In the world of sense, the good things are used first, leaving the worse until men are satiated and no longer have keen taste or sense.

11. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

The Transmutation of evil into good, of the base qualities of character into "pure wine," seems a miracle to those who do not understand the principles of transmutation. It can be brought about only "in Galilee;" for Galilee is "the place of continuation," the place of continuing in the work until it is accomplished. Transmutation, or Spiritual

Chemistry, is a long-continued process.

12. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

13. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,

The Passover of the Jews had degenerated into nothing more than a feast, something which was not even representative, or symbolic, of the true Passover. The true Passover means passing from the evils of life, and from evil ways to true life and to faithfulness in obeying the Divine Law.

14. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

Even the temples of the Jews were used for ignoble purposes, and not for the symbolic worship of that other Temple not made with hands.

The material temples of the earth are in representation of the temples wherein God dwells. A temple is the place of prayer where men should go to be taught the Divine Law, where they should be shown how to live according to the Divine Law, and how, through thus living in harmony with the Law, to purify the temple of their own being so that God may take up his abode therein.

All temples are but symbols of the temple of Man, the center of which is the Holy of Holies, wherein is the Altar, whereon is the fire of the Vestals, the fire that should never be allowed to go out, but that should be kept burning continually so that it is "a Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world."

Not only had the Jews lost the meaning of their Passover, but they no longer had a knowledge of their own divinity. The Father no longer dwelt within them; for they had so far degenerated that they did not even recognize the truth that their temples represented.

Instead of being the house of instruction, and symbolic of the Divine Temple wherein God dwells, they had become houses of trade, the home of money changers.

15. And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and

the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

16. And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

As the temple built by man is a symbol of the Temple not made by hands, so are "doves" the emblem of truth, of light, and of purity. There are forces in man's nature which are for the building of the Immortal Soul; but man is prone to use these forces for base and ignoble purposes. The doves are symbolic of these forces and energies in man's being-forces, pure in themselves, but admitting of a wrong, or perverted, use on man's part, or even of being thrown away or "sold." Instead of using them for worship of the one Father who is in the temple, the Jews were making merchandise of them, selling them, or casting them aside.

No man can find the Father unless he cleanses his temple, and then sets free the doves-raises the forces, which are pure in themselves, up to the Altar, and there presents them as gifts to the Father. Only in this way can the transmu

tation, or Passover, take place, so that man may pass from man to God; from carnality to souluality; from degeneracy to Christ-like qualities of character.

17. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Unless the forces given to us by the Father are used for the purpose for which they were intended, they become as ashes; for the zeal with which they are used for pleasure and even profit will destroy them; and there is nothing left wherewith to light the Fire upon the Altar whereby man may attain Immortality of Soul, and Sonship with the Father.

LESSON EIGHT

He who lives for the body alone shall find death; but he who uses his body in obedience to the Divine Law shall live.

St. John 2:18-25.

18. Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

The Jews, like men of the present day, always wanted to be shown some man-given authority for every act. Fitness for a work was not recognized then any more than it is at the present day. In order to teach that which he held as truth, man had to show some authority from some other man or set of men. In order to heal, he had to have authority to heal. No matter how truly fitted he was to teach or to heal, only man-given authority was recognized.

19. Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

20. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple

in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

21. But he spake of the temple of his body.

Jesus had reference to himself. He simply wanted to tell them that, even if they did destroy him, or rather, if they killed him, in three days he would arise again, and that the temple would be as complete as before.

Jesus was taught in the East; and, in the East, things have always been looked upon from two sides: the side that people generally consider as the only real, and the other side the poetical, or the ethereal, or the Mystical-which is the only real, because it is the Immortal aspect of things.

Besides this, everything has a symbolic counterpart. "As below, so above" was the Law of Hermes. Consequently, we find that the body of man is the only real temple; for therein we must truly worship the Father, not by words called prayer, but by prayer which is true desire, and by deeds which have their beginning in true thought.

Now the temple wherein God truly dwells is symbolized by temples of stone where mankind attempts to worship God through words of praise. These temples have their use and their purposes and are an honor to God when the service is an honor to Him.

Jesus had reference to the real temple, the body of man; but the Jews understood him to mean the temple building in which they worshipped.

In order that the seeker after truth may understand this more fully, we will again quote this verse and then follow it by 1 Cor. 3:16-17.

"But he spake of the temple of his body."

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the

Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

"If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

This is an interpretation which no one can gainsay unless the scriptures are denied.

22. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and

they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

23. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

It is very easy to believe in a man after we see him display power; but mere belief, or faith, in him will not give us like power. Only as we obey the same laws, and as we live the same life, and as we make the same effort, can we come into possession of the same power.

Faith we need to have; for otherwise we will not put forth effort. However, faith without work, without effort, is dead. It is only through faith accompanied by effort that we can become, and accomplish, and achieve.

24. But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

Having become Illuminated and free from the selfishness of the flesh, Jesus could read the hearts of men. His intuitive powers being awakened, he could instantly feel whether a man or a woman was sincere.

25. And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Experience is our best teacher. It is only as we know the passions, the strength, and the weakness of man, that we can truly understand men. For that which is in one man is in all men though in a greater or a less degree.

LESSON NINE

He who has not been reborn-that is, he who has not attained Regeneration, or Illumination-cannot know God.

St. John 3:1-8.

1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus,

a ruler of the Jews: