Lessons In Truth

Lessons In Truth

LESSONS IN TRUTH
H. Emilie Cady

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Lessons In Truth

Contents
Lesson One - Bondage or Liberty, Which? Lesson Two - Statement of Being Lesson Three - Thinking Lesson Four - Denia s Lesson Fi!e - "ffirmations Lesson Si# - Faith Lesson Se!en - $ersona ity and %ndi!idua ity Lesson &ight - S'iritua (nderstanding Lesson )ine - The Secret $ ace of the *ost +igh Lesson Ten - Finding the Secret $ ace Lesson & e!en - S'iritua ,ifts Lesson Twe !e - (nity of the S'irit -uestion +e 's

Lessons In Truth

Lesson 1
Bondage or Liberty, Which? In entering upon this course of instruction, each of you should, so far as possible, lay aside, for the time being, all previous theories and beliefs By so doing you !ill be saved the trouble of trying, all the !ay through the course, to put "ne! !ine into old !ines#ins" $L# %&3'( If there is anything, as !e proceed, !hich you do not understand or agree !ith, )ust let it lie passively in your mind until you have read the entire boo#, for many statements that !ould at first arouse antagonism and discussion !ill be clear and easily accepted a little farther on *fter the course is completed, if you !ish to return to your old beliefs and !ays of living, you are at perfect liberty to do so But, for the time being, be !illing to become as a little child+ for, said the ,aster, in spiritual things, "-.cept ye become as little children, ye shall in no !ise enter into the #ingdom of heaven" $,t 1/&3( If at times there seems to be repetition, please remember that these are lessons, not lectures "0inally be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might" $-ph 1&12( "0inally, brethren, !hatsoever things are true, !hatsoever things are honorable, !hatsoever things are )ust, !hatsoever things are pure, !hatsoever things are lovely, !hatsoever things are of good report+ if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, thin# on these things" $3hil 4&/( 1 -very man believes himself to be in bondage to the flesh and to the things of the flesh *ll suffering is the result of this
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Lessons In Truth

belief The history of the coming of the 5hildren of Israel out of their long bondage in -gypt is descriptive of the human mind, or consciousness, gro!ing up out of the animal or sense part of man and into the spiritual part 2 "*nd 6ehovah said 7spea#ing to ,oses8, I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in -gypt, and I have heard their cry by reason of their tas#masters+ for I #no! their sorro!s+ 3 "*nd I am come do!n to deliver them out of the hand of the -gyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flo!ing !ith mil# and honey" $-. 3&',/( 4 These !ords e.press e.actly the attitude of the 5reator to!ard 9is highest creation, man % Today, and all the days, 9e has been saying to us, 9is children& "I have surely seen the affliction of you !ho are in -gypt 7dar#ness of ignorance8, and have heard your cry by reason of your tas#masters 7sic#ness, sorro!, and poverty8+ and I am 7not I !ill, but I am no!8 come do!n to deliver you out of all this suffering, and to bring you up unto a good land and a large, unto a land flo!ing !ith good things" $-. 3&' adapted( 1 :ometime, some!here, every human being must come to himself 9aving tired of eating hus#s, he !ill "arise and go to my 0ather" $L# 1%&1/( "0or it is !ritten, *s I live, saith the Lord, to me every #nee shall bo!,
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Lessons In Truth

*nd every tongue shall confess to ;od" $<om 14&11( ' This does not mean that ;od is a stern autocrat !ho by reason of supreme po!er compels man to bo! to 9im It is rather an e.pression of the order of divine la!, the la! of all love, all good ,an, !ho is at first living in the selfish animal part of himself, !ill gro! up through various stages and by various processes to the divine or spiritual understanding !herein he #no!s that he is one !ith the 0ather, and !herein he is free from all suffering, because he has conscious dominion over all things :ome!here on this )ourney the human consciousness, or intellect, comes to a place !here it gladly bo!s to its spiritual self and confesses that this spiritual self, its 5hrist, is highest and is Lord 9ere and forever after, not !ith sense of bondage, but !ith )oyful freedom, the heart cries out& "6ehovah reigneth" $3s =3&1( -veryone must sooner or later come to this point of e.perience / >ou and I, dear reader, have already come to ourselves 9aving become conscious of an oppressive bondage, !e have arisen and set out on the )ourney from -gypt to the land of liberty, and no! !e cannot turn bac# if !e !ould Though possibly there !ill come times to each of us, before !e reach the land of mil# and honey $the time of full deliverance out of all our sorro!s and troubles(, !hen !e shall come into a deep !ilderness or against a seemingly impassable <ed :ea, !hen our courage !ill seem to fail >et ;od says to each one of us, as ,oses said to the trembling 5hildren of Israel& "0ear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of 6ehovah, !hich he !ill !or# for you today" $-. 14&13(

Lessons In Truth

= -ach man must sooner or later learn to stand alone !ith his ;od+ nothing else avails ?othing else !ill ever ma#e you master of your o!n destiny There is in your o!n ind!elling Lord all the life and health, all the strength and peace and )oy, all the !isdom and support that you can ever need or desire ?o one can give to you as can this ind!elling 0ather 9e is the spring of all )oy and comfort and po!er 12 9itherto !e have believed that !e !ere helped and comforted by others, that !e received )oy from outside circumstances and surroundings+ but it is not so *ll )oy and strength and good spring up from a fountain !ithin one@s o!n being+ and if !e only #ne! this truth !e should #no! that, because ;od in us is the fountain out of !hich springs all our good, nothing that anyone does or says, or fails to do or say, can ta#e a!ay our )oy and good 11 :omeone has said& "Aur liberty comes from an understanding of the mind and the thoughts of ;od to!ard us " Boes ;od regard man as 9is servant, or as 9is child? ,ost of us have believed ourselves not only the slaves of circumstances, but also, at the best, the servants of the ,ost 9igh ?either belief is true It is time for us to a!a#e to right thoughts, to #no! that !e are not servants, but children, "and if children, then heirs" $<om /&1'( 9eirs to !hat? Why, heirs to all !isdom, so that !e need not, through any lac# of !isdom, ma#e mista#es+ heirs to all love, so that !e need #no! no fear or envy or )ealousy+ heirs to all strength, all life, all po!er, all good 12 The human intelligence is so accustomed to the sound of !ords heard from childhood that often they convey to it no real
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meaning Bo you stop to thin#, really to comprehend, !hat it means to be "heirs of ;od, and )ointCheirs !ith 5hrist" $<om /&1'(? It means, "-very man is the inlet, and may become the outlet, of all there is in ;od " It means that all that ;od is and has is in reality for us, 9is only heirs, if !e only #no! ho! to claim our inheritance 13 This claiming of our rightful inheritance, the inheritance that ;od !ants us to have in our daily life, is )ust !hat !e are learning ho! to do in these simple tal#s 14 3aul said truly& ":o long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all+ 1% "But is under guardians and ste!ards until the day appointed of the father 11 ":o !e also, !hen !e !ere children 7in #no!ledge8, !ere held in bondage under the rudiments of the !orld& 1' "But !hen the fulness of the time came, ;od sent forth his :on *nd because ye are sons, ;od sent forth the :pirit of his :on into our hearts 7or into our conscious minds8, crying *bba, 0ather 1/ ":o that thou art no longer a bondservant but a son+ and if a son, then an heir through ;od" $;al 4&1C'( 1= It is through 5hrist, the ind!elling 5hrist, that !e are to receive all that ;od has and is, as much or as little as !e can or dare to claim

Lessons In Truth

22 ?o matter !ith !hat ob)ect you first started out to see# Truth, it !as in reality because it !as ;od@s "fulness of the time" $;al 4&4( for you to arise and begin to claim your inheritance >ou !ere no longer to be satisfied !ith or under bondage to the elements of the !orld Thin# of itD ;od@s "fulness of the time" no! for you to be free, to have dominion over all things material, to be no longer bond servant, but a son in possession of your inheritanceD ">e did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit" $6n 1%&11( 21 We have come to a place no! !here our search for Truth must no longer be for the re!ards+ it must no longer be our see#ing a creed to follo!, but it must be our living a life In these simple lessons !e shall ta#e only the first steps out of the -gyptian bondage of selfishness, lust, and sorro! to!ard the land of liberty, !here perfect love and all good reign 22 -very right thought that !e thin#, our every unselfish !ord or action, is bound by immutable la!s to be fraught !ith good results But in our !al# !e must learn to lose sight of results that are the "loaves and the fishes" $,t 1%&31( We must rather see# to be the Truth consciously, to be love, to be !isdom, to be life $as !e really are unconsciously,( and let results ta#e care of themselves 23 -very man must ta#e time daily for Euiet and meditation In daily meditation lies the secret of po!er ?o one can gro! in either spiritual #no!ledge or po!er !ithout it 3ractice the presence of ;od )ust as you !ould practice music ?o one !ould ever dream of becoming a master in music e.cept by spending some time daily alone !ith music Baily meditation
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Lessons In Truth

alone !ith ;od focuses the divine presence !ithin us and brings it to our consciousness 24 >ou may be so busy !ith the doing, the outgoing of love to help others $!hich is unselfish and ;odli#e as far as it goes(, that you find no time to go apart But the command, or rather the invitation, is "5ome ye yourselves apart and rest a !hile" $,# 1&31( *nd it is the only !ay in !hich you !ill ever gain definite #no!ledge, true !isdom, ne!ness of e.perience, steadiness of purpose, or po!er to meet the un#no!n, !hich must come in all daily life Boing is secondary to being When !e are consciously the Truth, it !ill radiate from us and accomplish the !or#s !ithout our ever running to and fro If you have no time for this Euiet meditation, ma#e time, ta#e time Watch carefully, and you !ill find that there are some things, even in the active unselfish doing, !hich !ould better be left undone than that you should neglect regular meditation 2% >ou !ill find that some time is spent every day in idle conversation !ith people !ho ")ust run in for a fe! moments" to be entertained If you can help such people, !ell+ if not, gather yourself together and do not !aste a moment idly diffusing and dissipating yourself to gratify their idleness >ou have no idea !hat you lose by it 21 When you !ithdra! from the !orld for meditation, let it not be to thin# of yourself or your failures, but invariably to get all your thoughts centered on ;od and on your relation to the 5reator and Fpholder of the universe Let all the little annoying cares and an.ieties go for a !hile, and by effort, if need be, turn your thoughts a!ay from them to some of the simple !ords of
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the ?aGarene, or of the 3salmist Thin# of some Truth statement, be it ever so simple 2' ?o person, unless he has practiced it, can #no! ho! it Euiets all physical nervousness, all fear, all oversensitiveness, all the little raspings of everyday lifeCC)ust this hour of calm, Euiet !aiting alone !ith ;od ?ever let it be an hour of bondage, but al!ays one of restfulness 2/ :ome, having realiGed the calm and po!er that come of daily meditation, have made the mista#e of dra!ing themselves from the !orld, that they may give their entire time to meditation This is asceticism, !hich is neither !ise nor profitable 2= The ?aGarene, !ho is our noblest type of the perfect life, !ent daily apart from the !orld only that 9e might come again into it !ith rene!ed spiritual po!er :o !e go apart into the stillness of divine presence that !e may come forth into the !orld of everyday life !ith ne! inspiration and increased courage and po!er for activity and for overcoming 32 "We tal# to ;odCCthat is prayer+ ;od tal#s to usCCthat is inspiration " We go apart to get still, that ne! life, ne! inspiration, ne! po!er of thought, ne! supply from the fountainhead may flo! in+ and then !e come forth to shed it on those around us, that they, too, may be lifted up Inharmony cannot remain in any home !here even one member of the family daily practices this hour of the presence of ;od, so surely does the rene!ed infilling of the heart by peace and harmony result in the continual outgoing of peace and harmony into the entire surroundings
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31 *gain, in this ne! !ay that !e have underta#en, this living the life of :pirit instead of the old self, !e need to see# al!ays to have more and more of the 5hrist :pirit of mee#ness and love incorporated into our daily life ,ee#ness does not mean servility, but it means a spirit that could stand before a 3ilate of false accusation and say nothing ?o one else is so grand, so godli#e as he !ho, because he #no!s the Truth of Being, can stand mee#ly and unperturbed before the false accusations of the human mind "Thy gentleness hath made me great" $2 :am 2&31( 32 We must forgive as !e !ould be forgiven To forgive does not simply mean to arrive at a place of indifference to those !ho do personal in)ury to us+ it means far more than this To forgive is to give forCCto give some actual, definite good in return for evil given Ane may say& "I have no one to forgive+ I have not a personal enemy in the !orld " *nd yet if, under any circumstances, any #ind of a "servedChimCright" thought springs up !ithin you over anything that any of ;od@s children may do or suffer, you have not yet learned ho! to forgive 33 The very pain that you suffer, the very failure to demonstrate over some matter that touches your o!n life deeply, may rest upon )ust this spirit of unforgiveness that you harbor to!ard the !orld in general 3ut it a!ay !ith resolution 34 Bo not be under bondage to false beliefs about your circumstances or environment ?o matter ho! evil circumstances may appear, or ho! much it may seem that some other personality is at the foundation of your sorro! or trouble,

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;od, good, good alone, is really there !hen you call 9is la! into e.pression 3% If !e have the courage to persist in seeing only ;od in it all, even "the !rath of man" $3s '1&12( shall be invariably turned to our advantage 6oseph, in spea#ing of the action of his brethren in selling him into slavery, said, "*s for you, ye meant evil against me+ but ;od meant it for good" $;en %2&22( To them that love ;od, "all things !or# together for good" $<om /&2/(, or to them !ho recogniGe only ;od *ll thingsD The very circumstances in your life that seem heartbrea#ing evils !ill turn to )oy before your very eyes if you !ill steadfastly refuse to see anything but ;od in them 31 It is perfectly natural for the human mind to see# to escape from its troubles by running a!ay from present environments, or by planning some change on the material plane :uch methods of escape are absolutely vain and foolish "Hain is the help of man" $3s 12&11( 3' There is no permanent or real out!ard !ay of escape from miseries or circumstances+ all help must come from !ithin 3/ The !ords, ";od is my defense and deliverance," held in the silence until they become part of your very being, !ill deliver you out of the hands and the arguments of the #eenest la!yer in the !orld 3= The real inner consciousness that "the LA<B is my shepherd+ I shall not !ant" $3s 23&1 * H ( !ill supply all !ants more surely and far more liberally than can any human hand

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42 The ultimate aim of every man should be to come into the consciousness of an ind!elling ;od, and then in all e.ternal matters, to affirm deliverance through and by this divine Ane There should not be a running to and fro, ma#ing human efforts to aid the Bivine, but a calm, restful, un!avering trust in *llC Wisdom and *llC3o!er !ithin one as able to accomplish the thing desired 41 Hictory must be !on in the silence of your o!n being first, and then you need ta#e no part in the outer demonstration of relief from conditions The very !alls of 6ericho that #eep you from your desire must fall before you 42 The 3salmist said& "I !ill lift up mine eyes unto the mountains 7or to the highest Ane8& 0rom !hence shall come my help? 43 ",y help cometh from 6ehovah, Who made heaven and earth 44 "6ehovah 7your ind!elling Lord8 !ill #eep thee from evil 4% "6ehovah !ill #eep thy going out and thy coming in 0rom this time forth, and for evermore "

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$3s 121&1, 2, ', /(

Lesson 2
Statement of Being Who *nd What ;od Is Who *nd What ,an Is 1 When 6esus !as tal#ing !ith the :amaritan !oman at the !ell, 9e said to her, ";od is :pirit& and they that !orship him must !orship in spirit and truth " $6ohn 4&24 * H reads, ";od is a :pirit," but the marginal note is, ";od is :pirit," and some other versions render this passage, ";od is :pirit "( To say "a :pirit" !ould be to imply the e.istence of more than one :pirit 6esus, in 9is statement, did not imply this 2 Webster in his definition of :pirit says& "In the abstract, life or consciousness vie!ed as an independent type of e.istence Ane manifestation of the divine nature+ the 9oly :pirit " 3 ;od, then, is not, as many of us have been taught to believe, a big personage or man residing some!here in a beautiful region in the s#y, called "heaven," !here good people go !hen they die, and see 9im clothed in ineffable glory+ nor is 9e a stern, angry )udge only a!aiting opportunity some!here to punish bad people !ho have failed to live a perfect life here 4 ;od is :pirit, or the creative energy that is the cause of all visible things ;od as :pirit is the invisible life and intelligence underlying all physical things There could be no body, or

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visible part, to anything unless there !as first :pirit as creative cause % ;od is not a being or person having life, intelligence, love, po!er ;od is that invisible, intangible, but very real, something !e call life ;od is perfect love and infinite po!er ;od is the total of these, the total of all good, !hether manifested or une.pressed 1 There is but one ;od in the universe, but one source of all the different forms of life or intelligence that !e see, !hether they be men, animals, trees, or roc#s ' ;od is :pirit We cannot see :pirit !ith these fleshly eyes+ but !hen !e clothe ourselves !ith the spiritual body, then :pirit is visible or manifest and !e recogniGe it >ou do not see the living, thin#ing "me" !hen you loo# at my body >ou see only the form !hich I am manifesting / ;od is love We cannot see love or grasp any comprehension of !hat love is, e.cept as love is clothed !ith a form *ll the love in the universe is ;od The love bet!een husband and !ife, bet!een parents and children, is )ust the least little bit of ;od, as pushed forth in visible form into manifestation * mother@s love, so infinitely tender, so unfailing, is ;od@s love, only manifested in greater degree by the mother = ;od is !isdom and intelligence *ll the !isdom and intelligence that !e see in the universe is ;od, is !isdom pro)ected through a visible form To educate $from educare, to lead forth( never means to force into from the outside, but al!ays means to dra! out from !ithin something already
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e.isting there ;od as infinite !isdom lies !ithin every human being, only !aiting to be led forth into manifestation This is true education 12 9eretofore !e have sought #no!ledge and help from outside sources, not #no!ing that the source of all #no!ledge, the very :pirit of truth, is lying latent !ithin each one of us, !aiting to be called on to teach us the truth about all thingsCC most marvelous of teachers, and every!here present, !ithout money or priceD 11 ;od is po!er ?ot simply ;od has po!er, but ;od is po!er In other !ords, all the po!er there is to do anything is ;od ;od, the source of our e.istence every moment, is not simply omnipotent $allCpo!erful(+ 9e is omnipotence $all po!er( 9e is not alone omniscient $allC#no!ing(+ 9e is omniC science $all #no!ledge( 9e is not only omniCpresent, but moreCComnipresence ;od is not a being having Eualities, but 9e is the good itself -verything that you can thin# of that is good, !hen in its absolute perfection, goes to ma#e up that invisible Being !e call ;od 12 ;od, then, is the substance $from sub, under, and stare, to stand(, or the real thing standing under every visible form of life, love, intelligence, or po!er -ach roc#, tree, animal, every visible thing, is a manifestation of the one :piritCC;odCC differing only in degree of manifestation+ and each of the numberless modes of manifestation or individualities, ho!ever insignificant, contains the !hole 13 Ane drop of !ater ta#en from the ocean is )ust as perfect ocean !ater as the !hole great body The constituent elements
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of !ater are e.actly the same, and they are combined in precisely the same ratio or perfect relation to each other, !hether !e consider one drop, a pailful, a barrelful, or the entire ocean out of !hich the lesser Euantities are ta#en+ each is complete in itself+ they differ only in Euantity or degree -ach contains the !hole+ and yet no one !ould ma#e the mista#e of supposing from this statement that each drop is the entire ocean 14 :o !e say that each individual manifestation of ;od contains the !hole+ not for a moment meaning that each individual is ;od in 9is entirety, so to spea#, but that each is ;od come forth, shall I say? in different Euantity or degree 1% ,an is the last and highest manifestation of divine energy, the fullest and most complete e.pression $or pressing out( of ;od To man, therefore, is given dominion over all other manifestations 11 ;od is not only the creative cause of every visible form of intelligence and life at its commencement, but each moment throughout its e.istence 9e lives !ithin every created thing as the life, the ever rene!ing, reCcreating, upbuilding cause of it 9e never is and never can be for a moment separated from 9is creations Then ho! can even a sparro! fall to the ground !ithout 9is #no!ledge? *nd "ye are of more value than many sparro!s" $,t 12&31( 1' ;od is ,an e.ists $from e., out of, and sistere, to stand forth( ,an stands forth out of ;od 1/ ,an is a threefold being, made up of :pirit, soul, and body :pirit, our innermost, real being, the absolute part of us, the I of
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us, has never changed, though our thoughts and our circumstances may have changed hundreds of times This part of us is a standing forth of ;od into visibility It is the 0ather in us *t this central part of his being every person can say, "I and the 0ather are one" $6n 12&32(, and spea# absolute Truth 1= ,ortal mindCCthat !hich 3aul calls "the mind of the flesh"CC is the consciousness of error 22 The great !hole of as yet unmanifested ;ood, or ;od, from !hom !e are pro)ections or offspring, in !hom "!e live, and move, and have our being" $*cts 1'&2/( continually, is to me the 0atherCCour 0ather+ "and all ye are brethren" $,t 23&/(, because all are manifestations of one and the same :pirit 6esus, recogniGing this, said& "call no man your father, upon the earth& for one is your 0ather, even he !ho is in heaven $,t 23&=( *s soon as !e recogniGe our true relationship to all men, !e at once slip out of our narro!, personal loves, our "me and mine," into the universal love that ta#es in all the !orld, )oyfully e.claiming& "Who is my mother? and !ho are my brethren? *nd he stretched forth his hand to!ard his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren" $,t 12&4/( 21 ,any have thought of ;od as a personal being The statement that ;od is 3rinciple chills them, and in terror they cry out, "They have ta#en a!ay my Lord, and I #no! not !here they have laid him" $6n 22&13( 22 Broader and more learned minds are al!ays cramped by the thought of ;od as a person, for personality limits to place and time
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23 ;od is the name !e give to that unchangeable, ine.orable principle at the source of all e.istence To the individual consciousness ;od ta#es on personality, but as the creative underlying cause of all things, 9e is principle, impersonal+ as e.pressed in each individual, 9e becomes personal to that oneCC a personal, loving, allCforgiving 0atherC,other *ll that !e can ever need or desire is the infinite 0atherC3rinciple, the great reservoir of une.pressed good There is no limit to the :ource of our being, nor to 9is !illingness to manifest more of 9imself through us, !hen !e are !illing to do his !ill 24 9itherto !e have turned our heart and efforts to!ard the e.ternal for fulfillment of our desires and for satisfaction, and !e have been grievously disappointed The hunger of everyone for satisfaction is only the cry of the homesic# child for its 0atherC,other ;od It is only the :pirit@s desire in us to come forth into our consciousness as more and more perfection, until !e shall have become fully conscious of our oneness !ith *llC perfection ,an never has been and never can be satisfied !ith anything less 2% We all have direct access through the 0ather in usCCthe central "I" of our beingCCto the great !hole of life, love, !isdom, po!er, !hich is ;od What !e no! !ant to #no! is ho! to receive more from the fountainhead and to ma#e more and more of ;od $!hich is but another name for *llC;ood( manifest in our daily life 21 There is but one :ource of being This :ource is the living fountain of all good, be it life, love, !isdom, po!erCCthe ;iver of all good gifts This source and you are connected, every
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moment of your e.istence >ou have po!er to dra! on this :ource for all of good you are, or ever !ill be, capable of desiring 41 Ah, if !e could only realiGe that this mighty po!er to save and to perfect, to deliver and to ma#e alive, lives forever !ithin us, and so cease no! and forever loo#ing a!ay to othersD 4' There is but one !ay to obtain this full realiGationCCthe !ay of the 5hrist "I am the !ay, and the truth, and the life" $6n 14&1(, spo#e the 5hrist through the lips of the ?aGarene 4/ >our holding to the !ords, "5hrist is the !ay," !hen you are perple.ed and confused and can see no !ay of escape, !ill invariably open a !ay of complete deliverance

Lesson 3
Thinking 1 We learned in the second lesson that the real substance !ithin everything !e see is ;od+ that all things are one and the same :pirit in different degrees of manifestation+ that all the various forms of life are )ust the same as one life come forth out of the invisible into visible form+ that all the intelligence and all the !isdom in the !orld are ;od as !isdom in various degrees of manifestation+ that all the love !hich people feel and e.press to!ard others is )ust a little, so to spea#, of ;od as love come into visibility through the human form 2 When !e say there is but one ,ind in the entire universe, and that this ,ind is ;od, some persons, having follo!ed
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understandingly the first lesson, and recogniGed ;od as the one life, one :pirit, one po!er, pushing 9imself out into various degrees of manifestation through people and things, !ill at once say& ">es, that is all plain " 3 But someone else !ill say& "If all the mind there is, is ;od, then ho! can I thin# !rong thoughts, or have any but ;od thoughts?" 4 The connection bet!een universal ,ind and our o!n individual minds is one of the most difficult things to put into !ords, but !hen it once da!ns on one, it is easily seen % There is in reality only one ,ind $or :pirit, !hich is life, intelligence, and so forth( in the universe+ and yet there is a sense in !hich !e are individuals, or separate, a sense in !hich !e are free !ills and not puppets 1 ,an is made up of :pirit, soul, and body :pirit is the central unchanging "I" of us, the part that since infancy has never changed, and to all eternity never !ill change That !hich some persons call "mortal minds" is the region of the intellect !here !e do conscious thin#ing and are free !ills This part of our being is in constant process of changing ' In our outspringing from ;od into the material !orld, :pirit is innerCCone !ith ;od+ soul is the clothing, as it !ere, of :pirit+ body is the e.ternal clothing of the soul >et all are in reality one, the composite manCCas steam, !ater, and ice are one, only in different degrees of condensation In thin#ing of ourselves, !e must not separate :pirit, soul, and body, but rather hold all as one, if !e !ould be strong and po!erful ,an originally
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lived consciously in the spiritual part of himself 9e fell by descending in his consciousness to the e.ternal or more material part of himself / ",ortal mind," the term so much used and so distracting to many, is the error consciousness, !hich gathers its information from the outside !orld through the five senses It is !hat 3aul calls "the mind of the flesh" in contradistinction to spiritual mind+ and he flatly says& "The mind of the flesh 7believing !hat the carnal mind says8 is death 7sorro!, trouble, sic#ness8+ but the mind of the :pirit 7ability to still the carnal mind and let the :pirit spea# !ithin us8 is life and peace " = The :pirit !ithin you is Bivine ,ind, the real mind Without it human mind !ould disappear, )ust as a shado! disappears !hen the real thing that casts it is removed 12 If you find this sub)ect of human mind and universal ,ind puGGling to you, do not !orry over it 6ust drop it for the time, and as you go on !ith the lesson, you !ill find that some day an understanding of it !ill flash suddenly upon you !ith perfect clearness 11 There are today t!o classes of people, so far as mentality goes, !ho are see#ing deliverance out of sic#ness, trouble, and unhappiness, by spiritual means Ane class reEuires that every statement made be proved by the most elaborate and logical argument, before it can or !ill be received The other class is !illing at once to "become as little children" $,t 1/&3( and )ust be taught ho! to ta#e the first step to!ard pure understanding $or #no!ledge of Truth as ;od sees it(, and then receives the light by direct revelation from the *llC;ood Both are see#ing
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Lessons In Truth

and eventually both !ill reach the same goal, and neither one should be unduly condemned 12 If you are one !ho see#s and e.pects to get any realiGing #no!ledge of spiritual things through argument or reasoning, no matter ho! scholarly your attainments or ho! great you are in !orldly !isdom, you are a failure in spiritual understanding >ou are attempting an utter impossibilityCCthat of cro!ding the Infinite into the Euart measure of your o!n intellectual capacity 13 "The natural man receiveth not the things of the :pirit of ;od& for they are foolishness unto him+ and he cannot #no! them, because they are spiritually )udged" $1 5or 2&14( -ventually you !ill find that you are only beating around on the outside of the "Iingdom of heaven," though in close pro.imity to it, and you !ill then become !illing to let your intellect ta#e the place of the little child, !ithout !hich no man can enter in 14 "-ye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things !hich ;od hath 7not !ill8 prepared for them that love him 1% "But ;od hath revealed them unto us by his :pirit 11 "0or !ho among men #no!eth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, !hich is in him? even so the things of ;od none #no!eth, save the :pirit of ;od" $1 5or 2&11( 1' 0or all those !ho must !ade through months and perhaps years of this purely intellectual or mental process, there are today many boo#s to help, and many teachers of metaphysics
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Lessons In Truth

!ho are doing noble and praise!orthy !or# in piloting these earnest see#ers after Truth and satisfaction To them !e cry& "*ll speedD" 1/ But !e believe !ith 3aul that "the foolishness of ;od is !iser than men" $1 5or 1&2%(, and that each man has direct access to all there is in ;od We are !aiting for the "little 5hildren" !ho, !ithout Euestion or discussion, are !illing at once to accept and try a fe! plain, simple rules such as 6esus taught the common people, !ho "heard him gladly"CCrules by !hich they can find the 5hrist $or the Bivine( !ithin themselves, that through it each man for himself may !or# out his o!n salvation from all his troubles 1= In other !ords, there is a shortcut to the top of the hill+ and !hile there is a good but long, roundabout road for those !ho need it, !e prefer the less laborious means of attaining the some ends by see#ing directly the :pirit of truth promised to d!ell in us and to lead us into all Truth ,y advice is& If you !ant to ma#e rapid progress in gro!th to!ard spiritual understanding, stop reading many boo#s They only give someone@s opinion about Truth, or a sort of history of the author@s e.perience in see#ing Truth What you !ant is revelation of Truth in your o!n soul, and that !ill never come through the reading of many boo#s 22 :ee# light from the :pirit of Truth !ithin you ;o alone Thin# alone :ee# light alone, and if it does not come at once, do not be discouraged and run off to someone else to get light+ for, as !e said before, by so doing you get only the opinion of the intellect, and may be then further a!ay from the Truth you

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are see#ing than ever before+ for the mortal mind may ma#e false reports 21 The very :pirit of truth is at your call "The anointing !hich ye received of him abideth in you" $1 6n 2&2'( :ee# it Wait patiently for it to "guide you into the truth" $6n 11&13( about all things 22 "9ave this mind in you, !hich !as also in 5hrist 6esus" $3hil 2&%( This is the universal ,ind, !hich ma#es no mista#e :till the intellect for the time being, and let universal ,ind spea# to you+ and !hen it spea#s, though it be but a "still small voice" $1 Iings 1=&12(, you !ill #no! that !hat it says is Truth 23 9o! !ill you #no!? >ou !ill #no! )ust as you #no! that you are alive *ll the argument in the !orld to convince you against Truth that comes to you through direct revelation !ill fall flat and harmless at your side *nd the Truth that you #no!, not simply believe, you can use to help others That !hich comes forth through your spirit !ill reach the very innermost spirit of him to !hom you spea# 24 What is born from the outside, or intellectual perception, reaches only the intellect of him you !ould help 2% The intellect that is servant to the real ,ind, and !hen servant $but not !hen master( is good, loves to argue+ but !hen its information is based on the evidence of the senses and not on the true thoughts of the Bivine ,ind, it is very fallible and full of error

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Lessons In Truth

21 Intellect argues :pirit ta#es the deep things of ;od and reveals Truth to man Ane may be true+ the other al!ays is true :pirit does not give opinions about Truth+ it is Truth, and it reveals itself 2' :omeone has truly said that the merest child !ho has learned from the depths of his being to say, "Aur 0ather," is infinitely greater than the most intellectual man !ho has not yet learned it 3aul !as a man of gigantic intellect, learned in all the la!, a 3harisee of the 3harisees+ but after he !as spiritually illumined he !rote, "The foolishness of ;od is !iser than men+ and the !ea#ness of ;od is stronger than men" $1 5or 1&2%( 2/ It does ma#e a great difference in our daily lives !hat !e thin# about ;od, about ourselves, about our neighbors 9eretofore, through ignorance of our real selves and of the results of our thin#ing, !e have let our thoughts flo! at random Aur minds have been turned to!ard the e.ternal of our being, and nearly all our information has been gotten through our five senses We have thought !rong because misinformed by these senses, and our troubles and sorro!s are the results of our !rong thin#ing 2= "But," says someone, "I do not see ho! my thin#ing evil or !rong thoughts about ;od, or about anyone, can ma#e me sic# or my husband lose his position " 32 Well, I !ill not )ust no! try to e.plain all the steps by !hich bad results follo! false thin#ing, but I !ill )ust as# you to try thin#ing true, right thoughts a!hile, and see !hat the result !ill be

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31 Ta#e the thought, ";od loves me " Thin# these !ords over and over continually for a fe! days, trying to realiGe that they are true, and see !hat the effect !ill be on your body and circumstances 32 0irst, you get a ne! e.hilaration of mind, !ith a great desire and a sense of po!er to please ;od+ then a Euic#er, better circulation of blood, !ith a sense of pleasant !armth in the body, follo!ed by better digestion Later, as Truth flo!s out through your being into your surroundings, everybody !ill begin to manifest a ne! love for you !ithout your #no!ing !hy+ and finally, circumstances !ill begin to change and fall into harmony !ith your desires, instead of being adverse to them 33 -veryone #no!s ho! strong thoughts of fear or grief have turned hair !hite in a fe! hours+ ho! great fear ma#es the heart beat so rapidly as to seem about to ")ump out of the body," this result not being at all dependent on !hether there be any real cause of fear or !hether it be a purely imaginary cause 6ust so, strong negative thoughts may render the blood acid, causing rheumatism Bearing mental burdens ma#es more stooped shoulders than does bearing heavy material loads Believing that ;od regards us as "miserable sinners," that 9e is continually !atching us and our failures !ith disapproval, bring utter discouragement and a sort of half paralyGed condition of the mind and body, !hich means failure in all our underta#ings 34 Is it difficult for you to understand !hy, if ;od lives in us all the time, 9e does not #eep our thoughts right instead of permitting us through ignorance to drift into !rong thoughts, and so bring trouble on ourselves?
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Lessons In Truth

3% Well, !e are not automatons >our child !ill never learn to !al# alone if you al!ays do his !al#ing Because you recogniGe that the only !ay for him to be strong, selfCreliant in all thingsCCin other !ords, to become a manCCis to thro! him on himself, and let him, through e.perience, come to a #no!ledge of things for himself, you are not !illing to ma#e a mere puppet of him by ta#ing the steps for him, even though you #no! that he !ill fall do!n many times and give himself severe bumps in his ongoing to!ard perfect physical manhood 31 We are in process of gro!th into the highest spiritual manhood and !omanhood We get many falls and bumps on the !ay, but only through these, not necessarily by them, can our gro!th proceed 0ather and mother, no matter ho! strong or deep their love, cannot gro! for their children+ nor can ;od, !ho is omnipotence, at the center of our being, gro! spiritually for us !ithout ma#ing of us automatons instead of individuals 3' If you #eep your thoughts turned to!ard the e.ternal of yourself, or of others, you !ill see only the things that are not real, but temporal, and !hich pass a!ay *ll the faults, failures, or lac#s in people or circumstances !ill seem very real to you, and you !ill be unhappy and sic# 3/ If you turn your thoughts a!ay from the e.ternal to!ard the spiritual, and let them d!ell on the good in yourself and in others, all the apparent evil !ill first drop out of your thoughts and then out of your life 3aul understood this !hen he !rote to the 3hilippians& "0inally, brethen, !hatsoever things are true, !hatsoever things are honorable, !hatsoever things are )ust, !hatsoever things are pure, !hatsoever things are lovely,
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Lessons In Truth

!hatsoever things are of good report+ if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, thin# on these things" $3hil 4&/( 3= We all can learn ho! to turn the conscious mind to!ard universal ,ind, or :pirit, !ithin us We can, by practice, learn ho! to ma#e this everyday, topsyCturvy, "mind of the flesh" be still and let the mind that is in ;od $allC!isdom, allClove( thin# in us and out through us 42 Imagine, if you !ill, a great reservoir, out of !hich lead innumerable small rivulets or channels *t its farther end each channel opens out into a small fountain This fountain is not only being continually filled and replenished from the reservoir but is itself a radiating center !hence it gives out in all directions that !hich it receives, so that all !ho come !ithin its radius are refreshed and blessed 41 This is our relation !ith ;od -ach one of us is a radiating center -ach one, no matter ho! small or ignorant, is the little fountain at the far end of a channel, the other end of !hich leads out from all there is in ;od This fountain represents the individuality, as separate from the great reservoirCC;odCCand yet as one !ith 9im, and !ithout 9im !e are nothing 42 -ach of us, no matter ho! insignificant he may be in the !orld, may receive from ;od unlimited good of !hatever #ind he desires, and radiate it to all about him But remember, he must radiate if he !ould receive more :tagnation is death 43 Ah, I !ant the simplest mind to grasp the idea that the very !isdom of ;odCCthe love, the life, and the po!er of ;odCCare ready and !aiting !ith longing impulse to flo! out through us
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Lessons In Truth

in unlimited degreeD When it flo!s in unusual degree through the intellect of a certain person men e.claim, "What a !onderful mindD" When it flo!s through the hearts of men it is the love that melts all bitterness, envy, selfishness, )ealousy, before it+ !hen it flo!s through their bodies as life, no disease can !ithstand its on!ard march 44 We do not have to beseech ;od any more than !e have to beseech the sun to shine The sun shines because it is a la! of its being to shine, and it cannot help it ?o more can ;od help pouring into us unlimited !isdom, life, po!er, all good, because to give is a la! of 9is being ?othing can hinder 9im e.cept our o!n lac# of understanding The sun may shine ever so brightly, but if !e have, through !illfulness or ignorance, placed ourselves, or have been placed by our progenitors, in the far corner of a damp, dar# cellar, !e get neither )oy nor comfort from its shining+ then to us the sun never shines 4% :o !e have heretofore #no!n nothing of ho! to get ourselves out of the cellar of ignorance, doubts, and despair+ to our !rong thin#ing, ;od has seemed to !ithhold the life, !isdom, and po!er !e !anted so much, though !e sought 9im ever so earnestly 41 The sun does not radiate life and !armth today and dar#ness and chill tomorro!+ it cannot, from the nature of its being ?or does ;od radiate love at one time, !hile at other times, anger, !rath, and displeasure flo! from 9is mind to!ard us

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Lessons In Truth

4' "Both the fountain send forth from the same opening s!eet !ater and bitter? can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs" $6as 3&11( 4/ ;od is *llC;oodCCal!ays good, al!ays love 9e never changes, no matter !hat !e do or may have done 9e is al!ays trying to pour more of 9imself through us into visibility so as to ma#e us grander, larger, fuller, freer individuals 4= While the child is crying out for its 0atherC,other ;od, the 0atherC,other is yearning !ith infinite tenderness to satisfy the child "In the heart of man a cry, In the heart of ;od, supply " <-5*3ITFL*TIA? %2 There is but one ,ind in the universe %1 9uman mind, or intellect, ma#es mista#es because it gathers much information from !ithout %2 Fniversal ,ind sees and spea#s from !ithin, it is all Truth %3 Aur !ay of thin#ing ma#es our happiness or unhappiness, our success or nonsuccess We can, by effort, change our !ays of thin#ing %4 ;od is at all times, regardless of our soCcalled sins, trying to pour more good into our lives to ma#e them richer and more successful

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Lessons In Truth

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