The Washington herald., 1914-07-12
The Occult Side of Christianity
By DIR. w. w. BAKER.

As indicated last Sunday we will nov
see what the Master Christ and Hi
apostles said as to the mysteries Of the
church.
The words Of the Master Himself are
clear and definite, And when he was
alone, they that were about Him with
the twelve asked OF Him the parable
And He said unto them, Unto you II IL
given to know the mystery Of the king
dom of God, but unto them that are
without, all these things are done In
parables'" And later: with many such
parallels spake He the word unto them
as they were able to hear It. But WITH
out a parable spake He not unto them:
and when they were alone He expounded
all things to His disciples" Mark the
significant words. when they were
alone" and the phrase, them that are
without"
Again Jesus tells even His apostles:
'T have yet many things to say to you,
but We cannot bear them now" Some
Of them were probably said after His
death, when He was seen Of His dis
ciples, speaking Of the things pertain
ing to the kingdom Of God" None Of
these has been publicly recorded, but
who can believe that they were neglect
ed or forgotten. and were not handed
down as a priceless possession?
Quotes Gnostic TrcatiSe.
In the famous Gnostic treatise, the
Pistis Sophia we read: 1T came to pass.
when Jesus had risen from the dead.
that He passed eleven years speaking
with His disciples and instructing them"
When we know their use, many OBJ
scure passages become intelligible.
Then said one unto Him: Lord. are
there few that be saved" And He said
unto them: Strive to enter in at the
strait gate; for many l say unto you,
will seek to enter in and shall not be
able" II this be applied in the ordi-
nary Protestant way TO salvation from
everlasting hell fire the statement be-
comes incredible. No Saviour Of the
world can be supposed TO assert that
many will seek to avoid hell and enter
heaven, but will not be able to do so.
But as applied to the narrow gateway
of initiation and salvation from rebirth,
it is perfectly true and natural.
This Strait Gate" was the gateway OF
Initiation. and through it a candidate
entered The Kingdom" Initiates are
few in each generation. the flower OF
humanity: but no gloomy sentence OF
everlasting woe is pronounced in this
statement on the vast majority OF the
human race The saved are those who
escape from the circle of generation.
within which humanity is bound.
We may recall the story of the young
man who came to Jesus, and, addressing
Him as Good Master" asked how he
might win eternal lifs-the well-recog-
nized liberation from rebirth by knowl-
edge of God. His first answer was the
regular exoteric precept: Keep the
commandments" And again: IF thou
wilt be perfect go and sell that thou
hast. and give to the poor. and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven; and come
.g-N-
Jesus explains that a rich man can
hardly enter the Kingdom of Heaven,
such entrance being more difficult than
for a camel to pass through the eye of
a needle. If the real meaning Of the
Kingdom of Heaven be taken, We have
the expression Of a simple and direct
fact For that knowledge Of God which
is Eternal Life cannot be gained till
everything earthly is surrendered. can
not be learnd until everything has been
sacrificed. until he is stripped naked he
cannot pass the narrow gateway. Such
has ever been a condition OF Initiation.
and poverty, obedience. and chastity
has been the vow Of the candidate.
When Jesus is speaking to Nicodemus.
He states that Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom OF
God" and this birth is spoken Of as that
"of water and the Spirit this imagery
was familiar among the mystics of the
Jews as shown by the surprise evinced
by Jesus when Nicodemus stumbled over
His mystic phraseology: Art thou a
master of Israel, and knowest not these
things?"
Another Preccpt of Jesus.
Another precept of Jesus which re-
mains as "a hard saying" to his follow
ers is: BE ye therefore perfect, even rs
YOUR Father which is in heaven is per
feet. The ordinary Christian knows
that he cannot possibly obey this com
mand: full of ordinary human frailties
and weaknesses how can he become per-
feet as God is perfect? Seeing the I'M
possibility of the achievement set before
him, he quietly puts it aside and thinks
no more about II. But seen as the crown
ing effort of many lives of steady i'm
provement, as the triumph Of the God
within US over the lower nature. it can
be understood.
SA Paul says: We speak the wisdom
of God in a mystery. even the hidden
wisdom, which God ordained before the
world began, and which none even of
the princes of this world know. The
things Of that wisdom are beyond mems
thinking, but God hath revealed thern
unto US by his spirit the deep
things of God. which the Holy Ghost |
teacheth' These are spiritual things. to |
be discerned only by the spiritual man. |
in whom is the mind of Christ And I, |
brethren, could not speak unto you as
unto spiritual. but as unto carnal, even |
as unto babes in Christ Ye were
not able TO bear ii. neither yet now are |
We able For We are yet carnal.' As a |
wise master-builder I have laid the |
and 'ye are the temple OF |
God, and the Spirit of God dwelling in |
YOU Let a man so account of us. as |
Of the ministers of Christ, and stew !
ards of the mysteries of God" See !
Cor. LIST and 3rd c. and 4th c. V. I.
Can any one read this passage without |
recognizing the fact that the apostle |
possessed a divine wisdom given in the /
mysteries. that his Corinthian followers
were not yet able to receive?
The knowledge that the church pos
sessed these hidden teachings throws a
flood of light on the scattered remarks
made by St. Paul about himself. and
when they are gathered together we
have an outline OF the evolution Of the
initiate.
st. Paul himself sanctions the use Of
the theoretical mystic teaching in ex-
the historical events recorded in
The Scripture The history therein writ
ten is not regarded Sy him as mere
record of facts, which occurred on the
physical plane. Thus he takes the story
of Abraham, Sarai, Hagar. IsEmael and
Isaac. and saving. which thing are an
allegory," he proceeds to give the mys-
.ical Interpretation. Gal T:22-SLl Re
FerrinC to the escape of the Israelites
from Egypt, he speaks Of the Red Sea as
4 baptism. of the mama and the water
as spiritual meat and spiritual drink. Of
the rock from which the water flowed as
Christ.