"MAN'S MEASURING ROD OF TRUTH"

"Many of you will realise that you have been called by the power of the Holy Spirit. If there are some of you who come out of curiosity, then you too are welcome in the Name of the Christ.

"In times of long ago there were many who were drawn into the gatherings because they wanted to know what manner of man was professed to be the Messiah. You are asked in the Bible to seek - where you shall find - and blessed are they who have the courage to seek. For God Himself has ordained that they shall find.

"The trouble over the generations is this - and you know it well: So many people rested upon the efforts of others. Some gave their all to spread the Light of the Christ, and they created so much power that, as time went by, there arose the few saints and martyrs. However, there were few who were willing to make the full surrender. It seemed to them that they had sufficient measure of knowledge, that the Light-Bringer had given to man that which should suffice.

"Jesus did not say this. He emphasized that there was very little time in which He could make the listeners take possession of all that He had to give them. Their minds were too untutored, they had been hemmed in by the traditional religions of the past. Again and again, He sought to unfold a wider Measure of Truth; yet spiritual growth is a slow process, and he had to add: 'You cannot bear it now!' Still, the glorious promise was given that there should come the gift of the Holy Spirit which would lead all man into the truth.

"Today there are those who come into your midst, sent as an ambassador of the Christ, to speak on that which is Man's Measuring Rod of Truth. This subject vitally concerns you all; there is no one, whatever his office, who can repudiate the responsibility of contributing to truth. It is no use for anyone, however good, to climb only upon the steps hewn by the sufferings of others. Surely the time comes when the individual must contribute to his own step, and - out of the anguish within - thus bring a little light to illumine the darkened places of the earth plane.

"When thinking of the various religions of your time, give them honour. However, put before any special religion the actual Teaching of the Christ Himself. In the measure that man is bound by the rules and dogmas which have emanated from the minds of other men - when this happens - the Light of the Christ is put in second place.

"Today you are being given a new religion. Those who exercise the gifts of the Spirit are but seeking that which the personal followers of the Master did in their time. In regard to the representatives of religion today: How far do they put into practice and exercise the gifts of the Spirit as shown by Peter and by Paul and many others whose names have not been chronicled in the Bible? In times past, they obeyed the Master Christ; they withdrew together - and by eradicating their baser selves, so the power of the Holy Spirit poured through them: They were messengers for higher intelligence.

"Then, as you know, there were uneducated, humble men, through whom the gift of tongues was displayed in a mighty form. Yet, when they found that the people delighted in the display and were not taking to heart the teaching the disciples desired to pass on, then they reserved the gift: For with the gifts of the Spirit, unless they are used for Divine Purpose - to bring light into bound minds - then it were better by far to lay aside.

"The people were gathered together, and after prayer and dedication, there was the laying on of hands. Many rejoiced that their bodies were healed. But mark this: If they had not the wish within them to cleanse their souls, their bodies soon fell into diseases far more serious than those from which they had been cured.

"In the darkness of the night, as an old man, Zodiac took himself through the villages and the hamlets, over the hills into strange places, and often he trudged along weary and perhaps a little disappointed, because the seeds that he had sown did not make the showing that he had hoped. Even though he knew that the heavenly ones spoke to him, even as the angels came to Mary and Joseph.

"Consider this and its great import, for when you are free from the body you must face the truth, whether you are willing to do so or not. If it were possible, in days of old, for clear vision to be granted, for the ears to catch the finer vibrations of Spirit, then why today should these manifestations of God's own gifts be denied to those who seek and hope to find?

"You know that there are many, worthy at heart though they may be, who are afraid to test the Christ, afraid to take upon themselves the responsibility of exercising those gifts of the Spirit which were intended should be part of the equipment of every representative of the Christ. It is for this reason that some come back from the Spirit life. Many are seeking for suitable instruments, but because the fear and the opinions of others block the road, they have to wait and wait until one who can dare persecution will lend themselves for the further illumination of Divine Truth.

"In generations past and in these times, there have been men and women who, under great suffering or stress and strain, have seen a light which is not of the earth. There are those who would deny the fact of spirit return and spirit communion. Yet they have loved ones who have gone on before. Woe to such as these if they fail to testify to the Grace that has been granted to them; they know not what they do.

"You do not know when the tabernacle of flesh may be taken from you, or when the physical mind will pass into the dust to which it belongs. So, today, you are being reasoned with; use those thinking faculties, arouse your desire to exercise the mind of the Spirit so that when your time comes - that sweet hour of liberation from the narrow confines of these material plains - you will have some equipment of Divine Law, you will have gathered together a few tools to bring happiness to others and happiness to yourself.

"You are being pleaded with, to turn over in your minds the Measuring Rod of Truth which you possess at this time. It is only an inch; it can be extended by the Power and Grace of God. The responsibility rests upon you individually. It is no use to say: 'What was good enough for my father is good enough for me!' You have to go back further still. What was good enough for the disciples, the personal attendants of the Christ, should indeed be good enough for you.

"Review your minds and the attitude that you take towards truth. Do you believe in that which you name the New Testament? Then you dare not deny spirit return and spirit communion: The congregating of angels round faltering, sinful men; the wonderful manifestations which took place among those who seemed so ignorant to the learned ones in the Temple. But the learned ones were not ready to witness that glorious manifestation of angels singing and proclaiming the Good News to man.

"Is it not the same today? When man is in love with his own mentality, the door of revelation often remains closed. It takes a humble heart and an obedient will to learn of Him - the Great Truth Bringer - the One who demonstrated the gifts of the Spirit to perfection.

"Be warned: The mind of the body can be a most precious tool, but only in the degree that it is governed by the Spirit within man. There has been a mass of so-called knowledge accumulated for the benefit of others, and in the degree that it has helped others it is blessed, and the fruits of those efforts will last for evermore. Many talents have been employed to desecrate art and music, to tarnish God's flowers and destroy their fragrance, to turn to base uses the precious gifts given by an all-Loving Father.

"Man has toiled, yes, but for what has he toiled? The one who answers: 'To keep my own!' is near to the kingdom. God understands that you must have your daily bread, and it is a wise man who prays that he may be guided to bring in that which is essential for his home.

"So many have toiled for material fame; for the amassing of the things of the earth which surely will perish. They have forgotten that - whether they are willing or not - the time comes when the messenger draws them out of this condition into another state. Then is brought home to the one concerned the length of the Measuring Rod of Truth which he has made his own.

"There are many things to distract; the calls of the material world ring out down the years, and few there are who are willing to give up one hour to God. Nevertheless, the time comes when the scene is changed for the individual, and in that sphere of illumination prepared by God for those who love Him, the past and what it held must be faced. While the body is your own, it is easy sometimes to stifle conscience; but when the body is cast asunder, there is truth and truth only, all around, and this has to be faced.

"You may think that the time is full of sadness, that the only message that can be given is one of further sorrow and loss. That is against the truth and the will of God. Wars and troubles - to you - seem so destructive. But God is not mocked. Out of the wreckage, out of the loss, out of the betrayal - because of the suffering - the sweet blossoms of the Spirit spring into life. There will be many who will thank God that they endured right to the physical end. When the end of the physical comes, it means freedom; it means illumination; man shall walk in darkness no more.

"The message for the New Year is this: Man will be challenged as to the measure of truth that he has made his own. Let the teachers and the preachers go back to the Holy Book and find the courage within to put into practice that which the Master taught the disciples of old. What of the sufferers? What of the sufferers in those days: The young who were driven like lambs to the slaughter; the old men and women who, on finding themselves in the arena, still had faith in God? Would the representatives of the Christ today be willing to endure such processes of training so that truth could come to man on earth? This is a question that you can only answer for yourself.

"The message to the strivers, to the workers, to those who are determined to do their best for the benefit of all mankind is this: In the sweet by and by, every inch of knowledge you have gained - which is limited by the physical limitations - has grown and grown; just by the observance of the simple task, by seeking to honour God and to serve your brothers and sisters, by the patience to wait for God's will to be worked out.

"When the body of the flesh is cast aside you will be seen in garments of light. Those of the past - they did what they could, and though it seemed to them that they failed and failed - even those of the long ago were crucified in mind by the thought that so little had been done for their Master and their Lord. It shall be manifested in finer conditions that God is not only Love but generous past man's understanding.

"You cannot say when you are free from the flesh that you did not have the opportunity of understanding the laws that govern Spirit life. It is all in the Sacred Record, and you must prepare yourself to face the responsibility if you do not pass on your knowledge, if you do not go to the broken-hearted, part the veil that shuts them off from those they love, and bring peace to their aching hearts.

"Many parents question within whether God can be Love if He takes away one so infinitely dear. But God never takes away. God can only give - for He is the Master Giver. It is man - by his materialism - that has reared up the obstacles dark and menacing between life in the body and life in other worlds. That is man's responsibility; in the degree that truth has been made his own, to set to work to break down those conditions of sin in order to allow the light of the Holy Spirit to stream through the dark passages of the earth. Then mankind shall look up and sorrow no more.

"A new year of work lies ahead of you. Your Measuring Rod of Truth must be extended so that you may cooperate with the angels of the Most High; so that you may bring peace to tortured man; so that those who are obsessed by material ambition and lust for worldly power may be brought back to reality, may be enabled to see that what they are doing is imprisoning themselves.

"God is waiting for them to repent, if only they will turn to Christ, He will bring them through. In time to come there shall not be one lost. The Father's Home would be incomplete if one lamb were outside the Fold.

"So you can see how great an honour is resting upon you. It is your part to be up and doing; to demonstrate that the Christ within you can be freed. As you struggle with yourself, with your baser self, as you turn to Christ for support, by the exercise of the will and patience, you shall win through. Then - what have you done? You have not only emancipated yourself but you have shown, by your example, how man can be emancipated, how this world can be cleansed of self and how the vibrations of the Spirit can sweeten and recharge it.

"The Power is here with you. By the will of God those from the Higher Life, who have your interest at heart, come among you to aid and assist. The Christ gives the power - the working out is in His holy hand; the world has felt a quickening breath. In the measure of your faith, so shall it be unto you - for God has promised.

"You are blessed with the knowledge and understanding, so arise and do your part. Realise that Pentecost can be demonstrated again and again. Alas many in the World of the Spirit are waiting for those who are willing to sacrifice, willing to test their God, so that His power may be shed on those who are hungry, those who are sick in mind and body, those who are seeking for the Bread of Life.

"You are blessed, comrades on the road home to God. Be of good cheer; keep your heel on fear; with Christ you are conquerors by His Grace. Make your vows anew; the past is past; tomorrow teems with opportunity. The New Year lies before you in which to demonstrate Christ and His Love for every seeking man.

"No one - who has called upon the power of God, believing - has found it to fail. What is possible with one is possible with all. Throw open the gates of the Divine within you; let it gain its freedom, and remember this: In time and in turn, each one must attain that purity and perfection as the Christ Himself. Christ is God; surely the knowledge has come to you that nothing can separate you from the Love of God? He is your Father.

"You are all blessed; go forward with a valiant heart. Tests must come because only in this way can the traveller be turned into a pilgrim and the pilgrim into a messenger. As the tests are met, the power shall manifest, and those who are faithful to the earthly end shall find, in time to come, that many blessed their name and thanked the Father that they passed their way.

"The Measuring Rod of Truth. Thanks be to God that for ever and ever the gates of revelation are open to seeking man. Thank God for the pioneers, for the men and women who knew so much less than you do today, and yet found from within the strength to face martyrdom and to triumph over physical death.

"You are blessed in the Name of Jesus the Christ. Again, you are urged to go back over the Master's words - follow in His footsteps and manifest God to your fellow man."

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Download 9 chronologically-ordered digital books of earlier Zodiac Circle sittings (1923-1928)