Casco Bay breeze. [volume] (South Harpswell, Me.) 1901-1917, 1905-08-24

4 oho SHC vi US cuuedVOr De
guided daily and hourly by this beau
ufui principle. This. perhaps, is not
an easy doctrine, but 1t Is the doctrine
that Jesus lived. for. with a spirit so
God-like. and a heart so compassioo.
ate that He could really love His enc
mics. even at the very moment that
they were crucifying. Him, and while
enduring the greatest physical an.
guish In pure pity for them, He ex
Claimed. Father. forgive them. for
they know not what they do"
To understand the strength of Jesus
power with the people. we must note
that the wealth of His illustrations
neve: led Him outside the circle of
His daily life; hence the uneoualled
vividness OF all His sayings.
Again. Jesus never forced a truth
upon any one by authority Though
He spoke with all the power of in.
tense conviction, He constantly an
peaied to the better nature of His
hearers. to their sense of truth. What.
think you, He would say. Judge for
yourselves. Hearken and under
STAND. For Jesus always went on
the principle that He had not to i'm
plant anything new into human ma.
ture. but to call forth from its depths
what was already there, and to awak.
en- IL into conscious life.
We have said that much of His
symbolical teaching has been taken
Tor fact. and. that thus spiritual truths
nave been buried under a distorted
and mistaken Enthusiastically did
Jesus say, The letter killeth. but the
spirit maketh alive"
| Yet, there has been another error
which few clear visioned souls, scat
tered here and there along the path
way of time, have discerned: until
now, there Is developing into a con-
certed movement, the knowlefIe that
much OF Jesus teaching which has
been considered figurative is literal
truth to be aetuaIized in our everyday
external life. Now what is meant by
tie promises Of God?
There are some things which are so
inseparably and unalterably joined to-
| gether that they can never be put
asunder. In the essential nature of
| things, there are certain mental con-
iitions that are absolutely associated
with certain results SO tket IT, we
have the one we must inevitably have
| the other
The word promise means some
thing sent beforehand" If, for in.
stance. 1 make you a promise you
nave beforehand in mind, an idea of
something that later Is to be actual.
lied. Now the Divine promises are
the announcement of eternal truths
which have been intuitiveiy perceived
by some prophet or seer. There is
no personal authority attached to
them, nor are they mere intellectual
opinions; but the Individual spirit in
an exalted state. free from the tram
mels of sense-limitations, has com.
muned with God and gazed with clear
vision directly at the truth. He has
seen the pre-existed idea OF some
good announced beforehand. which
but awaits recognition and appropria-
ton TO become an actually. This
intuitive perception of eternal truths.
this evidence of things unseen is
called faith.
All good from the very fact that il
Is OF God Is in an endeavor to be-
come an actually i'm our lives. and
but awaits our earnest desire (Which
is prayer and our expeetant attituee.
Take. for instance. piece of ground
where grass would naturally grow. but
which has been covered with board.
Il The grass is pale and sickly. or pos
| sibly dead. to all outward appear
ances. Remove the board and note
the result. The subtle, mysterious life
forces, which have but lain dormant.
awaiting their opportunity simply. do
their natural work and show forth in
the living up-springing green grass
Gods abundant life with which this
living universe Is ever teeming. And
so Is nature. God always on the side
OF him, or u, that strives to- rise.
Jesus said. ASK and you do re-
oeive." Seek and you do find KNOCK
/ and IN 10
ever things you desire. when you pray.
believe that you receive. and you
shall have received" Any desire for
good. whether for ourselves or for
another. Is God. knocking at the door
OF our consciousness. to give u to Us.
so that the moment we have the con-
sciousDess of the desire. that moment
have we the thing Itself In It's incip-
iency. and just in proportion that We
holI stesdfsst.y TO the belief do we
bring out the idea into actuality-
Gods promise fulfilled.
A genuine act of faith Is a union Of
desire and belief. This union Is a
t1ing Of life: II Is tie word OF power"
With IL we can speak and IL shall
hold. We can command, and IL shall
stand fast" The true asking, which
10 desire reinforced by expectancy,
can not be sundered from the receiv.
ing. They are but two ends OF the
same thing. and n we draw one end
towards us the other must come. We
can only escape the receiving by ceas-
ing our affirming. "6efcre ye ask
viii answer. and while ye are yet
speaking will hear" Have faith IN
God and nothing shall be impossible
! unto you" Are these the Idle words
OF "dreemer?" Nay, they are the
ringing words OF life, Of a seer.
There II no extravaganza, then. in
believing that as the living. embodied
soul Of man expands to deeper insight
and more cleargeeing intelligence, lie
will recognize His actual supremacy
and dynamic power over all material