nought, and mocked him. He clothed him in a magnificent robe, like that worn by the Emperors and their heirs apparent, in contempt and mockery; and thus treated Jesus as an ambitious madman. Herod was not within the limits of his own jurisdiction at Jerusalem; and Jesus was subject to the authority of Pilate, before whom the accusation was first brought.

(Luke xxvii. 12.)-Herod and Pilate were reconciled by their interchange of civilities, and deference to each other's authority in reference to the prisoner Jesus.

(Matth. xxvii. 29.)-What Pilate's wife supposed to be a dream, was a spirit-manifestation and warning, which was given her in a condition which she took for sleep, but which was only a magnetico-spiritual heaviness. In human magnetism there are several stages of disengagement of the spirit; and it is the same in spirit-magnetism. It may simply produce lucidity, by incomplete disengagement, or else ecstasy, which only supervenes upon the complete disengagement of the spirit.

The spirits threw Pilate's wife into a state of lucidity which made it easy for her to realize the scenes which they brought before her eyes; and thus they shewed her Jesus stretched luminous on the cross, and darkness covering the world. This spirit-manifestation was given by Pilate's guardian angel, with the permission of God, to remind him that he must choose between justice and truth on the one hand, and pride and avarice on the other; and Pilate was confirmed by what his wife told him in his desire to save Jesus. Pilate was already influenced to save Jesus by a secret conviction of his innocence; but this was opposed by the fear of losing his appointment; and thus he finally yielded. Everything was so arranged by spirit influence that the innocence of Jesus and the iniquity of his condemnation should be more striking both to the men of that age, and to future generations.

(Matth. xxvii. 11; Mark xv. 2; Luke xxiii. 3.)—Pilate asked Jesus if he were the King of the Jews, because the accusation depended chiefly on this point to awaken the

them easier, and arrive at the goal more rapidly; but you must never forget that it will be given to each according to his works. Good works blot out evil ones; but the guilty spirit can only advance by reparation.

MATTHEW, CHAP. XXVII.-VERSES 45-50. MARK, CHAP. XV.-VERSES 33-37. LUKE, CHAP. XXIII. VERSES 44, 46.

Apparent death of Jesus.

Matth. xxvii. (45) And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land, until the ninth hour. (46) And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (47) And some of those who were standing there heard him, and said, This man calls for Elijah. (48) And immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and having put it on a reed, gave him to drink. (49) And the rest said, Let him be; let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. (50) And Jesus cried out again with a great voice, and yielded up his spirit.

Mark xv. (33) And when it was the sixth hour there was darkness in the whole country until the ninth hour. (34) And at that hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani; which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, wherefore hast thou forsaken me? (35) And some of those who were standing by heard it, and said, Behold, he calls Elijah. (36) And some one ran and filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, saying, Let him be; we will see if Elijah will come to take him down. (37) And Jesus, having cried with a loud voice, expired.

Luke xxiii. (44) And it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole country until the ninth hour. (46) And Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit; and saying these words, he expired.

$ 300. The words of Jesus have been misinterpreted. Could he have been abandoned by the Lord when he had accomplished his mission? When the Divine Model left his tangible perispritic body on the cross, and his spirit regained its liberty, he cried out, "Lord, all is accomplished; here am I." We give you these words exactly, by the Master's orders.

In order to explain the various narratives of the Evangelists, we must explain what actually took place, and relate the facts with historical precision, likewise by the Master's orders.

After speaking to the penitent thief, Jesus uttered a loud

cry to attract the attention of the people to his "last moments," on account of the phenomena which were about to take place. The two thieves were moaning; the disciples of Jesus raised their voices in the greatness of their grief; and all these various cries mingled together.

It was amid the tumultous agitation of a crowd animated by such different feelings that Jesus said, "Lord, all is accomplished, here am I ;" and the penitent thief cried out in prayer, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani ;" that is, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?”

Some of those present thought that Jesus had spoken these words; and there was some uncertainty about what Jesus had said, for his words were lost amid the agitation of the crowd. We will explain presently why it was designed to happen thus. Later on, commentaries arose, and the different versions given in the Gospels result from this.

Since you began to study spiritual science, have you not perceived that the best medium, even the most docile and flexible, may be left to himself in certain cases, although in a state of medianimic excitement, so that his own personality is the agent, when he believes himself to be still under influence? In certain cases, the Apostles recorded the events under the impression of their own judgment, while other events were brought before their eyes, as it were, medianimically.

Thus the four Evangelists were left to themselves in those parts of their narratives which related to the different current interpretations of the words attributed to Jesus, and they recorded them under the influence of their own judgment. The narrative which comes nearest to what actually took place is that of John, who was in the midst of the noise and confusion near the cross.

Matthew and Mark adopted the version which attributed to Jesus the words, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani."

According to the groove which was medianimically traced out for the Evangelists, Jesus, under the veil of the letter, was a mysterious and exceptional being, to human eyes, whose nature they could not define, and who participated

at the same time both in your humanity, and in divinity. He was a man clothed with a material human body, the Son of God, the brother of his disciples, and the King of the Jews, who had received all power in heaven and on earth.

Matthew and Mark were left to themselves, because it was necessary to permit men to attribute a relative human principle to Jesus. Men have long regarded this phrase as an irrefutable proof that Jesus suffered materially, and was overcome by his sufferings, which might excuse human weakness in the hour of trial. The false interpretation reproduced by Matthew and Luke was also a means of counterbalancing the belief in the divinity of Christ, in the controversies which arose on this subject, and which were needful to prepare the minds of men to receive the present revelation, which teaches you who is the Son. Luke wrote within the limits which were medianimically assigned to him, but was left to his own judgment; and having adopted the opinion of Paul, who regarded Christ as the Mediator between God and man, he gave this version of the words of Jesus: "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." John also wrote within his own limits, and his narrative was designed to furnish human interpreters, according to the letter, with the elements of belief in the divinity of Christ; but it also contained expressions designed to counteract this belief at the time of the advent of the Spirit, and to serve as the basis of the New Revelation which should make known the nature and origin of the Son, and the position which he occupies towards God. John, influenced by his own judgment, and according to what he had been able to retain, adopted this version of the words which were spoken, "It is finished." "* The versions adopted by Luke and John expressed the same idea as the words literally pronounced by Jesus, which serve as an example both of love and submission. Jesus presented himself before the Lord, and committed himself into his hands, after having accomplished everything.

* John xix. 28, 30.

You are told that Jesus yielded up his spirit, or expired. These expressions convey the same idea; the return of the spirit to spirit-life, where it regains its freedom. But there is no comparison between the return of Jesus, and yours. In your case, material human incarnation is an exile for trials and expiations. Life is taken away from you, and when you have left it you cannot resume it again. You can only have a new existence by means of reincarnation, and whatever efforts you may have made during your earthly life, your humanity always leads you into some weakness or failings, even if not into actual faults. When you return to spirit-life, you are always under the burden of judgment, and of a more or less painful repentance, according to your degree of culpability.

But the return of Jesus to spirit-life was wholly different. He has told you so, when alluding to his return, and to the events and circumstances of his earthly mission, both before and after his "death."* He laid down his life to take it up again, and no one did, or could, take it from him; but he laid it down of himself. He had power to lay it down, and he had power to take it up again. Thus he did not undergo material human incarnation like yours, and his absence from his country was not an exile; for very frequently, when his spirit was watching over the affairs of your globe, he was believed to have retired into solitude to pray. He soared above your universe, wisely directing the course of all things, and dispensing the orders of the Sovereign Master. No one took his life from him, but he laid it down of himself, when his spirit resumed its liberty, and left his tangible perispritic body on the Cross. He took it up again, "according to the commandment that he had received from his Father" for his reappearance, which is called his "resurrection," and for the completion of his earthly mission. He laid it down finally of himself, after the completion of his mission, at the period called the Ascension, by abandoning his tangible perispritic

* John x. 47, 48.