Chapter 7
Wise Men
It sometimes takes men a long time to appreciate the wonderful things lying all about them. We are a progressive people, looking for new and greater things, and yet some of the greatest discoveries are not yet appreciated by us. Probably the most wonderful discovery that has ever been made is this, “Wherever man centers his attention there he gets results according to his faith.” This is so very near to us, and is such a stupendous proposition, that we have not realized it as the greatest discovery.
It is widely accepted by people who believe the Scriptures and apply their knowledge, that man is originally and naturally a spiritual being. Jesus Christ gave expression to this when he said, “Glorify thou me with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” This was a centering by him of his attention upon that glory which is spiritual consciousness, and includes everything, especially understanding. As metaphysicians we have found that we get into this higher consciousness by affirming, “My spiritual understanding is now restored.” This is exactly what Jesus Christ was doing when he said, “Glorify thou me.” We have that same privilege of concentration, of placing ourselves in that spiritual realm of consciousness called the Kingdom of God. We will now enter into the mind of the Spirit with the prayer, “My spiritual understanding is now restored.”
(Silence)
Wise men from the East came to find the young child Jesus and bring to him presents. This is representative of that wisdom which comes to man as he rises from sense consciousness to spiritual consciousness. It is said by wise men (and I mean by wise men those who are familiar with spiritual law) that with the birth of the Christ in man’s consciousness there is provided by the Father all that is necessary for the care of the Christ-child. The new consciousness of the new life is first formed in the mind, but it has a visible expression. Jesus was the visible expression of the Christ. The visible expression was in harmony with its mental prototype, which was founded in a higher law than the ordinary man comprehends. Jesus represents what is going on in every one of us who receives the Truth and applies it. Every believer in the new birth, in regeneration, needs wisdom to deal with the new forces, the new life and substance that are quickened in him. Wisdom is more precious than rubies and through it we shall become masters of all things, as Jesus demonstrated.
Spiritual-minded people who pray for the descent of the Spirit often receive more than they can handle. The Spirit flows into the consciousness and they are illumined, but the old trend of mind remains active, and, with increased powers which they do not control, they often go into fanaticism. “The children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light,” said Jesus. Those who become leaders in the intellectual world usually have a self-confident, self-sufficient quality that carries them forward. They do not consult men nor books, but work out their problems for themselves. The spiritually-minded often lack confidence in themselves and the Higher Law. They seek authorities without instead of the Wisdom within. Let us seek an all-around development and look always to the All-informing Wisdom, and be persistent in applying it. This means in every department of life.
Wisdom does not come with a great illumination, but a little here and a little there the light comes gradually to us, and is incorporated into consciousness with use. We should follow that light in all the relations of life, and make it the foundation principle of all that we do. Then all that we come in touch with will be glorified with the light. But the light within and the light without must be connected before our illumination becomes a permanent, shining glory. We see in all the world just what is in ourselves, and if we have the Spirit of Wisdom we shall gee good everywhere. If we see that which is not good, then we have not Wisdom. There is some good to be found in all things; let us speak of that. It is said that even tombstones speak well of those beneath them.
Begin the realization of Wisdom by affirming: “I know the law of Good, and I open the way to that good. I and my Father are one Wisdom. I throw all my force into the omnipotent glory and see light everywhere.”
Does this light manifest in what we call the organic world? Yes. Light from the highest consciousness causes the face to shine. Probably those who have this experience do not know all that goes on in consciousness, but every cell vibrates to the high thought. A bar of steel can be set into such active vibration that it will emanate light. When Jesus Christ was on the mount of transfiguration his whole body, and even his garments, did shine. In those who know the Truth a change goes on in the very brain cells, in every atom of the organism, and the light within shines to the without. “They that be wise shall shine as the sun, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever.”
But we must cultivate a shining state of mind, and express it through all the avenues of our being. The shining of the Spirit reveals a grand unity. We are all of one Spirit. Paul said we were all of one blood; that is; one life. Some one has said that human sympathy is the connecting link between man and man. Sympathy is another name for love. We must, with wisdom, have love. Love and wisdom meeting in the heart, make the perfect man. Love is the wife of wisdom. Wisdom is masculine; love is feminine. You cannot leave love out of wisdom, any more than you can leave woman out of the life of man.
The three wise men were not from the Orient, but from the East. The East, in Scripture, always means the within. We have within us a reserve force, the summing up of all we have ever been, of all the lives we have ever lived. I once heard the explanation given that the wise men as incarnated in the individuality of Jesus were Life, Love and Wisdom, and these accompanied him all through his life. He drew upon them and they were the foundation of all the works that he did.
We do not all at once receive power to do marvelous things. This power is the result of accumulated experience reduced to order. When men build a structure they first get their material together. So we must accumulate the necessary spiritual forces before we can do any great spiritual work. When we gather together our forces and direct them in wisdom, the work of regeneration goes grandly forward. We are building a house not made with hands, a habitation eternal in the heavens. This is the perfect spiritual body. The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God and it must pass away, but the wisdom of God abides forever. We must build in the wisdom that endures. When we do this, our building will never pass away. This knowledge gives security and confidence. No difference what occurs we shall abide, if we fashion our lives, our bodies in Divine Wisdom. There is something in us which says, “I am one with Truth; before the worlds were framed I was.” This is the Spirit of Wisdom.
