Cultivating The Soul Perceptions

You cannot perceive spiritual things with the material mind. Neither can you, by reason of those powers of the mind which know only material things, perceive the Truths of the spirit. Hence, there is the necessity for us cultivating the soul perceptions, which are greater and more comprehending than all the faculties of the material mind.

Mind, as usually understood by us, is undoubtedly a wonderful instrument in investigating and learning the laws of nature and the relation of cause and effect in the physical world. But such powers, when applied to the things of the spirit, will not help much. Rather, they will retard the progress of the soul's development of its faculties.

The reasoning power given to us is the highest quality of the material mind and, when properly exercised, affords a very safe and satisfactory method of arriving at the truth. But such power, when exercised in reference to things which are strangers to it, or with which such powers have no acquaintance, or have never been concerned with the investigation of the phenomena of their existence, cannot be depended upon to bring conclusions that will assure us of truth.

Laws are eternal and never change, and are made by the Heavenly Father to be applied to all the conditions and to all the relationships of the material world and of the spiritual world. But the laws that apply to the operations of the material world are not fitted to apply to the operations of the spiritual world.

And the person who understands the former, and their application to material things, is not able to apply the laws applicable to the spiritual world and to spiritual things. A knowledge of the laws pertaining to the natural will not supply a knowledge of the laws pertaining to the spiritual.

The material laws may be learned from by the operations of the senses that belong to, and constitute, the material mind. But the spiritual laws can only be learned by the exercise and application of the faculties of the soul.

The soul is to the spiritual things of God what the mind is to the material things of God. And the great mistake that we make and have made is to attempt to learn these spiritual things with the powers of the material mind.

To learn the nature and operations and workings of the spiritual things is the necessity for exercising the soul perceptions which will come to you as your soul develops. These perceptions are just as real as are the five senses of the natural mind, though most of us do not even know of their existence.

And when once you have succeeded in understanding that they do exist and that you may be able to use them, just as you use the faculties of the material mind, you will be able to progress in the development of these faculties or perceptions with as much success and certainty as does the great scientist or philosopher in the studies of the things to which he applies the faculties of his material mind.

Let your faith increase and pray more to the Father, and you will see a wonderful vista of knowledge open up to you of the Truths of the spirit.

Jesus Discusses the Importance of Man Cultivating the Soul Perceptions. He Stresses That Spiritual Things Cannot Be Perceived by the Material Mind.