October 25, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I have heard your discussion and am much pleased that you and your friend are progressing so rapidly in the knowledge of truth and very soon you both will be surprised at the extent of knowledge of spiritual things and truths that will come to you.
No man, who on earth is given to only what you may call the material things, will be able, when he becomes a spirit, to understand the spiritual laws until he has gotten rid of the material mind and the reasoning that comes from the powers, which have been exercised only in the investigation of material things.
You cannot perceive spiritual things with the material mind, neither can a man by reason of those powers of the mind which know only material things, be able to perceive the truths of the spirit. Hence, the necessity for man cultivating the soul perceptions, which are greater and more comprehending than all the faculties of the material mind.
Mind, as usually understood by man, is undoubtedly a wonderful instrument in investigating and learning the Laws of Nature and the relation of cause and effect in the physical world, but such powers when applied to the things of the spirit will not help much, but rather retard the progress of the soul's development of its faculties.
The reasoning power given to man is the highest quality of the material mind and, when properly exercised, affords a very safe and satisfactory method of arriving at the truth. But such power when exercised in reference to things which are strangers to it, or with which such powers having no acquaintance, or have never been concerned in the investigation of the phenomena of their existence, cannot be depended upon to bring conclusions that will assure men of truth.
Laws are eternal and never change and are made by the great Father to be applied to all the conditions and to all the relationships of the material world and of the spiritual world. But the laws that apply to the operations of the material world are not fitted to apply to the operations of the spiritual world; and the man who understands the former and their application to material things is not able to apply the laws applicable to the spiritual world to spiritual things. A knowledge of the laws pertaining to the natural will not supply a knowledge of the laws pertaining to the spiritual.
And, hence, the great scientist who when on earth was able to discover and show the operation of the laws controlling material things, when he comes to the spiritual world and attempts to apply this knowledge to the things of the spirit will be wholly unable to do so and will be as a babe in his ability to understand and draw deductions from the spiritual laws. So you see the necessity for man's becoming acquainted with these spiritual laws, if he expects to progress in things to which they apply.
The material laws may be learned from by the operation of the senses that belong to and constitute the material mind, but the spiritual laws can only be learned by the exercise and application of the faculties of the soul. The soul is to the spiritual things of God what the mind is to the material things of God. And the great mistake that men make, and have made, is to attempt to learn these spiritual things with the powers of the material mind.
I write, thus, because I see that you and your friend desire to learn the nature and operations and workings of the spiritual things and, hence, I want to impress upon you the necessity for exercising the soul perceptions, which will come to you as your soul develops. These perceptions are just as real as are the five senses of the natural mind, though most men do not even know of their existence; and when once you have succeeded in understanding that they do exist and that you may be able to use them just as you use the faculties of the material mind, you will be able to progress in the development of these faculties or perceptions with as much success and certainty as does the great scientist or philosopher in the studies of the things to which he applies the faculties of his material mind.
I hope that I have made plain what I intend to convey. I will not write more tonight, but say let your faith increase and pray more to the Father, and you will see open up to you a wonderful vista of knowledge of the truths of the spirit.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
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