Miscellaneous Writings

Hitherto few of us have had any idea of the destructive potency of condemnatory words or thoughts. Even among Truth students who know the power of every spoken word—and because they know it so much greater is that power—there is a widespread tendency to condemn the churches and all orthodox Christians, to criticize and speak disparagingly of students of different schools (as though there could be but one school of Christ), and even to discuss among themselves the failings of individuals who, in ways differing from their own, are earnestly seeking to find the Christ.

Let us stop and see what we are doing. Why should we condemn the churches? Did not Jesus “continue to teach in the synagogues”? He did not withdraw from the church and speak of it contemptuously. Nay, but remained in it, trying to show people wherein they were making mistakes, trying to lead them up to a higher view of God as their Father, and to stimulate them to more truly righteous lives. If He found hypocrisy in the churches. He did not content Himself with saying, “I am holier than thou,” but He remained with them and taught them a more excellent way, that the inside of the platter must be made clean.

Is the servant greater than his Lord? Shall not we, whom the Father has called into such marvelous light, rather help those sitting in darkness, even in the churches, than to utter one word of condemnation against them? A loyal son does not condemn his father and mother because in their day and generation, with their then limitations, they did not grow up to his present standard. We do not condemn the tallow candle or old stage coach because we have grown into a knowledge of electricity and steam power. We only see that out of the old grew the new, and that the old was necessary to the new.

God, in His eternal purposes, is carrying every living soul on toward a higher knowledge of the truth, a more perfect evolvement of Himself through that soul. If some are being pushed on into the light of truth and consequent liberty more rapidly than others, shall they turn and rend those who are walking more slowly but just as surely on toward the perfect light? Nay, nay; but, praising God for the marvelous revelation of Himself within our own souls, let us lift up rather than condemn any who are struggling toward the light. Let us become workers together with God, doers of the law, not judges.

Let no soul who has been born into a knowledge of God ever dare again to speak or even think disparagingly of or to any who seemingly are behind him in spiritual growth, lest by so doing he be found working against God, who is Infinite Wisdom as well as Love.

Jesus said to the disciples, after they had come into the consciousness of their oneness with the Father by “receiving the Holy Ghost,” “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto them, but whosesoever sins ye retain, they shall be retained.” O, with what mighty meaning these words are fraught in this new light which God has given us! See how our speaking, aye, our very thinking of the sins or mistakes of others fastens these mistakes upon them as a reality.

Strong, positive thoughts of condemnation sent to one by any person will strike that one with the physical sensation of having been hit in the pit of the stomach with a cobblestone. If he does not immediately rouse himself to throw it off—as he easily can by looking into his Father’s face and saying over and over until it becomes reality to himself, “Thou God approvest me”—it will destroy for the time being his consciousness of perfect life, and he will fall into a belief of weakness and utter discouragement quicker than from any other cause.

We read that the eyes of our God are too pure to behold iniquity. An absolutely pure person sees no licentiousness in another. A wholly true person sees no falsity in another. Perfect love responds not to envy, fear or jealousy in another. It “thinketh no evil.” Jesus said, “The prince of this world cometh and findeth nothing in me”—that is, nothing to respond to anything in himself. So, unless there is something within us which responds to sin in others, we shall not see it in them. “By thy words thou art condemned, and by thy words thou art justified.” The moment we begin to criticize or condemn another we prove ourselves guilty of the same fault we are giving recognizance to.

All condemnation springs from looking at personality. Personality (Latin, persona, a mask) is the outward appearance, not the real self. That any of us utters a word of condemnation of another is the surest proof that we ourselves are yet living largely in the external of our being, the personality; that we have not yet risen at all beyond the plane of those to whom the pure Nazarene said, “Let him who is without sin among you cast the first stone.” Just in proportion as we return unto God, as we withdraw from the external to the within of ourselves, keeping our thoughts centered on Him who is perfect, will we lose sight of personality, of divisions and differences, and become conscious of our oneness with each other and with God.

“God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that through him the world might be saved.” And yet when Philip said to Jesus, “Show us the Father,” Jesus replied, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” Then, if God does not condemn, shall we, dare we, even in the smallest things? To each of us the Master says, “What is that to thee? Follow thou me.”

It is not while we are looking at the imperfect either in ourselves or our brother, but while we are “beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”