Lesson 1 - Divine Being In Which We Live

All personalized religions of ancient and modern times are based upon truth, and are included within the one truth, or science; for Truth or Spirit is infinite. No individual religion has all of truth to the exclusion of another. God is no respecter of persons. He pervades all alike; and has informed all alike, who have turned to Him in faith, believing. That is, all who have in mentality conformed to the unchanging principle or permanent good, have been informed by the Spirit, of the same truth.

Teachers can state the truth, and give the basic principles to their pupils; but the pupils must work to prove the principles for themselves by right thought and action. Earnest application brings conviction, and conviction is realization. Teaching, experience and proof go hand in hand. When truth is once clearly defined to the student, the student should hold that consciousness of truth, and refuse to entertain its opposite until understanding comes, which brings conviction with it, and erases error.

STATEMENT OF BEING.

• God is Spirit; Mind; Principle; Infinite Being.
• God is Immutable; Indivisible; One.
• God is "Life; Love; Truth" Omnipresent.

"There is one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. iv:6.) This excludes the possibility of there being another Life, Substance, or Power. There are no powers that are not good, "for the powers that be are ordained of God." A belief in two powers, one Good and the other Evil, one warring against the other, and a belief that Matter is Life, and has powers and laws that are opposed to Infinite Spirit, is the division which causes all desolation. The belief that we have a lower and higher nature, one warring with the other, or that we have a Lower self and a Higher self, each striving to rule, is as a house divided against itself; this belief has brought desolation, division and delusion upon humanity; and has engendered feelings of separateness from God or Goodness, resulting in jealousy, hatred and enmity, one against the other.

Intuition - the eye of understanding - perceives but one power, God - one substance, Faith - and one law, Love. Therefore we can have but one nature and one self - and the nature of that self is good; because there is but one Source from which that nature can be derived.

As Spirit absolutely fills all and is infinite, there can be no power of evil. The belief of evil is a misconception as to God being infinite, All in all; it cannot therefore be real or permanent, because that condition of mentality is not permanent; its foundation is not truth. All

truth is real and eternal. The belief in an infinite good and an infinite evil, co-eternal, has environed the mental expressions of average humanity with fear and doubt, and with all the sufferings that the sense of feeling when environed with false beliefs, is heir to. It is the underlying error of all errors; all incorrect judgments relative to first Cause are traceable to this division in belief. It has kept the thought and memory fluctuating between two beliefs, and this is doubt. And where there is doubt there is no knowledge; for knowledge is a certain perception of truth, - one, whole. This division has also caused beliefs of fear; and where there is fear there is not perfect love, for "Perfect Love casteth out fear." Love is Unity; and where there is unity, there is perfect love; where there is truth there is oneness - not division. Where there is division there are beliefs in weakness and lack of understanding; where there is belief in division, perfect faith is not fully expressed; and without faith we cannot come to realize that perfect satisfaction for which all are longing and thirsting. It follows, that to realize that there is but one power - God - is the basis of happiness, health, love, faith, justice, knowledge and understanding.

The first step for the student of truth to take, is to put away the belief of an evil power, and take his or her stand in the foundation of unity - that good is all there is. Then by forming all conclusions from that basis, permanent unfoldment of knowledge and power is assured.

Goodness, or Spirit, can manifest nothing from itself that is not a likeness of itself.

To you who read this lesson we would say, study it; and keep the unity of absolute Being, also the oneness of life animating all things before you, as a guiding star, by which to pattern your thoughts and deeds; or from which to reason. When you once realize your relationship to God and to all things, and can perceive God as much in one place or thing as another, you have entered the path, and have commenced to know what love and faith are. You know all women and men as your divine sisters and brothers, because you know the one parent Source, which includes all, and is the connecting link whose presence binds all together as one family - as one body, with one calling.

Now that you have entered the path, if the windows of mentality be kept open to consciousness, the ever present good, you will hear with the ear of understanding the inexpressible words of the silence, the voice of the Supreme. The process of awakening has commenced, and truth after truth will unveil within your consciousness; and with every truth made apparent an error will flee before it. We prophesy that in time you will realize that it is not you personally or individually who live, but the Father in you; that is, you will realize He is your light and life, and that He lives in you. When the will and thought is that of the Father’s this understanding follows.

If, while first studying this lesson you think you do not understand it, do not argue with your previous beliefs or with those of another about what you do not understand; but in calm meditation reason from the plane of unity. Commence your calculation where all things commence, in the Infinite; and base no conclusion on appearance or expression, and you will know the truth that frees.