May 10, 1920
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
Let me write for a short time upon a subject that will be of interest to you and to those who may read my messages.
What I desire to write upon tonight is the condition of those who think they have received the inflowing or baptism of the Holy Spirit, when the fact is that they have received only that advancement in the purification of their natural love and a harmony with the laws of their creation that causes them to believe that what they experience must be the result of a bestowal of the Love which the Holy Spirit brings to mortals.
In this mistake, so many humans indulge and in the satisfaction, or rather happiness which their experience, growing out of such an increase in the harmony brings to them, they fully believe that the Holy Spirit has taken possession of their souls and caused the happiness. But in thus concluding, they are deceiving themselves and will realize their mistake when they come to an awakening in the spirit life.
The Holy Spirit is that part of God's Spirit that manifests His presence and care in conveying to men's souls His Divine Love. This Love is the highest and greatest and most holy of His possessions and can be conveyed to men only by the Holy Spirit; and this appellation is used in contradistinction to the mere Spirit, which demonstrates to men the operation of God's Soul in other directions and for other purposes.
His Creative Spirit, and His Caring Spirit and the Spirit that makes effective His Laws and designs in the governing of the universe are not the Holy Spirit, though equally part of God's Soul, and equally necessary for the manifestations of His powers and the exercise of the energies of His Soul. These deal with the things of the universe that do not have interrelationship with the Soul of God and the souls of men, and whenever the Holy Spirit is spoken of, it should mean only that part of God's Spirit which transforms the souls of men into the Substance of the Soul of God in its Quality of Love.
I heard the preacher discourse Sunday night on the work of the Holy Spirit as portrayed in the contents of the New Testament, and saw that his conclusions from these contents were wholly erroneous and apart from the truth. As he said, the effects of the workings of the Holy Spirit are shown in more ways than one, and not everyone upon whom it is bestowed is filled with the same powers of displaying its presence and possession. Now in all these evidences of its existence in the experiences given, it must be understood that it is limited in its operations to those conditions and manifestations that have their source in the Divine Love of the Father, that was bestowed upon mankind at my coming in the flesh, and that those evidences of the existence that have no relationship to this Love are not evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
As mentioned in the New Testament, when it was bestowed upon my disciples at Pentecost, it came as with the sound of a mighty rushing wind, which has before been explained to you, that shook the room in which the disciples were assembled and filled them with its powers, which means only that this Divine Love came into their souls in such abundance that they were shaken in their souls to such an extent that they thought the building in which they were assembled was disturbed. But in this, they were mistaken, for the effect of the presence of the Holy Spirit is not to affect the things of inanimate nature, but is confined to the souls of men.
And the preacher must know that because men are possessed with powers to accomplish the mental or material things of their living, they are not necessarily possessed with the Holy Spirit. Much of the physical healing of mortals is caused by powers that are bestowed upon men, or some men that are not connected with or proceed from the Holy Spirit. That there is evidence of this, men will recollect that the Old Testament is full of instances where men were healed of their diseases, and other wonderful things performed, at the time that the Holy Spirit was excluded from man's possession. Yet these marvels, as then considered, were performed by men claiming to be endowed with the Spirit of God, which is working for the good and happiness of mankind, and which will continue to work until men shall become in harmony with themselves as first created.
I understand the object of the preacher in attempting to show and convince his hearers, that because they have not those powers that the Bible describes as having been possessed by my disciples after the bestowal of the Holy Spirit that, therefore, they must not believe and conclude that they, his hearers, have not this blessing. His intentions and efforts were commendable and arose from the desire that his hearers should not become disheartened and disappointed in their efforts to obtain the inflowing of the Love that the Holy Spirit brings to men; but on the other hand, his teachings were dangerous and misleading to these hearers, for the natural consequence of such teaching is to lead men into the belief or persuasion that they possess this power and Comforter, when they do not, and thus prevent them from seeking for an obtaining this Comforter in the only way in which it can be obtained.
The Holy Spirit, primarily, has nothing to do with great mental or physical achievements, and to say that because a man is a great inventor or philosopher or surgeon who does things without knowing where the inspiration or suggestion to do the things comes from, therefore he is possessed of the Holy Spirit, is all wrong and misleading.
All things, mediately or immediately, have their existence and operation and growth in the Spirit of God, and only in that Spirit, and which Spirit is evidenced in many and varied ways in men's experience; and hence, men say that they live and move and have their being in God, meaning only that they live and move and have their being in God's Spirit. This Spirit is the source of life and light and health and numerous other blessings that men possess and enjoy - the sinner as well as the saint, the poor man as well as the rich, the ignorant as well as the enlightened and educated - and are each and all dependent on this Spirit for their being and comfort. This is the Spirit that all men possess to a great or less degree, and the brilliant preacher or teacher or orator, possessing this Spirit to a greater degree than his less favored brother, depends upon the same Spirit. It is universal in its existence and workings, is omnipresent, and may be acquired by all men in this sense to the degree that their mental receptivity permits.
And this further demonstrates the fact that God, through and by this Spirit, is with men always, in the lowest hells as well as in the highest Heavens of the perfect man. It is working continuously, ceaselessly and always at the call of men, be that call mental or spiritual. It is the thing that controls the universe of which man's earth is an infinitesimal part. This is the Spirit of God.
But the Holy Spirit, while a part of the Spirit of God, yet is as distinctive as is the soul of man distinctive from all other creations of God; it is that part of God's Spirit that has to do with the relationship of God's Soul and man's soul, exclusively.
The subject of Its operation is the Divine Love of the Father's Soul and the object of Its workings is the soul of man, and the great goal to be reached by Its operations is the transforming of the soul of man into the Substance of the Father's Love, with Immortality as a necessary accompaniment. This is the great miracle of the universe; and so high and sacred and merciful is the transformation, that we call that part of God's Spirit that so works, the Holy Spirit.
So let not teachers or preachers teach, or their hearers believe that every part of God's Spirit that operates upon the heart's and thoughts and feelings of man is the Holy Spirit, for it is not true. Its mission is the salvation of men in the sense of bringing them into that harmony with God, that the very souls of men will become a part in substance and not in image merely of the Soul of God and without this working of the Holy Spirit men cannot become in such union.
I have written you before as to how this Holy Spirit works and the way in which it can bring men the Divine Love of the Father, and what is necessary for it's inflowing. The way described is the only way, and men must not believe and rest in the security of such belief, that every working of the Spirit of God, is the working of the Holy Spirit.
Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, and such attainment is possible only by the working of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, preacher, upon whom a great responsibility rests, learn the truth and then lead men into the way of salvation. I will not write more now, but will come again and deliver another message. Believe that I love you and am
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Showing posts with label purification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purification. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2014
Monday, August 11, 2014
Jesus Writes that People Who Believe in the "New Thought" are on the Wrong Track
June 15, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
Let me write just a line for I desire to tell you that I was with you tonight at the convention of the New Thought people, and saw the impression made upon you by the discourses, and am pleased that what they said only confirmed your faith in our teachings. They are sincere in their efforts to obtain a knowledge of the truth, but the difficulty is, that while they are free from many of the orthodox teachings of the church, yet they have only the natural love and perceptions of the intellect, and to some extent, of the awakened soul in its natural condition.
They know nothing of the Divine Love or the way to the true Kingdom, and are depending entirely upon the spiritual feelings that come to them with the consciousness of an awakened soul, in its conflict with the things that prevent its purification and development into the perfect man.
These people are to be encouraged in their efforts and teachings so far as they disclose the true natural condition of man and the possibility of his becoming in harmony with the will of the Father in their natural love, and to that extent they are progressing beyond the old orthodox ideas of what the real man is, and what is incumbent upon him in order to get into the condition of happiness that comes with a purification of his love, and a longing in harmony with the laws of God governing that purification.
It is to be wished that these men will proceed in their teachings and thus give to mankind a knowledge of what man really is, and the possibilities that lie before him when he exercises the inherent powers that exist within. For concerning sin and inharmony, until the great truths of the New Birth and the transformation of the soul and the wonderful Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres are made known to men through our teachings of these things, these greater truths which lie beyond the knowledge of men at this time will not be his.
In their search for God, they are on the wrong track and will never find him, if they pursue the search in the way indicated by their discourses. God is not within men, nor do they live and move and have their being in Him, nor is He everywhere, waiting to be developed by men as they grow better and purer. No, they are mistaken in their thought as to God and His habitation and will learn when they come into a knowledge of the truth, that God is not in man or in everything that surrounds him, but is separate from him and from the environments in which they live and move and has His locality in the Highest Heavens, where He works out his purposes, and makes Himself and the evidence of His existence known to men by the energies that control the universe in which men exist. He can only be seen by the soul perceptions of a soul that has been transformed into the Divine Angel; to men in every other particular He is unseen and unknown, except as His laws and the effect of their operation disclose His being.
Well, I merely wanted to write this short message, and I am glad that you can receive it. Good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
Let me write just a line for I desire to tell you that I was with you tonight at the convention of the New Thought people, and saw the impression made upon you by the discourses, and am pleased that what they said only confirmed your faith in our teachings. They are sincere in their efforts to obtain a knowledge of the truth, but the difficulty is, that while they are free from many of the orthodox teachings of the church, yet they have only the natural love and perceptions of the intellect, and to some extent, of the awakened soul in its natural condition.
They know nothing of the Divine Love or the way to the true Kingdom, and are depending entirely upon the spiritual feelings that come to them with the consciousness of an awakened soul, in its conflict with the things that prevent its purification and development into the perfect man.
These people are to be encouraged in their efforts and teachings so far as they disclose the true natural condition of man and the possibility of his becoming in harmony with the will of the Father in their natural love, and to that extent they are progressing beyond the old orthodox ideas of what the real man is, and what is incumbent upon him in order to get into the condition of happiness that comes with a purification of his love, and a longing in harmony with the laws of God governing that purification.
It is to be wished that these men will proceed in their teachings and thus give to mankind a knowledge of what man really is, and the possibilities that lie before him when he exercises the inherent powers that exist within. For concerning sin and inharmony, until the great truths of the New Birth and the transformation of the soul and the wonderful Kingdom of the Celestial Spheres are made known to men through our teachings of these things, these greater truths which lie beyond the knowledge of men at this time will not be his.
In their search for God, they are on the wrong track and will never find him, if they pursue the search in the way indicated by their discourses. God is not within men, nor do they live and move and have their being in Him, nor is He everywhere, waiting to be developed by men as they grow better and purer. No, they are mistaken in their thought as to God and His habitation and will learn when they come into a knowledge of the truth, that God is not in man or in everything that surrounds him, but is separate from him and from the environments in which they live and move and has His locality in the Highest Heavens, where He works out his purposes, and makes Himself and the evidence of His existence known to men by the energies that control the universe in which men exist. He can only be seen by the soul perceptions of a soul that has been transformed into the Divine Angel; to men in every other particular He is unseen and unknown, except as His laws and the effect of their operation disclose His being.
Well, I merely wanted to write this short message, and I am glad that you can receive it. Good night.
Your brother and friend,
Jesus
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Helen Writes About the Preacher's Sermon on the New Thought, which is Natural Love Purification
May 11, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your own true and loving, Helen.
Well, my dear, I see that you are happy tonight, and I am also, for I heard you read the messages and saw the effect that they had on your soul, and that they caused you to love both the Father and me more. You must not cease to love as you do tonight for there is no other happiness that can supply the peace which this love brings to you.
I was with you tonight at the meeting and heard the preacher (Glaze) speak of the source of the greatest joy, and I was sorry that he did not know that source. He talked of a happiness that came to him from a knowledge that he thought he had of God, and he was in earnest, but he did not realize the real joy or the source thereof. His joy is that which comes from a great degree of the purification of his natural love, which must necessarily bring to him increased happiness, and I am glad that he talked in the way he did, but so sorry that he has not experienced the Real Love that is the only source of the greatest joy.
Well, sometime men will know what the source means, and how different it is from the mere purification of the natural love and, in addition, will learn the way to obtain this Divine Love and keep it as the greatest thing in all the universe.
The talk of the preacher is very beneficial to many of his hearers and causes much searching of their souls, and a better condition of living and an experience that makes them very happy. I would advise you to attend his meetings occasionally, for the influence is good and you may have the opportunity sometime to tell him of the higher truths.
There were a number of spirits present with you desiring to hear and learn something that might render them happier and enlighten them as to the true way, but some things that he said did not help much. He placed too much emphasis on the necessity of making life on earth the great object of their efforts and aspirations, and rather discountenanced the thought that in the spirit life there are heavens and conditions to be longed for and enjoyed. Yet, as I say, his preaching will do good; for the better men become in their thoughts and aspirations, even though as to a mere cleansing of their natural love, the better it will be for them and will tend to make the earth life better and more in harmony with the laws of man's creation.
I am so glad that I can write you again and tell you of my love and assure you of the truths that have been already revealed to you. Well I will not write more tonight. We all love you, and so with my love I will say, good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, your own true and loving, Helen.
Well, my dear, I see that you are happy tonight, and I am also, for I heard you read the messages and saw the effect that they had on your soul, and that they caused you to love both the Father and me more. You must not cease to love as you do tonight for there is no other happiness that can supply the peace which this love brings to you.
I was with you tonight at the meeting and heard the preacher (Glaze) speak of the source of the greatest joy, and I was sorry that he did not know that source. He talked of a happiness that came to him from a knowledge that he thought he had of God, and he was in earnest, but he did not realize the real joy or the source thereof. His joy is that which comes from a great degree of the purification of his natural love, which must necessarily bring to him increased happiness, and I am glad that he talked in the way he did, but so sorry that he has not experienced the Real Love that is the only source of the greatest joy.
Well, sometime men will know what the source means, and how different it is from the mere purification of the natural love and, in addition, will learn the way to obtain this Divine Love and keep it as the greatest thing in all the universe.
The talk of the preacher is very beneficial to many of his hearers and causes much searching of their souls, and a better condition of living and an experience that makes them very happy. I would advise you to attend his meetings occasionally, for the influence is good and you may have the opportunity sometime to tell him of the higher truths.
There were a number of spirits present with you desiring to hear and learn something that might render them happier and enlighten them as to the true way, but some things that he said did not help much. He placed too much emphasis on the necessity of making life on earth the great object of their efforts and aspirations, and rather discountenanced the thought that in the spirit life there are heavens and conditions to be longed for and enjoyed. Yet, as I say, his preaching will do good; for the better men become in their thoughts and aspirations, even though as to a mere cleansing of their natural love, the better it will be for them and will tend to make the earth life better and more in harmony with the laws of man's creation.
I am so glad that I can write you again and tell you of my love and assure you of the truths that have been already revealed to you. Well I will not write more tonight. We all love you, and so with my love I will say, good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
John B. Johnson Writes about the Book that Mr. Padgett Was Reading
April 18, 1919
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John B. Johnson.
Let me say just a word. I have been with you tonight as you read the book and saw that in it you found something that agreed with your ideas of what was necessary for men to do in order to regain their conditions of pristine purity from which they fell. Well, these things are very helpful and true, and when the author said that men should exercise self-control, he stated a truth which is necessary that they may attain to a condition of purification.
It will not do for men to teach and believe that they have a higher self which as soon as relieved from the burdens of the lower self, which takes place at death, is sufficient to make that man's soul fitted for the Heavenly Kingdom.
No, the soul is one and the self is one, and unless that self is purified by the efforts and struggles of man himself, he will never become a pure spirit and fitted to occupy the place that was his before the fall. I was interested in the book, and saw that it contained much of the truth that applies to man as the mere man. It knows nothing of the Celestial Angel or the manner in which the soul of man can become transformed into the Divine Essence of the Father, but has many suggestions, which, if followed, will lead into the way of the perfect man. This is all that I intended to say tonight.
Your friend,
John B. Johnson
**********
Helen confirms the writer to be a very beautiful spirit.
I am here, your own true and loving Helen.
Well dear, I see that you have been much interested in the book that you have read, and the spirit who wrote you is a very beautiful spirit, and of the Celestial Heavens, but I do not know him. He wanted so much to write you, and we thought it best that he should do so.
I understand how you have been feeling today and am not disappointed that you did not give me the opportunity to write tonight, for I will come again and write you. You are now in better condition than you have been for several days, and you must pray to the Father for an increase of His Love in your soul and for greater faith, so that you may do the work that is before you. We are all anxious that you receive our messages and the benefit of the increased Love.
I will not write more tonight, for you had better go to bed and get up early and attend to your business. Turn your thoughts to your mission and then with all the powers of your own soul, and with the help that will be given you by the spirits without your disposition to take things in the easy manner that you do. Yours is a work that needs courage and determination and fortitude, and you must try to let these qualities possess your soul. Well my dear Ned, I will say good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, John B. Johnson.
Let me say just a word. I have been with you tonight as you read the book and saw that in it you found something that agreed with your ideas of what was necessary for men to do in order to regain their conditions of pristine purity from which they fell. Well, these things are very helpful and true, and when the author said that men should exercise self-control, he stated a truth which is necessary that they may attain to a condition of purification.
It will not do for men to teach and believe that they have a higher self which as soon as relieved from the burdens of the lower self, which takes place at death, is sufficient to make that man's soul fitted for the Heavenly Kingdom.
No, the soul is one and the self is one, and unless that self is purified by the efforts and struggles of man himself, he will never become a pure spirit and fitted to occupy the place that was his before the fall. I was interested in the book, and saw that it contained much of the truth that applies to man as the mere man. It knows nothing of the Celestial Angel or the manner in which the soul of man can become transformed into the Divine Essence of the Father, but has many suggestions, which, if followed, will lead into the way of the perfect man. This is all that I intended to say tonight.
Your friend,
John B. Johnson
**********
Helen confirms the writer to be a very beautiful spirit.
I am here, your own true and loving Helen.
Well dear, I see that you have been much interested in the book that you have read, and the spirit who wrote you is a very beautiful spirit, and of the Celestial Heavens, but I do not know him. He wanted so much to write you, and we thought it best that he should do so.
I understand how you have been feeling today and am not disappointed that you did not give me the opportunity to write tonight, for I will come again and write you. You are now in better condition than you have been for several days, and you must pray to the Father for an increase of His Love in your soul and for greater faith, so that you may do the work that is before you. We are all anxious that you receive our messages and the benefit of the increased Love.
I will not write more tonight, for you had better go to bed and get up early and attend to your business. Turn your thoughts to your mission and then with all the powers of your own soul, and with the help that will be given you by the spirits without your disposition to take things in the easy manner that you do. Yours is a work that needs courage and determination and fortitude, and you must try to let these qualities possess your soul. Well my dear Ned, I will say good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Helen Writes that a Large Majority of Men Will Exist in Eternity as Perfect Men and Enjoy the Happiness Which it Brings
May 21, 1918
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Helen.
Well dear, I see that you have been much benefitted by the reading of the messages tonight, and I am so glad that you read them in the manner that you did. The truths, which you read in reference to the spirit world in the book of Dr. Peebles, are very beautiful and also edifying and helpful to the extent that they affect the conditions of the souls of men but, as you know, they do not reach the vital point or tell of the great truth, which is necessary for men to know in order to obtain the condition of the Divine Angel and a home in the Celestial Heavens.
Of course, the writer, or any of those whom he quotes, could not speak of this higher truth, for they did not understand the same and they could comprehend only the great moral teachings of Jesus. But these teachings are also of great importance to mankind, for the understanding and observance of them in thought and deed will certainly lead man to a purification of his soul, and to a coming in at-onement with the Father, in accordance with the perfectness of man in his creation. As we have written you, the large majority of men will exist in the great eternity only as perfect men, enjoying the happiness which that condition brings to them, and, hence it is of great importance that men should be taught these mortal truths.
But of greater importance is the knowledge of the truth which will show men the way to become Divine Angels and at-one with God in His very Substance and Essence of Love. This was the great mission of the Master on earth, but men failed to understand and realize that fact and, instead, were possessed only of the knowledge of the moral truths and a belief that such truths, or rather the results of the practicing and living the same, would lead them to immortality and perfect happiness.
Well, you understand all this, and I will not say more on the subject; but I wish to emphasize to you the importance of your fully realizing, deep down in your soul, that the truths of the Divine are not understood by men and, hence, cause you to appreciate more the great importance of the work which you are to perform. Oh, my dear, I hope that you will consider and meditate upon this and try your best to get in such condition that the rapport may be made and these truths delivered to you.
You know the way, the only way, and you must follow that way. Pray to the Father with all the longings of your soul, and meditate more on spiritual things, such as the truths which the Master and the others have revealed to you. I know that you are desirous of receiving the messages, but you are not willing, as it seems, to make the effort to get in the soul condition, which will not come from the existence of the mere desire to receive the messages.
Well, I did not write earlier in the evening for you were not just in condition, and I thought that if you did not hear from me, you might possibly read some of the messages and thus get in a better soul condition to receive my message, as you have done. It is too late to write more tonight, but I feel quite hopeful that I will be able to do so very soon. So sweetheart, pray to the Father and let your faith increase and think more of these truths and what they mean. I will not write more now, and will only further say, love me with all your heart and think more of me, and you will be much happier.
Good night, my dear husband.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Helen.
Well dear, I see that you have been much benefitted by the reading of the messages tonight, and I am so glad that you read them in the manner that you did. The truths, which you read in reference to the spirit world in the book of Dr. Peebles, are very beautiful and also edifying and helpful to the extent that they affect the conditions of the souls of men but, as you know, they do not reach the vital point or tell of the great truth, which is necessary for men to know in order to obtain the condition of the Divine Angel and a home in the Celestial Heavens.
Of course, the writer, or any of those whom he quotes, could not speak of this higher truth, for they did not understand the same and they could comprehend only the great moral teachings of Jesus. But these teachings are also of great importance to mankind, for the understanding and observance of them in thought and deed will certainly lead man to a purification of his soul, and to a coming in at-onement with the Father, in accordance with the perfectness of man in his creation. As we have written you, the large majority of men will exist in the great eternity only as perfect men, enjoying the happiness which that condition brings to them, and, hence it is of great importance that men should be taught these mortal truths.
But of greater importance is the knowledge of the truth which will show men the way to become Divine Angels and at-one with God in His very Substance and Essence of Love. This was the great mission of the Master on earth, but men failed to understand and realize that fact and, instead, were possessed only of the knowledge of the moral truths and a belief that such truths, or rather the results of the practicing and living the same, would lead them to immortality and perfect happiness.
Well, you understand all this, and I will not say more on the subject; but I wish to emphasize to you the importance of your fully realizing, deep down in your soul, that the truths of the Divine are not understood by men and, hence, cause you to appreciate more the great importance of the work which you are to perform. Oh, my dear, I hope that you will consider and meditate upon this and try your best to get in such condition that the rapport may be made and these truths delivered to you.
You know the way, the only way, and you must follow that way. Pray to the Father with all the longings of your soul, and meditate more on spiritual things, such as the truths which the Master and the others have revealed to you. I know that you are desirous of receiving the messages, but you are not willing, as it seems, to make the effort to get in the soul condition, which will not come from the existence of the mere desire to receive the messages.
Well, I did not write earlier in the evening for you were not just in condition, and I thought that if you did not hear from me, you might possibly read some of the messages and thus get in a better soul condition to receive my message, as you have done. It is too late to write more tonight, but I feel quite hopeful that I will be able to do so very soon. So sweetheart, pray to the Father and let your faith increase and think more of these truths and what they mean. I will not write more now, and will only further say, love me with all your heart and think more of me, and you will be much happier.
Good night, my dear husband.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Friday, May 9, 2014
Immanuel Kant Writes that He Wants to Learn About the Love that Will Make Men, or the Souls of Men, Divine
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Immanuel Kant.
I have listened to your conversation tonight and have been much interested, so much that I have wondered what the source of your apparent beliefs is, for I see that you are sincere in your declarations of what you declare the truths to be.
I have been in the spirit world for a great many years, and have not been idle as regards my investigation of the truth, and have given my very strenuous efforts to learn the truth of man's destiny and the ultimate end of his existence. I was a thinker when on earth, and had a considerable reputation as to being a deep thinker of things metaphysical and even today I have a large following among those mortals who give their time and attention to the investigation of the truths of the nature spoken of.
I have progressed very much, not only in the spheres in which I have lived, but also in the development of my intellect and in the development of my soul, for I enjoy a very considerable happiness, and have been able to apply the moral principles that should govern men in their relation to one another and to God, and have experienced the benefit of such application. I have many associates like myself in development of the dualities mentioned, and often do we assemble and discuss these important principles of man's relationship to God and to the development of man and the aim and ultimate destiny of his existence.
Truth is, we know, of itself alone and never changes, and when we believe and are convinced that we have found a truth, we accept it as a basis upon which to found our further efforts for investigation and the discovery of other truths and, as a consequence, we are not compelled to depend upon mere speculation as we were when on earth. We know that the spirit of man never ceases to live and, hence, immortality must be his certain portion in the great economy of God, and that as the law of being is progression, we must always be enabled to progress. And having that fact from which to start, we continue our investigations and studies in the certain belief that their results will be the discovery of the truths, and that we must ultimately find the reason for man's existence, and his final destiny.
But from what I have heard you and your friend say, there must be a branch of truth that I or my friends, have never heard of or attempted to investigate, and to me it sounds very attractive, and so much so, that I would like to have some enlightenment from which I may be able to postulate a premise upon which I may build a superstructure, if possible. I have, of course, heard a great deal of love and the purification of the soul, and the necessity for men and spirit striving to get rid of all those things that contaminate the soul and foster the continuation of the in-harmony that now exists and keeps man from becoming the perfect man and spirit, also.
I have heard that in the higher spiritual kingdom, there are spirits of men that have become perfect and existing in harmony with the laws of God, yet they do not claim to be more than men - perfect men. But you talk of a Love that will make men, or the souls of men, Divine in their constituency and, therefore, a part of that divinity which we ascribe only to the Infinite; and I must tell you that what you say has opened up to me a new vision of possibility of study that may lead to what we now have no conception of.
I am sincere in what I write, and if you can help me in entering on the study of the truths of which you speak, I will be very grateful and assure you that it will not be lost on an inattentive ear or a mind stunted by a belief that it already knows all that can be acquired, or the way to acquire all that may be learned. I was on earth a philosopher and known as:
Immanuel Kant
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Elias Writes on "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness"
December 13, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Elias.
I desire tonight to write a few lines upon a matter that I have been thinking might be of some interest to you, and that is: "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness."
I know that a large majority of mortals, who believe in the Christian doctrines, believe that for a very considerable number of mankind, there is awaiting an eternity in the Hells of continuous torture and torment, and that in order to avoid such a destiny or future state, men, while on earth, must believe in certain doctrines and conform themselves to such beliefs, for after death there can be no possible opportunity for being saved from such a fate.
Of course, these beliefs are the results of the teachings of those who claim to have the ability to interpret the Bible, mixed with a little of divine inspiration and mysterious power and wisdom that are conferred upon those who have the careers of ministers of the Gospel; and men, because of long years of training or of inheritance from those who for long years believed in these teachings, naturally exercise very little independent thought and accept the declarations of these ministers as being almost the divine expressions of God Himself.
Such doctrines have caused in their workings much harm to the mortal and much unhappiness to the spirits of men in the spirit world, because beliefs accompany the latter in their existence as spirits and keep them from learning the truth for a long time after they become spirits. It is a great pity that men can be bound by such false and damnable beliefs, and generation after generation continue to become servants to the teachings of misguided instructors. And I wish to say that all these beliefs are untrue and have no foundation in fact, and the sooner mankind knows this, the better it will be for their happiness on earth and their welfare in the world to come.
It is true that there are Hells and punishment, and that the majority of men when they become spirits will have to go into such Hells and suffer such punishment; but the element of eternal or everlasting does not enter into the duration of such state or condition, for there is no punishment inflicted on the spirits of men for the purpose of causing them to pay a penalty that can never be satisfied through all eternity. This punishment is only for the purpose of purification, and when it is accomplished, for the particular spirit who has suffered the same, the Hell ceases to exist and the punishment ceases to have any necessity for its existence; and, ultimately, the condition of every man will be that of a purified spirit, free from sin and defilement and the necessity for Hell or punishment.
I know that what I have written has in various forms been written before, but I felt that I must say just this much and in the way that I have done. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and I want to assure you that, if you will pray to the Father, you will continue to grow in your spiritual development and, as a consequence, feel better in every particular.
With my love I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Elias
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Elias.
I desire tonight to write a few lines upon a matter that I have been thinking might be of some interest to you, and that is: "The hope that all mortals have in a future destiny of freedom from care and unhappiness."
I know that a large majority of mortals, who believe in the Christian doctrines, believe that for a very considerable number of mankind, there is awaiting an eternity in the Hells of continuous torture and torment, and that in order to avoid such a destiny or future state, men, while on earth, must believe in certain doctrines and conform themselves to such beliefs, for after death there can be no possible opportunity for being saved from such a fate.
Of course, these beliefs are the results of the teachings of those who claim to have the ability to interpret the Bible, mixed with a little of divine inspiration and mysterious power and wisdom that are conferred upon those who have the careers of ministers of the Gospel; and men, because of long years of training or of inheritance from those who for long years believed in these teachings, naturally exercise very little independent thought and accept the declarations of these ministers as being almost the divine expressions of God Himself.
Such doctrines have caused in their workings much harm to the mortal and much unhappiness to the spirits of men in the spirit world, because beliefs accompany the latter in their existence as spirits and keep them from learning the truth for a long time after they become spirits. It is a great pity that men can be bound by such false and damnable beliefs, and generation after generation continue to become servants to the teachings of misguided instructors. And I wish to say that all these beliefs are untrue and have no foundation in fact, and the sooner mankind knows this, the better it will be for their happiness on earth and their welfare in the world to come.
It is true that there are Hells and punishment, and that the majority of men when they become spirits will have to go into such Hells and suffer such punishment; but the element of eternal or everlasting does not enter into the duration of such state or condition, for there is no punishment inflicted on the spirits of men for the purpose of causing them to pay a penalty that can never be satisfied through all eternity. This punishment is only for the purpose of purification, and when it is accomplished, for the particular spirit who has suffered the same, the Hell ceases to exist and the punishment ceases to have any necessity for its existence; and, ultimately, the condition of every man will be that of a purified spirit, free from sin and defilement and the necessity for Hell or punishment.
I know that what I have written has in various forms been written before, but I felt that I must say just this much and in the way that I have done. I am glad that you are feeling better tonight, and I want to assure you that, if you will pray to the Father, you will continue to grow in your spiritual development and, as a consequence, feel better in every particular.
With my love I will say, good night.
Your brother in Christ,
Elias
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
John Writes About the Purification of the Natural Love
September 23, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John.
I want to write tonight on a subject that is important, and I hope that you will he able to receive my message, for I have been waiting for some time to deliver it. Well, I desire to discourse on the subject of: "What is the destiny of the mortal who has not experienced the New Birth, but who will progress to that condition which may be called the perfect man?"
As you know, there is a future for the mortal who receives the New Birth and a different one for him who has only the complete and pure development of his natural love. This latter condition does not depend upon the mortal having in his soul the Divine Love or the Essence of the Father, but merely upon the purification of the natural love so that all sin and error and inharmony form no part of his state of soul or mental existence. This condition is not the result of a New Birth, or of a change in the constituent elements of his soul, but merely the elimination of those things therefrom, which were the results and the necessary sequences of the defilement that followed the fall.
Now as man lost by this fall the qualities which made him the perfect creature of his Maker, it is only necessary for him to regain what he lost by that fall in order to become the perfect man once more; and in recovering this state of perfection, it is not required that he should seek - or actually add to the qualities which he at first possessed - any new or additional qualities or attributes, but only that he regain what he had been deprived of by his disobedience; and when that is accomplished, he will come again in harmony with the laws of his creation and have all the potentialities and excellence that he originally possessed.
And now, what will that future be? And in order to determine this question it is only necessary to understand what his inherent condition or qualities were when he was the perfect man of his Father's creation.
At that time he was possessed of those things of which he is now the possessor, except that then they were all so accurately adjusted that every sense and function of his body, as well as every faculty of his soul and mind, were so in harmony with the laws of his creation, that he was capable of doing the will of the Father, and obeying every requirement that was imposed upon him. He was then, not only a perfect being as regarding his physical formation, but also as regarding his mental and moral qualities which, of course, included all the emotions and appetites and spiritual aspirations. But, as we have written you before, all these faculties were subject to his will and, in a certain sense, his will was controlled by the exercise of these faculties.
His body was in the beginning made of matter, changeable as it now is, but of a more ethereal kind, and not subject to decay and disintegration in such a short time, as it now is, but yet, subject to this decay; and man, as regards his physical being, necessarily was compelled to die, and to have released his spirit body and his soul from this physical vesture, and thereafter exist as pure spirit. This was not the death that he died as a consequence of his disobedience, but the death natural to him, by reason of the very nature of his creation. His soul and spirit body were not subject to death in the sense of annihilation, but were given the qualities of continual existence in a pure and perfect state, and the only difference that the fall made as to these parts of his being, is that the purity and harmony that were men's are now no longer parts of his soul and spirit. Whether immortality was a quality of that existence, we spirits do not know, and therefore cannot assert, but as his created soul and spirit body had a beginning - mere creatures of the Father - it may be that they were intended to have an ending, as individualized soul and spirit.
Of course, they were created from something, and not from nothing, as some of your theologians say, and it is possible, in the order of change, which seems to be the law in the spirit world as well as in the mortal world, that this soul and spirit may be resolved again into that something. But as to this finality we do not have any knowledge because, so far as the observation of spirits in this world go, no soul or spirit body - and I mean the body as a composite whole and not as to its constituent elements - has ever been resolved into that something, or been deprived of its individualized existence. Therefore, I cannot say that when man was created, it was intended that, as man, he should not be immortal, or that he should be so.
But you will readily see, that after man shall have accomplished the purification of his soul and become in mind and spirit body, as it was intended he should be at the time of his creation, he will be nothing more nor less than he was at that time and have no other or greater qualities or freedom from limitations and changes than he had before his fall. Of course, he will have no physical body, and here let me say that there is no fact or experience known to the spirit world that justifies the assertion that man on earth will ever be immune to physical death. I know that some say, that in the far future men may make such progress in the development of their natural love that their condition of inner purity will be so great as to cause the physical bodies to become so etherialized as to render them free from physical death. But that I cannot conceive will ever happen, for men were made to become inhabitants of the spiritual realms and the short time they were decreed to live the earth life was for the purpose only of giving the soul an individualized existence.
Never was it intended that the physical form should have an eternity of existence, no matter how pure, or, as they say, etherealized it may become, for it was made of matter, of the earth, earthy, while the soul was made of that which had its origin in the spirit realm and composed of spirit substance, so that it cannot be conceived that in the beginning man was created for an immortal earth existence.
I see that you are tired, and I will finish later. I am glad that I could write tonight and also that you are in such good condition to receive my message. So with my love and blessings and assurances that you have every reason to keep up your courage and hope, I am
Your brother in Christ,
John
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John.
I want to write tonight on a subject that is important, and I hope that you will he able to receive my message, for I have been waiting for some time to deliver it. Well, I desire to discourse on the subject of: "What is the destiny of the mortal who has not experienced the New Birth, but who will progress to that condition which may be called the perfect man?"
As you know, there is a future for the mortal who receives the New Birth and a different one for him who has only the complete and pure development of his natural love. This latter condition does not depend upon the mortal having in his soul the Divine Love or the Essence of the Father, but merely upon the purification of the natural love so that all sin and error and inharmony form no part of his state of soul or mental existence. This condition is not the result of a New Birth, or of a change in the constituent elements of his soul, but merely the elimination of those things therefrom, which were the results and the necessary sequences of the defilement that followed the fall.
Now as man lost by this fall the qualities which made him the perfect creature of his Maker, it is only necessary for him to regain what he lost by that fall in order to become the perfect man once more; and in recovering this state of perfection, it is not required that he should seek - or actually add to the qualities which he at first possessed - any new or additional qualities or attributes, but only that he regain what he had been deprived of by his disobedience; and when that is accomplished, he will come again in harmony with the laws of his creation and have all the potentialities and excellence that he originally possessed.
And now, what will that future be? And in order to determine this question it is only necessary to understand what his inherent condition or qualities were when he was the perfect man of his Father's creation.
At that time he was possessed of those things of which he is now the possessor, except that then they were all so accurately adjusted that every sense and function of his body, as well as every faculty of his soul and mind, were so in harmony with the laws of his creation, that he was capable of doing the will of the Father, and obeying every requirement that was imposed upon him. He was then, not only a perfect being as regarding his physical formation, but also as regarding his mental and moral qualities which, of course, included all the emotions and appetites and spiritual aspirations. But, as we have written you before, all these faculties were subject to his will and, in a certain sense, his will was controlled by the exercise of these faculties.
His body was in the beginning made of matter, changeable as it now is, but of a more ethereal kind, and not subject to decay and disintegration in such a short time, as it now is, but yet, subject to this decay; and man, as regards his physical being, necessarily was compelled to die, and to have released his spirit body and his soul from this physical vesture, and thereafter exist as pure spirit. This was not the death that he died as a consequence of his disobedience, but the death natural to him, by reason of the very nature of his creation. His soul and spirit body were not subject to death in the sense of annihilation, but were given the qualities of continual existence in a pure and perfect state, and the only difference that the fall made as to these parts of his being, is that the purity and harmony that were men's are now no longer parts of his soul and spirit. Whether immortality was a quality of that existence, we spirits do not know, and therefore cannot assert, but as his created soul and spirit body had a beginning - mere creatures of the Father - it may be that they were intended to have an ending, as individualized soul and spirit.
Of course, they were created from something, and not from nothing, as some of your theologians say, and it is possible, in the order of change, which seems to be the law in the spirit world as well as in the mortal world, that this soul and spirit may be resolved again into that something. But as to this finality we do not have any knowledge because, so far as the observation of spirits in this world go, no soul or spirit body - and I mean the body as a composite whole and not as to its constituent elements - has ever been resolved into that something, or been deprived of its individualized existence. Therefore, I cannot say that when man was created, it was intended that, as man, he should not be immortal, or that he should be so.
But you will readily see, that after man shall have accomplished the purification of his soul and become in mind and spirit body, as it was intended he should be at the time of his creation, he will be nothing more nor less than he was at that time and have no other or greater qualities or freedom from limitations and changes than he had before his fall. Of course, he will have no physical body, and here let me say that there is no fact or experience known to the spirit world that justifies the assertion that man on earth will ever be immune to physical death. I know that some say, that in the far future men may make such progress in the development of their natural love that their condition of inner purity will be so great as to cause the physical bodies to become so etherialized as to render them free from physical death. But that I cannot conceive will ever happen, for men were made to become inhabitants of the spiritual realms and the short time they were decreed to live the earth life was for the purpose only of giving the soul an individualized existence.
Never was it intended that the physical form should have an eternity of existence, no matter how pure, or, as they say, etherealized it may become, for it was made of matter, of the earth, earthy, while the soul was made of that which had its origin in the spirit realm and composed of spirit substance, so that it cannot be conceived that in the beginning man was created for an immortal earth existence.
I see that you are tired, and I will finish later. I am glad that I could write tonight and also that you are in such good condition to receive my message. So with my love and blessings and assurances that you have every reason to keep up your courage and hope, I am
Your brother in Christ,
John
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
John Writes About Divine Love: What it is, What it is not, and How it can be Obtained
August 5, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John.
I come tonight to say only a few words and these in reference to love - the Divine Love of the Father, which He rebestowed upon mankind at the coming of the Master.
This Love is the greatest thing in all the world, and the only thing that can make man at-one with the Father, and change the soul of man as it has existed since his creation into a Divine Substance filled with the Essence of the Father. There is nothing else in all the universe of God that can cause man to become a new creature, and an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom; and when men possess this Love, then they possess everything that will make them not only the perfect man but the Divine Angel.
Then men will understand the moral precepts of brotherly love and also the Father's oneness, and they will not have to seek for other help in order to bring into the life of the human race those qualities that will bring to it peace and good will. Then will every man know that every other man is his brother and be able to do unto each as he would have the other to do unto him, and this without effort or sacrifice on his part for love worketh its own fulfillment and all its beneficence floweth towards the fellow-man as falls the dews from Heaven. Envy and hatred and strife and jealousy and all the other evil qualities of man will disappear, and only peace and joy and happiness will remain.
It is so abundant that it may be possessed by all men by the mere seeking and the sincere longing for its inflowing. But man must understand that it is not his by matter of right, nor is it ever forced upon him, but comes only in response to the sincere earnest prayer of a soul that is filled with longings for its coming. This Love comes not with observation of mere moral rules, or with good deeds and the exercise of the natural love of a man towards his fellows, because no man can possibly merit it by any deeds or acts or kindness of heart that he may have. All these things are desirable and they work out their own rewards and bring the happiness and peace that result from good thoughts and kind deeds; but all these do not bring unto the soul of man this Great Love.
It is the Father alone, and only when the soul is opened up to its reception can it possibly find its home in that soul. It is greater than faith or hope, because it is the real Substance of the Father, while faith and hope are the qualities which a man may possess by his own efforts, and which are given him that he may realize the possibility of obtaining this Love. They are merely means; it is the end and fullness of their exercise.
But men must not believe that all love is the Divine Love for it is very different in its substance and qualities from all other loves. All men have a part of their possessions, the natural love, and they need not pray for a bestowal of that although since it has become defiled by sin, it needs to be purified and freed from this blight, and the Father is ever willing and ready to help men obtain this purification. But this Divine Love is not a part of man's nature nor can he obtain or possess it, except he seek for it. It comes from without and is not developed from within.
It is the result of individual acquiremen, and not the object of universal possession. It may be possessed by all; it can be possessed by only a few; and each man must determine for himself whether it shall be his. With God there is no respect of persons; neither is there any royal road to the obtaining of this Love. All must pursue the same way and that way is the one that Jesus taught: the opening up of the soul to this Love finding a lodgment therein, which can be brought about only by sincere prayer and longing for its inflowing.
This Love is the life of the Celestial Heavens and the only key that will unlock the gates, and when the mortal enters therein, all other love is absorbed by it. It has no substitute, and is of itself, a thing apart. It is of the Essence of the Divine, and the spirit which possesses it is Divine itself. It may be yours, it may be all men's and it may not. You must decide that question for yourself, not even the Father can make the decision for you.
In closing, let me repeat that It (Divine Love) is the greatest thing in all God's universe and not only the greatest, but the sum of all things, for from It flows every other thing that brings peace and happiness. I will not write more tonight, and with my love to you, and the blessing of the Father, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, St. John.
I come tonight to say only a few words and these in reference to love - the Divine Love of the Father, which He rebestowed upon mankind at the coming of the Master.
This Love is the greatest thing in all the world, and the only thing that can make man at-one with the Father, and change the soul of man as it has existed since his creation into a Divine Substance filled with the Essence of the Father. There is nothing else in all the universe of God that can cause man to become a new creature, and an inhabitant of the Father's Kingdom; and when men possess this Love, then they possess everything that will make them not only the perfect man but the Divine Angel.
Then men will understand the moral precepts of brotherly love and also the Father's oneness, and they will not have to seek for other help in order to bring into the life of the human race those qualities that will bring to it peace and good will. Then will every man know that every other man is his brother and be able to do unto each as he would have the other to do unto him, and this without effort or sacrifice on his part for love worketh its own fulfillment and all its beneficence floweth towards the fellow-man as falls the dews from Heaven. Envy and hatred and strife and jealousy and all the other evil qualities of man will disappear, and only peace and joy and happiness will remain.
It is so abundant that it may be possessed by all men by the mere seeking and the sincere longing for its inflowing. But man must understand that it is not his by matter of right, nor is it ever forced upon him, but comes only in response to the sincere earnest prayer of a soul that is filled with longings for its coming. This Love comes not with observation of mere moral rules, or with good deeds and the exercise of the natural love of a man towards his fellows, because no man can possibly merit it by any deeds or acts or kindness of heart that he may have. All these things are desirable and they work out their own rewards and bring the happiness and peace that result from good thoughts and kind deeds; but all these do not bring unto the soul of man this Great Love.
It is the Father alone, and only when the soul is opened up to its reception can it possibly find its home in that soul. It is greater than faith or hope, because it is the real Substance of the Father, while faith and hope are the qualities which a man may possess by his own efforts, and which are given him that he may realize the possibility of obtaining this Love. They are merely means; it is the end and fullness of their exercise.
But men must not believe that all love is the Divine Love for it is very different in its substance and qualities from all other loves. All men have a part of their possessions, the natural love, and they need not pray for a bestowal of that although since it has become defiled by sin, it needs to be purified and freed from this blight, and the Father is ever willing and ready to help men obtain this purification. But this Divine Love is not a part of man's nature nor can he obtain or possess it, except he seek for it. It comes from without and is not developed from within.
It is the result of individual acquiremen, and not the object of universal possession. It may be possessed by all; it can be possessed by only a few; and each man must determine for himself whether it shall be his. With God there is no respect of persons; neither is there any royal road to the obtaining of this Love. All must pursue the same way and that way is the one that Jesus taught: the opening up of the soul to this Love finding a lodgment therein, which can be brought about only by sincere prayer and longing for its inflowing.
This Love is the life of the Celestial Heavens and the only key that will unlock the gates, and when the mortal enters therein, all other love is absorbed by it. It has no substitute, and is of itself, a thing apart. It is of the Essence of the Divine, and the spirit which possesses it is Divine itself. It may be yours, it may be all men's and it may not. You must decide that question for yourself, not even the Father can make the decision for you.
In closing, let me repeat that It (Divine Love) is the greatest thing in all God's universe and not only the greatest, but the sum of all things, for from It flows every other thing that brings peace and happiness. I will not write more tonight, and with my love to you, and the blessing of the Father, I will say good night.
Your brother in Christ,
John
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