kingsland, william - the esoteric basis of christianity (1891)

7/30/2019 Kingsland, William - The Esoteric Basis of Christianity (1891)

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DEC fi 1913

The Esoteric Basis of CMstlaiiliyOR

Tieosophy and Cliristian Doctrine.

A Paper read before the Buivatsky Lodge of the Theosophical Society

yWm. kingsland, f.t.s.Author of " The Higher Science," " Concepts of Evolution and Religion,"'

" Theosophy and Orthodoxy," etc.

Wisdom in a Mystery, even the Wisdom that hath been hidden."St. Paul..^xii^-

Theosophical Publishing Society, 7, Duke Street,Adelphi, W.C.The Path, 132, Nassau Street, New York, US.A.


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women's printing society, limited,ib, grfat colltge street, \s-estminster, s.w.


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THE ESOTERIC BASIS OF CHRISTIANITYOR

THEOSOPHY AND CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE.A Papev vead before the Blavatsky Lodge of the Theosophica

Society,

By Wm. KINGSLAND, FT.S." Wisdom in a Mystery, even the Wisdom that hath been

bidden."- St PaulTHEOSOPHY claims to be the truth underlying allreligions in their exoteric or popular form ; and itclaims this in virtue of its being a presentation or

interpretation of a very ancient systemknown as the Secret.Doctrine, or ancient Wisdom Religion. The world hasnever been without its Initiates, who have preserved theesoteric knowledge w^hich has assumed such numerous.exoteric forms in all ages. This esoteric knowledge, how-ever, has always been guarded with the greatest care,and preserved a profound secret, for reasons which havebeen fully dealt with elsewhere. l-need merely instancehere the instruction of Jesus to his disciples, not to casttheir pearls before swine ; and also the statement of St.Paul (I. Cor., iii., i) that he was only able to feed his-converts with milk, not with meat. The "Wisdom in aMystery" has been reserved, as St. Paul says (I. Cor.,ii., 6), for the perfect or full-grown, for those who haveattained to spiritiLal manhood : something ' which isaltogether different from, and not coincident with,physical or intellectual manhood.


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( 4 )The particular point however to which I wish to

direct your attention, and which is a fundamental onebefore we can establish any relation between Theo-sophy and Christian Doctrine, is this : that inthe nature of things, in the nature of history, ofhuman progress and development, in the natureof man's capacity for grow^th, for the expansionof his limited and relative mind and consciousness, inthe nature of the universe itself, there is and must be aninner and an outer, an esoteric and an exoteric ; anoutward form, and an inner meaning ; an outwardexpression, temporary, finite, mutable, an inner principle j.eternal, unvarying. If there be any ideality whatever,underlying what w^e term pr.cnomena, the objectivechangeable world of sense and form, that reality mustconstitute an inner mystery, which is a mystery simply onaccount of our inability to sense and cognise it, owing^to our limited faculties. And if there be any reality inthat growth, development, or evolution, which is themost prominent factor in our experience, that realityconsists in our coming into more and more intimateconscious relation to this inner principle which underliesphenomena ; consists in an apprehension of the nou-mena; in the casting-off of the temporary illusion oi forniyof that bondage of the senses which causes attachmentto form, attachment to the impermanent and temporary,whereby the permanent and eternal is lost sight of;consists, in short, of the development of that facultywhich cognises unity in diversity ; or in a word consistsofspirituality.

In theosophical language this faculty resides in thefifth principle, or Manas, in the immortal spiritual Ego.(See diagram, page 23.) But setting aside specific theo-sophical doctrines, let us see what relation this principleof an inner spiritual reality and an outer expression inform, and of a corresponding evolution or expansion ofhuman consciousness from particulars to universals,bears to the subject before us.It is well known that the claim which has been madeby the Church, from its earliest traditions down to our


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( 5present day, on behalf of Christian doctrine, has beenthat of a special divine revelation by a personal God.Beginning with the first chapter of Genesis, and endingwith the last verse of Revelation, we are asked tobelieve that the collection of ancient writings known asthe Bible has been specially prepared and inspired bythis personal God, as a record of his dealings with, andhis will towards, the creatures he originally created.This I believe may be accepted as the fundamental basisof Christian doctrine, the centre round which all theteachings of the Church, whether Protestant or Catholic,has revolved, and from which they cannot get awaywithout breaking up and destroying all that has everbeen known historically as Christianity. I say specificallythat this is the claim made by the Church, because it is afact commonly overlooked, and one indeed of which themajority of professing Christians are ignorant, that whatis known as Christianity, in its doctrinal form, in itstraditions, and in the selection and compilation of thesubject matter of the Bible, is purely ecclesiastical.The Bible in its present form, the creeds, and the ritesand ceremonies which go to make up the sum total ofwhat is known historically as Christianity, were com-piled by the early Church authorities from miscellaneoussources. This, however, is a matter of literary andhistorical data into which I cannot enter now ; but Iwish it to be understood that in speaking of Christianityand Christian doctrine I am dealing at present with itsecclesiastical and historical forms, and not with thepersonality or teachings of its supposed founder.We have then this fundamental idea of Christianity asa revelation of the personal relationship between a

creative God, and the creatures he created ; and uponthis basis is built up the doctrinal superstructure withwhich we are all familiar in its many variations andmodifications.Now the question which we have before us, in connec-tion with the principle of expansion of the human mindwhich I have already laid down, is simply this :isthere room within the limits of Christian doctrine


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( 6 )within that system known as Christianity, for thisnatural evolution and expansion ? Does Christianitygive us, as it claims to do, all that is necessary for manto know of his spiritual nature and destiny ? We mayeven narrow the question down, and setting aside allthe varied, and often conflicting teachings of thechurches, we ma}^ confine ourselves to the root idea,and ask whether the relationship of man to a personalcreator which Christianity postulates, is a permanent oronly a temporary phase in the evolution of the humanmind and consciousness.

Let me point out here the great mistake which ismade by all religionists and sectarians with regard towhat they call the truili of their own particular doctrines.A doctrine is simpl}- a formulated statement of a prin-ciple : and since the human mind is only capable ofdealing with that which is relative, is only capable offormulating principles which are relative to its limitedand finite consciousness : and since every mind differs insome degree in its powers of observation and intuition :what is called the truth of a doctrine is merely a termfor its relativity, for the relation which it bears to theindividual mind at a certain stage of its experience orevolution. Uniformity of doctrine and belief is impossi-ble, except in a world where every individual is at thesame level or point of evolution, and all progressing, orit may be retrogressing, at the same rate.The mistake which is made by the individual, thesect, or the Church, (and Theosophists need to bewarned against this quite as much as others) is insupposing that what is true to them, or true of theirown experience, must be true for all the rest ofhumanity. It is this constant tendency to individualizeand restrict, which gives rise to dogmatism, hatred,bigotry, and all the uncharitableness of sectarianreligion.

But, I can hear some say, if tndli be thus merelyrelative, what test or assurance have we of anything ?None whatever, I reply, save the assurance of your ownjudgment, of your own mind and consciousness. Do


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( 7 )not deceive yourselves in this matter, as you value youreternal salvation, as you wish to escape from this fatalillusion of relativity, into the realm of eternal truth.Those who make this fact of man's ignorance the basisof doctrines of revelation and infallibility, are guilty ofself-deception and sophistry. The man who asserts hisbelief in an infallible book, or an infallible church, isexercising his ow^n individual judgment just as much asthe man who asserts his right to question both. Thefinal test in each case is the test of individual experience.But although all that we call truth is thus relative,there is one test, one principle, which cannot beignored, and which must always decide as to the valueof truth, must decide as between truth and error.This principle may be defined as that of universality.So long as we confine our attention to one set ofphenomena, to a limited area of experience, all thatis postulated as theory or doctrine may be true in re-lation to that with which we are dealing. But when otherphenomena or experience is brought in as a factor, wemust, if it does not harmonize with our previous conclu-sions,extend our conceptions and doctrines so as to includethe new area. The test of truth therefore is its univer-sality ; it must harmonize all known phenomena, andevery factor in human experience ; and if we find anyset of doctrines dealing merely with a limited portion,and inapplicable to the rest, we have to reject them forwider and deeper principles. Ideas which are absolutelyabsurd to those who have a wider range of experience,are often " gospel truth " to lesser minds. The distinc-tion between the untutored savage and the member of acivilized community is a very marked one in thisrespect, but where are we to draw a line, where fixupon a limit, w^here find the individual who stands at thefurthest point of human progress ? We can only draw theline where the possibility of further experience ceases. Andsince man is finite, and the universe infinite, the possi-bility is also infinite. The ideas of the most advancedphilosopher of to-day, will one day be regarded as wenow regard the primitive ideas of the savage. And if


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( 8 )this be not merely possible, but inevitable, as the humanrace advances : why should there not be those whohave already reached that far point of development,who already stand as far removed from the modernscientist or philosopher as the latter does from thesavage ?

In this vast universe, which appears as one grandfield of consciousness, individualized in innumerablemanifestations of varying degrees, and ever progressingactivity, we can conceive no break in the ever-wideningcircle. The fundamental axiom of the Unity of theUniverse forbids us to conceive of any part or portion,of any manifestation or individualization, which doesnot share in degree and kind in the universal conscious-ness. There is no single atom of so-called dead matter,no single cell or organism, however minute or rudimen-tary, which is not instinct with this universal principleof consciousness, which is the basis of all manifestation,phenomena, and sensation. Assuredly it was this ideawhich inspired our own poet Tennyson to write :

" Flower in the crannied wall,I pluck you out of the crannies ;Hold you here, root and all, in my hand,Little flowerbut if I could understandWhat you are, root and all, and all in all,I should know what God and man is."

And as we can trace this principle in all stages ofevolution, in ever-widening spheres of consciousness upto man, so we are bound to go on with the process, andconceive of individual intelligences of higher, wider, andnobler character, until the whole series is summed up inthat absolute consciousness of the whole, which we canpostulate and name, as God or otherwise, but of whichwe can form no conception, and therefore formulate nodoctrine.And this is not merely true as a speculation of themind, one which has found expression in all ages invarious conceptions of superior beings, in Gods, Angelsand Archangels, Dhyan Chohans, &c.: but it is claimed asan actual fact that there are those human beings, with no


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( 9 )elements of supernaturalism or superstition about them,who stand to-day where the majority of men will onlystand after thousands, and it may be millions of years.Why not ? I ask again, where are you going to draw theline at the possibility of further human progress ? Andif the gulf is so great to-day between the savage and thephilosopher, why should there not be as great a gulfbetween the philosopher and the adept ? The existenceof these Masters of Wisdom is a fact, which all mayprove who are not too prejudiced to investigate andform an unbiassed judgment.And now observe in connection with this relativity ofdoctrine to the experience of the individual, its applica-tion to what has been called revealed truth, as distin-guished from human discovery. There is no possibilityof revelation save in connection with the relative natureand capabihties of the individual mind. " I have yetmany things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear themnow " (John xvi., 12). Revelation necessarily deals withthat which is subjective, with that which is supposed tobe beyond the reach of actual experience or observationand it is just here that we have the special claim ofChristianity, that it supplies information which mancould not in the nature of things have found out forhimself. In Christian dogma the Bible is nothing if notsuperhuman.But the whole question is, what is superhuman ? To

the savage there is much that would appear super-human in that which is familiar in the every-dayexperience of the civilized man. To the average manof to-day, even to the most advanced scientistandprobably more so to him by reason of his one-sidednessthe powers of the adept appear superhuman, and aretherefore denied. Much that has at one time beendenied as belonging to the category of the siipernatural isnow admitted, as having been brought within the line ofthe natural. Science denied the facts of mesmerism, butis now compelled to recognise them. It denies the factsof spiritualism, and will not investigate because it hassettled beforehand that the phenomena are impossible.


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( lo )Professor Tyndall says :" There are men of sciencewho would sell all that they have, and give the proceedsto the poor, for a glimpse of phenomena which are meretrifles to the spiritualist." And yet he will not investi-gate, although one of the most eminent scientific men ofthe day, Professor Crookes, has published scientificresearches which give something more than the requiredglimpse. On the other hand Professor Huxley virtuallycontradicts Professor Tyndall when he says :" Sup-posing the phenomena to be genuine, they do notinterest me." And so he also will not investigate.These men have made up their minds that there cannotbe anything supernatural or superhuman, and theydefine these as anything which lies outside the range oftheir own particular experience.The Christian makes exactly the same mistake in theopposite direction. He has made up his mind that hisBible is superhuman and revealed, and not only so, but thatthere is no other record in the world which can make asimilar claim, or can be compared in any respect withthis book ; and starting from this as a first principle heis compelled to reject all other records, relie^ions, andexperience as false and mischievous.

Before we can decide then as to the authority of theBible, as a supposed superhuman record, we must firstof all decide as to the limits of the human, as to theline of demarcation between the human and the super-human, between the natural and the supernatural. Andif there be no such lineor rather if the line be relative,not absoluteif the possibility of human developmentbe infinite, as indeed all reason and analogy lead us toconclude ; if further than this we have direct evidencethat there are, and ahvays have been, those who are somuch in advance of the race that they stand in theposition usually assigned to the superhuman : we haveoffered to us at once a rational solution of the difficultiesin connection with the Bible record. Let us glance at afew of these difficulties before presenting more specifi-cally the solution which Theosophy offers.We may divide these difficulties into two classes : {a)


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( II )historical, literary, and critical; (h) doctrinal; orbriefly : those which relate to facts, and those whichrelate to doctrine. It is necessary to make this distinc-tion because facts are so often confounded with doctrinein matters of controversy. The facts of the Bible, andthe doctrines based thereon, are two totally differentthings. A fact must underhe a doctrine, it is the basison which doctrine rests, and if the supposed fact befound to be false, the doctrine must necessarily be falsealso. In too many cases this is reversed, and fact ismade to rest upon doctrine, as in the instances I haveeduced of the attitude of mind of the scientist andrehgionist respectively. The position taken up by eachof these is, that if the facts and the doctrine do notharmonize, so much the worse for the facts. We mustobserve, however, that so long as the fact isadmitted, or supposed, or stands as a first principle, thedoctrine may be relatively true to that fact, althoughabsolutely false. On the other hand a fact may beadmitted, but the conclusions drawn from that fact bewidely different.Now we have in the Bible a record which on the faceof it appears to be historical ; on what grounds are weto decide its validity as history ; how are we to decide asto the truth of the statements it puts forward as state-ments of facts ? The common argument is, that it istrue because it is the inspired word of God, but that isputting doctrine before fact ; and as such a large portionof it is evidently untrue as matter of fact, the doctrine ofinspiration becomes a difficult one to accept. Modernapologists endeavour to strike a kind of mean between theold doctrine of Hteral inspiration, and the idea thaftheBible is purely human in its origin. This, how^ever, ismerely one of those forced concessions by which theChurch is dragged in the rear of advancing thought,,which she vainly endeavours to retard.We have then in the first place the fact of the exist-ence of the Bible, and in the second place the doctrineof the Church with regard to its origin and inspiration.We have in the first place certain statements made in


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( 12 )the Bible with regard to supposed facts in history, andin the second place the doctrines of the Church built upupon these statements.

It is no part of my task now to enter into controversyon these matters. What I wish to do is to state the ques-tion so that we may see clearly where it is that Theosophyoffers a solution of the difficulties which beset theearnest student, and more especially those who areendeavouring to free themselves from the narrow andinconsistent concepts of Christian orthodoxy. Theo-sophy has much to offer to these enquirers ; a greatresponsibility rests upon Theosophists in connection withthe revolution through which so many minds are passingin connection with the elements of the faith in whichthey have been brought up. There is, I fear, too muchtendency on the part of those who have passed throughthis stage, and reached the goal of freedom, to look withsomething approaching to contempt upon those who arestill unable to enter into that freedom. There is a con-tempt of intellect, as well as a contempt of wealth ; anair of nouveau riche in the one as in the other. There ismuch need that we should bear in mind the injunctionsof St. Paul as to our behaviour towards our weakerbrethren, those who are not yet freed from the bondageof forms and ceremonies, of custom, prejudice, and earlytraining and bias. While jealousty guarding our ownfreedom, while boldly denouncing those systems whichare responsible for the moral and intellectual thraldomof so many of our fellow-creatures : those systems whichtake advantage of ignorance in order to enslave it bymeans of superstitious fear ; let us be careful lest therebywe cause our weaker brethren to stumble. There is aflagrant and blatant atheism in vogue in some quarterswhich delights in holding up to ridicule of the grossestform, matters which are sacred to man}^ minds. I donot think any Theosophists can be in sympathy withsuch. But there are hundreds and thousands to-day,who are questioning the basis of the Christian faith,and are going through a mortal struggle in their effortsto reach that something which is dimly perceived to lie


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( 13 )outside and beyond the teachings of the Church. Thesuccess of Robert Elsmere was due to the skill with whichthe author portrayed this stage of doubt and question-ing through which so many are passing. Some of ushave passed through it in a more or less acute form inthis incarnation, others have not experienced it now,having passed through it before ; but assuredly at sometime or another all must fight and conquer thatparticular illusion which enslaves a man to somespecial form of religion, constituting in its lowest phasethat bigoted and intolerant dogmatism of priestcraftwhich is so indissolubly connected with the history ofChristianity. Our object is to help those who arestruggling for the light, and we can do this best, not byfiercely denouncing and ridiculing those doctrineswhich they have hitherto believed, but by showingtheir relative nature and interpreting them on deeperprinciples.And so we may take one by one the difficulties whicharise in the minds of those who first suspect, and finallyconclude, that Christian doctrine cannot be literally andhistorically true ; and we may show that all these doc-trines have a basis in deep and abiding principles ofhuman nature ; that when the shell has been crackedand thrown away, the kernel will be found. The shellis the result of human sin and ignorance ; it is theencrustation of matter and form which is inevitablewhen the spiritual is brought down into the material.The Word must be made manifest in the Flesh, other-wise it is not seen of men ; but the Flesh is never theWord, is never the reality, though men in their ignor-ance fail to discriminate, and the Church has per-petuated the error, and materialized the Word intogrosser and still grosser forms ; so that now when mencry for the spiritual bread of life, it has nothing to offerthem but a stone.The Church gives us no alternative but to accept orreject its dogmas. There is no inner or spiritual mean-ing in its teachings apart from their literal acceptation.There is no Esoteric Christianity in the Church, we


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( 14 )must go elsewhere for it ; and it is Theosophy whichnow proclaims it.

So, taking this first and fundamental difficulty withregard to the origin and nature of the Bible, we do notdeny, but we assert that it is a revelation ; that it is aninspiration ; that it is if you like superhuman, inasmuchas it comes from those who, in virtue of their positionand knowledge, would be generally regarded as super-human. But the Bible as we have it now is not theoriginal record. It has passed through many hands andmany translations, and the process is inevitably adeteriorating one. The faults and errors and discrepan-cies are human, the result of ignorant intervention ; theunderlying truth is divine, inasmuch as it deals witheternal verities.How are we to distinguish the truth, how are we toget at these verities ? By accepting facts, knowledge,revelation, from every other source available, and inter-preting the Bible by these facts, not the facts by theBible. If we ignorantly and superstitiously supposethat the whole of revelation is contained between thecovers of the Bible, and refuse to accreditas theChurch has done in all agesanything which appearsto conflict with the Scriptures, we shall never reach thetruth. All that history, all that science, all thatsymbology and m3/thology can teach us, must be appliedto correct and interpret the record.And here we must notice another fact. The Bible aswe now have it is a collection of a number of scatteredrecords, selected from a great many more of a similarcharacter. There is no reason for regarding thosewhich have been selected as of greater value or inspira-tion than those which have been left out. Not only isthis so, but we have in other languages, and comingdown to us from nations antedating the Jewish race,similar records, dealing with the creation of the worldand the relation of man to the universe, in a totallydifferent way, though still to all appearances historically.Now these accounts cannot be all true ; they are onthe face of them quite at variance with each other.


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( ^5 )Either the Bible is true as history I am referring nowto the account in Genesisand the others false, or theBible is false and the others true ; or there is a thirdalternative, that they are all allegorical. Up to a cer-tain point men may be satisfied to accept one or otherof these records as historically true. There are thou-sands even to-day who accept literally the narrative inGenesis. But if we reject them as history, how shall wedeal with them ? Shall w^e throw them aside as worth-less fables, belonging to a primitive and ignorant age ?The answer is, No ! We must call to our aid the resultof literary research into ancient civilizations, customs,religions, and symbology ; and by careful comparisonwe shall soon discover the key which we require. Forthere is a great mass of research and literature nowavailable for those who really desire to get at the truth.And when we do this we shall find that the collectionof writings known as the Bible, constitutes but one of anumber of records which are all derived from, and basedupon one unifying system, known at times as the

Ancient Wisdom Religion, or Secret Doctrine. We shallfind that these teachings were always symbolical andmythological ; that they have been given out from timeto time, and from age to age, in a form appropriate tothe particular nation or age for whom they were written ;and that they were usually based upon some actual histo-rical narrative, which thus gave a colour of hteral truthto them. As in our childhood we demand fairy stories,and delight in fancies, so in the spiritual childhood of aman, of a nation, or a race, there is much whichnaturally takes the form of allegory. But these alle-gories are not the invention of primitive man, any morethan children invent their own fairy tales. They wereput forward by the divine hierarchy of Initiates, as theonly available method of presenting truths which as yetcould not be grasped in any other form.And as it was with the early Initiates from whom allthe sacred records were originally derived, so it hasbeen with all the great teachers of whom we have his-torical records. Confucius and Buddha ; Moses, Jesus,


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{ i6 )and Paul ; one and all have, had to teach in accordancewith the capacity of their hearers ; veiling the deeperspiritual truth in a form which was comprehensible tothe people they addressed. Yet they have all indicatedplainly that there was a spiritual truth underlying theform in which they taught ; they have all had theiresoteric doctrine, and their initiated disciples.And this esoteric doctrine is the same all the worldover, and in all ages ; for it is the spiritual truth ofman's relation to the universe, the spiritual mystery ofhis life and consciousness, and can only be discernedand understood by those who have risen above theillusions of time and sense, of matter and form. Letthose who deny the existence of this esoteric truthexplain what St. Paul means when he tells the Corin-thians : " And I, brethren, could not speak unto you asunto spiritual, but as unto carnal, as unto babes inChrist. I fed you with milk, not with meat ; for ye werenot yet able to bear it : nay, not even now are ye able :for ye are yet carnal." (I. Cor. iii., i.)And it is just this esoteric truth, this inner spiritualmeaning of the great teachers of the world, and therecords they have given us, which Theosophy offers.Not by any means the whole of it, for there must stillremain mystery within mystery, until the final triumph^but assuredly enough to point the way to those who arestriving after a deeper knowledge, and a purer light.And the proof that the key which Theosophy offersis the true one is its universality. The proof lies inthe fact, which each one must verify for himself, that itdoes unify the records and teachings, which, taken intheir mere outward form, appear to be contradictoryand mutually destructive.

This point cannot be emphasized too strongly ; it isever the letter that killeth, but the spirit that givethlife. We have learnt nothing of our own individuallife, or of the universe around us, until we have learntto recognise the unity which underlies diversity,until we have learnt to detach the underlying spiritualprinciple from any mere form of doctrine, from any


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{ 17 )mere arrangement of letters in the name of deity, fromany particular scriptural record, or conventional formof worship. How many professing Christians are therewho can conceive of deityusing the term for theultimate spiritual basis of the manifested universeapart from the conventional name of the personal God,Jehovah ? They regard with pious horror, if not withcontempt, the "heathen" whose conception of deity isexpressed in some other arrangement of letters. Towhisper to them the name of Brahmn is to call up intheir minds vague notions of idol worship, strangefigures of Hindu gods, and a mysterious and super-stitious worship. They send missionaries to convertthese ignorant heathen from a worship of Brahma to aworship of Jehovah, and the missionaries soon find outthat far from being ignorant the Brahmins are morethan a match for them on every point. However, theysend home a few^ samples of the four-headed Brahma andother "idols", and these serve to keep up the pity andcontemptand the subscriptions. And all the timeBrahma and Jehovah are essentially identical ! Evenexoterically, in the mere external form they are identical,Jehovah as the tetragrammaton or " four-lettered word "I.H.V.H. ; Brahma, as the four-headed god. To under-stand this in its deeper meaning, you must understandthe relation between the triad and the quaternary (Seediagram, page 23), as symbols of the spiritual andthe material, the eternal and the temporal, the subjec-tive and the objective. The Brahmin will explain thisto you, the Christian will commonly deny the wholesubject.

Alas ! for the illusion of forms and formulas ; howshall we teach men to escape from it ? How shall wecombat that fatal disease which is the cause of all thecruelty, intolerance and bigotry which has ever beenassociated with the name of religion. There is only oneway in which it can be doneby disclosing the unifyingprinciple, the basis upon which all religions rest, andfrom which they have all been derived. And for thoseAvho cannot enter into the literary and critical evidences

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( i8 )of this unity, we must present a few easily understoodprinciples which will enable them to appreciate itspractical and moral aspect. And this is done in ourTheosophy by the doctrines of Reincarnation andKarma. Reincarnation and Karma do not applymerely to our individual lives, the}' are universalprinciples. They find a reflection in our individuallives, because they are universal principles ; for there isnothing in man, the microcosm, that does not exist inthe universe, the macrocosm ; nor is there anything inthe universe which does not exist in man. We aresometimes asked to prove the truth of Reincarnationand Karma in their individual aspect by chapter andverse from the Bible, but those who demand such proofare those who are still in bondage to the letter, and theleast likely to grasp an underlying principle. What isthere that cannot be proved or disproved at will, bytaking mere isolated texts of Scripture ? " The Devilcan quote Scripture for his own ends ", has become aproverb. And so although there are many isolatedtexts and incidents in evidence of these doctrines asapplied to the individual, as for instance the referenceto the reincarnation of Elijah (Mat. xvii., lo) ; themystical application of the principle in John iii., 3-15;and the reference to Karma operating at birth in thecase of the man who w^as born blind (John ix., i). Inthis case Jesus is made to say that the blindness was notthe result of sin, either in the case of the man himselfbefore birth for^t is evident that the sin which wouldcause a man to be born blind could only be accomplishedin a previous lifeor of his parents ; and the rest of thechapter is made to turn upon this incident in order toconvey deeper spiritual truths, which those who readthe mere narrative will inevitably miss. The key tothe whole chapter is contained in the last three verses :*' And Jesus said, For judgment came I into this world,that they which see not may see ; and that they whichsee may become blind The Phariseessaid unto him, Are we also blind ? Jesus safd unto them,If ye were blind, ye would have no sin : but now ye say


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( 19 )we see : your sin remaineth." Thus the man whowas born bUnd in the narrative stands for the naturalspiritual blindness of those whose evolution has not yetreached that point where the "works of God" becamemanifest in them through the indwelling Christprinciple, the " light of the world ". To this naturalblindness no sin attaches, but the sin remains withthose who say " We see ", yet cast out of the synagoguethose whose eyes have really been opened by thedivine Master. Are there no such Pharisees to-day ?The whole chapter is a good illustration of themethod which pertains all through the Bible. "Thenarratives of the Doctrine are its cloak. The simplelook only at the garment, that is, upon the narrative ofthe Doctrine ; more they know not. The instructed,however, see not merely the cloak, but what the cloakcovers." And it is only when you have grasped thisprinciple, when you have understood that the geniusof the Bible is not in its narrative, that you will be ableto understand the value of the book, or harmonize itwith natural law, and with those factors which enterinto man's spiritual aspirations in all ages, and in everyform of religion. And when you have been able to dothis, you will see how the whole relation of man to theuniverse, of humanity to divinity, which the Biblediscloses to those who can put aside the narrative, isbased on the principles of Reincarnation and Karma ; onReincarnation as the principle which is ever operating inthe manifestation of life, or the constant interchangebetween the subjective and the objective, the alter-nate bringing into objectivity, and as constant dis-appearance into subjectivity, known to us as birthand death ; on Karma as the principle of the conservationof energy, or the co-relation of forces, operating betweenthe subjective and the objective, applied to the universeas a whole, and to man in all his relations, physical,psychic, mental, and spiritual. For just as the wholeobjective universe comes into existence out ofsubjectivity,so does our individual life. Nothing that exists in theuniverse can ever cease to Be. It may change its form,


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( 20 )or disappear altogether from our present objectiveplane of phenomena, but it is only the form which hasbeen destroyed, and death is ever coincident withbirth.

Let us now proceed to examine more in detail thel:>ible narrative, and the key which Theosophy offersfor its interpretation. I cannot stay to point outthe application of the key to the book of GenesiSyor the other writings of the Old Testament, but mustpass on to the more specific doctrines of Christianity^based upon the New Testament record ; and in doingso, I will remark upon the solution which Theosophyoffers as to the supposed connection between the Oldand the New Testaments in the fulfilment of prophecy.The prophetic utterances with reference to the Messiah,and their supposed fulfilment in Jesus Christ, constituteone of the most difficult subjects in connection withBiblical criticism, as well as one of the fundamentaldoctrines upon which Christianity rests. If there beno connection between the Old and New Testamentsin this matter, Christianity falls to the ground. Thenecessit}' for the coming of a Messiah according toChristian doctrine was owing to the "fall" of man ; hewas pre-ordained, prophesied, and awaited from themoment of that fall.Now that " fall " is allegorically represented in Genesis..I am not speaking now to those who believe that thewhole of humanity is sinful and degraded because Eve-ate an apple some six thousand years ago. There isno spiritual knowledge possible for those who are sowedded to the letter, for the letter kills the spirit. Butthe question is : was there in the history of man's-evolution, in his relation to the spiritual world, any-thing equivalent to a ''fall"? The Esoteric Doctrineanswers, yes ; and explains this fall in connectionwith certain well recognised cyclic laws of involutionand evolution. Spiritual man " falls " ever}^ time heincarnates in physical life : for all are agreed that ourpresent state of existence is not merely temporary, butsubject to conditions which are much lower than those


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( 21 )of a spiritual state. And so also Adam, representinggenerically the whole human race, " fell " from hisoriginal state of freedom and purity by eating the fruitof the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In otherwords, in order that there may be evolution there mustbe involution. Man as a spiritual being can onlybecome self-conscious through experience of " good andovil " ; that is to say, through a descent into matterand physical life, by passage through those lowerplanes of cosmic life and consciousness which consti-tute the phenomenal world of manifestation, whereeverything is inseparably connected in our conscious-ness with its opposite; for it is this opposition orduality in all thingsgood and evil, light and darkness,life and death, here and there, then and nowwhich isthe basis of all phenomena. And so when we lookbeneath the mere words of the allegory we find thedeepest philosophical meaning ; we have room for themind to expand towards those deeper problems of lifeand consciousness which have occupied the profoundestthinkers in all ages, and in which the mystery of ourspiritual life lies hidden.

But as man has fallen, so he must also rise ; and hisfinal triumph over evil, or Satan, or matterfor thethree are synonymousis foreshadowed in the type ofthe Messiah, and fully represented in the New Testa-ment by the resurrected Christ. " For as in Adam alldie, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." (I. Cor.XV., 22.) Do you suppose this refers to mere physicaldeath ? It does so apply on the lowest or physicalplane of consciousness, but "as above so below", andthere is a spiritual death as well as a physical ; theyare only synonymous inasmuch as every mystery in^'heaven" is repeated on "earth"; and they are notcoincident.

Spiritual man must "die", otherwise there could beno resurrection from the dead in a spiritual sense ; andsince spiritual man is immortal and eternal, he "dies"every time he incarnates upon this earth, for verilythis world is the grave of the spirit, where it sleeps,


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( 22 )unconscious of, or but dimly recollecting, its higher andnobler life.And as with the individual, so with the race. AsAdam is the type, so also is Christ. As the Old Testa-ment deals with the history of man in his " fall'', fore-shadowing at intervals his final redemption under thetype of the Messiah, so the New Testament is thenatural fulfilment of that prophecy, because it dealswith the nature and conditions of this redemption underthe type of Jesus Christ.

Is not that a natural and rational explanation of thenature of prophecy, and of the connection between iheOld and the New Testaments ? You wdll see at once howit places in the background, as of quite secondary im-portance, all those supposed discrepancies between theactual words of a prophecy, and their literal fulfilmentin the historical narrative of Jesus of Nazareth. Wepass over the lowest aspect of the question, we ignorethose controversial points over which such an enormousamount of learning and sophistry has been expended,and draw our inspiration from the deep philosophicaland spiritual meaning of the record.The Old Testament contains the record of man's" fall ", contains under the form of an historical allegorythe secret of those vast cosmic cycles b}' which spiritmanifests in matter, by which the divine becomeshuman. These cycles are portrayed in the sacredbooks of the East as the outbreathing and inbreathingof Brahma. Even modern philosophy, which as yet isbut the echo of the ancient Wisdom, has given a hintat the philosophic rationale of the " fall ". According toHegel, the "Unconscious" would never have under-taken the vast and laborious task of evolving theUniverse, except in the hope of attaining self-conscious-ness. As above so below : our individual sentient life isthe reflection of the macrocosmic principle.And as in the Old Testament the divine becomeshuman, so in the New Testament the human re-becomesdivine. The New Testament contains in the form ofan historical allegory the conditions of man's " redemp-


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( 23 )tion ", that is to say, of his return to the spiritual planesof being, plus that self- consciousness, that "knowledgeof good and evil ", which is the purpose of his incarna-tion.The eternal law of ceaseless motion which lies at theroot of cosmic evolution, finds its reflection in bothsmall and great ; in the tiniest atom and in the mostglorious sun ; in the sentient life of the lowest organism,up to man, and from man onward through all the divinehierarchies to that sum total which is unnameable.To those who are familiar with the teachings of theSecret Doctrine this is readily understandable, but for thesake of those who are not I must now call your attentionto a symbohsm which will be found to apply to theseprinciples under whatever form they may be given,whether in the Bible or in other ancient records.

Considering man as dual in his nature, or spiritualand material, we have as a symbol of spiritual man, atriad, represented geometrically by the triangle ; and asthe symbol of material or physical man we have aquaternary, or square. I cannot stay to explain nowwhy spiritual man is a trinity and material man aquaternary, but the fact that you find it so in everysystem, is a significant one. Now^ the three and thefour together make up seven, or the seven Principles ofman as taught in Theosophy.7 A Atma6 / \ Buddhi=; / \ Manas

KamaPranaAstralPhysical

Spirit ] The Immortal Spiritual ManSpiritual Soul [- orMind J Divine Ego.Animal SoulVitality , ^j^g Mortal Physical ManDouble r^"'^y

J Temporary Personality.The three higher principles constitute the immortal,

divine, spiritual man ; or the individuality, the Egosum. The four lower belong to the temporary person-ality of physical, material man.

At death, the four lower principles disappear, ordisinteo^rate into their natural elements on the four't>'


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( H )planes to which they belong, while the consciousness ofthe man that was is withdrawn into the higher triad.At rebirth, or reincarnation, this is outbreathed again,clothes itself in the elements of the four lower planes,or " matter ", and becomes again a human being for thepurpose of a new cycle of experience. Thus you willsee that at every birth into this world, or at every re-incarnation, there is relatively a "fall", thoughabsolutely it is a rise, on account of the experiencegained. Now we see this great law of cyclic motion,or of outbreathing and inbreathing, in operation inevery form of manifestation in the universe, taking theform of a law of periodicity, or of alternate subjectivityand objectivit}^ ; smaller cycles operating within largerones in ever-increasing magnitude, to infinity. Andjust as individual man in his repeated manifestations orincarnations follows this law, so does the whole othumanity in its aggregate of evolution upon this earth,during its period of manifestation ; and this descent intomatter constitutes the allegory of the Book of Genesis,and is continued under other symbols in other books ofthe Old Testament.But man has to win his way back to his original free-dom. Having entered " matter " he must hght andovercome it. The necessity for reincarnation is con-ditioned by his not having as yet accomplished theobject for w^hich the original impulse to incarnation wasgiven. When that object is accomplished, man rises asthe conqueror over deathbecause the conqueror overthe necessity of rebirthas the glorified Christos, theperfected Adept, or full Initiate. " Then shall come topass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed upin victory." (I. Cor. xv., 54.) Audit is this victory, thisconquest, and the conditions under which it must beobtained, which is portrayed in the New Testament.

I think I have said enough now to show the connec-tion between the Old and New Testaments, and togive you the clue to their interpretation ; for it isimpossible to do more than give the clue to those whoseminds are open to the underlying mysteries; and I must


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( 25 )now pass on to deal more specifically with some of thedoctrines based on the New Testament record.The first thing which is necessary in doing this isto dispose of the historical difficulty. There are manywho will accept an allegorical Adam as a type- ofhumanity, who will not accept an allegorical andtypical Christ. But the one without the other is animpossibility, as indeed is plainly seen in the writingsof St. Paul. " As we have borne the image of theearthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly."{II. Cor. XV., 49.) There is no choice between the literalpersonal and historical character of both, and the doc-trines of the fall and atonement as taught by the Church,or the allegorical and typical character of the one as ofthe other. They are indissolubly connected, and what-ever key is used for the one must be used for the other.

But the difficulty is not so great as it appears, andadmits of a very simple solution. Just as in the OldTestament we have the historical Jewish race, intowhose history is cunningly woven the thread of themystical allegory of man's evolution, so in the NewTestament we have the historical Jesus, into whose lifeand teachings is woven the mystical truths of the natureof the divine man. There cannot be an historical Christ,any more than an historical Adam ; for every man isAdam, and every man will become Christos, or"anointed". But we have an actual historical Jesiis^and everyone i at liberty to believe what he likes as tothat historical character being already Chvistos, theperfect man, or Initiate.Thus we may reconcile in whatever way we please,from literary and critical evidences, the difficulties

which arise in the Gospel narratives respecting thepersonality of Jesus of Nazareth, without interfering inthe slightest degree with the divine nature and mysteryof the Christ.

It will be seen at once how this disposes of theimportance of those difficulties over which so muchcontroversy has been wasted, during centuries of eccle-siastical teaching, and which still rages in the present


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( 26 )day. The "divinity of Christ" has been the greatdogma of the Church, and at the same time the greatstumbhng-block of rational thought, simply because theblind was so completeor rather because the early Churchauthorities were so successful in destroying the clue, sothat the derivation of their doctrines from the Gnosticand Egyptian Mysteries could not be tracedthat thepersonal Jesus became absolutely identified with thetypical Christ.

But the truth cannot be withheld from the worldmuch longer. Literary and historical research, andcomparative symbology and mythology, is graduallydisclosing the fraud which has been imposed upon theworld for centuries. The truth will soon be clearly andundeniably demonstrated, and w^hile ecclesiastical Chris-tianity may remain as a remnant of superstition, thetruth as it is in Christ will shine forth as the spirituallight upon the inmost mystery of man's nature.The divinity of Christ is as certain as the humanityof Adam. The one completes the other. If Christ wasnot divine, then is humanity not divine ; and there is nosalvation possible for it. If humanity is not divine, thenthere could have been no Christ, and all men's spiritualaspirations are empty dreams.The doctrine of the divine incarnation was taught inall the Ancient Mysteries. We have the story, incidentby incident, almost word for w^ord as in the Gospels, inmany other so-called heathen systems. In the Egyptian,as Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, we have the sametypical Messiah in connection with a solar or astrono-mical glyph. So also wdth Krishna, the son of \'ishnuand Lakshmi, we have so near an approach to theGospel narrative, that it has been the greatest puzzle,and has led to the most flagrant literary dishonesty, toendeavour to account for the narratives, without deriv-ing the one from the other. But all these difficulties\anish the moment we understand the real nature of thedivine incarnation, and its connection with naturalevolution and universal laws.And observe further how this is the bridge which


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{ 27 )spans the gulf between science and religion. We are-often told that there can be no conflict between truescience and true religion ; yet nothing is more notoriousthan the open conflict between the representatives ofthe one and of the other. The Church has ever beenthe deadliest enemy of scientific discovery, and to-day,if she had the power, she would burn its votaries as shedid of old. But there can be no conflict with thereligion we now advance, based upon the relation ofman to the universe, instead of upon an anthropomorphicGod. The scientific materialist may doubt our conclu-sions, but we have no quarrel wath the facts he bringsto light. If his special line of research blinds him tohigher spiritual possibilities, so much the worse for him*^but we welcome as so much gain all that he can teachus as to nature's methods of w^orking. And so also inother departments of research, all that is brought tolight is clear gain to us. There is no longer any fearlest our favourite dogmas should be overturned, lest thefoundations of our faith should crumble to dust beforethe advancing tide of knowledge. We welcome know-ledge in every shape and form, for in knowledge there isfreedom, but in ignorance is superstition, fear, cruelty,and death.Let us now turn for a moment to the symbol of thecross, which is supposed to be so pre-eminently origi-nated by, and associated with, Christian doctrine. Itis a matter of secondary importance to us whether thepersonal Jesus was or was not crucified in the mannerdescribed ; as to whether he did or did not rise from thegrave, and appear afterwards to his disciples. Thespeculations, and arguments, and physical probabilityor improbability of this event may be left to those whostill cling to the idea of a carnalised personal Christ..Supposing for a moment that it did happen as narrated,it by no means follows that the dogmas built thereonare true ; but whether it did or did not happen, doesnot interfere with the spiritual meaning and significance..Here again the Church is a blind leader of the blind.We must go further and deeper, we must study symbology ,,


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( 28 )mythology, and astronomy even, before we can under-stand how the symbol of the cross came to be associatedwith spiritual man, as the Chvistos. In selecting andediting the books of the New Testament as we nowhave them, the Church took care to obliterate all traceswhich would disclose the real source and meaning ofthis symbol. They did more. The hordes of fanaticalChristians searched for and ruthlessly destroyed all theancient manuscripts, sculptures, hieroglyphs, and otherrecords which bore testimony to its use prior to theChristian era. Some of the hieroglyphs, cut into thehard stone of the Egyptian rock temples, which theycould not deface, they plastered over with stucco, thustaking the very best precautions to preserve the writingclear and well-defined for our use. But the evidencesare now too numerous to be denied, that the cross hasbeen a universal symbol in all ages. What did itmean ?The cross in its simplest form, as -f, is the gl3'ph forthe quaternary or square, representing as we havealready seen the four lower planes of consciousness, ormore simply, matter. Astronomically also, in conjunc-tion with the circle, as it is the symbol for theearth. It is also known as the " mundane cross", ands expressed in various forms in different systems, as the

*' swastica " 4^, the "ansated cross" f , the"tau" T , &c.On our three dimensional plane the square becomesthe cube, and the cube unfolded again displays the cross.The two members counted separately give

us 3 and 4, or together 7 ; while the addi--1 tion of the three nail marks gives us the

_l| suggestion of the triangle, or the divineman crucified on the cross of matter.We shall thus see, in accordance withwhat has already been explained, thatevery incarnation of the divine spirit, whether indivi-dually or collectively, constitutes of necessity a cruci-fixion. The incarnated Christ must needs be crucified.It is simply the summing up in one glyph, in oneallegory, of the whole mystery, the consummation in


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( 29 )one figurative emblem of the whole drama of humanexistence. And as he must needs be crucified, mustneeds descend into matter, so he must needs resurrect,and re-ascend to claim his spiritual birthright. " If"Christ hath not been raised, then is our preachingvain." (I Cor. xv., 14.)There are other applications and interpretations of"this symbol, too numerous and complicated to enterinto here. Each of these symbols has seven meanings^,corresponding to the seven planes of consciousnessthrough which the man passes, or in which he lives.In its lowest signification the cross is a purely physio-logical symbol, and as such led to its identificationwith phallic worship.The astronomical key, the connection of the twelvetribes of Israel and the twelve apostles with the twelvesigns of the zodiac, and of the Messiah, in the variousevents and characteristics of his history, with theyearly passage of the sun through these twelve signs, isfull of interest and significance. Some writers havingdiscovered this astronomical key in connection with theMessiah, and its equal apphcation to other mythicalcharacters, more particularly to Osiris and Horus, inthe Egyptian system, have supposed that this was thereal source and origin of the Christian Mythos, and theonly explanation of which it is capable. The SecretDoctrine, however, draws aside the veil from some of theother interpretations, gives the clue to other of theseven keys, and thereby raises it once more from thephysical and material into the psychic and spiritual.The symbolism of the zodiac was, and still is, one ofthe greatest secrets of the Mysteries. It is the type ofthat great law, which, operating universally in periodiccycles, brings about that change which we call evolution.Working eternally througti the material basis of theuniverse, through "root substance", it brings to lifeand brings to death, and brings to life again. Atomsand worlds, organic life in every phase, from tiniestcell, from the first germs of sentient hie onward throughall its grades, from the first dawn of individual con-


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( 30 )sciousness, chroiigh plant and animal, to men and gods :this great law holds its sway. Cycle within cycle inever-widening magnitude, until the mind of man is lostin contemplation of the infinite ; and yet, through alland in all such unity and harmony that could we butsee and understand, we should find at every mathematicalpoint in spacethe whole universe. And thus onetype stands for all, one S3mibology is of universal appli-cation ; and were we wise as those ancient sages whogave to the world that symbology, of which we have nowbut the broken fragments, we should indeed be able toread man's destiny in the stars.We must now turn our attention for a few momentsto the Christian doctrine of the Atonement, or as itought more properly to be called, the at-one-ment. Iam not supposing now that any of my hearers arebelievers in the dogma that the actual sufferings of aphysical Christ were the propitiation of an angry God.One would think that the actual sufferings of humanityitself since the " fall " was propitiation enough to satisfyany God with a sense of justice at least equal to ourown. But be that as it may, I must now show that thisdoctrine, grossly as it has been materialized, can stillhe reconstructed on esoteric lines.Turn to our diagram of the seven principles of man.(Page 23.) We have spiritual or divine man as atrinity, corresponding to the supreme divine trinity whichis found in every ancient system, and from which theChristian trinity was derived, and ultimately promul-gated as a dogma when Athanasius triumphed overArius. Now in this trinity of Atma-Buddhi-Manas,Atma corresponds to the "Father" and "Manas" tothe " Son ". Manas is always spoken of as the incar-nating Ego, that which is the informing principle of oursuccessive re-births upon earth. This statement how-ever is only partial in its application. The mystery ofthe trinity, the three in one and the one in three, isrepeated on earth. Atma-Buddhi-Manas are not threebut one, yet viewed relatively, or in their individualcapacity, they have to be treated as separate entities.


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( 31 )A very familiar analogy will illustrate this, and indeed,under the form of "divine ideation," lies at the root ofthis metaphysical trinity. Wherever you have a thinker^you must also have a thought and a thing thought of. Youcannot separate these three, the one cannot exist with-out the other, yet each of these three principles may beindividualized and treated separately. In other words,wherever there is the action of conscious intelligence,whether of God or man, there must be a trinity. Nowjust as Manas is an individualized aspect of Atmatheseventh or highest, the one universal principle, orsynthesis of all the othersbeing so to speak a ray oiMahat, or universal mind, so our personal consciousness,the thinking principle of the lower quaternary-or inshort, ourselvesis but an individualized aspect, or rayof Manas. In other words, Manas, the divine Ego, isnot comprised in the personality, but overshadows andguides it. We have already seen that in doing this itis symbolically crucified on the cross of matter, for itattaches to itself and becomes responsible for all thedeeds of the personality, good or evil. Thus it is trulythe sacrificial victim, suffering for our transgressions,for the sins of humanity.And observe how the only hope of salvation for thepersonalityfor ourselvesthe onl}-^ way in which wecan escape from the evil of matter, from the "great

illusion", the "great deceiver"or in short the Devilthe only way in which we can reach that perfection ofour humanity which is typified in Christ : is by unionwith our Alter Ego, our Higher Self; or by means of thatindwelling Christ which Paul preached. If we persist-ently turn from the light, if we refuse to follow thepromptings of our conscience, and choose the path ofevil, we weaken more and more the bond which connectsthe higher with the lower, until at last perchance thelink is snapped, and there is no longer an}?- possibilityof salvation. This is the " sin against the Holy Ghost ".

Observe how this is taught all through St. John'sGospel. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life :no one cometh unto the Father, but throusfh Me


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32 )(John xiv., 6). For as Manas is one with Atma, we canonly reach the latter, or the " Father " through unionwith Manas. And this is something which must takeplace here and now, by our own conscious efforts, andnot as a miraculous dispensation of " providence ". Atdeath all that is spivitual in our character becomesindrawn, so to speak, by the overshadowing Ego. Allthat belongs to the four lower principles is dissolvedand disintegrated, or awaits us as Karma for our nextrebirth, while the personal consciousness realises in fullall its spiritual aspirations in a state of bliss or" Heaven ". But this is only possible to the extent towhich each individual has cherished and intensifiedthose aspirations. Each one goes to his appointedplace, or rather state. The judgment book is opened,the imperishable record of every thought and deed,traced in the great law of cause and effect, will assignto each his appropriate reward, and in rebirth his appro-priate penalty. Let none hope to escape the law ofabsolute justice.

" It seeth everywhere and marketh allDo rightit recompenseth ! do one wrongThe equal retribution must be made,Though Dharma tarry long.It knows no wrath nor pardon ; utter true

Its measures mete, its faultless balance weighs ;Times are as nought, to-morrow it will judge.Or after many days."And if we would escape rebirth, if we would triumph

over death and the cross, we can only do so by thisperfect union with our Higher Self, with the Christwithin us. And just as the accomplishment of thisindividually is the complete union of the personalitywith the higher triad, so for the race collectively it isthe return of that cycle when spirit will once moretriumph over matter, typified in the New Testament asthe " second coming of Christ." And then the " Son "having accomplished his work, becomes once more onewith the " Father". This is the Pralaya, or " inbreath-ing of Brahma", in Eastern phraseology; while St,


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( 33 )Paul expresses it by saying: "And when all thingshave been subjected unto him, then shall the Son alsohimself be subjected to him that did subject all thingsunto him, that God may be all in all " (I. Cor., xv.,28).Read the mystical Gospel of St. John in the light ofthis interpretation, and see what a flood of light itthrows upon the constant references to the relationshipbetween the " Father "and the " Son", personified in Jesus.The "Father" of John's Gospel never was and nevercan be the personal tribal God of the IsraelitesJehovah;although the Church has fathered him upon Christen-dom. The sayings and claims of Jesus are absurd whenpersonified, but are pregnant with meaning, and thedeepest truth when applied to universal principles."As the living Father sent me, and I live because ofthe Father ; so he that eateth me, he also shall livebecause of me. This is the bread which came downfrom heaven : not as the fathers did eat, and died : hethat eateth this bread shall live for ever ". (John vi. 57.)This passage bears on the face oJ it its mystical andfigurative character. Yet because the Church hasmaterialized it, and succeeded in imposing upon theworld a personal Christ, it has given rise to some of thegrossest forms of superstitious ritual.The Pharisees of old were the representatives of allthat was narrow, formal, mechanical, and material inreligion. They practised a ritual from which the spirithad fled, of which the key had been lost ; they madeclean the outside of the vessel, but inwardly it was fullof extortion and wickedness. And so it was thePharisees who cried out, " Crucify him ! Crucify him !"Do you suppose that was merely an historical event, orrather that it stood as the type of what happens in allages, when the truth is sacrificed at the hands offormalism and bigotry. The crucifixion as we havealready seen, stands for the descent of spirit intomatter, in whatever aspect we may regard it ; whetherdefinitely and individually in our own nature, or ina more abstract way as the bringing into objectivity,


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( 34 )the giving shape and form, or the representation on thehmited and conditioned plane of materiahty, of univer-sal spiritual principles. So, whenever we endeavour togive these spiritual mysteries a definite shape andform, to confine them within the limits of some system,of some cut and dried formula, of some dogma andcreed, we crucify the divine on the cross of matter.. And as it was with the Pharisees, so it is with thechurch to-day. It daily and hourly cries out" Crucify him ! Crucify him ! " In every promulgationof its dogmas ; in every frantic effort which it makesto stay the advancing tide of knowledge, and keep backthe truth from mankind ; in every anathema it uttersagainst those who have awakened to a sense of thedeeper mysteries of their being, and seeking in vain forany light in christian teachings have turned elsewhere :the Church crucifies the Son of God afresh, and putshim to an open shame.We do not deny or destroy christian doctrine ; weaffirm and re-estabhsh it. It is the church whichdestroys it by making it limited and conditioned ; refus-ing to recognise its elasticity and application to naturallaws and universal principles. All that belongs to theworld of form and formulas is subject to change, decay,death. There can be no change in Truth; yet nothingis more palpable than the ever-fluctuating value oiwhat is termed orthodoxy. Nothing is of less value to-day than the teachings of the church in its practicalinfluence on the conduct and social relations of thenation. The vast majority of thinkers are alienatedfrom the church, the masses are scarcely touched by itsinfluence. Those who profess, do not practice ; theyquietly ignore everything in the teaching's of Jesus whichwould interfere with their social affairs. All that affectsour social relationships is decided on grounds of expe-diency which have no special basis in Christian doctrine.The Church itself has decided that it shall be so.What it teaches has reference to a future life, to afuture spiritual state, not to the eternal spiritualpresent. It has no ethical standard which is not found


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( 35 )elsewhere, for on those very points where the ethics ofJesus are in advance of the common morals of expedi-ency, it tacitly admits, and even expressly declares,that they are impvacticahle. If one tithe of professingchristians believed all that they profess, there wouldbe no " submerged tenth."We have no quarrel with the sincere and devoutreligionist, with those who are striving to the best oftheir ability, with the light they have, to live up totheir ideal. There are hundreds of thousands w4iocannot in the nature of the case enter into the esotericteachings. The truth must be presented to theni insome familiar and understandable form, otherwise it isa dead letter, and a sealed book. To many, the personalSaviour is a living reality, because they have made itsuch by daily and hourly dwelling upon the ideal. Toruthlessly destroy that ideal, without substituting anequivalent, might lead to untold evil. Let us dealgently and carefully with such.Nor is there any need to destroy that ideal which isso dear to many sincere christians. The personalattachment to the life and character of Jesus of Nazarethmay still remain in all degrees and forms. It evenbecomes greater and stronger when we understand thetrue nature of his divinity, and the true nature of hishumanity. Jesus Christ is both human and divine,because we are such.

Understand this matter well Jesus is the personalhistorical character, Chvist is the type, which has beengrafted upon and associated with that character. Chvist,the " second Adam", could no more be historical thanthe " first Adam " ; and those who have accepted themythical and allegorical character of the one, have nochoice but to do so for the other. Both are types ofhumanity. " The first man is of the earth, earthy : thesecond man is of heaven. As is the earthy, such arethey also that are earthy ; and as is the heavenly, suchare they also that are heavenly. And as we have homethe image of the earthy, we shall also hear the image of theheavenly ". (I Cor. xv. 47.)


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( 36 jThere always has been and niust_be an exoteric and

an esoteric ; a religion for the masses, an initiation lorthe few. But when we see the blind leading the blindwe are bound to step in. Even as Jesus denounced theScribes and Pharisees of his time, so we are bound todenounce the formalism and bigotry of to-day. TheChurch has no esoteric doctrine, no initiated priesthood.To-day the priest nominates himself; his qualihcationsare for the most part social or sermonizing. Read thehlth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as to theconnection between Christ and Melchizedek as the typeof the high priest, of whom Paul says : " We have manythings to say, and hard of inteypretation, seeing ye arebecome dull of hearing. Eor when by reason of thetime ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again thatsomeone teach you the rudiments of the hrst principlesof the oracles ol God, and are become such as have needof milk, and not of sohd food.'" (Heb. v., ii.) And sohistory repeats itself.but those who would understand that ''wisdomhidden in a mystery," which Paul preached, and whichmay still be discerned like a thread of gold runningthrough his Epistles, sadly as they have been tamperedwith, must lay aside the "weak and beggarly elements"which hold men in bondage to the letter. And it isonly when you have done this that you will know whatIS that "glorious liberty of the gospel of Christ," whichPaul preached. " Ye observe days, and months, andoeasons, and years ", he says : " 1 am afraid of you lestby any means 1 have bestowed labour upon you in vain."(Oal. IV., lo.) It is only when we can say with Paul," I have been crucihed with Christ; yet I live; andyet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me" (Gal. ii., 20),that we can lay claim to be either Christians or Theoso-phists. Paul meant just what Theosophists mean whenthey speak of union with their Highcv Self."O foohsh Galatians'"he says again"Who didbewitch you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openlyset lorth crucihed; " that is to say: to whom he hadopenly taught the knowledge of the mystic Christ,


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( 37 )which had been kept a profound secret hitherto by theinitiated Gnostics; for he adds : " Are ye so fooHsh ?having begun in the spirit, do ye now make an end inthe flesh '" ? ; that is to say, having begun with thehighest or spiritual signification, do ye now return tothe outward worship of a carnal Christ ? Nor is itdifficult to trace the connection between these wordsand the relation of Paul's teachings to those of Peter^nd the other apostles who founded the Church ofRome. Paul wâs an Initiate and a Gnostic. Just asSt. John's Gospel is Gnostic, so are St. Paul's Epistlesand in spite of the interpolations and emendationswhich wêre made by the Church Fathers before theywôuld allow them to be placed in the Canon, the factcannot be disguised when once the clue is found. Itwas Peter, and those Avho with him, as apostles of the" circumcision "', preached a personal and carnal Christ,against whom Paul warned the Galatians. Thesubject is too large to deal with here, but it is necessaryto give this hint in order that the question of Christiandoctrine, derived from the authority of the church maybe understood.

I have thus traversed briefly the whole ground ofBiblical narrative in its connection with Christiandoctrine. I have shown how every doctrineinspira-tion and prophecy, the fall and the redemption, thecrucifixion and the resurrection, the divinity of Christand the atonement are one and all susceptible of anesoteric interpretation. How these doctrines are basedupon earlier teachings, known as the Mystevies or Gnosis,but were perverted and obscured by the Church, untilfinally the key was lost, and the Church, gaining thetemporal powder it coveted, imposed upon the worldthose dogmas which have ever been synonymous withall that is most opposed to the teachings of Jesus ofNazareth, and Paul the Apostle.

All that I have been able to do however is to point outthe landmarks, to give the clue to the complicated andintricate question of Biblical history and authority. Tothose who are familiar with the endless controversies on


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( 38 )the subject, with the frantic efforts "which are made toreconcile legend with history, and the supernaturalelement with the known laws and facts of nature, thisinterpretation may come like cool and refreshing w^atersm a parched and arid desert. If they will follow up theclue they \vill find that the difficulties are but mirageillusion. They will rise to a high and serene level ofthought where such contentions cannot affectthem. Theywill " shun foolish questionings, and genealogies, andstrifes, and fightings about the law ; for they are unprofit-able and vain." And Paul adds to this a piece of advicewhich Theosophists would do well to remember : "Aman that is factious after a first and second admonitionavoid." (Titus 3, g.) It is impossible to teach theunderlying spiritual truth to those who are still inbondage to the law, to those who have not yet castaside the material form, but can rise to no higher idealthan that of a material heaven of endlessj-enjoyment,and an equally material hell of endless torment.

It is time that the Christian world should lay asidethe spell wdiich has been so long cast over it. It is timethat all thinking men should awake to the spiritualrealities which constitute the ever-present now. Andit is the work of Theosophy to lead the way in thisspiritual revival ; to free mankind from ignorance,superstition, sin, and death. Would that it might ringthrough the world like a trumpet-call" AWAKETHOU THAT SLEEPEST, AND ARISE FROMTHE DEAD, AND CHRIST SHALL SHINEUPON THEE."


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( 39

THE THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.The Theosophical Society was formed at New York,November 17th, 1875. Its founders believed that thebest interests of Rehgion and Science would bepromoted by the revival of Sanskrit, Pali, Zend, andother ancient literature, in which the Sages hadpreserved for the use of mankind truths of the highestvalue respecting man and nature. A Society of anabsolutely unsectarian character, whose work should beamicably prosecuted by the learned of all races, in asp)irit of unselfish devotion to the research of truth, andwith the purpose of disseminating it impartially,seemed likely to do much to check materialism andstrengthen the waning spirit of true Religion, Science,and Philosophy. The simplest expression of the objectsof the Society is the following :

First.To form the nucleus of a Universal Brotherhood ojHumanity, without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste, orcolour.Second.To promote the study of Aryan and other Eastern

literatures, religions, philosophies, and sciences, and to demon-strate their importance to Humanity.Third.To investigate imexplained laws of nature and thepsychical pollers latent in man.The Theosophical Society is not connected with anycreed or party. Its members are united by the bond ofa common idealBrotherhood ; by a common rule ofconductthe attempt to realize that ideal ; and by acommon studythat set forth in the second and third

*' Objects " stated above. The acceptance of theselatter, however, is optional with members.Those who join the Society are asked to part with norehgious or other beliefs, consistent with a respect for,and toleration of the beliefs of other members. Few


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( 40 )persons are without a preference for some form of creedor doctrine, not accepted by others, who are, intellec-tually and morally, their equals. But the motto of theTheosophical Society, " There is no religion higherthan Truth," forbids all bigotry or exclusiveness, byholding up as the goal of effort something which liesabove and beyond all systems, whether of philosophy,religion, or sciencewhich admit of any doubt orquestion. Thus there are in its ranks, and cooperatingin its work, followers of the most divergent schools ofthoughtChristians, Buddhists, Hindus, Parsees,Alahommedans, Freethinkers, etc.The promoters of the Society's objects do not evendream of being able to establish upon earth duringtheir time an actual Brotherhood of peoples andgovernments. But what they do hope and mean toachieve is to induce a large body of the more reasonableand better educated persons of all races and religiousgroups extant, to accept and put into practice thetheory that by mutual help and a generous tolerance ofeach other's pre-conceptions, mankind will be largelybenefited and the chances of discovering hidden truthimmensely increased. The policy they advocate is thatof benevolent reciprocitythe Golden Rule of " doingas one v/ould be done by," which was preached by mostof the great Sages of old, and has been the watchwordof true philanthropists in all epochs. They go onsowing this seed, leaving it to germinate in the fulnessof time and to ultimately bear a rich harvest for thecoming generations.The Society, then, represents not any one creed, but

all creeds; not one, but every branch of science. It isthe opponent of bigotry, superstition, credulity, anddogmatism wherever found or by whomsoever taught.So, also, it is the opponent of vice in every form andof all that tends to feed or propagate it. It expectsevery one who becomes a member to avoid doing whatwill be likely to throw discredit upon the Society anddishonour his fellow-members, \\liile it does not lookfor saint-like perfection in applicants for membership,


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( 41 ) .it does hope, by holding up to them the ideal of anobler Humanity, to make them ashamed of their vicesand eager to extirpate them.As regards the possibility of acquiring spiritualknowledge and powers, it is enough to remark here thatwe learn from a study of the literature of the past thatthe Ancients gained great psychical powers and a deepinsight into Nature's secrets, and working by the rulesthey laid down, modern experience confirms many oftheir claims.

Theosophy.The mystical philosoph)- which gives its name to

the Society, and is vaguely known under the generaltitle ' Theosophy ", is put forward by certain membersas at once a result of and an incentive to that particularline of study described in " Objects " 2 and 3. Theybelieve that the doctrines, or leading ideas, of Theosophy,both Eastern and Western, are especially worthy ofattention at the present time, as suggesting the probablesolution of many of the most vexed religious, social,and scientific questions of the day. An extensiveliterature has sprung up in connection with theTheosophical movement, in which many of these ideasare explained and discussed.

It must be borne in mind, however, that thesedoctrines are not advanced as dogmas, but merely asreasonable hypotheses throwing light upon manyphases and conditions of life which otherwise appearincomprehensible or inconsistent. The TheosophicalSociety aims at assisting its members by thespread of literature, and by all other methods withinits power, in their search after Truth. But theTheosophical Society itself formulates no creed, and isnot bound down to any doctrines. It places norestriction upon its members beyond that of loyalty toits one fundamental principle of thought and actionUniversal Brotiierhood ; nor is it as a society account-


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( 42 )able for the opinions expressed by any of its members.It may, however, be stated that the majority of themembers, as individuals, believe that the realization ofthis first object of the Theosophical Society can best beattained by a thorough grasp of the principles ofTheosophy, which, in their opinion, place UniversalBrotherhood on a scientific and logical basis.

THE EUROPEAN SECTION OF THETHEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.

The Theosophical Society has many branches scatteredover the world, and in America as w^ell as in India,enough already to make it possible for a Theosophistto find in almost every large city a group of brotherTheosophists to welcome him.The Lodges and Unattached Members in Europeform the European Section of the Society. This

Section has its Headquarters at 19, Avenue Road,Regent's Park, London, N.\\'., where inquirers canobtain all information. Inquirers and members at adistance are assisted by being placed in correspondencewith other members of the Society.

All inquiries and correspondence should be addressedto: The General Secretary,19, Avenue Road,

Regent's Park,London, N.W.

To assist students of Theosophy, the following list ofbooks has been drawn up for their guidance, so as toform a graduated course of reading on the subjectscientific and philosophical. s. d.

The Key to Theosophy, by H. P. Blavatsky 060Esoteric Buddhism, by A. P. Sinnett -040


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( 43 )

Reincarnation, by E. D. Walker - -036The Purpose of Theosopliy, by Mrs. A. P.Sinnett - - - - -036Isis Unveiled (2 vols.), by H. P. Blavatsky -220Echoes from the Orient, by Wm. Q. Judge -030The Secret Doctrine (2 vols.), by H. P.

Blavatsky - - - -220MYSTICAL AND METAPHYSICAL.

The Voice of the Silence, by H. P. Blavatsky 026The Bhagavad-Gita - - -046Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - - -036The following low-priced pamphlets are also recom-mended :

Wilkesbarre Letters on Theosophy - - 6d.Epitome of Theosophical Teachings - - 3d.The Higher Science . - - - 2d.The Old Wisdom-Religion - - - 6dTheosophy and its Evidences - - 3d.May be obtained from the Theosophical Publishing Society,

7, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, W.C.

THEOSOPHICAL SIFTINGS.Annual Subscription 5/-.

[The Fourth Year commenced /uafch 1891).A series of 18 deeply interesting pamphlets on Theosophy,

Mysticism and Occultism are issued every year and are sent postfree to subscribers as they appear.Subscribers to the Siftings have the use of theT.P.S. Library, paying 2d. per week for the loan olbooks. Carriage extra. Send stamp for LibraryCatalogue.THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING SOCIETY,

7, Duke Street, Adelphi, London, YI,C,


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THE THEOSOPHICAIi PUBLISHING SOCIETY,7, Duke street, Adelphi, London, \Sr.C.

s. d.Gems from the East, a Birthday Book, compiled.By H.P.B - - - - 3 6

Nature's Finer Forces. By Rama Prasad - 3 6In the Pronaos of the Temple. By FranzHartmann, M.D. - - - 7 6

The Life and Teachings of Jacob Boehme. ByFranz Hartmann, M.D. - - - 10 6

The IflTonder-Light, and other tales - -30The Astral Light. By Nizida - - 2 6

The Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge. Parti. 1 6

The Transactions of the Blavatsky Lodge. Part II. 1 OGlossary of Terms used in the Key to Theosophy 1Lucifer : The best Occult Magazine, edited byH. P. Blavatsky and Annie Besant, monthly 1 6Numbers: Their Occult power and MysticVirtue. By VI. Vlynn Westcott - - 4

The Mystery of the Ages. By Countess Caith-ness - - - - - 8 6


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kingsland, william - the esoteric basis of christianity (1891)

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