The circle said, “Who then can be saved? If we have no righteousness of our own, and are not permitted to hope for it in another, who among us will be saved?”
E. Those with thee who seek and find wisdom, and who will not neglect the good of mind.
C. Then there is no need of a Savior, if we can save ourselves.
E. There is no need of hoping for the righteousness of another to be placed to thy credit; because no such injustice will be manifest to thee. There is need of a teacher to instruct thee in the truth of divine wisdom; and he who instructs saves, when his instruction is received, and as it is received. The ignorance of mind is removed by instruction, and as it is removed, the mind instructed is saved from its ignorance. When a mind errs, it errs not because it naturally prefers the error, but because its ignorance prevented the reception of wisdom. The evils, which mind practices, are not practiced because the mind loves the evil, in preference to good, but because, through ignorance, it misjudged. The ignorant mind is liable to misjudge, but the wise are instructed. Mind must love, and prefer for itself that which is good, or that which it supposes is best adapted to promote its own enjoyment. But very many find their judgments in error. They do wrong to do themselves good. True wisdom, however, reveals the ignorance of their judgment. Good can never come out of evil, nor evil out of good. Temporary advantage may be taken of another’s opinion, whereby wrong may ensue to him; and when the mind has received what it has sought and obtained at the expense of another, it is not satisfied, because the wrong never can satisfy what God has made right and good. And the greater the wrong, the greater the dissatisfaction; because right and wrong can never agree, but must from their disagreement war with each other. The mind, therefore, acting wrong, encourages contention in itself, and where there is a conflict, the law of harmony is disturbed, and with it the peace of him whose enjoyment is dependent upon it. He who saves is, therefore, a deliverer from these evils of ignorance.
C. Thou makest every teacher then a Savior.
E. I would teach thee, that every one who saves is a savior. He who teaches wisdom and inculcates principles of righteousness in the minds of others, saves them from their ignorance and folly. Is it not so?
C. It so appears; but why should any mind hope for salvation by the aid of Jesus?
E. The aid which Jesus brings thee, is the aid we bring. Jesus comes not to thee, except through the circles interlinking him to thee.
C. Does he exercise direct control over thy circle?
E. He exercises control over all circles of less wisdom than himself; but we have been taught by others, and they by others, and so on to the circle in which Jesus resides. The wisdom taught us is the wisdom he would teach, were he our direct instructor; because it would be unwise to undertake to develop mind, only as mind is developed to receive instruction. The circle of wisdom, which instructs us, could not comprehend the degree of Jesus, until wisdom improved them by successive degrees, so that they would be capable of receiving it. Soon will thy wisdom unite with my circle, for I see thou art ready to receive the truth without fear.