The herald., 1896-06-29

and that knowledge gained through ex
perience is the only knowledge that Is
| of value to one. A perception of the in
exorable laws of Karma enables us to
| perceive that all experiences are the
result OF previous conduct Of life, and
we look with pity. charity and compass
| sion upon all evil doers.
! The student who aspires to spiritual
| perception soon becomes aware of habits
that must be corrected, desires that
| must be quenched. passions that must be
| killed, and appetiteS that must be over
| come. These are not easy tasks, and
| require years Of persistent effort. But
! this victory over the animal nature de-
pends to certain extent upon the will
| of the individual. The desire may be
| earnest and sincere, but If the will is
weak progress is retarded.
Theosophy teaches us the method and
necessity of controlling and concen-
trating thought, and the immense pow
ers that are thereby attained. The
seething, crowding, tumultuous, vagrant
during the silent hours! How they
troop through the tired brain at times,
until 1t sometimes ends in insanity. The
student learns that 1t Is possible to have
confidence in ones power to perform all
things. as we are the macrocosm of the
| microcosm, and contain within us the
elements of everything manifested in
| the universe.
The study and practice of Theosophy
| fits one for the higher life. 1t makes
one conscious architect Of the physi-
cal body-a body free from disease and
pain. 1t fits one for delight in SERVICE
with no thought Of recognition or re-
ward, and therein is the true dignity Of
labor. 1t makes us thoughtful for the
welfare of others, and always ready and
willing to serve. 1t teaches us to have
loving thoughts toward all, and as "per-
feet love casteth out fear" the earnest
student has no fear Of anything in the
universe. The fear Of loss of comfort,
or friends. or success, preferment or rec
ognition. or of any material condition,
is d1spelled. These are among the things
the world most prizes, but the student
perceives they are not among the reali-
ties of life.
All growth is gradual. It takes years
of wrong living to establish diseases,
and 1t takes time to establish new condi-
lions. Theosophy shows how most ef-
fectually this can be done. The student
becomes conscious Of the power Of pray
er. He realizes that the most earnest
prayer Is an aspiration and a desire to
live the higher life. He sees it is useless
to try to change material conditions,
and that the minds and hearts of people
must be changed instead before any re-
forms can be effected in society. The
wrongs and abuses from which the peo-
selves, therefore they should not COM
plain or blame anyone else for present
conditions. We find that we cannot
hold ourselves aloof from any evil, but
should rise above it. and that what
ever happens while performing our duty
IS the best thing that could possibly oc-
cur, because we know that everything
has been brought about by our own
acts and thoughts. We become aware
| OF the power of thought-that it is back
| of everything performed or produced
anywhere; that thought. united with
will and wisdom, can bring about any
desired result or condition.
Theosophy is for all-the poor and the
rich. The study of it brings home to
one the realization that whatever con-
dition one Is in, 1t is the condition most
needed for development The student
accepts with joy whatever happens, and
has no fault to find with anything, no
regret for past actions. no looking back,
or thinking Of past events, but lives in
the eternal now-the present moment.
At Unity Church
Yesterday morning the pastor of Unity
church, the Rev. j. S. Thomson, preached
a sermon on Christ's Doctrine of Eter-
nal Life from the text, This is life
eternal, that they might know Thee,
the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom thou hast sent'-John xvii. g. In
| part the reverend gentleman said:
Every man Is born into the life of the
senses, the life of intellect the life Of
conscience, the life of love. Life is q
series of births. great and small. from
the cradle to the grave. Every new
experience is a birth into knowledge OF
some kind. Old age is a birth into new
experiences; and death itself is birth
into real world. Eternal life in Christ's
sense is birth. 1t is sometimes called
the second birth; but 1t is really the
fifth birth, the senses, the emotion, the
rational powers, the moral sense, rep
resenting the four prior births In
gradually and orderly developed life.
The eternal life does not signify immor-
tality; for the two earnest men who in
terrogated Christ about His doctrine of
eternal life did not think it was neceS-
sary to die in order to inherit eternal
life. 1t was something that they could
experience in this life. Nor did Christ
say that eternal life was something they
would enter into after death. Eternal
life is not salvation from the sufferings
| which our sins deserve. 1t Is not a
scheme of immortal safety from satan
| and hell. Selfishness demands that we
shall have heaven we do not deserve
and that we shall escape hell we do
deserve; and the popular and pagan
scheme of salvation is an appeal to this
| very anti Christian selfishness. Eter-
nal life does not mean q series OF ner-
vous shocks and thrills. A physical ex-
perience is not spiritual experience;
but in revivals physical sensations are
represented to be religious experiences;
| and ignorant people believe the sugges-
| tion OF the devil. Protestant ministers,
as we'll as Catholic priests, make no he
roic efforts to enlighten the people in re-
| ligious matters.
The eternal life, according to Christ,
I is the sense of spiritual realities. 1t is
the human spirit in communion with the
| eternal and infinite spirit. 1t is Cod
| consciousness. It is spiritual culture.
1t is the worship of God in spirit and in
| truth. When the earnest young man
| questioned Christ about His doctrine
of eternal life, Christ told him that the
| good thing he would have to do was to
keep the commandments. We must
keep certain conditions in order to in
herit eternal life in this world Christ
| stated these foundations clearly in the
three synoptic gospels. No one can say
that Christ lodged the question. He
assured the young questioner that he
would have to keep these conditions in
order to realize eternal life That ought
| to be enough; but 1t is not regarded as
| enough by some churches that call Christ
Lord. Lord" They make conditions
of their own, and so ignore Christ's
| teachings. The fall Of man, the meta
| physical trinity, eternal hell for bad
| people, and eternal heaven for good peo-
pie, the fractional nature of Christ's di-
vinity, the murder Of Christ as a means
| Of restoring Gods amity and such
pagan, notions, are the conditions which
orthodox churches offer instead of