MR. ALCOTT. What did Jesus mean when he said afterwards, "the kingdom of heaven is within you." If the dove came upon Jesus f.om within, why does he say it descended ? LUCIA. To make it clear. We are down low, that is, without so much virtue; and all elevating things are said to be up high. The spirit is always said to descend. MR. ALCOTT. So the word descend is emblematic? Some of you have said the voice was within, and some, that it was without. Voice of Bible days. LUCIA. God never speaks, except within the conscience. WELLES. Not now; but he did in the ANDREW. It was Jesus' conscience that spoke. EDWARD J. God spoke. Conscience is the spirit's voice. MR.. ALCOTT. There is very often an illusion of the senses about heaven. AUGUSTINE. People look up when they pray. MR. ALCOTT. That may be emblematic. When you say the Lord's prayer, do you think of your "Father" who is by the stars, or, your "Father" within your spirits ? (No answer.) The spirit of God descended, and lighted on Jesus. What does that mean? Ideal Types. JOSIAH. The spirit of God descends on all, I think, whatever their characters are, but takes a different form to the bad- a dragon for instance. MR. ALCOTT. Is the shape of the dragon like the naughty person's mind? JOSIAH. Yes; the spirit descends on a baby like a dove, and on a murderer, like a great giant. But it is different now from what it was in old times. We do not see such emblems with our eyes; they come now in conscience, and in our dreams. MR. ALCOTT. Which do you think is the best way ? JOSIAH. Both are good ways. God takes different ways at different times; but it is all the same in the end. MR. ALCOTT. Were those better people who saw these things with their eyes? Idea of Angels. JOSIAH. No; I have seen angels in my MR. ALCOTT. Were you ever an angel? MR. ALCOTT. Are you one now? JOSIAH. The body is never an angel; the spirit is always angelic; a little at least. LUCIA. I think when a baby is just born it looks like an angel, body and a.l; but I know its body is not an angel. Angelic MR. ALCOTT. And Jesus said "their angels do always behold the face of my Father in heaven." They are angels,. although they begin to look out upon the earth, also, with bodily eyes. Their vision is still heavenly. Original LUCIA. We call Jesus the Son of God; could we not say Socrates was almost the Son of God? MR. ALCOTT. Almost perhaps. But Socrates did not know so much as Jesus. And Socrates tells us that he lost his holiness, but Jesus did not. LUCIA. I know Jesus was better than Socrates. I did not mean that Socrates was an equally beloved son, but a son. MR. ALCOTT. Socrates passed through the fiery baptism of repentance, and the water baptism of temperance, in order to be baptized with the Holy Ghost, which Jesus had from h ́s birth. LUCIA. If you do wrong once, it cannot be said that you have Perfection. Emblem of LEMUEL. A person, doing wrong but will be clear again. MANY. And they need do wrong no more. foul MR. ALCOTT. That would prevent more foul matter from getting in. But what is to be done with the particles that are there? (A long pause.) ANDREW. You can flow away from them and leave them. LUCIA. I think there is pure water under the mud and sand, which springs up, and softens it, and carries off the muddy particles, and leaves them somewhere, and so flows clear, and the spring is clear too. MR. ALCOTT. What makes the water spring up and flow away? Whence comes the current? LEMUEL. It comes from God. God is always helping. (Mr. Alcott closed by reading a paraphrase.) CONVERSATION XIX. SPIRITUAL SUPREMACY. SELF-SUBORDINATION. Review. - Temptation of Jesus, from Sacred Text. - Personality of Evil. — Origin of Evil. - Hereditary Evil. - Appetites. - Self-Sacrifice. — Passions. Review. MR. ALCOTT. We spoke last of John's preaching the baptism of repentance, purification, preparation for holiness. LEMUEL. We talked of the emblem of an impure spring. MR. ALCOTT. What should you think such baptism, as we now have in churches, would naturally lead to ? CHARLES. I should think it would make a person more conscientious, if he was old enough to know any thing about it. MR. ALCOTT. Where did we leave Jesus? SAMUEL T. Just come out of the water at Jordan. Mr. Alcott read THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS. MATT. iv. 1-11. MARK IV. 12, 13 LUKE iv. 1-13. Luke iv. 1. Before the Vulgar Æra, 26. Julian Period, 4739. Wilderness. And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost Temptation. returned from Jordan: and was led by the spirit into the wilderness. Mark i. 12. Matt. iv. 1. Luke iv. 2. Matt. iv. 2. Matt. iv. 3. Luke iv. 3. Matt. iv. 4. Matt. iv. 5. Matt. iv. 6. Luke iv. 9. Luke iv. 10. Luke iv. 11. Luke iv. 12. Matt. iv. 8. Luke iv. 5. Luke iv. 6. Matt. iv. 9. Luke iv. 7. Before the Vulgar Æra, 26. Julian Period, 4739. * And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, † It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: Lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them : for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.. If thou therefore wilt worship me, if thou wilt fall down and worship me, all shall be thine. *Matt. iv. 1. † Deut. viii. 3. + Ps. xci. 11. Deut. vi. 16. |