I AM HERE. Jesus.

I have heard your discussion and am much pleased that you and your friend are progressing so rapidly in the knowledge of Truth. Very soon, you both will be surprised at the extent of knowledge of spiritual things and Truths that will come to you.

No man who is given to only what you may call the material things on earth will be able to understand the spiritual laws, when he becomes a spirit, until he has gotten rid of the material mind and the reasoning that comes from the powers which have been exercised only in the investigation of material things.

You cannot perceive spiritual things with the material mind. Neither can a man, by reason of those powers of the mind which know only material things, perceive the Truths of the spirit. Hence, there is the necessity for man cultivating the soul perceptions, which are greater and more comprehending than all the faculties of the material mind.

Mind, as usually understood by man, is undoubtedly a wonderful instrument in investigating and learning the laws of nature and the relation of cause and effect in the physical world. But such powers, when applied to the things of the spirit, will not help much. Rather, they will retard the progress of the soul's development of its faculties.

The reasoning power given to man is the highest quality of the material mind, and, when properly exercised, affords a very safe and satisfactory method of arriving at the truth. But such power, when exercised in reference to things which are strangers to it, or with which such powers have no acquaintance, or have never been concerned with the investigation of the phenomena of their existence, cannot be depended upon to bring conclusions that will assure men of truth.

Laws are eternal and never change, and are made by the Great Father to be applied to all the conditions and to all the relationships of the material world and of the spiritual world. But the laws that apply to the operations of the material world are not fitted to apply to the operations of the spiritual world. And the man who understands the former, and their application to material things, is not able to apply the laws applicable to the spiritual world and to spiritual things. A knowledge of the laws pertaining to the natural will not supply a knowledge of the laws pertaining to the spiritual.

Hence, the great scientist who was able on earth to discover and show the operation of the laws controlling material things, when he comes to the spiritual world and attempts to apply this knowledge to the things of the spirit, he will be wholly unable to do so. He will be as a babe in his ability to understand and draw deductions from the spiritual laws. So, you see the necessity for man's becoming acquainted with these spiritual laws if he expects to progress in things to which they apply.

The material laws may be learned from by the operations of the senses that belong to, and constitute, the material mind. But the spiritual laws can only be learned by the exercise and application of the faculties of the soul. The soul is to the spiritual things of God what the mind is to the material things of God. And the great mistake that men make and have made is to attempt to learn these spiritual things with the powers of the material mind.

I write thus because I see that you and your friend desire to learn the nature and operations and workings of the spiritual things; and, hence, I want to impress upon you the necessity for exercising the soul perceptions which will come to you as your soul develops. These perceptions are just as real as are the five senses of the natural mind, though most men do not even know of their existence. And when once you have succeeded in understanding that they do exist and that you may be able to use them, just as you use the faculties of the material mind, you will be able to progress in the development of these faculties or perceptions with as much success and certainty as does the great scientist or philosopher in the studies of the things to which he applies the faculties of his material mind.

I will not write more tonight, but will say: Let your faith increase and pray more to the Father, and you will see a wonderful vista of knowledge open up to you of the Truths of the spirit.

Your friend and brother,

JESUS.

I AM HERE. Helen.

Let me tell you that you are only making yourself unhappy trying to learn all about the way that I write to you. You cannot do it, as you are not able to see my method, and I cannot fully explain it to you. But I will try to do the best I can.

When you take hold of the pencil, I exercise all my power to move the pencil so that it will write just what I think. But, in order to do that, I have to let my thoughts go through your brain. You do not do the thinking, but merely let the thoughts pass through your brain. And the movement of the pencil is caused by the exercise of your brain in conjunction with my power which I exercise on the pencil. So, you see, you do not originate the thought, but merely convey it to the hand which I guide in accordance with my thought. You do not have anything more to do with what is written than an electric wire has to do with transmitting a message from the party at the end where the message is given.

Let me explain it in another way. When I think a thought, I pass it through your brain to your hand, and my power to move your hand is brought into action, just as, when you think a thought, your power to move your hand is brought into action.

My thoughts are not your thoughts. When I think, your mind catches the thought but does not create the same. So, you must believe that I am doing the writing and not you, for I write some thoughts which you could not write if you tried. How do you like that for assurance?

But, to be serious, you could not write the things that I write without giving much thought to the different subject matters, for some of them are not familiar to you, as you have often said. Dismiss the idea that you are writing the things which emanate from what is sometimes called your subconscious mind, for you have no subconscious mind. And the philosophers who teach such an idea are not acquainted with the laws of the mind. The mind is only the spiritual evidence of thoughts that congregate in the brain, but which really are not a part of the material thing which the "wise men" call the subconscious self or mind. There is no such thing. And when they let their explanations of things which they cannot account for rest on the assertion that the subconscious mind furnishes these thoughts, they are all wrong.

Only the material brain furnishes thoughts which it puts forth from the observation of the senses, or from the faculties which are brought into action when the reason is made the basis of the thoughts. I am not a very good expounder of these things, but I have tried to make it as plain as I could.

(Have you learned all of this by yourself?)

Yes, I am telling you this from my own observation and understanding of these things. When you receive communications from Mr. Riddle, he will be able to explain more fully and more satisfactorily the laws which govern these things, and you must let him write soon.

I am studying the laws of physical and psychical sciences so that I may be able to assist you in your investigation when you come to search for the true relationship between spirits and mortals, and the laws which control these communications.

(Are you also studying the laws pertaining to such things as clairvoyance?)

Yes, my studies include the investigation of the laws governing clairvoyance and inspirational communications. You will have the opportunity sometime to have an experience in each of these phases, and I want to be in condition to assist you to a degree that will help you in arriving at conclusions which will be correct, and which will help others to understand the laws that govern these things.

So, you see, your wife loves you so much that, in order to help you clearly understand these laws, she is willing to attempt to learn those things which once were thought to be (but mistakenly so) only for the comprehension of masculine minds. But, while I will do this, I will not cease to try to learn those things to the fullest which will give me a clearer understanding of those spiritual Truths that lead closer to God and His Love. These latter Truths are absolutely necessary. The others are important, but not necessary in order that a soul may sooner or later reach the knowledge that makes it one with the Father. The Love of God, which passes all purely mental understanding, is the one great thing to soulfully learn of and possess.

My home is now so very beautiful that my happiness is more than I can tell you of.
You also will be happy when you come over. For I am filling my home with such beautiful thoughts and so much love that, when you come, you will wonder how your little wife could possibly have accumulated so much beauty and filled the house with so much love.

(You actually beautify your home by your loving thoughts?)

Yes, as I receive more of God's Love into my soul, my home becomes the more beautiful. However, I do not have to be in my home to be able to have this Love with me. It is with me all the time. And, when I am in my home, the home becomes a reflection of that Love. The home is not beautiful if the Love is not there. So, you see, the home depends upon the existence of the Love for its beauty. My soul is the creator of my home. Without the soul being beautiful, the home could not be beautiful.

When I leave my home to come to you, the home remains the same because, while my soul is with me, and also the Love that makes it beautiful, yet, the home retains the reflection, or, as you might say, the atmosphere of that Love to such a degree that the beauty of the home is not lessened or deteriorated by my temporary absence. So, you see, the home has a permanency, although it depends upon the soul to give it its beauty and loveliness. My home is not yet perfect, but, as I grow in God's Love, then more perfection will come to it. The more Love that I have, the more beautiful the home.

We all are dependent upon the degree of Love in our souls for the appearance of our homes.

Let your endeavor be to get all of this Love that you possibly can; and, if you succeed in getting as much as I have, you will be one with me and our home will be together. If you do not, I will have to wait until you do before we can live together as one. So, do try to get all of God's Love that you can. IF YOU WILL ONLY GIVE YOUR THOUGHTS TO THE SPIRITUAL THINGS, AND LET YOUR SOUL BE OPEN TO THE INFLOWING OF THIS LOVE BY PRAYING WITH ALL YOUR SOUL LONGINGS, YOU CAN PROGRESS JUST AS RAPIDLY AS I DO. SO, LOVE ENOUGH AND WANT TO BE WITH ME ENOUGH TO TRY WITH ALL YOUR HEART TO GET THIS LOVE.

Your own true wife,

HELEN.

I AM HERE. Professor Salyards.

Well, I am here, as I agreed, and will endeavor to write you my thoughts on the subject: "What May Spirits Know About the Laws of the Spirit World After They Have Been in That World for a Short Time."

As you know, I have been here for a comparatively short time. And while my studies have been in the study of these laws to a considerable extent, yet, I find that I have limited knowledge of the same. Much of my information has been gathered from other spirits who have lived here a great many years, and who have devoted their study and investigation to these laws.

Well, I want to say first that no spirit, by the mere fact of having shortly before made his advent to this world, has received any much greater knowledge than he had when on earth.

My knowledge of spiritual laws when on earth was not very extensive. And, when I came into the spirit world, I found that I did not know much more than I did before I came; and such is the experience of every spirit. But, as I continued to investigate these matters, I discovered that my capacity for learning was greatly increased, and that my mind was more plastic and received this knowledge more easily than when I was a mortal. This is largely due to the fact that the brain-I mean the mortal brain-is, when compared to what you might call the spirit brain, a thing of much inferior quality, and not so capable of learning the cause and effect of phenomena.

I am now undergoing a course of study that I have no doubt will give me wonderful information of these laws so that, ultimately, I may become what you mortals might call a learned man.

The first and, to me, the most important law that I have learned is that man continues to live in the spirit world without his earthly body. This great law, while to you and to many others is well known and is an established fact, yet, to me, was not known, as I had never had any experience in Spiritualism and had never given any study to the subject.

When I arrived in the spirit world, I learned that this law is one of God's Truths, and that it is fixed and will never change; for all will survive the change of so-called "death."

The next great law that I learned is that no man, of his own power, can make his condition or position in the spirit world just what and where he would have it be. This is another fixed Truth, and one which even many spirits do not fully comprehend; for they think, or so express themselves, that all they have to do is to exercise a little will power, and then they can move from certain conditions. But this is not true, for the law controlling this matter never has any exceptions in its operations.

Man or spirit, in a way, can determine what his destiny may be. But when once his destiny is fixed on earth by this great power of will which God has conferred on man, in the spirit world, he can no longer change his condition by the mere exercise of his will, but by the operation of the laws releasing him from memories and recollections which hold him to the condition that his life has placed him in. So, when men think that, by the exercise of their own will, they can release themselves of a condition which they have made for themselves, they are mistaken.

Many spirits here have this idea, and believe that, if they only chose to exercise their vaunted will power, they could relieve themselves of their darkened condition and get into happier conditions. But, strange, they never try this, and the reason is therefore apparent. They could not if they tried, and will not try because they cannot. Yet, they think that, when they get ready, they will only have to exercise this will and the change will follow. No, this law is as fixed as any law of this great Universe of God.

Of course, while man or spirit cannot change his condition by the exercise of his will, yet, in order to secure that change, the will has to be exercised because the help comes from without. And this help from without is absolutely necessary to man, for this is what causes the change; and it will not come to him unless he exercises the will in the way of desiring and asking for it.

So, let not man think that he is his own savior, because he is not. And if the help did not come from without, he would never be saved from the condition which he finds himself in when he enters the spirit world. You hear in your spirit circles, and read in the publications about Spiritualism, that progression is a law of the spirit world. Well, that is true. But it does not mean that a spirit necessarily progresses, either mentally or spiritually, by the mere fact of being in the spirit world, for this is not true. Many spirits who have been here for years are in no better condition than when they first became spirits.

All progression depends upon the help that comes from outside the mind or soul of man. Of course, when this help comes, man has to cooperate; but without this help, there would be nothing with which to cooperate, and no progress could possibly be made. Many of the Spiritualists make this great mistake when they speak or write on this subject. But let them know that, if a man depends upon his own powers, exclusively, he will never progress. And this law does not apply only to the soul's progress, of which you have heard us speak so often, but also to the progress of the mere mind, and also to what might be called the purely moral qualities. My observation and my information from the other spirits that I have mentioned have confirmed the truth of what I have said.

Man, of himself, cannot elevate himself either mentally or morally; and the sooner he learns that fact, the better for him.

Another law of the spirit world is that when a spirit once commences to progress, that progress increases in geometrical progression, as we used to say when teaching on earth.

Just as soon as the light breaks into a man's soul or mind, and he commences to see that there is a way for him to reach higher things and make greater expansion of either his mind or soul, he will find that his desire to progress will increase as that progression continues. And with that desire will come help in such abundance that it will be limited only by the desire of the spirit. His will then becomes a great force in his success in progressing and working in conjunction with the help that calls it into operation. It becomes a wonderful thing of power and irresistible force.

This progression may be illustrated by the history of the snowball as it continues its descent from the top of a hill covered with snow. Not only does its velocity increase but it also continually enlarges its form and body by the outside snow attaching itself to the ball. So with the mind or soul of a spirit as it ascends. It not only becomes more rapid in its flight but also meets this outside help that I speak of, which help attaches itself to the spirit and, as it were, becomes a part of it.

So, you see, the great problem is to make the start. And this principle will apply to mortals as well as to spirits, because, if the start is made on earth, the mere fact of becoming a spirit will not halt, or in any way interfere with, the progress of the soul of that spirit. Of course, this means that a correct start be made. If the start is a false one, or based on things other than the Truth, instead of progress continuing when the man becomes a spirit, there may have to be a retracing of the way and a new start made in order to get on the right road.

And this applies to the progress of the mind as well as to the progress of the soul. The mind of a mortal learns many things which seem to that mind to be the truth, and which in its opinion must lead to progress and greater knowledge. But when the earth life gives place to the spirit life, that mind may find that its bases of knowledge were all wrong, and that to continue in the way that it had been moving would lead to increased error; and, consequently, a new start must be made. Frequently, the retracing of that mind over the course that it had followed, and the elimination of errors that it had embraced, is sometimes more difficult, and takes a longer time to accomplish, than the learning of the Truth does after the mind makes its correct start.

SO, SOMETIMES THE MIND OF GREAT LEARNING, ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD OF EARTHLY LEARNING, IS MORE HARMFUL AND MORE GREATLY RETARDS THE PROGRESS OF THAT MAN IN THE WAYS AND ACQUIREMENTS OF TRUTH THAN DOES THE MIND THAT IS, AS YOU MIGHT SAY, A BLANK-THAT IS, WITHOUT PRECONCEIVED IDEAS OF WHAT THE TRUTH IS ON A PARTICULAR SUBJECT.

This unfortunate experience exists to a greater extent in matters pertaining to religion than to any other matters, because the ideas and convictions which are taught and possessed of these religious matters affect innumerably more mortals than do ideas and convictions in reference to any other matters.

A SPIRIT WHO IS FILLED WITH THE ERRONEOUS BELIEFS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN TAUGHT TO HIM FROM HIS MORTAL CHILDHOOD, AND FOSTERED AND FED UPON BY HIM UNTIL HE BECOMES A SPIRIT, IS THE MOST DIFFICULT TO TEACH AND CONVINCE OF THE TRUTHS PERTAINING TO RELIGIOUS MATTERS OF ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THIS WORLD. IT IS MUCH EASIER TO TEACH THE AGNOSTIC OF THESE TRUTHS, OR EVEN THE INFIDEL, THAN THE HIDE-BOUND BELIEVER IN THE DOGMAS AND CREEDS OF THE CHURCH.

So, I say, let the minds of mortals be opened to the teachings of the Truth. And even if they are convinced that what they believe is the truth, yet, let not that belief stand in the way of them being able to see the Truth when it is actually presented to them.

ANOTHER LAW IS THAT NOT ALL WHO KNOW THAT LIFE IN THE SPIRIT WORLD IS CONTINUOUS ARE CERTAIN THAT CONTINUOUS LIFE MEANS IMMORTALITY. I MEAN BY THIS THAT THE MERE FACT OF LIVING AS A SPIRIT DOES NOT PROVE, OF ITSELF, THAT SUCH SPIRIT IS IMMORTAL.

This is a subject that spirits discuss as much as mortals do, and it is just as much a question of uncertainty as is the immortality of the soul taught among mortals now and for all ages past.

While men know that the death of the body does not mean the death of the spirit, and that such spirit, which is the real man, continues to live with all its qualities of a spiritual nature, yet, there has never been any proof presented to man that that spirit will live for all eternity-or, in other words, that it is immortal.

I say this because I have read the histories and beliefs of most of the civilized, and some not called civilized, nations of the world. And, in all my readings, I was not able to find that it was ever demonstrated that man is immortal. Of course, many pagan and sacred writers taught this, but their statements were all based on belief and nothing more. And, so, I say, immortality has never become demonstrated as a fact to mortals.

In the spirit world, the spirits of not only the lower spheres but also those of the higher intellectual or moral spheres are still debating the question among themselves. I am informed that there are some who lived on earth many centuries ago who have become exceedingly wise and learned in the knowledge of the laws of the universe, and have become so free from the sins and errors of their earth life that they may be called perfect men; yet they do not know that they are immortal. Many of them think that they are just such men or spirits as were those who were represented by the type of Adam and Eve. They know not that they are any less liable to death than were the ones just mentioned. And, hence, immortality is a thing which may or may not exist for spirits as well as for mortals.

I know that many of your Spiritualist friends on earth claim that the mere fact that Spiritualism has demonstrated the continuity of life establishes the fact of immortality. But a few moments consideration will show you the falsity of this reasoning.

Change is the law eternal, both on earth and in the spirit world, and nothing exists as the same for any length of time. And, in the succession of these changes, how can it be said that, in the future, far or near, changes may not come by which the existence of the spirit-the ego of man-may be ended, or that ego might not take some other form, or enter into some other condition, so that it will not be the same ego and spirit which is now living as a demonstration of the continuity of the mortal life?

And, so, many spirits as well as mortals do not know what is necessary to obtain in order to have the certain knowledge of immortality. But many other spirits know that there is an immortality for spirits who choose to seek that immortality in the Way that God, in His Great Wisdom and Providence, has provided. I will not discuss this phase of immortality now, but will at some later time.

There is another law which enables spirits to become pure and free from the consequences and evils of their mortal lives by the mere operation of their natural affections and loves-again becoming perfect like the first parents before the fall.

This does not mean that the Law of Compensation does not operate to the fullest, and that it does not demand the last farthing, because such is the exactness in the operation of this law that no spirit is released from its penalties until it has satisfied the law.

As you believe, and as many other mortals believe, a man's punishment for the sins committed by him on earth is inflicted by his conscience and memories. There is no special punishment inflicted by God on any particular man, but the Law of Punishment operates alike on every man. If the facts that bring that punishment into operation are the same, that punishment will be the same, no matter whether the objects of its infliction be the same or different persons. So, you see, it cannot be escaped on any grounds of special dispensation, so long as the facts which call for its operation exist. And the conscience and memories of the spirit realize these facts.

When a spirit first enters the spirit life, it does not necessarily feel the scourging of these memories. This is the reason that you will so often hear the spirit who has so recently left his mortal life assure his friends or sorrowing relatives, at the public seances, that he is very happy and wouldn't be again in the earth life, and similar assurances. But, after a little while, memory commences to work as the soul is awakened, and then never ceases until the penalties are paid. I don't mean that the spirit is continuously in a condition of torment, necessarily, but substantially that; and relief does not come until these memories cease their awful lashings. Some spirits live here a great number of years before they receive this relief, while others more quickly obtain it.

The greatest cause which operates to relieve these spirits of these memories is love. I now mean the natural love. And this love embraces many qualities, such as remorse and sorrow and the desire to make amends for the injuries done, etc. Until a spirit's love is awakened, none of these feelings come to him. He cannot possibly feel remorse or regret or the desire to atone until love, no matter how slight, comes into his heart. He may not realize just what the cause of these feelings may be, but it is love just the same.

(But how can one rid himself of such painful feelings?)

Well, as these various feelings operate, and he acts in accordance with them, a memory here and there will leave him, never to return; and as these memories, in turn, leave him, the less his sufferings become; and, after awhile, when they have all left him, he becomes free from the law, and it, as to him, becomes extinct. But it must not be understood that this is a work of quick operation, for it may be years-long, weary years of suffering-before he becomes thus free and once more a spirit without sin or these memories. This is the way the great Law of Compensation is satisfied. It cannot be avoided, and eventually includes the development of the natural love in its workings. But all its demands must be met until sin and error are eradicated and the soul is restored to a pure state.

But this gradual release from these penalties does not mean that a spirit is progressing in his journey to the higher and brighter spheres, because, even without this torture and torment, he may still remain stationary as to the development of his higher mental and moral nature. But when he has been relieved of these sufferings, he is then in a condition to start the progression that I have spoken of.

As you are tired, I will continue the balance of my discourse when I write again.

With all my love, I am

Your true friend and professor,

JOSEPH H. SALYARDS.

I AM HERE. Jesus.

I am here and desire to write a few lines in reference to the "great day of judgment," of which the preacher and teachers of theological things write so often. I know that the Bible, or rather some of the books, lay great stress upon this day when, as they claim, God will pour out His "vials of wrath" upon the ungodly and "condemn" them to an eternity of punishment.

There is, as you know, very great and divers opinions among these learned men as to what is the meaning and significance of this "day of judgment," and when, in a chronological point of view, it will take place. All these varied opinions are held by students and teachers who embrace and proclaim them to the world as being true and free from doubt.

Well, it is certain that all men must die and that there will come the judgment; and that which follows the death is just as certain as is the death itself, and just as reasonable as is the following of any cause by an effect. So, men should have no difficulty in believing in the judgment as a fact that cannot be avoided, just as death cannot be avoided.

But the word and the fact, "judgment," when used as an effect or following of death, may have many meanings in the opinions and understandings of many men, depending upon what men may believe as to things that are called religious or scientific or philosophical. To the ultra-orthodox, this term "judgment" means, and necessarily involves, the active pronouncement of a "sentence" by God-this because of, and determined by, men's lives and thoughts while living in the mortal life, irrespective of any of His general Laws and the workings thereof. God is, Himself, the "Judge"-Personal and Present-and by Him, in this capacity, is each man's life and works known and digested and made the basis of the "sentence" that He must pronounce in each individual case. God keeps the "record" of all these acts of men, or, if man is conceded to be his own record keeper, his records are, or will be, at the time of the "great assemblage for judgment," opened up or brought into view so that nothing can be lost. Then, upon this record, men will be sent to eternal happiness or to everlasting punishment, or, as some believe, to destruction or annihilation.

Others, not orthodox, who believe in the survival of the soul and the continuing memories of the acts and thoughts of men, teach that the judgment will follow death as a natural consequence of the operations of the Law of Cause and Effect; and the effect cannot be escaped from until, in some way, there comes a realization to the consciousness of men that the effect, in their suffering, has satisfied the cause, and that there is nothing mysterious or unnatural in the appearance and workings of the judgment. They do not believe that God, by any special interposition or Personal "punishing," will pronounce the judgment or determine the merits or demerits of the one called to judgment.

Besides these views, there are others extant and believed in. But the two that I have mentioned are principal ones and are sufficient to show what the large majority of thinking, or, rather, believing, men conclude the term "judgment" should mean or be understood to mean, as used in the Bible.

Well, the judgment of the human soul is an important accompaniment of the human life, both in the flesh and in the spirit world. And, as regards soul revealments and punishments, hardly anything demands more of the thought and consideration of men; for it is a certainty that these cannot be avoided by men, irrespective of the truth or falsity of their existing beliefs. Judgment as certainly follows what men call death as does night the day, and no philosophy or theological dogmas or scientific determinations can alter the fact, or in any way change the character or exact workings of this judgment.

But judgment is not a thing belonging exclusively to the after death period or condition, for it is present and operating with men from the time that they become incarnated in the human body until they become disincarnate, and, thereafter, continuously until the causes of effects have been satisfied and there remains nothing to be judged, which happy ending is also a fact. All men are dependent upon their progress towards the conditions of harmony through established laws that pronounce the judgments. While these laws operate on earth, men are being judged continually for the causes they start into existence, and the after death judgment is only a continuation of the judgment received by men while on earth.

Of course-men may not know this-these judgments, or the effects thereof, become more intensified after men have gotten rid of the influences of the flesh existence and they become spirits having only the spirit qualities. Because of this fact, men must understand and try to realize that the expression "after death, the judgment" has a greater significance, and is of more vital importance, than the saying that "judgment is with men all during their mortal lives."

After death, the causes of the inharmony with the law become more pronounced and appear in their true meaning and force. Consequently, with this revealment, the effects become more intensified and understood, and men suffer more and realize the darkness, and sometimes the gross darkness, that these effects produce. The inharmony appears in its unclothed and unhidden reality, and the law's workings bring the exact penalties to men that their violations demand.

Man is his own bookkeeper. And in his memory are recorded all the thoughts and deeds of his earth life that are not in accord with the harmony of God's Will, which is expressed or manifested by His Laws. The judgment is not the thing of a day or a time, but is never ceasing so long as there exists that upon which it can operate; and it diminishes, in proportion, as the causes of inharmony disappear.

God is not present in "wrath" demanding "reparation," as does the human who believes himself to have been injured by another. No, the Father is present only in Love. And as the soul of the one undergoing the penalty (which his own deeds and thoughts have imposed upon him) comes more in harmony with the Father's Will, He, as you mortals say, is pleased.

Never an "angry" God, "rejoicing" in the "satisfaction" of a penalty being paid by one of His erring children, but always a Loving Father rejoicing in the redemption of His children from a suffering that a violation of the Laws of Harmony exacts with certitude.

Then, as I say, the judgment day is not a special time when all men must meet in the Presence of God and have their thoughts and deeds weighed in the balance, and, then, according to their goodness or evil, have the "sentence" of an "angry," or even just, God pronounced upon them.

THE JUDGMENT DAY IS EVERY DAY, BOTH IN THE EARTH LIFE OF MAN AND IN LIFE AS A SPIRIT WHERE THE LAW OF COMPENSATION IS STILL WORKING. IN THE SPIRIT WORLD, TIME IS NOT KNOWN AND EVERY BREATHING IS A PART OF ETERNITY; AND, WITH EVERY BREATHING, SO LONG AS THE LAW REQUIRES, COMES THE JUDGMENT, CONTINUED AND UNSATISFIED, UNTIL MAN, AS A SPIRIT, REACHES THAT CONDITION OF HARMONY WHEREBY THE LAW NO LONGER DEMANDS A JUDGMENT OF HIM.

But, from what I have written, men must not suppose, or beguile themselves into believing that, because there is no special day of judgment when God will pronounce His "sentence," the judgment, therefore, is not so much to be dreaded or shunned. No, this state of thinking will palliate only for the moment, for the judgment is certain; and it is to be dreaded no less because the immutable law demands exact restoration instead of an "angry" God.

No man who has lived and died has escaped, and no man who shall hereafter die can escape this judgment unless, in a Way provided by the Father in His Love, he comes into harmony with the laws requiring harmony. "As a man soweth so shall he reap" is as true as is the fact that the sun shines upon the just and the unjust alike. Memory is man's storehouse of good and evil, and memory does not die with the death of the man's physical body. On the contrary, memory becomes more alive-all alive-and nothing is left behind or forgotten when the spirit man casts off the encumbrance and benumbing and deceiving influences of the only body of man that was created to die.

JUDGMENT IS REAL, AND MEN MUST COME TO IT FACE TO FACE. WANT OF BELIEF, UNBELIEF, OR INDIFFERENCE, OR THE APPLICATION TO MEN'S LIVES OF THE SAYING "SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY IS THE EVIL THEREOF," WILL NOT ENABLE MEN TO AVOID THE JUDGMENT OR THE EXACTIONS OF ITS DEMANDS.

There is a Way, though, in which men may turn the judgment of death into the judgment of life, inharmony into harmony, suffering into happiness, and judgment itself into a thing to be desired.

Elsewhere we have written of this Way open to all men, and I will not attempt to describe it here. I have written enough for tonight. You are tired and must not be drawn on further. So, with my love, I will say good night.

Your brother and friend,

JESUS.

I AM HERE. Your grandmother. (Ann Rollins, Celestial spirit)

I came to write you about the Forgiveness and Pardon of the Father, and to enlighten you upon this subject which has been so little understood since men first commenced to distort the teachings of the Master.

Forgiveness is that operation of the Divine Mind which relieves man of the penalties of his sins that he has committed, and permits him to turn from his evil thoughts and deeds and seek the Love of the Father, and, if he earnestly seeks, to find the happiness which is waiting for him to obtain. This does not violate any law that God has established to prevent man from avoiding the penalties of his violations of the Law of God controlling his conduct.

The Law of Compensation-that what a man sows, that shall he reap-is not set aside. But in the particular case where a man becomes penitent and, in all earnestness, prays to the Father to forgive him of his sins and make a new man of him, the operation of another and greater law is called into activity. The old Law of Compensation is nullified, and, as it were, swallowed up in the power of this higher Law of Forgiveness and Love. So, you see, there is no setting aside of any of God's Laws. As in the physical world, certain lesser laws are overcome by greater laws, so in the spirit world, or in the operation of spiritual things, the greater laws must prevail over the lesser.

God's Laws never change, but the application of these laws to particular facts and conditions do seem to change. When two laws come into apparent conflict, the lesser must give way to the greater.

The spiritual laws are just as fixed as are the physical laws that control the material universe. And no law having application to the same condition of facts is ever different in its operation or in its effects.

The sun and planets, in their movements, are governed by fixed laws, and they operate with such exactness that men who make a study of these laws and comprehend them can, with almost mathematical precision, foretell the movements of these heavenly bodies. This only means that as long as the sun and the planets remain as they are and are surrounded by the same influences, and meet no law operating in a manner contrary to the laws which usually control them, these planets and sun will repeat their movements year after year in the same way and with like precision. But suppose that a more powerful and contrary law should come into operation and influence the movements of these bodies. Do you suppose for a moment that they would pursue the same course as if such greater law had not intruded itself?

The effect of this is not to set aside the lesser law, or even to change it, but to subordinate it to the operations of the greater law. And, if these operations were removed, or ceased to act, the lesser law would resume its operations on these planets again, and they would move in accordance therewith, just as if its power had never been affected by the greater law.

So, in the spirit world, when a man has committed sins on earth, the Law of Compensation demands that he must pay the penalty of these sins until there has been a full expiation, or until the law is satisfied. This law does not change in its operations, and no man can avoid or run away from the inexorable demands of this law. He cannot, of himself, abate one jot or tittle of the penalties, but must pay to the last farthing, as the Master said. And, hence, he cannot, of himself, hope to change the operations of this law.

BUT, AS THE CREATOR OF ALL LAW HAS PROVIDED ANOTHER AND HIGHER LAW WHICH, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, MAY BE BROUGHT INTO OPERATION, AND CAUSES THE FORMER LAW TO CEASE TO OPERATE, MAN MAY EXPERIENCE THE BENEFIT OF THE WORKINGS OF THIS HIGHER LAW. SO, WHEN GOD FORGIVES A MAN OF HIS SINS AND MAKES HIM A NEW CREATURE IN HIS NATURE AND LOVE, FOR THIS PARTICULAR CASE, HE DOES NOT ANNIHILATE THE LAW OF COMPENSATION, BUT REMOVES THAT UPON WHICH THIS LAW MAY OPERATE.

Sin is a violation of God's Law, and the effect of sin is the penalty which such violation imposes. A man's suffering for sins committed is not the result of God's "special condemnation" in each particular case, but is the result of the workings and scourgings of his conscience and recollections. As long as conscience works, he will suffer; and the greater the sins committed, the greater will be the suffering. Now, all this implies that a man's soul is filled to a greater or lesser extent with these memories, which, for the time, constitute his very existence. He lives with these memories, and the suffering and torment which result from them can never leave him until the memories of these sins, or the result of them, cease to be a part of himself and his constant companions. This is the inexorable Law of Compensation. And man, of himself, has no way of escaping this law except by this long expiation which removes these memories and satisfies the law.*

Man cannot change this law, and God will not. So, as I say, the law never changes. But remember this fact: In order for the law to operate, a man must have these memories and they must be a part of his very existence.

Now, suppose that the Creator of this law has created another law whereby, under certain conditions, and upon a man doing certain things, these memories are taken from him and no longer constitute a part or portion of his existence. Then, I ask, what is there in or of that man upon which this Law of Compensation can act or operate? The law is not changed; it is not even set aside. But that upon which it can operate no longer exists and, consequently, there is no reason, or existence of facts, which calls for its operation.

So, I say, as do your scientists and philosophers, that God's Laws are fixed and never change. But I further say, which they fail to perceive, that certain conditions which may and do call for the operations of these laws today are changed tomorrow, or cease to exist, so that the former laws are no longer effective.

And, so, when the Truth of God's Forgiveness of sin is declared, many wise men hold up their hands and shout: "God's Laws do not change, and even God, Himself, cannot change them. To effect a forgiveness of sins, the great Law of Compensation must be violated. God works no such miracle, or gives any special dispensation. No, man must pay the penalty of his evil deeds until the law is fulfilled."

HOW LIMITED IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF MORTALS, AND OF SPIRITS AS WELL, OF THE POWER AND WISDOM AND LOVE OF THE FATHER! HIS LOVE IS THE GREATEST THING IN ALL THE UNIVERSE, AND THE LAW OF LOVE IS THE GREATEST LAW. EVERY OTHER LAW IS SUBORDINATE TO IT AND MUST WORK IN UNISON WITH IT. AND LOVE, THE DIVINE LOVE OF THE FATHER, WHEN GIVEN TO MAN AND HE POSSESSES IT, IS THE FULFILLING OF ALL LAW. THIS LOVE FREES MAN FROM ALL LAW EXCEPT THE LAW OF ITSELF. AND WHEN MAN POSSESSES THIS LOVE, HE IS SLAVE TO NO LAW AND IS FREE, INDEED.

The Law of Compensation and all laws not in harmony with the Law of Love have nothing upon which to operate in that man's case. God's Laws are not changed as to this man, but merely have no existence.

NOW, LET ALL MEN, WISE AND UNWISE, KNOW THAT GOD, IN HIS LOVE AND WISDOM, HAS PROVIDED A MEANS BY WHICH MAN, IF HE SO WILLS, MAY ESCAPE THE UNCHANGING LAW OF COMPENSATION AND BECOME NO LONGER SUBJECT TO ITS DEMANDS AND PENALTIES. FURTHER, THIS IS WITHIN THE COMPREHENSION AND GRASP OF EVERY LIVING SOUL, BE HE SAINT OR SINNER, A WISE MAN OR AN IGNORANT ONE.

Intellect, in the sense of being learned, is not involved. But the man who knows that God exists and provides him with food and raiment as the result of his daily toil, as well as the great intellectual scientist or philosopher, may learn the Way to these redeeming Truths. I do not mean that a man, by mere exercise of mental powers, may receive the benefit of this great provision for his redemption. The soul must seek, and it will find. And the soul of the wise may not be as capable of receiving as the soul of the ignorant.

GOD IS LOVE. MAN HAS A NATURAL LOVE, BUT THIS NATURAL LOVE IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO ENABLE HIM TO FIND THESE GREAT MEANS THAT I SPEAK OF. ONLY THE DIVINE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS SUFFICIENT, AND HE IS WILLING THAT ALL MEN SHOULD HAVE THIS LOVE. IT IS FREE AND WAITING TO BE BESTOWED UPON ALL MEN. BUT, STRANGE AS IT MAY SEEM, GOD WILL NOT, AND I MIGHT SAY, CANNOT, BESTOW THIS LOVE UNLESS MAN SEEKS FOR IT AND ASKS FOR IT IN EARNESTNESS AND FAITH.

The will of man is a wonderful thing, and it stands between him and this Love when he fails to exercise this will in seeking for It. No man can secure this Love against his will. What a wonderful thing is man's will, and how he should study and learn what a great part of his being it is!

THE LOVE OF THE FATHER COMES ONLY INTO A MAN'S SOUL WHEN HE SEEKS IT IN PRAYER AND FAITH. AND, OF COURSE, THIS IMPLIES THAT HE WILLS IT TO COME TO HIM. NO MAN IS EVER REFUSED THIS LOVE WHEN HE PROPERLY ASKS FOR IT.

NOW, THIS LOVE IS A PART OF THE DIVINE ESSENCE. AND WHEN A MAN POSSESSES IT IN SUFFICIENT ABUNDANCE, HE BECOMES A PART OF DIVINITY, ITSELF. IN THE DIVINE, THERE IS NO SIN OR ERROR; CONSEQUENTLY, WHEN MAN BECOMES A PART OF THIS DIVINITY, NO SIN OR ERROR CAN FORM A PART OF HIS BEING.

Now, as I have said, the man who is without this Love has his memories of sin and evil deeds, and, under the Law of Compensation, must pay the penalties. Yet, when this Divine Love comes into his soul, It leaves no room for these memories. And, as he becomes more and more filled with this Love, these memories disappear and only the Love inhabits his soul, as it were. Hence, there remains nothing in him upon which this law can operate, and the man is no longer its slave or subject. This Love is sufficient, of Itself, to cleanse the soul from all sin and error, and to make man at-one with the Father.

This is forgiveness of sin, or, rather, the result of forgiveness. When a man prays to the Father for this forgiveness, He never turns a deaf ear, but says, in effect: "I will remove your sins and give you my Love. I will not set aside or change my Law of Compensation, but I will remove from your soul everything upon which this law can operate. Then, as to you, it becomes as if it had no existence."

I know by your personal experience that this forgiveness is a real, actual, existing thing. When the Father forgives, sin disappears and only Love exists. And that Love, in Its fulness, is the fulfilling of the law.

So, let men know that God does forgive sin. When He forgives, the penalty disappears. And when it disappears as the result of such forgiveness, no law of God is changed or violated.

This was the great mission of Jesus when he came to earth. Before he came and taught this great Truth, the forgiveness of sin was not understood, even by the Hebrew teachers. Their doctrine was, rather, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. The Divine Love, as I have feebly described, was not known or sought for-only the care and protection and material benefits that God might give to the Hebrews.

THE DIVINE LOVE ENTERING INTO AND TAKING POSSESSION OF THE SOULS OF MEN CONSTITUTES THE NEW BIRTH. WITHOUT THIS, NO MAN CAN SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

My dear son, I have written you a long and imperfect communication, but there is sufficient in it for men to think of and meditate upon. If they do so, and open their souls to the Divine Influence, they will know God can forgive sin and save men from its penalties so that they will not have to undergo the long period of expiation which, in their natural state, the Law of Compensation ever demands.

So, without writing further, I will say that I love you with all my heart and soul, and I pray that the Father will give you this Great Love in all Its abundance.

Your loving grandmother,

ANN ROLLINS.