The laws of the "Church of the Firstborn" are the laws written upon the sacred, inner tablets of man's own heart. They contain the innermost knowledge of his own divine soul. These eternal laws or this sublime record of glory embraces the complete truth of each man's being.
As one learns to feel these dynamic truths he will soon begin to comprehend or to "know truth." And in the application of this knowledge "he will become free."
This inner law contains a knowledge of what each man was in the beginning, what he now is and what he can become as his own exalted pattern of life is made manifest in all the magnificent wisdom and love of the Almighty Creator. In this all-inclusive unfolding of the great, individual truth is contained the eternal revelation of "the great truth" or "all truth." And in this contact is contained the wondrous revelation of each man's destiny or individual assignment as it is made apparent. Each individual was given an honorable commission to fulfill before ever he came to earth.
This revelation of the past, as one at last opens his mind to recall his own pristine glory, as a child of light, is not some skimped little idea of having been someone important in a previous re-incarnation. It has nothing to do with the idea that he was, at some time, in a previous, mortal life a very important person. Only very mediocre people have such vain-glorious ideas. And it is always those who are farthest from fulfilling their own high, divine destinies who console themselves with the idea that they were someone quite important in another lifetime.
Right now, right where they stand, if they would but fulfill the law of their own beings, they would be as great as they could possibly imagine themselves being. In their present journey they are all that they ever were or ever could possibly hope to be only they do not know it. And because of the gross blindness that covers the earth and veils their minds they fail to seek a knowledge of that truth.
THIS life, right now, is the one appointed for each man to discover his own greatness and to contact God that he might fulfill every possibility of himself. Within each individual is contained the potentialities of all the greatness, all the love and all the power possible for him or her to receive and to glorify. It is up to each individual to "know the truth" of himself and to glorify God with that divine contact which brings that holy "at-one-ment."
Each person is indeed important in his or her own right, as a child of Light, off-spring of the Almighty, brought forth in sublime perfection, with an individual destiny of eternal glory awaiting fulfilment.
Those who "seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness" will have all things added unto them. And in this knowledge will be the unfolding of their own divinity and inherent powers.
Those who, of themselves, seek for the dynamic "Kingdom of Righteousness" will refuse to permit themselves to be blocked by earthly ritualism and empty conformities. Such searching ones will develop the great "hungering and thirsting after righteousness" which will demand that that hungering be appeased. And the appeasement of this divine hungering can only find appeasement in an actual contact with God.
Those who refuse to be fed upon the crumbs of knowledge, or upon the weak, insipid diet of milk must go on until they behold the face of Christ and are then admitted into membership into His True Kingdom, which is not of this world. This is the "Kingdom of the Firstborn" and consists of "the Great Brotherhood of Light."
This higher "kingdom, which is not of this world," is symbolized by every church and creed. And those who are still infants and who have not yet awakened themselves to "ask and to seek and to knock" will be satisfied with his toys as he continues to dwell in the land of make-believe.
Those who have not developed the true "hungering and thirsting after righteousness" are the ones who are satisfied with the childish trappings and with an infant's diet of milk.
For those who are seeking both early and diligently to KNOW God for themselves, the great "hungering and thirsting" becomes acute and in its intensity it must find appeasement.
Too long has man slept in his infant crib of conformity, wrapped in the swaddling clothes of mortal teachings. Truly the crib has become so short one cannot stretch himself in it, nor is he expected to. Nor can he raise himself from his impotent position to behold clearly either his surroundings or his own status.
The time has come when man must awake and arise! He must climb out of his outgrown bed and discard the covering that has become too narrow to either give him warmth or comfort or hide the shame of his nakedness.
By his own efforts man must cast aside the childish trappings of infancy and step out toward his own divine maturity. And those who desire to go beyond the infant stage of impotency into the state of power must develop the great "hungering and thirsting after righteousness" that cannot be appeased with anything less than actually KNOWING GOD! And this is life eternal, which Christ came to give.
It is time for man to step out of the infant stage of pacifiers and soothing syrups and childish lullabies and the weak, insipid milk diet of babies into his own divine manhood of actually KNOWING for himself. It is indeed time for him to reach for the food that will give him the power "to grow and wax strong!"
The "hungering and thirsting after righteousness," which holds the power of one's own completion and fulfilment, must be developed through an inner reaching as one learns to turn constantly to God in a devotion of singing praise and earnest, loving prayer.
And the law is: that he who develops this great inner "hungering and thirsting" to actually KNOW truth and to KNOW God that hungering must be appeased. This is the law of God: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled -- with the fulness of God!"
Each individual must begin to "hunger and thirst" for the divine spiritual food which only God, the Father can bestow. Each must yearn for that individual contact with God for the bringing forth of that great Light of Truth that he might comprehend all things. This Light has lain dormant, locked within the rock-hewn sepulcher of man's own being, because of either the hardness of his heart, or the easily pacified yearnings of his unawakened soul.
Man himself must begin to desire that Light and the contact with God with a yearning and a hungering that is so intense it can only be appeased by partaking of "all righteousness" fully and completely.
When one begins to take upon himself the responsibility of his own spiritual progress then will he be fed the divine spiritual food of Almighty God and be clothed in the white raiment of Christ's holy Light and will be admitted into the Church of the Firstborn. In this membership he is given a place and a standing with The Great Brotherhood of Light, and will forever belong with the heavenly anointed ones.
Man's divine dominion will be entered when he has thoroughly established the appetite for divine or spiritual food in a great "hungering" and then learned to appease that inner "hungering and thirsting after righteousness: by abiding by the holy, divine laws of righteousness. When one yearns or desires to actually KNOW God for himself and seeks Him both early and diligently, he will find HIM. Such is the eternal promise of God.
And as this great "hungering and thirsting after righteousness: is developed one will never again be satisfied with an unmanly diet of milk. But, like Paul of old, he will demand to go beyond the first principles of the Gospel, of faith and repentance and baptism and the laying on of hands. He will, of necessity go on to fulfill all the laws of perfection. This alone is righteousness. And these higher laws are the only ones that can prepare one to enter into membership with God's holy sons of Light.
The divine laws of God's Kingdom are given in such a way that none can use them who do not comprehend their value and who have not learned to apply them "righteously." One must grow into them even as a child must grow into usefulness and maturity else its life will be wasted and in vain. And righteousness is the true reality of Godliness. Self-righteousness is but the deceptive childishness of makebelieve.
These wondrous laws of loving God and of seeking for Him diligently are the laws that must be lived by all who would attain unto membership in the "General Assembly and Church of the Firstborn," or be admitted into the "Great Brotherhood of Light."
Any individual who will but believe or be and live according to these higher standards and who will continue to "hunger and thirst" for the power to fulfill them, will grow into all truth and comprehend all things. And all things will eventually become subject unto him "both in heaven and on earth." This is the power and the reality of membership in the Church of the First-born. And he who continues "to hunger and thirst after righteousness will be filled -- with the fulness of God" and with His divine power.
None of the churches of this earth have contained these inner laws, nor have they revealed the way of their fulfilling. The worldly, secular laws of the earth deal entirely with the cleansing of the outside of the cup or platter, and are most beautiful in as far as they go. All the mortal churches are organized and set up to take care of the temporal, social and physical salvation of man. But none go on to fulfill the dynamic spiritual laws of perfection.
The Kingdom of Christ, which is not of this world, is the Kingdom of heaven, which is found deep within man. It is the Kingdom of righteousness. And those who seek for it will have all things added unto them. This righteousness cleanses not only the outside of the cup but the inside is hallowed and perfected as well. And every gift, every power, every point of attainment Christ holds out is for all to partake of -- FREELY -- if they will only fulfill the laws pertaining thereto.
The Church of the Firstborn is a heavenly organization which deals entirely with those holy laws of one's spiritual progress and attainment as one grows into the full measure of himself.
This higher Church, which is not of this world, contains the true laws of His Kingdom -- of heaven. When it is sought for and its Righteousness fulfilled one will be filled with Light and comprehend all things and will be given all power. This alone is the way of the divine Christ Light. This is the Way of Power. It is the Straight and Narrow Way -- The Way Christ traveled. It is the divine, inner way of purification and of fulfilment.
This kingdom is entered through the divine devotion of released, infinite praise, divine love and with increasing thankfulness. It is the Pathway of gracious, compassionate "forgiveness" as one forgives, with infinite mercy all those who have ever trespassed against him. It is the pathway of love, so divine, so filled with understanding it can behold no faults of failings and therefore loses the power to condemn.
It is frequently true, that in traveling this great, "narrow way of inner accomplishment, one is not only required to fulfill the law of the angels, it often demands that "one right wrongs he has never committed,” even as Christ took upon Himself the burden of our errors and our mistakes and our transgressions.
This inner Way is the Pathway of attainment. It is the Way of eternal, unlimited power and of everlasting glory. It is the Way of the Lord.
This is the way in which one leaves his mortal heritage behind as he outgrows the infant estate of his childhood nursery, its nursery rhymes and its immature little games of "make-believe."
As one rises from his outgrown bed, casting aside his insufficient covering he will receive the power to behold and to KNOW God, not just know about Him. He will never again return to the lacks and the bondage of mortal living. He will receive "the Life more abundant" and then go on to receive the great "gift of life eternal" in which he need not die by relinquishing his precious gift of living life to the angel of Death. This LIFE is the gift which Christ came to bestow upon all who would accept it, and every teaching of His proclaims it and promises it to all those who would only believe. And then to prove His point He added, "If you love me you will keep my commandments," or sayings. It was for this purpose Christ came. And for this purpose He laid down His life and took it up again.
These laws of perfection and love and sublime beauty are the keys of His Kingdom, and the laws pertaining to it. And this is the Pathway of His glory.
As one lives the inner laws of righteousness, his own voice of conscience, or inner contact with God will become more and more acute in its direction. Soon that voice becomes a loving voice of tender, revealing glory and complete unfolding, until all the laws of righteousness are fully comprehended. This voice of conscience is the voice of God. As one learns to heed it he will find that divine contact and will eventually be filled with Light and comprehend all things. In this condition no power in existence can restrict that individual from entering into "that membership with the Great Brotherhood of Light." Such a one will be given all power and thenceforth he will belong to "The Assembly of the Firstborn," for he, "having fulfilled all the laws, will no longer be under the law," as John so faithfully proclaimed. As he is released from the "outside law" of his childish existence he will receive the fulfillment of every promise and every blessing -- and every power.
This is the divine Kingdom of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God! This is the Kingdom that is not of this world!" That inner song of praise and love and gratitude releases one's own powers of glory in a vibrancy of increasing, radiant splendor from right within himself as it fulfills the law of love. It is the state in which "one's mind and lips lose the power to hurt and wound." It is the stage of advancement when one no longer condemns another for what he does not do. He ceases to be an "accuser,” even in his thoughts. In losing the power to condemn or accuse or to find fault he is freed from every hold of evil and every inclination to become "a devil!"
These laws of perfection are the laws Christ unfolded and few there are who have followed that Straight and Narrow Way. His Path contains the laws of loving, or giving and of forgiving; the laws of devotion and a willingness to go the second mile; to give one's cloak to him who has already demanded more than he was entitled to; to share continually; to hold no resentments or vibrations of retaliation. His law contains the admonition to love God with every cell and fiber and sinew, and with all one's strength. His law demands that one's love for his neighbor be as great as his love for himself, if not greater.
The laws Christ gave are so pure, so perfect, so sublime, nothing evil can remain in the individual who undertakes to fulfill them, or to travel that breathtaking "road of holiness." His law requires that one worships and adores and rejoices in every circumstance and under every condition, even the most adverse and distressing. Then it is that one proves his love. And then it is that one will so have proved his love all things will begin to work together for his good -- "and the evils of his life will be overcome." This is the only possible way of overcoming evil.
These are the laws of Righteousness, the laws pertaining to His Kingdom, the eternal, irrevocable laws of divine perfection, the supreme, glorious way of fulfilling, without strife or confusion or self-righteous or impossible strivings. It is all fulfilled in just LIVING the laws. Then comes the KNOWING, and "knowledge is power!"
"Live the laws and you will know of their truth" and of their power. "And anything you ask in His Name, or in that divine vibration of His released Light, will be given unto you!" "You can ask anything in that vibration of singing glory, which is His Light, and it will be granted unto you." You will have the power to do the works which He did -- even greater works. And you will become "A member in the Great Brotherhood of Light!"
These are the promises of Almighty God to all men, if they will only LIVE the laws pertaining thereto. These laws cannot fail, "neither can these promises return unto HIM void and unfulfilled." These higher laws are the same from all eternity to all eternity, for they are the everlasting laws of His Eternal Kingdom. They are irrevocable! "For if you obtain any blessing from God it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." "If you do as I say, then am I bound!" These are the laws of all-power. And they are your own from now on, henceforth, and forever -- to fulfill or to ignore and reject.
These sacred laws contain the complete revelation or unfolding of "the most sacred, inner doctrine" known of old. They have been held in secret down the ages. It was forbidden to divulge them, except to those who, through years of preparation, proved themselves worthy to receive. The neophytes or holy scholars of olden times were initiated into these most divine truths, after years of preparation. As they progressed in the use of the higher laws and powers they were known as "adepts” even as they became adept in using the laws rightly or in "righteousness."
These higher laws of His Kingdom were also taught, under the direct injunction of God, to the most spiritual ones of the ancient School of the Prophets. But these most holy teachings were only imparted orally to those whom God selected to receive. They were considered to be far too sacred to be given to the masses lest they trample them under their feet.
So it was that only to the prepared initiates were these divine, holy laws of power revealed. Never before in the history of the world have these sacred rules been written down in plain and simple language. They have been veiled in parables and in figurative phrases. This is the first time they have been written and sent out to the world -- "THAT ALL MEN MIGHT BE LEFT WITHOUT EXCUSE!" These are "the great and mighty truths that have been hid up from the foundation of the world because of the great wickedness of unbelief."
The fulfilling of these divine laws of righteousness contain the complete instructions of admittance into "the Church of the Firstborn," and the method of becoming a member among the "Priests and Priestesses of Golden Radiance!"
I have been commanded to write these words of Almighty God that not only all men might be left without excuse, but that all who desire might understand and begin to fulfill the higher teachings of "righteousness,” that they might partake of the limitless power they embrace.
From the least to the greatest, all are now invited to come and partake of the feast of the King's Son. From the highways and the byways they are summoned to the spiritual banquet, "that God might perform His work, His strange work: and bring to pass His act, His strange act; that all men might be left without excuse. And that all men might judge between the righteous and the wicked, saith your God!"