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Chapter 1 -- Thought and Character
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THE aphorism, "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 the complete sum of all his
thoughts.
As the plant springs from, and could not be
without, the seed, so every act of a 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.
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Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; 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 thoughts, 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 is as absolute and
undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A noble
and Godlike character is not a thing of favour or chance, but is the natural result of continued
effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts. An ignoble
and bestial character, by the same process, is the result of the continued harbouring of grovelling
thoughts.
Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armoury 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.
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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 moulder
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
the key to every situation, and contains within
himself that transforming and regenerative
agency by which he may make himself what he
wills.
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Man is always the master, even in his weaker and most abandoned state; but in his weakness and
degradation he is the foolish master who misgoverns his "household." When he begins to reflect
upon his condition, and to 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; which 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; and that he is the
maker of his character, the moulder 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 to 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.
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Table of Contents | Thought and Character | Effect on Thought and Circumstance
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