Читать книгу The Astral World—Higher Occult Powers. Clairvoyance, Spiritism, Mediumship, and Spirit-Healing Fully Explained онлайн

14 страница из 35

Coming out of the government of force, man comes into the second, the Christian, or government of moral love, the government of charity. He then comes under the “new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.” This second, or mediatorial sphere, is a moral one; hence this dispensation has been called the mediatorial dispensation. Hence I say there will be a second sphere of government, or second dispensation, as it was called; but that dispensation is only the magnification of the individual. It is only the representation of society as one great individual. Then there is a prophecy of the third and perfect dispensation, which is called the millennial, the divine dispensation. When the second shall have performed its mediatorial work, when every individual will have been perfected in his moral nature, and shall be prepared to receive influx from the divine, then will arise the third dispensation of government, known as the millennial. If we refer to the forms of expression by which it is designated, we will find it spoken of as taking place at the consummation of the age, at the end of the world, when that mediatorial age is through, when man is perfected in his moral nature, has put down all rule and power; then Christ himself becomes subject to the Father, and God, the Divine, becomes all in all. That brings in the third dispensation, the third sphere of government. These three spheres of love in man lay the foundation for the spheres exhibited in the Spirit-world. The governments upon the earth, as well as in heaven, have their basis in man. Man is but the footings-up of all past ages; and the Spiritual worlds have their foundation in him. Therefore, when you and I wish to study the Spirit-spheres, to know what constitutes a sphere and degree, we are not obliged to go out of ourselves and look into space ten, fifteen, or a thousand miles away. That is not the way to study the Spirit-world. The way is to go within and study the spheres of Spiritual being and affection. Individuals who are in either of these spheres are allied to one of the three spheres in the Spiritual world. The first is called the lowest, or dark sphere, the sphere of outer darkness, sometimes called the grave. The grave was called the place of darkness, where there was neither knowledge, or device, or wisdom, and was that to which allusion was made in saying, that those in the graves shall hear the voice of God, and shall live. It is sometimes called “Gehenna.” It corresponds to man’s lustful nature, and represents the darkness and impurity of man under the influence of his lusts. That is what characterizes the first or lowest sphere of Spiritual being. The second sphere corresponds to man’s intellectual or moral nature. It is called “Paradise,” the place of happiness. Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.” Two days after, when Mary met him at the tomb, and offered to embrace him, he said, “Touch me not, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.”