THE THIRD PRESENCE

Never forget that all Bible Texts are open to three interpretations. When we hear a man explaining the meaning of a text at though it related to our living a life, behaving ourselves by force of will, we see that he is on the childhood, babyhood, plane. He would say you must force yourself to leave off drinking tea, or gambling, or opium eating, in order to please God.

When we hear a man explaining that same text as only a metal rule and declaring that it stands for ideas, we know he is growing up in his concepts of scriptures. He tells us that if we change our ideas we shall change our actions without effort. Socrates said, “Men act wrongly because they have wrong ideas.” Each one of these interpreters tells us to force ourselves. One says, “Force the body.” The other says, “Force the mind.”

The mind forcers are in the ascendant now. They are having a great run. They are an improvement on the body forcers because they are more far-reaching in their influences. For a thought can go to Japan from an office in New York or Chicago, compelling somebody to change his mind way off on the shores of that fair Pacific without the use of telephone, telegraph, or steam mail. It is a much easier way of communicating than telegraphing when once the rules are known.

The Bible expounder on the mind plane tells you what splendid principles to tell the Japanese during your secret, silent meditations. The very religious mentalist never thinks of telling anything but godly things to his silent, unseen for-away audiences. He is a very would-be helpful and sincere creature.

When we hear a man explaining the Bible text as relating to some higher, less known realm of our being than either our mind or our body, we see that he is farther on than the moralist or the mentalist. He is tampering with something out of the reach of mind. He gives us a report of ourselves, of the Japanese, and of everybody else, as supremely, superbly unapproachable by thoughts from the mentalist and the prison doors and reformatories of the moralist. He gives us a great rest from the influences of absent mind trainers. Now there has never been any satisfactory term to apply to this last noble realm of interpretation. It is called the “Lamb” in John’s Revelation. It is called the “unknowable” in certain Oriental books. For you do not have to know any of its mysteries to make it work for you, as you do so have to know what to do as a moralist, and what to think as a mentalist. 

The Chicago Inter Ocean Newspaper,

May 23, 1897

THE SUNDAY LESSON

EMMA CURTIS HOPKINS

Acts15:1-6, 22-23