The road to immortality

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THE ROAD TO IMMORTALITY.

Preface

The thoughts herein expressed are sent forth with an earnest prayer that they may be acceptable, and beneficial to the dear ones who crave that spiritual bread which alone can satisfy the hunger of the soul. The life of consecration and trust in our heavenly Father has been lived by the author for a number of years. These years have been spent with a company of people, who, apart from the world, were all living the same consecrated life. Therefore he feels in a position to speak from absolute knowledge, and that he does not overstate facts in saying, that all who dedicate their lives to God, and live absolutely up to the requirements of the covenant given to Moses on Sinai, will have all their wants supplied, will never suffer sickness or sorrow, and will eventually overcome the ruler of death and the grave. This statement does not apply to those who believe themselves to be living a life of consecration; but only to those who live that life in deed and in truth. Man cannot accomplish this in his own strength, but, as grand old Isaiah truly says, " Trust ye in the Lord forever; for in the Lord JEHO- VAH is everlasting strength.' Isaiah xxvi. 4.

The life of chastity, as set forth in the following pages, must be adhered to, as no one can consecrate his life to God, unless he is living a life of absolute holiness and purity. This life of chastity is the same as was lived and taught by our Lord Jesus the Christ, nineteen hundred years ago. It is therefore hoped that all zealous Christian men and women who desire to live the Christ life, will give these methods their earnest and prayerful consideration.

All men desire and look forward to a time when they will enjoy an immortal existence, free from disease, sorrow, and

\ I PREFACE.

death. They look for this celestial state to obtain j physical has been laid in the grave. This belief is a very rious mistake and does much to retard the progress of the sou 1* The truth is, that immortality has never been, neither will ever be gained, unless the consciousness of the soul 1 awakened while dwelling in a physical body. It was purpose that God gave man a material body. The gal the grave opens into a realm of unconsciousness or semi-< sciousness, not into a realm of spiritual, everlasting consciousness; which is the only consciousness that makes mar. tal.

An unceasing consciousness can only be obtained v hile the spiritual ego inhabits an earthly tabernacle; and this conscious, ness must be unfolded through the application of in harmony with spiritual law. These laws cannot be to or understood until the soul has, through the pro< lution, gained a high degree of unfoldment. When tl ss-

sary degree of unfoldment has been gained by reaches upward to the Father to know hi: « sL

This reaching upward of the soul is ihe sile< atibn, or

prayer, that is always answered. God answers all such prayers in these words, "If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is jnine." Ex. xix. 5. Therefore, the reason for the necessity of dedicating the life to God is, that we may hi for our protector. If man

endeavors to gain immortality ough his own efforts he will find only faih

The atheist, as we'll as all other classes who reject God and worship a creation of their own imagination, cannot hope for an immortal existence; he can expect nothing more in this work! than an intellectual, semi-conscious existence, and in the world to come a consciousness measured by the attention paid to spiritual things while on earth. One thing is certain: The soul of man does not develop after it leaves the body, unless

Chapter I, What Immortality Implies

Sages of every age have sought the Elixir Vitm. Some claimed to have found it, while others, after years of study and research, have declared that "man was born to die," that eternal youth, or an immortal existence in the physical body, is but a delusion, a chimera, a creation of a disordered brain. Whether these wise ones spoke the truth or were themselves deluded, we will leave the reader to decide. If the thoughts herein expressed prove to be of benefit to one soul seeking the light, the object of the writer shall have been accomplished. The soul's prayer, "Oh Father, let thy mind and will control the thought," shall have been answered. If nothing else be attained, at least the writer will have the consciousness that he has acted in accordance with the will of the Father, and in so doing has lessened the distance between himself and the goal of his desires. If the reader is a seeker after truth, then he has but to "prove all things, and hold fast that which is good."

Jesus, the greatest of all teachers and expounders of divine truth, nearly nineteen hundred years ago gave utterance to these words: "But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, til" they see the kingdom of God." Luke IX. 27. The kingdom Jesus spoke of has not yet come; therefore the natural conclusion is, that there is at .least one man auve on earth who has retained the physical body for nineteen hundred years. As God's laws are unchangeable, it must follow that all who obey them will obtain similar results. The divine laws and methods that will produce such marvelous results, we will endeavor to explain. We assure our readers that all who apply these methods faithfully and earnestly, with a determination that knows no such thing- as failure, may drink from the fountains of eternal youth, may draw wisdom, knowledge, and understanding direct from the fountainhead of (iod's own mind. The individual who can draw sustenance from the Infinite Life, will be always able to rejuvenate his body and perpetuate his existence. He alone of all the sons of men has dominion over death and the grave. Before we speak of the laws whereby an immortal existence is made possible, we will try to make plain the true understanding of the term "immortality."

When the term "im mortal life" is used, we do not wish the reader to understand that the physical body, as we see it manifest to the external sight, is to be retained throughout the endless ages of eternity. Undoubtedly there will come a time, when, of his own free will and desire, the immortal man, the acknowledged son of God, will willingly lay aside his earthly house of clay, in order to pass on to higher spheres of service. The immortal man lives wholly from the realm of mind, and when his labors here below are finished the physical body will be no longer needed. It will then become an incumbrance, impeding the free action of the spirit. Such an one will, however, retain his body until his use as a worker on earth is ulti mated, be it one hundred, or one thousand years hence.

Immortality, in its truest sense, means a state of spiritual sensibility in which the individual possesses an everlasting, unceasing, consciousness; a mind consciously active, that never ceases to form thought whether he is asleep or awake. Whether he inhabits an earthly tabernacle, or has been freed from th< bondage of flesh and clothed in celestial garments, he who has attained immortality is a dweller in the spiritual realms wit the emancipated sons and daughters of earth, who have passed on to those higher spheres; there is his real home.

Immortality implies that all the evils incident to earth life, and also the old accuser that has deceived the human family from the beginning, have been overcome. It means that the sins of the past, the sins of omission and commission, have "o- nebefore him to judgment," and that the individual stands justified by him who searcheth and knoweth the hearts of all men. It means that, although dwelling in a physical form, he, the real man, is clothed in the spotless garments of spirit; he has been washed and made clean, he has been born again, not of flesh, which is corruptible, but of spirit which is incorruptible, which oasses not away but is eternal, being of God, our Creator and Preserver. Immortality means that man is filled with the inflowing currents of divine life, with the eternal breath of God, which like a consuming fire burns away the dross, leaving nothing but the purest elements, only those that will withstand the ravages of time: u and (God) breathed into his nostrils the breath of life: and man became a living soul." Genesis ir. 7. The term immortality implies that man has become one with the Father; he can do nothing of himself, u the Father dwelling within, he doeth the work."

The ffreat mistake of the Christian church is in believing that man must die in order to enter into immortal life. Such a. belief is not only misleading, but it is a barrier to soul growth and unfoldment. It is a clog upon man's footsteps, retarding his progress toward the goal of earthly and spiritual attainment, and fettering him to a material existence. It contracts the intellect, dwarfs the understanding, and prevents man from comprehending the purpose of the divine Father. When God created man, he expressed his purpose in these words, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have ] -ninion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

I over the cattle, and over all the earth." If it is true that i was created in the image and likeness of God, then it t follow that, when he has unfolded that likeness, he will have become immortal and cannot die. He must live on, ever growing in spiritual power, until he reaches a period when the spiritual ego, the real, conscious man, is able to understand the purpose and will of the divine Father. Then and not till then will he be one with the immortals, and, being filled with wisdom rJ THE ROAD TO IMMORTALITY.

and love, he will be intrusted with spiritual powers which will not only enable him to say to the elements, "Peace, be still," but truthfully to exclaim, u Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave, where is thy victory?"

No man, be he Jew, Christian, Pagan, or Gentile, who passes into the unseen land through the gateway of the grave, becomes thereby immortal in the true acceptation of the term. The man w T hose physical body sees corruption, and becomes food for worms, is not immortal, no matter what he imagines himself to be. The man who has not overcome death and the -grave is still mortal; a spiritual soul, clothed it may be in a beautiful form, with a mind development which makes him a peer among his fellows, a leader and controller of men, yet he is only a human animal, and cannot express the image in which he was created. It is sad, nevertheless it is true, that such an one may pass into the realm of souls with a consciousness of spirit but a few degrees greater than that possessed by one apparently far below him in the scale of unfoldment. It frequently occurs that he does not regain consciousness after the mortal breath leaves the body. However, the degree of consciousness possessed after death depends entirely upon the degree of recognition given the soul life or consciousness, and its consequent growth and unfoldment, while on earth. The man who is unconscious after death will remain so until, in the fullness of time, mother nature awakens him and forces him back into another mortal body, where he will be compelled to take up I thread of life where it was broken off. The mortal man compelled by forcing circumstances to take upon himself j covering of flesh in order that the expressed purpose of h\B Creator may be ultimated. The immortal man who, for a purpose, desires to return to earth, takes upon himself a body suited to the needs that bring him among men, and retains it only as long as he finds a use for it. It is only through reincarnation that man gains knowledge enabling him to put off the mortal and take on the immortal. The purpose underlying the expulsion of Adam from the garden of Eden was that man might become immortal: when he gains the desired end, he will re-enter the Paradise of God, never again to be driven out.

When the individual has reached that high altitude of soul growth giving him access to the realm of spirit wherein dwell the immortal ones, desires to renounce the fleshly body, he does not lay it in the grave, but, by the power of the Father's will, which has become a part of himself, he commands, " Dust to dust, ashes to ashes, " and, in obedience to the power of the omnipotent word, which is the deific thought from which the spiritual ego has developed, the atoms composing the physical covering separate and return to the source whence they were drawn. The spiritual immortal man, forever free from the thralldom of earthly conditions, passes onward to the realm of the blest, where, the realm in which he shall labor as one of" the gods, is determined by USK, the great law of spirit. In the spiritual realm alone, which can only be entered by those who have developed unceasing consciousness, does man enjoy perpetual youth, being sustained and nourished from that illimitable fountain of eternal life, — God. He who is able to drink from this everflowing, ever- vivifying, fountain has indeed discovered the Elixir of Life, the Philosopher's Stone, which enables him to be what he wills to be. Such an one, if he so desires, can return to earth as a savior of men. If this is his choice, he must, being superior to the men of earth, walk among them, " treading the wine press alone," unknown, and perhaps despised; yet he is ever conscious of the overshadowing love of his Creator, and can exclaim, as did our Lord and Master, our greatly beloved brother, Jesus the Christ," The Father has not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." The Spirit of God never leaves such an one, but in the darkest hour of trial, when the sins of a perverted world almost crush the sensitive soul, when the bitter cup of trial is placed to the lips, he can, in the solitude of his chamber where adversaries cannot enter, return to his spiritual home and to those who know and love him for his great sacrifice, and there receive the strength to perform his work on earth. Such an immortal Son of God, was Jesus, who permitted his body to be laid in the grave for three days, proving to the world that " the word became flesh, and dwelt among us, — and we beheld his glory glory of an only-begotten from a father, — full of favor and truth." ( E. G. ) St. John I. 14

If the man who has gained the pearl of great price, who lias eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, chooses to remain on earth as a server among men. he may do so: he that is greatest among you, is servant of all. If this be his choice he can not only retain his youth and vigor, but he can keep his mental faculties unimpared: he can even increase his capacity to understand the laws governing the realm of shadows called "earth." He draws his knowledge from the cause realm which produces all the phenomena witnessed among men. He lives entirely on spiritual food, thinks only spiritual thoughts in harmony with the purpose of God, and, as days succeed days, his powers increase, until his wisdom transcends the wisdom of men; verily he is no longer a human, but a divine man. He can, if he so desires, walk the earth a king, a priest unto God, one with the celestials, not only possessing power over the things of earth, but also over the unseen forces of nature.

The foregoing statements are based upon knowledge, as well as upon the assurance of God himself. In Holy Writ we read, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you/' Matt, vi ; If God commanded man to seek his kingdom, it certainly lows that he can, if he be diligent, find it, for God does mock the child he has created. If it is possible to find kingdom of God, it is surely possible to gain immortal lite, for no one can dwell in that kingdom unless all the sins of earth life have been washed away and a spiritual consciousness gained. A spiritual consciousness must be an immortal consciousness, as spirit is eternal. Again, God is spirit, and only in spirit can we truly worship him. If, therefore, man does not become spiritual, which is another term for immortal, he can never gain heaven, can never worship the Father. Thank God, however, the way leading- to heaven is simple, and easy to find; "the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein." The purpose in giving these thoughts to the world is to point out the road that leads from a land of sin, sorrow and death, to one where death and sorrow cannot enter, but where the Angel of peace and love rules. The love of the angels will always overshadow the sons and daughters of earth who have renounced the flesh and are seeking immortal life, — oneness with God, the Father and Creator of the universe.

Until he has paid every debt he owes, the individual must remain a mortal, must be subject to the law of death and decay, and must continue to return into a fleshly body. If he is an unjust^man, if he loves not his neighbor as himself, if he takes the name of the Lord in vain, if he bows down to graven images, if he worships the golden calf, if he is bound by the physical senses and desires, if his mind is clouded by the passions, he must return to earth, times without number, or until he has become as pure and innocent as a little babe; it is only as a little child that he can enter heaven. Heaven is not a place, but a condition, a state of consciousness; and until he is able to maintain this heavenly- state within himself, man cannot gain immortality. Until he is able to do so he must earn his bread in the sweat of his brow, he is still under the law. He must labor on earth as a mortal until he has unfolded the likeness of God in which he was created. Only after the spirit, the inner man, gains the dominion over matter is man able to break the shackles of flesh. Not until then can he stand as a king, a sovereign having dominion over the old adversary, the serpent, who has filled our fair earth with sin and error, — the direct cause of misery and death. Man cannot be an immortal, until he is free from the binding and limiting influence of a material existence; he cannot conquer the power of the grave until he has obtained control of the forces of nature, which have always compelled the race to be slaves instead of free men.

"This life's a mystery.

The value of a thought cannot be told: But it is clearly worth a thousand lives Like many men's. And yet men love to live As if mere life were worth their living for. What but perdition will it be to most?

Life's more than breath and the quick round of blood It is a great spirit and a busy heart.

The coward and the small in soul scarce do live. One generous feeling — one great thought — one deed Of good, ere night, would make life longer seem Than if each year might number a thousand days,— Spent as is this by nations of mankind.

We live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths: In feelings, not in figures on a dial.

We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most — feels the noblest — acts the best. Life's but a means unto an end— that end, Beginning, mean and end to all things — God."

Chapter II. Right Thought

In order to intelligently enter the cause or soul realm it is indispensable that the individual have an understanding of the laws governing that world and the methods of putting himself in harmony with them. As this book is written for general circulation, the necessary explanation will be made in the simplest language possible, and we ask the reader to withhold judgment until he has given them his earnest thought. We promise that if the methods given are faithfully practiced, the results claimed for them certainly will be realized. Should the student fail to realize them, it will not be the fault of the methods, but because of a lack of will and determination on the part of the individual. These laws are God's laws, therefore, they are not subject to change; man is. As he grows in spiritual understanding, he becomes sensitive to the operation of these laws; and, therefore, can readily perceive, obey, and benefit by them. It is for the purpose of giving timely suggestions that we present these methods; and we feel satisfied that, if they are adhered to, the individual will be led to where he need no longer depend upon mortals for instruction and advice. He will be led to where the consciousness of the spiritual ego, will be his consciousness; he will know the relation he bears to the Father, and will, therefore, be in a condition to perceive and comprehend the will and purpose of God concerning him, his mission, and his ultimate destiny; he will be able to draw knowledge from the Mind that controls all the affairs of earth.

Man is threefold in his nature, — body, soul and spirit. To be perfect, an immortal, he must round out all sides of his nature, establishing an equilibrium. Until this result is obtained, he has not reached the goal of human attainment, and is open to various deceptions, and many disappointments. He still lacks wisdom, and is unable to succesfully withstand the subtle forces that guard the spiritual realm from unlawful intruders. It requires a fearless and well-trained will to conquer these monsters who obey only those who have learned how to command them.

The material body of man allies him to the world of effect, which is the visible expression of unseen, and — to the majority of people — unknown laws. These laws are active in the realm of soul, and only a spiritual consciousness is capable of fully understanding them. Man as we know him in our age, does not (appear to) possess this consciousness, at least it is not sufficently active to be of practical use in his daily life. It is latent in all, however, and will manifest itself as soon as the physical body has become sufficiently purified and refined to permit it to do so. We will, therefore, first call attention to the methods by which this much desired condition- may be reached.

It is most important that the physical organism be considered: it allies man to the earth, and is the medium through which the soul gains experience and thereby knowledge. The material body is a thought creation, builded of elements drawn from the blood by the Virgo function, the chemist of the human organism. This function is controlled by the intellectual mind, whose seat is in the brain, under orders, as it were, of the soul or interior mind, whose seat is in the Solar Plexus. The body is builded under the direction of the soul mind, in order that it may be a fitting instrument through which the expe 1 *iences necessary to the soul may be gained.

The man who has not risen above the animal plane req material body, in order that he may gain a comprehens^ derstanding of the laws and methods active in the \ world in which he dwells. The spiritual man requires a more refined organism, in order that he may be able to understand and use the more subtle forces belonging to the realm which he is preparing to enter. The methods by which the body may be refined and spiritualized are based upon the formulation of pure and holy thoughts. Before the body can be changed, new and more refined qualities of life must not only be gathered but retained in the organism. It is absolutely necessary that all the life generated by the body be retained, in order that the blood may be kept filled with the proper magnetic elements with which to supply to body and mind the vitality required by all who would withstand the powers of disease and consequent decay.

In order that finer and more spiritual life may be gathered, more exalted realms of mind must be reached than is possible or necessary to the man living wholly in the external senses. This can be accomplished only through soul aspiration, which is true prayer. This prayer arises in the heart, the seat of the love nature, the emotions, and the desires. The more exalted the desire, the higher will be the realm of spirit reached. A desire to be intelligently formulated must fit some special use arising in the mind. Holy and unselfish desires bring the quickest and surest results. If the desire is for an immortal, spiritual existence, it must be absloutely free from all thought of self or wish for power to control another. Immortality is the highest possible attainment man can hope for or at present comprehend, therefore an intelligent desire for such attainment cannot be formulated until the selfhood has been crucified and forever placed under the absolute control of the higher faculties of mind.

But one attitude of mind will enable man to reach those

jalms of spirit which gives him power with the immortals, and this mental attitude is not possible until he has grown so

red of earthly things that he is willing to die to all material pleasures and desires, hopes and joys. Truly, man must die to i be old before it is possible for him to enter the new; he must be willing to renounce all ties, of every name and nature, which in the slightest degree bind him to the old order and condition of life. He must feel in the interior consciousness that the only thing which will bring him complete happiness and satisfaction, is to become an instrument in the hands of the Supreme to serve in the elevation of the race to a higher plane of soul consciousness.

The man who would become an immortal must truly desire to be a servant of humanity. To attain this end he must first know himself: he must be able to analyze every desire arising in the heart, to decide whether it is useful to his welfare or a hindrance to his spiritual progress. The desires must be controlled by the mind. Use must be the law governing his actions. He must be able to utilize or reject any or all of his desires and emotions. Not only must he be able to do this, but he must be willing to place himself, without a doubt or reservation, in the keeping of his highest conception of God; he must be willing absolutely to trust his heavenly Father, whose wisdom, love, and justice, he knows will permit only only those trials and disappointments that are necessary to his welfare.

Two ways of living are presented to all; man can, if he so desires, rely upon his own strength, or upon the power of the Spirit. If his dependence is in the power of flesh, he trusts in human judgment, which is unreliable. If he is satisfied to depend upon the power of the Spirit to guide, he will always have a sure refuge in the hour of need. If he must still lean upon the uncertain arm of flesh, if it is impossible for him to trust God wholly, he cannot obtain the guidance of the Spirit. When man can trust God fully, the power of the Father is his; he is in a condition to enter the ''Narrow Way," the way of holiness. And if he unfaulteringly treads the way of holiness, he will soon realize that sorrow and pain have fled, never to return — and they never will return unless he wanders from the true path. Every mortal that would leave the land of shadow, must tread the "Narrow Way" of holiness. It is the only way by which the land of eternal sunshine can be reached.

No dangers or trials are ever found in the Way of Holiness.

THE KOAJ) TO IMMORTALITY. 21

But he who strays from the true path, because of striving to live up to his own ideals, will find himself confronted by difficulties and dangers. To keep in the path is to be ever conscious of the presence of the Spirit. Live rightly, regardless of what it costs. To follow the inner promptings of the soul, without reference to the opinion of others, is the only safe way. Patience and fortitude of soul is, therefore, to be learned here; no matter what may come to you. do not falter, but with renewed energy, determination, and prayer, press onward; you can, and eventually will, if you are faithful, reach the desired haven.