Esoteric V10: July 1896 - Iapsop.com

548 FaAGMENTS oP THouGHT. (June
to overcome, the neoeuity for persistent effort and desire
would have ceued. It is the overcoming that makes the mu­
&er; for the Holy One aaicl to Jobn, ••He that overoometh shaD
inherit all things; and I will. be his God, and he shall "be my
BOD." Rev. XXI. 7.
To beeome proof against all earthly ties, emotimaa, and J»Y·
chic intloence&, the neophyte moat cloee the door of sympathy,
and hold it shnt with a firm grip; he must become a stoic in
every senae of the word. Sympathy is the great highway by
which the adverB&ry, in his innumerabl" forms. gains admission
to the aool. It will be found oeceaqry to keep a vigilant
watch on this weak point in his nature ; for the moment he
relaxes his bold upon the door to his emotions, open it will fly ·
without his bidding; when, shorn of the moat etleotualmeans
for self~efence, be is exposed. to all manner of virulence.
Under such circumstances, the wise thing to do is to make a
speedy and mutea·ly retreat, taking necessary pre«>autions to
keep the rear under cover. On reaching a haven of ufety, be
needs to reorganize his panic striuken foi'Ot's iuto an orderly
whole, bringing each faculty under the genl'ralahip of a flrm,
intelligent will, aud thus be will evt~ntually vanquish all oppositipn.
The neoph~·te oftt>n meetR thoRe. who are curious to know what
is the ~ion fur his-to them-peculiar aotion11, anti other~~,
who, in a very 1ubtle mannn. endeavor .. to spy out our liberty
which we have in CbtiKt Jesus, that they might bring UR into
bondage" (Gal. 11. 4). Under such circumstanues the n~
pbyte 11honld make a frank but flrm statement, taking special
precautions not to say anything that wout.l bring tbe moral and
spiritual status o£ himself and the cauRe be represents into disrepu~.
Such occa.aion11 are golden opportunitiM to demonstrate
to a gainsaying world, the ~igh moral and spiritual
character which ret~ides within himself. When stating his
position, .there is a proneness on the part of the noopbyte to
try to convince all with. whom he comes in con blot, that his
~octrine is the only true one: thus be lays himself open to
criticism, and is forced to argue the pointe upon which his
d()(.>trine conflicts with the one generally acoepttMI. ·Snob a
Digitized by Coogle