   
always trying to go one better than what
 ,god has made them1 with endless strain
 and struggle as the consequence4 ,of   
course1 they are right to put before    
them an ideal infinitely grander than   

anything they have yet attained--the    
only possible way of progress is by     
following an ideal that is always a     
stage ahead of us--but the mistake is in
 not seeing that its attainment is a    
matter of growth1 and that growth must  
be the expansion of something that      
already exists in us1 and therefore     
implies our being what we are and where 
we are as its starting point4 ,this     
growth is a continuous process1 and we  
cannot do next month's growth without   
first doing this month's2 but we are    
always wanting to jump into some ideal  
of the future1 not seeing that we can   
reach it only by steadily going on from 
where we are now4  ,these considerations
 should make us more confident and more 
comfortable4 ,we are employing a force  
which is much greater than we believe   
ourselves to be1 yet it is not separate 
from us and needing to be persuaded or  
compelled1 or inveigled into doing what 
we want2 it is the substratum of our own
 being which is continually passing up  

into manifestation on the visible plane 
and becoming that personal self to which
 we often limit our attention without   
considering whence it proceeds4 ,but in 
truth the outer self is the surface     
growth of that individuality which lies 
concealed far down in the deeps below1  
and which is none other than the        
,spirit-of-,life which underlies all    
forms of manifestation4  ,endeavour to  
realise what this ,spirit must be in    
itself--that is to say1 apart from any  
of the conditions that arise from the   
various relations which necessarily     
establish themselves between its various
 forms of individualisation4 ,in its    
homogeneous self what else can it be but
 pure life--,essence-of-,life1 if you   
like so to call it8 ,then realise that  
as ,essence-of-,life it exists in the   
innermost of every one of its forms of  
manifestation in as perfect simplicity  
as any we can attribute to it in our    
most abstract conceptions4 ,in this     
light we see it to be the eternally     

self-generating power which1 to express 
itself1 flows into form4  ,this         
universal ,essence-of-,life is a        
continual becoming 7into form71 and     
since we are a part of ,nature we do not
 need to go further than ourselves to   
find the life-giving energy at work with
 all its powers4 ,hence all we have to  
do is to allow it to rise to the        
surface4 ,we do not have to make it rise
 any more than the engineer who sinks   
the bore-pipe for an artesian well has  
to make the water rise in it2 the water 
does that by its own energy1 springing  
as a fountain a hundred feet into the   
air4 ,just so we shall find a fountain  
of ,essence-of-,life ready to spring up 
in ourselves1 inexhaustible and         
continually increasing in its flow1 as  
,one taught long ago to a woman at a    
wayside well4  ,this up-springing of    
,life-,essence is not another's--it is  
our own4 ,it does not require deep      
studies1 hard labours1 weary journeyings
 to attain it2 it is not the monopoly of

 this teacher or that writer1 whose     
lectures we must attend or whose books  
we must read to get it4 ,it is the      
innermost of ourselves1 and a little    
common-sense thought as to how anything 
comes to be anything will soon convince 
us that the great inexhaustible life    
must be the very root and substance of  
us1 permeating every fibre of our being4
  ,surely to be this vast infinitude of 
living power must be enough to satisfy  
all our desires1 and yet this wonderful 
ideal is nothing else but what we       
already are in principio--it is all     
there in ourselves now1 only awaiting   
our recognition for its manifestation4  
,it is not the ,essence-of-,life which  
has to grow1 for that is eternally      
perfect in itself2 but it is our        
recognition of it that has to grow1 and 
this growth cannot be forced4 ,it must  
come by a natural process1 the first    
necessity of which is to abstain from   
all straining after being something     
which at the present time we cannot     

naturally be4 ,the ,law of our          
,evolution has put us in possession of  
certain powers and opportunities1 and   
our further development depends on our  
doing just what these powers and        
opportunities make it possible for us to
 do1 here and now4  ,if we do what we   
are able to do to-day1 it will open the 
way for us to do something better       
to-morrow1 and in this manner the       
growing process will proceed healthily  
and happily in a rapidly increasing     
ratio4 ,this is so much easier than     
striving to compel things to be what    
they are not1 and it is also so much    
more fruitful in good results4 ,it is   
not sitting still doing nothing1 and    
there is plenty of room for the exercise
 of all our mental faculties1 but these 
faculties are themselves the outcome of 
the ,essence-of-,life1 and are not the  
creating power1 but only that which     
gives direction to it ,now it is this   
moving power at the back of the various 
faculties that is the true innermost    

self2 and if we realise the identity    
between the innermost and the outermost1
 we shall see that we therefore have at 
our present disposal all that is        
necessary for our unlimited development 
in the future4  ,thus our livingness    
consists simply in being ourselves1 only
 more so2 and in recognising this we get
 rid of a great burden of unnecessary   
straining and striving1 and the place of
 the old sturm und drang will be taken1 
not by inertia1 but by a joyous activity
 which knows that it always has the     
requisite power to manifest itself in   
forms of good and beauty4 ,what matters 
it whither this leads us8 ,if we are    
following the line of the beautiful and 
good1 then we shall produce the         
beautiful and good1 and thus bring      
increasing joy into the world1 whatever 
particular form it may assume4  ,we     
limit ourselves when we try to fix      
accurately beforehand the particular    
form of good that we shall produce4 ,we 
should aim not so much at having or     

making some particular thing as at      
expressing all that we are4 ,the        
expressing will grow out of realising   
the treasures that are ours already1 and
 contemplating the beauty1 the          
affirmative side1 of all that we are    
now1 apart from the negative conceptions
 and detractions which veil this        
positive good from us4 ,when we do this 
we shall be astonished to see what      
possibilities reside in ourselves as we 
are and with our present surroundings1  
all unlovely as we may deem them3 and   
commencing to work at once upon whatever
 we find of affirmative in these1 and   
withdrawing our thought from what we    
have hitherto seen of negative in them1 
the right road will open up before us1  
leading us in wonderful ways to the     
development of powers that we never     
suspected1 and the enjoyment of         
happiness that we never anticipated4    
,we have never been out of our right    
path1 only we have been walking in it   
backwards instead of forwards1 and now  

that we have begun to follow the path in
 the right direction1 we find that it is
 none other than the way of peace1 the  
path of joy1 and the road to eternal    
life4 ,these things we may attain by    
simply living naturally with ourselves4 
,it is because we are trying to be or do
 something which is not natural to us   
that we experience weariness and labour1
 where we should find all our activities
 joyously concentrated on objects which 
lead to their own accomplishment by the 
force of the love that we have for them4
 ,but when we make the grand discovery  
of how to live naturally1 we shall find 
it to be all1 and more than all1 that we
 had ever desired1 and our daily life   
will become a perpetual joy to          
ourselves1 and we shall radiate light   
and life wherever we go4     ,,xii      
,,religious ,,opinions   ,that great and
 wise writer1 ,george ,eliot1 expressed 
her matured views on the subject of     
religious opinions in these words3 ,i   
have too profound a conviction of the   

efficacy that lies in all sincere faith1
 and the spiritual blight that comes    
with no faith1 to have any negative     
propagandism left in me4 ,this had not  
always been her attitude1 for in her    
youth she had had a good deal of        
negative propagandism in her2 but the   
experience of a lifetime led her to form
 this estimate of the value of sincere  
faith1 independently of the particular  
form of thought which leads to it4      
,tennyson also came to the same         
conclusion1 and gives kindly warning3-- 
,o thou who after toil and storm        
,may'st seem to have reached a purer    
air1       ,whose faith has centred     
everywhere1     ,nor cares to fix itself
 to form4       ,leave thou thy sister  
when she prays     ,her early heaven1   
her happy views1     ,nor thou with     
shadowed hint confuse       ,a life that
 leads melodious days4  ,and thus these 
two great minds have left us a lesson of
 wisdom which we shall do well to profit
 by4 ,let us see how it applies more    

particularly to our own case4  ,the true
 presentment of the ,higher ,thought    
contains no negative propagandism4 ,it  
is everywhere ranged on the side of the 
,affirmative1 and its great object is to
 extirpate the canker which gnaws at the
 root of every life that endeavours to  
centre itself upon the ,negative4 ,its  
purpose is constructive and not         
destructive4 ,but we often find people  
labouring under a very erroneous        
impression as to the nature and scope of
 the movement1 and thus not only        
themselves deterred from investigating  
it1 but also deterring others from doing
 so4 ,sometimes this results from the   
subject having been presented to them   
unwisely--in a way needlessly repugnant 
to the particular form of religious     
ideas to which they are accustomed2 but 
more often it results from their        
prejudging the whole matter1 and making 
up their minds that the movement is     
opposed to their ideas of religion1     
without being at the pains to inquire   

what its principles really are4 ,in     
either case a few words on the attitude 
of the ,new ,thought towards the current
 forms of religious opinion may not be  
out of place4  ,the first consideration 
in every concern is1 ,what is the object
 aimed at8 ,the end determines the means
 to be employed1 and if the nature of   
the end be clearly kept in view1 then no
 objectless complications will be       
introduced into the means4 ,all this    
seems too obvious to be stated1 but it  
is just the failure to realise this     
simple truth that has given rise to the 
whole body of odium theologicum1 with   
all the persecutions and massacres and  
martyrdoms which disgrace the pages of  
history1 making so many of them a record
 of nothing but ferocity and stupidity4 
,let us hope for a better record in the 
future2 and if we are to get it1 it will
 be by the adoption of the simple       
principle here stated4  ,in our own     
country alone the varieties of churches 
and sects form a lengthy catalogue1 but 

in every one of them the purpose is the 
same--to establish the individual in a  
satisfactory relation to the ,divine    
,power4 ,the very fact of any religious 
profession at all implies the           
recognition of ,god as the ,source of   
life and of all that goes to make life2 
and therefore the purpose in every case 
is to draw increasing degrees of life1  
whether here or hereafter1 from the     
,only ,source from which alone it is to 
be obtained1 and therefore to establish 
such a relation with this ,source as may
 enable the worshipper to draw from ,it 
all the life he wants4 ,hence the       
necessary preliminary to drawing        
consciously at all is the confidence    
that such a relation actually has been  
established2 and such a confidence as   
this is exactly all that is meant by    
,faith4  ,the position of the man who   
has not this confidence is either that  
no such ,source exists1 or else that he 
is without means of access to ,it2 and  
in either case he feels himself left to 

fight for his own hand against the      
entire universe without the             
consciousness of any ,superior ,power to
 back him up4 ,he is thrown entirely    
upon his own resources1 not knowing of  
the interior spring from which they may 
be unceasingly replenished4 ,he is like 
a plant cut off at the stem and stuck in
 the ground without any root1 and       
consequently that spiritual blight of   
which ,george ,eliot speaks creeps over 
him1 producing weakness1 perplexity1 and
 fear1 with all their baleful           
consequences1 where there should be that
 strength1 order1 and confidence which  
are the very foundation of all          
building-up for whatever purpose1       
whether of personal prosperity or of    
usefulness to others4  ,from the point  
of view of those who are acquainted with
 the laws of spiritual life1 such a man 
is cut off from the root of his own     
,being4 ,beyond and far interior to that
 outer self which each of us knows as   
the intellectual man working with the   

physical brain as instrument1 we have   
roots penetrating deep into that        
,infinite of which1 in our ordinary     
waking state1 we are only dimly         
conscious2 and it is through this root  
of our own individuality1 spreading far 
down into the hidden depths of ,being1  
that we draw out of the unseen that     
unceasing stream of ,life which         
afterwards1 by our thought-power1 we    
differentiate into all those outward    
forms of which we have need4 ,hence the 
unceasing necessity for every one to    
realise the great truth that his whole  
individuality has its foundation in such
 a root1 and that the ground in which   
this root is embedded is that ,universal
 ,being for which there is no name save 
that of the ,one all-embracing ,i ,,am4 
,the supreme necessity1 therefore1 for  
each of us is to realise this           
fundamental fact of our own nature1 for 
it is only in proportion as we do so    
that we truly live2 and1 therefore1     
whatever helps us to this realisation   

should be carefully guarded4 ,in so far 
as any form of religion contributes to  
this end in the case of any particular  
individual1 for him it is true religion4
 ,it may be imperfect1 but it is true so
 far as it goes2 and what is wanted is  
not to destroy the foundation of a man's
 faith because it is narrow1 but to     
expand it4 ,and this expanding will be  
done by the man himself1 for it is a    
growth from within and not a            
construction from without4  ,our        
attitude towards the religious beliefs  
of others should1 therefore1 not be that
 of iconoclasts1 breaking down          
ruthlessly whatever from our point of   
view we see to be merely traditionary   
idols 7in ,bacon's sense of the word71  
but rather the opposite method of fixing
 upon that in another's creed which we  
find to be positive and affirmative1 and
 gradually leading him to perceive in   
what its affirmativeness consists2 and  
then1 when once he has got the clue to  
the element of strength which exists in 

his accustomed form of belief1 the      
perception of the contrast between that 
and the non-essential accretions will   
grow up in his mind spontaneously1 thus 
gradually bringing him out into a wider 
and freer atmosphere4 ,in going through 
such a process as this1 he will never   
have had his thoughts directed into any 
channel to suggest separation from his  
spiritual root and ground2 but he will  
learn that the rooting and grounding in 
the ,divine1 which he had trusted in at 
first1 were indeed true1 but in a sense 
far fuller1 grander1 and larger every   
way than his early infantile conception 
of them4  ,the question is not how far  
can another's religious opinions stand  
the test of a remorseless logic1 but how
 far do they enable him to realise his  
unity with ,divine ,spirit8 ,that is the
 living proof of the value of his       
opinion to himself1 and no change in his
 opinions can be for the better that    
does not lead him to a greater          
recognition of the livingness of ,divine

 ,spirit in himself4 ,for any change of 
opinion to indicate a forward movement1 
it must proceed from our realising in   
some measure the true nature of the life
 that is already developed in us4 ,when 
we see why we are what we are now1 then 
we can look ahead and see what the same 
life principle that has brought us up to
 the present point is capable of doing  
in the future4 ,we may not see very far 
ahead1 but we shall see where the next  
step is to be placed1 and that is       
sufficient to enable us to move on4     
,what we have to do1 therefore1 is to   
help others to grow from the root they  
are already living by1 and not to dig   
their roots up and leave them to wither4
 ,we need not be afraid of making       
ourselves all things to all men1 in the 
sense of fixing upon the affirmative    
elements in each one's creed as the     
starting-point of our work1 for the     
affirmative and life-giving is always   
true1 and ,truth is always one and      
consistent with itself2 and therefore we

 need never fear being inconsistent so  
long as we adhere to this method4 ,it is
 worse than useless to waste time in    
dissecting the negative accretions of   
other people's beliefs4 ,in doing so we 
run great risks of rooting up the wheat 
along with the tares1 and we shall      
certainly succeed in brushing people up 
the wrong way2 moreover1 by looking out 
exclusively for the life-giving and     
affirmative elements1 we shall reap     
benefit to ourselves4 ,we shall not only
 keep our temper1 but we shall often    
find large reserves of affirmative power
 where at first we had apprehended      
nothing but worthless accumulations1 and
 thus we shall become gainers both in   
largeness of mind and in stores of      
valuable material4  ,of course we must  
be rigidly unyielding as regards the    
essence of ,truth--that must never be   
sacrificed--but as representatives1 in  
however small a sphere1 of the ,new     
,thought1 we should make it our aim to  
show others1 not that their religion is 

wrong1 but that all they may find of    
life-givingness in it is life-giving    
because it is part of the ,one ,truth   
which is always the same under whatever 
form expressed4 ,as half a loaf is      
better than no bread1 so ignorant       
worship is better than no worship1 and  
ignorant faith is better than no faith4 
,our work is not to destroy this faith  
and this worship1 but to lead them on   
into a clearer light4  ,for this reason 
we may assure all inquirers that the    
abandonment of their customary form of  
worship is no necessity of the ,new     
,thought2 but1 on the contrary1 that the
 principles of the movement1 correctly  
understood1 will show them far more     
meaning in that worship than they have  
ever yet realised4 ,truth is one2 and   
when once the truth which underlies the 
outward form is clearly understood1 the 
maintenance or abandonment of the latter
 will be found to be a matter of        
personal feeling as to what form1 or    
absence of form1 best enables the       

particular individual to realise the    
,truth itself4     ,,xiii  ,a ,,lesson  
,,from ,,browning   ,perhaps you know a 
little poem of ,browning's called ,an   
,epistle ,containing the ,strange       
,medical ,experiences of ,karshish1 the 
,arab ,physician4 ,the somewhat weird   
conception is that the ,arab physician1 
travelling in ,palestine soon after the 
date when the ,gospel narrative closes1 
meets with ,lazarus whom ,jesus raised  
from the dead1 and in this letter to a  
medical friend describes the strange    
effect which his vision of the other    
life has produced upon the resuscitated 
man4 ,the poem should be studied as a   
whole2 but for the present a few lines  
selected here and there must do duty to 
indicate the character of the change    
which has passed upon ,lazarus4 ,after  
comparing him to a beggar who1 having   
suddenly received boundless wealth1 is  
unable to regulate its use to his       
requirements1 ,karshish continues3--    
,so here--we call the treasure          

knowledge1 say1     ,increased beyond   
the fleshly faculty--     ,heaven opened
 to a soul while yet on earth1          
,earth forced on a soul's use while     
seeing heaven3     ,the man is witless  
of the size1 the sum1     ,the value in 
proportion of all things4  ,in fact he  
has become almost exclusively conscious 
of      ,the spiritual life around the  
earthly life3     ,the law of that is   
known to him as this1     ,his heart and
 brain move there1 his feet stay here1  
and the result is a loss of mental      
balance entirely unfitting him for the  
affairs of ordinary life4  ,now there   
can be no doubt that ,browning had a far
 more serious intention in writing this 
poem than just to record a fantastic    
notion that flitted through his brain4  
,if we read between the lines1 it must  
be clear from the general tenor of his  
writings that1 however he may have      
acquired it1 ,browning had a very deep  
acquaintance with the inner region of   
spiritual causes which give rise to all 

that we see of outward phenomenal       
manifestation4 ,there are continual     
allusions in his works to the life      
behind the veil1 and it is to this      
suggestion of some mystery underlying   
his words that we owe the many attempts 
to fathom his meaning expressed through 
,browning ,societies and the            
like--attempts which fail or succeed    
according as they are made from the     
without or from the within4 ,no one was 
better qualified than the poet to       
realise the immense benefits of the     
inner knowledge1 and for the same reason
 he is also qualified to warn us of the 
dangers on the way to its acquisition2  
for nowhere is it more true that      ,a
 little knowledge is a dangerous thing1 
and it is one of the greatest of these  
dangers that he points out in this poem4
  ,under the figure of ,lazarus he      
describes the man who has practically   
grasped the reality of the inner side of
 things1 for whom the veil has been     
removed1 and who knows that the external

 and visible takes its rise from the    
internal and spiritual4 ,but the        
description is that of one whose eyes   
have been so dazzled by the light that  
he has lost the power of accommodating  
his vision to the world of sense4 ,he   
now commits the same error from the side
 of the within that he formerly         
committed from the side of the without1 
the error of supposing that there is no 
vital reality in the aspect of things on
 which his thoughts are not immediately 
centered4 ,this is want of mental       
balance1 whether it shows itself by     
refusing reality to the inward or the   
outward4 ,to be so absorbed in          
speculative ideas as to be unable to    
give them practical application in daily
 life1 is to allow our highest thoughts 
to evaporate in dreams4  ,there is a    
world of philosophy in the simple       
statement that there can be no inside   
without an outside1 and no outside      
without an inside2 and the great secret 
in life is in learning to see things in 

their wholeness1 and to realise the     
inside and the outside simultaneously4  
,each of them without the other is a    
mere abstraction1 having no real        
existence1 which we contemplate         
separately only for the purpose of      
reviewing the logical steps by which    
they are connected together as cause and
 effect4 ,nature does not separate them1
 for they are inseparable2 and the law  
of nature is the law of life4 ,it is    
related of ,pythagoras that1 after he   
had led his scholars to the dizziest    
heights of the inner knowledge1 he never
 failed to impress upon them the        
converse lesson of tracing out the steps
 by which these inner principles        
translate themselves into the familiar  
conditions of the outward things by     
which we are surrounded4 ,the process of
 analysis is merely an expedient for    
discovering what springs in the realm of
 causes we are to touch in order to     
produce certain effects in the realm of 
manifestation4 ,but this is not         

sufficient4 ,we must also learn to      
calculate how those particular effects1 
when produced1 will stand related to the
 world of already existing effects among
 which we propose to launch them1 how   
they will modify these and be modified  
by these in turn2 and this calculation  
of effects is as necessary as the       
knowledge of causes4  ,we cannot impress
 upon ourselves too strongly that       
reality consists of both an inside and  
an outside1 a generating principle and a
 generated condition1 and that anything 
short of the reality of wholeness is    
illusion on one side or the other4      
,nothing could have been further from   
,browning's intention than to deter     
seekers after truth from studying the   
principles of ,being1 for without the   
knowledge of them truth must always     
remain wrapped in mystery2 but the      
lesson he would impress on us is that of
 guarding vigilantly the mental         
equilibrium which alone will enable us  
to develop those boundless powers whose 

infinite unfolding is the fulness of    
,life4 ,and we must remember above all  
that the soul of life is ,love1 and that
 ,love shows itself by service1 and     
service proceeds from sympathy1 which is
 the capacity for seeing things from the
 point of view of those whom we would   
help1 while at the same time seeing them
 also in their true relations2 and      
therefore1 if we would realise that     
,love which is the inmost vitalising    
principle even of the most interior     
powers1 it must be kept alive by        
maintaining our hold upon the exterior  
life as being equally real with the     
inward principles of which it is the    
manifestation4  #aijb4     ,,xiv  ,,the 
,,spirit ,,of ,,opulence   ,it is quite 
a mistake to suppose that we must       
restrict and stint ourselves in order to
 develop greater power or usefulness4   
,this is to form the conception of the  
,divine ,power as so limited that the   
best use we can make of it is by a      
policy of self-starvation1 whether      

material or mental4 ,of course1 if we   
believe that some form of               
self-starvation is necessary to our     
producing good work1 then so long as we 
entertain this belief the fact actually 
is so for us4 ,whatsoever is not of     
faith--that is1 not in accordance with  
our honest belief--is sin2 and by acting
 contrary to what we really believe we  
bring in a suggestion of opposition to  
the ,divine ,spirit1 which must         
necessarily paralyse our efforts1 and   
surround us with a murky atmosphere of  
distrust and want of joy4  ,but all this
 exists in1 and is produced by1 our     
belief2 and when we come to examine the 
grounds of this belief we shall find    
that it rests upon an entire            
misapprehension of the nature of our own
 power4 ,if we clearly realise that the 
creative power in ourselves is          
unlimited1 then there is no reason for  
limiting the extent to which we may     
enjoy what we can create by means of it4
 ,where we are drawing from the infinite

 we need never be afraid of taking more 
than our share4 ,that is not where the  
danger lies4 ,the danger is in not      
sufficiently realising our own richness1
 and in looking upon the externalised   
products of our creative power as being 
the true riches instead of the creative 
power of spirit itself4  ,if we avoid   
this error1 there is no need to limit   
ourselves in taking what we will from   
the infinite storehouse3 ,all things are
 yours4 ,and the way to avoid this error
 is by realising that the true wealth is
 in identifying ourselves with the      
spirit of opulence4 ,we must be opulent 
in our thought4 ,do not think money1 as 
such1 for it is only one means of       
opulence2 but think opulence1 that is1  
largely1 generously1 liberally1 and you 
will find that the means of realising   
this thought will flow to you from all  
quarters1 whether as money or as a      
hundred other things not to be reckoned 
in cash4  ,we must not make ourselves   
dependent on any particular form of     

wealth1 or insist on its coming to us   
through some particular channel--that is
 at once to impose a limitation1 and to 
shut out other forms of wealth and to   
close other channels2 but we must enter 
into the spirit of it4 ,now the spirit  
is ,life1 and throughout the universe   
,life ultimately consists in            
circulation1 whether within the physical
 body of the individual or on the scale 
of the entire solar system2 and         
circulation means a continual flowing   
around1 and the spirit of opulence is no
 exception to this universal law of all 
life4  ,when once this principle becomes
 clear to us we shall see that our      
attention should be directed rather to  
the giving than the receiving4 ,we must 
look upon ourselves1 not as misers'     
chests to be kept locked for our own    
benefit1 but as centres of distribution2
 and the better we fulfil our function  
as such centres the greater will be the 
corresponding inflow4 ,if we choke the  
outlet the current must slacken1 and a  

full and free flow can be obtained only 
by keeping it open4 ,the spirit of      
opulence--the opulent mode of thought1  
that is--consists in cultivating the    
feeling that we possess all sorts of    
riches which we can bestow upon others1 
and which we can bestow liberally       
because by this very action we open the 
way for still greater supplies to flow  
in4 ,but you say1 ,i am short of money1 
,i hardly know how to pay for           
necessaries4 ,what have ,i to give8     
,the answer is that we must always start
 from the point where we are2 and if    
your wealth at the present moment is not
 abundant on the material plane1 you    
need not trouble to start on that plane4
 ,there are other sorts of wealth1 still
 more valuable1 on the spiritual and    
intellectual planes1 which you can give2
 and you can start from this point and  
practise the spirit of opulence1 even   
though your balance at the bank may be  
nil4 ,and then the universal law of     
attraction will begin to assert itself4 

,you will not only begin to experience  
an inflow on the spiritual and          
intellectual planes1 but it will extend 
itself to the material plane also4  ,if 
you have realised the spirit of opulence
 you cannot help drawing to yourself    
material good1 as well as that higher   
wealth which is not to be measured by a 
money standard2 and because you truly   
understand the spirit of opulence you   
will neither affect to despise this form
 of good1 nor will you attribute to it a
 value that does not belong to it2 but  
you will co-ordinate it with your other 
more interior forms of wealth so as to  
make it the material instrument in      
smoothing the way for their more perfect
 expression4 ,used thus1 with           
understanding of the relation which it  
bears to spiritual and intellectual     
wealth1 material wealth becomes one with
 them1 and is no more to be shunned and 
feared than it is to be sought for its  
own sake4  ,it is not money1 but the    
love of money1 that is the root of evil2

 and the spirit of opulence is precisely
 the attitude of mind which is furthest 
removed from the love of money for its  
own sake4 ,it does not believe in money4
 ,what it does believe in is the        
generous feeling which is the intuitive 
recognition of the great law of         
circulation1 which does not in any      
undertaking make its first question1    
,how much am ,i going to get by it8 but1
 ,how much am ,i going to do by it8 ,and
 making this the first question1 the    
getting will flow in with a generous    
profusion1 and with a spontaneousness   
and rightness of direction that are     
absent when our first thought is of     
receiving only4  ,we are not called upon
 to give what we have not yet got and to
 run into debt2 but we are to give      
liberally of what we have1 with the     
knowledge that by so doing we are       
setting the law of circulation to work1 
and as this law brings us greater and   
greater inflows of every kind of good1  
so our out-giving will increase1 not by 

depriving ourselves of any expansion of 
our own life that we may desire1 but by 
finding that every expansion makes us   
the more powerful instruments for       
expanding the life of others4 ,live and 
let live is the motto of the true       
opulence4     ,,xv  ,,beauty   ,do we   
sufficiently direct our thoughts to the 
subject of ,beauty8 ,i think not4 ,we   
are too apt to regard ,beauty as a      
merely superficial thing1 and do not    
realise all that it implies4 ,this was  
not the case with the great thinkers of 
the ancient world--see the place which  
no less a one than ,plato gives to      
,beauty as the expression of all that is
 highest and greatest in the system of  
the universe4 ,these great men of old   
were no superficial thinkers1 and1      
therefore1 would never have elevated to 
the supreme place that which is only    
superficial4 ,therefore1 we shall do    
well to ask what it is that these great 
minds found in the idea of ,beauty which
 made it thus appeal to them as the most

 perfect outward expression of all that 
lies deepest in the fundamental laws of 
,being4 ,it is because1 rightly         
apprehended1 ,beauty represents the     
supremest living quality of ,thought4   
,it is the glorious overflowing of      
fulness of ,love which indicates the    
presence of infinite reserves of ,power 
behind it4 ,it is the joyous profusion  
that shows the possession of            
inexhaustible stores of wealth which can
 afford to be thus lavish and yet remain
 as exhaustless as before4 ,read aright1
 ,beauty is the index to the whole      
nature of ,being4  ,beauty is the       
externalisation of ,harmony1 and        
,harmony is the co-ordinated working of 
all the powers of ,being1 both in the   
individual and in the relation of the   
individual to the ,infinite from which  
it springs2 and therefore this ,harmony 
conducts us at once into the presence of
 the innermost undifferentiated ,life4  
,thus ,beauty is in most immediate touch
 with the very arcanum of ,life2 it is  

the brightness of glory spreading itself
 over the sanctuary of the ,divine      
,spirit4 ,for if1 viewed from without1  
,beauty is the province of the artist   
and the poet1 and lays hold of our      
emotions and appeals directly to the    
innermost feelings of our heart1 calling
 up the response of that within us which
 recognises itself in the harmony       
perceived without1 this is only because 
it speeds across the bridge of ,reason  
with such quick feet that we pass from  
the outmost to the inmost and back again
 in the twinkling of an eye2 but the    
bridge is still there and1 retracing our
 steps more leisurely1 we shall find    
that1 viewed from within1 ,beauty is no 
less the province of the calm reasoner  
and analyst4 ,what the poet and the     
artist seize upon intuitionally1 he     
elaborates gradually1 but the result is 
the same in both cases2 for no intuition
 is true which does not admit of being  
expanded into a rational sequence of    
intelligible factors1 and no argument is

 true which does not admit of being     
condensed into that rapid suggestion    
which is intuition4  ,thus the          
impassioned artist and the calm thinker 
both find that the only true ,beauty    
proceeds naturally from the actual      
construction of that which it expresses4
 ,it is not something added on as an    
afterthought1 but something pre-existing
 in the original idea1 something to     
which that idea naturally leads up1 and 
which presupposes that idea as affording
 it any raison d'tre4 ,the test of      
,beauty is1 ,what does it express8 ,is  
it merely a veneer1 a coat of paint laid
 on from without8 ,then it is indeed    
nothing but a whited sepulchre1 a       
covering to hide the vacuity or         
deformity which needs to be removed4    
,but is it the true and natural outcome 
of what is beneath the surface8 ,then it
 is the index to superabounding ,life   
and ,love and ,intelligence1 which is   
not content with mere utilitarianism    
hasting to escape at the earliest       

possible point from the labour of       
construction1 as though from an enforced
 and unwelcome task1 but rejoicing over 
its work and unwilling to quit it until 
it has expressed this rejoicing in every
 fittest touch of form and colour and   
exquisite proportion that the material  
will admit of1 and this without         
departing by a hairbreadth from the     
original purpose of the design4         
,wherever1 therefore1 we find ,beauty1  
we may infer an enormous reserve of     
,power behind it2 in fact1 we may look  
upon it as the visible expression of the
 great truth that ,life-,power is       
infinite4 ,and when the inner meaning of
 ,beauty is thus revealed to us1 and we 
learn to know it as the very fulness and
 overflowing of ,power1 we shall find   
that we have gained a new standard for  
the guidance of our own lives4 ,we must 
begin to use this wonderful process     
which we have learnt from ,nature4      
,having learnt how ,nature works--how   
,god works--we must begin to work in    

like manner1 and never consider any work
 complete until we have carried it to   
some final outcome of ,beauty1 whether  
material1 intellectual1 or spiritual4   
,is my intention good8 ,that is the     
initial question1 for the intention     
determines the nature of the essence in 
everything4 ,what is the most beautiful 
form in which ,i can express the good ,i
 intend8 ,that is the ultimate question2
 for the true ,beauty which our work    
expresses is the measure of the ,power1 
,intelligence1 ,love--in a word1 of the 
quantity and quality of our own life    
which we have put into it4 ,true        
,beauty1 mind you--that which is        
beautiful because it most perfectly     
expresses the original idea1 not a mere 
ornamentation occupying our thoughts as 
a thing apart from the use intended4    
,nothing is of so small account but it  
has its fullest power of expression in  
some form of ,beauty peculiarly its own4
 ,beauty is the law of perfect ,thought1
 be the subject of our ,thought some    

scheme affecting the welfare of         
millions1 or a word spoken to a little  
child4 ,true ,beauty and true ,power are
 the correlatives one of the other4     
,kindly expression originates in kindly 
thought2 and kindly expression is the   
essence of ,beauty1 which1 seeking to   
express itself ever more and more       
perfectly1 becomes that fine touch of   
sympathy which is artistic skill1       
whether applied in working upon material
 substances or upon the emotions of the 
heart4 ,but1 remember1 first ,use1 then 
,beauty1 and neither complete without   
the other4 ,use without ,beauty is      
ungracious giving1 and ,beauty without  
,use is humbug2 never forgetting1       
however1 that there is a region of the  
mind where the use is found in the      
beauty1 where ,beauty itself serves the 
direct purpose of raising us to see a   
higher ideal which will thenceforward   
permeate our lives1 giving a more living
 quality to all we think and say and do4
  ,seen thus the ,beautiful is the true 

expression of the ,good4 ,from whichever
 end of the scale we look we shall find 
that they accurately measure each other4
 ,they are the same thing in the        
outermost and the innermost             
respectively4 ,but in our search for a  
higher ,beauty than we have yet found we
 must beware of missing the ,beauty that
 already exists4 ,perfect harmony with  
its environment1 and perfect expression 
of its own inward nature are what       
constitute ,beauty2 and our ignorance of
 the nature of the thing or its         
environment may shut our eyes to the    
,beauty it already has4 ,it takes the   
genius of a ,millet to paint1 or a      
,whitman in words1 to show us the beauty
 of those ordinary work-a-day figures   
with which our world is for the most    
part peopled1 whose originals we pass by
 as having no form or comeliness4       
,assuredly the mission of every thinking
 man and woman is to help build up forms
 of greater beauty1 spiritual1          
intellectual1 material1 everywhere2 but 

if we would make something grander than 
,watteau gardens or ,dresden china      
shepherdesses1 we must enter the great  
realistic school of ,nature and learn to
 recognise the beauty that already      
surrounds us1 although it may have a    
little dirt on the surface4 ,then1 when 
we have learnt the great principles of  
,beauty from the ,all-,spirit which is  
it1 we shall know how to develop the    
,beauty on its own proper lines without 
perpetuating the dirt2 and we shall know
 that all ,beauty is the expression of  
,living ,power1 and that we can measure 
our power by the degree of beauty into  
which we can transform it1 rendering our
 lives1      ,by loveliness of perfect  
deeds1     ,more strong than all poetic 
thought4     ,,xvi  ,,separation ,,and  
,,unity   ,i  ,the prince of this world 
cometh1 and hath nothing in ,me 7,john  
xiv1 #cj74 ,in these words the ,grand   
,master of ,divine ,science gives us the
 key to the ,great ,knowledge4          
,comparison with other passages shows   

that the terms here rendered prince and 
world can equally be rendered principle 
and age4 ,jesus is here speaking of a   
principle of the present age so entirely
 opposed to that principle of which he  
himself was the visible expression1 as  
to have no part in him4 ,it is the utter
 contradiction of everything that ,jesus
 came to teach and to exemplify4 ,the   
account ,jesus gave of himself was that 
he came to bear witness to the ,truth1  
and in order that men might have life1  
and that they might have it more        
abundantly2 consequently the principle  
to which he refers must be the exact    
opposite of ,truth and ,life--that is1  
it must be the principle of ,falsehood  
and ,death4  ,what1 then1 is this false 
and destructive principle which rules   
the present age8 ,if we consider the    
gist of the entire discourse of which   
these are the concluding words1 we shall
 find that the central idea which ,jesus
 has been most strenuously endeavouring 
to impress upon his disciples at their  

last meeting before the crucifixion1 is 
that of the absolute identity and       
out-and-out oneness of the ,father and  
the ,son1 the principle of the perfect  
unity of ,god and ,man4 ,if this1 then1 
was the great ,truth which he was thus  
earnestly solicitous to impress upon his
 disciples' minds when his bodily       
presence was so shortly to be removed   
from them--the ,truth of ,unity--may we 
not reasonably infer the opposing       
falsehood to be the assertion of        
separateness1 the assertion that ,god   
and man are not one8 ,the idea of       
separateness is precisely the principle 
on which the world has proceeded from   
that day to this--the assumption that   
,god and man are not one in being1 and  
that the matter is of a different       
essence from spirit4 ,in other words1   
the principle that finds favour with the
 intellectuality of the present age is  
that of duality--the idea of two powers 
and two substances opposite in kind1    
and1 therefore1 repugnant to each other1

 permeating all things1 and so leaving  
no wholeness anywhere4  ,the entire     
object of the ,bible is to combat the   
idea1 of two opposing forces in the     
world4 ,the good news is said to be that
 of reconciliation 7#b ,cor4 v4 #ah71   
where also we are told that all things  
are from ,god1 hence leaving no room for
 any other power or any other substance2
 and the great falsehood1 which it is   
the purpose of the ,good ,news to       
expose1 is everywhere in the ,bible     
proclaimed to be the suggestion of      
duality1 which is some other mode of    
,life1 that is not the ,one ,life1 but  
something separate from it--an idea     
which it is impossible to state         
distinctly without involving a          
contradiction in terms4 ,everywhere the 
,bible exposes the fiction of the       
duality of separation as the great lie1 
but nowhere in so emphatic and          
concentrated a manner as in that        
wonderful passage of ,revelations where 
it is figured in the mysterious ,number 

of the ,beast4 ,he that hath            
understanding let him count the number  
of the ,beast 444 and his number is six 
hundred and sixty and six 7,rev4 xiii1  
#ah1 ,r4,v474 ,let me point out the     
great principle expressed in this       
mysterious number4 ,it has other more   
particular applications1 but this one   
general principle underlies them all4   
,it is an established maxim that every  
unity contains in itself a trinity1 just
 as the individual man consists of body1
 soul1 and spirit4 ,if we would         
perfectly understand anything1 we must  
be able to comprehend it in its         
threefold nature2 therefore in symbolic 
numeration the multiplying of the unit  
by three implies the completeness of    
that for which the unit stands2 and1    
again1 the threefold repetition of a    
number represents its extension to      
infinity4 ,now mark what results if we  
apply these representative methods of   
numerical expression to the principles  
of ,oneness and of separateness         

respectively4 ,oneness is ,unity1 and #a
  #c  #c1 which1 intensified to its     
highest expression1 is written as #ccc4 
,now apply the same method to the idea  
of separateness4 ,separateness consists 
of one and another one1 each of which1  
according to the universal law1 contains
 a trinity4 ,in this view of duality the
 totality of things is two1 and #b  #c  
#f1 and1 intensifying this to its       
highest expression1 we get #fff1 which  
is the ,number of the ,beast4  ,why of  
the ,beast8 ,because separateness from  
,god1 or the duality of opposition1     
which is also a duality of polarity1    
which is ,dual-,unity1 recognises       
something as having essential being1    
which is not the ,one ,spirit2 and such 
a conception can be verbally rendered   
only by some word that in common        
acceptance represents something1 not    
only lower than the divine1 but lower   
than the human also4 ,it is because the 
conception of oneself as a being apart  
from ,god1 if carried out to its        

legitimate consequences1 must ultimately
 land all who hold it in a condition of 
things where open ferocity or secret    
cunning1 the tiger nature or the serpent
 nature1 can be the only possible rule  
of action4  ,thus it is that the        
principle of the present age can have no
 part in that principle of ,perfect     
,wholeness which the ,great ,master     
embodied in ,his teaching and in        
,himself4 ,the two ideas are absolutely 
incompatible1 and whichever we adopt as 
our leading principle1 it must be to the
 entire exclusion of the other2 we      
cannot serve ,god and ,mammon4 ,there is
 no such thing as partial wholeness4    
,either we are still in the principle of
 ,separateness1 and our eyes are not yet
 open to the real nature of the ,kingdom
 of ,heaven2 or else we have grasped the
 principle of ,unity without any        
exception anywhere1 and the ,one ,being 
includes all1 the body and the soul     
alike1 the visible form and the         
invisible substance and life of all     

equally2 nothing can be left out1 and we
 stand complete here and now1 lacking no
 faculty1 but requiring only to become  
conscious of our own powers1 and to     
learn to have confidence in them through
 having them exercised by reason of use4
  ,the following communication from ,a  
,foreign ,reader1 commenting on the     
,number of the ,beast1 as treated by    
,judge ,troward in ,separation and      
,unity1 is taken from ,,expression for  
#aijb1 in which it was first published4 
,following is ,judge ,troward's reply to
 this letter4      ,dear ,mr4           
,editor4--,a correspondent in the       
current number of     ,expression points
 out the reference in the ,book of      
,revelation to the number #fff as the   
mark of the ,beast1     because the     
trinity of mind1 soul1 and body1 if     
considered as     unity1 may be         
expressed by the figures #ccc1 and      
therefore     duality is #ccc  #b  #fff4
      ,i think the inverse of the       
proposition is still more     startling1

 and ,i should like to point it out4    
,instead of     multiplying let us try  
dividing4 ,first of all take unity as   
the unit one and divide by three        
7representing of course the     same    
formula1 viz41 mind1 soul and body74    
,expressed by a     common fraction it  
is merely #a_/c1 which is an incomplete 
mathematical figure4 ,but take the      
decimal formula of one     divided by   
three1 and we arrive at 4#c circulating1
 i4 e41     4#cccc on to infinity4 ,in  
other words1 the result of the          
proposition by mathematics is that you  
divide this formula of     spirit1 soul1
 and body into unity1 and it remains    
true to     itself ad infinitum4        
,now we come to consider it as a duality
 in the same way4     ,expressed as a   
vulgar fraction it is #b_/c2 but as a   
decimal     fraction it is 4#ffff ad    
infinitum4 ,i think this is worth       
noting4          ,yours very faithfully1
               ,a ,foreign ,reader4     
,brussels1 ,aug4 #ad1 #aijb4         99 

99       99       99       99      ,dear
 ,editor4--,i return with many thanks   
the very interesting     letter received
 with yours1 and ,i am very glad that my
     article should have been           
instrumental in drawing forth this      
further light on the subject4           
,this1 moreover1 affords an excellent   
illustration of one     great principle 
of ,unity1 which is that the ,unity     
repeats     itself in every one of its  
parts1 so that each part taken          
separately is an exact reproduction 7in 
principles7 of the     greater ,unity of
 which it is a portion4 ,therefore1 if  
you     take the individual man as your 
unit 7which is what ,i did71     and    
proceed by multiplication1 you get the  
results which were     pointed out in my
 article4 ,and conversely1 if you take  
the     ,great ,unity of ,all-,being as 
your unit1 and proceed by     division1 
you arrive at the result shown by your  
foreign     correspondent4 ,the         
principle is a purely mathematical one1 

and is extremely interesting in the     
present application as     showing the  
existence of a system of concealed      
mathematics     running through the     
whole ,bible4 ,this bears out what ,i   
said     in my article that there were  
other applications of the     principle 
in question1 though this one did not at 
the time     occur to me4      ,i am    
much indebted to your correspondent for 
the further     proof thus given of the 
correctness of my interpretation of     
the ,number of the ,beast4 ,both our    
interpretations support     each other1 
for they are merely different ways of   
stating the     same thing1 and they    
have this advantage over those generally
     given1 that they do not refer to   
any particular form of evil1     but    
express a general principle applicable  
to all alike4          ,yours sincerely1
                        ,t4             
,london1 ,aug4 #cj1 #aijb4   ,,ii  ,it  
may perhaps emphasize my point if ,i    
remind my readers that it was the       

conflict between the principles of      
,unity and separation that led to the   
crucifixion of ,jesus4 ,we must         
distinguish between the charge which    
really led to his death1 and the merely 
technical charge on which he was        
sentenced by the ,roman ,governor4 ,the 
latter--the charge of opposition to the 
royal authority of ,csar--has its       
significance2 but it is clear from the  
,bible record that this was merely      
formal1 the true cause of conviction    
being contained in the statement that of
 the chief priests3 ,we have a law1 and 
by our law he ought to die1 because he  
made himself the ,son of ,god4  ,the    
antagonism of the two principles of     
,unity and separation had first been    
openly manifested on the occasion when  
,jesus made the memorable declaration1  
,i and my ,father are one4 ,the ,jews   
took up stones to stone him4 ,then said 
,jesus unto them1 ,many good works have 
,i shown you from my ,father2 for which 
of those works do ye stone ,me8 ,the    

,jews replied1 ,for a good work we stone
 thee not2 but for blasphemy2 and       
because that thou1 being a man1 makest  
thyself ,god4 ,jesus said1 ,is it not   
written in your law1 ,i said ye are     
gods8 ,if ,he called them gods1 unto    
whom the ,word of ,god came 7and the    
,scriptures cannot be broken71 say ye of
 him1 whom the ,father hath sanctified1 
and sent into the world1 thou           
blasphemest2 because ,i said1 ,i am the 
,son of ,god8 ,here we have the first   
open passage of arms between the two    
opposing principles which led to the    
scene of ,calvary as the final testimony
 of ,jesus to the principle of ,unity4  
,he died because he maintained the      
,truth2 that he was one with the        
,father4 ,that was the substantive      
charge on which he was executed4 ,art   
thou the son of the ,blessed8 he was    
asked by the priestly tribunal2 and the 
answer came clear and unequivocal1 ,i   
am4 ,then said the ,council1 ,he hath   
spoken blasphemy1 what further need have

 we of witnesses8 ,and they all         
condemned him to be worthy of death4    
,jesus did not enter into a palpably    
useless argument with judges whose minds
 were so rooted in the idea of dualism  
as to be impervious to any other        
conception2 but with a mixed multitude1 
who were not officially committed to a  
system1 the case was different4 ,among  
them there might be some still open to  
conviction1 and the appeal was1         
therefore1 made to a passage in the     
,psalms with which they were all        
familiar1 pointing out that the very    
persons to whom the ,divine word was    
addressed were styled gods by the       
,divine ,speaker ,himself4 ,the         
incontrovertibleness of the fact was    
emphasised by the stress laid upon it as
 ,scripture which cannot be broken2 and 
the meaning to be assigned to the       
statement was rendered clear by the     
argument which ,jesus deduced from it4  
,he says in effect1 ,you would stone me 
as a blasphemer for saying of myself    

what your own ,scriptures say concerning
 each of you4 ,the claim of unity with  
the ,father1 he urges1 was no unique    
one1 but one which the ,scripture1      
rightly understood1 entitled every one  
of his hearers to make for himself4     
,and so we find throughout that ,jesus  
nowhere makes any claim for himself     
which he does not also make for those   
who accept his teaching4 ,does he say to
 the ,jews1 ,ye are of this world2 ,i am
 not of this world8 ,equally he says of 
his disciples1 ,they are not of the     
world1 even as ,i am not of the world4  
,does he say1 ,i am the light of the    
world8 ,equally1 he says1 ,ye are the   
light of the world4 ,does he say1 ,i and
 my ,father are one8 ,equally he prays  
that they all might be one1 even as we  
are one4 ,is he styled the ,son of ,god8
 ,then ,st4 ,john writes1 ,to them gave 
he power to become sons of ,god1 even to
 as many as believe on his name2 and by 
belief on the name we may surely        
understand belief in the principle of   

which the name is the verbal            
representation4  ,the essential unity of
 ,god and man is thus the one fact which
 permeates the whole teaching of ,jesus4
 ,he himself stood forth as its living  
expression4 ,he appealed to his miracles
 as the proofs of it3 it is the ,father 
that doeth the works4 ,it formed the    
substance of his final discourse with   
his disciples in the night that he was  
betrayed4 ,it is the ,truth1 to bear    
witness to which1 he told ,pilate1 was  
the purpose of his life4 ,in support of 
this ,truth he died1 and by the living  
power of this ,truth he rose again4 ,the
 whole object of his mission was to     
teach men to realise their unity with   
,god and the consequences that must     
necessarily follow from it2 to draw them
 away from that notion of dualism which 
puts an impassable barrier between ,god 
and man1 and thus renders any true      
conception of the ,principle of ,life   
impossible2 and to draw them into the   
clear perception of the innermost nature

 of ,life1 as consisting in the inherent
 identity of each individual with that  
,infinite all-pervading ,spirit of ,life
 which he called the ,father4  ,the     
branch cannot bear fruit except it abide
 in the vine2 the power of bearing      
fruit1 of producing and of giving forth1
 depends entirely on the fact that the  
individual is1 and always continues to  
be1 as much an organic part of          
,universal ,spirit as the fruit-bearing 
branch is an organic part of the parent 
stem4 ,lose this idea1 and regard ,god  
as a merely external ,creator who may   
indeed command us1 or even sometimes be 
moved by our cries and entreaties1 and  
we have lost the root of ,livingness and
 with it all possibility of growth or of
 liberty4 ,this is dualism1 which cuts  
us off from our ,source of ,life2 and so
 long as we take this false conception  
for the true law of ,being1 we shall    
find ourselves hampered by limitations  
and insoluble problems of every         
description3 ,we have lost the ,key of  

,life and are consequently unable to    
open the door4  ,but in proportion as we
 abide in the vine1 that is1 consciously
 realise our perpetual unity with       
,originating ,spirit1 and impress upon  
ourselves that this unity is neither    
bestowed as the reward of merit1 nor as 
an act of favour--which would be to deny
 the ,unity1 for the bestowal would at  
once imply dualism--but dwell on the    
truth that it is the innermost and      
supreme principle of our own nature2 in 
proportion as we consciously realise    
this1 we shall rise to greater and      
greater certainty of knowledge1         
resulting in more and more perfect      
externalisation1 whose increasing       
splendour can know no limits2 for it is 
the continual outflowing of the         
exhaustless ,spirit of ,life in that    
manifestation of itself which is our own
 individuality4  ,the notion of dualism 
is the veil which prevents men seeing   
this1 and causes them to wander         
blindfolded among the mazes of endless  

perplexity2 but1 as ,st4 ,paul truly    
says1 when this veil is taken away we   
shall find ourselves changed from glory 
to glory as by the ,lord the ,spirit4   
,his name shall be called ,immanuel1    
that is ,god in us1 not a separate being
 from ourselves4 ,let us remember that  
,jesus was condemned by the principle of
 separation because he himself was the  
externalisation of the principle of     
,unity1 and that1 in adhering to the    
principle of ,unity we are adhering to  
the only possible root of ,life1 and are
 maintaining the ,truth for which ,jesus
 died4     ,,xvii  ,,externalisation    
,who would not be happy in himself and  
his conditions8 ,that is what we all    
desire--more fulness of life1 a greater 
and brighter vitality in ourselves1 and 
less restriction in our surroundings4   
,and we are told that the talisman by   
which this can be accomplished is       
,thought4 ,we are told1 ,change your    
modes of thought1 and the changed       
conditions will follow4 ,but many       

seekers feel that this is very much like
 telling us to catch birds by putting   
salt on their tails4 ,if we can put the 
salt on the bird's tail1 we can also lay
 our hand on the bird4 ,if we can change
 our thinking1 we can thereby change our
 circumstances4  ,but how are we to     
bring about this change of cause which  
will in its turn produce this changed   
effect8 ,this is the practical question 
that perplexes many earnest seekers4    
,they can see their way clearly enough  
through the whole sequence of cause and 
effect resulting in the externalisation 
of the desired results1 if only the one 
initial difficulty could be got over4   
,the difficulty is a real one1 and until
 it is overcome it vitiates all the     
teaching and reduces it to a mere paper 
theory4 ,therefore it is to this point  
that the attention of students should be
 particularly directed4 ,they feel the  
need of some solid basis from which the 
change of thought can be effected1 and  
until they find this the theory of      

,divine ,science1 however perfect in    
itself1 will remain for them nothing    
more than a mere theory1 producing no   
practical results4  ,the necessary      
scientific basis exists1 however1 and is
 extremely simple and reasonable1 if we 
will take the pains to think it out     
carefully for ourselves4 ,unless we are 
prepared to support the thesis that the 
,power which created the universe is    
inherently evil1 or that the universe is
 the work of two opposite and equal     
powers1 one evil and the other          
good--both of which propositions are    
demonstrably false--we have no          
alternative but to say that the         
,originating ,source of all must be     
inherently good4 ,it cannot be partly   
good and partly evil1 for that would be 
to set it against itself and make it    
self-destructive2 therefore it must be  
good altogether4 ,but once grant this   
initial proposition and we cut away the 
root of all evil4 ,for how can evil     
proceed from an ,all-originating ,source

 which is good altogether1 and in which1
 therefore1 no germ for the development 
of evil is to be found8 ,good cannot be 
the origin of evil2 and since nothing   
can proceed except from the one         
,originating ,mind1 which is only good1 
the true nature of all things must be   
that which they have received from their
 ,source--namely1 good4  ,hence it      
follows that evil is not the true nature
 of anything1 and that evil must have   
its rise in something external to the   
true nature of things4 ,and since evil  
is not in the true nature of the things 
themselves1 nor yet in the ,universal   
,mind which is the ,originating         
,principle1 there remains only one place
 for it to spring from1 and that is our 
own personal thought4 ,first we suppose 
evil to be as inherent in the nature of 
things as good--a supposition which we  
could not make if we stopped to consider
 the necessary nature of the            
,originating ,principle4 ,then1 on this 
entirely gratuitous supposition1 we     

proceed to build up a fabric of fears1  
which1 of course1 follow logically from 
it2 and so we nourish and give substance
 to the ,negative1 or that which has no 
substantial existence except such as we 
attribute to it1 until we come to regard
 it as having ,affirmative power of its 
own1 and so set up a false idea of      
,being--the product of our own minds--to
 dispute the claims of true ,being to   
the sovereignty of the universe4  ,once 
assume the existence of two rival       
powers--one good and the other evil--in 
the direction of the universe1 and any  
sense of harmony becomes impossible2 the
 whole course of ,nature is thrown out  
of gear1 and1 whether for ourselves or  
for the world at large1 there remains no
 ground of certainty anywhere4 ,and this
 is precisely the condition in which the
 majority of people live4 ,they are     
surrounded by infinite uncertainty about
 everything1 and are consequently a prey
 to continual fears and anxieties2 and  
the only way of escape from this state  

of things is to go to the root of the   
matter1 and realise that the whole      
fabric of evil originates in our own    
inverted conception of the nature of    
,being4  ,but if we once realise that   
the true conception of ,being           
necessarily excludes the very idea of   
evil1 we shall see that1 in giving way  
to thoughts and fears of evil1 we are   
giving substance to that which has no   
real substance in itself1 and are       
attributing to the ,negative an         
,affirmative force which it does not    
possess--in fact1 we are creating the   
very thing we fear4 ,and the remedy for 
this is always to recur to the original 
nature of ,being as altogether ,good1   
and then to speak to ourselves thus3 ,my
 thought must continually externalise   
something1 for that is its inherent     
quality1 which nothing can ever alter4  
,shall ,i1 then1 externalise ,god or the
 opposite of ,god8 ,which do ,i wish to 
see manifested in my life--,good or its 
opposite8 ,shall ,i manifest what ,i    

know to be the reality or the reverse8  
,then comes the steady resolve always to
 manifest ,god1 or ,good1 because that  
is the only true reality in all things2 
and this resolve is with power because  
it is founded upon the solid rock of    
,truth4  ,we must refuse to know evil2  
we must refuse to admit that there is   
any such thing to be known4 ,it is the  
converse of this which is symbolised in 
the story of the ,fall4 ,in the day that
 thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely  
die was never spoken of the knowledge of
 ,good1 for ,good never brought death   
into the world4 ,it is eating the fruit 
of the tree of a so-called knowledge    
which admits a second branch1 the       
knowledge of evil1 that is the source of
 death4 ,admit that evil has a          
substantive entity1 which renders it a  
subject of knowledge1 and you thereby   
create it1 with all its consequences of 
sorrow1 sickness and death4 ,but be sure
 that the ,lord ,he is ,god--that is1   
that the one and ,only ,ruling          

,principle of the universe1 whether     
within us or around us1 is ,good and    
,good only--and evil with all its train 
sinks back into its original            
nothingness1 and we find that the ,truth
 has made us free4 ,we are free to      
externalise what we will1 whether in    
ourselves or our surroundings1 for we   
have found the solid basis on which to  
make the needed change of mental        
attitude in the fact that the ,good is  
the only reality of ,being4  #aijb4     
,,xviii  ,,entering ,,into ,,the        
,,spirit ,,of ,,it   ,entering into the 
spirit of it4 ,what a common expression6
 ,and yet how much it really means1 how 
absolutely everything6 ,we enter into   
the spirit of an undertaking1 into the  
spirit of a movement1 into the spirit of
 an author1 even into the spirit of a   
game2 and it makes all the difference   
both to us and to that into which we    
enter4 ,a game without any spirit is a  
poor affair2 and association in which   
there is no spirit falls to pieces2 and 

a spiritless undertaking is sure to be a
 failure4 ,on the other hand1 the book  
which is meaningless to the             
unsympathising reader is full of life   
and suggestion to the one who enters    
into the spirit of the writer2 the man  
who enters into the spirit of the music 
finds a spring of refreshment in some   
fine recital which is entirely missed by
 the cold critic who comes only to judge
 according to the standard of a rigid   
rule2 and so on in every case that we   
can think of4 ,if we do not enter the   
spirit of a thing1 it has no            
invigorating effect upon us1 and we     
regard it as dull1 insipid and          
worthless4 ,this is our everyday        
experience1 and these are the words in  
which we express it4 ,and the words are 
well chosen4 ,they show our intuitive   
recognition of the spirit as the        
fundamental reality in everything1      
however small or however great4 ,let us 
be right as to the spirit of a thing1   
and everything else will successfully   

follow4  ,by entering into the spirit of
 anything we establish a mutual         
vivifying action and reaction between it
 and ourselves2 we vivify it with our   
own vitality1 and it vivifies us with a 
living interest which we call its       
spirit2 and therefore the more fully we 
enter into the spirit of all with which 
we are concerned1 the more thoroughly do
 we become alive4 ,the more completely  
we do this the more we shall find that  
we are penetrating into the great secret
 of ,life4 ,it may seem a truism1 but   
the great secret of ,life is its        
,livingness1 and it is just more of this
 quality of ,livingness that we want to 
get hold of2 it is that good thing of   
which we can never have too much4  ,but 
every fact implies also its negative1   
and we never properly understand a thing
 until we not only know what it is1 but 
also clearly understand what it is not4 
,to a complete understanding the        
knowledge of the negative is as         
necessary as the knowledge of the       

affirmative2 for the perfect knowledge  
consists in realising the relation      
between the two1 and the perfect power  
grows out of this knowledge by enabling 
us to balance the affirmative and       
negative against each other in any      
proportion that we will1 thus giving    
flexibility to what would otherwise be  
too rigid1 and form to what would       
otherwise be too fluid2 and so1 by      
uniting these two extremes1 to produce  
any result we may desire4 ,it is the old
 ,hermetic saying1 ,coagula et          
solve--,solidify the fluid and dissolve 
the solid2 and therefore1 if we would   
discover the secret of entering into the
 spirit of it1 we must get some idea of 
the negative1 which is the not-spirit4  
,in various ages this negative phase has
 been expressed in different forms of   
words suitable to the spirit of the     
time2 and so1 clothing this idea in the 
attire of the present day1 ,i will sum  
up the opposite of ,spirit in the word  
,mechanism4 ,before all things this is a

 mechanical age1 and it is astonishing  
how great a part of what we call our    
social advance has its root in the      
mechanical arts4 ,reduce the mechanical 
arts to what they were in the days of   
the ,plantagenets and the greater part  
of our boasted civilisation would recede
 through the centuries along with them4 
,we may not be conscious of all this1   
but the mechanical tendency of the age  
has a firm grip upon society at large4  
,we habitually look at the mechanical   
side of things by preference to any     
other4 ,everything is done mechanically1
 from the carving on a piece of         
furniture to the arrangement of the     
social system4 ,it is the mechanism that
 must be considered first1 and the      
spirit has to be fitted to the          
mechanical exigencies4 ,we enter into   
the mechanism of it instead of into the 
,spirit of it1 and so limit the ,spirit 
and refuse to let it have its own way2  
and then1 as a consequence1 we get      
entirely mechanical action1 and complete

 our circle of ignorance by supposing   
that this is the only sort of action    
there is4  ,yet this is not a necessary 
state of things even in regard to       
physical science1 for the men who have  
made the greatest advances in that      
direction are those who have most       
clearly seen the subordination of the   
mechanical to the spiritual4 ,the man   
who can recognise a natural law only as 
it operates through certain forms of    
mechanism with which he is familiar will
 never rise to the construction of the  
higher forms of mechanism which might be
 built up upon that law1 for he fails to
 see that it is the law which determines
 the mechanism and not vice versa4 ,this
 man will make no advance in science1   
either theoretical or applied1 and the  
world will never owe any debt of        
gratitude to him4 ,but the man who      
recognises that the mechanism for the   
application of any principle grows out  
of the true apprehension of the         
principle studies the principle first1  

knowing that when that is properly      
grasped it will necessarily suggest all 
that is wanted for bringing it into     
practical use4  ,and if this is true in 
regard to so-called physical science1 it
 is a fortiori true as regards the      
,science of ,spirit4 ,there is a        
mechanical attitude of mind which judges
 everything by the limitations of past  
experiences1 allowing nothing for the   
fact that those experiences were for the
 most part the results of our ignorance 
of spiritual law4 ,but if we realise the
 true law of ,being we shall rise above 
these mechanical conceptions4 ,we shall 
not deny the reality of the body or of  
the physical world as facts1 knowing    
that they also are ,spirit1 but we shall
 learn to deny their power as causes4   
,we shall learn to distinguish between  
the causa causta and the causa causans1 
the secondary or apparent physical cause
 and the primary or spiritual cause1    
without which the secondary cause could 
not exist2 and so we shall get a new    

standpoint of clear knowledge and       
certain power by stepping over the      
threshold of the mechanical and entering
 into the spirit of it4  ,what we have  
to do is to maintain our even balance   
between the two extremes1 denying       
neither ,spirit nor the mechanism which 
is its form and through which it works4 
,the one is as necessary to a perfect   
whole as the other1 for there must be an
 outside as well as an inside2 only we  
must remember that the creative         
principle is always inside1 and that the
 outside only exhibits what the inside  
creates4 ,hence1 whatever external      
effect we would produce1 we must first  
enter into the spirit of it and work    
upon the spiritual principle1 whether in
 ourselves or others2 and by so doing   
our insight will become greatly         
enlarged1 for from without we can see   
only one small portion of the           
circumference1 while from the centre we 
can see the whole of it4 ,if we fully   
grasp the truth that ,spirit is         

,creator1 we can dispense with painful  
investigations into the mechanical side 
of all our problems4 ,if we are         
constructing from without1 then we have 
to calculate anxiously the strength of  
our materials and the force of every    
thrust and strain to which they may be  
subjected1 and very possibly after all  
we may find that we have made a mistake 
somewhere in our elaborate calculations4
 ,but if we realise the power of        
creating from within1 we shall find all 
these calculations correctly made for   
us2 for the same ,spirit which is       
,creator is also that which the ,bible  
calls the ,wonderful ,numberer4         
,construction from without is based upon
 analysis1 and no analysis is complete  
without accurate quantitative knowledge2
 but creation is the very opposite of   
analysis1 and carries its own           
mathematics with it4  ,to enter into the
 spirit of anything1 then1 is to make   
yourself one in thought with the        
creative principle that is at the centre

 of it2 and therefore why not go to the 
centre of all things at once1 and enter 
into the ,spirit of ,life8 ,do you ask  
where to find it8 ,in yourself2 and in  
proportion as you find it there1 you    
will find it everywhere else4 ,look at  
,life as the one thing that is1 whether 
in you or around you2 try to realise the
 livingness of it1 and then seek to     
enter into the ,spirit of it by         
affirming it to be the whole of what you
 are4 ,affirm this continually in your  
thoughts1 and by degrees the affirmation
 will grow into a real living force     
within you1 so that it will become a    
second nature to you1 and you will find 
it impossible and unnatural to think in 
any other way2 and the nearer you       
approach this point the greater you will
 find your control over both body and   
circumstances1 until at last you shall  
so enter into the ,spirit of it--into   
the ,spirit of the ,divine creative     
power which is the root of all          
things--that1 in the words of ,jesus1   

nothing shall be impossible to you1     
because you have so entered into the    
,spirit of it that you discover yourself
 to be one with it4 ,then all the old   
limitations will have passed away1 and  
you will be living in an entirely new   
world of ,life1 ,liberty and ,love1 of  
which you yourself are the radiating    
centre4 ,you will realise the truth that
 your ,thought is a limitless creative  
power1 and that you yourself are behind 
your ,thought1 controlling and directing
 it with ,knowledge for any purpose     
which ,love motives and ,wisdom plans4  
,thus you will cease from your labours1 
your struggles and anxieties1 and enter 
into that new order where perfect rest  
is one with ceaseless activity4  #aijb4 
,,xix  ,,the ,,bible ,,and ,,the ,,new  
,,thought   ,i  ,the ,son  ,a deeply    
interesting subject to the student of   
the ,new ,thought movement is to trace  
how exactly its teaching is endorsed by 
the teaching of the ,bible4 ,there is no
 such thing as new thought in the sense 

of new ,truth1 for what is truth now    
must have been truth always2 but there  
is such a thing as a new presentment of 
the old ,truth1 and it is in this that  
the newness of the present movement     
consists4 ,but the same ,truth has been 
repeatedly stated in earlier ages under 
various forms and in various measures of
 completeness1 and nowhere more         
completely than in the ,scriptures of   
the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,none of 
the older forms of statement is more    
familiarly known to our readers than    
that contained in the ,bible1 and no    
other is entwined around our hearts with
 the same sacred and tender             
associations3 therefore1 ,i have no     
hesitation in saying that the existence 
of a marked correspondence between its  
teaching and that of the ,new ,thought  
cannot but be a source of strength and  
encouragement to any of us who have been
 accustomed in the past to look to the  
old and hallowed ,book as a storehouse  
of ,divine wisdom4 ,we shall find that  

the clearer light will make the rough   
places smooth and the dim places        
luminous1 and that of the treasures of  
knowledge hidden in the ancient volume  
the half has not been told us4  ,the    
,bible lays emphatic stress upon the    
glorious liberty of the sons of ,god1   
thus uniting in a single phrase the     
twofold idea of filial dependence and   
personal liberty4 ,a careful study of   
the subject will show us that there is  
no opposition between these two ideas1  
but that they are necessary correlatives
 to each other1 and that whether stated 
after the more concentrated method of   
the ,bible1 or after the more detailed  
method of the ,new ,thought1 the true   
teaching proclaims1 not our independence
 of ,god1 but our independence in ,god4 
,such an enquiry naturally centres in an
 especial manner around the sayings of  
,jesus2 for whatever may be our opinions
 as to the nature of the authority with 
which he spoke1 we must all agree that a
 peculiar weight attaches to those      

utterances which have come down to us as
 the ipsissima verba from which the     
entire ,new ,testament has been         
developed2 and if an identity of        
conception in the ,new ,thought movement
 can be traced here at the              
fountain-head1 we may expect to find it 
in the lower streams also4  ,the ,key to
 the ,master's teaching is to be found  
in his discourse with the ,woman of     
,samaria1 and it is contained in the    
statement that the ,father is ,spirit1  
that is1 ,spirit in the absolute and    
unqualified sense of the word1 as       
appears from the original ,greek1 and   
not ,a ,spirit as it is rendered in the 
,authorised ,version3 and then as the   
natural correlative to the ,father we   
find another term employed1 the ,son4   
,the relation between these two forms   
the great subject of ,jesus' teaching1  
and1 therefore1 it is most important to 
have some definite idea of what he meant
 by these terms if we would understand  
what it was that he really taught4  ,now

 if the ,father be ,spirit1 the ,son    
must be ,spirit also2 for a son must    
necessarily be of the same nature as his
 father4 ,but since the ,father is      
,spirit1 ,absolute and ,universal1 it is
 evident that the ,son cannot be        
,spirit1 ,absolute and ,universal1      
because there cannot be two ,universal  
,spirits1 for then neither would be     
universal4 ,we may1 therefore1 logically
 infer that because the ,father is      
,universal ,spirit1 the ,son is ,spirit 
not universal2 and the only definition  
of ,spirit not-universal is ,spirit     
individualised and particular4 ,the     
,scripture tells us that the ,spirit is 
,life1 and taking this as the definition
 of ,spirit1 we find that the ,father is
 ,absolute1 ,originating1               
,undifferentiated ,life1 and the ,son is
 the same ,life differentiated into     
particular forms4 ,hence1 in the widest 
sense of the expression1 the ,son stands
 for the whole creation1 visible or     
invisible1 and in this sense it is the  

mere differentiation of the universal   
,life into a multiplicity of particular 
modes4 ,but if we have any adequate idea
 of the intelligent and responsive      
nature of ,spirit#b--;if we realise that
 because it is ,pure ,being it must be  
,infinite ,intelligence and ,infinite   
,responsiveness--then we shall see that 
its reproduction in the particular      
admits of innumerable degrees1 from mere
 expression as outward form up to the   
very fullest expression of the infinite 
intelligence and responsiveness that    
,spirit is4      ,footnote #b3          
,intelligence and ,responsiveness is the
     ,generic ,nature of ,spirit in     
every ,mode1 and it is the              
concentration of this into centres of   
consciousness that     makes            
personality1 i4 e41 self-conscious      
individuality4     ,this varies         
immensely in degree1 from its first     
adumbration     in the animal to its    
intense development in the ,great       
,masters     of ,spiritual ,science4    

,therefore it is called ,the ,power that
     ,knows ,itself--,it is the power of
 ,self-recognition that     makes       
personality1 and as we grow to see that 
our     personality is not all contained
 between our hat and our     boots1 as  
,walt ,whitman says1 but expands away   
into the     ,infinite1 which we then   
find to be the ,infinite of             
ourselves1 the same ,i ,,am that ,i am1 
so our personality     expands and we   
become conscious of ever-increasing     
degrees of     ,life-in-ourselves4  ,the
 teachings of ,jesus were addressed to  
the hearts and intelligences of men1 and
 therefore the grade of sonship of which
 he spoke has reference to the          
expression of ,infinite ,being in the   
human heart and intellect4 ,but this1   
again1 may be conceived of in infinite  
degrees2 in some men there is the bare  
potentiality of sonship entirely        
undeveloped as yet1 in others the       
beginnings of its development1 in others
 a fuller development1 and so on1 until 

we can suppose some supreme instance in 
which the absolutely perfect            
reproduction of the universal has been  
attained4 ,each of these stages         
constitutes a fuller and fuller         
expression of sonship1 until the supreme
 development reaches a point at which it
 can be described only as the perfect   
image of the ,father2 and this is the   
logical result of a process of steady   
growth from an inward principle of ,life
 which constitutes the identity of each 
individual4  ,it is thus a necessary    
inference from ,jesus' own explanation  
of the ,father as ,spirit or ,infinite  
,being that the ,son is the ,scriptural 
phrase for the reproduction of ,infinite
 ,being in the individual1 contemplated 
in that stage at which the individual   
does in some measure begin to recognise 
his identity with his originating       
source1 or1 at any rate1 where he has   
capacity for such a recognition1 even   
though the actual recognition may not   
yet have taken place4 ,it is very       

remarkable that1 thus defining the ,son 
on the direct statement of ,jesus       
himself1 we arrive exactly at the       
definition of ,spirit as that power     
which knows itself4 ,in the capacity for
 thus recognising its identity of nature
 with the ,father is it that the        
potential fact of sonship consists1 for 
the prodigal son was still a son even   
before he began to realise his relation 
to his ,father in actual fact4 ,it is   
the dawning of this recognition that    
constitutes the spiritual babe1 or      
infant son2 and by degrees this         
consciousness grows till he attains the 
full estate of spiritual manhood4 ,this 
recognition by the individual of his own
 identity with ,universal ,spirit is    
precisely what forms the basis of the   
,new ,thought2 and thus at the outset   
the two systems radiate from a common   
centre4  ,but ,i suppose the feature of 
the ,new ,thought which is the greatest 
stumbling-block to those who view the   
movement from the outside is the claim  

it makes for ,thought-power as an active
 factor in the affairs of daily life4   
,as a mere set of speculative opinions  
people might be willing to pigeon-hole  
it along with the philosophic systems of
 ,kant or ,hegel2 but it is the         
practical element in it which causes the
 difficulty4 ,it is not only a system of
 ,thought based upon a conception of the
 ,unity of ,being1 but it claims to     
follow out this conception to its       
legitimate consequences in the          
production of visible and tangible      
external results by the mere exercise of
 ,thought-power4 ,a ridiculous claim1 a 
claim not to be tolerated by common     
sense1 a trespassing upon the ,divine   
prerogative1 a claim of unparalleled    
audacity3 thus the casual objector4 ,but
 this claim is not without its parallel1
 for the same claim was put forward on  
the same ground by the ,great ,teacher  
,himself as the proper result of the    
,son's recognition of his relation to   
the ,father4 ,ask what ye will1 and it  

shall be done unto you2 ,whatsoever you 
shall ask in prayer1 believing1 you     
shall receive1 and nothing shall be     
impossible unto you2 ,all things are    
possible to him that believeth4 ,these  
statements are absolutely without any   
note of limitation save that imposed by 
the seeker's want of faith in his own   
power to move the ,infinite4 ,this is as
 clear a declaration of the efficacy of 
mental power to produce outward and     
tangible results as any now made by the 
,new ,thought1 and it is made on        
precisely the same ground1 namely1 the  
readiness of the ,father or ,spirit in  
the ,universal to respond to the        
movement of ,spirit in the individual4  
,in the ,bible this movement of         
individualised ,spirit is called prayer1
 and it is synonymous with ,thought1    
formulated with the intention of        
producing this response4      ,prayer is
 the heart's sincere desire1            
,uttered or unexpressed1  and we must   
not let ourselves be misled by the      

association of particular forms with    
particular words1 but should follow the 
sound advice of ,oliver ,wendell        
,holmes1 and submit such words to a     
process of depolarisation1 which brings 
out their real meaning4 ,whether we call
 our act prayer or                      
thought-concentration1 we mean the same 
thing2 it is the claim of the man to    
move the ,infinite by the action of his 
own mind4  ,it may be objected1 however1
 that this definition omits an important
 element of prayer1 the question1       
namely1 whether ,god will hear it4 ,but 
this is the very element that ,jesus    
most rigorously excludes from his       
description of the mental act4 ,prayer1 
according to the popular notion1 is a   
most uncertain matter4 ,whether we shall
 be heard or not depends entirely upon  
another will1 regarding whose action we 
are completely ignorant1 and therefore1 
according to this notion1 the very      
essence of prayer consists of utter     
uncertainty4 ,jesus' conception of      

prayer was the very opposite4 ,he bids  
us believe that we have already in fact 
received what we ask for1 and makes this
 the condition of receiving2 in other   
words1 he makes the essential factor in 
the mental action to consist in         
,absolute ,certainty as to the          
corresponding response in the ,infinite1
 which is exactly the condition that the
 ,new ,thought lays down for the        
successful operation of ,thought-power4 
,it may1 however1 be objected that if   
men have thus an indiscriminate power of
 projecting their thought to the        
accomplishment of anything they desire1 
they can do so for evil as easily as for
 good4 ,but ,jesus fully recognised this
 possibility1 and worked the only       
destructive miracle recorded of him for 
the express purpose of emphasising the  
danger4 ,the reason given by the        
compilers of the ,gospel for the        
destruction of the fig-tree is clearly  
inadequate1 for we certainly cannot     
suppose ,jesus so unreasonable as to    

curse a tree for not bearing fruit out  
of season4 ,but the record itself shows 
a very different purpose4 ,jesus        
answered the disciples' astonished      
questioning by telling them that it was 
in their own power1 not only to do what 
was done to the fig-tree1 but to produce
 effects upon a far grander scale2 and  
he concludes the conversation by laying 
down the duty of a heart-searching      
forgiveness as a necessary preliminary  
to prayer4 ,why was this precept so     
particularly impressed in this          
particular connection8 ,obviously       
because the demonstration he had just   
given of the valency of thought-power in
 the hands of instructed persons laid   
bare the fact that this power can be    
used destructively as well as           
beneficially1 and that1 therefore1 a    
thorough heart-searching for the        
eradication of any lurking ill-feeling  
became an imperative preliminary to its 
safe use2 otherwise there was danger of 
noxious thought-currents being set in   

motion to the injury of others4 ,the    
miracle of the fig-tree was an          
object-lesson to exhibit the need for   
the careful handling of that limitless  
power which ,jesus assured his disciples
 existed as fully in them as in himself4
 ,i do not here attempt to go into this 
subject in detail1 but enough has1 ,i   
think1 been shown to convince us that   
,jesus made exactly the same claim for  
the power of ,thought as that made by   
the ,new ,thought movement at the       
present day4 ,it is a great claim1 and  
it is1 therefore1 encouraging to find   
such an authority committed to the same 
assertion4  ,the general principle on   
which this claim is based by the        
exponents of the ,new ,thought is the   
identity of ,spirit in the individual   
with spirit in the universal1 and we    
shall find that this1 also1 is the basis
 of ,jesus' teaching on the subject4 ,he
 says that the ,son can do nothing of   
himself1 but what he seeth the ,father  
do these things doeth the ,son in like  

manner4 ,it must now be sufficiently    
clear that the ,son is a generic        
appellation1 not restricted to a        
particular individual1 but applicable to
 all2 and this statement explains the   
manner of the ,son's working in relation
 to the ,father4 ,the point this        
sentence particularly emphasises is that
 it is what he sees the ,father doing   
that the ,son does also4 ,his doing     
corresponds to his seeing4 ,if the      
seeing expands1 the doing expands along 
with it4 ,but we are all sufficiently   
familiar with this principle in other   
matters4 ,what differentiates an ,edison
 or a ,marconi from the apprentice who  
knows only how to fit up an electric    
bell by rule of thumb8 ,it is their     
capacity for seeing the universal       
principles of electricity and bringing  
them into particular application4 ,the  
great painter is the one who sees the   
universal principles of form and colour 
where the smaller man sees only a       
particular combination2 and so with the 

great surgeon1 the great chemist1 the   
great lawyer--in every line it is the   
power of insight that distinguishes the 
great man from the little one2 it is the
 capacity for making wide               
generalisations and perceiving          
far-reaching laws that raises the       
exceptional mind above the ordinary     
level4 ,the greater working always      
results from the greater seeing into the
 abstract principles from which any art 
or science is generated2 and this same  
law carried up to the universal         
principles of ,life is the law by which 
the ,son's working is proportioned to   
his seeing the method of the ,father's  
work4 ,thus the source of the ,son's    
power lies in the contemplation of the  
,father1 the endeavour1 that is1 to     
realise the true nature of ,being1      
whether in the abstract or in its       
generic forms of manifestation4#c ,this 
is ,bacon's maxim1 ,work as ,god works2 
and similarly the ,new ,thought consists
 before all things in the realisation of

 the laws of ,being4      ,footnote #c3 
,everything depends on this principle of
     ,reciprocity4 ,by contemplation we 
come to realize the true     nature of  
,spirit or the father4 ,we learn to     
disengage the     variable factors of   
particular ,modes from the              
invariable factors which are the        
essential qualities of     ,spirit      
underlying all ,modes4 ,then when we    
realize these     essential qualities we
 see that we can apply them under any   
mode that we will3 in other words we    
supply the variable     factor of the   
combination by the action of our        
,thought1 as     ,desire or ,will1 and  
thus combine it with the invariable     
factor or constant of the essential law 
of spirit1 thus     producing what      
result we will4 ,this is just what we do
 in     respect to physical nature--e4  
g41 the electrician supplies     the    
variable factor of the particular ,mode 
of application1     and the constant    
laws of ,electricity respond to the     

nature of the invitation given to them4 
,this ,responsiveness     is inherent in
 ,spirit2 otherwise ,spirit would have  
no means     of expansion into          
manifestation4 ,responsiveness is the   
principle of ,spirit's ,self-expression4
 ,we do not have to     create          
responsive action on the part of        
electricity4 ,we can     safely take    
this ,responsiveness for granted as pure
 natural     law4 ,our desire first     
works on the ,arupa level and thence    
concentrates itself through the various 
,rupa levels till it     reaches        
complete external manifestation4  ,and  
the result of the seeing is that the    
,son does the same things as the ,father
 in like manner4 ,the ,son's action is  
the reproduction of the universal       
principles in application to specific   
instances4 ,the principles remain       
unaltered and work always in the same   
manner1 and the office of the ,son is to
 determine the particular field of their
 operation with regard to the specific  

object which he has in view2 and        
therefore1 so far as that object is     
concerned1 the action of the ,son       
becomes the action of the ,father also4 
,again1 there is no concealment on the  
part of the ,father4 ,he has no secrets1
 for the ,father loveth the ,son1 and   
showeth him all things that himself     
doeth4 ,there is perfect reciprocity    
between ,spirit in the ,universal and in
 ,individualisation1 resulting from the 
identity of ,being2 and the ,son's      
recognition of ,love as the active      
principle of this ,unity gives him an   
intuitive insight into all those inner  
workings of the ,universal ,life which  
we call the arcana of ,nature4 ,love has
 a divine gift of insight which cannot  
be attained by intellect alone1 and the 
old saying1 ,love will find out the way1
 has greater depths of meaning than     
appear on the surface4 ,thus there is   
not only a seeing1 but also a showing2  
and the three terms--looking1 seeing1   
showing--combine to form a power of     

working to which it is impossible to    
assign any limit4  ,here1 again1 the    
teaching of ,jesus is in exact          
correspondence with that of the ,new    
,thought1 which tells us that           
limitations exist only where we         
ourselves put them1 and that to view    
ourselves as beings of limitless        
knowledge1 power1 and love is to become 
such in outward manifestation of visible
 fact4 ,any objection1 therefore1 to the
 ,new ,thought teaching regarding the   
possibilities latent in ,man apply with 
equal force to the teachings of ,jesus4 
,his teaching clearly was that the      
perfect individuality of ,man is a      
,dual-,unity1 the polarisation of the   
,infinite in the ,manifest2 and it      
requires only the recognition of this   
truth for the manifested element in this
 binary system to demonstrate its       
identity with the corresponding element 
which is not externally visible4 ,he    
said that ,he and his ,father were ,one1
 that those who had seen him had seen   

the ,father1 that the words which he    
spoke were the ,father's1 and that it   
was the ,father who did the works4      
,nothing could be more explicit4        
,absolute unity of the manifested       
individuality with the ,originating     
,infinite ,spirit is asserted or implied
 in every utterance attributed to       
,jesus1 whether spoken of himself or of 
others4 ,he recognises only one radical 
difference1 the difference between those
 who know this truth and those who do   
not know it4 ,the distinction between   
the disciple and the master is one only 
of degree1 which will be effaced by the 
expansive power of growth2 the disciple1
 when he is perfected1 shall be as his  
,master4  ,all that hinders the         
individual from exercising the full     
power of the ,infinite for any purpose  
whatever is his lack of faith1 his      
inability to realise to the full the    
stupendous truth that he himself is the 
very power which he seeks4 ,this was the
 teaching of ,jesus as it is that of the

 ,new ,thought2 and this truth of the   
,divine ,sonship of ,man once taken as  
the great foundation1 a magnificent     
edifice of possibilities which eye hath 
not seen1 nor ear heard1 neither hath   
entered into the heart of man to        
conceive1 grows up logically upon it--a 
glorious heritage which each one may    
legitimately claim in right of his      
common humanity4   ,,ii  ,the ,great    
,affirmation  ,i take it for granted    
that my readers are well acquainted with
 the part assigned to the principle of  
,affirmation in the scheme of the ,new  
,thought4 ,this is often a              
stumbling-block to beginners2 and ,i    
feel sure that even those who are not   
beginners will welcome every aid to a   
deeper apprehension of this great       
central truth4 ,i1 therefore1 purpose to
 examine the ,bible teaching on this    
important subject4  ,the professed      
object of the ,bible is to establish and
 extend the ,kingdom of ,god throughout 
the world1 and this can be done only by 

repeating the process from one          
individual to another1 until the whole  
mass is leavened4 ,it is thus an        
individual process2 and1 as we have seen
 in the last chapter1 ,god is ,spirit   
and ,spirit is ,life1 and1 therefore1   
the expansion of the ,kingdom of ,god   
means the expansion of the principle of 
,life in each individual4 ,now ,life1 to
 be life at all1 must be ,affirmative4  
,it is ,life in virtue of what it is1   
and not in virtue of what it is not4    
,the quantity of life in any particular 
case may be very small2 but1 however    
small the amount1 the quality is always 
the same3 it is the quality of ,being1  
the quality of ,livingness1 and not its 
absence1 that makes it what it is4 ,the 
distinctive character of ,life1         
therefore1 is that it is ,positive and  
not ,negative2 and every degree of      
negativeness1 that is1 every limitation1
 is ultimately traceable to deficiency  
of ,life-power4  ,limitations surround  
us because we believe in our inability  

to do what we desire4 ,whenever we say  
,i cannot we are brought up sharp by a  
limitation1 and we cease to exercise our
 thought-power in that direction because
 we believe ourselves stopped by a blank
 wall of impossibility2 and whenever    
this occurs we are subjected to bondage4
 ,the ideal of perfect ,liberty is the  
converse of all this1 and follows a     
sequence which does not thus lead us    
into a cul-de-sac4 ,this sequence       
consists of the three affirmations3 ,i  
am--therefore ,i can--therefore ,i will2
 and this last affirmation results in   
the projection of our powers1 whether   
interior or external1 to the            
accomplishment of the desired object4   
,but this last affirmation has its root 
in the first2 and it is because we      
recognise the ,affirmative nature of the
 ,life that is in us1 or rather of the  
,life which we are1 that the power to   
will or to act positively has any       
existence2 and1 therefore1 the extent of
 our power to will and to act positively

 and with effect1 is exactly measured by
 our perception of the depth and        
livingness of our own ,being4 ,hence the
 more fully we learn to affirm that1 the
 greater power we are able to exercise4 
,now the ideal of perfect ,liberty is   
the entire absence of all limitation1   
and to have no limitation in ,being is  
to be co-extensive with ,all-,being4 ,we
 are all grammarians enough to know that
 the use of a predicate is to lead the  
mind to contemplate the subject as      
represented by that predicate2 in other 
words1 it limits our conception for the 
time being to that particular aspect of 
the subject4 ,hence every predicate1    
however extensive1 implies some         
limitation of the subject4 ,but the     
ideal subject1 the absolutely free self1
 is1 by the very hypothesis1 without    
limitation2 and1 therefore1 no predicate
 can be attached to it4 ,it stands as a 
declaration of its own ,being without   
any statement of what that ,being       
consists in1 and therefore it says of   

itself1 not ,i am this or that1 but     
simply ,i am4 ,no predicate can be      
added1 because the only commensurate    
predicate would be the enumeration of   
,infinity4 ,therefore1 both logically   
and grammatically1 the only possible    
statement of a fully liberated being is 
made in the words ,i am4  ,i need hardly
 remind my readers of the frequency with
 which ,jesus employed these emphatic   
words4 ,in many cases the translators   
have added the word ,he1 but they have  
been careful1 by putting it in italics1 
to show that it is not in the original4 
,as grammarians and theologians they    
thought something more was wanted to    
complete the sense1 and they supplied it
 accordingly2 but if we would get at the
 very words as the ,master himself spoke
 them1 we must strike out this          
interpolation4 ,and as soon as we have  
done so there flashes into light the    
identity of his statement with that made
 to ,moses at the burning bush1 where   
the full significance of the words is so

 obvious that the translators were      
compelled to leave the place of the     
predicate in that seeming emptiness     
which comes from filling all things4    
,seen thus1 a marvellous light shines   
forth from the instruction of the ,great
 ,teacher3 for in whatever sense we may 
regard him as a ,great ,exception to the
 weak and limited aspect of humanity    
with which we are only too familiar1 we 
must all agree that his mission was not 
to render mankind hopeless by declaring 
the path of advance barred against them1
 but to give light to them that sit in  
darkness1 and liberty to them that are  
bound1 by proclaiming the unlimited     
possibilities that are in man waiting   
only to be called forth by knowledge of 
the ,truth4 ,and if we suppose any      
personal reference in his words1 it can1
 therefore1 be only as the ,great       
,example of what man has it in him to   
become1 and not as the example of       
something which man can never hope to   
be2 an ,exception1 truly1 to mankind as 

we see them now1 but the ,exception that
 proves the rule1 and sets the standard 
of what each one may become as he       
attains to the measure of the stature of
 the fulness of ,christ4  ,let us1      
therefore1 by striking out this         
interpolation1 restore the ,master's    
words as they stand in the original3    
,except ye believe that ,i am1 ye shall 
die in your sins4 ,this is an epitome of
 his teaching4  ,the last enemy that    
shall be overcome is death1 and the     
sting1 or fatal power1 of death is sin4 
,remove that1 and death has no longer   
any dominion over us2 its power is at an
 end4 ,and the strength of sin is the   
,law3 sin is every contradiction of the 
law of ,being2 and the law of ,being is 
infinitude2 for ,being is ,life1 and    
,life in its innermost essence is the   
limitless ,i am4 ,dying in our sins is  
thus not a punishment for doubting a    
particular theological dogma1 but it is 
the unavoidable natural consequence of  
not realising1 not believing in1 the ,i 

am4 ,so long as we fail to realise its  
full infinitude in ourselves1 we cut    
ourselves off from our conscious unity  
with the ,infinite ,life-,spirit which  
permeates all things4 ,without this     
principle we have no alternative but to 
die--and this because of our sin1 that  
is1 because of our failure to conform to
 the true ,law of our ,being1 which is  
,life1 and not ,death4 ,we affirm ,death
 and ,negation concerning ourselves1 and
 therefore ,death and ,negation are     
externalised1 and thus we pay the       
penalty of not believing in the central 
,law of our own ,life1 which is the ,law
 of all ,life4 ,the ,bible is the ,book 
of ,principles1 and therefore by dying  
is meant the acceptance of the principle
 of the ,negative which culminates in   
,death as the sum-total of all          
limitations1 and which introduces at    
every step those restrictions which are 
of the nature of ,death1 because their  
tendency is to curtail the outflowing   
fulness of ,life4  ,this1 then1 is the  

very essence of the teaching of ,jesus1 
that unbelief in the limitless power of 
,life-in-ourselves--in each of us--is   
the one cause of ,death and of all those
 evils which1 in greater or lesser      
measure1 reproduce the restrictive      
influences which deprive ,life of its   
fulness and joy4 ,if we would escape    
,death and enter into ,life1 we must    
each believe in the ,i am in ourselves4 
,and the ground for this belief8 ,simply
 that nothing else is conceivable4 ,if  
our life is not a portion of the life of
 ,universal ,spirit1 whence comes it8   
,we are because that is4 ,no other      
explanation is possible4 ,the           
unqualified affirmation of our own      
livingness is not an audacious          
self-assertion3 it is the only logical  
outcome of the fact that there is any   
life anywhere1 and that we are here to  
think about it4 ,in the sense of        
,universal ,being1 there can be only    
,one ,i am1 and the understanding use of
 the words by the individual is the     

assertion of this fact4 ,the forms of   
manifestation are infinite1 but the     
,life which is manifested is ,one1 and  
thus every thinker who recognises the   
truth regarding himself finds in the ,i 
am both himself and the totality of all 
things2 and thus he comes to know that  
in utilising the interior nature of the 
things and persons about him1 he is1 in 
effect1 employing the powers of his own 
life4  ,sometimes the veil which ,jesus 
drew over this great truth was very     
transparent4 ,to the ,samaritan woman he
 spoke of it as a spring of ,life       
forever welling up in the innermost     
recesses of man's being2 and again1 to  
the multitude assembled at the ,temple1 
he spoke of it as a river of ,life      
forever gushing from the secret sources 
of the spirit within us4 ,life1 to be   
ours at all1 must be ourselves4 ,an     
energy which only passed through us1    
without being us1 might produce a sort  
of galvanic activity1 but it would not  
be ,life4 ,life can never be a separate 

entity from the individuality which     
manifests it2 and therefore1 even if we 
conceive the life-principle in a man so 
intensified as to pulsate with what     
might seem to us an absolutely divine   
vitality1 it would still be no other    
than the man himself4 ,thus ,jesus      
directs us to no external source of     
life1 but ever teaches that the ,kingdom
 of ,heaven is within1 and that what is 
wanted is to remove those barriers of   
ignorance and ill-will which prevent us 
from realising that the great ,i am1    
which is the innermost ,spirit of ,life 
throughout the universe1 is the same ,i 
am that ,i am1 whoever ,i may be4  ,on  
another memorable occasion ,jesus       
declared again that the ,i am is the    
enduring principle of ,life4 ,it is this
 that is the ,resurrection and the      
,life2 not1 as ,martha supposed1 a new  
principle to be infused from without at 
some future time1 but an inherent core  
of vitality awaiting only its own       
recognition of itself to triumph over   

death and the grave4 ,and yet1 again    
hear the ,master's answer to the        
inquiring ,thomas4 ,how many of us1 like
 him1 desire to know the way6 ,to hear  
of wonderful powers latent in man and   
requiring only development is beautiful 
and hopeful1 if we could only find out  
the way to develop them2 but who will   
show us the way8 ,the answer comes with 
no uncertain note4 ,the ,i am includes  
everything4 ,it is at once the ,way1 the
 ,truth1 and the ,life3 not the ,life   
only1 or the ,truth only1 but also the  
,way by which to reach them4 ,can words 
be plainer8 ,it is by continually       
affirming and relying on the ,i am in   
ourselves as identical with the ,i am   
that is the ,one and ,only ,life1       
whether manifested or unmanifested1 in  
all places of the universe1 that we     
shall find the way to the attainment of 
all ,truth and of all ,life4 ,here we   
have the predicate which we are seeking 
to complete our affirmation regarding   
ourselves4 ,i am--what8 the ,three      

things which include all things3 ,truth1
 which is all ,knowledge and ,wisdom2   
,life1 which is all ,power and ,love2   
and the unfailing ,way which will lead  
us step by step1 if we follow it1 to    
heights too sublime and environment too 
wide for our present juvenile imaginings
 to picture4  ,as the ,new ,testament   
centres around ,jesus1 so the old       
,testament centres around ,moses1 and he
 also declares the ,great ,affirmation  
to be the same4#d ,for him ,god has no  
name1 but that intensely living         
universal ,life which is all in all1 and
 no name is sufficient to be its        
equivalent4 ,the emphatic words ,i am   
are the only possible statement of the  
,one-,power which exhibits itself as all
 worlds and all living beings4 ,it is   
the ,great ,i am which forever unfolds  
itself in all the infinite evolutionary 
forces of the cosmic scheme1 and which1 
in marvellous onward march1 develops    
itself into higher and higher conscious 
intelligence in the successive races of 

mankind1 unrolling the scroll of history
 as it moves on from age to age1 working
 out with unerring precision the steady 
forward movement of the whole towards   
that ultimate perfection in which the   
work of ,god will be completed4 ,but    
stupendous as is the scale on which this
 ,providential ,power reveals itself to 
,moses and the ,prophets1 it is still   
nothing else than the very same ,power  
which ,jesus bids us realise in         
ourselves4      ,footnote #d3 ,the ,old 
,testament and the ,new treat the ,i    
,,am     from its opposite poles4 ,the  
,old ,testament treats it from the      
relation of the ,whole to the ,part1    
while the ,new ,testament     treats it 
from the relation of the ,part to the   
,whole4 ,this     is important as       
explaining the relation between the ,old
 and     ,new ,testaments4      7a7 ,my 
,word shall not return unto me void but 
shall     accomplish that whereunto ,i  
send it4      7b7 ,the ,principle here  
indicated is that of the ,alternation   

and ,equation between ,absorption and   
,radiation--a taking-in     before1 and 
a giving-out4      7c7 ,order--,whatever
 betrays this is ,disorder4      7d7    
,conscious--,it is the degree of        
consciousness that     always marks the 
transition from a lower to a higher     
,power of     ,life4 ,the ,life of ,all 
,seven ,principles must always be       
present in us1 otherwise we should not  
exist at all2     therefore it is the   
degree in which we learn to consciously 
function in each of them that marks our 
advance into higher     kingdoms within 
ourselves1 and frequently outside       
ourselves     also4      7e7 ,the       
,central ,radiating ,point of our       
,individuality is ,one     with         
,all-,being4      7f7                   
,equilibrium--,note the difference      
between the ,living     ,equilibrium of 
,alternate ,rhythmic ,pulsation 7the    
whole     ,pulsation ,doctrine7 and the 
dead equilibrium of merely     running  
down to a dead level4 ,the former       

implies the     ,doctrine of the        
,return1 the ,upward ,arc compensating  
the     ,downward ,arc--,the deadness of
 the latter results from the     absence
 of any such compensation4 ,the ,upward 
,arc results from     the contemplation 
of the ,highest ,ideal4      7g7 ,spirit
 cannot leave any portion of its ,nature
 behind it4     ,it must always have all
 the qualities of ,spirit in it1        
even though the lower parts of the      
individuality are not yet     conscious 
of it4      7h7 ,the ,great ,affirmation
 is ,the ,guide to the whole ,subject4  
,the theatre of its operations may be   
expanded to the magnificent proportions 
of a world-history1 or contracted to the
 sphere of a single individuality3 the  
difference is only one of scale2 but the
 ,life-principle is always the same4 ,it
 is always the principle of confident   
,affirmation in the calm knowledge that 
all things are but manifestations of    
itself1 and that1 therefore1 all must   
move together in one mighty unity which 

admits of no discordant elements4 ,this 
unity of the spirit once clearly        
grasped1 to say ,i am is to send the    
vibrations of our thought-currents      
throughout the universe to do our       
bidding when and where we will2 and1    
conversely1 it is to draw in the        
vitalising influences of ,infinite      
,spirit as from a boundless ocean of    
,life1 which can never be exhausted and 
from which no power can hold us back4   
,and all this is so because it is the   
supreme law of ,nature4 ,it is not the  
introduction of a new order1 but simply 
the allowing of the original and only   
possible order to flow on to its        
legitimate fulfilment4 ,a ,divine       
,order1 truly1 but nowhere shall we find
 anything that is not ,divine2 and it is
 to the realisation of this ,divine and 
,living ,order that it is the purpose of
 the ,bible to lead us4 ,but we shall   
never realise it around us until we     
first realise it within us4 ,we can see 
,god outside only by the light of ,god  

inside2 and this light increases in     
proportion as we become conscious of the
 ,divine nature of the innermost ,i am  
which is the centre of our own          
individuality4  ,therefore1 it is that  
,jesus tells us that the ,i am is the   
door4 ,it is that central point of our  
individual ,being which opens into the  
whole illimitable ,life of the          
,infinite4 ,if we would understand the  
old-world precept1 know thyself1 we must
 concentrate our thought more and more  
closely upon our own interior ,life     
until we touch its central radiating    
point1 and there we shall find that the 
door into the ,infinite is indeed opened
 to us1 and that we can pass from the   
innermost of our own ,being into the    
innermost of ,all-,being4 ,this is why  
,jesus spoke of the door as that through
 which we should pass in and out and    
find pasture4 ,pasture1 the feeding of  
every faculty with its proper food1 is  
to be found both on the within and the  
without4 ,the livingness of ,life       

consists in both concentration and      
externalisation3 it is not the dead     
equilibrium of inertia1 but the living  
equilibrium of a vital and rhythmic     
pulsation4 ,involution and evolution    
must forever alternate1 and the door of 
communication between them is the ,i am 
which is the living power in both4 ,thus
 it is that the ,great ,affirmation is  
the ,secret of ,life1 and that to say ,i
 am with a true understanding of all    
that it implies is to place ourselves in
 touch with all the powers of the       
,infinite4  ,this is the ,universal and 
,eternal ,affirmation to which no       
predicate is attached2 and all          
particular affirmations will be found to
 be only special differentiations of    
this all-embracing one4 ,i will this or 
that particular thing because ,i know   
that ,i can bring it into               
externalisation1 and ,i know that ,i can
 because ,i know that ,i am1 and so we  
always come back to the great central   
,affirmation of ,all-,being4 ,search the

 ,scriptures and you will find that from
 first to last they teach only this3    
that every human soul is an             
individualisation of that ,universal    
,being1 or ,all-,spirit1 which we call  
,god1 and that ,spirit can never be     
shorn of its powers1 but like ,fire1    
which is its symbol1 must always be     
fully and perfectly itself1 which is    
,life in all its unlimited fulness4  ,in
 assigning to ,affirmation1 therefore1  
the importance which it does1 the ,new  
,thought movement is at one with the    
teaching of ,jesus and ,moses and of the
 entire ,bible4 ,and the reason is      
clear4 ,there is only one ,truth1 and   
therefore careful seeking can bring men 
only to the same ,truth1 whether they be
 ,bible-writers or any other4 ,the      
,bible derives its authority from the   
inherent truth of the things it tells   
of1 and not vice versa2 and if these    
things be true at all1 they would be    
equally true even though no ,bible had  
ever been written4 ,but1 taking the     

,great ,affirmation as our guide1 we    
shall find that the system taught by the
 ,bible is scientific and logical       
throughout1 and therefore any other     
system which is scientifically true will
 be found to correspond with it in      
substance1 however it may differ from it
 in form2 and thus1 in their statements 
regarding the power of ,affirmation1 the
 exponents of the ,new ,thought broach  
no new-fangled absurdity1 but only      
reiterate a great truth which has been  
before the world1 though very           
imperfectly recognised1 for thousands of
 years4   ,,iii  ,the ,father  ,if1 as  
we have seen1 the ,son is the           
differentiating principle of ,spirit1   
giving rise to innumerable              
individualities1 the ,father is the     
unifying principle by which these       
innumerable individualities are bound   
together into one common life1 and the  
necessity for recognising this great    
basis of the universal harmony forms the
 foundation of ,jesus' teaching on the  

subject of ,worship4 ,woman1 believe me1
 the hour cometh1 when neither in this  
mountain1 nor yet at ,jerusalem1 shall  
ye worship the ,father4 ,ye worship that
 which ye know not2 we worship that     
which we know2 for salvation is from the
 ,jews4 ,but the hour cometh and now is 
when the true worshippers shall worship 
the ,father in spirit and truth         
7,revised ,version74 ,in these few words
 the ,great ,teacher sums up the whole  
subject4 ,he lays particular stress on  
the kind of worship that he means4 ,it  
is1 before all things1 founded upon     
knowledge4  ,we worship that which we   
know1 and it is this knowledge that     
gives the worship a healthful and       
life-giving quality4 ,it is not the     
ignorant worship of wonderment and fear1
 a mere abasement of ourselves before   
some vast1 vague1 unknown power1 which  
may injure us if we do not find out how 
to propitiate it2 but it is a definite  
act performed with a definite purpose1  
which means that it is the employment of

 one of our natural faculties upon its  
proper object in an intelligent manner4 
,the ignorant ,samaritan worship is     
better than no worship at all1 for at   
least it realises the existence of some 
centre around which a man's life should 
revolve1 something to prevent the       
aimless dispersion of ,his powers for   
want of a centripetal force to bind them
 together2 and even the crudest notion  
of prayer1 as a mere attempt to induce  
,god to change his mind1 is at least a  
first step towards the truth that full  
supply for all our needs may be drawn   
from the ,infinite4 ,still1 such worship
 as this is hampered with perplexities1 
and can give only a feeble answer to the
 atheistical sneer which asks1 ,what is 
man1 that ,god should be mindful of him1
 a momentary atom among unnumbered      
worlds8  ,now the teaching of ,jesus    
throws all these perplexities aside with
 the single word knowledge4 ,there is   
only one true way of doing anything1 and
 that is knowing exactly what it is we  

want to do1 and knowing exactly why we  
want to do it4 ,all other doing is      
blundering4 ,we may blunder into the    
right thing sometimes1 but we cannot    
make this our principle of life to all  
eternity2 and if we have to give up the 
blunder method eventually1 why not give 
it up now1 and begin at once to profit  
by acting according to intelligible     
principle8 ,the knowledge that the ,son1
 as individualised ,spirit1 has his     
correlative in the ,father1 as          
,universal ,spirit1 affords the clue we 
need4  ,in whatever way we may attempt  
to explain it1 the fact remains that    
volition is the fundamental             
characteristic of ,spirit4 ,we may speak
 of conscious1 or subconscious or       
super-conscious action2 but in whatever 
way we may picture to ourselves the     
condition of the agent as contemplating 
his own action1 a general purposeful    
lifeward tendency becomes abundantly    
evident on any enlarged view of ,nature1
 whether seen from without or from      

within1 and we may call this by the     
general name of volition4 ,but the error
 we have to avoid is that of supposing  
volition to take the same form in       
,universal ,spirit as in individualised 
,spirit4 ,the very terms universal and  
individual forbid this4 ,for the        
universal1 as such1 to exercise specific
 volition1 concentrating itself upon the
 details of a specific case1 would be   
for it to pass into individualisation1  
and to cease to be the ,absolute and    
,infinite2 it would be no longer the    
,father1 but the ,son4 ,it is therefore 
exactly by not exercising specific      
volition that the ,father continues to  
be the ,father1 or the ,great ,unifying 
,principle4 ,but the volitional quality 
is not on this account absent from      
,spirit in the ,universal2 for otherwise
 whence would that quality appear in    
ourselves8 ,it is present2 but according
 to the nature of the plane on which it 
is acting4 ,the ,universal is not the   
,specific1 and everything on the plane  

of the ,universal must partake of the   
nature of that plane4 ,hence volition in
 the ,father is not specific2 and that  
which is not specific and individual    
must be generic4 ,generic volition1     
therefore1 is that mode of volition     
which belongs to the ,universal1 and    
generic volition is tendency4 ,this is  
the solution of the enigma1 and this    
solution is given1 not obscurely1 in    
,jesus' statement that the ,father seeks
 those true worshippers who worship ,him
 in spirit and in truth4  ,for what do  
we mean by tendency8 ,from the root of  
tendere1 to stretch2 it signifies a     
pushing out in a certain definite       
direction1 the tension of some force    
seeking to expand itself4 ,what force8  
,the ,universal ,life-,principle1 for   
the ,spirit is ,life4 ,in the language  
of modern science this seeking on the   
part of the ,father is the expansive    
pressure of the ,universal              
,life-,principle seeking the line of    
least resistance1 along which to flow   

into the fullest manifestation of       
individualised ,life4 ,it is a tendency 
which will take manifested form         
according to the degree in which it     
meets with reception4  ,st4 ,john says1 
,this is the boldness that we have      
towards him1 that if we ask anything    
according to ,his will1 ,he heareth us2 
and if we know that ,he heareth us      
whatsoever we ask1 we know that we have 
the petitions that we have asked of ,him
 7#a ,john v4 #ad74 ,now according to   
the popular notion of the will of ,god1 
this passage entirely loses its value1  
because it makes everything depend on   
our asking according to ,his will1 and  
if we start with the idea of an         
individual act of the ,divine volition  
in each separate case1 nothing short of 
a special revelation continually        
repeated could inform us what the       
,divine will in each particular instance
 was4 ,viewed in this light1 this       
passage is a mere jeering at our        
incapacity4 ,but when once we realise   

that the will of ,god is an invariable  
law of tendency1 we have a clear        
standard by which to test whether we may
 rightly expect to get what we desire4  
,we can study this law of tendency as we
 would any other law1 and it is this    
study that is the essence of true       
worship4  ,the word worship means to    
count worthy2 to count worthy1 that is1 
of observation4 ,the proverb says that  
imitation is the sincerest form of      
flattery more truly we may say that it  
is the sincerest worship4 ,hence the    
true worship is the study of the        
,universal ,life-,principle the ,father1
 in its nature and in its modes of      
action2 and when we have thus realised  
the ,law of ,god1 the law that is       
inherent in the nature of ,infinite     
,being1 we shall know that by conforming
 our own particular action to this      
generic law1 we shall find that this law
 will in every instance work out the    
results that we desire4 ,this is nothing
 more or less miraculous than what      

occurs in every case of applied science4
 ,he only is the true chemist or        
engineer who1 by first learning how to  
obey the generic tendency of natural    
laws1 is able to command them to the    
fulfilment of his individual purposes2  
no other method will succeed4 ,similarly
 with the student of the divine mystery 
of ,life4 ,he must first learn the great
 laws of its generic tendency1 and then 
he will be in a position to apply that  
tendency to the working of any specific 
effect he will4  ,common sense tells us 
what the law of this tendency must be4  
,the ,master taught that a house divided
 against itself cannot stand2 and for   
the ,life-,principle to do anything     
restrictive of the fullest expansion of 
life1 would be for it to act to its own 
destruction4 ,the test1 therefore1 in   
every case1 whether our intention falls 
within the scope of the great law1 is   
this3 ,does it operate for the expansion
 or for the restriction of life8 and    
according to the answer we can say      

positively whether or not our purpose is
 according to the will of ,god4         
,therefore so long as we work within the
 scope of this generic will of the      
,father we need have no fear of the     
,divine ,providence1 as an agency1      
acting adversely to us4 ,we may dismiss 
this bugbear1 for we ourselves are      
manifestations of the very power which  
we call the ,father4 ,the ,i am is one2 
and so long as we preserve this unity by
 conforming to the generic nature of the
 ,i am in the universal1 it will        
certainly never destroy the unity by    
entering upon a specific course of      
action on its own account4  ,here1 then1
 we find the secret of power4 ,it is    
contained in the true worship of the    
,father1 which is the constant          
recognition of the lifegivingness of    
,originating ,spirit1 and of the fact   
that we1 as individuals1 still continue 
to be portions of that ,spirit2 and that
 therefore the law of our nature is to  
be perpetually drawing life from the    

inexhaustible stores of the             
,infinite--not bottles of water-of-life 
mixed with other ingredients and        
labelled for this or that particular    
purpose1 but the full flow of the pure  
stream itself1 which we are free to use 
for any purpose we desire4 ,whosoever   
will1 let him take the water of life    
freely4 ,it is thus that the worship of 
the ,father becomes the central         
principle of the individual life1 not as
 curtailing our liberty1 but as         
affording the only possible basis for   
it4 ,as a planetary system would be     
impossible without a central controlling
 sun1 so harmonious life is impossible  
without the recognition of ,infinite    
,spirit as that ,power1 whose generic   
tendency serves to control each         
individual being into its proper orbit4 
,this is the teaching of the ,bible1 and
 it is also the teaching of the ,new    
,thought1 which says that life with all 
its limitless possibilities is a        
continual outflow from the ,infinite    

which we may turn in any direction that 
we desire4  ,but1 it may be asked1 what 
happens if we go counter to this generic
 law of ,spirit8 ,this is an important  
question1 and ,i must leave the answer  
for further consideration4   ,,iv       
,conclusion  ,i concluded my last       
chapter with the momentous question1    
,what happens if we go counter to the   
generic law of ,spirit8 ,what happens if
 we go counter to any natural law8      
,obviously1 the law goes counter to us4 
,we can use the laws of ,nature1 but we 
cannot alter them4 ,by opposing any     
natural law we place ourselves in an    
inverted position with regard to it1 and
 therefore1 viewed from this false      
standpoint1 it appears as though the law
 itself were working against us with    
definite purpose4 ,but the inversion    
proceeds entirely from ourselves1 and   
not from any change in the action of the
 law4 ,the law of ,spirit1 like all     
other natural laws1 is in itself        
impersonal2 but we carry into it1 so to 

speak1 the reflection of our own        
personality1 though we cannot alter its 
generic character2 and therefore1 if we 
oppose its generic tendency towards the 
universal good1 we shall find in it the 
reflection of our own opposition and    
waywardness4  ,the law of ,spirit       
proceeds unalterably on its course1 and 
what is spoken of in popular phraseology
 as the ,divine wrath is nothing else   
than the reflex action which naturally  
follows when we put ourselves in        
opposition to this law4 ,the evil that  
results is not a personal intervention  
of the ,universal ,spirit1 which would  
imply its entering into specific        
manifestation1 but it is the natural    
outcome of the causes that we ourselves 
have set in motion4 ,but the effect to  
ourselves will be precisely the same as 
if they were brought about by the       
volition of an adverse personality1     
though we may not realise that in truth 
the personal element is our own4 ,and if
 we are at all aware of the wonderfully 

complex nature of man1 and the various  
interweavings of principles which unite 
the material body at one end of the     
scale to the purely spiritual ,ego at   
the other1 we shall have some faint idea
 of on how vast a field these adverse   
influences may operate1 not being       
restricted to the plane of outward      
manifestation1 but acting equally on    
those inner planes which give rise to   
the outer and are of a more enduring    
nature4  ,thus the philosophic study of 
,spirit1 so far from affording any      
excuse for laxity of conduct1 adds an   
emphatic definiteness to the ,bible     
exhortation to flee from the wrath of   
,god4 ,but1 on the other hand1 it       
delivers us from groundless terrors1 the
 fear lest our repentance should not be 
accepted1 the fear lest we should be    
rejected for our inability to subscribe 
to some traditional dogma1 the fear of  
utter uncertainty regarding the         
future--fears which make life bitter and
 the prospect of death appalling to     

those who are in bondage to them4 ,the  
knowledge that we are dealing with a    
power which is no respecter of persons1 
and in which is no variableness1 which  
is1 in fact1 an unalterable ,law1 at    
once delivers us from all these terrors4
  ,the very unchangeableness of ,law    
makes it certain that no amount of past 
opposition to it1 whether from ignorance
 or wilfulness1 will prevent it from    
working in accordance with its own      
beneficent and life-giving character as 
soon as we quit our inverted position   
and place ourselves in our true relation
 towards it4 ,the laws of ,nature do not
 harbour revenge2 and once we adapt our 
methods to their character1 they will   
work for us without taking any          
retrospective notice of our past errors4
 ,the law of ,spirit may be more complex
 than that of electricity1 because1 as  
expressed in us1 it is the law of       
conscious individuality2 but it is none 
the less a purely natural law1 and      
follows the universal rule1 and         

therefore we may dismiss from our minds1
 as a baseless figment1 the fear of any 
,divine power treasuring up anger       
against us on account of bygones1 if we 
are sincerely seeking to do what is     
right now4 ,the new causes which we put 
in motion now will produce their proper 
effect as surely as the old causes did2 
and thus by inaugurating a new sequence 
of good we shall cut off the old        
sequence of evil4 ,only1 of course1 we  
cannot expect to bring about the new    
sequence while continuing to repeat the 
old causes1 for the fruit must          
necessarily reproduce the nature of the 
seed4 ,thus we are the masters of the   
situation1 and1 whether in this world or
 the next1 it rests with ourselves      
either to perpetuate the evil or to wipe
 it out and put the good in its place4  
,and it may be noticed in passing that  
the great central ,christian doctrine is
 based upon the most perfect knowledge  
of this law1 and is the practical       
application to a profound problem of the

 deepest psychological science4 ,but    
this is a large subject1 and cannot be  
suitably dealt with here4  ,much has    
been written and said on the origin of  
evil1 and a volume might be filled with 
the detailed study of the subject2 but  
for all practical purposes it may be    
summed up in the one word limitation4   
,for what is the ultimate cause of all  
strife1 whether public or private1 but  
the notion that the supply of good is   
limited8 ,with the bulk of mankind this 
is a fixed idea1 and they therefore     
argue that because there is only a      
certain limited quantity of good1 the   
share in their possession can be        
increased only by correspondingly       
diminishing some one else's share4 ,any 
one entertaining the same idea1         
naturally resents the attempt to deprive
 him of any portion of this limited     
quantity2 and hence arises the whole    
crop of envy1 hatred1 fraud1 and        
violence1 whether between individuals1  
classes1 or nations4 ,if people only    

realised the truth that good is not a   
certain limited quantity1 but a stream  
continuously flowing from the           
exhaustless ,infinite1 and ready to take
 any direction we choose to give it1 and
 that each one is able by the action of 
his own thought to draw from it         
indefinitely1 the substitution of this  
new and true idea for the old and false 
one of limitation would at one stroke   
remove all strife and struggle from the 
world2 every man would find a helper    
instead of a competitor in every other1 
and the very laws of ,nature1 which now 
so often seem to war against us1 would  
be found a ceaseless source of profit   
and delight4  ,they could not enter into
 rest because of unbelief1 they limited 
the ,holy ,one of ,israel3 in these     
words the ,bible1 like the ,new         
,thought1 traces all the sorrow of the  
world--that terrible ,weltschmerz which 
expresses itself with such direful      
influence through the pessimistic       
literature of the day--to the one root  

of a false belief1 the belief in man's  
limitation4 ,only substitute for it the 
true belief1 and the evil would be at an
 end4 ,now the ground of this true      
belief is that clear apprehension of the
 ,father which1 as ,i have shown1 forms 
the basis of ,jesus' teaching4 ,if1 from
 one point of view1 the ,intelligent    
,universal ,life-,principle is a ,power 
to be obeyed1 in the same sense in which
 we have to obey all the laws of        
,nature1 from the opposite point of     
view1 it is a power to be used4 ,we must
 never lose sight of the fact that      
obedience to any natural law in its     
generic tendency necessarily carries    
with it a corresponding power of using  
that law in specific application4 ,this 
is the old proverb that knowledge is    
power4 ,it is the old paradox with which
 ,jesus posed the ignorant scribes as to
 how ,david's ,lord could also be his   
,son4 ,the word ,david means ,beloved   
and to be beloved implies that          
reciprocal sympathy which is intuitive  

knowledge4 ,hence ,david1 the ,beloved1 
is the man who has realised his true    
relation as a ,son to his ,father and   
who is in tune with the ,infinite4 ,on  
the other hand1 this ,infinite is his   
,lord because it is the complex of all  
those unchangeable ,laws from which it  
is impossible to swerve without         
suffering consequent loss of power2 and 
on the other1 this knowledge of the     
innermost principles of ,all-,being puts
 him in possession of unlimited powers  
which he can apply to any specific      
purpose that he will2 and thus he stands
 towards them in the position of a      
father who has authority to command the 
services of his son4 ,thus ,david's     
,lord1 becomes by a natural transition  
his ,son4  ,and it is precisely in this 
that the principle of ,sonship consists4
 ,it is the raising of man from the     
condition of bondage as a servant by    
reason of limitation to the status of a 
son by the entire removal of all        
limitations4 ,to believe and act on this

 principle is to believe on the ,son of 
,god1 and a practical belief in our own 
sonship thus sets us free from all evil 
and from all fear of evil--it brings us 
out of the kingdom of death into the    
kingdom of ,life4 ,like everything else1
 it has to grow1 but the good seed of   
liberating ,truth once planted in the   
heart is sure to germinate1 and the more
 we endeavour to foster its growth by   
seeking to grasp with our understanding 
the reason of these things and to       
realise our knowledge in practice1 the  
more rapidly we shall find our lives    
increase in livingness--a joy to        
ourselves1 a brightness to our homes1   
and a blessing expanding to all around  
in ever-widening circles4  ,enough has  
now been said to show the identity of   
principle between the teaching of the   
,bible and that of the ,new ,thought4   
,treated in detail1 the subject would   
extend to many volumes explanatory of   
the ,old and ,new ,testaments1 and if   
that great work were ever carried out ,i

 have no hesitation in saying that the  
agreement would be found to extend to   
the minutest particulars4 ,but the hints
 contained in the foregoing papers will1
 ,i hope1 suffice to show that there is 
nothing antagonistic between the two    
systems1 or1 rather1 to show that they  
are one--the statement of the ,one      
,truth which always has been and always 
will be4 ,and if what ,i have now       
endeavoured to put before my readers    
should lead any of them to follow up the
 subject more fully for themselves1 ,i  
can promise them an inexhaustible store 
of wonder1 delight1 and strength in the 
study of the ,old ,book in the light of 
the ,new ,thought4  #aijb4     ,,xx     
,,jachin ,,and ,,boaz   ,and he reared  
up the pillars before the temple1 one on
 the right hand1 and the other on the   
left2 and called the name of that on the
 right hand ,jachin1 and the name of    
that on the left ,boaz4 7,,ii ,chron4   
iii1 #ag47  ,very likely some of us have
 wondered what was the meaning of these 

two mysterious pillars set up by        
,solomon in front of his temple1 and why
 they were called by these strange      
names2 and then we have dropped the     
subject as one of those inexplicable    
things handed down in the ,bible from   
old time which1 we suppose1 can have no 
practical interest for us at the present
 day4 ,nevertheless1 these strange names
 are not without a purpose4 ,they       
contain the key to the entire ,bible and
 to the whole order of ,nature1 and as  
emblems of the two great principles that
 are the pillars of the universe1 they  
fitly stood at the threshold of that    
temple which was designed to symbolise  
all the mysteries of ,being4  ,in all   
the languages of the ,semitic stock the 
letters ,j and ,y are interchangeable1  
as we see in the modern ,arabic ,yakub  
for ,jacob and the old ,hebrew ,yaveh   
for ,jehovah4 ,this gives us the form   
,yachin1 which at once reveals the      
enigma4 ,the word ,yak signifies one2   
and the termination hi1 or him1 is an   

intensitive which may be rendered in    
,english by only4 ,thus the word ,jachin
 resolves itself into the words one     
only1 the all-embracing ,unity4  ,the   
meaning of ,boaz is clearly seen in the 
book of ,ruth4 ,there ,boaz appears as  
the kinsman exercising the right of     
pre-emption so familiar to those versed 
in ,oriental law--a right which has for 
its purpose the maintenance of the      
,family as the social unit4 ,according  
to this widely-spread custom1 the       
purchaser1 who is not a member of the   
family1 buys the property subject to the
 right of kinsmen within certain degrees
 to purchase it back1 and so bring it   
once more into the family to which it   
originally belonged4 ,whatever may be   
our personal opinions regarding the     
vexed questions of dogmatic theology1 we
 can all agree as to the general        
principle indicated in the role acted by
 ,boaz4 ,he brings back the alienated   
estate into the family--that is to say1 
he redeems it in the legal sense of the 

word4 ,as a matter of law his power to  
do this results from his membership in  
the family2 but his motive for doing it 
is love1 his affection for ,ruth4       
,without pushing the analogy too far we 
may say1 then1 that ,boaz represents the
 principle of redemption in the widest  
sense of reclaiming an estate by right  
of relationship1 while the innermost    
moving power in its recovery is ,love4  
,this is what ,boaz stands for in the   
beautiful story of ,ruth1 and there is  
no reason why we should not let the same
 name stand for the same thing when we  
seek the meaning of the mysterious      
pillar4 ,thus the two pillars typify    
,unity and the redeeming power of ,love1
 with the significant suggestion that   
the redemption results from the ,unity4 
,they correspond with the two bonds1 or 
uniting principles spoken of by ,st4    
,paul1 the ,unity of the ,spirit which  
is the ,bond of ,peace1 and ,love1 which
 is the ,bond of ,perfectness4  ,the    
former is ,unity of ,being2 the latter1 

,unity of ,intention3 and the principle 
of this ,dual-,unity is well illustrated
 by the story of ,boaz4 ,the whole story
 proceeds on the idea of the ,family as 
the social unit1 the root-conception of 
all ,oriental law1 and if we consider   
the ,family in this light1 we shall see 
how exactly it embodies the two-fold    
idea of ,jachin and ,boaz1 unity of     
,being and unity of ,thought4 ,the      
,family forms a unit because all the    
members proceed from a common           
progenitor1 and are thus all of one     
blood2 but1 although this gives them a  
natural unity of ,being of which they   
cannot divest themselves1 it is not     
enough in itself to make them a united  
family1 as unfortunately experience too 
often shows4 ,something more is wanted1 
and that something is ,love4 ,there must
 be a personal union brought about by   
sympathetic ,thought to complete the    
natural union resulting from birth4 ,the
 inherent unity must be expressed by the
 ,individual volition of each member1   

and thus the ,family becomes the ideally
 perfect social unit2 a truth to which  
,st4 ,paul alludes when he calls ,god   
the ,father from ,whom every family in  
heaven and on earth is named4 ,thus     
,boaz stands for the principle which    
brings back to the original ,unity that 
which has been for a time separated from
 it4 ,there has never been any          
separation of actual ,being--the family 
right always subsisted in the property  
even while in the hands of strangers1   
otherwise it could never have been      
brought back2 but it requires the ,love 
principle to put this right into        
effective operation4  ,when this begins 
to work in the knowledge of its right to
 do so1 then there is the return of the 
individual to the ,unity1 and the       
recognition of himself as the particular
 expression of the ,universal in virtue 
of his own nature4  ,these two pillars1 
therefore1 stand for the two great      
spiritual principles that are the basis 
of all ,life3 ,jachin typifying the     

,unity resulting from ,being1 and ,boaz 
typifying the ,unity resulting from     
,love4 ,in this ,dual-,unity we find the
 key to all conceivable involution or   
evolution of ,spirit2 and it is         
therefore not without reason that the   
record of these two ancient pillars has 
been preserved in our ,scriptures4 ,and 
finally we may take this as an index to 
the character of our ,scriptures        
generally4 ,they contain infinite       
meanings2 and often those passages which
 appear on the surface to be most       
meaningless will be found to possess the
 deepest significance4 ,the ,book1 which
 we often read so superficially1 hides  
beneath its sometimes seemingly trivial 
words the secrets of other things4 ,the 
twin pillars ,jachin and ,boaz bear     
witness to this truth4#e      ,footnote 
#e3 ,the following comment was made by  
,judge ,troward1     after the          
publication of this paper in            
,expression3      ,the ,two ,pillars of 
the ,universe are ,personality and      

,mathematics1 represented by ,boaz and  
,jachin respectively4     ,this is the  
broadest simplification to which it is  
possible     to reduce things4 ,balance 
consists in preserving the              
,equilibrium or ,alternating ,current   
between these two     ,principles4      
,personality is the ,absolute ,factor4  
,mathematics     are the ,relative      
,factor1 for they merely ,measure       
different     ,rates or ,scales4 ,they  
are absolute in this respect4 ,a        
particular scale having been selected   
all its sequences will     follow by an 
inexorable ,law of ,order and           
,proportion2 but the     selection of   
the scale and the change from one scale 
to     another rests entirely with      
,personality4 ,what ,personality can    
not do is to make one ,scale produce the
 results of another1     but it can set 
aside one scale and substitute another  
for it4     ,hence ,personality contains
 in itself the ,universal ,scale1 or    
can either accommodate itself to lower  

rates of motion     already established1
 or can raise them to its own rate of   
motion4 ,hence ,personality is the grand
 ,ultimate ,fact in all     things4     
,different personalities should be      
regarded as different     degrees of    
consciousness4 ,they are different      
degrees of     emergence of ,the ,power 
that knows ,itself4     ,,xxi           
,,hephzibah   ,thou shalt no more be    
termed ,forsaken2 neither shall thy land
 any more be termed ,desolate2 but thou 
shalt be called ,hephzibah1 and thy land
 ,beulah3 for the ,lord delighteth in   
thee1 and thy land shall be married     
7,isaiah lxii1 #d74 ,the name           
,hephzibah--or1 as it might be written1 
,hafzbah--conveys a very distinct idea  
to any one who has lived in the ,east1  
and calls up a string of familiar words 
all containing the same root hafz1 which
 signifies guarding or taking care of1  
such as hafiz1 a protector1 muhafiz1 a  
custodian1 as in the word muhafiz       
daftar1 a head record-keeper2 or again1 

hifazat1 custody1 as bahifazat polis1 in
 custody of the police2 or again1       
daim-ul-hafz1 imprisonment for life1 and
 other similar expressions4  ,all words 
from this root suggest the idea of      
guarding1 and therefore the name        
,haphzibah at once speaks its own       
meaning4 ,it is one who is guarded1 a   
protected one4 ,and answering to this   
there must be some power which guards1  
and the name of this power is given in  
,hosea ii1 #af1 where it is called      
,ishi4 ,and it shall be at that day1    
saith the ,lord1 that thou shalt call me
 ,ishi2 and thou shalt call me no more  
,baali4 ,baali means lord1 ,ishi means  
husband1 and between the two there is a 
whole world of distinction4  ,to call   
the ,great ,power ,baali is to live in  
one world1 and to call it ,ishi is to   
live in another4 ,the world that is     
ruled over by ,baali is a world of      
miserable worms of the dust and such    
crawling creatures2 but the world that  
is warmed and lightened by ,ishi is one 

in which men and women walk upright1    
conscious of their own divine nature1   
instead of dodging about to escape being
 crushed under the feet of ,moloch as he
 strides through his dominions4 ,if the 
name ,baali did not suggest a wrong idea
 there would be no need to change it for
 another1 and the change of name        
therefore indicates the opening of the  
mind to a larger and sounder conception 
of the true nature of the ,ruling       
,principle of the universe4 ,it is no   
imperious autocrat1 the very apotheosis 
of self-glorification1 ill-natured and  
spiteful if its childish vanity be not  
gratified by hearing its own praises    
formally proclaimed1 often from lips    
opened only by fear2 nor is it an       
almighty extortioner desiring to deprive
 us of what we value most1 either to    
satisfy its greed or to demonstrate its 
sovereignty4 ,this is the image which   
men make of ,god and then bow terrified 
before it1 offering a worship which is  
the worship of ,baal1 and making life   

blank because all the livingness has    
been wiped out of it4  ,ishi is the     
embodiment of the very opposite         
conception1 a wise and affectionate     
husband1 instead of a taskmaster        
exploiting his slaves4 ,in its true     
aspect the relation of husband and wife 
is entirely devoid of any question of   
relative superiority or inferiority4 ,as
 well ask whether the front wheel or the
 back wheel of your bicycle is the more 
important4 ,the two make a single whole1
 in which the functions of both parts   
are reciprocal and equally necessary2   
yet for this very reason these functions
 cannot be identical4  ,in a            
well-ordered home1 where husband and    
wife are united by mutual love and      
respect1 we see that the man's function 
is to enter into the larger world and to
 provide the wife with all that is      
needed for the maintenance and comfort  
of the home1 while the function of the  
woman is to be the distributor of what  
her husband provides1 in doing which she

 follows her own discretion2 and a      
sensible man1 knowing that he can trust 
a sensible wife1 does not want to poke  
his finger into every pie4 ,thus all    
things run harmoniously--the woman      
relieved of responsibilities which are  
not naturally hers1 and the man relieved
 of responsibilities which are not      
naturally his4 ,but let any perplexity  
or danger arise1 and the woman knows    
that from her husband she will receive  
all the guidance and protection that the
 occasion may require1 he being the wise
 and strong man that we have supposed   
him1 and having this assurance she is   
able to pursue the avocations of her own
 sphere undisturbed by any fears or     
anxieties4  ,it is this relation of     
protection and guidance that is implied 
by the word ,hephzibah4 ,it is the name 
of those who realise their identity with
 the all-ordering ,divine ,spirit4 ,he  
who realises this unity with the ,spirit
 finds himself both guided and guarded4 
,and here we touch the fringe of a deep 

natural mystery1 which formed the basis 
of all that was most valuable in the    
higher mysteries of the ancients1 and   
the substance of which we must realise  
if we are to make any progress in the   
future1 whatever form we may adopt to   
convey the idea to ourselves or others4 
,it is the relation of the individual   
mind to the ,universal ,mind1 the       
combination of unity with independence  
which1 though quite clear when we know  
it by personal experience1 is almost    
inexpressible in words1 but which is    
frequently represented in the ,bible    
under the figure of the marriage        
relations4  ,it is a basic principle1   
and in various modes pervades all       
,nature1 and has been symbolised in     
every religion the world has known2 and 
in proportion as the individual realises
 this relation he will find that he is  
able to use the ,universal ,mind1 while 
at the same time he is guided and       
guarded by it4 ,for think what it would 
be to wield the power of the ,universal 

,mind without having its guidance4 ,it  
would be the old story of ,phaeton      
trying to drive the chariot of the ,sun1
 which ended in his own destruction2 and
 limitless power without corresponding  
guidance would be the most terrible     
curse that any one could bring upon his 
head4  ,the relation between the        
individual mind and the ,universal      
,mind1 as portrayed in the reciprocally 
connected names of ,hephzibah and ,ishi1
 must never be lost sight of2 for the   
,great ,guiding ,mind1 immeasurably as  
it transcends our intellectual          
consciousness1 is not another than      
ourselves4 ,it is ,the ,one ,self which 
is the foundation of all the individual 
selves1 and which is1 therefore1 in all 
its limitlessness1 as entirely one with 
each individual as though no other being
 existed4 ,therefore we do not have to  
go out of ourselves to find it1 for it  
is the expansion to infinity of all that
 we truly are1 having1 indeed1 no place 
for those negative forms of evil with   

which we people a world of illusion1 for
 it is the very ,light itself1 and in it
 all illusion is dispelled2 but it is   
the expansion to infinity of all in us  
that is ,affirmative1 all that is really
 living4  ,therefore1 in looking for its
 guiding and guarding we are relying    
upon no borrowed power from without1    
held at the caprice and option of       
another1 but upon the supreme fact of   
our own nature1 which we can use in what
 direction we will with perfect freedom1
 knowing no limitation save the         
obligation not to do violence to our own
 purest and highest feelings4 ,and this 
relation is entirely natural4 ,we must  
steer the happy mean between imploring  
and ignoring4 ,a natural law does not   
need to be entreated before it will     
work2 and1 on the other hand1 we cannot 
make use of it while ignoring its       
existence4  ,what we have to do1        
therefore1 is to take the working of the
 law for granted1 and make use of it    
accordingly2 and since that is the law  

of ,mind1 and ,mind is ,personality1    
this ,power1 which is at once ourselves 
and above ourselves1 may be treated as a
 ,person and may be spoken with1 and its
 replies received by the inner ear of   
the heart4 ,any scheme of philosophy    
that does not result in this personal   
intercourse with the ,divine ,mind falls
 short of the mark4 ,it may be right so 
far as it goes1 but it does not go far  
enough1 and fails to connect us with our
 vital centre4 ,names are of small      
importance so long as the intercourse is
 real4 ,the ,supreme ,mind with which we
 converse is only to be met in the      
profoundest depths of our own being1    
and1 as ,tennyson says1 is more         
perfectly ourselves than our own hands  
and feet4 ,it is our natural ,base2 and 
realising this we shall find ourselves  
to be in very truth guarded ones1 guided
 by the ,spirit in all things1 nothing  
too great and nothing too trivial to    
come within the great ,law of our being4
  ,there is another aspect of the       

,spirit in which it is seen as a ,power 
to be used2 and the full flow of life is
 in the constant alternation between    
this aspect and the one we have been    
considering1 but always we are linked   
with the ,universal ,mind as the flower 
lives by reason of its root4 ,the       
connection itself is intrinsic1 and can 
never be severed2 but it must be        
consciously realised before it can be   
consciously used4 ,all our development  
consists in the increasing consciousness
 of this connection1 which enables us to
 apply the higher power to whatever     
purpose we may have in hand1 not merely 
in the hope that it may respond1 but    
with the certain knowledge that by the  
law of its own nature it is bound to do 
so1 and likewise with the knowledge that
 by the same law it is bound also to    
guide us to the selection of right      
objects and right methods4  ,experience 
will teach us to detect the warning     
movement of the inner ,guide4 ,a        
deepseated sense of dissatisfaction1 an 

indescribable feeling that somehow      
everything is not right1 are the        
indications to which we do well to pay  
heed2 for we are guarded ones1 and these
 interior monitions are the working of  
that innermost principle of our own     
being which is the immediate outflowing 
of the ,great ,universal ,life into     
individuality4 ,but1 paying heed to     
this1 we shall find ourselves guarded1  
not as prisoners1 but as a loved and    
honoured wife1 whose freedom is assured 
by a protection which will allow no harm
 to assail her2 we shall find that the  
,law of our nature is ,liberty1 and that
 nothing but our own want of            
understanding can shut us out from it4  
,,xxii  ,,mind ,,and ,,hand   ,i have   
before me a curious piece of ancient    
,egyptian symbolism4 ,it represents the 
sun sending down to the earth           
innumerable rays1 with the peculiarity  
that each ray terminates in a hand4     
,this method of representing the sun is 
so unusual that it suggests the presence

 in the designer's mind of some idea    
rather different from those generally   
associated with the sun as a spiritual  
emblem2 and1 if ,i interpret the symbol 
rightly1 it sets forth the truth1 not   
only of the ,divine ,being as the ,great
 ,source of all ,life and of all        
,illumination1 but also the correlative 
truth of our individual relation to that
 centre4 ,each ray is terminated by a   
hand1 and a hand is the emblem of active
 working2 and ,i think it would be      
difficult to give a better symbolical   
representation of innumerable           
individualities1 each working           
separately1 yet all deriving their      
activity from a common source4 ,the hand
 is at work upon the earth1 and the sun1
 from which it is a ray1 is shining in  
the heavens2 but the connecting line    
shows whence all the strength and skill 
of the hand are derived4  ,if we look at
 the microcosm of our own person we find
 this principle exactly reproduced4 ,our
 hand is the instrument by which all our

 work is done--literary1 artistic1      
mechanical1 or household--but we know   
that all this work is really the work of
 the mind1 the will-power at the centre 
of our system1 which first determines   
what is to be done1 and then sets the   
hand to work to do it2 and in the doing 
of it the mind and hand become one1 so  
that the hand is none other than the    
mind working4 ,now1 transferring this   
analogy to the microcosm1 we see that we
 each stand in the same relation to the 
,universal ,mind that our hand does to  
our individual mind--at least1 that is  
our normal relation2 and we shall never 
put forth our full strength except from 
this standpoint4  ,we rightly realise   
our will as the centre of our           
individuality1 but we should do better  
to picture our individuality as an      
ellipse rather than a circle1 a figure  
having two conjugate foci1 two          
equilibriated centres of revolution     
rather than a single one1 one of which  
is the will-power or faculty of doing1  

and the other the consciousness or      
perception of being4 ,if we realise only
 one of these two centres we shall lose 
both mental and moral balance4 ,if we   
lose sight of that centre which is our  
personal will1 we shall become flabby   
visionaries without any backbone2 and   
if1 in our anxiety to develop backbone1 
we lost sight of the other centre1 we   
shall find that we have lost that which 
corresponds to the lungs and heart in   
the physical body1 and that our         
backbone1 however perfectly developed1  
is rapidly drying up for want of those  
functions which minister vitality to the
 whole system1 and is only fit to be    
hung up in a museum to show what a      
rigid1 lifeless thing the strongest     
vertebral column becomes when separated 
from the organisation by which alone it 
can receive nourishment4 ,we must       
realise the one focus of our            
individuality as clearly as the other1  
and bring both into equal balance1 if we
 would develop all our powers and rise  

to that perfection of ,life which has no
 limits to its glorious possibilities4  
,keeping the ancient ,egyptian symbol   
before used1 and considering ourselves  
as the hand1 we find that we derive all 
our power from an infinite centre2 and  
because it is infinite we need never    
fear that we shall fail to draw to      
ourselves all that we require for our   
work1 whether it be the intelligence to 
lay hold of the proper tool1 or the     
strength to use it4 ,and1 moreover1 we  
learn from the symbol that this central 
power is generic4 ,this is a most       
important truth4 ,it is the centre from 
which all the hands proceed1 and is as  
fully open to any one hand as to any    
other4 ,each hand is doing its separate 
work1 and the whole of the central      
energy is at its disposal for its own   
specific purpose4 ,the work of the      
central energy1 as such1 is to supply   
vitality to the hands1 and it is they   
that differentiate this universal power 
into all the varied forms of application

 which their different aptitudes and    
opportunities suggest4 ,we1 as the      
hands1 live and work because the        
,central ,mind lives and works in us4   
,we are one with it1 and it is one with 
us2 and so long as we keep this primal  
truth before us1 we realise ourselves as
 beings of unlimited goodness and       
intelligence and power1 and we work in  
the fulness of strength and confidence  
accordingly2 but if we lose sight of    
this truth1 we shall find that the      
strongest will must get exhausted at    
last in the unequal struggle of the     
individual against the universe4  ,for  
if we do not recognise the ,central     
,mind as the source of our vitality1 we 
are literally fighting for our own hand1
 and all the other hands are against us1
 for we have lost the principle of      
connection with them4 ,this is what must
 infallibly happen if we rely on nothing
 but our individual will-power4 ,but if 
we realise that the will is the power by
 which we give out1 and that every      

giving out implies a corresponding      
taking in1 then we shall find in the    
boundless ocean of central living       
,spirit the source from which we can go 
on taking in ad infinitum1 and which    
thus enables us to give out to any      
extent we please4 ,but for wise and     
effective giving out a strong and       
enlightened will is an absolute         
necessity1 and therefore we do well to  
cultivate the will1 or the active side  
of our nature4 ,but we must equally     
cultivate the receptive side also2 and  
when we do this rightly by seeing in the
 ,infinite ,mind the one source of      
supply1 our will-power becomes          
intensified by the knowledge that the   
whole power of the ,infinite is present 
to back it up2 and with this continual  
sense of ,infinite ,power behind us we  
can go calmly and steadily to the       
accomplishment of any purpose1 however  
difficult1 without straining or effort1 
knowing that it shall be achieved1 not  
by the hand only1 but by the invincible 

,mind that works through it4 ,not by    
might1 nor by power1 but by ,my ,spirit1
 saith the ,lord of hosts4  #aijb4      
,,xxiii  ,,the ,,central ,,control   ,in
 contemplating the relations between    
body1 soul1 and spirit1 between         
,universal ,mind and individual mind1   
the methodised study of which           
constitutes ,mental ,science1 we must   
never forget that these relations       
indicate1 not the separateness1 but the 
unity of these principles4 ,we must     
learn not to attribute one part of our  
action to one part of our being1 and    
another to another4 ,neither the action 
nor the functions are split up into     
separate parts4 ,the action is a whole1 
and the being that does it is a whole1  
and in the healthy organism the         
reciprocal movements of the principles  
are so harmonious as never to suggest   
any feeling than that of a perfectly    
whole and undivided self4 ,if there is  
any other feeling we may be sure that   
there is abnormal action somewhere1 and 

we should set ourselves to discover and 
remove the cause of it4 ,the reason for 
this is that in any perfect organism    
there cannot be more than one centre of 
control4  ,a rivalry of controlling     
principles would be the destruction of  
the organic wholeness2 for either the   
elements would separate and group       
themselves round one or other of the    
centres1 according to their respective  
affinities1 and thus form two           
distinctive individualities1 or else    
they would be reduced to a condition of 
merely chaotic confusion2 in either case
 the original organism would cease to   
exist4 ,seen in this light1 therefore1  
it is a self-evident truth that1 if we  
are to retain our individuality2 in     
other words1 if we are to continue to   
exist1 it can be only by retaining our  
hold upon the central controlling       
principle in ourselves2 and if this be  
the charter of our being1 it follows    
that all our future development depends 
on our recognising and accepting this   

central controlling principle4 ,to this 
end1 therefore1 all our endeavours      
should be directed2 for otherwise all   
our studies in ,mental ,science will    
only lead us into a confused labyrinth  
of principles and counter-principles1   
which will be considerably worse than   
the state of ignorant simplicity from   
which we started4  ,this central        
controlling principle is the ,will1 and 
we must never lose sight of the fact    
that all the other principles about     
which we have learnt in our studies     
exist only as its instruments4 ,the     
,will is the true self1 of which they   
are all functions1 and all our progress 
consists of our increased recognition of
 the fact4 ,it is the ,will that says ,i
 ,,am2 and therefore1 however exalted1  
or even in their higher developments    
apparently miraculous1 our powers may   
be1 they are all subject to the central 
controlling power of the ,will4 ,when   
the enlightened ,will shall have learnt 
to identify itself perfectly with the   

limitless powers of knowledge1 judgment1
 and creative thought which are at its  
disposal1 then the individual will have 
attained to perfect wholeness1 and all  
limitations will have passed away for   
ever4  ,and nothing short of this       
consciousness of ,perfect ,wholeness can
 satisfy us4 ,everything that falls     
short of it is in that degree an        
embodiment of the principle of ,death1  
that great enemy against which the      
principle of ,life must continue to wage
 unceasing war1 in whatever form or     
measure it may show itself1 until death 
is swallowed up in victory4 ,there can  
be no compromise4 ,either we are        
affirming ,life1 as a principle1 or we  
are denying it1 no matter on how great  
or how small a scale2 and the criterion 
by which to determine our attitude is   
our realisation of our own ,wholeness4  
,death is the principle of              
disintegration2 and whenever we admit   
the power of any portion of our         
organism1 whether spiritual or bodily1  

to induce any condition independently of
 the intention of the ,will1 we admit   
that the force of disintegration is     
superior to the controlling centre in   
ourselves1 and we conceive of ourselves 
as held in bondage by an adversary1 from
 which bondage the only way of release  
is by the attainment of a truer way of  
thinking4  ,and the reason is that1     
either through ignorance or             
carelessness1 we have surrendered our   
position of control over the system as a
 whole1 and have lost the element of    
,purpose1 around which the consciousness
 of individuality must always centre4   
,every state of our consciousness1      
whether active or passive1 should be the
 result of a distinct purpose adopted by
 our own free will2 for the passive     
states should be quite as much under the
 control of the ,will as the active4 ,it
 is the lack of purpose that deprives us
 of power4 ,the higher and more clearly 
defined our purpose1 the greater        
stimulus we have for realising our      

control over all our faculties for its  
attainment2 and since the grandest of   
all purposes is the strengthening and   
ennobling of ,life1 in proportion as we 
make this our aim we shall find         
ourselves in union with the ,supreme    
,universal ,mind1 acting each in our    
individual sphere for the furtherance of
 the same purpose which animates the    
ruling principle of the ,great ,whole1  
and1 as a consequence1 shall find that  
its intelligence and powers are at our  
disposal4  ,but in all this there must  
be no strain4 ,the true exercise of the 
,will is not an exercise of unnatural   
force4 ,it is simply the leading of our 
powers into their natural channels by   
intelligently recognising the direction 
in which those channels go4 ,however    
various in detail1 they have one clearly
 defined common tendency towards the    
increasing of ,life--whether in         
ourselves or in others--and if we keep  
this steadily in view1 all our powers1  
whether interior or exterior1 will be   

found to work so harmoniously together  
that there will be no sense of          
independent action on the part of any   
one of them4 ,the distinctions drawn for
 purposes of study will be laid aside1  
and the ,self in us will be found to be 
the realisation of a grand ideal being1 
at once individual and universal1       
consciously free in its individual      
wholeness and in its joyous             
participation in the ,life of the       
,universal ,whole4     ,,xxiv  ,,what   
,,is ,,higher ,,thought8   ,resolution  
passed ,october1 #aijb1 by the          
,kensington ,higher ,thought ,centre4   
,that the ,centre stands for the        
definite teaching of     absolute       
,oneness of ,creator and                
,creation--,cause and     ,effect--and  
that nothing which may contradict or be 
in     opposition to the above          
principles be admitted to the ',higher  
,thought' ,centre ,platform4      ,by   
,oneness of ,cause and ,effect is meant1
 that ,effect 7man7     does consist    

only of what ,cause is2 but a part      
7individual     personality7 is not     
therefore co-extensive with the whole4  
,this ,resolution is of the greatest    
importance4 ,once admit that there is   
any ,power outside yourself1 however    
beneficent you may conceive it to be1   
and you have sown the seed which must   
sooner or later bear the fruit of ,fear 
which is the entire ruin of ,life1 ,love
 and ,liberty4 ,there is no via media4  
,say we are only reflections1 however   
accurate1 of ,the ,life1 and in the     
admission we have given away our        
,birthright4 ,however small or plausible
 may be the germ of thought which admits
 that we are anything less in principle 
than ,the ,life ,itself1 it must spring 
up to the ultimate ruin of the          
,life-,principle itself4 ,we are ,it    
itself4 ,the difference is only that    
between the generic and the specific of 
the same thing4 ,we must contend        
earnestly1 both within ourselves and    
outwardly1 for the one great foundation 

and never1 now on to all eternity1 admit
 for a single instant any thought which 
is opposed to this1 the ,basic ,truth of
 ,being4  ,the leading ideas connected  
with ,higher ,thought are 7,i7 ,that    
,man controls circumstances1 instead of 
being controlled by them1 and 7,,ii7 as 
a consequence of the foregoing1 that    
whatever teaches us to rely on power    
borrowed from a source outside ourselves
 is not ,higher ,thought2 and that      
whatever explains to us the ,infinite   
source of our own inherent power and the
 consequent limitless nature of that    
power is ,higher ,thought4 ,this avoids 
the use of terms which may only puzzle  
those not accustomed to abstract        
phraseology1 and is substantially the   
same as the resolution of ,october1     
#aijb4     ,,xxv  ,,fragments     #a4   
,god is ,love4      ,man1 having the    
understanding of ,god1 speaks the ,word 
of ,power4    #b4 ,man gives utterance  
to ,god4    #c4 ,the ,father is         
,equilibrium4      ,the ,son is         

,concentration of the same ,spirit4     
,the ,spirit is ,projection4  ,the      
,tri-une ,relation--always consists of  
these ,three3  7,i7 ,the                
,potential--7,,ii7 ,the ,ideal--7,,iii7 
,the ,concrete4  7,i7 ,the ,potential is
 ,life in its most highly abstract mode 
not yet brought into ,form even as      
,thought4 ,not particularised in any    
way4  7,,ii7 ,the ,ideal is the         
particularising of the ,potential into a
 certain ,formulated ,thought4  7,,iii7 
,the ,concrete is the ,manifestation of 
the ,formulated ,thought in ,visible    
,form4  ,what everybody wants is to     
become more alive--as ,jesus said1 ,i am
 come that they might have ,life and    
might have it more abundantly--and it is
 only on the basis of realising         
ourselves as a perfect unity throughout1
 not made up of opposing parts1 and that
 unity ,spirit1 that we can realise in  
ourselves the ,livingness which ,spirit 
is1 and which we as ,spirit ought to be4
   ,,hence ,,perfect ,,demonstration4   

,the ,truth shall make you ,free        
,life    3     ,love    3  ,the ,truth  
,liberty 3  ,the ,ultimate ,truth will  
always be found to consist of these     
three1 and anything that is contrary to 
them is contrary to ,fundamental ,truth4
   ,,worship  ,worship consists in the  
recognition of the ,personal ,nature of 
,holy ,spirit1 and in the ,continual    
,alternation 7,pulsation7 between the   
two positions of ,i am the ,person that 
,thou art1 and ,thou art the ,person    
that ,i am4 ,the ,two ,personalities are
 ,one4            99       99       99  
99       99     ,transcriber's note3    
,corrections in brackets in the text are
 noted below3     page #fd3 extra word  
removed        that we shall feel the   
the truth of it1     page #ajb3         
typographical error corrected           
straining and striving1 and the place of
 the old       strumsturm und drang will
 be taken1 not by inertia1 but       by 
a joyous activity which knows that it   
page #aea3 extra word removed        in 

proportion as you find it there1 you    
will will find it       everywhere else4