March 8, 1917
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here St. James, Apostle of Jesus.
I come to write my message as Elias told you I would. Well, I desire to write on the subject of: "What is the great truth respecting the way that the destruction of the powers of temptation that arises from the perverted man may be restored to the condition of perfection which the first parents possessed before their fall?"
You will understand that this does not involve any consideration of the operation of the Divine Love upon the soul, but exclusively the consideration of the method by which the soul may be so purified by the operations of the actions and the will power in conjunction with, or influenced by, the workings of the powers of the spirits who have been relieved of the sins and errors that followed the fall.
When man was created, as has been told you, he was created perfect and every quality and function and attribute that was a part of him was so created. That harmony - the most exact with the laws of God that governed his existence - became his and no discord of any kind was in existence to mar that harmony. But as the spiritual nature of man became subordinated to the appetites and passions and fleshly desires, sin and error and inharmony appeared and increased until man became degraded and desired only those things that would satisfy these sinful desires.
And so this degeneracy continued until man reached his lowest degradation, and the turning point came in his career, and then he commenced slowly and gradually to rise from this condition of depravity until at last, he arrived at the stage of his condition of inharmony with these laws of his creation that now exists; and his destiny is to a complete restoration to the perfection of his first estate.
This improvement and gradual restoration depend upon two causes: one, man himself by his own thoughts and reformation of the animal appetites and desires; and the other, the influence and guidance of spirits who, in the spirit world, have arrived at that perfection, or are progressing thereto, and are in a condition of harmony with these laws, superior to that of mortals to whom they lend their influence and help.
Men, in their degeneracy or progression, are controlled very largely by their thoughts, and these thoughts are created by the operations of their desires, and which on the other hand, cause these desires to increase. But back of the thoughts are always these appetites and passions existing in their abnormal conditions, and they constitute the basic or moving cause of desire and thought and act. So that in order for men to become relieved of his abnormal desires and thoughts and acts, the cause thereof must be eradicated, and the seat or function of the cause be brought into harmony with laws of the creation of these functions or seats of emanation.
And strange as it may seem to you, and by a process that is contrary to the ordinary workings of the Law of Cause and Effect, men must first deal with the effects in order to control the cause and thereby destroy the effects. This may seem to be an impossible operation, and contrary to the laws that govern the material world and its ordinary functioning, but yet it is possible, and the only possible way in which the causes may be destroyed. Notwithstanding the fact that the animal or material part of man has had the ascendancy, for all these centuries, over the spiritual part of his nature, yet that spiritual part exists and has always existed and is waiting to assert itself whenever the opportunity occurred, and this assertion was prevented or suppressed only by reason of the want of opportunity.
The spiritual may be said to be the natural state. I mean that in that state, the animal is subordinate to the spiritual and is controlled by it, and man's true tendency is to exist and act in accord with that natural state. Then such being the fact, it may be asked why, or in what manner did this natural spiritual condition become, in the manifestation of what man's dominant dualities are supposed to be, subordinated to the control of the inordinate exercise of this animal side of his nature, which resulted in the sin and unhappiness that so many of the teachers and philosophers proclaim to be his natural condition?
Well tonight, I will not attempt to explain the manner in which this inversion or perversion of man's true nature took place, but will at some future time write on this subject.
The question now is: "How can man obtain the restitution to his created perfection?
As I have said, this can only be accomplished by making the perfect adjustment of the two apparent conflicting sides of his nature. And first, he must recognize that he has the spiritual nature, as well as the animal, and that there is such a relationship and coordination between the two that the supremacy of the latter disturbs the harmony of his perfection as man. The spiritual having been subordinated, the remedy is to remove the subordination and restore the equality. The spiritual, notwithstanding its condition, is always fighting to regain its place in the true adjustment and will always answer the call of man to come to his rescue; and the only thing that has prevented that response is that man has not called for it to assert itself.
Well I am sorry, but we had better postpone until later. Try to get in greater rapport. Good night.
Your brother in Christ,
St. James
**********
Helen Confirms St. James' Message
I am here, your own true and loving Helen.
Well dear, I see that you are disappointed tonight in not receiving the message from James, so that you could write it as he intended to deliver it. Well, the conditions were not good and the rapport not sufficient to enable you to finish the message. He was disappointed, also, but he will come again and deliver it to you. I see that you are very sleepy and must go to bed. So have faith, and love me, and say good night.
Your own true and loving,
Helen
Showing posts with label will power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label will power. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Friday, August 23, 2013
Jesus Writes As to Some of the Errors and Deficiencies of Christian Science
July 9, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come today to tell you that I am pleased with you in your efforts to find the truth of what we have taught as to God and of the relation of man to Him.
I have been with you in your reading of several days past and have observed the effect upon you of the contrast between the beliefs and teachings of men, as you have read them, and the teachings of truth that we have revealed to you in our messages. While these writings that you have been reading have in them some things of truth, yet there are many things that are wholly untrue and the mere results of speculation. Today, if you feel in condition, I will instruct you as to some of the errors and deficiencies of Christian Science and the want of the true comprehension of its founder of the realities of being.
She writes and teaches that there is nothing real in sin and error and disease, and that their apparent existence is wholly due to the mortal mind, and that when this mind denies the existence of these things, they will no longer exist. Well, in this assertion there is a large grain of truth, but in order to understand and apply this truth, more than a mere denial of their existence must be taught and believed by man.
It is true that God never created anything of evil - or that which is not in harmony with His Nature and Essence, which are only good; and that to ascribe the existence of these evils and discords to God is erroneous and blasphemous. But the fact remains that these things exist, and the mere denial of their existence does not remedy the harmful results that flow from such existence.
Man suffers from evil and error and disease and has always so suffered since the fall from his state of perfection and always will suffer in consequence of there being in his consciousness these things of reality, and the mere calling them the result of "mortal mind," will not explain their existence or furnish a remedy by which they may be gotten rid of.
First arises the necessity of understanding how, and by what means, these things came into existence, and then it will become easier for the understanding of the means and the way by which they may be eliminated from the life and apparent nature of mankind.
As I have already told you, these things, foreign to God's creation, were created by man alone in the excessive and unlawful exercise of his will power in following out the suggestions and desires of his animal appetites, which unduly asserted themselves when man lost a part of his spirituality by his disobedience.
Their creation was the result of something more than what the founder of that science calls the "mortal mind," for the mind is only a part of man's being; and while the faculties of the mind must be used in the operation of all the powers and qualities of man, yet the mind is not the originator of all his desires and appetites and emotions. The emotional nature and affections are distinct from the mere mind, or the intellectual faculties, and as regards sin and error, are generally the creators of the same, although the mind may and does foster and increase these things so created.
Then man must understand that these excrescences to his perfect creation are real and existing, and result in his own damnation and alienation from the good, and are antagonistic to his original and natural condition of perfection, and that they cannot be swept out of existence by the mere assertion that they are not real.
Again, man must understand that they are the creatures primarily of the inordinate exercise of the animal appetites and desires, and not of the exercise of the mind, and (that they are) to be eradicated by the same process in reverse order as was used in their creation.
Of course, it must not be lost sight of that in using this process, the faculties of the mind must be brought into operation, just as they were in the creation of these existences. And the great fact to be remembered in this process is that these things are real, and not things of the mere imagination, which is the equivalent of the founder's mortal mind.
Now, when man grasps the meaning, as thus explained, of what these things really are, and how they came into being, then he will the more readily comprehend the way or the means by which they are to be destroyed and never again permitted to become a part of his being; for while they do not by nature belong to his being, yet by reason of his being the creator of them, they are, so far as his consciousness is concerned, together with all the results flowing therefrom, a part of his being; and that part which keeps him in discord with the laws controlling his own existence. The purity of his true being is always besmirched by the impurities of his own artificial being, and always will be, until he eliminates these impurities which, as to him and to his fellow man, are real, persistent existences.
The will, however, is the great force that must be used in the destruction of these excrescences, and as this will power in man is free and untrammeled, and in its operations follows the suggestions and desires of the appetites - both animal and spiritual - of man, it therefore becomes apparent that these appetites and desires must first be controlled and directed in that direction that will cause the will to be exercised in such a manner as to lead the thoughts and deeds towards the realization of the desires and appetites in harmony with God's Laws.
As sin and evil are not the creatures of the spiritual desires, but wholly of the animal, then to eradicate from man's being these things of evil and sin, the efforts of man must be directed towards the supplanting of the unlawful and inharmonious animal desires and appetites, by appetites and desires arising from the same source that is in harmony with the laws creating this very source.
Man was created by God with animal appetites just as he was created with spiritual aspirations, and the one is just as harmonious with the laws of his creation as the other, and the loss of the spiritual aspiration, or the perversion of the animal appetites, similarly causes man to become out of harmony with these laws. So that man in order to become free from these foreign parts of his being, must strive, not by a denial of their reality, but by the effort to supplant them, to recreate, as it were, in himself the animal appetites that are consistent and in harmony with those which were his when he was made the perfect man; in other words, to destroy the beings of his own creation and possess only those of the creation of God.
Of course, in this effort, he will have to use his mind, mortal or otherwise, but in addition, he will also have to exercise the faculties of his emotional and affectional nature, which are not of the mind but the soul. Mere negation or belief will not be sufficient, but desires and cravings for these things which engender sin must be supplanted by desires and craving for those things, which are in harmony with his creation.
So, I repeat, the teachings that sin and error and disease are not real and are no part of man's being, as he now exists and lives, is erroneous and when not understood, harmful, and not sufficient to bring about the regeneration of man.
In one sense, it is true that sin and error and disease are not real, but that means that so far as God's creation of man is concerned, they have no existence, for He created only that which was good and in harmony with His perfect laws. But as man is a creator as well as a creature, and as these things are the creatures of man alone, then so far as the being of man is involved, they have a reality which will persist until their creator - man - has destroyed them.
I am pleased that you gave me the opportunity to write today and am also glad to find you in good condition.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come today to tell you that I am pleased with you in your efforts to find the truth of what we have taught as to God and of the relation of man to Him.
I have been with you in your reading of several days past and have observed the effect upon you of the contrast between the beliefs and teachings of men, as you have read them, and the teachings of truth that we have revealed to you in our messages. While these writings that you have been reading have in them some things of truth, yet there are many things that are wholly untrue and the mere results of speculation. Today, if you feel in condition, I will instruct you as to some of the errors and deficiencies of Christian Science and the want of the true comprehension of its founder of the realities of being.
She writes and teaches that there is nothing real in sin and error and disease, and that their apparent existence is wholly due to the mortal mind, and that when this mind denies the existence of these things, they will no longer exist. Well, in this assertion there is a large grain of truth, but in order to understand and apply this truth, more than a mere denial of their existence must be taught and believed by man.
It is true that God never created anything of evil - or that which is not in harmony with His Nature and Essence, which are only good; and that to ascribe the existence of these evils and discords to God is erroneous and blasphemous. But the fact remains that these things exist, and the mere denial of their existence does not remedy the harmful results that flow from such existence.
Man suffers from evil and error and disease and has always so suffered since the fall from his state of perfection and always will suffer in consequence of there being in his consciousness these things of reality, and the mere calling them the result of "mortal mind," will not explain their existence or furnish a remedy by which they may be gotten rid of.
First arises the necessity of understanding how, and by what means, these things came into existence, and then it will become easier for the understanding of the means and the way by which they may be eliminated from the life and apparent nature of mankind.
As I have already told you, these things, foreign to God's creation, were created by man alone in the excessive and unlawful exercise of his will power in following out the suggestions and desires of his animal appetites, which unduly asserted themselves when man lost a part of his spirituality by his disobedience.
Their creation was the result of something more than what the founder of that science calls the "mortal mind," for the mind is only a part of man's being; and while the faculties of the mind must be used in the operation of all the powers and qualities of man, yet the mind is not the originator of all his desires and appetites and emotions. The emotional nature and affections are distinct from the mere mind, or the intellectual faculties, and as regards sin and error, are generally the creators of the same, although the mind may and does foster and increase these things so created.
Then man must understand that these excrescences to his perfect creation are real and existing, and result in his own damnation and alienation from the good, and are antagonistic to his original and natural condition of perfection, and that they cannot be swept out of existence by the mere assertion that they are not real.
Again, man must understand that they are the creatures primarily of the inordinate exercise of the animal appetites and desires, and not of the exercise of the mind, and (that they are) to be eradicated by the same process in reverse order as was used in their creation.
Of course, it must not be lost sight of that in using this process, the faculties of the mind must be brought into operation, just as they were in the creation of these existences. And the great fact to be remembered in this process is that these things are real, and not things of the mere imagination, which is the equivalent of the founder's mortal mind.
Now, when man grasps the meaning, as thus explained, of what these things really are, and how they came into being, then he will the more readily comprehend the way or the means by which they are to be destroyed and never again permitted to become a part of his being; for while they do not by nature belong to his being, yet by reason of his being the creator of them, they are, so far as his consciousness is concerned, together with all the results flowing therefrom, a part of his being; and that part which keeps him in discord with the laws controlling his own existence. The purity of his true being is always besmirched by the impurities of his own artificial being, and always will be, until he eliminates these impurities which, as to him and to his fellow man, are real, persistent existences.
The will, however, is the great force that must be used in the destruction of these excrescences, and as this will power in man is free and untrammeled, and in its operations follows the suggestions and desires of the appetites - both animal and spiritual - of man, it therefore becomes apparent that these appetites and desires must first be controlled and directed in that direction that will cause the will to be exercised in such a manner as to lead the thoughts and deeds towards the realization of the desires and appetites in harmony with God's Laws.
As sin and evil are not the creatures of the spiritual desires, but wholly of the animal, then to eradicate from man's being these things of evil and sin, the efforts of man must be directed towards the supplanting of the unlawful and inharmonious animal desires and appetites, by appetites and desires arising from the same source that is in harmony with the laws creating this very source.
Man was created by God with animal appetites just as he was created with spiritual aspirations, and the one is just as harmonious with the laws of his creation as the other, and the loss of the spiritual aspiration, or the perversion of the animal appetites, similarly causes man to become out of harmony with these laws. So that man in order to become free from these foreign parts of his being, must strive, not by a denial of their reality, but by the effort to supplant them, to recreate, as it were, in himself the animal appetites that are consistent and in harmony with those which were his when he was made the perfect man; in other words, to destroy the beings of his own creation and possess only those of the creation of God.
Of course, in this effort, he will have to use his mind, mortal or otherwise, but in addition, he will also have to exercise the faculties of his emotional and affectional nature, which are not of the mind but the soul. Mere negation or belief will not be sufficient, but desires and cravings for these things which engender sin must be supplanted by desires and craving for those things, which are in harmony with his creation.
So, I repeat, the teachings that sin and error and disease are not real and are no part of man's being, as he now exists and lives, is erroneous and when not understood, harmful, and not sufficient to bring about the regeneration of man.
In one sense, it is true that sin and error and disease are not real, but that means that so far as God's creation of man is concerned, they have no existence, for He created only that which was good and in harmony with His perfect laws. But as man is a creator as well as a creature, and as these things are the creatures of man alone, then so far as the being of man is involved, they have a reality which will persist until their creator - man - has destroyed them.
I am pleased that you gave me the opportunity to write today and am also glad to find you in good condition.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Luke Writes About the Doctrine of Original Sin and the Principle Involved in "Whosoever Will"
April 27, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Luke.
I have not written you for some time and desire to write a short message tonight on the subject of: "What is necessary for a man to do to recover the purity of soul and love that was possessed by the first parents - I mean as a man possessing the natural love only."
Well, in the first place, he should realize that he is a perfect creature of God, and that his sins and diseases are merely the results of his own thoughts and of qualities that have come to him down the long ages of his ancestors living on earth.
He need not suppose that these sins and desires are inherent in or a part of his creation, for they are not, but merely accretions that fastened themselves upon him by reason of the thoughts he has had and the resultant course of life he has led, and when he changes these thoughts, which will necessarily bring about a change in his manner of living, he will find that he can progress toward the condition of the perfect man.
I know that many of these thoughts are so deep seated that they seem almost a part of his very nature and can only be eradicated by the death of his physical body; but this is not true, for man, even while in the full vigor of his manhood and possessed with all the appetites and desires, which arise from the perverted indulgence of these desires either on the part of himself or on the part of those from whom he is said to have inherited them, may relieve himself from these desires and become a man having only the thoughts of good and desires for those things, which are in harmony with the nature of his perfect creation.
This I know seems to man a thing impossible and so thinking, he does not try to accomplish what I say he may accomplish and to become free from these sins and unnatural appetites. The almost universal belief in original sin has caused men - all along the ages - to think that such a task is hopeless, and that they are thinking and acting only in accordance with the appetites and desires that God has implanted in their natures, and that so long as they indulge these thoughts and desires in a moderate or respectable way, they are not doing that which is contrary to God's Will or to their own nature.
But this doctrine of original sin is a mocking, damnable lie, and the sooner man realizes the fact that it is a fraud and deceit, the sooner he will be able to get rid of those things, which have placed him in his present condition and held him there bound, as it were, hand and foot. This supine submission to this old and ever recurring belief is the great thing that prevents man from starting to progress towards the attainment of that condition, which is purity and health and the perfect man.
Man must decline and no longer submit to this belief, which, I am sorry to say, is fostered by the teachings of the orthodox churches in order to sustain and make forcible their creeds and dogmas, and to show to man that he is not to be considered worthy of the mercy of the Father and cannot possibly obtain that mercy and be relieved from the great wrath and punishment that God has prepared for him, unless he believes and acknowledges that he is a dependent and lost man, unworthy of the Father's favor, or the help of the instrumentalities which the Father uses to assist men in regaining their lost estate.
If men would only think, and in thinking realize that they are dear children of the Father and His highest creation, and that He prizes them above all His creatures and wants them to know that they are beings of such wonderful qualities and possibilities, they would then have come to them an overpowering and convincing sense of what they really are, and of how necessary it is for them to assert their rights as such exalted creatures of the Father and would realize that they are masters of sin and disease, for they are the creators of the same.
When they shall assume such position and become possessed of such knowledge, they will find that they have a wonderful power as creatures of the Father, they will realize that they are masters of sin that must be gotten rid of.
Let men for a moment think again and thinking, know that God does not desire His greatest creature to become or be less than the perfect being that He created. He is not flattered nor does He have any pleasure in the thought that man is degraded and fallen from His perfect creation, and that in order to rise again he, man, must believe that God may show His power in rescuing him from his low and hopeless condition. No, God is not pleased by man assuming such an attitude, nor does He need any such helpless condition of man that He may show His power or gratify what the teachings of these orthodox imply, His vanity, which He has not.
In this particular, man must work out his own salvation, but it will be a difficult task so long as he continues to believe and act upon that belief, that he is a creature of original sin, and that as God in the beginning failed to make him the perfect man, so now, only God can remedy what He failed to provide in His creation, and that man of himself can do nothing; that all he has to do is to wait until God is pleased to recreate him and thereby take from his very nature this great curse of the original sin. See the great fatality of such belief and how it tends to make man a slave of and obedient to this false belief in this blight of original sin?
God gave to man, in his creation, the great power of will and the right to its unlimited exercise, subject only to the penalties of a wrongful exercise; and by the exercise of that will, man created sin and disease and became depraved and fallen, and the possessor of false beliefs as to the perfection of his nature. By the exercise of that will, man - himself - must redeem himself from this condition of depravity and false belief and again become the perfect man - God's wholly perfect creation.
As man was in the beginning the perfect son of God, and by his own will created his own and only devil, so must he - by this same power - kill this devil and again become the perfect son. He must believe and declare and show the sincerity of his beliefs by his acts and living, that he is a perfect son of the Father needing no new creation.
This I have written to show what man was in the beginning, and what he really and truly is now; although covered with sin and disease and false beliefs. To recover this lost estate or better, condition, he will find that by searching for and learning and acting upon many of the moral precepts of the Bible and of other so-called sacred writings, he will be greatly helped and strengthened in his efforts. But above all, let him understand and believe with the certainty of knowledge, that he is God's highest and most perfect creation.
Now, from what I have said, it must not be inferred that man is his own God, and has not - and needs not - any tender, loving Father, who is interested in him and always ready to help him whenever he earnestly and in sincerity asks the help of that Father. Always is man dependent upon God; but that dependence is not recognized by God, unless man first recognizes it and by his longings and thoughts shows to the Father that he needs His help.
This may seem unbelievable, but man was created so independent in his great will power, as regards the dualities of thought and desire both spiritual and material, that God never interferes to compel. The principle involved in "whosoever will" must be exercised by man before the Father will intervene. But when it is exercised, He does intervene and never refuses or fails to answer the call of the sincere cry of man for help.
And God does help man in his recovery from the state of false beliefs and degradation, that I have mentioned. His Love overshadows men, and His instrumentalities are always ready and waiting to answer the call upon Him for His help in assisting them out of their condition of sin, disease and false beliefs; for, as I have elsewhere written you, in God's universe there must be perfect harmony, and the present man, so far as his own creation of inharmony is concerned, is not in that harmony. Ultimately, man, all men, will become again the perfect man.
Of course, you will understand that what I have written does not apply to the redeemed sons of God who receive the New Birth and become partakers of the Divine Nature of the Father, for in their case, the perfect man is absorbed in the Divine Angel.
I have written longer than I intended, but as the theme is an interesting as well as important one, I thought it best to write just as I have. I will now say good night and leave with you my love and blessings.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Luke.
I have not written you for some time and desire to write a short message tonight on the subject of: "What is necessary for a man to do to recover the purity of soul and love that was possessed by the first parents - I mean as a man possessing the natural love only."
Well, in the first place, he should realize that he is a perfect creature of God, and that his sins and diseases are merely the results of his own thoughts and of qualities that have come to him down the long ages of his ancestors living on earth.
He need not suppose that these sins and desires are inherent in or a part of his creation, for they are not, but merely accretions that fastened themselves upon him by reason of the thoughts he has had and the resultant course of life he has led, and when he changes these thoughts, which will necessarily bring about a change in his manner of living, he will find that he can progress toward the condition of the perfect man.
I know that many of these thoughts are so deep seated that they seem almost a part of his very nature and can only be eradicated by the death of his physical body; but this is not true, for man, even while in the full vigor of his manhood and possessed with all the appetites and desires, which arise from the perverted indulgence of these desires either on the part of himself or on the part of those from whom he is said to have inherited them, may relieve himself from these desires and become a man having only the thoughts of good and desires for those things, which are in harmony with the nature of his perfect creation.
This I know seems to man a thing impossible and so thinking, he does not try to accomplish what I say he may accomplish and to become free from these sins and unnatural appetites. The almost universal belief in original sin has caused men - all along the ages - to think that such a task is hopeless, and that they are thinking and acting only in accordance with the appetites and desires that God has implanted in their natures, and that so long as they indulge these thoughts and desires in a moderate or respectable way, they are not doing that which is contrary to God's Will or to their own nature.
But this doctrine of original sin is a mocking, damnable lie, and the sooner man realizes the fact that it is a fraud and deceit, the sooner he will be able to get rid of those things, which have placed him in his present condition and held him there bound, as it were, hand and foot. This supine submission to this old and ever recurring belief is the great thing that prevents man from starting to progress towards the attainment of that condition, which is purity and health and the perfect man.
Man must decline and no longer submit to this belief, which, I am sorry to say, is fostered by the teachings of the orthodox churches in order to sustain and make forcible their creeds and dogmas, and to show to man that he is not to be considered worthy of the mercy of the Father and cannot possibly obtain that mercy and be relieved from the great wrath and punishment that God has prepared for him, unless he believes and acknowledges that he is a dependent and lost man, unworthy of the Father's favor, or the help of the instrumentalities which the Father uses to assist men in regaining their lost estate.
If men would only think, and in thinking realize that they are dear children of the Father and His highest creation, and that He prizes them above all His creatures and wants them to know that they are beings of such wonderful qualities and possibilities, they would then have come to them an overpowering and convincing sense of what they really are, and of how necessary it is for them to assert their rights as such exalted creatures of the Father and would realize that they are masters of sin and disease, for they are the creators of the same.
When they shall assume such position and become possessed of such knowledge, they will find that they have a wonderful power as creatures of the Father, they will realize that they are masters of sin that must be gotten rid of.
Let men for a moment think again and thinking, know that God does not desire His greatest creature to become or be less than the perfect being that He created. He is not flattered nor does He have any pleasure in the thought that man is degraded and fallen from His perfect creation, and that in order to rise again he, man, must believe that God may show His power in rescuing him from his low and hopeless condition. No, God is not pleased by man assuming such an attitude, nor does He need any such helpless condition of man that He may show His power or gratify what the teachings of these orthodox imply, His vanity, which He has not.
In this particular, man must work out his own salvation, but it will be a difficult task so long as he continues to believe and act upon that belief, that he is a creature of original sin, and that as God in the beginning failed to make him the perfect man, so now, only God can remedy what He failed to provide in His creation, and that man of himself can do nothing; that all he has to do is to wait until God is pleased to recreate him and thereby take from his very nature this great curse of the original sin. See the great fatality of such belief and how it tends to make man a slave of and obedient to this false belief in this blight of original sin?
God gave to man, in his creation, the great power of will and the right to its unlimited exercise, subject only to the penalties of a wrongful exercise; and by the exercise of that will, man created sin and disease and became depraved and fallen, and the possessor of false beliefs as to the perfection of his nature. By the exercise of that will, man - himself - must redeem himself from this condition of depravity and false belief and again become the perfect man - God's wholly perfect creation.
As man was in the beginning the perfect son of God, and by his own will created his own and only devil, so must he - by this same power - kill this devil and again become the perfect son. He must believe and declare and show the sincerity of his beliefs by his acts and living, that he is a perfect son of the Father needing no new creation.
This I have written to show what man was in the beginning, and what he really and truly is now; although covered with sin and disease and false beliefs. To recover this lost estate or better, condition, he will find that by searching for and learning and acting upon many of the moral precepts of the Bible and of other so-called sacred writings, he will be greatly helped and strengthened in his efforts. But above all, let him understand and believe with the certainty of knowledge, that he is God's highest and most perfect creation.
Now, from what I have said, it must not be inferred that man is his own God, and has not - and needs not - any tender, loving Father, who is interested in him and always ready to help him whenever he earnestly and in sincerity asks the help of that Father. Always is man dependent upon God; but that dependence is not recognized by God, unless man first recognizes it and by his longings and thoughts shows to the Father that he needs His help.
This may seem unbelievable, but man was created so independent in his great will power, as regards the dualities of thought and desire both spiritual and material, that God never interferes to compel. The principle involved in "whosoever will" must be exercised by man before the Father will intervene. But when it is exercised, He does intervene and never refuses or fails to answer the call of the sincere cry of man for help.
And God does help man in his recovery from the state of false beliefs and degradation, that I have mentioned. His Love overshadows men, and His instrumentalities are always ready and waiting to answer the call upon Him for His help in assisting them out of their condition of sin, disease and false beliefs; for, as I have elsewhere written you, in God's universe there must be perfect harmony, and the present man, so far as his own creation of inharmony is concerned, is not in that harmony. Ultimately, man, all men, will become again the perfect man.
Of course, you will understand that what I have written does not apply to the redeemed sons of God who receive the New Birth and become partakers of the Divine Nature of the Father, for in their case, the perfect man is absorbed in the Divine Angel.
I have written longer than I intended, but as the theme is an interesting as well as important one, I thought it best to write just as I have. I will now say good night and leave with you my love and blessings.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Friday, May 17, 2013
St. Luke Writes Further on the Development of the Soul in its Natural Love
February 16, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Luke.
Well do you think you can take my message tonight? It looks like you may. At any rate we will try.
As I was saying, "In what way is a man to obtain this development of the soul in its natural love?"
In the first place, he must recognize the fact that he does not live to himself, alone; that what he conceives to be the workings of his own mind and will are not always the result of thoughts and desires that originate in him, but are largely the products of the influences of the workings of the minds of spirits who are around him, trying to impress him with their desires and wills; and. consequently, you will understand that it is very important to man as to what kind of spirit influences he has surrounding and working upon him. If these influences are good, the better it is for his progress in the development of this natural love; but if they are evil influences then, of course, such development is retarded.
Consequently, the first thing for a man to do is to attempt to attract to himself influences of the higher nature; and he can do so by trying to cultivate good thoughts and to indulge in good and moral acts. The great Law of Attraction, that we have written about, applies and works in such cases as this, as it does in every other relation of God's universe. If a man's thoughts are evil, there will always be attracted to him spirits of similar thoughts; and when they come to him, they attempt to and succeed in intensifying these evil thoughts of his, which attract them to him.
It must emphatically be understood in this regard, that man may and often does originate his own thoughts and desires, and it is not necessary that any influence of these evil spirits should be present and operate upon his brain or affections, in order that these evil thoughts and desires should come into existence. And again, man has a will power that is susceptible of being exercised, free from the wills of these evil spirits; and you will see how true this is when you remember that he can exercise that will power, free and independent from the Will of God Himself. So I say that these thoughts and desires may and do originate in man, free and independent of the wills or influences of these evil spirits; and as a fact, these spirits are attracted to him only when these thoughts that he has originated are evil.
Now, if man would have this progress that I speak of, he should endeavor to have good and pure thoughts and desires, and then he will attract to him spirits who are good and pure, and their influences will help him to a wonderful degree in strengthening and increasing these thoughts, and make it less and less likely that evil thoughts will arise in his brain, or evil desires in his affections; and as a consequence, his will power will be exercised in doing those things which are good and moral. Now, while man may originate these thoughts and desires, he must also know as a truth that this progress is not dependent upon him alone, for when he is in that condition to attract the good spirits, they will invariably come to him and render their help; and it will prove to be a wonderful and never failing help.
Now, man's thoughts and desires are not always, as may be supposed, the result of something that may be hidden within himself, and of which he may not know its existence. I mean not in all cases, and probably in only a minority of cases; for most frequently are these thoughts and desires the children of an objective influence, that comes to him by reason of objects becoming sensible to his ordinary senses, which create or suggest these thoughts or desires.
Without going into details, you will understand what I mean, but as a mere illustration: a glass of whiskey may and does suggest to a man who likes whiskey, the thought and desire that he should take a drink, and thereby bring into operation his will, which is followed by the act of drinking. And so with many other objects which a man meets in the course of his daily life. But these thoughts and desires arise not only from seeing objects, but also from feeling and tasting them.
And again, these objective suggestions, causing these thoughts and desires, arise and exist not only from the real object sensed, but also from words and thoughts which are expressed by other human beings in course of conversations or in books and literature. And when they come in this way, they are frequently more effective than in any other and, hence, as these objective words and thoughts enter the mind of man, they create similar thoughts, which frequently intensify and attract the evil spirits of like thoughts, with their degenerating influences. Hence, the importance of a man avoiding companionship where such communications take place and the books and literature where these evil suggestions are made.
It has been well said that, "Evil communications corrupt good manners;" and I may add that such communications corrupt good thoughts and produce evil desires and retard the progress of the soul in its natural love. For it must be remembered that this love is pure and free from all evil or taint of defilement when it is fully developed and anything that tends to defile it retards the progression of the soul in this particular.
So the plain lesson to be drawn from all this is that man must, in the first place, make the effort to have only good and pure thoughts and desires from his inner self, and next, he must avoid those objects and associations that tend to cause to arise in him these evil thoughts, and thirdly, he must learn the truth that when he has these evil thoughts, he attracts to himself spirits of evil who, by their influence, can and do intensify these evil thoughts and desires.
I know as regards this last mentioned truth, that the majority of men have no knowledge of its existence; but it is time that they should learn that such a danger to their soul's progression does exist and is always imminent. And they should learn this other fact that when their thoughts are pure and free from defilement, they have surrounding them the influence of good spirits, who work to increase and make permanent their good thoughts; and as these good thoughts continue, the natural love develops towards its pristine condition of purity, and man comes nearer to his designed condition of existence.
So you will see from this, that as man's thoughts and desires become freed from these things that tend to defile him, he naturally progresses toward that condition which is necessary, in order for him to have this development of the soul in its natural love. Again, the development may be helped very much by man thinking and doing acts of charity and kindness and observing the Golden Rule; for every act of charity and kindness and self-sacrifice for the sake of others has its reflex action in his own condition of love and soul and helps their development.
In short, the observance by man of all the moral laws, which are many and varied, tends to bring about the development of the natural love. And this must be remembered, that as this development proceeds, the tendency to indulge in the perverted appetites of the flesh, as they are called, will disappear; and as it disappears, this love, of course, becomes purer and sweeter, and brings man nearer to his state of perfection.
And again, the meditation upon spiritual things, and the out-flowing of this love towards the Father will cause the progression for while all men, as we have said, do not seek for the Divine Love, yet as all men are children of God, he helps them to the full extent of their desires; towards happiness, and the perfecting of this love in its natural pure state and with which he endowed them at their creation. Upon their will and aspirations depends the nature of the help which the Father gives to them; but always He gives his help and blessings and to the fullest. His great desire is that man shall become perfect in that love which they possess and which they seek for; and the natural love in its qualities may become as perfect in man, as may the Divine Love in its qualities. Each is just as much in harmony with God's universe in its respective qualities as is the other.
So I say, man is helped, and more than in any other way, by his meditations of the higher things of his being, and by prayer and aspirations to the Father, who hears the prayers of the man who has only this natural love, and answers them just as He does the prayers of the man who has the Divine Love in his soul.
Ultimately all sin and evil will be eradicated from the universe, and man in his mere natural love will become pure and perfected and happy.
I have tried in my inefficient way to show man how he may progress in the development of his natural love, and if he will follow my advice, he will succeed. For as man, by the indulging of these perverted appetites of the flesh, and the exercise of his will power, fell to a low degree of degeneracy, so he can by ceasing to indulge in these perverted appetites, and the exercise of that same will power, rise again to his condition of purity in his natural love.
And besides, he has the help of the Father and the good angels in his efforts to recover, and also the experience of the result of his fall, which he may not be conscious of, but which in his inner self has an existence and is continually working.
Well my dear brother I must stop; and I feel that you have taken my message very successfully. Read it over and correct errors of construction. I will come soon and write again.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Luke.
Well do you think you can take my message tonight? It looks like you may. At any rate we will try.
As I was saying, "In what way is a man to obtain this development of the soul in its natural love?"
In the first place, he must recognize the fact that he does not live to himself, alone; that what he conceives to be the workings of his own mind and will are not always the result of thoughts and desires that originate in him, but are largely the products of the influences of the workings of the minds of spirits who are around him, trying to impress him with their desires and wills; and. consequently, you will understand that it is very important to man as to what kind of spirit influences he has surrounding and working upon him. If these influences are good, the better it is for his progress in the development of this natural love; but if they are evil influences then, of course, such development is retarded.
Consequently, the first thing for a man to do is to attempt to attract to himself influences of the higher nature; and he can do so by trying to cultivate good thoughts and to indulge in good and moral acts. The great Law of Attraction, that we have written about, applies and works in such cases as this, as it does in every other relation of God's universe. If a man's thoughts are evil, there will always be attracted to him spirits of similar thoughts; and when they come to him, they attempt to and succeed in intensifying these evil thoughts of his, which attract them to him.
It must emphatically be understood in this regard, that man may and often does originate his own thoughts and desires, and it is not necessary that any influence of these evil spirits should be present and operate upon his brain or affections, in order that these evil thoughts and desires should come into existence. And again, man has a will power that is susceptible of being exercised, free from the wills of these evil spirits; and you will see how true this is when you remember that he can exercise that will power, free and independent from the Will of God Himself. So I say that these thoughts and desires may and do originate in man, free and independent of the wills or influences of these evil spirits; and as a fact, these spirits are attracted to him only when these thoughts that he has originated are evil.
Now, if man would have this progress that I speak of, he should endeavor to have good and pure thoughts and desires, and then he will attract to him spirits who are good and pure, and their influences will help him to a wonderful degree in strengthening and increasing these thoughts, and make it less and less likely that evil thoughts will arise in his brain, or evil desires in his affections; and as a consequence, his will power will be exercised in doing those things which are good and moral. Now, while man may originate these thoughts and desires, he must also know as a truth that this progress is not dependent upon him alone, for when he is in that condition to attract the good spirits, they will invariably come to him and render their help; and it will prove to be a wonderful and never failing help.
Now, man's thoughts and desires are not always, as may be supposed, the result of something that may be hidden within himself, and of which he may not know its existence. I mean not in all cases, and probably in only a minority of cases; for most frequently are these thoughts and desires the children of an objective influence, that comes to him by reason of objects becoming sensible to his ordinary senses, which create or suggest these thoughts or desires.
Without going into details, you will understand what I mean, but as a mere illustration: a glass of whiskey may and does suggest to a man who likes whiskey, the thought and desire that he should take a drink, and thereby bring into operation his will, which is followed by the act of drinking. And so with many other objects which a man meets in the course of his daily life. But these thoughts and desires arise not only from seeing objects, but also from feeling and tasting them.
And again, these objective suggestions, causing these thoughts and desires, arise and exist not only from the real object sensed, but also from words and thoughts which are expressed by other human beings in course of conversations or in books and literature. And when they come in this way, they are frequently more effective than in any other and, hence, as these objective words and thoughts enter the mind of man, they create similar thoughts, which frequently intensify and attract the evil spirits of like thoughts, with their degenerating influences. Hence, the importance of a man avoiding companionship where such communications take place and the books and literature where these evil suggestions are made.
It has been well said that, "Evil communications corrupt good manners;" and I may add that such communications corrupt good thoughts and produce evil desires and retard the progress of the soul in its natural love. For it must be remembered that this love is pure and free from all evil or taint of defilement when it is fully developed and anything that tends to defile it retards the progression of the soul in this particular.
So the plain lesson to be drawn from all this is that man must, in the first place, make the effort to have only good and pure thoughts and desires from his inner self, and next, he must avoid those objects and associations that tend to cause to arise in him these evil thoughts, and thirdly, he must learn the truth that when he has these evil thoughts, he attracts to himself spirits of evil who, by their influence, can and do intensify these evil thoughts and desires.
I know as regards this last mentioned truth, that the majority of men have no knowledge of its existence; but it is time that they should learn that such a danger to their soul's progression does exist and is always imminent. And they should learn this other fact that when their thoughts are pure and free from defilement, they have surrounding them the influence of good spirits, who work to increase and make permanent their good thoughts; and as these good thoughts continue, the natural love develops towards its pristine condition of purity, and man comes nearer to his designed condition of existence.
So you will see from this, that as man's thoughts and desires become freed from these things that tend to defile him, he naturally progresses toward that condition which is necessary, in order for him to have this development of the soul in its natural love. Again, the development may be helped very much by man thinking and doing acts of charity and kindness and observing the Golden Rule; for every act of charity and kindness and self-sacrifice for the sake of others has its reflex action in his own condition of love and soul and helps their development.
In short, the observance by man of all the moral laws, which are many and varied, tends to bring about the development of the natural love. And this must be remembered, that as this development proceeds, the tendency to indulge in the perverted appetites of the flesh, as they are called, will disappear; and as it disappears, this love, of course, becomes purer and sweeter, and brings man nearer to his state of perfection.
And again, the meditation upon spiritual things, and the out-flowing of this love towards the Father will cause the progression for while all men, as we have said, do not seek for the Divine Love, yet as all men are children of God, he helps them to the full extent of their desires; towards happiness, and the perfecting of this love in its natural pure state and with which he endowed them at their creation. Upon their will and aspirations depends the nature of the help which the Father gives to them; but always He gives his help and blessings and to the fullest. His great desire is that man shall become perfect in that love which they possess and which they seek for; and the natural love in its qualities may become as perfect in man, as may the Divine Love in its qualities. Each is just as much in harmony with God's universe in its respective qualities as is the other.
So I say, man is helped, and more than in any other way, by his meditations of the higher things of his being, and by prayer and aspirations to the Father, who hears the prayers of the man who has only this natural love, and answers them just as He does the prayers of the man who has the Divine Love in his soul.
Ultimately all sin and evil will be eradicated from the universe, and man in his mere natural love will become pure and perfected and happy.
I have tried in my inefficient way to show man how he may progress in the development of his natural love, and if he will follow my advice, he will succeed. For as man, by the indulging of these perverted appetites of the flesh, and the exercise of his will power, fell to a low degree of degeneracy, so he can by ceasing to indulge in these perverted appetites, and the exercise of that same will power, rise again to his condition of purity in his natural love.
And besides, he has the help of the Father and the good angels in his efforts to recover, and also the experience of the result of his fall, which he may not be conscious of, but which in his inner self has an existence and is continually working.
Well my dear brother I must stop; and I feel that you have taken my message very successfully. Read it over and correct errors of construction. I will come soon and write again.
Your brother in Christ,
Luke
Friday, May 10, 2013
Jesus Writes Further on the Origin of Life
February 6, 1916
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight to resume my discourse of several nights ago. As I was saying, man is the creature of God made in perfection and - instantaneously - as it were - not having a slow growth as other creations. And when he was created, he needed no evolution or additional attributes to make him the perfect man. His physical body was perfect and also his spiritual body and his soul.
He had, in addition to these three constituents a "Gift," which by his disobedience he forfeited, and which was never restored to him until my coming and, which when possessed by him, made him more than mere man. As to those things which were made constituent and absolute parts of him, they were perfect, and no evolution was necessary to give them any increased perfection. Man then was a more perfect being than he is now, or ever has been since his fall from his condition of perfection.
After his disobedience and the consequent death of the potentiality of partaking of the Divine Nature of the Father, which is the "Gift" above mentioned, man was left in a state where he depended exclusively upon the qualities, which he then possessed for his future happiness and freedom from those things which would cause him to lose the harmony that then existed between him and the Laws governing his being.
The greatest of all the qualities bestowed upon him was that of the will power, which was wholly unrestricted in its operations. Although, when exercised in a manner which brought this will in conflict with the Laws controlling this harmony, man had to suffer and pay the penalties of such violations. But notwithstanding that these perversions of the exercise of the will brought the sins and errors, which now exist on earth, God did not place any limitations on this exercise.
Man, in his creation, had bestowed upon him appetites and desire pertaining to his physical nature, as well as desires of his higher or spiritual nature, and they were all intended to work in harmony and not in antagonism; and in such workings, man was kept pure and free from sin - which is merely the violation of God's Laws of Harmony. But after the first disobedience, which is the greatest demonstration of the power of man to exercise that will, even when God had forbade him to do so, and after man lost this great potentiality that I speak of, succeeding disobediences became easier; and as these disobediences occurred, man lost to a great extent the desires for the spiritual things, and the animal or physical part of his nature asserted itself, and then, instead of exercising these appetites which belonged to the physical nature in such a wise way that no in-harmony would ensue - and here let me say that even after the fall it was possible and even expected that man would exercise these appetites in the way mentioned, he indulged them beyond their proper functions, and increased such indulgence, until he commenced to find, as he thought, more pleasure in such indulgence than in the thoughts and exercise of his higher nature and the aspirations which belonged to it.
This deterioration of man was not sudden, but gradual until, at one time, he became in a state or condition of being - bordering on that of the lower animals and, in fact, because of this increased indulgence of these appetites, he seemed to be transformed into the lower animal; but yet he remained man, a being created in the image of his Maker.
And from this position of low degradation or degeneracy, man slowly commenced to progress towards the attainment of his original condition before the fall. Never, in all this time, was his freedom of will taken from him, nor attempted to be controlled by God - but always the Laws of Compensation worked, and man suffered as he continued to create sin and evil.
But as man on earth continued to degenerate and to permit, what is sometimes called his animal nature to dominate his spiritual nature, many men died and continued to die, and their physical bodies went back to the dust of which they were created, and their spiritual selves became inhabitants of the spirit world, where they were freed, in a longer or shorter time, from the desire to exercise these animal appetites and the spiritual part of man again asserted itself, until many of these spirits became free from sin and evil and in harmony with the Laws of God controlling their natures and conditions as they existed before their degeneracy and before the disobedience commenced.
And these spirits, thus, made free and in their spiritual dominance commenced to try to assist men while living on earth to direct his will in such ways as to rid himself of submission to these appetites, and to become again a true man as in his creation state, minus the potentiality that I have mentioned. But these efforts on the part of spirits have been slow in their effects, and while men in individual cases, have been almost regenerated, yet as whole the progress has not been as rapid as is desirable - sin and evil still exist in the world, and men's perverted appetites and desires still control them to a large extent.
Of course, this progress from the bottom of degeneracy has taken place in some parts of the earth, faster than in others and, hence, you have your distinction between the civilized and the uncivilized races or nations; but this does not necessarily mean that the civilized people, as individuals, have made greater progress in the manner indicated, than have the individuals of some of the so-called uncivilized nations, for it is a fact that among some men of the former nations are perversions and manifestations of perversions of these appetites that do not exist in the latter nations.
Advancement in the intellectual qualities do not necessarily mean progress in the spiritual asserting itself over the perversions of these appetites, for will is not a thing entirely of the mind, and neither are these appetites and desires, because back of the mind are the affections usually called the heart's desires, which is the seat of these appetites, and from which these desires arise; and as they arise, the will is influenced by them and as the will is influenced come positive thoughts and deeds.
It is not surprising that your scientists believe and preach the doctrine of the evolution of man from a lower species of animal, or from an atom or from something that they cannot just understand or give a name to, because in their studies of the history of mankind, and of the created world, they find that man has developed and progressed amazingly from what appeared to have been his condition in some ages past.
But history does not extend to the time when man was in this lowest condition of degeneracy and, hence, all the conclusions that these scientists reach are based upon facts, sufficient unto themselves, which show the progress of man only after the turning point of his degeneracy. They have no facts and, of course, when the word "facts" is here used, it refers exclusively to the material things of nature showing them the gradual decline of man from his state of being a perfect man to that when his retrogression or degeneracy ceased, and his progress of return to his former estate commenced.
So, if the scientists will believe and teach that man, instead of evolving from an atom or some other infinitesimal something, or from a lower species of animal than man, evolved from his state or condition when he was at the bottom of his degeneracy, to which he had descended from the perfect man, then they will believe and teach the truth, and their theory of evolution will then have as its foundation or basis, a fact, which now it has not - only a speculation.
This in short, is the history and truth of the creation of the universe of man - of man's fall and degeneracy, and evolution and progress. And through all this creation and subsequent existence runs life, permeating it and always with it, and the origin of Life is God.
I have finished and I hope that you will find some instruction as well as entertainment in what I have written. I will come again soon and write you another truth.The fact that you waited for sentences to be formulated to express my thoughts, merely means that I was manipulating your brain so that the proper expression or idea could be conveyed to your hand as I wrote it.
You have my love and blessings, and I am more interested as time passes in you and your work. Keep up your courage and your desires will be fulfilled.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight to resume my discourse of several nights ago. As I was saying, man is the creature of God made in perfection and - instantaneously - as it were - not having a slow growth as other creations. And when he was created, he needed no evolution or additional attributes to make him the perfect man. His physical body was perfect and also his spiritual body and his soul.
He had, in addition to these three constituents a "Gift," which by his disobedience he forfeited, and which was never restored to him until my coming and, which when possessed by him, made him more than mere man. As to those things which were made constituent and absolute parts of him, they were perfect, and no evolution was necessary to give them any increased perfection. Man then was a more perfect being than he is now, or ever has been since his fall from his condition of perfection.
After his disobedience and the consequent death of the potentiality of partaking of the Divine Nature of the Father, which is the "Gift" above mentioned, man was left in a state where he depended exclusively upon the qualities, which he then possessed for his future happiness and freedom from those things which would cause him to lose the harmony that then existed between him and the Laws governing his being.
The greatest of all the qualities bestowed upon him was that of the will power, which was wholly unrestricted in its operations. Although, when exercised in a manner which brought this will in conflict with the Laws controlling this harmony, man had to suffer and pay the penalties of such violations. But notwithstanding that these perversions of the exercise of the will brought the sins and errors, which now exist on earth, God did not place any limitations on this exercise.
Man, in his creation, had bestowed upon him appetites and desire pertaining to his physical nature, as well as desires of his higher or spiritual nature, and they were all intended to work in harmony and not in antagonism; and in such workings, man was kept pure and free from sin - which is merely the violation of God's Laws of Harmony. But after the first disobedience, which is the greatest demonstration of the power of man to exercise that will, even when God had forbade him to do so, and after man lost this great potentiality that I speak of, succeeding disobediences became easier; and as these disobediences occurred, man lost to a great extent the desires for the spiritual things, and the animal or physical part of his nature asserted itself, and then, instead of exercising these appetites which belonged to the physical nature in such a wise way that no in-harmony would ensue - and here let me say that even after the fall it was possible and even expected that man would exercise these appetites in the way mentioned, he indulged them beyond their proper functions, and increased such indulgence, until he commenced to find, as he thought, more pleasure in such indulgence than in the thoughts and exercise of his higher nature and the aspirations which belonged to it.
This deterioration of man was not sudden, but gradual until, at one time, he became in a state or condition of being - bordering on that of the lower animals and, in fact, because of this increased indulgence of these appetites, he seemed to be transformed into the lower animal; but yet he remained man, a being created in the image of his Maker.
And from this position of low degradation or degeneracy, man slowly commenced to progress towards the attainment of his original condition before the fall. Never, in all this time, was his freedom of will taken from him, nor attempted to be controlled by God - but always the Laws of Compensation worked, and man suffered as he continued to create sin and evil.
But as man on earth continued to degenerate and to permit, what is sometimes called his animal nature to dominate his spiritual nature, many men died and continued to die, and their physical bodies went back to the dust of which they were created, and their spiritual selves became inhabitants of the spirit world, where they were freed, in a longer or shorter time, from the desire to exercise these animal appetites and the spiritual part of man again asserted itself, until many of these spirits became free from sin and evil and in harmony with the Laws of God controlling their natures and conditions as they existed before their degeneracy and before the disobedience commenced.
And these spirits, thus, made free and in their spiritual dominance commenced to try to assist men while living on earth to direct his will in such ways as to rid himself of submission to these appetites, and to become again a true man as in his creation state, minus the potentiality that I have mentioned. But these efforts on the part of spirits have been slow in their effects, and while men in individual cases, have been almost regenerated, yet as whole the progress has not been as rapid as is desirable - sin and evil still exist in the world, and men's perverted appetites and desires still control them to a large extent.
Of course, this progress from the bottom of degeneracy has taken place in some parts of the earth, faster than in others and, hence, you have your distinction between the civilized and the uncivilized races or nations; but this does not necessarily mean that the civilized people, as individuals, have made greater progress in the manner indicated, than have the individuals of some of the so-called uncivilized nations, for it is a fact that among some men of the former nations are perversions and manifestations of perversions of these appetites that do not exist in the latter nations.
Advancement in the intellectual qualities do not necessarily mean progress in the spiritual asserting itself over the perversions of these appetites, for will is not a thing entirely of the mind, and neither are these appetites and desires, because back of the mind are the affections usually called the heart's desires, which is the seat of these appetites, and from which these desires arise; and as they arise, the will is influenced by them and as the will is influenced come positive thoughts and deeds.
It is not surprising that your scientists believe and preach the doctrine of the evolution of man from a lower species of animal, or from an atom or from something that they cannot just understand or give a name to, because in their studies of the history of mankind, and of the created world, they find that man has developed and progressed amazingly from what appeared to have been his condition in some ages past.
But history does not extend to the time when man was in this lowest condition of degeneracy and, hence, all the conclusions that these scientists reach are based upon facts, sufficient unto themselves, which show the progress of man only after the turning point of his degeneracy. They have no facts and, of course, when the word "facts" is here used, it refers exclusively to the material things of nature showing them the gradual decline of man from his state of being a perfect man to that when his retrogression or degeneracy ceased, and his progress of return to his former estate commenced.
So, if the scientists will believe and teach that man, instead of evolving from an atom or some other infinitesimal something, or from a lower species of animal than man, evolved from his state or condition when he was at the bottom of his degeneracy, to which he had descended from the perfect man, then they will believe and teach the truth, and their theory of evolution will then have as its foundation or basis, a fact, which now it has not - only a speculation.
This in short, is the history and truth of the creation of the universe of man - of man's fall and degeneracy, and evolution and progress. And through all this creation and subsequent existence runs life, permeating it and always with it, and the origin of Life is God.
I have finished and I hope that you will find some instruction as well as entertainment in what I have written. I will come again soon and write you another truth.The fact that you waited for sentences to be formulated to express my thoughts, merely means that I was manipulating your brain so that the proper expression or idea could be conveyed to your hand as I wrote it.
You have my love and blessings, and I am more interested as time passes in you and your work. Keep up your courage and your desires will be fulfilled.
Your friend and brother,
Jesus
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Jesus Writes That He is Happy James Padgett is Praying for God's Divine Love and His Faith is Increasing
August 30, 1915
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight because I see that you are again praying to the Father for the inflowing of His Love and for faith, and for a nearness to him that will make you happy. I am glad of this new aspiration and know that the Love will come to you and that your faith will be increased, and your trust in me will be established firmly so that we can proceed with our work. So, I will soon come now and write you another of my formal messages, and I hope that thence we can go rapidly onward.
I have been with you today and know what your feelings have been, and how in a way you have had faith that certain things would come to pass without knowing just why - but you have not troubled yourself very much and expected to secure them at the time needed. Well, I want to tell you that that is the kind of faith that you should have in reference to all the things that affect you both materially and spiritually. Such faith brings results and you will not be disappointed in your present faith, for what you need will come to you this week. I am here predicting a thing with certainty as I see it; and I do not think you will be disappointed. I know what you mean, and we will help you, only exercise your will power, and when you feel the temptation come to you very strong, utter a prayer to the Father for help, and you will receive it.
I am glad that you are in such condition of harmony with the Father tonight, and that your love for him is so strong; and with that love will come faith that will be able to accomplish most anything that you may desire, and that the Father sees is best for you. Yes, you can ask those things with the assurance that they will be pleasing to the Father and will not be refused you. I would like to write longer but I must stop now.
I will tell you the next time that I write about these two spirits who say they are the first parents of the human race. I have not the time now, and what I may say may be interesting to you and to the world.
So, my dear brother, I will say goodnight.
Your brother,
Jesus
Received by James Padgett
Washington, D.C.
I am here, Jesus.
I come tonight because I see that you are again praying to the Father for the inflowing of His Love and for faith, and for a nearness to him that will make you happy. I am glad of this new aspiration and know that the Love will come to you and that your faith will be increased, and your trust in me will be established firmly so that we can proceed with our work. So, I will soon come now and write you another of my formal messages, and I hope that thence we can go rapidly onward.
I have been with you today and know what your feelings have been, and how in a way you have had faith that certain things would come to pass without knowing just why - but you have not troubled yourself very much and expected to secure them at the time needed. Well, I want to tell you that that is the kind of faith that you should have in reference to all the things that affect you both materially and spiritually. Such faith brings results and you will not be disappointed in your present faith, for what you need will come to you this week. I am here predicting a thing with certainty as I see it; and I do not think you will be disappointed. I know what you mean, and we will help you, only exercise your will power, and when you feel the temptation come to you very strong, utter a prayer to the Father for help, and you will receive it.
I am glad that you are in such condition of harmony with the Father tonight, and that your love for him is so strong; and with that love will come faith that will be able to accomplish most anything that you may desire, and that the Father sees is best for you. Yes, you can ask those things with the assurance that they will be pleasing to the Father and will not be refused you. I would like to write longer but I must stop now.
I will tell you the next time that I write about these two spirits who say they are the first parents of the human race. I have not the time now, and what I may say may be interesting to you and to the world.
So, my dear brother, I will say goodnight.
Your brother,
Jesus
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