The "Straight and Narrow Way" is the beginning and the fulfillment of perfection and power -- and the only one that leads to LIFE ETERNAL.
Within that First and Great Commandment is contained not only the power to do the works which Christ did, but the power to do even the greater works, which no mortal mind has, as yet, begun to even fathom.
As one travels that glorious Path of joyous advancement, until he reaches the point where his Faith is made perfect and becomes absolute KNOWING, then he will be literally "wrapped in the power and glory of his maker and will be caught up to dwell with him!"
This information is profound indeed! And from here on it is difficult to unfold the things that remain to be made manifest. In order to receive this information it will be necessary to purify oneself. It is first just an overwhelming desire to receive the degree of righteousness that has been promised to those who OVERCOME. And one of the admonitions of Christ, to be able to receive this degree of righteousness is to "pray with all the energy of heart that you might be possessed of this great love of Jesus Christ."
All anyone has to do, in order to come out from under the dark burden of the make-believe, or counterfeit power, is to truly begin to live and to fulfill that First and Great Commandment. As it is fulfilled the Second One will be fulfilled also, for it is impossible to love God with all one's mind and still use the mind to think unkind thoughts or to cling to ugly resentments or nasty little hurts. "One's mind and lips will automatically lose the power to either hurt or wound. And his voice WILL be heard among the Gods," for he will have joined in their perfection.
As one steps into this perfection no church or orthodoxed, creed-bound ritualism can henceforth hold him in ignorance or human bondage. "He will become Free! And he who is free is free indeed!"
He learns the great difference between the GIFTS of the Spirit and the FRUITS of the Spirit. The gifts are that which one is permitted to receive -- often just to test him -- even as Christ was tested in the wilderness. Christ was given the power. The testing came to prove how He was going to use that POWER. In the gifts is contained the testing. In the fruits is contained the POWER! The Fruits reveal the degree of a man's worthiness as to whether he could possibly handle the POWER in righteousness. No man is exalted or glorified by the gifts. He may be utterly condemned by the misuse of them. One is only glorified by the Fruits of the Spirit. The gifts are distributed often just to prove who is worthy to be entrusted with the true power of heaven.
One can truly possess all the gifts possible and still be but sounding brass and clanging cymbals. And those gifts will profit him nothing. Again, the gifts are often just for testing. THE FRUITS ARE FOR GLORIFICATION AND FOR DIVINE SERVICE.
"By their FRUITS only can the chosen ones be known -- by their self-effacement, their gentleness, their great love and their humble devotion. These fruits are manifested in a humility of divine love that none can deny. It is manifest by a vibration that draws people to it, like a light that cannot be hid under a bushel. It is felt! It is not demonstrated in words or proclamations. It is a reality of fact that needs no shouted acclamations to make it known or to establish its beauty. "For my Kingdom is not in WORD but in POWER saith the Lord. It is contained in the manifesting of love and understanding and gentleness.
"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
"WHEREFORE BY THEIR FRUITS YE SHALL KNOW THEM.
"Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
"MANY WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, LORD, LORD HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS?
"AND THEN I WILL PROFESS UNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY!"
All the mighty demonstrations in the world, all the professing and working of miracles are but as sounding brass or clanging cymbals if one has not brought forth the gift of perfect love from within his own heart. It is not by displaying the gifts that one proves his worth or his goodness, but by his fruits of patience, love, gentleness, meekness, "against such there is no law." Learn to look deep into the lives of men and judge them, not by their demonstrating or professing or spectacular works, but by the FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT only and you will never be deceived nor made ashamed.
All the laws of advancement and perfection and divine glory are fulfilled as one learns to travel that Straight and Narrow Way of unutterable beauty, to the very throne of God, in an adoration of divine, selfless love. Then it is that God will unveil His Face unto that individual, as has been promised to all who would learn to travel that Road of glory. This Holy Way is the Way which Christ marked. It is traveled through Faith, through living the laws He gave and by holding one's attention single to the glory of God.
As these greater things are accomplished and fulfilled, then only can one be prepared to do "THE GREATER WORKS" which, as yet, none have ever imagined.
And now, one thing more I am instructed to add to this chapter. It is contained in Matthew, chapter seven and verses thirteen to twenty-three and deals with the great and mighty truths of God, as follows: "Enter ye in at the straight gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
"Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth to life, and few there be that find it.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
"YE SHALL KNOW THEM BY THEIR FRUITS" (not by their gifts). "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
"Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
"A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."
And the following information is most important. As one fulfills the laws, through the perfecting of the great Commandment of divine LOVE he steps beyond the laws into the Patriarchal Order or realm and henceforth lives by the PROMISES, through Faith. He automatically begins to "evolve from the man kingdom into the God Kingdom" without tasting death.
"And the nearer man approaches perfection (along this Straight and Narrow Way of OVERCOMING) the clearer are his views and the greater are his enjoyments until he OVERCOMES the evils of his life and loses every desire for sin, and like the ancients (or Patriarchs), arrives at the point of FAITH where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker and is caught up to dwell with him" And in that exalted glory he is given the choice of remaining in that Celestial Realm, or returning with his glorified, spiritualized body (which has been now born of the Spirit) to this earth, to render the GREATER SERVICE, of which Christ spoke.
It is only as these greater PROMISES are accomplished and fulfilled that one can possibly do the GREATER WORKS, which have been promised to those who would "BELIEVE."
It is only as an individual accepts God's PROMISES and lays hold of them, through FAITH, that he can possibly OVERCOME the evils of his life. This glorified Path of OVERCOMING is the Straight and Narrow Way that leads to Life Eternal. And it is upon this Path, as one holds his eyes single to the glory of God, that he becomes filled with Light and comprehends all things. This is how one learns to actually KNOW THE TRUTH, the very fulness of it, and is from henceforth forever abundantly free! All the great and marvelous PROMISES which God has given since time began are contained in the fulfilling of this Great Commandment of perfected love.
As one practices and so perfects that First and Great Commandment "the inside of the cup will also be cleansed."
It is the cleansing of the inside of the cup which Christ so stressed. It is in the cleansing of the inside of man that reveals or fulfills the glory and the truth of all the mighty PROMISES ever given since time began.
"The great and marvelous truths, which God has kept hid up from the foundation of the world because of the blindness of men's minds, and the hardness of their hearts and because of the great wickedness of unbelief," are now to be fully opened, for the great veil of darkness has been rent -- and the time is at hand. It is true that each individual still has his own little individual veil of darkness and unbelief and doubting, which he must personally overcome. But the great veil HAS BEEN RENT. Yet, "There are still those who are walking in darkness at noonday."
The great and mighty PROMISES that have been veiled from man's profane, unbelieving eyes are at last made apparent to those who are only willing to look -- and to ask -- and to BELIEVE. Yes, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find!"
And now, the next step -- that step into the world of glory must be made manifest. This step is beyond that great veil of darkness! It is a step into light and understanding. And as it is opened for man to step through into that higher realm, new glories and powers are revealed. And one may then enter that Glorious, spiritual realm "And come no more out!"
Daniel, in his twelfth chapter, reveals the wonder and the marvel of this precious time of glorious enlightenment. "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end.
"Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." (verses 9-10).
"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." (verses 3-4). Knowledge is increasing so fast that no human mind can begin to comprehend a hundredth part of the information that has been gathered upon any one scientific subject. And yet, "Man has never been able to come to a knowledge of the truth." There are more illness, more despair, more deformities in babies, more insanity and more desperate problems that need solving than there have ever been on the earth before. Yet man has been promised that if he will hold his eyes single to the glory of God he will be filled with Light and be able to comprehend all things. And there shall be no more darkness in him. In other words, "he will have overcome all the evils of his life."
Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, proclaims the knowledge of great hidden truths that can only be received by the Spirit of God. Paul is quoting from the sixty-fourth chapter of Isaiah, in which it is revealed that eyes have not seen, nor ears heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the great things which God has laid up for those who LOVE Him.
Then Paul bears witness that he had received this knowledge of these unspeakable truths and reveals the method of receiving such divine enlightenment, as follows: "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought.
"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even THE HIDDEN WISDOM, WHICH GOD ORDAINED BEFORE THE WORLD unto our glory:
"Which none of the Princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory!
"But as it is written Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
"But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
"For what man knoweth the things of man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." (I. Cor. 2:5-11).
These great things which God has reserved for those who love Him and which mortal eyes have never yet beheld nor read about, and which no physical ears have ever been taught or heard and which no human heart has as yet dreamed of, are now to be opened to the understandings of men until they are worthy and prepared. These dynamic, glorious truths, which only the chosen ones of old were permitted to glimpse, through the revelations of the Spirit of Almighty God, are now ours to receive as we humble ourselves before God and glorify Him.
Jesus Christ, the Lord, the divine Son of God, said: "The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation.
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or Lo, there! for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you." (St Luke 17:20-21). Christ also said, "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God -- and its righteousness and all else shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33 & Luke 12:31).
The "righteousness" of the Kingdom means literally the "Right Use" of its privileges and its powers as one uses them in divine majesty.
Then we are informed definitely by the Lord Jesus Christ, that "The Kingdom of heaven is within you!" Many of those who have taken hold of this with their unpurified minds have used it only to utter blasphemous statements as they have gone about proclaiming their own greatness as they defile the very altar of God with their own unglorified, mortal selves. These have not stepped one foot upon the divine Pathway of OVERCOMING. They are clothed in hypocrisy and self-righteousness without even being aware of the darkness they are carrying.
Along with the powers of this divine Kingdom, which is within, must be mentioned again the following: "It is given to ABIDE IN YOU the record of heaven, the Comforter, the PEACEABLE things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which KNOWETH ALL THINGS, AND HATH ALL POWER, according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice and judgment."
As one ceases from all outward striving and searching and begins to fulfill that First and Great Commandment he learns, as the inspired writer of the Odes of Solomon revealed in his seventeenth Ode, verses seven to ten: "And he who knew and brought me up is the Most High in all His perfection. And He glorified me by His kindness, and raised my thoughts to the height of His truth.
"And from thence He gave me the way of His precepts and I opened the doors that were closed.
"And brake in pieces the bars of iron; but my iron melted and dissolved before me;
"Nothing appeared closed to me; BECAUSE I WAS THE DOOR TO EVERYTHING!"
Through the fulfilling or living of the First and Great Commandment that inner door to the realm of Heaven is opened wide! The effulgent light is beautiful beyond the power of words to unfold. There are really no words to describe its unutterable beauty, therefore no ears have ever heard of it. And no mortal eyes have ever beheld it because as one has attained unto this inner realm he is no longer just a mere mortal and would not desecrate the glory of this divine Kingdom by boasting of having entered it. As one enters this holy Kingdom of God (within) all else is truly added unto him. As he breaks those hardened seals upon his own heart they melt away and he realizes that he, truly, is the door to everything.
One having fulfilled all the laws of mortality by perfecting that First and Great Commandment he is no longer under the laws OF MORTALITY. He passes beyond the earthly, physical laws and evolves into the realm of immortality -- and that realm becomes his own.
Such a one realizes that he is standing in the "Holy of Holies," not as it was in Solomon's Temple, but as it is in the realms of heaven. It is beautiful beyond all the words of the earth to describe. It is truly so far beyond anything that physical eyes have ever beheld no ears can truly hear about it fully because there is no language on this earth capable of describing it. It is a condition of fulfillment.
At first one becomes aware of shimmering, glorious jewels! These jewels are spiritual and beyond anything mortal man has ever seen. They are priceless and exquisite beyond compare. These are the real jewels of eternal glory. There is no counterfeit, no sham, no shoddy display of hysterical acclaim. They contain the eternal, glorious wonder of all perfection. These jewels or fruits are Spiritual. They are the treasures in heaven, which no contamination could ever touch. They are the divine virtues which, by OVERCOMING the human weaknesses and desires the divine jewels will be forever established in the soul of man as his everlasting, crowning virtues. They are never placed on noisy display by hysterical shouting. They cannot be thus defiled. They are eternal and apparent and glorious beyond mere mortal man's finite comprehension.
When one first is privileged to behold the exquisite splendor of these spiritual treasures, which he has established right within himself, he stands silent and awed realizing he is standing in that divine "Holy of Holies' and that it is most real. He knows with a positive knowing that he has entered "The Secret Place of the Most High," the glorified center of his own divine, purified soul. Then a new wonder opens to that individual's understanding as he realizes fully that he is indeed "THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD!"
Those glorified jewels are the treasures of one's own virtues which he has laid up in his own OVERCOMING of the little, mortal ego-filled self of mortality. And he knows those jewels are alive and effervescent with the glory of immortality and eternal life. And those jewels are his! And he is them!
Within man's own self is contained all the wonder and the beauty and perfection of all that could or does exist, in the glory of his own OVERCOMING.
Then one realizes there is still another step to be taken. He must clothe the outside of himself in the glorious radiance of those magnificent, inner jewels. Mankind has forever sought to cleanse the outside of himself by his accepted rituals and formulas and often hypocrisy. But the outside can never be perfected until the inside is completely purified.
As one, by diligent seeking, enters or finds that divine Kingdom of God, the inside of the soul is purified and glorified. It is then one has the power to fulfill the perfection of the writer of those sacred Odes of Solomon in which he stated: "I cast off darkness and clothed myself in light; and acquired a body free from sorrow or affliction or pain!" In this glorious achievement one receives the eternal virtues and blessings of a physical translation. He truly becomes clothed in light or in the radiance of all the sacred virtues he has developed in his own divine OVERCOMING as he placed them into the living center of his own soul.
And, as one steps into that "Kingdom within," "he need go no more out!" There is an ancient record of Christ, which states: "he never once dwelt in the external after his illumination."
One may return to the mortal sphere of action to render service in this physical world, even as Christ did, but he is no longer of the world, nor can any outside happening disturb him.
Each individual, in that moment of unfoldment, realizes he is the fulfillment and the eternal reality of all the wonders of which he could possibly desire. He is that very thing! Glory itself!
Then it is he becomes a living, vibrating part of the Celestial Symphony. He is a living part of the divine harmonies and the heavenly music of the eternal ages as they are released to enfold a universe in the healing rhythm of eternal grandeur.
As one clothes himself with the pure radiance of those spiritual jewels of his own perfected OVERCOMING he comprehends why mortal eyes have never beheld the glory of those things which God has reserved for those who love Him.
In reaching this Kingdom within, and laying claim to it through the perfecting of that divine gift of love, one fulfills all the laws. Then, automatically, he steps beyond the order or realm of even the Patriarchs. He steps through and beyond the PROMISES -- into the complete fulfillment, which is perfection itself.
Then in one moment of realization the progressing individual becomes aware that the divine key to the Door to Everything, that First and Great Commandment, has been with man from the beginning of time. Yes, it has been with man from the foundation of the world. Moses gave those two great Commandments of overcoming all physical laws and boundaries and conditions ten times in his writings. Christ reaffirmed it two thousand years ago. And until this day few have ever put it into practice -- or PROVED ITS POWER. And the very few who did live it previous to this day were not permitted to share or to reveal its dynamic power and glory.
Now, at last, it is man's privilege to comprehend the literal power and meaning of those divine words -- AND TO PROVE THEM!
As this glorious, inner Kingdom is earned and entered into one literally clothes himself in Light. He clothes himself in the radiance of those Celestial jewels, his own sacred treasures of divine integrity and perfected love. Then he knows why "Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as beautifully as even the lilies of the field."
The materials in Solomon's robes were made of earthly elements, spun by mortal hands and fashioned with only human skill. As one clothes himself in the Light or Radiance of the pure perfection of his own priceless virtues and divine qualities of selfless purity he realizes the wonder of Christ's invitation for man to seek for the Kingdom of God, that he might be rich indeed, or that everything else will be added unto him. Then one realizes that the gold that has been tried in the fire of his own soul is himself purified with the testings and the OVERCOMING of life. He himself becomes the radiance of each fabulous jewel or divine virtue. These are his own earned treasures which none can steal or no moth or rust mar or corrupt. They are eternal.
As one clothes himself in the pure radiance of his own priceless treasures his light begins to shine forth so that others seeing it, or realizing that that individual carries something beyond mortal manifesting, will seek to bring forth that Light within themselves, for the glory of God.
And God has said: "This is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man!" Glorify God with your Light and you will become glorious! "Hold your eyes single to the glory of God and you will be filled with Light."