THE WAY TO THE KINGDOM. Joseph Benner
to do, and for which all these many years He has been fitting and perfecting the Disciple. They now work as one, in perfect harmony with all the other Brothers of the Kingdom, serving the Great Cause of Brotherhood under the leadership of our Supreme Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
We cannot point you further on the way, for this is as far as the human mind can enter in consciousness at this time.
Read the above many times. Ponder and meditate over the words as they are written. Something very wonderful may result for you. If not now, you will at least know what awaits, if you faithfully follow with us and obey the suggestions given.
From the above you can learn that real Disciples may always be known by the work they are doing, by the unquestioned good accomplished, by their self-sacrificing service to humanity. They live only to serve—their every thought and interest is for others; for are they not now integral parts of that Great Brotherhood of Servers Who abide in Christ and obey only Him?
The Christ-Self—the Master within—thus is revealed to those who are worthy to know Him—and to become His Disciples. All others know Him but as a wondrously kind and helpful friend, who is ever seeking to do good to others, to anticipate their needs and to assist them in a loving way whenever and wherever possible.
Understanding all this, you will note that few as yet have become accepted and therefore are actual Disciples. A goodly number are Disciples on Probation. But there are many who are still Aspirants, but who, we hope from the quickening received by earnestly following the suggestions given in these pages, will in time consciously reach the Disciple stage. For this work is, and these articles are written principally, for Disciples. Those whose hearts felt and responded to the call, “Seek ye first the Kingdom,” actually obeyed the command of their souls—no matter if their intellects reasoned them away later. All such are Disciples in their soul natures, and they remembered and tried to have their personalities also understand. Our part is fully to awaken such and to uncover to their brain minds what they in their souls inherently are, so that they may journey back to their Father’s house—the Christ Consciousness—and learn there of the Work awaiting them as souls.
All those who definitely feel the appeal of these words, and deem such as possible for them, may know that they are destined for Discipleship in this life. May the souls of all who read and who before did not fully understand, be so inspired by the truth herein revealed that the Blessed One— the Master within—may this very hour call them forth to follow and serve Him the rest of their days.
I AM THE WAY
In the preceding chapter we sought to convey a, very great truth, which has become wholly necessary for every one to know who seeks to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact this truth must be faced and fully acknowledged—must be built into the soul consciousness, before one can ever proceed very far on the journey to the Kingdom.
This truth is that within you is the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world—that that Light is the Christ of God, which shines ever brighter and brighter in the darkness of man’s mortal mind as it unfolds in consciousness through the ages and in time turns away from the half-light of human knowledge and experience in a soul demand for an understanding of the true Light which alone will satisfy. That Light is the Holy Spirit that shines deep within every man. It speaks from the heart of every earnest seeker, and with no uncertain voice says, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.”
Why will men not listen, even those who yearn for the fullness of life, that they may know the truth and be shown the way? Because they have not yet unfolded to the blossoming stage—the bud of their souls has not yet matured. The Love-life within has not yet become strong enough to force the covering of self to let go and open so that the sunlight of the Spirit may unite with the light of the soul, and draw forth the fragrance and beauty of the life within.
If that is so, then man has nothing to do with this unfolding process, you say. Yes, that is really true. No man can actually hasten the process. No one can truly help another—except by pointing out to the human mind the meaning of that through which a soul is passing, thus causing the mind to quiet down, thereby permitting the life within to develop the petals of the soul to maturity—the time of blossoming. It is the self-seeking mind that seemingly interferes and holds back growth, yet all the time the mind is serving the purpose of providing a strong protective sheath, absorbing from without the little light that it can gain from human teachings—just enough to protect it while the Love-life within builds up the soul qualities needed for its perfect expression when the blossoming and fruiting seasons arrive.
Many very earnest seekers cannot yet accept that which we have been to such pains to explain. They are still so engrossed in acquiring what they call knowledge, and think that so wholly necessary that they may belittle the importance of what has been stated. But that is the John the Baptist stage. Even as he came to announce and to prepare the world for Jesus the Christ (read carefully John 1:6-27), so must the mind be prepared by a true and full intellectual understanding of the meaning of Christ within as Love, before the Holy Spirit can descend and quicken the heart and the Christ-Self can stand forth in the consciousness and minister in the Father’s Name unto all who believe. Those who still think of Christ as embodied only in Jesus and cannot feel and know Him within their own hearts, may be masters of wisdom, adepts in the use of the law, but if they have not the consciousness of Christ as the Love of God in their hearts, they are but as sounding brass and tinkling cymbals.
Not long ago there was published in the newspapers the story of a recently discovered 13th century Latin manuscript found in the Chapter Library of Hereford Cathedral in England. From its style it is believed to be a portion of the Gospel of St. Peter, which was in use among Christians in the Second Century. Hear what the Three Wise Men spake unto Joseph, the father of the babe Jesus whom they came to worship.
“Do not thou, then, look upon us as ignorant men; but know thou of us that He to whom thou art appointed as foster-father, He is the God of gods and Lord of all lords, and King over all princes and powers, the God of angels and of the righteous. It is He that shall rebuke all kings and rule all nations with the rod of His name, for unto Him belongeth majesty and empire, and He shall break the sting of death and scatter the power of hell.
“Him shall kings serve, and all tribes of the earth shall adore Him and Him shall every tongue confess saying: Thou art Christ Jesus, our deliverer and our Saviour, for thou art God, even the power and the brightness of the eternal Father.”
Read carefully again the preceding paragraph and you will realize that while embodied in Jesus—even as a babe—was very God Himself, and that Jesus as Christ is now ruling in Spirit as the God of gods and Lord of all lords, etc., yet it could not possibly be Jesus, the man, whom kings shall serve, and all tribes of the earth shall adore and every tongue confess, our deliverer and saviour—but that it is Jesus, the Christ or Holy Spirit of God, Who is the brightness of the eternal Father IN EVERY MAN which will deliver and save.
Let all who still feel the urge to seek from human teachers and masters learn all that such have to offer, and it may perhaps cause them to hear the voice of the loving Teacher within, pointing out what these others and their teachings are not and cannot teach. Repeated experiences of such nature, with their fruits of disillusionment and discouragement, will inevitably bring the Aspirant to the place where that Voice within can be heard. When that happens the change begins, the heart, through the distress and unhappiness caused, is quickened, and the Master abiding there more and more makes His Presence felt. The mind begins to take note, listens and ponders over what comes through to the consciousness, and in time the Light—the Holy Spirit—illumines it, and the Disciple is born.
You, who are seeking “occult” teaching and training, may perhaps be surprised when told that within these pages are contained more true occult inner teachings than dozens of such books afford. For these, if persistently followed, will bring results will cause joy unspeakable to the spiritually unfolding soul, instead of suffering and dismay, which often result from the practice of the teachings in such books.