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TIIE KEY OF KNOWLEDGE.
to mental and moral degeneration here, in this life, and to undesirable re-births hereafter. Besides, the temptation to turu them to one's material advantage is too great to be resisted by ordinary humanity, and their least use, for one's selfish ends, is sure to lead the soul on to the path of destruction. For this reason, Jesus turned away from the voice which offered him all earthly power in consideration of his soul.
Those wło wish to develop their will for the conquest of Death must, therefore, give up the silly and senseless idea of training it by means of the physical exercises of the body, but should apply themselves to purify their moral nature. It is only the moral impurities which stand in the way of the soul ; for the higher and truly joyqus rhythms of Will are kept back only so long as passions and desire are allowed to sway one's conduct.
It is not the will seeking power and greatness, in the world of men that will conquer death, but the will which is holy, spiritual and self-centred. * It seems incredible to us that man should be able to vanquish death itself, yet this is precisely what one of us said, as will appear from the following:
"I am the resurrection and the life. I have the power to lay it clown and I have the power to take it up again."
And the speaker was but one of an innumerable company of Self-conscious souls, though he was the only one who thus spoke openly in the Holy Land.
The powers of the Self-conscious Will are truly wonderful, and life is only the effect of the conjunction of will and body. Hence, where the soul wills, not merely wishes; to maintain this connection, disease, old age
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