Chapter VII: Part 7

"And when He was alone, they that were about Him with the
twelve asked of Him the parables. And He said unto them,
'Unto you is given the mystery of the kingdom of God: but
unto them that are without, all things are done in parables:
that seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they
may hear, and not understand.'"

The same writer says (4:33-34):

"And with many such parables spake He the word unto them, as
they were able to hear it; and without a parable spake He
not unto them; but privately to His own disciples He
expounded all things."

Jesus said to His disciples (_John 16:12._): "I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now." The Occult Teachings state that when He returned in His astral form, after the crucifixion, He taught them many important and advanced mystic truths, "speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." (_Acts 1:3._)

The early Christian Fathers spake and wrote openly regarding the Christian Mysteries, as all students of Church History well know. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, writes to certain others hoping that they are "well versed in the sacred Scriptures and that nothing is hidden from you; but to me this privilege is not yet granted." (_The Epistle of Polycarp, chapter 7._) Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, says that he is "not yet perfect in Jesus Christ. For I now begin to be a disciple, and I speak to you as my fellow disciple." He also addresses them as being "initiated into the Mysteries of the Gospel, with St. Paul, the holy, the martyred." Again:

"Might I not write to you things more full of mystery? But I
fear to do so, lest I should inflict injury on you who are
but babes. Pardon me in this respect, lest, as not being
able to receive their weighty import, ye should be strangled
by them. For even I, though I am bound and am able to
understand heavenly things, the angelic orders, and the
different sorts of angels and hosts, the distinction between
powers and dominions, and the diversities between thrones
and authorities, the mightiness of the aeons, and the
preëminence of the cherubim and seraphim, the sublimity of
the Spirit, the kingdom of the Lord, and above all the
incomparable majesty of Almighty God--though I am acquainted
with these things, yet am I not therefore by any means
perfect, nor am I such a disciple as Paul or Peter."

Ignatius also speaks of the High Priest or Hierophant, of whom he asserts that he was the one "to whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been entrusted with the secrets of God." (_Epistles of Ignatius._)

St. Clement of Alexandria was a mystic of high rank in the Inner Circle of the Church. His writings are full of allusions to the Christian Mysteries. He says among other things that his writings were "a miscellany of Gnostic notes, according to the time philosophy," which teachings he had received from Pontaemus, his instructor or spiritual teacher. He says of these teachings:

"The Lord allowed us to communicate of those divine
Mysteries and of that holy light, to those who are able to
receive them. He did not certainly disclose to the many what
did not belong to the many; but to the few to whom He knew
that they belonged, who were capable of receiving and being
moulded according to them. But secret things are intrusted
to speech, not to writing, as is the case with God. And if
one say that it is written, 'There is nothing secret which
shall not be revealed, nor hidden, which shall not be
disclosed,' let him also hear from us, that to him who hears
secretly, even what is secret shall be manifested. This is
what was predicted by this oracle. And to him who is able
secretly to observe what is delivered to him, that which is
veiled shall be disclosed as truth; and what is hidden to
the many shall appear manifest to the few. The mysteries are
delivered mystically, that what is spoken may be in the
mouth of the speaker; rather not in his voice, but in his
understanding. The writing of these memoranda of mine, I
well know, is weak when compared with that spirit full of
grace, which I was privileged to hear. But it will be an
image to recall the archetype to him who was struck with the
Thyrsus."

(We may state here that the Thyrsus was the mystic-wand carried by the Initiates in the Mystic Brotherhoods--the Initiate being first tapped with it, and then receiving it from the Hierophant, at the ceremony of formal Initiation.) Clement adds:

"We profess not to explain secret things sufficiently--far
from it--but only to recall them to memory, whether we have
forgot aught, or whether for the purpose of not forgetting.
Many things, well I know, have escaped us, through length of
time, that have dropped away unwritten. There are then some
things of which we have no recollection; for the power that
was in the blessed men was great."

"There are also some things which remain unnoted long, which have now escaped; and others which are effaced, having faded away in the mind itself, since such a task is not easy to those not experienced; these I revive in my commentaries. Some things I purposely omit, in the exercise of a wise selection, afraid to write what I guarded against speaking; not grudging--for that were wrong--but fearing for my readers lest they should stumble by taking them in a wrong sense; and, as the proverb says, we should be found 'reaching a sword to a child.' For it is impossible that what has been written should not escape, although remaining published by me. But being always revolved, using the one only voice, that of writing, they answer nothing to him that makes inquiries beyond what is written; for they require of necessity the aid of someone, either of him who wrote or of someone else, who walked in his footsteps. Some things my treatise will hint; on some it will linger; some it will merely mention. It will try to speak imperceptibly, to exhibit secretly, and to demonstrate silently." (_The Stromata of St. Clement._)

St. Clement, in the same work from which the above quotation was taken, has a chapter entitled "The Mysteries of the Faith, not to be Divulged to all." In it he states that inasmuch as his writings might be seen by all men, the unwise as well as the wise, "it is requisite, therefore, to hide in a Mystery the wisdom spoken, in which the Son of God is taught." He then adds, "For it is difficult to exhibit the really pure and transparent words to swinish and untrained hearers. For scarcely could anything which they could bear be more ludicrous than these to the multitude; nor any subjects on the other hand more admirable or more inspiring to those of noble nature. But the wise do not utter with their mouths what they reason in council. 'But what ye hear in the ear,' said the Lord, 'proclaim upon the houses; bidding them receive the _secret traditions of the true knowledge_, and expound them aloft and conspicuously; and as we have said in the ear, so to deliver them to whom it is requisite; but _not enjoining us to communicate to all without distinction_ what is said to them in parables. But there is only a delineation in the memoranda, which have the truth sown sparse and broadcast, that it may escape the notice of those who pick up seeds like jackdaws; but when they find a good husbandman, each of them will germinate and will produce corn."

"Those who are still blind and dumb, not having understanding, or the undazzled and keen vision of the contemplative soul, must stand outside of the divine choir. Wherefore, in accordance with the method of concealment, the truly sacred Word, truly divine and most necessary for us, deposited in the shrine of truth, was by the Egyptians indicated by what were called among them _adyta_, and by the Hebrews 'the veil.' Only the consecrated were allowed access to them. For Plato also thought it not lawful for 'the impure to touch the pure.' Thence the prophecies and oracles are spoken in enigmas, and to the untrained and uninstructed people. Now, then, it is not wished that all things should be exposed indiscriminately to all and sundry, or the benefits of wisdom communicated to those who have not even in a dream been purified in soul, for it is not allowable to hand to every chance comer what has been procured with such laborious efforts. Nor are the Mysteries of the Word to be expounded to the profane. The Mysteries were established for the reason that it was more beneficial that the holy and the blessed contemplation of realities be conceded. So that, on the other hand, then, there are the Mysteries which were hid till the time of the apostles, and were delivered by them as they received from the Lord, and, concealed in the Old Testament, were manifested to the saints. And on the other hand, there is the riches of the glory of the mysteries of the Gentiles, which is faith and hope in Christ. Instruction, which reveals hidden things, is called Illumination, as it is the teacher only who uncovers the lid of the ark." (_The Stromata of St. Clement_.)

St. Clement also quotes approvingly the saying of Plato, that: "We must speak in enigmas; that should the tablet come by any mischance on its leaves either by sea or land he who reads may remain ignorant." He also says, concerning certain Gnostic writings:

"Let the specimen suffice to those who have ears. For it is
not required to unfold the mystery, but only to indicate
what is sufficient for those who are partakers in knowledge
to bring it to mind."

We have quoted freely from St. Clement, for the purpose of showing that he, a man in a very exalted position in the Early Christian Church, recognized, and actually taught, the Inner Teachings, or Secret Doctrine of Mystic Christianity--that the Early Christian Church was an organization having a Mystic Centre for the few, and Common Outer for the multitude. Can there be any doubt of this after reading the above words from his pen?

But not only St. Clement so wrote and taught, but many others in authority in the Early Christian Church likewise voiced their knowledge of, and approval in, the Inner Teachings. For example, Origen, the pupil of St. Clement, a man whose influence was felt on all sides in the early days of the Church. Origen defended Christianity from the attacks of Celsus, who charged the Church with being a secret organization which taught the Truth only to a few, while it satisfied the multitude with popular teachings and half-truths. Origen replied that, while it was true that there were Inner Teachings in the Church which were not revealed to the general public, still the Church, in that respect, was but following the example of all teachers of Truth, who always maintained an esoteric side of their teachings for those fitted to participate in them, while giving the exoteric side to the general body of followers. He writes:

"And yet the Mystery of the Resurrection, not being
understood, is made a subject of ridicule among unbelievers.
In these circumstances, to speak of the Christian doctrine
as a _secret system_ is altogether absurd. But that there
should be certain doctrines, not made known to the
multitude, which are divulged after the exoteric ones have
been taught, is not a peculiarity of Christianity alone, but
also of philosophic systems in which certain truths are
exoteric and others esoteric. Some of the hearers of
Pythagoras were content with his _ipse dixit;_ while others
were taught in secret those doctrines which were not deemed
fit to be communicated to profane and insufficiently
prepared ears. Moreover, all the Mysteries that are
celebrated everywhere throughout Greece and barbarous
countries, although held in secret, have no discredit thrown
upon them, so that it is in vain he endeavors to calumniate
the secret doctrines of Christianity, seeing that he does
not correctly understand its nature."

"I have not yet spoken of the observance of all that is
written in the Gospels, each one of which contains much
doctrine difficult to be understood, not merely by the
multitude, but even by certain of the more intelligent,
including a very profound explanation of the parables, which
Jesus delivered to 'those without' while reserving the
exhibition of their full meaning for those who had passed
beyond the stage of exoteric teaching, and who came to Him
privately in the house. And when he comes to understand it,
he will admire the reason why some are said to be 'without'
and others 'in the house.'" (_Origen against Celsus_.)

In the same work Origen considers the story of the Syria-Phoenician woman (_Matt. Chap. 15_) and says concerning it:

"And perhaps, also, of the words of Jesus there are some
loaves which it is possible to give to the more rational, as
to the children, only; and others as it were crumbs from the
great house and table of the well-born, which may be used by
some souls like dogs."

And, again,

"He whose soul has, for a long time, been conscious of no
evil, especially since he yielded himself to the healing of
the Word, let such a one hear _the doctrines which were
spoken in private by Jesus to His genuine disciples_."

And, again,

"But on these subjects much, and that of a mystical kind,
might be said: in keeping with which is the following: 'It
is good to keep close to the secret of a king,' in order
that _the doctrine of the entrance of souls into bodies_ may
not be thrown before the common understanding, nor what is
holy given to the dogs, nor pearls be cast before swine. For
such a procedure would be impious, being equivalent to a
betrayal of the mysterious declaration of God's wisdom. It
is sufficient, however, to represent in the style of a
historic narrative what is intended to convey a secret
meaning in the garb of history, that those who have the
capacity may work out for themselves all that relates to the
subject."

He also says, in the same work:

"If you come to the books written after the time of Jesus,
you will find that those multitudes of believers who hear
the parables are, as it were, 'without,' and worthy only of
exoteric doctrines, while the disciples learn in private the
explanation of the parables. _For, privately, to His own
disciples did Jesus open up all things, esteeming above the
multitudes those who desired to know His wisdom._ And He
promises to those who believe on Him to send them wise men
and scribes."

In another work, Origen states that:

"The Scriptures have a meaning, not only such as is apparent
at first sight, but also another, which escapes the notice
of most men. For such is written in the forms of certain
Mysteries, and the image of divine things. Respecting which
there is one opinion throughout the whole Church, that the
whole law is indeed spiritual; _but that the spiritual
meaning which the law conveys is not known to all_, but to
those only on whom the grace of the Holy Spirit is bestowed
in the word of wisdom and knowledge." (_De Principiis_.)

We could fill page after page with live quotations from the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, and their successors, showing the existence of the Inner Teachings. But we must rest content with those which we have given you, which are clear and to the point, and which _come from undoubted authority_.

The departure of the Church from these Inner Teachings was a great calamity, from which the Church is still suffering. As that well-known occultist, Eliphias Levi, has said:

"A great misfortune befell Christianity. The betrayal of the
Mysteries by the false Gnostics--for the Gnostics, that is,
_those who know_, were the Initiates of primitive
Christianity--caused the Gnosis to be rejected, and
alienated the Church from the supreme truths of the Kabbala,
which contains all the secrets of transcendental
theology.... Let the most absolute science, let the highest
reason become once more the patrimony of the leaders of the
people; let the sarcerdotal art and the royal art take the
double sceptre of antique initiations and the social world
will once more issue from its chaos. Burn the holy images no
longer; demolish the temples no more; temples and images are
necessary for men; but drive the hirelings from the house of
prayer; let the blind be no longer leaders of the blind;
reconstruct the hierarchy of intelligence and holiness, and
recognize only _those who know_ as the teachers of _those
who believe_." (_The Mysteries of Magic, Waite
translation_.)

And now, you ask, what were taught in these Christian Mysteries--what is the Inner Teaching--what the Secret Doctrine? Simply this, good students--the Occult Philosophy and Mystic Lore which has been taught to the Elect in all times and ages, and which is embodied in our several series of lessons on THE YOGI PHILOSOPHY AND ORIENTAL OCCULTISM, _plus the special teaching regarding the nature, mission, and sacrifice of Jesus the Christ, as we have tried to explain in the present series of lessons_. The Truth is the same no matter under what name it is taught, or who teaches it. Strip it of the personal coloring of the teacher and it is seen to be the same--THE TRUTH.

In these lessons we have tried to give you the Key to the Mysteries, but unless you have studied the other lessons in which the Occult Teachings have been set forth, you will not be able to see their application in Mystic Christianity. You must bring Knowledge to these lessons, in order to take away knowledge.

THE ELEVENTH LESSON

THE ANCIENT WISDOM.

The doctrine of Metempsychosis or Re-incarnation has its roots deeply imbedded in the soil of all religions--that is, in the Inner Teachings or Esoteric phase of all religious systems. And this is true of the Inner Teachings of the Christian Church as well as of the other systems. The Christian Mysteries comprised this as well as the other fundamental occult doctrines, and the Early Church held such teachings in its Inner Circle.

And, in its essence, the doctrine of Re-birth is the only one that is in full accord with the Christian conception of ultimate justice and "fairness." As a well known writer has said concerning this subject:

"It relieves us of many and great difficulties. It is
impossible for any one who looks around him and sees the
sorrow and suffering in the world, and the horrible
inequality in the lives of men--not inequality in wealth
merely, but inequality in opportunity of progress--to
harmonize these facts with the love and justice of God,
unless he is willing to accept this theory that this one
life is not all, but that it is only a day in the real life
of the soul, and that each soul therefore has made its place
for itself, and is receiving just such training as is best
for its evolution. Surely the only theory which enables a
man rationally to believe in Divine justice, without
shutting his eyes to obvious facts, is a theory worthy of
study.

"Modern theology concerns itself principally with a plan for
evading divine justice, which it elects to call 'Salvation,'
and it makes this plan depend entirely upon what a man
believes, or rather upon what he says that he believes. This
whole theory of 'salvation,' and indeed the theory that
there is anything to be 'saved' from, seems to be based upon
a misunderstanding of a few texts of scripture. We do not
believe in this idea of a so-called divine wrath; we think
that to attribute to God our own vices of anger and cruelty
is a terrible blasphemy. We hold to the theory of steady
evolution and final attainment for all; and we think that
the man's progress depends not upon what he believes, but
upon what he does. And there is surely very much in the
bible to support this idea. Do you remember St. Paul's
remark, 'Be not deceived, God is not mocked; whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap'? And again, Christ said
that 'They that _have done good_ shall go unto the
resurrection of life'--not they that have believed some
particular doctrine. And when He describes the day of
judgment, you will notice that no question is raised as to
what anybody has believed, but only as to the works which he
has done."

In this connection, we think that it is advisable to quote from the address of a well known English churchman upon this important subject. The gentleman in question is The Ven. Archdeacon Colley, Rector of Stockton, Warwickshire, England, who said:

"In the realm of the occult and transcendental, moved to its
exploration from the Sadducean bias of my early days, I have
for the best part of half a century had experiences rarely
equaled by any, and I am sure, surpassed by none; yet have
they led me up till now, I admit, to no very definite
conclusions. With suspension of judgment, therefore, not
being given to dogmatize on anything, and with open mind I
trust, in equipoise of thought desiring to hold an even
balance of opinion 'twixt this and that, I am studious still
of being receptive of light from every source--rejecting
nothing that in the least degree makes for righteousness,
hence my taking the chair here tonight, hoping to learn what
may help to resolve a few of the many perplexities of life,
to wit: Why some live to the ripe old age of my dear father
while others live but for a moment, to be born, gasp and
die. Why some are born rich and others poor; some having
wealth only to corrupt, defile, deprave others therewith,
while meritorious poverty struggles and toils for human
betterment all unaided. Some gifted with mentality; others
pitiably lacking capacity. Some royal-souled from the first
naturally, others with brutal, criminal propensities from
beginning to end.

"The sins of the fathers visited upon the children unto the
third and fourth generation may in heredity account for
much, but I want to see through the mystery of a good father
at times having a bad son, as also of one showing genius and
splendid faculties--the offspring of parentage the reverse
of anything suggesting qualities contributive thereto. Then
as a clergyman, I have in my reading noted texts of Holy
Scripture, and come across passages in the writings of the
Fathers of the Early Church which seem to be root-thoughts,
or survivals of the old classic idea of re-incarnation.

"The prophet Jeremiah (1:5) writes, 'The word of the Lord
came unto me saying, before I formed thee, I knew thee, and
before thou wast born I sanctified thee and ordained thee a
prophet.'

"Does this mean that the Eternal-Uncreate chose, from foreknowledge of what Jeremiah would be, the created Ego of His immaterialized servant in heaven ere he clothed his soul with the mortal integument of flesh in human birth--schooling him above for the part he had to play here below as a prophet to dramatize in his life and teaching the will of the Unseen? To the impotent man at the Pool of Bethesda, whose infirmity was the cruel experience of eight and thirty years, the Founder of our religion said (_John 5:14._), 'Behold, thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee.' Was it (fitting the punishment to the crime proportionately) some outrageous sin as a boy, in the spring of years and days of his inexperienced youth of bodily life, that brought on him such physical sorrow, which youthful sin in its repetition would necessitate an even worse ill than this nearly forty years of sore affliction? 'Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' (_John 9:2._), was the question of the disciples to Jesus. And our query is--Sinned _before_ he was born to deserve the penalty of being born blind?

"Then of John the Baptist--was he a reincarnation of Elijah, the prophet, who was to come again? (_Malachi 4:5._). Jesus said he _was_ Elijah, who indeed had come, and the evil-minded Jews had done unto him whatsoever they listed. Herod had beheaded him (_Matt. 11:14_ and _17:12._).

"Elijah and John the Baptist appear from our reference Bibles and Cruden's Concordance to concur and commingle in one. The eighth verse of the first chapter of the second Book of Kings and the fourth verse of the third chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel note similarities in them and peculiarities of dress. Elijah, as we read, was a 'hairy man and girt a leathern girdle about his loins,' while John the Baptist had 'his raiment of camel's hair and a leathern girdle about his loins.' Their home was the solitude of the desert. Elijah journeyed forty days and forty nights unto Horeb, the mount of God in the Wilderness of Sinai. John the Baptist was in the wilderness of Judea beyond Jordan baptizing. And their life in exile--a self-renunciating and voluntary withdrawal from the haunts of men--was sustained in a parallel remarkable way by food (bird--brought on wing--borne). 'I have commanded the ravens to feed thee,' said the voice of Divinity to the prophet; while locusts and wild honey were the food of the Baptist.

"'And above all,' said our Lord of John the Baptist to the disciples, 'if ye _will_ receive it, this is Elias which was for to come.'

"Origen, in the second century, one of the most learned of the Fathers of the early Church, says that this declares the pre-existence of John the Baptist as Elijah before his decreed later existence as Christ's forerunner.

"Origen also says on the text, 'Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated,' that if our course be not marked out according to our works before this present life that now is, how would it not be untrue and unjust in God that the elder brother should serve the younger and be hated by God (though blessed of righteous Abraham's son, of Isaac) before Esau had done anything deserving of servitude or given any occasion for the merciful Almighty's hatred?

"Further, on the text (_Ephesians 1:4._), 'God who hath chosen us before the foundation of the world,' Origen says that this suggests our pre-existence ere the world was.

"While Jerome, agreeing with Origen, speaks of our rest above, where rational creatures dwell before their descent to this lower world, and prior to their removal from the invisible life of the spiritual sphere to the visible life here on earth, teaching, as he says, the necessity of their again having material bodies ere, as saints and men made 'perfect as our Father which is in heaven is perfect,' they once more enjoy in the angel-world their _former_ blessedness.

"Justin Martyr also speaks of the soul inhabiting the human body more than once, but thinks as a rule (instanced in the case of John the Baptist forgetting that he had been Elijah) it is not permitted us to remember our former experiences of this life while yet again we are in exile here as strangers and pilgrims in an uncongenial clime away from our heavenly home.

"Clemens Alexandrinus, and others of the Fathers, refer to re-incarnation (or transmigration or metempsychosis, as it is called in the years that are passed of classic times and later now as _re-birth_) to remind us of the vital truth taught by our Lord in the words, '_Ye must be born again_.'"

These words, falling from the lips of a man so eminent in the staid conservative ranks of the Church of England, must attract the attention of every earnest seeker after the Truth of Christian Doctrine. If such a man, reared in such an environment, could find himself able to bear such eloquent testimony to the truth of a philosophy usually deemed foreign to his accepted creed, what might we not expect from a Church liberated from the narrow formal bounds of orthodoxy, and once more free to consider, learn and teach those noble doctrines originally held and taught by the Early Fathers of the Church of Christ?

While the majority of modern Christians bitterly oppose the idea that the doctrine of Metempsychosis ever formed any part of the Christian Doctrine, and prefer to regard it as a "heathenish" teaching, still the fact remains that the careful and unprejudiced student will find indisputable evidence in the writings of the Early Christian Fathers pointing surely to the conclusion that the doctrine of Metempsychosis was believed and taught in the Inner Circle of the Early Church.

The doctrine unquestionably formed a part of the Christian Mysteries, and has faded into comparative obscurity with the decay of spirituality in the Church, until now the average churchman no longer holds to it, and in fact regards as barbarous and heathenish that part of the teachings originally imparted and taught by the Early Fathers of the Church--the Saints and Leaders.

The Early Christians were somewhat divided in their beliefs concerning the details of Re-birth. One sect or body held to the idea that the soul of man was eternal, coming from the Father. Also that there were many degrees and kinds of souls, some of which have never incarnated in human bodies but which are living on many planes of life unknown to us, passing from plane to plane, world to world. This sect held that some of these souls had chosen to experiment with life on the physical plane, and were now passing through the various stages of the physical-plane life, with all of its pains and sorrows, being held by the Law of Re-birth until a full experience had been gained, when they would pass out of the circle of influence of the physical plane, and return to their original freedom.

Another sect held to the more scientific occult form of the gradual evolution of the soul, by repeated rebirth, on the physical plane, from Lower to Higher, as we have set forth in our lessons on "Gnani Yoga." The difference in the teachings arose from the different conceptions of the great leaders, some being influenced by the Jewish Occult Teachings which held to the first above mentioned doctrine, while the second school held to the doctrine taught by the Greek Mystics and the Hindu Occultists. And each interpreted the Inner Teachings by the light of his previous affiliations.

And so, some of the early writings speak of "pre-existence," while others speak of repeated "rebirth." But the underlying principle is the same, and in a sense they were both right, as the advanced occultists know full well. The fundamental principle of both conceptions is that the soul comes forth as an emanation from the Father in the shape of Spirit; that the Spirit becomes plunged in the confining sheaths of Matter, and is then known as "a soul," losing for a time its pristine purity; that the soul passes on through rebirth, from lower to higher, gaining fresh experiences at each incarnation; that the advancing soul passes from world to world, returning at last to its home laden with the varied experiences of life and becomes once more pure Spirit.

The early Christian Fathers became involved in a bitter controversy with the Greek and Roman philosophers, over the conception held by some of the latter concerning the absurd doctrine of the transmigration of the human soul into the body of an animal. The Fathers of the Church fought this erroneous teaching with great energy, their arguments bringing out forcibly the distinction between the true occult teachings and this erroneous and degenerate perversion in the doctrines of transmigration into animal bodies. This conflict caused a vigorous denunciation of the teachings of the Pythagorean and Platonic schools, which held to the perverted doctrine that a human soul could degenerate into the state of the animal.

Among other passages quoted by Origen and Jerome to prove the pre-existence of the soul was that from Jeremiah (1:5): "Before thou comest from the womb I sanctified thee and I ordained thee a prophet." The early writers held that this passage confirmed their particular views regarding the pre-existence of the soul and the possession of certain characteristics and qualities acquired during previous birth, for, they argued, it would be injustice that a man, before birth, be endowed with uncarnal qualities; and that such qualities and ability could justly be the result only of best work and action. They also dwelt upon the prophecy of the return of Elijah, in Malachi 4:5. And also upon the (uncanonical) book "The Wisdom of Solomon," in which Solomon says: "I was a witty child, and had a good Spirit. Yea, rather, being good, I came into a body undefiled."

They also quoted from Josephus, in his book styled "De Bello Judico," in which the eminent Jewish writer says: "They say that all souls are incorruptible; but that the souls of good men are only removed into other bodies--but that the souls of bad men are subject to eternal punishment." They also quoted from Josephus, regarding the Jewish belief in Rebirth as evidenced by the recital of the instance in which, at the siege of the fortress of Jotapota, he sought the shelter of a cave in which were a number of soldiers, who discussed the advisability of committing suicide for the purpose of avoiding being taken prisoners by the Romans. Josephus remonstrated with them as follows:

"Do ye not remember that all pure spirits who are in
conformity with the divine dispensation live on in the
loveliest of heavenly places, and in the course of time they
are sent down to inhabit sinless bodies; but the souls of
those who have committed self-destruction are doomed to a
region in the darkness of the underworld?"

Recent writers hold that this shows that he accepted the doctrine of Re-birth himself, and also as showing that it must have been familiar to the Jewish soldiery.

There seems to be no doubt regarding the familiarity of the Jewish people of that time with the general teachings regarding Metempsychosis. Philo positively states the doctrine as forming part of the teachings of the Jewish Alexandrian school. And again the question asked Jesus regarding the "sin of the man born blind" shows how familiar the people were with the general doctrine.

And so, the teachings of Jesus on that point did not need to be particularly emphasized to the common people, He reserving this instruction on the inner teachings regarding the details of Re-birth for his chosen disciples. But still the subject is mentioned in a number of places in the New Testament, as we shall see.

Jesus stated positively that John the Baptist was "Elias," whose return had been predicted by Malachi (4:5). Jesus stated this twice, positively, i.e., "This is Elijah that is to come" (_Matt. 11:14_); and again, "But I say unto you that Elijah is come already, but they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they would.... Then understood the disciples that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist." (_Matt. 17:12-13._) The Mystics point out that Jesus saw clearly the fact that John was Elijah re-incarnated, although John had denied this fact, owing to his lack of memory of his past incarnation. Jesus the Master saw clearly that which John the Forerunner had failed to perceive concerning himself. The plainly perceptible characteristics of Elijah reappearing in John bear out the twice-repeated, positive assertion of the Master that John the Baptist was the re-incarnated Elijah.

And this surely is sufficient authority for Christians to accept the doctrine of Re-birth as having a place in the Church Teachings. But still, the orthodox churchmen murmur "He meant _something else_!" There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.

Another notable instance of the recognition of the doctrine by Jesus and His disciples occurs in the case of "the man born blind." It may be well to quote the story.

"And as he passed by he saw a man blind from his birth. And
his disciples asked him, saying, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this
man or his parents, that he should be born blind?' Jesus
answered, 'Neither did this man sin nor his parents.'"
(_John 9:1-3._)

Surely there can be no mistake about the meaning of this question, "Who did sin, this man or his parents?"--for how could a man sin before his birth, unless he had lived in a previous incarnation? And the answer of Jesus simply states that the man was born blind neither from the sins of a past life, nor from those of his parents, but from a third cause. Had the idea of re-incarnation been repugnant to the teachings, would not He have denounced it to His disciples? Does not the fact that His disciples asked Him the question show that they were in the habit of discoursing the problems of Re-birth and Karma with Him, and receiving instructions and answers to questions propounded to Him along these lines?

There are many other passages of the New Testament which go to prove the familiarity of the disciples and followers of Jesus with the doctrine of Re-birth, but we prefer to pass on to a consideration of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers in order to show what they thought and taught regarding the matter of Re-birth and Karma.

Among the great authorities and writers in the Early Church, Origen stands out pre-eminently as a great light. Let us quote from a leading writer, regarding this man and his teachings:

"In Origen's writings we have a mine of information as to
the teachings of the early Christians. Origen held a
splendid and grandiose view of the whole of the evolution of
our system. I put it to you briefly. You can read it in all
its carefully, logically-worked-out arguments, if you will
have the patience to read his treatise for yourselves. His
view, then, was the evolutionary view. He taught that forth
from God came all Spirits that exist, all being dowered with
free-will; that some of these refused to turn aside from the
path of righteousness, and, as a reward, took the place
which we speak of as that of the angels; that then there
came others who, in the exercise of their free-will, turned
aside from the path of deity, and then passed into the human
race to recover, by righteous and noble living, the angel
condition which they had not been able to preserve; that
others, still in the exercise of their free-will, descended
still deeper into evil and became evil spirits or devils. So
that all these Spirits were originally good; but good by
innocence, not by knowledge. And he points out also that
angels may become men, and even the evil ones themselves may
climb up once more, and become men and angels again. Some of
you will remember that one of the doctrines condemned in
Origen in later days was that glorious doctrine that, even
for the worst of men, redemption and restoration were
possible, and that there was no such thing as an eternity of
evil in a universe that came from the Eternal Goodness, and
would return whence it came."

And from the writings of this great man we shall now quote.

In his great work "De Principiis," Origen begins with the statement that only God Himself is fundamentally and by virtue of His essential nature, Good. God is the only Good--the absolute perfect Good. When we consider the lesser stages of Good, we find that the Goodness is derived and acquired, instead of being fundamental and essential. Origen then says that God bestows free-will upon all spirits alike, and that if they do not use the same in the direction of righteousness, then they fall to lower estates "one more rapidly, another more slowly, one in a greater, another in a less degree, each being the cause of his own downfall."

He refers to John the Baptist being filled with the Holy Ghost in his mother's womb and says that it is a false notion to imagine "that God fills individuals with His Holy Spirit, and bestows upon them sanctification, not on the grounds of justice and according to their deserts, but undeservedly. And how shall we escape the declaration, 'Is there respect of persons with God?' God forbid. Or this, 'Is there unrighteousness with God?' God forbid this also. For such is the defense of those who maintain that souls come into existence with bodies." He then shows his belief in re-birth by arguing that John had earned the Divine favor by reason of right-living in a previous incarnation.

Then he considers the important question of the apparent injustice displayed in the matter of the inequalities existing among men. He says, "Some are barbarians, others Greeks, and of the barbarians some are savage and fierce and others of a milder disposition, and certain of them live under laws that have been thoroughly approved, others, again, under laws of a more common or severe kind; while, some, again, possess customs of an inhumane and savage character rather than laws; and certain of them, from the hour of their birth, are reduced to humiliation and subjection, and brought up as slaves, being placed under the dominion either of masters, or princes, or tyrants. Some with sound bodies, some with bodies diseased from their early years, some defective in vision, others in bearing and speech; some born in that condition, others deprived of the use of their senses immediately after birth. But why should I repeat and enumerate all the horrors of human misery? Why should this be?"

Origen then goes on to combat the ideas advanced by some thinkers of his times, that the differences were caused by some essential difference in the nature and quality of the souls of individuals. He states emphatically that all souls are essentially equal in nature and quality and that the differences arise from the various exercise of their power of free-will. He says of his opponents:

"Their argument accordingly is this: If there be this great
diversity of circumstances, and this diverse and varying
condition by birth, in which the faculty of free-will has no
scope (for no one chooses for himself either where, or with
whom, or in what condition he is born); if, then, this is
not caused by the difference in the nature of souls, i.e.,
that a soul of an evil nature is destined for a wicked
nation and a good soul for a righteous nation, what other
conclusion remains than that these things must be supposed
to be regulated by accident or chance? And, if that be
admitted, then it will be no longer believed that the world
was made by God, or administered by His providence."

Origen continues:

"God who deemed it just to arrange His creatures according
to their merit, brought down these different understandings
into the harmony of one world, that He might adorn, as it
were, one dwelling, in which there ought to be not only
vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay (and
some, indeed, to honor, and others to dishonor) with their
different vessels, or souls, or understandings. On which
account the Creator will neither appear to be unjust in
distributing (for the causes already mentioned) to every one
according to his wants, nor will the happiness or
unhappiness of each one's birth, or whatever be the
condition that falls to his lot, be accidental."

He then asserts that the condition of each man is the result of his own deeds.

He then considers the case of Jacob and Esau, which a certain set of thinkers had used to illustrate the unjust and cruel discrimination of the Creator toward His creatures. Origen contended that in this case it would be most unjust for God to love Jacob and hate Esau before the children were born, and that the only true interpretation of the matter was the theory that Jacob was being rewarded for the good deeds of past lives, while Esau was being punished for his misdeeds in past incarnations.

And not only Origen takes this stand, but Jerome also, for the latter says: "If we examine the case of Esau we may find he was condemned because of his ancient sins in a worse course of life." (_Jerome's letter to Avitus_.) Origen says:

"It is found not to be unrighteous that even in womb Jacob
supplanted his brother, if we feel that he was worthily
beloved by God, according to the deserts of his previous
life, so as to deserve to be preferred before his brother."

Origen adds, "This must be carefully applied to the case of all other creatures, because, as we formerly remarked, the righteousness of the Creator ought to appear in everything." And again, "The inequality of circumstances preserves the justice of a retribution according to merit."

Annie Besant (to whom we are indebted for a number of these quotations), says, concerning this position of Origen:

"Thus we find this doctrine made the defense of the justice
of God. If a soul can be made good, then to make a soul evil
is to a God of justice and love impossible. It cannot be
done. There is no justification for it, and the moment you
recognize that men are born criminal, you are either forced
into the blasphemous position that a perfect and loving God
creates a ruined soul and then punishes it for being what He
has made it, or else that He is dealing with growing,
developing creatures whom He is training for ultimate
blessedness, and if in any life a man is born wicked and
evil, it is because he has done amiss and must reap in
sorrow the results of evil in order that he may learn wisdom
and turn to good."

Origen also considers the story of Pharaoh, of whom the Biblical writers say that "his heart was hardened by God." Origen declares that the hardening of the heart was caused by God so that Pharaoh would more readily learn the effect of evil, so that in his future incarnations he might profit by his bitter experience. He says:

"Sometimes it does not lead to good results for a man to be
cured too quickly, especially if the disease, being shut up
in the inner parts of the body, rage with greater
fierceness. The growth of the soul must be understood as
being brought about not suddenly, but slowly and gradually,
seeing that the process of amendment and correction will
take place imperceptibly in the individual instances, during
the lapse of countless and unmeasured ages, some
outstripping others, and tending by a swifter course towards
perfection, while others, again, follow close at hand, and
some, again, a long way behind."

He also says: "Those who, departing this life in virtue of that death which is common to all, are arranged in conformity with their actions and deserts--according as they shall be deemed worthy--some in the place called the 'infernus,' others in the bosom of Abraham, and in different localities or mansions. So also from these places, as if dying there, if the expression can be used, they come down from the 'upper world' to this 'hell.' For that 'hell' to which the souls of the dead are conducted from this world is, I believe, on account of this destruction, called 'the lower hell.' Everyone accordingly of those who descend to the earth is, according to his deserts, or agreeably to the position that he occupied there, ordained to be born in this world in a different country, or among a different nation, or in a different mode of life, or surrounded by infirmities of a different kind, or to be descended from religious parents, or parents who are not religious; so that it may sometimes happen that an Israelite descends among the Scythians, and a poor Egyptian is brought down to Judea." (_Origen against Celsus_.)

Can you doubt, after reading the above quotation that Metempsychosis, Re-incarnation or Re-birth and Karma was held and taught as a true doctrine by the Fathers of the Early Christian Church? Can you not see that imbedded in the very bosom of the Early Church were the twin-doctrine of Re-incarnation and Karma. Then why persist in treating it as a thing imported from India, Egypt or Persia to disturb the peaceful slumber of the Christian Church? It is but the return home of a part of the original Inner Doctrine--so long an outcast from the home of its childhood.

The Teaching was rendered an outlaw by certain influences in the Church in the Sixth Century. The Second Council of Constantinople (A.D. 553) condemned it as a heresy, and from that time official Christianity frowned upon it, and drove it out by sword, stake and prison cell. The light was kept burning for many years, however, by that sect so persecuted by the Church--the Albigenses--who furnished hundreds of martyrs to the tyranny of the Church authorities, by reason of their clinging faith to the Inner Teachings of the Church concerning Reincarnation and Karma.

Smothered by the pall of superstition that descended like a dense cloud over Europe in the Middle Ages, the Truth has nevertheless survived, and, after many fitful attempts to again burst out into flame, has at last, in this glorious Twentieth Century, managed to again show forth its light and heat to the world, bringing back Christianity to the original conceptions of those glorious minds of the Early Church. Once more returned to its own, the Truth will move forward, brushing from its path all the petty objections and obstacles that held it captive for so many centuries.

Let us conclude this lesson with those inspiring words of the poet Wordsworth, whose soul rose to a perception of the Truth, in spite of the conventional restrictions placed upon him by his age and land.

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting,
The soul that rises with us, our life's star,
Hath elsewhere had its setting,
And cometh from afar.
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, who is our home."

THE TWELFTH LESSON.

THE MESSAGE OF THE MASTER.

Running throughout nearly all of the teachings and messages of Jesus, is to be found the constant Mystic Message regarding the existence of the Spirit within the soul of each individual--that Something Within to which all can turn in time of pain and trouble--that Guide and Monitor which stands ever ready to counsel, advise and direct if one opens himself to the Voice.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom, and all things shall be added unto you." And, again, as if to explain: "The Kingdom of Heaven is within you." This is the Mystic Message which gives one a key to the Mysteries of the Inner Teachings.

Let us take up a few of His sayings and endeavor to interpret them by the light of these teachings. But before doing so we must call the attention of the student to the fact that, in order to understand intelligently what we are saying, he must carefully re-read the "Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy" wherein the details of the teachings are set forth--that is the fundamental truths are explained. In the "Advanced Course" and in "Gnani Yoga" the higher phases of the teachings are presented. And, although in the said works there is little or no reference made to Christianity, yet the teachings are so fundamental that the Inner Teachings of all religions--including Christianity--may be understood by one who has acquainted himself with these fundamental truths.

There is but one real Occult Philosophy, and we find it in evidence everywhere--once the Truth is grasped, it is found to be the Master Key with which to unlock the various doors leading to the esoteric phase of any and all religions or philosophies. The Yogi Fathers, centuries and centuries ago, solved the Riddle of the Universe, and the highest efforts of the human mind since that time have but corroborated, proven and exemplified the original Truth as voiced by these Venerable Sages.

Let us read the words of Jesus in the light of this Ancient Wisdom.

Let us consider the Sermon on the Mount as given in Matthew (_Chapters 5; 6; 7_).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven." (_Matt. 5:3._)

By these words Jesus indicated the occult teachings that those who renounced the vain glory and petty ambitions of this world would be on the road to the realization of the Real Self--the Something Within--the Spirit. For is it not written that "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you"?

"Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted." (_Matt. 5:4._)