Bible Review V15: October 1916 - March 1918 - Iapsop.com

326 BIBLE REVIEW Apr.-May
son who has the greatest amount of vitativeness, instinct
in his or her nature, is the one who preserves health
and vigor the longest. This vitative instinct not only
causes the individual to look with horror upon disease
and death, but creates within him a hope, a conviction
amounting to faith, that he will not be sick. If you
wish to call forth the real thought upon which rests such
a one's
control of diseased states, say to him, "You don't
look well this morning: are you sick?" and you will meet
the almost excited reply, "Oh no, I cannot be sick; I am
perfectly well," and immediately he straightens up, an
expression of firmness comes into his face, and there
gathers around him the appearance of the brave man
who is prepared to meet and struggle with the enemy.
The attitude of mind which arises and takes form within
him is that of the unyielding determination, "I will not
have anything the matter with me;" and as long as that
firmness is maintained, their is no danger of illness.
Illness
only attacts the weak mind which surrenders the
body to its ravages.
The work of the Esoteric student is to take this thought
and natural condition and carry it into the higher mentality,
taking control of the physical forces and making
his (or her) body that which he would have it. His attention
is turned to the psychismic forces of other minds;
he finds that, when he meets a diseased person, he begins
to feel that he is diseased in like manner; if he meets
condemnation and reproach, if only in the unuttered
thought, he feels crushed and opprest by it, and he soon
learns that his only hope of existence lies in the ability
to rise above and overcome such things. Thus is called
out within him the I-can-and~I-will principle, and he is
forced to examine into and give special attention to the
mental states requisite to the overcoming of debilitating
and depressing conditions; and in this way he discovers