The Spiritual Writings Of Annie Rix Militz E-Book

Annie Rix Militz

• Herausgeber: Jazzybee Verlag
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Seitenzahl: 516

Beschreibung

At the end of the 19th century Annie Rix Militz was one of the most known spiritual leaders in the United States and soon became one of the leaders of the New Thought movement. This edition includes the following writings: Primary Lessons In Christian Living And Healing All The Way All Things Are Possible To Them That Believe Spiritual Housekeeping The Sermon On The Mount

Leseprobe

The Spiritual Writings Of …

Annie Rix Militz

Contents:

Primary Lessons In Christian Living And Healing

Preface

Introductory. Directions To Students.

Part I.

Lesson I. First Principles.

Lesson Ii. The Real And The Unreal.

Lesson Iii. Words, Their Use And Power,

Lesson Iv. Faith.

Lesson V. Knowledge And Good Judgment.

Lesson Vi. Unity And Concentration.

Part Ii.

Lesson Vii. Our Heredity, And Freedom From Sensuality.

Lesson Viii. Freedom From Delusions And Deceptions.

Lesson Ix. Forgiveness, The Cure Of Sin.

Lesson X. Overcoming Fear.

Lesson Xi. Divine Understanding, Our Strength.

Lesson Xii. Divine Completeness, Our Satisfaction.

All The Way

Foreword

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

VII

VIII

IX

All Things Are Possible To Them That Believe

Thou Shalt Decree

Spiritual Housekeeping

Introduction

The First Day

The Second Day

The Third Day

The Fourth Day

The Fifth Day

The Sixth Day

The Seventh Day

Closing Word

The Sermon On The Mount

Preface

Jesus Christ

The Sermon On The Mount

The Beatitudes

The Salt And The Light

The Law

Salvation From Anger

Purity

Swear Not At All

The Doctrine Of Non-Resistance

Overcome Evil With Good

In The Secret Place

Prayer

The Lord's Prayer

Forgiveness

No Sad Appearances

True Valuation

Concentration Upon God

No Thought For Worldly Welfare

Free From Judging

Good Judgment In Ministering

Divine Persistency

The Golden Rule

The Way And The Door

Fair Words And False Thinking

Works Without Love

Hearing And Doing

The Spiritual Writings Of Annie Rix Militz

Jazzybee Verlag Jürgen Beck

86450 Altenmünster, Loschberg 9

Germany

ISBN: 9783849642419

www.jazzybee-verlag.de

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PRIMARY LESSONS IN CHRISTIAN LIVING AND HEALING

PREFACE

FOR over twelve years these lessons have been given to spiritual students, hundreds of whom are living demonstrations of their efficacy in healing.

Not only have the sick been healed by the practice of these teachings, but characters have been redeemed from vice and weakness, and prosperity has come to those who had never dreamed that there is a law of mind that gives fortune and freedom from debt. Therefore these teachings are not theoretical or chimerical, but proven Truth, that Truth which is more valuable than any earthly treasure that could be named, and for which no exchange would even be considered by the one who has learned and realized It.

The lessons were first brought out as a serial in the metaphysical magazine Unity, of Kansas City, Mo., and through its wide circulation they have reached thousands whose loving testimonials are coming to the writer every day.

As numbers of public teachers and healers have been the fruitage of the oral deliverance of these lectures, the same blessed harvest is anticipated through their dissemination in printing. Already the good news has come from different localities of groups gathering day after day and listening to the reading of the lessons by some one of their number, whose enthusiasm and faith baptizes the letter of the reading with that Spirit which is the essential goodness of oral instruction.

Whoever wishes to use these lessons in teaching is welcome to do so, without referring to the author of them. No greater praise could be given than to quote them as impersonal Truth.

For the benefit of those who wish to make a study of the Bible with the true understanding of spiritual things there has been added an index of all the Bible references used in the book. Many obscure texts will be found among them whose interpretation is given clearly in the context of the book where the passage is quoted.

Teachers and speakers who wish to give sermons and Bible readings will find this index of much assistance.

Go, little book, and if in the great galaxy of spiritual lights that shall crown this century as the Spiritual Renaissance of the world thou canst be the polar star to even one weary mariner, lost upon the ocean of delusion, by which Truth may guide him to his Home, thine existence will have been well accounted for, and thy mission blessed.

A. R. M.

CHICAGO, January, 1900.

INTRODUCTORY. DIRECTIONS TO STUDENTS.

IN taking up the study of pure Truth it is well for the student to understand what is the best attitude of mind to keep in order to receive the greatest good in the easiest way and in the shortest possible time.

Be as nearly like a child as you know how. For the time being put aside the old ways of thinking, former prejudices, and unbeliefs, and listen quietly to all that is presented to you. Do not try to reconcile your old ideas with these that are given you here, neither look for differences. Sit calmly and quietly as the judge sits upon his bench, and listen with impartiality and without fear.

Do not feel obliged to accept or reject what is given you, but trust the Truth in yourself to adjust all things, and to give to you and retain in you only that which is indeed true.

Do not argue about any statement given you, either for it or against it. You do not need to defend the Truth, for Truth is sufficient unto itself. And if a statement seems untrue leave it alone. If it is not of God it cannot live.

It is well to talk these teachings over with one who is harmonious, but if either feels any disturbance or in-harmony then let silence reign, for then indeed is silence golden.

These lessons are healing, and as you eat and digest and assimilate these truths you will find false physical conditions dropping away, and false and disturbing thoughts passing utterly from your mind forever.

While you are being healed do not be surprised or discouraged if there are days when you seem worse, either in body or mind, than usual. At such times read those parts of the lessons that help you many times over, and you will be lifted right up into peace and health speedily.

Repetition and reiteration are purposely adhered to, for this course is a study, not a diversion.

Just before studying each lesson, sit for a few moments in silence and declare for yourself:

"Truth is my God. I love the Truth. Therefore I trust the Truth to guide me into all Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth,"

PART I.

LESSON I. FIRST PRINCIPLES.

AS with our mental eyes we look forth over the world and consider its people, and what they are living for, and what they are most earnestly desiring, we find that all mankind have one common pursuit, and all are desirous of but one thing, and that is Happiness.

No matter by what name they are calling their desire, whether it is power, honors, riches, health, peace, love, or knowledge, everyone and all can be summed up and brought under the one name, Happiness.

Not only does everyone pursue happiness, but everyone at sometime believes that he can have it, and at all times he believes that he has a right to have it.

Some think that they have ceased to look for happiness -  the word seems too large to them, but there is one word that represents what they think they can have here and now, and that word is Satisfaction.

"Oh, to be satisfied!" they cry, "Oh, to be at rest!" Yes, it is true all can have satisfaction, and not only may we be passively, quietly satisfied, but it is our right and our privilege to be happy actively, joyously happy here and now, with not a sorrow to mar our joy, not one thing that can interfere with our happiness. In other words, we can enter into eternal, unchanging bliss now, in this time, and it is right for us to believe so to believe that all good is for us to-day, and to ask, to seek, to knock until we are consciously one with our own true state of being, pure happiness.

All along the ages have arisen great souls, grand masters of life, who have believed in man's right to happiness, and, believing so, have given all they had, their whole lives, all their energy, love, and whatever they prized into the service of finding how this happiness may be attained, and, with one accord, we find of them saying that to know the Truth and to live the Truth is the one and the only Way to eternal happiness, and he who once knows the whole Truth, need never know sickness, sorrow, evil, death, poverty, or any other wretchedness ever again.

"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." -John 8:32. Free from what? Free from every evil condition; free from every material limitation to which mortals seem so in bondage. And if we are not free, if something still prevents us from having what we desire or doing that which we wish to do, then we may know that we must rise up out of some ignorance, and we must seek and receive the whole Truth, for it must be the whole Truth that shall set us wholly free.

It has been argued that when we have found the whole Truth we shall know it, in that it fulfills three conditions of perfect happiness. It should give us ( 1 ) Health of body, (2) Peace of mind, (3) The key to all knowledge. Since these three conditions have been fulfilled in students by these teachings we see that we can truly call this gospel, Truth.

In order that we may walk the Way with understanding and profit we must, in this first lesson, see that we start from the same point that is, that we all stand together upon one Foundation Principle, and standing together there, we shall see that we cannot but walk together from principle to principle, and every deduction and conclusion must be taken from alpha to omega. We shall know that if we have not believed in all these principles, and not only believed them but lived them, that it will not be hard for us to understand why we have not had that happiness we desire, or manifested that perfection we would show forth.

The first principle of Truth is: God is good and God is omnipresent. Upon the acceptance of this principle depends your receptivity to all that follows.

"Come now, let us reason together, saith the Lord." Is. 1 :18. There are three statements in the wording of this principle which may be called the first axioms of Truth, viz:

1 God is.

2 God is the Good.

3 God is omnipresent.

An axiom is defined as a self-evident truth. Taking this definition in its highest sense we can see why the truth "God is" can be called axiomatic. No external evidence or human argument can prove to you that God is. Such can be corroborative witness to what you have already received from within, but let us rest forever in this understanding that only God can prove to you that God is, and that proof comes from the divine within yourself.

Every thinker believes in a cause back of all that he observes about him. Some call this great cause Force, some, Nature, some, Law, some, The Great First Cause, some, The Unknowable, but by far the greater part of those who have most earnestly pondered upon the idea have given it the name of some deity. In these teachings we have chosen to use the name God, because it includes all that is in the other names and more. The name Force would seem to exclude the attribute of love, Nature seems often strangely blind and merciless, while with the name God it is not difficult with most people to associate those higher qualities omitted from the others. Another advantage accruing to the name God is that it is one in its Anglo-Saxon root with the word Good.

Let us now consider our second axiom, "God is the Good."

It is agreed by all the wise that have most blessed the world that the First Cause is good. Those who call it Force, or Law, agree that it is good, as evidenced in the theory of "the survival of the fittest," or best, in all species. The devotee of Nature believes that all her efforts are towards bringing forth health, beauty, and good in manifold ways. It is not difficult for us to agree that God is good. Let us enlarge upon this basic statement, God is the Good. What do we mean by the Good?

The highest goodness must be that which is so good that it is never anything else. It is that which is everlastingly, unchangeably, universally good in other words, the Absolute Good.

God is that Good which is good for all people at all times and in all places. It is not that which is good for one race and not for another, or for one sex and not for another, or for one age and not for another ; that is only relative goodness, passing shadows finally swallowed up by that sun of righteousness the Great Good of All.

If we begin to consider that which everyone believes is good for himself we shall enter upon infinity, for the good things of God cannot be numbered. We will state a few in order to lay our foundation stones :

1 HEALTH is GOOD. Everyone believes that health is good for himself and good for his loved one. Always, everywhere, health is good. Listen to this simple logic, this syllogism:

Since God is Good,

And Health is Good,

Therefore God is Health

And Health is God.

"For I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." Ps. 42:11.

2 LIFE is GOOD. By Life is not meant that condition of earthly affairs between birth and death not many see that good but that Principle, that Power that lies back of the sparkle in the eye and the glow on the cheek, that great Essence and Presence whose beginnings materialists have, all in vain, so ardently sought. No mortal has ever touched Life or confined It to form or definition, but all agree that It is as unknowable and undefinable as God, and, like Deity, only appreciable through Its effects or manifestations.

Listen to our reasoning:

Since God is Good

And Life is Good,

Therefore God is Life

And Life is God.

3 SUBSTANCE is GOOD. What is Substance ? Metaphysicians define it as that which is the reality of being, that which is the genuine, indestructible presence that is back of the appearance called "matter." Its essence is unchangeability. It is eternal, incorruptible, infinite, and unlimited. It is Being, of which materiality is the shadow. What is Substance with the metaphysician is Spirit with the theologian, and in these teachings Substance and Spirit are synonymous terms used interchangeably.

Again we reason:

Since God is Good,

And Substance is Good,

Therefore God is Substance

And Substance is God.

"God is Spirit," says Jesus (Wilson's Emphatic Diaglot). God is one Spirit, in, and through, and the reality of all manifestation the beauty, grandeur, and glory of the universe.

By this time the observing student will be cognizant of our methods of meditation and deduction, and can himself start with correct premises and arrive at true conclusions, proving to his own satisfaction that God is all that is pure Goodness universally, eternally,, impartially good.

Practice meditating upon what is good for all people at all times and in all places, and then see how God is that, and your foundation is sure.

4 LOVE is GOOD. Unselfish, pure, unchangeable Love is good for all. God is Love.

5 INTELLIGENCE is GOOD. God is Intelligence -- Wisdom.

6 TRUTH is GOOD. God is Truth.

We need not put any limit to our enumeration of the Goodness that is God. God is Peace, Prosperity, Purity, Strength, Trust, Faith, Rest, Power, Freedom, and so on to infinity. But it is enough for our foundation Statement of Being to dwell upon certain thoughts of God now, and charge our minds with one short statement only: God is Health, Life, Love, Truth, Substance, and Intelligence.

Let us now consider our third axiom, "God is Omnipresent."

God is everywhere. God fills all, and is the very being of all that is. God is All in All. Let us see to what conclusions the acknowledgment that God is omnipresent will lead us. Since God is good and God is omnipresent, then Good is omnipresent, Good is everywhere. Since God is Health and God is omnipresent, health is omnipresent, health is in and through all things. Life is omnipresent, love is omnipresent, truth is omnipresent, substance is omnipresent, intelligence is omnipresent.

All that can be predicated of God can be declared true of all that is good. God is Omnipotence, therefore health is omnipotent, and so also is life and love.

Repetition of these truths in every conceivable form is the mental method of hammering, "driving home,' 7 stamping, and solidifying the foundation of that building which is to be the center and headquarters of all our coming demonstrations. Too much attention cannot be paid to this first lesson. A student that is well grounded upon the basic principles will find all the subsequent lessons easy to comprehend and practice.

Who are you? "Know thyself has ever been the inspired injunction. Every sage has expressed this thought in some manner: "If man would only study himself and know himself, then he would know all things nothing would be unknown to him." This is true. If man knows the true Self of him, then he must know God, for the true Self is one with God.

Moses spoke of Man's oneness with God as Man being made in the image and likeness of God. Jesus spoke of Man's oneness with God as the Son being one with the Father. "I and the Father are one."

God is divine Mind. Man is its Idea. God creates or thinks Man. God thinks upon Himself, images Himself, speaks the word, "I am." Man is that Word.

You are the thought of God, the idea of the divine Mind. You have no existence apart from God. The perfect Mind never loses one of its thoughts ; so you, God's thought, cannot be lost out of His mind. "In him we live, and move, and have our being."

The thought is always like the thinker, therefore Scripture says Man, who is the thought, is like God, who is the thinker.

Therefore this is the truth which you must speak for yourself and realize is true : Since God is Health, I, who am the image of God, must be healthy not sick. It is true that I am, in reality, strong and well.

Since God is Spirit, I am Spirit. I am, in reality, spiritual, immortal, healthy, and harmonious.

I am Divine, not mortal;

I am Holy, not sinful;

I am Wise, not ignorant,

Because God is All,

And beside Him there is none else.

The Idea of God is one with God. Since God is All in the universe, there is only God only God and His Idea, His Son, and that Idea is God. For since God is All, there is only God for God to think upon. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God [the Father] and Jesus Christ [Man, the Son] whom thou hast sent."

The real Self of you is the Christ, one with the Father. You are not a mortal, sickly, weak, and foolish being, as it would seem you are. In reality you are all that is everlastingly divine and perfect. This is the truth about yourself.

It is not enough to listen to these teachings only, they must be practiced. These truths must be used in order that they may be proven good and desirable. We know that with music, one will not be proficient who only listens to the theories, but does not apply them. So it is with the Life. We must live its principles every day every hour, every moment thinking some good thought, some God-thought.

If one hears, that is, listens carefully and obediently to these lessons, and then practices them all he can, he has built his house upon a rock, and no matter how he may be assailed by sickness or trouble, it can get no hold upon him, but he will stand, and the more the storm beats about his house the more secure he will feel himself within.

But he that hears, be he ever so attentive and pleased with the doctrine, but does not do may know why some problems seem too hard for him, and sickness and disaster undermine him.

Build upon rock by continual practice of the Word. Jesus called this "praying always."

In the interim between the study of a lesson and the next hold this statement in mind, often silently repeating it : Only the Good is true.

Copy the following, and mentally repeat it every night and morning :

God is Health, Life, Love, Truth, Substance, Intelligence.

God is All.

God is Omnipresence, Omnipotence, and Omniscience.

I am the Thought of God, the Idea of the divine Mind. In Him I live, move, and have my being. I am spiritual, harmonious, fearless, and free. I am governed by the law of God, the everlasting Good, and I am not subject to the law of sin, sickness, and death.

I know the Truth, and the Truth makes me free from evil in every form and from all material bondage, now and forever.

God works through me to will and to do whatever ought to be done by me.

I am happy. I am holy. I am loving. I am wise.

I and the Father are one. Amen.

LESSON II. THE REAL AND THE UNREAL.

HE first lesson the student of Truth must learn is summed up in the answer of Jesus Christ to the scribe who asked him what was the first commandment, or rule, for right living:

"And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. " Mark 12:29-31.

God must be loved with the whole nature, and this is only possible as we know that God is all that really is. God is the One Good, everywhere present. God is the One Spirit, the One Mind in everybody. God is the One Substance in the universe. God is the One Life, Health, Love, Truth, Substance, and Intelligence.

God is the only Self in us and in our neighbor. Therefore the second commandment is just the same as the first, for if we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, what love have we left for ourselves or our neighbor unless the real Self in us be God?

There is only God. There is no reality in anything that is not God.

It is written, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." This is true, and as we look about us and see the human race so in bondage to evil we have but one conclusion in our minds it must be that they do not know the Truth. Some seem free from one thing but are in bondage to another; others are almost entirely free, yet something still limits and binds, and in the case of these we must conclude that they have received but part of the Truth, or have been contented with a mixture of Truth and error, for when once they know the whole Truth, and practice it, they must be wholly free. Part-truths heal us only in part.

Why is it that men who are preaching what they believe to be the Truth are sick and poor, weak and full of sorrow and trouble?

This is the reason: While they declare God to be good and to be omnipotent, in the same breath they begin to talk of another power called evil, the devil, as very strong and powerful, which is continually warring against God, and most of the time prevailing.

At the same time that men have said God is omnipresent, everywhere present, they talk of another being, exactly opposite to God, the Good, as a real presence, and even ascribe to it the All-presence that belongs to God. Thus they break their first commandment : "Thou shalt have no other gods [powers] before me."

To give evil even the smallest presence is to put it in the place where God should be yes, where God really is. They should know the omnipresence of the Good only, and acknowledge that in order to be free from the evil in which they have so long been believing.

Gautama Buddha, the great Eastern sage, after days of prayer and fasting, desiring above all things to know why his people suffered so, received this word from the Divine Spirit : "The reason of suffering is ignorance. Teach the people the truth, and they shall be free." It is ignorance of God that we must rise out of in order to be set free from those ills that are the results of it. And this ignorance is expressed by the people as a belief in the universal presence of evil. From this error every mind must be set free by being imbued with the idea of the universal presence of God.

Is it reasonable to say that God is good and all-powerful, and then say that evil has any power at all ? Is it reasonable to believe in the omnipresence of God and at the same time think the devil has any real presence? Come, let God in you speak to you the whole Truth!

Since God is the Good and God is everywhere, Good must be everywhere, and there is no real presence to evil at all. Since God is all and He is the one creator, He must create all out of His own substance, which is Good. God creates Good only. "And God saw that it was good."

"And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Gen. 1:31. Good is all that really is made. There is, in reality, no place for evil in God's universe. Evil has no real presence, or power, or law, and all that can be classed under the head of evils are delusions and unrealities, and should be recognized as only such.

Sin, sickness, sorrow, death, have no place in the omnipresence of God.

God does not think impure, unholy thoughts, therefore sinful desires, words, and deeds have no part or place in the true Self. There is no reality in sin; it is without power, law, or substance.

God is omnipresent Health. There is no pain, no sickness, no disease in God. There is nothing in God to be sick or out of which to make disease, therefore He does not make pain, sickness or disease. There is no reality in disease.

God is immortal, changeless Life, omnipresent Life. Life does not end. There is no reality in death. Absence of life is an appearance, and no one ever really dies. Death has no real place or power in God's world.

God is Spirit pure, holy, unlimited, eternal, perfect Substance. Since God is all, His creation must be in and of Himself, in and of His substance, therefore the world of God must be Spiritual and not material. Matter is not the real substance of the universe, for the qualities of matter change, decay, limitation, mortality, and imperfection have no place in divine manifestation. Materiality is negation.

All the beauty, grandeur, life, and goodness of creation are Spiritual, not material, and therefore they are eternal to the mind that truly knows and to the eyes that really see.

Not only must we believe in the omnipresence and omnipotence of God, but we must carry that belief to its ultimate extent, which is to believe that there can be no reality in any other presence or power. We cannot allow the claim of any presence other than Good and Spirit to take hold upon our minds in order to be loyal to the greatest command of all : 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind." "In all thy ways acknowledge him." Prov. 3 :6. "Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth : for I am God, and there is none else." Is. 45 :22.

The Greek philosopher Zeno says: "The most necessary part of learning is to unlearn our errors." The mind that comes up to the fountain of Truth to partake of its blessings must first be placed in a receptive condition, must first be cleansed of its belief in the reality of evil and materiality, in order that it may receive the full Truth, and this cleansing process is accomplished by the word of negation.

Every negative word erases, and to erase false thoughts from the mind the word of denial must be spoken.

In the first chapter of Genesis the mind that awaits the coming of Truth is spoken of in the language of symbolism as the earth, without form and void "and darkness was upon the face of the deep." Darkness is the symbol of ignorance, and light is the symbol of Truth. "And God said [to the waiting mind], Let there be light [Truth] : and there was light."

Denial makes us receptive. "And God said. Let there be" as though the earth must let the light shine. And so it is. The mind must let the Truth come in. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight," by beginning to clear out the rubbish of false thinking pulling up the "plants which my Father hath not planted."

People who have sick bodies, or vices, or inharmonious surroundings are like pupils who have worked their problems incorrectly, and before they begin to work them aright they must first erase their old work, then begin the working anew with true principles for their bases of operations.

Right denial pulls down old, false structures built by vain imaginings, and leaves the mind ready to build anew.

Every religion has taught denial in some form. All fasting is but the symbol of the denying which is going on in mind. Sacrifices represent the putting away, or the denying of the power of "the world, the flesh, and the devil " Fanatics have cut and lacerated their bodies, and sat in sack, cloth and ashes, to signify their realization of the vanity or unreality of the earthly body and worldly life. In truth, the real denial was all the time in mind, and no external ceremony could make them realize the nothingness of the worldly life and ways if they were not trying in all sincerity to realize it in heart and mind. We see this proven by people going through long fasts and other external forms of denial, and yet not realizing any more spirituality after them than before. All real denial begins in the heart and mind.

The process of denial is represented in the Scriptures by John the Baptist, who, it was prophesied, must come first in order to prepare the way of the Lord, the full Gospel.

"Repent ye! Repent ye!" was John's cry. The literal translation of the Greek metamoia (mistranslated "repent ye") is "Change your mind." In other words, stop thinking about sin, and so stop the doing and speaking it. Change your mind as to what are the realities of life, and seek the things of the Spirit. "Except ye become converted [turned right about] and become as little children [who know no evil] ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven."

"If any man will come after me, let him deny himself." How is it that Jesus denied himself? By beginning in heart and mind to set aside the fleshly man. He says, "If I honor myself, my honor is nothing;" "I speak not of myself, it is the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." He denied his personality, for he knew that that was not the real Self. He knew Himself to be Spirit, not flesh. "The flesh profiteth nothing," he said. He knew himself to be Immortal, not mortal as he seemed to be. He said, "Judge not by the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." We, too, are Spiritual, not material; divine Immortals, not carnal and mortal. We deny the reality of the carnal mind and body under the name "personality." It is a good term to express all the collective errors that man has held about himself. The word "person" (from the Latin per and sona, to sound through) was originally applied to a mask which ancient actors wore upon the stage. Most personalities seem to hide the real nature of the individual beautiful natures obscured by ugly forms and features, great souls curtained by diminutive bodies. Denial of personality draws aside the curtain, dissolves the imperfect, and reveals the translucent body through which the Spirit shines and works untrammeled.

The fleshly body is not yourself, and nothing done to it can hurt you. Mentally look at all personality as you would look through darkness to the light. Deny its actions, its foolishness, its sickness, its weakness, its meanness, its wickedness, and these will melt before your true word like mist before the sun.

To remember to meet every evil claim, suggestion or appearance with the silent assertion, "There is no evil" is to be a light in the midst of darkness, causing the evil to fly and the real good that was there all the time to come forward in all its strength and power.

You are like one who continually says to false report, "That is not so," and it cannot influence you because you will not believe in it. All evil is a lie, a delusion, and it has power to those only who believe in it. Thus Jesus defines evil and its author : "He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own : for he is a liar and the father of it." No matter how true a statement may seem to be, if it is not true of God, then it must be known as a relative truth or a lie, and we are not to be deceived by it. One way to lift the mind from believing in evil is to look at the falsities squarely and fearlessly, and say: "You are not real, you are not true. It is nothing. It has no real and true creator, and I will not believe in it any longer." But the most terse, effective, even drastic, denial that one can speak is embodied in those words, "There is no evil."

If you believe the mirage on the desert is a reality, a real lake of waters surrounded by trees, then you will pursue it as long as you are deceived, and endure many sufferings and hardships through your ignorance. But the traveler who knows it to be nothing, says so, and cannot be deluded into following it nor led out of his way, no matter how fair it may be to look upon. So should we regard all evil and all this dream-world which passes away continually, and which all prophets have pronounced 'Vanity of vanities," and "its nations as nothing in the eyes of the Lord."

"But can I not believe my senses ?" the mortal cries. Surely not, since the senses are continually contradicting each other, as has been proven both by experiments and natural experiences. Even material science contradicts the senses. For example, the sun seems to rise and set, but astronomy tells us that that is but an appearance, and it is the earth that moves and not the sun. The senses say the moon is a flat disc, astronomy declares it to be a sphere ; the stars seem points of light, whereas it is said that some are suns many thousand times greater than our sun.

We are not now looking to our senses for Truth, but to the divine Reason within us, and to our Intuition, "that light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

When thy senses affirm that which thy reason denies, reject the testimony of thy senses, and listen only to thy reason. Maimonides.

The mind that is determined to believe in God alone faithfully takes up the denial of all that is not God, and, as he walks along the Way, he soon begins to see that Truth proves itself true. What of is the result of persistently holding, right in the face of appearances, to the thought, "There is no reality to sin; no real power, presence, or law to sin?"

It is to see vice and impure thinking drop right out of your own mind and life, and not only yours, but out of those for whom you speak the words. Does the denial of the reality of sin cause license, making people more sinful and wicked? Not at all. On the contrary it causes them to see that there is no pleasure in it, that there is no satisfaction in it, and a great realization of the uselessness and powerlessness of sin comes to the faithful student. For the saying is true, and Truth, boldly spoken though in silence, is a living power in itself capable of freeing from every bondage even of sin itself.

When the mind that dwells in the consciousness of God sends forth its word denying any place or power to sickness, pain, disease, then we see health spring forth as flowers spring up when a crushing weight has been removed.

The right denial of personality causes egotism to fall from one with its pride and vanity, its sensitiveness and stupidity, and the universal Self to be revealed.

He who holds to the thought, "There is no real substance to matter, the Spirit is the only true substance," finds himself no longer burdened and limited by material things. His body seems light, the things of the world do not tire him. "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles ; they shall run, and not be weary ; and they shall walk, and not faint." Is. 40:31.

The effect of right words of denial is like water, for they cleanse, loosen, free, wash away, and dissolve false appearances. The effect of right affirmations is to fill in (fulfill), to make substantial, to build up, to establish, and cause to come into appearance that which is real and true.

The realization of true denial in thought, word, and deed is called being "born of water," and the realization of true affirmation is being "born of Spirit" This is the beginning of regeneration. He that is continually being cleansed by the word of denial "Now are ye clean through the words which I have spoken unto you" is being baptized with water. Water is the symbol of the cleansing power of repentance, change of mind, conversion, all of which come through the right denial of the world, the flesh, and the devil, or, as we have said, materiality (the world), the personal self (the flesh), and evil (the devil).

To every suggestion of evil in your daily life mentally declare, "There is no evil." To all talk of people about evil, such as scandals, descriptions of diseases, accounts of deaths, disasters, fears, discouragements and dangers, silently say, "That is not true." Many cases have been healed by that simple, silent message.

Do not feel obliged to join in conversations that dwell upon the dark side of humanity. Courtesy and good judgment will cause you to reply in ways wherein there is no offense, and yet you make no concession to evil. Silence is better than assent to error. Learn the virtue of stillness.

Copy and learn the following 1 denials, and repeat them night and morning in conjunction with the affirmations at the close of the preceding lesson :

1 Since in God there is no evil, I deny that there is any reality to evil at all.

There is no real power in sin or death.

There is no real substance to sickness or disease.

There is no true cause for sorrow.

There is nothing to fear.

2 God's world is Spiritual, not material. There is no matter, Spirit is the only substance.

3 Personality is not the real Self. The true Individual is Spirit, not flesh.

I am the free and fearless, impersonal, selfless child of God, and what I am so are you, my neighbor, as myself. Amen.

One of the happiest ways of denying for one's self is to begin your sentences with, "I am free," such as "I am free from doubt," "I am free from care," and so forth.

The denial of your personality does not destroy your Individuality, but, to the contrary, establishes it. Fear not; "He that loseth his life [loses the limited personal conception of life] for my sake [the Truth's sake] shall find it [the true Individual life]." Matt. 10:39.

LESSON III. WORDS, THEIR USE AND POWER,

GOD is supreme Intelligence, Wisdom, Understanding, Reason, all of which can be comprehended in the one word, Mind. God is Mind, and since God is the great first cause, therefore Mind is the great first cause. Divine Mind is the one creative power and source of all true manifestation.

What can be predicated of God is true of Man, who is the image and likeness of God. Man's mind is the cause of all that is in his life. Solomon says, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7), and the Hindu Dhammapada expresses the same idea in the following words:

All that we are is the result of what we have thought; it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him as the wheel follows the ox that draws the cart. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him like a shadow that never leaves him.

Thoughts are the product of Mind, and the means through which Mind works. The thoughts of divine Mind are pure and good, true, and full of life and health, and they produce heavenly conditions. In the measure that man's mind dwells upon the pure and the good, he enters into health and happiness. The only real thoughts that man has are those from the Mind of God, in which is no evil imagination, memory, or production. "To think the thoughts of God after Him," as the great Kepler said, is to have a mind filled with noble, wise, loving thoughts in which there is no mixture of error or evil.

Discord and disease arise from a mixed mentality in which is belief in both good and evil as real. Pure thoughts result in pure manifestations, but mixed thoughts show forth as a mixture, an adulteration, in the bodies and circumstances of the thinkers.

The mind of man is set in order by the science of God, and all the good thoughts are gathered and ascribed to their divine source, while the beliefs in evil are separated, as the tares were taken out of the wheat in the parable (Matt. 13 : 30), and cast out into nothingness.

Divine Science and logic systematize and arrange thoughts, so that their nature is known, and name and place are given to them.

Life proves to man that a mind filled with good imagery, with peaceful, loving, gentle, trustful thoughts, is in Heaven, while one who dwells upon evil, malice, revenge, injustice, pain, and misery is in hell. For Heaven and hell are states of mind. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things : and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." Matt. 12: 35.

All the health and happiness you have is the result of your belief in Good, which, in order to persist, must have its foundation in the true knowledge of God. If you would be constantly happy, that is, manifest your true Being which is at peace, strong and healthy, prosperous and full of love and knowledge, you must think good thoughts not only "now and then" but perpetually, which means the casting out of every other kind of thought.

We must begin to put out of our minds miserable, gloomy thoughts, not letting memories of injuries, sorrows, and mistakes possess us, and allow only those thoughts which give power and presence to Good remain in our mentality. We must put from us every doubt and fear, all discouraging thoughts of every kind, and hold fast only to those thoughts that God thinks.

Whoever is in a state of happiness is in Heaven, no matter what his surroundings may be, for Heaven is a consciousness, not a place. The Kingdom may be represented by a place filled with joy, beauty, and goodness, but primarily it is within our hearts and minds, and does not depend upon externals for perpetuation. We must find Heaven within ourselves, regardless of our associates and environments. As soon as we identify ourselves with the Divine within we become powers to externalize our inward happiness in forms which fitly symbolize God's creation. "And when he [Jesus] was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation : neither shall they say, Lo, here ! or, lo there ! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 77:20, 21.

Jesus Christ came to teach men to look for Heaven right in their midst. He called his teaching "Preaching the Kingdom of Heaven," which is, in other words, declaring the ruling of the Good. At one time he contrasts it to the old preaching : "The law and the prophets were until John : since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." Luke 16:16. He declared that every nation must hear of this teaching before the end of the old conditions could come (Matt. 24:14), and he has but one instruction to all his followers as to their preaching: "As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matt. 107. What does the phrase "at hand" mean? What do you mean when in writing a letter in answer to a correspondent you say, "Your letter is at hand ?" Do you mean that it is coming by and by ? No. You mean that it is in this place at this present moment here now. So also Jesus meant: The Kingdom of Heaven is here now. Is not this the good news the gospel we are to proclaim the world over?

The Christ still says to you, "Go, preach the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." Preach goodness and happiness as the only real presence and power (kingdom) in all the universe.

Must we speak contrary to the senses? Did not Jesus do so? With thousands of poor, hungry, sick, miserable creatures around him he still declared the true Kingdom. And while he spoke Heaven came to one after another of those cripples and miserable beings he proved his doctrine by his works.

Does it seem to you that you are telling a lie to say these things? Then remember that you are speaking of everlasting things only, and you will see that your words are true. The student of divine things ceases to think or talk about worldly and temporal appearances as though they were realities, but he lets his "conversation" be "in heaven," and enlarges upon the bright side of life, and learns to meditate upon and discuss the enduring things of Being.

When you say there is no evil, sin, sickness or death you are speaking of the real World ("My kingdom is not of this world"), where none of these things have any place.

When you say, "I am pure and holy," "I am strong and well," you are speaking of the real I, the true Self, and not of the personality called by an earthly name, and which but represents you for the time being.

Is it not written in the Scripture, "Let the weak say, I am strong" (Joel 3 :10) ?

Ignore the personal claims of sickness, believe only in the Son of God, and identify your I AM with the pure and holy, healthy, immortal Son of God. So also when speaking to others address the Real in them, and you will no longer feel that you are saying that which is not true in denying the senses, and declaring your neighbor well and strong. "Speak ye every man truth to his neighbor . . . and let none of you imagine evil in your hearts against his neighbor." Zech. 8: 16, 17. "He that speaketh truth showeth forth righteousness ... the tongue of the wise is health."Prov. 12:17, 18.

The Good is all about us and in us. We live, move, and have our being in Health, Life, and Love. God fills all things as thoughts fill the mind. But nothing comes forth without the Word. "All things were made by him [the Word] ; and without him was not anything made that was made" John 1 13.

Words are the expression of Mind. Words are thoughts made visible, or brought to consciousness and realization.

We are continually speaking words, but not always aloud, for there are silent or mental words as well as audible. These words are forming and reforming, unforming and deforming all the conditions and manifestations in and around us. If our silent or audible words dwell upon evil, then evil conditions "show forth;" if upon good, then good is manifest. "But I say unto you, That every idle [even the lightest, vainest] word that men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof ... for by thy words thou shalt be justified [established in Good] and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" [continue in ignorance and misery]. Matt. 12:36, 37.

If one says, "I am sick," "I can't understand," "I am tired," and so forth, he will continue subject to sickness, to be in ignorance, be weary, and so forth, until Truth causes him to cease from such utterances through a true change of heart.

If one says, "I will fear no evil for thou art with me" when faced by danger ; or, "I love you" before the darts of hatred and persecution ; or, "The child of God knows no failure or discouragement," he shall be established in fearlessness, in omnipotent love, in success, in just the measure that he realizes the truth of the words he utters.

The Word is the divine means by which God creates, and Man, following in the footsteps of God, uses the same means, words, to bring into manifestation what God has already created.

The original intention and use of language was not to convey thought, but for the purpose of creation. Spiritual magicians can decree a thing, and it shall be established unto them (Job 22:28).

In the Golden Age all men shall work after the manner of Christ, who did all things by his word healing the sick, raising the dead, stilling the storm, feeding the multitudes.

Jesus declared, "What things soever he [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son, likewise" (John 5:19), and inspiration revealed to the writer of Genesis that previous to every manifestation "God said."

"And God said, Let there be light : and there was light."

"And God said, Let there be a firmament . . . and it was so."

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass . . . and it was so."

"And God said, Let there be lights ... and it was so."

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth." "And God said, Let us make man in our image." Whoever follows in the footsteps of Jesus will work as he saw the Father work, speaking forth all that is to be manifest by the power of decree.

Throughout the Bible are references to God's word, its delight, and its power. Men have missed the meaning of those texts by thinking that it was the written book that was referred to, whereas the Bible itself teaches that we are to look within our hearts for the word of God and not to externals. "It is not in heaven, that thou shouldst say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldst say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart that thou mayst do it." --Deut. 30:12-14.

It has been the inspired custom of wise men of the most spiritual nations to teach the people the holy utterances of others, that their hearts and tongues might become receptive to the divine Voice within themselves, that "well of water springing up to everlasting life." "[My words] are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." Prov. 4:22.

Whoever learns where to look for divine words and believes in the holy source of inspiration within himself will realize with Jeremiah: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them, and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart : for I am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts." Jer. 15:16.

If one will read the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm with this new understanding that God's word is the Truth a living, healing presence in his own mind and that he can speak it, and so bring forth divine works, then the Scripture will become unsealed to him in many parts.

One of the forms of "speaking the word" is Prayer. As all modes of conversing unite one, more or less, according to the nature of the communication, with those whom we address, so it is with prayer. It is one means of making connection with universal Mind. A law of communion is fulfilled by right prayer, as exact a law as the one governing the transmission of electric force, or the centralizing of energy through any mechanical device.

The Soul's aspiration combined with the Mind's knowledge that what is desired is already an accomplished fact constitutes the "prayer of the righteous man that availeth much."

By prayer man acknowledges the true source of that which he desires, and the belief is turned away from its false props to the real helper.

The divine child does not beg or beseech its Heavenly Father, knowing His holy will is to give him every good thing. Prayer is not for the changing of God, who is the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, but it is for the changing of the mortal from an unbelieving and false-believing state to a consciousness like the true Mind, which knows all things to be possible to him who believes.

Thanksgiving, praise of the omnipotence and omnipresence of Good, and acknowledgment of God, lift the mind out of doubts and fears, and prepare it to cooperate in bringing to pass the very thing desired.

In order that prayer may be realization it is well to put it into an affirmative form instead of a petition. By this method the direction of Jesus is most easily fulfilled that, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:24.

Bring the tongue under absolute and perfect control. No one can advance in spiritual unfoldment who permits the tongue to voice evil. So essential is it that the student control his lips that the very first practice enjoined by Pythagoras was a silence of five years.

James says, "If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body." The easiest way to bring all the body under subjection is to put a guard upon the lips, that no utterance be other than happy, peaceful, harmless, loving, kind. "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me." Ps. 39:1. "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth ; keep the door of my lips. " Ps. 141:3. "To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God." Ps. 50:23.

Our spoken words are the result of our silent words, therefore the thoughts must be watched continuously in order that our conversation be orderly and right. See that you do not criticize in secret, that you cease from mentally finding fault with another.

Put away all sarcasm from your speech. Never complain. Do not prophesy evil the Greeks called that blasphemy ("speaking injury" to another), and they avoided a grumbler or one who foretold misfortune because they believed he brought them bad luck.

Refrain from accusing others of hypnotism, adultery, or any other evil practices.

Withdraw all accusation from yourself. Says the Bhagavad Gita:

Upraise the self by the self, do not sink the self; for the self is the friend of the self, and even the self is the enemy of the self.

Do not let your lips form such utterances as, "I am stupid," "I hate" this and that, "I have no strength" "I am always unlucky."

Again, see that you cease from petty, false statements about your associates. It is folly to depreciate any one, for instance calling your boy "bad" or referring to the delinquencies of your partner, or calling attention to the awkwardness and rudeness of those whom we would gladly see graceful and courteous.

Have a good word for every one or else keep silent.

Accustom yourself to praying "without ceasing" by silently communing with the Good in all. Prayer is letting God think and speak through you, it is thinking God, it is God thinking. This communion with God is your very life, and the more one's mind can be filled with holy thoughts and desires the more manifestation there will be in and through one of health, prosperity, knowledge, and love.

Often breathe this prayer: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." Ps. 19:14. Add these words to the evening and morning repetition of affirmations and denials given in the previous lessons.