We meet with individuals in society who affirm that man is essentially selfish—that he can not conceive a wish which does not originate in a desire for self-gain. I have no doubt that the individuals making that affirmation are very honest in it, and speak from their own conscious experience. There are many such to be found in society, who know no higher love than self-love, and their highest benevolence is based upon selfishness. I doubt not that there are those who entertain such sentiments, but I utterly protest when such men attempt to speak for the Race. I will allow every person to speak for himself upon this point, and to ascertain if there are not some actions which have not this lustful basis; and when we find that there are such actions arising within ourselves which are not contaminated with this selfish thought, and which go forth to seek expression out of ourselves, we may know that they do not belong to the first, but to the second sphere of action, I mean the sphere of relation, as separate from the individual considered in his individual love or individual selfish impulse. I will give a few illustrations of this kind.
Every individual coming under the divine impulses of the sphere of relation—I mean relation in its divine order—and living in forgetfulness of separate self, will experience some of the impulses which belong to that sphere. When the mother comes into the maternal relation and experiences the love of a mother for her child, she is ready to sacrifice the comforts and interests of self for the welfare of that object that sustains that near and dear relation to her. I speak of the maternal love as a representative of that love for another which is divorced from its lustful or selfish character—not based upon considerations of self-gain. We may desire the salvation of individuals on our own account, for our own enjoyment, and also from a love divorced from all considerations of self, which stands out holy, pure, and undefiled for a being outside of itself. The mother, in loving her child, experiences happiness; and as she presses it to her bosom, and imprints upon its delicate cheek the maternal kiss, there is joy deep and unutterable awakened in that mother’s bosom; but she does not kiss the child that she may have the joy. It is not her joy and happiness that she seeks, but the comfort, happiness, and welfare of the child; and in thus supplying that demand of her maternal nature, she feels the influx of the divine nature, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter into the joy of thy God.” That is what God says to every mother who loves her babe from the true maternal feeling. So is it in the true relation between husband and wife. I mean now the union in heaven, and not the union fixed up by society and its institutions—I speak of such hearts as God has joined together. When the true husband meets the true wife and surrenders all his manhood to the care and keeping of that wife, in full confidence and trust that she will receive it and not abuse it; and when the wife in return gives all her womanhood to the care and fidelity of the trusting husband—when two such souls surrender each to each the other’s self, loving from an interior and divine harmony, then the joys of conjugal love are awakened, the true demands of each soul are supplied in the experience of those joys which can be found alone in that relation, and God speaks saying, “Well done,” and breathes his divine blessing upon them. So it is in the fraternal relation. Where from the natural, constitutional harmony of soul existing between brothers, each being individualized upon a common moral plane, and loving the other with a pure and undefiled love, their love belongs to the second sphere.
Where the individual loves his neighbor as himself, he would as soon sacrifice his own interest as that of his neighbor, and would as soon be unjust to himself, nay, sooner be unjust to himself, than to his neighbor. He loves that neighbor with a pure heart, loves him as a manifestation of his divine Father’s Love, Will, and Wisdom, and seeks to harmonize his own being with him in all his relations. He can not see a brother, however weak, crushed, without seeing himself crushed in that brother. When he loves a brother with that pure, unselfish love—when the common heart of humanity abides in his breast, he comes into the true plane of charity; for charity is that which seeketh not her own. The motive that prompts him is not self-gain. It is the desire to do good unto others that actuates him. The quality of charity is to suffer long, not to be envious, not to be easily provoked, not to be puffed up, or behave itself unseemly; but in all things to be true and faithful, and kind to everybody. The man or woman possessed of this love, whose whole being and activity is directed in the sphere of relation to man, to society, to the world, belongs to what I call the second sphere, and gives evidence that he or she has risen above the lustful plane which seeketh its own, and which loves to gratify its passion, desires, and appetites, in one form or another, and that he or she is loving in harmony with God, and wills and acts in accordance with the divine impulses.
Look abroad into society, look at the love of the world, and see how many there are who love their neighbor with an unselfish love—how many are so careful to be exactly just with their neighbor as they are careful to have their neighbor be exactly just to them. There are many who watch the scale to see if it preponderates in their favor; and if the merchant gives good weight, they speak well of him; but if he does not give good weight, they are very ready to speak ill of him. When you come to see how much better they love to have justice done to them than they love to do justice to others, you have an indication that the lustful nature is somewhat alive and active in their breast. The individual who is conscious that his desire is earnestly to be just, will be as careful not to do an injustice to his neighbor as he would be cautious to avoid an injury to himself—will no sooner circulate defamatory remarks against his neighbor than he would defame himself. When you find an individual thus acting, you may be certain that he has risen from the first plane and is entering the second. But I am sorry to say that in the vast majority of cases you will find lust lamentably present. I called your attention to this in my last lecture, showing you how it was manifested in almost every sphere of life, even in performing the duties of a father, brother, husband, or wife. In the majority of cases man and society are loved for their uses.
When it is desired to ascertain whether we belong to the first or the second sphere—to the sphere of Gehenna or Paradise—we need only to determine the quality of the affection that rules in us, to see whether it be looking mainly to our own gain, or whether we rise above self and go out to seek the well-being of man. We sometimes mistake, thinking that we love a man himself, when we love his influence or society, because by it we think we can be elevated in our social condition. We ought, therefore, to be careful in trying ourselves to know to which plane of affection we belong, lest some of these considerations outside of the individual influence us, lest that we mistake for love that which, proved by the true standard, will appear to be selfishness and lust.
When one possesses a love for the well-being of all, he is willing to contribute liberally and freely of his strength and talent for the redemption of all, and has an unwillingness to be found at any time as the representative of that idea which would tend to degrade or crush any human being. There is no being so low in the scale of humanity as to be beneath his efforts to raise him up; and if the tyrant should stand upon the neck of the weak, his impulse is to push that tyrant off and break away the captive’s chains, because he can not see his brother fettered without feeling fettered himself—can not see the humblest human being outlawed without seeing all humanity insulted. The individual who has not seen enough of the dignity of the nature of humanity to fulfill the duty he owes to universal humanity, has not yet come to the true plane of charity, is not qualified to occupy a high position in this second sphere.
I might illustrate in a variety of ways how it is that man apologizes to himself for being selfish. Here is a constitution, and there a law, and there a public sentiment demanding that a human being should be crushed; and he turns his back to humanity and God and bows to the Constitution. Such a man has not the love of humanity in his bosom; he loves that which is respectable and strong, and which may be of service to him under particular circumstances. But the individual who can be a Judas and can sell the Lord in the shape of his brother—can betray him with a kiss and sell him for thirty pieces of silver, whatever may be his profession—belongs to the lowest grade of humanity. Here is a truth that every soul must affirm. It honors the man that honors humanity, and despises the man that despises humanity.
When a man in his lustful nature will bring his whole soul to honor that sentiment, he is prepared to leave the first and enter the second sphere, which is expressive of the finite character of man as he comes into this charitable affection. This character in man is that which determines the second sphere in the world of Spirits. Man is a universe; and if there is a hell in the universe, it is because it is in man; and if there is a heaven, it is because there is a heaven in man. Those who are developed only in the sphere of outer darkness, and who from affinity love to associate together, will be found composing what is called the Outward Sphere. Do not now, by any means, associate the idea of sphere with that of place. The persons in this room are all together, so far as space is concerned, but so far as sentiment or sphere is concerned you may be at heaven-wide distances. While one is in rapport with celestial affections, holding communion with the Divine Father, the other may be in rapport with Spiritual beings, holding a communion with the angels; and a third may be in rapport with the infernal, holding communion with the spheres of lust. It is not a question of place, but simply a question of condition. If you and I are in the condition of lust in our affections and perceptions, if we associate with others in the same condition, heart thrills to heart, just as in the moral or divine sphere heart answers to heart. Each in his own plane seeks that which is adapted to his own nature. I say, therefore, do not connect the idea of place with that of sphere.
Man is a little universe—a microcosm. This sphere of lust is within him, from which the dark sphere of the Spiritual world is developed. Those who are in the sphere of lust on the earth respond to the inhabitants of this dark sphere of the Spiritual world. So also in the Spiritual spheres is the development of man’s relational love. Man in fulfilling his relational duties lays the foundation of the Spiritual Paradise. Thus man rises and dwells in different spheres according to the development of his affections. If we love our neighbor as such, and seek after the redemption of man on his own account, we become allied to that band of guardian angels whose mission it is to watch over him and to stimulate in him impulses to resist that which is evil and impure. We become guardian angels, and every effort we put forth for the redemption of our fellow-man elevates our own souls. Hence the remark of the poet:
“Heart thrills to heart