MR. ALCOTT. And do you not say that such a Power has descended? Is not Conscience such a superintendant, keeping a record? He is not visible, with a shining countenance and glistening wings, to your body's eyesight, but is he not to the Spirit within you? (They all responded, smilingly.) ALEXANDER. Our conscience is God's Child. God has more and uses - but ours is of the same kind. SAMUEL R. God is better. MR. ALCOTT. What is the nature of that power? WILLIAM B. It is inward-spiritual. LUCIA. Our consciences are young; God is their Father. Filial Union of Man with God. EDWARD B. was the Son. MR. ALCOTT. The parental idea comes to your minds. How did Jesus signify his connexion with God? MR. ALCOTT. He said God was the Father, and he Does the relation of father and son express something better, deeper, more spiritual than that of king and subject ? (All said yes.) MR. ALCOTT. Jesus said he was the Son - the child of God. Are we also God's sons? AUGUSTINE. Jesus was God himself. Incarnation of MR. ALCOTT. Well, explain your meaning. AUGUSTINE. I mean, God once took a body. MR. ALCOTT. You all hear Augustine's answer. Now all rise who think with him. (Almost all rose; but some, with hesitation.) RECORDER. Suppose you were as good as you could be; should you think it right to say, your soul was God himself? (John B. rose with some others.) Why do not the rest of you think so; as well as that Jesus Christ is God? SEVERAL. It would not be proper to say so, because we are not so good as Jesus. JOHN B. I thought you said were as good as they ought to be? RECORDER. I did say so. - suppose our souls WILLIAM B. Oh! before I was born -I think I was a part of God himself. MANY OTHERS. So do I. MR. ALCOTT. Who thinks his own spirit is the child of God? (All held up hands.) Now, is God your Father in the same sense that he is the Father of Jesus? (Most held up hands.) GEORGE K. Jesus was more the Son of God than we are. LEMUEL. He had more of that same. MR. ALCOTT. Was Jesus Christ perfect? (All held up hands but two.) Limitations of the Flesh. GEORGE K. made by God. self. CHARLES. Because Jesus had a body, he Jesus was not perfect, because he was MR. ALCOTT. Then he was imperfect only in that he drew his existence from God? GEORGE K. Jesus did not make the world, so he was not so perfect as God. RECORDER. Which do (See Note 20.) you think is the greater work; to make a spirit pure and perfectly good; or to make an outward world? GEORGE K. It would be harder to make a world. MR. ALCOTT. Would it be harder to make a material world than a spiritual world? and which is the best? GEORGE K. The spiritual world is the best. But I am sure I could not make a world and I could (He stopped.) RECORDER. Could you be perfect? (He still paused.) MR. ALCOTT. So you think it would be hard to manage the earth and rocks and marble, mountains and ocean. GEORGE K. Yes; for I know I could not Self-Perfection. in any way make a world; but if I tried as hard as I could, and tried all the time, I could be perfect. I know it is very hard to be perfect — to love all the time and never be angry and never do wrong; but we can - we ought to be perfect, and so we can be. It would be necessary to be perfect in the first place, to make a world. It was because Jesus was perfect he could work miracles. (See Note 21.) MR. ALCOTT. Could you work miracles, if you were perfect? GEORGE K. If I was perfect I could. It is the spirit that makes bodies, and if my spirit was perfect it would know all that spirit could do, and how to do it. MR. ALCOTT. Do you know how Jesus worked a miracle cured the withered arm, for instance? GEORGE. I suppose he told the man's spirit to go into his arm, and make it what it ought to be. MR. ALCOTT. Make bones and muscles whole ? GEORGE. Yes; the spirit makes bodies made them in the first place. RECORDER. So, if your spirit was perfected, you think you could make a whole world? GEORGE K. Oh yes, easily. RECORDER. Was it Jesus' spirit that made the bones and muscles of that withered arm whole, or the man's own spirit? GEORGE. It was the man's own spirit. MR. ALCOTT. How could he command the man's spirit? FRANK. I suppose he made him feel faith. Subject. MR. ALCOTT. What have we been talking about this morning? (They severally answered) The Spirit. Spirit in God. Spirit in Christ. Spirit in Ourselves. MR. ALCOTT. The subject is the Revelation of Spirit in the Inspired Word—in God, Man, and Nature. (See Note 22.) Conclusion. And we have now come to several conclusions: 1. That we have a Spirit. 2. That there is a Spirit greater and better than ours. 3. That our Spirit is of the same kind as that greater and better One. 4. That Jesus Christ expressed the connexion of his Spirit with God's Spirit, as that of Son to Father. 5. That we do, or may, bear the same filial relation to God. And, 6. That all are a Revelation of God, the Infinite and Original Spirit. CONVERSATION IV. TESTIMONY OF HUMANITY TO SPIRIT. INSPIRATION. IV. PROPHETIC EVIDENCE. John the Herald of Jesus, from the Sacred Text. - Reason and Inspiration. Announcement of Spirit to the Senses.- Descent of Spirit into Humanity. Idea of Angels; of Pre-Existence; of Prophets and Prophecy.Intimation of Nature. - Prophetic Faculty. - Prophetic Vision. Inspiration of Human Reason; of Human Understanding; of Human Will.— Incarnation of Spirit to the Senses. - Inspiration of Conscience.— - Filial Union of the Soul with God. MR. ALCOTT recalled the subject of the last conversation, and then read the lesson for the day : A. D. 97. Written at Ephesus. JOHN THE HERALD OF JESUS. JOHN i. 6-18. Reason and 6 There was a man sent from God, whose 7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. |