The Greatest Works of Joseph Benner. Joseph Benner

      Chapter 1

      The Law

       Table of Contents

      Now if you are ready to hear the law, we will state it in words that everyone can understand.

      Note these words, and let them impress themselves on you, so that from this moment ever afterward they will live in your mind as a guiding influence.

      "WHATEVER YOU THINK AND HOLD IN CONSCIOUSNESS AS BEING SO, OUTMANIFESTS ITSELF IN YOUR BODY OR AFFAIRS."

      Whether you accept this as yet or not, consider for a while the truth that every thought you think, especially those relating in any way to self, hovers around in your mental atmosphere, just as a child stays close to its parent. These thoughts being about yourself, receive the life that maintains them, from the feeling that you put into them.

      In other words, the thoughts themselves are but mental forms, but when you think them with feeling of any kind you fill these forms with life and they become as living things which ever return to you, their parent, to be fed with more living power. For all feeling expressed is life, is vital power, and if you only knew it, all the thoughts which persistently influence your mind and harass you, are only your mental children clamoring for food and attention, and compelling more worrying, anxiety, or fear from you; all of which are excellent food containing rich vital power, and which makes them grow rapidly, until they become so powerful that in time they dominate your mind so that you can scarcely think of anything else.

      When the fact is, these thoughts exist to you only when you let them into your mind, that is, they are of importance to you only when you give them attention and recognition. But on the other hand, their power over you and their life can quickly be nullified by simply knowing the law, and refusing to feed them longer with life power by giving them further attention or interest. And it should not be necessary to state that voicing such thoughts definitely and speedily outmanifests them, for the spoken word is far more potent than the thought. Above all else you should guard carefully your speech, voicing nothing you do not want to see manifest. Always remember, however, that by preventing such thoughts entering the mind there will be no impulse to voice them.

      So you can see now that it is all a matter of consciousness, of thinking and harboring the right kind of thoughts, those you wish to outmanifest, and of letting into your mind no thoughts you do not want to manifest in your body or affairs.

      And perhaps you can also see that what is ordinarily called thinking is only the admitting into your mind of thoughts that originated chiefly in other minds and which you of course attracted to you. This is also true of all negative, inharmonious and destructive thoughts; there must be something in you that attracts them or they would not come.

      Many will still permit them to come, for only by the suffering, hardship and struggle to escape from their influence, will you learn how to free yourself and gain the power to control and consciously direct your life to constructive ends.

      That is the hard way, but we are now going to show you the true way to free yourself forever from fear and worry about finances, and from all other destructive forces.

      We are assuming that all who read are students and followers of Christ's teachings. You remember those significant words of His in the Sermon on the Mount.

      "Take no thought (or be not anxious) saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or with what shall we be clothed; for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the Kingdom (Consciousness) of God, and His righteousness (Right Ideas); and all these things will be added unto you."

      We know that those words seem important to you, but we also know that very few take them as actual promises and try definitely and determinedly to put them to the test.

      But that is the very thing you must do, if you would obey the law; and when we show you how to free yourself from fear and worry you will not only be able to free yourself from the power money has over you, but you will have found the straight and narrow way to the Kingdom. And all the powers of the Kingdom will help you, if you are strong and determined enough to win the goal. For the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is only a state of consciousness where we do right thinking; where we think God's thoughts only.

      Can you do that? Surely you can if you will. Then this is the way: THE WAY you must train yourself to STAND GUARD CONTINUALLY AT THE DOOR OF YOUR MIND, AND TO LET IN NO THOUGHTS OR FEELINGS THAT YOU DO NOT WANT TO OUTMANIFEST.

      Think this over carefully, and you will see that it is the only way.

      It may seem hard at first, and you may not know what to admit and what to deny.

      But guard the door from every negative thought and feeling of whatsoever nature; from every thought that you know God would not have you think; from every doubt, fear, worry, anxiety, or concern of any kind; from every tendency to criticize, judge or condemn anybody or anything or any condition; from self pity, jealousy, envy, irritation, unkindness, anger, hatred, etc. These will give you an idea of what are negative and ungodlike thoughts, and which must no longer have a part in your consciousness.

      lf you will keep all such untrue thoughts out of your mind, you can see that then and then only can your Higher Self draw into your mind the true and positive thoughts that will attract to you the good that is waiting to manifest itself to you. For while your mind is cluttered with all those fearful, worrying, discouraged, sick, weak, poverty-tainted thoughts, how can you expect anyone who feels these vibrations (and vibrations are things you cannot cover up) to be attracted to you, or how can you expect God to inspire you with thoughts of a beneficial nature?

      In fact, such negative thoughts actually keep away the things you are longing to have manifest in your life - for like attracts like.

      Think! Poverty-stricken thoughts do not attract prosperity or jobs; sick thoughts do not build a healthy consciousness; and belief that you are a failure invites failure.

      You say this all sounds good, but when one is sunk so deep in conditions that no matter which way he turns he sees only sickness, hunger, poverty or failure facing him; despite months of effort to conquer the condition, to get work, or to do something to tide over till better days come, how is he to think of any thing else?

      Yes, dear friend, we see what you are up against, we see that you are caught fast between the horns of a dilemma. You have sought help from the world of men and it has turned you down. You have exhausted all the forces of self, and you admit that you are completely helpless. And perhaps you have even prayed to God, and seemingly He has not heard, or He has not answered you.

      But where is this God to whom you have prayed? Is he somewhere up in the skies, or in some hazy place, you know not where?

      Have you prayed to God within you? Have you turned there and opened your heart to Him, deep within yourself, in the Kingdom, where your Higher Self abides?

      If not, dear friend, then after reading this article carefully, until you truly get its full meaning for you, pray to Him there; get down on your knees and in deep and true humility pour out your heart to Him, knowing that He as your Higher Self hears you, that He does know that you have need of all these things, and that He will answer you.

      Go back to those words in the Sermon on the Mount and read them over again and again, until you get all of their wondrous meaning and realize that they are meant for you, and that they are a definite promise made by the Master to you. If you will do what you are there told to do, the Father will give to you all things that you need. Think! This is Jesus' promise to you, and therefore it will be fulfilled if you do your part.

      YOU CAN DO IT. You can do it, you must do it if you would have the blessings which He promises you, and