54/115 SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS By FRANK H. SPRAGUE

For centuries men have wasted their efforts in sectarian strife, because of the assumption that Jesus intended to inculcate a theological system or scheme of intellectual beliefs in some way essential to a realization of the spiritual life. Had his intention been such, he would most assuredly have taken care to deliver to the world the doctrines of this scheme in some definite, unmistakable form,

so that they would have been intelligible to all men alike, beyond the peradventure of a doubt, instead of clothing his ideas, as he did, in the vague, suggestive forms of parable and hyperbole, leaving their meaning open to a variety of intellectual interpretations.

It was not his chief aim to impart knowledge to men, but to establish in them the spiritual view-point; for that is the key to right-thinking, and without it all knowledge is vain. Because the multitudes could not appreciate this view-point to any great extent, he chose twelve men, more receptive by nature than the majority, through whom to make it known to the world.

When the Jews asked him by what authority he taught, he replied: “The works which the Father hath given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” Although the finite mind cannot know the Truth itself, the spiritual consciousness is accessible to all who are willing to receive it; and through it every man may have abundant witness of the Truth.

“Why do ye not understand my speech.? Even because ye cannot hear my word,” (i.e., they did not appreciate his view-point). “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Today, as of old, a true classification of men is based on their attitude toward principles, not beliefs or traditions. There are always those who show a disposition to take refuge in the letter in order to evade the spirit. The Pharisees said: “We know that God hath spoken unto Moses; but as for this man, we know not whence he is.”

Peter, on the other hand, with real spiritual discernment, declared: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” “And Jesus answered: . . . Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jonah: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Even when the twelve disciples questioned Jesus about traditions and doctrinal beliefs, instead of replying plainly, he always took the opportunity to impress upon them some spiritual truth of universal application; while to the multitude he spoke, as a rule, only in parables, “because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.” He rarely dealt, point-blank, in plain terms, with specific things and events; but his thought probed deeper into the causative realm of the spiritual Essence of things.