As a man thinketh in his heart so is he," not only embraces
the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out
to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally
what he thinks, his character being he complete sum of all his
thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed,
so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and
could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to
those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those
which are deliberately executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its
fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his
own husbandry.
Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are by thought was wrought and built.
If a man's mind hath evil thought,
pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought,
Joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and
cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden
realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A
noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but
is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect
of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble
and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the
continued harboring of groveling thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought
he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also
fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly
mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and
true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection.
By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below
the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades
of character, and man is their maker and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have
been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more
gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this--
that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the
maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.
As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his
own thoughts, man holds key to every situation, and contains
within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which
he may make himself what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most
abandoned state. But in his weakness and degradation he is foolish
master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect
upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his
being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his
energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful
issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus
become by discovering within himself the laws of thought. This
discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis and
experience.
Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds
obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if
he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. That he is the maker of
his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny,
he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his
thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon
his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient
practice and investigation. And utilizing his every experience, even
the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that
knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom, power. In
this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” For
only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man
enter the door of the temple of knowledge.
the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out
to every condition and circumstance of his life. A man is literally
what he thinks, his character being he complete sum of all his
thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed,
so every act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and
could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to
those acts called "spontaneous" and "unpremeditated" as to those
which are deliberately executed.
Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its
fruit; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his
own husbandry.
Thought in the mind hath made us.
What we are by thought was wrought and built.
If a man's mind hath evil thought,
pain comes on him as comes the wheel the ox behind.
If one endure in purity of thought,
Joy follows him as his own shadow - sure.
Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and
cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden
realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A
noble and God-like character is not a thing of favor or chance, but
is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect
of long-cherished association with God-like thoughts. An ignoble
and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the
continued harboring of groveling thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought
he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also
fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly
mansions of joy and strength and peace. By the right choice and
true application of thought, man ascends to the divine perfection.
By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends below
the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades
of character, and man is their maker and master.
Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have
been restored and brought to light in this age, none is more
gladdening or fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this--
that man is the master of thought, the molder of character, and the
maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny.
As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his
own thoughts, man holds key to every situation, and contains
within himself that transforming and regenerative agency by which
he may make himself what he wills.
Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most
abandoned state. But in his weakness and degradation he is foolish
master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect
upon his condition and search diligently for the law upon which his
being is established, he then becomes the wise master, directing his
energies with intelligence and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful
issues. Such is the conscious master, and man can only thus
become by discovering within himself the laws of thought. This
discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis and
experience.
Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds
obtained, and man can find every truth connected with his being, if
he will dig deep into the mine of his soul. That he is the maker of
his character, the molder of his life, and the builder of his destiny,
he may unerringly prove, if he will watch, control, and alter his
thoughts, tracing their effects upon himself, upon others and upon
his life and circumstances, linking cause and effect by patient
practice and investigation. And utilizing his every experience, even
the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining that
knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom, power. In
this direction, as in no other, is the law absolute that "He that
seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” For
only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man
enter the door of the temple of knowledge.
