55/115 SPIRITUAL CONSCIOUSNESS By FRANK H. SPRAGUE
Christianity is a spontaneous expression of the vital, creative Spirit, which cannot be confined in forms of any kind. As human consciousness develops, there is a steady progression from purely external, toward purely internal conceptions of truth.
The untutored mind associates it largely with the exterior aspect of things facts, events and appearances. The educated mind of the conventional type commonly identifies it with opinions, beliefs, thoughts; but even those are only semblances of truth, not its absolute Substance.
Manifestations of the Truth are not restricted to the Biblical record, or to ancient times, but may be found in the living experiences of spiritually discerning men of every race and age, regardless of their mental enlightenment. Every life, every utterance, every written word imbued with the Spirit of truth, is inspired.
Moses, Isaiah, Jesus, and Paul, were inspired; but so, also, in various degrees, were Luther, Carlyle, Emerson, Browning, Walt Whitman, and a host of others. The Spirit which has spoken in many languages throughout the ages, speaks today in every true life. Accepting the opinions, beliefs or thoughts of one who is inspired, does not lead us to realize the Truth, any more than mechanically reproducing the forms of an organic body creates life.
The Bible, like every other inspired account, can only illumine one’s inner life and quicken his latent powers into activity, by its suggestions of living manifestations of the Truth which the past has witnessed. It is not by endorsing traditional beliefs, or imitating the deeds of righteous men of old, that one becomes endowed with their spirit.
Many people are today living and feeding on the past experiences of others, instead of developing their own resources, so that their lives, too, shall be inspired. It matters comparatively little to us what Peter or Paul believed, unless we are imbued with their spirit; and having that, we shall not be contented merely to reflect their beliefs, for new ones will formulate in our minds as natural outgrowths of experiences of our own.
All vital beliefs must be subject to endless revision, inasmuch as the experiences of men are undergoing perpetual change; but the Truth itself is changeless, however great the variations that take place in the mediums through which it is perceived. The eternal element in human experience may be discovered by everyone who diligently searches the depths of his nature, for it lies at the foundation of every man’s life.