Volume 4, Issue 9, page 11

Chapter 9 -- HAPPINESS ON EARTH, IF --
HIS WE FIND as answers in ou
7 prayers, meditations, contemplations, spiritual exercises: The la
of the Lord is perfect, certainl
as far as man is concerned. Literally
there is no perfection in the universe,
else no further progress would be possible, but man can approach as closely as
any other man. Man is not a robot. Man is
part of the Father. Man has a right to
happiness, health, prosperity, progress.
Life has been given him from eternity
that he may possess all these things, even
as his Father in Heaven possesses them.
But there is a law. It is the Law of
Love. Love it is which holds Heaven and
earth and universes, all infinity, firmly
manifested. Love, actually, is the magnetic attraction of all things for all
things, that there may be mutual communion and accomplishment. Man loves woman
and is loved by woman; mother loves children; children love parents. Men know
brotherhood, at least that its attainment
is possible in the ideal.

When man has free will, he finds the
greatest happiness in its exercise in
following the Father's Law. The Father is
Law. God is Love. Man, part of the Father, is also Love, and this he little manifests.

How does man manifest love? He does
it, ever so little, every breath of his
life. As he increases his love for all
things else, besides himself, he increases in spiritual stature, that which before and above all things, gives him happiness; happiness born of accomplishment,
of prideful progress.

To love perfectly is never to hate,
envy, covet, fear, dread, abhor, berate
(openly or secretly), be jealous of; never
to be greedy, angry, critical; never to
sit in judgment; never to offer where one
has not been asked ("by their fruits ye
shall know them " , and "let your light so
shine" that other men will take note of
you, and ask). However, when you are
asked, do, give, assist, and with not the
slightest reservation that hopes for reward. It is true and has been endlessly
proved, that bread cast upon the waters
is returned seventy and seven-fold, and
more fold by many; yet even this is not
to be considered when a brother asks, or
the need is clear, and the asking clear
also, tho not always in words.

Eternal youth is every man's right.
That he does not have it is proof that he
does not ask, that he does not live the
JAN.-FEB- 1M Tha ARPPPRR
r w y
By ABID ~'
ARTHUR I. B
life. Man is reborn each day, and the reborn are new and very young. Man should
be able to more or less "rewind" himself
each morning, that the day may not make
him older. Only, it is not the day that
makes him older, nor the months and years,
but his endless struggle with the Law of
the Lord, a struggle which even the Lord
could not win if He struggled, for He
then would be struggling, like man, with
Himself, and quickly indeed would "show
His years".

Gray hair is not a badge of honor, but
proof that man has struggled with the Law
and is in process of losing. If he lives
always by the Law, he will not become
gray, for gray is age, and something of
defeat. Gray-haired man may be regarded
as wise because of his years, yet if he
were truly wise his years would not be
obvious. There are few old men and women
in our world of struggle who are not gray
haired -- if they still have hair.

Let each look at the past and ask himself this question, and this, and this:
"Have I always been patient?"
"Have I been free of jealousy and
envy?"
"Have I never struggled with wrong desire?"
"Have I never desired aught that belonged to my neighbors?"
"Have I always, 'every breath of my
life, refused to worry, trusting in God
to show me the way to use the Law by
which worry is unthinkable?"
"Have I never been greedy?"
"Have I always eschewed tension?"
"Have I been unconcerned about rentals, salaries, interest, taxes? Has my
certain concern about these matters,
shared by all others whom I have known,
ever profited me, protected me, shown me
the way to satisfaction in my responsibilities?"
"Have I' always, in every situation
which might cause me to break Divine Law
by being jealous, envious (the two are
not the same), greedy, angry, fearful,
critical, spiteful, hateful, bad-tempered, ruthless, grasping, paused (for
even the smallest fraction of a heartbeat) to ask the Father to assist me with
His Knowledge of His Own Law -- and then,
sure in the Knowledge, gone on to victory, free of all those encumbrances I
myself have taken up in my ignorance?"
"Have I been kind to every living
thing?"
"Have I always loved my neighbor as
myself? Have I ever loved myself?"
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