LESSON TWENTY-SIX

He who has no sin may judge; but he who has sin should not judge, because of the judgment that he will bring upon himself.

St. John 8:1-20.

1. Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.

2. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

3. And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her

in the midst,

4. They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.

5. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

6. This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.

7. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

8. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.

If we are free from evil, we may judge; but, so long as we ourselves do that which is wrong in the eyes of the Divine Law, we have no right to judge or to condemn another. And, if we are free from evil, we will not feel inclined to judge.

We may not be guilty of the sin indicated here, but what is the difference whether we are guilty of a grievous manifest sin, or whether we hate our brother or our enemy. Both types of sin, sin in outer act and sin in thought and feeling, are alike forbidden by the Divine Law.

She who is guilty of adultery is no more worthy of punishment than the woman who, by word or look, casts a shadow of doubt upon the reputation of another; nor is she more guilty than the woman who, through gossip, hurts the feelings of another. All are evils; and, as such, one evil doer is equally guilty with another, and deserves just punishment. Through the inevitable reactionary effects of the deed or the thought, each reaps a just reward.

9. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

10. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? 11. She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more. It is possible that many of those who were clamoring for her punishment had themselves been guilty with her; but, in order to keep suspicion away from themselves, they were as loud as the others in demanding punishment for her.

If no man had condemned her or found her wanting, why should Jesus condemn her? Sins are of two classes: those which cause hurt or harm to another; and those which cause hurt or harm to ourselves. Other sin is there none. "He who hath ears to hear, let him hear." "He who has eyes to see, let him see."

12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Jesus did not mean that they should follow his footsteps, but that they should take him as an example, and that, if they lived the life he lived, and obeyed the Divine Law as he obeyed it, then would they find the light. He could not give them the light, for each man must find that for himself through obedience to the Divine Law; but he could point

out the way which they must follow. Thus, he would be as a light to them, guiding them into the right.

13. The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true.

14. Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true; for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I came, and whither I go.

Whoever obeys the Divine Law, through the Illumination which will be his, will come to know whence he is, who he is, and whither he will go.

He who is born of God (and all are born of God who have attained Individualized Soul Consciousness) will know the Father. Knowing the Father, he will know whence he came. And, knowing whence he came, he will know whither he will go; for from that from which man came, to that will he return. "Earth to earth, and Spirit to Spirit, and Soul to Soul."

15. Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.

Those who have not reached Soul Consciousness are imperfect and full of evil. The evil which is in themselves they see in others; and they judge that which they see, not knowing that they judge only themselves.

16. And yet if I judge, my judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.

The Illuminated Soul, being in harmony with the Father, sees the heart and the Soul, and judges accordingly, if it must judge. But it will not be inclined to judge, nor will it take pleasure therein; because it knows that all men are judged by a righteous judge, even by him who is within.

17. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.

18. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me.

19. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father; if

ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

He that knows the Father knows the Son also. For he who knows the Father has already become the Son.

No one can know the Father, neither become the Son, unless he first learns the Divine Law and then obeys it. Nor is this all; but he must indeed make deliberate effort to find the Christ. "Seek ye first the kingdom of heaven and all things shall be added unto you." Unless the kingdom of heaven is first found, we cannot know the Father. When the kingdom is found, then do we know the Father; for the Father dwells in the kingdom, and, when we have found the Father, then are we the Son of the Father.

20. These words spake Jesus in the treasury, as he taught in the temple: and no man laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

LESSON TWENTY-SEVEN

The flesh cannot know God; but he who purifies the flesh may become like the Father, and thus may know God.

St. John 8:21-37.

21. Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins; whither I go, ye cannot come.

Jesus, through a life of obedience to the Divine Law and through the deliberate efforts he had made while under the training of Masters in the East, had freed the flesh from evil. Through intelligent application of the Law, he had transmuted fleshly tendencies into the Conscious Individualized Soul. Through this transmutation, he had become the Son of God. The Jews to whom he spake, were still living the carnal life and knew nothing of God in actual ex

perience. Consequently, if they should continue to live the carnal life, they would die because they had not created anything immortal; while Jesus, having created an Immortal Soul, would go to the Father.

22. Then said the Jews, Will he kill himself? because he saith, Whither I go, ye cannot come.

23. And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath: I am from

above: ye are of this world: I am not of this world. They were unenlightened. They lived in the desires of the flesh, and were consequently earthly, "from beneath." Jesus lived in the Soul; the Soul lived in heaven, and, consequently, was "from above."

24. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

Unless man frees himself from evil, or sin, he shall die. The divine spark that is within him will not die because, to that, as such, there is no death. It will return to the Father whence it came; but, as the one in whom it had been planted, had made no effort to bring it to consciousnessto individualize it, to feed it, to cultivate it-it returns to the Father just as it left Him, in an unindividualized, nondynamic, potential state. The personality, that which is the carnal man, having no Immortal Fire within, will die. Personality is not eternal. And, as there is no Individuality, no Conscious Soul, there is nothing that can live in the condition of individualization. Only those who have found the kingdom of heaven and have cultivated the soulual nature into an individualized entity, can continue to live as individuals.

25. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus said unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.

26. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.