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LESSON VII
FAITH,
OUR GUIDE THROUGH THE DARK
(Part 2)[continued...]
These conclusions are pretty sure to be faulty at first, but they are yours; they are a part of you.
They are the first effort of growth in the native soil of your own mentality, and as such they are exceedingly valuable, since
they demonstrate the productiveness of your own soil. Having demonstrated this one fact, of which you were almost unconscious
before, you have established a certain amount of respect for yourself. You have found out that you are as capable of thought
as others, and, therefore, do not have to hire someone to do your thinking for you. And so the mere fact that you have established
in your mental organism the self-conscious power of original thought has lifted you a long way out of the negatives that surround
you. You are mentally stronger; and as the mental is the physical, you are stronger all over; your vitality is greater and
your health is better.Having
now reached a point of greater self-conscious power, go back and read the lessons over. Read them slowly, thoughtfully and
critically. Do not accept them because I have proven them true. They are not your being--until you also have proven them true
for yourself by the most solid kind of reasoning. By the time the light of your own intelligence breaks over the mighty fact
that desire is the spirit of all life, the great and only prompter to action, you may begin to apply the denials and affirmations
to it. You may deny that desire is a sinful [123] thing. You may affirm your respect for it and your confidence in it.These denials and affirmations are wonderful
in their effect, and the student should go alone many times a day to make them. They need not be spoken aloud. They can be
made in the thought and be just as effective.In the lower orders of life, desire is trusted with implicit confidence; and the result of trusting the desire
is growth in the individual and evolution in all nature.In the lower orders of life, the perception that desire is the legitimate impulse of all growth, is merely
instinctive, or intuitional; instinct or intuition is natural knowledge; that knowledge of truth, of Life, which has never
questioned itself, and, therefore, never thrown doubt upon itself.As instinct or intuition has ripened into reason in the man--by a process of growth,
through which he has called every faculty of his being into question--his doubts have awakened, and they have challenged each
separate faculty he possesses to give a strict account of itself. From this point has ensued the gradual unfoldment of intuition
into self-conscious reasoning power. The natural intelligence, which is instinct, or intuition, must be understood and endorsed
by the man’s riper perceptions, or else it will not be trusted. These riper perceptions in their gradual unfoldment
have passed through ages of infidelity to the natural intelligence expressed by the words instinct and intuition; but now
they are coming into a recognition of the value. And this personal recognition of the value of natural intelligence marks
the line between growth on the animal plane, which I call unconscious growth, and growth on the higher plane, which I call
conscious growth. Conscious growth is that high order of growth that understands the whole matter and can intelligently co-operate
with natural or instinctive growth.Looking within ourselves we find what all admit to be the intuitional nature; that peculiar faculty which takes it for
granted--independent of any reasoning on the subject--that desire is the spirit of all life, and acts accordingly. This intuitional
faculty is the undeveloped understanding. It is unbroken in its allegiance to the spirit of itself, which is desire, and by
its unfaltering recognition of desire, it clothes desire in flesh and blood, and the desire becomes manifest or visible, on
the external plane.Intuition
is that faculty in man by which he becomes aware of, or feels, the presence of an unerring power within himself that in some
mysterious way answers questions for him; or, at least, inclines him in directions where he will find his questions answered.And though so little is known of intuition;
yet it is a notable fact that the faculty does command the most unbounded respect from persons who have made the study of
mental phenomena a specialty.And
no wonder, because the beginning of all growth is in it--both of unconscious growth and conscious growth--as I will show further
along.Intuition is the laboratory
through which the latent Life Principle becomes visible in tangible substance. The unfolding of the intuitive perceptions
suggests to us the fact that in them there is a well of unfailing vitality to be drawn upon by the cultured intellect, and
to be used in the upbuilding of the race; or in man’s farther process at self-creation. It is the door opening into
the hidden power of a realm of infinite possibilities. The question, then, is this: Is faith something related to intuition,
or is it something apart and separate from it?As a coming light dispels the darkness in front of it, so does intuition send forth in more or less brightness,
according as the intuitional nature is more or less developed in the individual, a long stream of light, leading upward forever,
and pointing always to shining heights ahead which is possible for us to attain, through that effort [124] which rests on
a secure belief in the omnipresence of good. This stream of light is faith, and it is a clear stream that takes its rise in
intuition.Faith lights up
the whole interior man; and this light keeps brightening all along the road that leads to his clear understanding. It points
to the time when the full-fledged reasoning powers of the man shall have so developed as to confirm its hopes, desires and
aspirations, all of which are the spirit of intuition, and its own spirit also.Faith is not reason in its full sense. It is the trustfulness of intuition that
longs for confirmation by the full-fledged reasoning faculties of the highly developed man. It is intuition in aspiration
for something beyond and above its present reach. And when reason has confirmed faith, the individual has stepped up to a
very high place indeed--to the place of understanding.Faith is a guide to understanding, and until we reach understanding, the best thing we can do is to trust
it. It is the light of our otherwise darkened lives.The opponent to faith is doubt. Now, doubt is of the reasoning faculties, while faith is of intuition--the
natural knowing, or the implanted knowing that comes from the earth life.“But,” the student asks, “is not the reasoning power the same
thing as intuition? Is it not intuition developed to a self-conscious plane?”Yes, it is; but at the point where self-conscious thought begins
in man, there doubt is born. Self-conscious thought doubts first, because it accepts the evidence of the natural knowing--the
intuitional perceptions.With
this doubt, it becomes aware of the existence of the positive pole of doubt, which is faith. At this juncture the investigating
thought perceives the necessity of choosing which it shall rely upon in its farther search for truth. It may rely upon doubt,
or it may rely upon hope, or faith. It soon finds that doubt leads nowhere and ends in absolute darkness, while faith is itself
a light, and leads in the direction of more light.Therefore, the growing intellect follows faith. And yet faith has been followed in so wavering and unsteady
a manner that the race has been many thousands of years in crossing the line from that condition of natural or animal knowing,
called intuition, to the higher condition or self-conscious knowing called the understanding.And now, as these lessons are meant for practical instruction
in the manner of evolving the self-conscious thought that shows man that he is master of all conditions, and can do his own
growing, I will give the student something to do right here. He must deny doubt and affirm faith.But, suppose the question confronting him is one in which it
seems more plausible to doubt than to believe? It makes no difference; he is learning a lesson now, and it is a lesson where
his mistakes will teach him as much as correct results.Let us suppose the question is presented to his mind, and doubt, jumping up, says, “I don’t believe
it.” What then? Why, nothing. The matter is ended. Investigation is crushed. The result is so much deadness. But suppose
he says to doubt: “There is a plausible side to this (it is not a question unless it has a plausible side) and I will
bring faith to bear on it. Now faith is alive and leads to more life, while doubt is dead and leads nowhere. So the student
calls faith into requisition and follows after it. Now the leading characteristic of faith is to glow and burn with constantly
increasing brightness the more it is trusted, for it travels in but one direction, and that is toward understanding. Well,
let us suppose that the inquirer follows faith. In doing so he will be sure to find the answer to his question either in the
negative or the affirmative. The answer may not be what he wanted, nor what he expected, and--by the light of still higher
truth--it [125] may not even be correct. But whatever it is, it holds the seed germ of another question, which, by following
in faith, will lead him nearer the truth, and finally he will reach it. To honestly follow faith in the pursuit of truth,
will lead to its acquisition. I say in the pursuit of truth, and not in the pursuit of theories or creeds. See that your mind
is unfettered by past beliefs when you search for truth, and deny unceasingly the power of prejudice.Remember that doubt is a blight upon every effort you make
in search of truth, and refuse to follow it. The person who trusts his doubts is always looking on the gloomy side of life,
and never achieves anything. He is wretched from morning until night, and is subject to every disease that he hears of.But faith is the light of our growing lives.
It starts from the fountain-head of intuition within, and gleams in long, straight lines leading upward forever, always toward
the realm of the beautiful, the true and good. And if we walk in its pathway we reach resting places in new altitudes of understanding,
where--looking back--each step is seen to stand out in strong light, though we may have passed over it hesitatingly, and with
but half-hearted conviction as to its being the true way. And we know that we have done well in trusting the gentle messenger
sent out by intuition--the native-born intellect within us.Now, in going out face to face with what the world calls the evils of life, I ask you to
exercise your faith for a few days or weeks until the foundation for it shall have become so organized in your mind that understanding
will be certain. I do not ask you to trust even faith blindly. If I should do so, and you should comply with my request, you
would simply be setting aside your reason and permitting me to psychologize you. To be psychologized is to have your judgment
held in abeyance by the judgment of another person. Indeed, your judgment may be held in abeyance by yourself. Your prejudices
may so hold you that your reasoning powers are inoperative, in which case you are self-psychologized. This condition is called
“statuevolence.” But even blind, unquestioning faith is better than the deadness of no faith.Encourage the growth of faith within yourself, but question
it and try it by the light of the science that you are learning; also try the science by the light of your faith. In this
way you can determine the intelligence of each. As I said before, there is life in faith; for the blindest faith in the world
gets organs of vision after a time, and becomes a guide that leads to understanding. If, after you first study the lessons,
there should be a reaction from the conviction they have planted within you, do not be discouraged. This reaction is the old
mode of thought, or habit, of your former life, reasserting itself. At such a time, reports of so-called evil encompass and
confuse you; sickness and death will alarm you; the influence of all the negative forces will sweep over you again; again
you will doubt the truth of omnipresent good. Right here is the great need of faith. Right here is the place to make the supreme
effort to be faithful. Remember that the endeavor of your life is to cross over from negative to positive beliefs. A belief
in evil, or any form of evil, is negative. A belief in omnipresent good is positive and will in time, and by slow degrees,
lift the student into an understanding of the science. Therefore, I say, let faith reach out as it is ever trying to do toward
understanding; encourage it; stand by this inner guide as you would stand by your life.The conditions of the race are embryonic. It is in the process of
being born into higher spiritual life--in the process of passing from the negative to the positive pole of being. This is
the process in which Mental Science is assisting so gloriously now. Therefore, when you become discouraged with [126] the
study, as students sometimes do, and the wretched habit of your old-time thought returns to you, as you look about and see
that which appears to be evil looming up on every side, you must call up faith and say, “All these apparent evils are
unripe conditions of our embryonic race. They are conditions of negation, full of misunderstanding of truth; full of errors
born of clouded minds, not yet strong enough to bear the full light of understanding and to claim the good.” Say to
yourself, “I will wait for confirmation of what I have received, not because someone has directed me to do so, but because
it must be that the absolute truth I have received--the truth that all is good--will vindicate itself to my perfect comprehension
in the fullness of time.”I
now introduce the student to another statement in Mental Science, so great, so forcible, that it will be many a long day before
its full weight can be measured. The statement is this: In a universe of omnipresent good the supply is always equal to the
demand. This is a law as unerring as the law of cause and effect. The existence of the Life Principle is the cause; man is
the effect. Man, the effect, then, becomes a standing demand upon the cause and the source of supply, and all that he demands
is his for the taking. The supply is always equal to the demand. “Ask and ye shall receive; knock and it shall be opened
unto you.” But you must knock understandingly. The law is inoperative to him who knocks blindly. An intelligent perception
of the principle embodied is necessary to insure a return. Ask, knowing the law that the supply is equal to the demand, and
why it is so, and you will surely receive. Thus, when you have pressed past your denials, made your affirmations understandingly,
and established yourself in conscious relation with Life, or good, treat every patient who comes to you, knowing that by the
mere fact of your recognition of the all-pervading presence of Life, and your belief in its power to become apparent on your
intelligent demand that you can heal him. To heal a patient is simply to make the truth that all is Life apparent to him in
his own person. If your patient is very ill do not be frightened, but call up faith in the basic Life statement of this science--viz.,
that all is Life and that the supply of life is equal to the demand you make upon it, if you make the demand understandingly.
Know forever that all Life is yours for the recognition; that in proportion as you recognize it will be your power to heal.More about this principle will be mentioned
further on. But in any case, your duty is clear. Study the lessons again. Go down again and again into the silence of your
intuitional life, and watch and wait for the truth welling up from that source. This will bring you understanding. It will
fortify your faith in yourself, and double your ability as a healer and a teacher. Do not at any time hesitate, in view of
your own powerlessness, to take a patient who comes to you of his own volition. He was drawn to you by the Law of Attraction,
and you can give him that for which he came, for the supply is equal to the demand, and for this very reason you will not
fail, if you have intelligent faith. You are the supply to the patient; the patient is the demand upon you. The patient would
not have come to you for treatment if your supply had not been equal to his demand; for such is the Law. If you fail to heal
the patient, it will not be because you had not the actual power at hand to do so--for the supply is equal to the demand--but
because you had not faith enough in the omnipresent Life as manifested in you, or sufficient understanding of the Law, and
so fell into a condition of negation, in which you are drawn into the patient’s error, or negative beliefs in sickness
and fear; for always, in treating as in teaching, does the measure of your understanding of the science of mind determine
the measure of your success.This
is the Law of Mental Science as of mathematics. You would not expect to use the science of mathematics unless you understood
the principles.Students have
devoted years and years to the understanding of the principles of mathematics before they could demonstrate the problems that
were of such vital importance to them. But the trouble with the Mental Scientist is that he expects to demonstrate long before
he understands the principles. You know that your understanding of the principles of mathematics determines the success with
which you use figures. So in healing; the understanding of the law of mind and the invisible process by which it is made to
govern so-called matter--or negative mind--is essential to success in performing cures.Jesus said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” In this sentence
he foreshadowed the entire result of that great Law “the supply is equal to the demand.” But it is recorded of
him in another place, where he qualified this remark, and said: “Ask, and if ye ask not amiss, ye shall receive.”
Have faith, and if it is not unintelligent faith, ignorant faith, that which you have faith in will come to pass. We could
not by any possibility whatever have intelligent faith in a thing unless there was a supply of that faith. The faith implies
and includes the demand. The demand implies and includes the supply. The reason we have faith at all, and the only reason
we could have it, is because there is a supply to it. How often I have spoken this idea in other words. Long before I came
into the science, my observation and experience induced me to formulate the same thought in these words: “Every intelligent
hope is the sure prophecy of its own fulfillment.” Jesus constantly enjoined faith. Faith discerns spiritual gifts,
even if it be at first blind faith.Blind faith is a simple trust in something better than we know, without any special evidence of its existence. Faith
takes no notice of physical facts. Because it is a refined and positive agent, born of intuition, the original, natural intelligence
within us, its action is far above the negatives. It forever gives evidence in accordance with its origin. It is the ever-present
witness to the unfolding and unfolded power within us. It has been a saving power all down the ages, and it is pledged to
see our establishment in ever higher truths.
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