r
LECTURE
"C K R C 1 11 A 5"
-by-
'IR. C){ARLES FILLMORE
UNITY AUDITORIUM 913 Tracy Avenue, "ansr.s City, _Missouri.
SUUUAY K0RUI3G. DECEMBER 22, 1912.
----c---
0

The o^e aim and object of man'3 existence, is to out on Christ,-"Christ in you, the hope of glory".
This hasn't always been rightly understood, because the true concept of nan has not entered into his consciousness. We have separated Jesus Christ from ourselves, and taired about him a3 a nan, when he represents the Universal Principle, the Supremo Ideal T'an, which we are all seeking to put on, to manifest, to be.
It is a question of how shall we go about It? We all admit that we would like to be better men, be ter women - have a higher standard of Life in all of its details, but seen to be in darkness as to the method of attaining t:iis.
ou, the way is plain aid very simple, but it requires some little persistence in following it out, in going that way. And the
2
first step is always to accept that one supreme proposition, that "I was, in ny original inception in Divine rind, Supreme, Ideal. The very highest that Sod could imagine was bom into me, created in me, md it is my privilege to express it. Let Christ he formed in you.
•ov;, do you accept that proposition? If you do, you have taken the first step to the forming of Christ. Then the next step is to affirm that all of the Christ attributes - whatever t'-eymay be - are now forming themselves in my character. You follow that out day after day, and you put on ''hrist, you ut on Christ just to the extent that you accept these fundamental propositions, aid make * hem your3.
Co, a simple, direct demonstration of putting on Christ is
3
to affirm that Christ is now being formed in my consciousness.
Praise the rather, the Christ, that Cod may be formed in you.
to him, right now, "Father, let thy Christ, thy Supreme, Ideal
in
be formed in me". Let us all join that prayer.
(Silence).
Say
an,
4
To-day, all over this land, the birth of Jesus Christ i3 being celebrated in Christmas sermons, in Christmas carols. Nearly all of these celebrations have, as their central idea, a nan named .Tesus, who was born in Judea nearly two thousand years ago. presume that I could count on the fingers of ray hand the places in this land where the real understanding of the birth of Christ is preached, and taught.
Co many years v/e have had ingrained an-’ inground into us the idea of an historical event, that it if. difficult to erase from our minds that teaching, that idea, that it is a celebration of something that took place in the past, but is not of vital import to every individual in the present.
•low, in our lesson this morning, you will observe that it was nrominent.lv brought out in it.a various symbolical details,
that the history of Jesus Christ was symbolical of a change, of a new step forward, in the soul of evryman, and every woman who
5
realize the Truth of their Tieing. The Scriptures ~o clearly portray this in these symbols, that when one reads in the Spirit, it acorns wonderful that anyone could have misconstrued that record, have gone into a mere historical observance of the birth of Jesu3 Christ. Tf it were mere history, we would be celebrating greater men in their time - the birth of greater men. Alexander the Great was greater in his day, far greater than Jesus Christ. Even 'ierod, the Rules o^ Judea, was greater in his day than Jesus Christ. Jesu3 Christ was not a great man to his fellov/s. he didn't have over a dozen students that were in understanding of him. Jie was a wanderer up and down the earth, without a place to lay his head; a teacher of
6
strange doctrines. Were he here to-day, he would be considered a
crank; and yet, that -nan's teaching has spread around the v;orld, and it is written about a. d talked about no re than any teaching of any man that ever lived. And why this*’ Is it because he was a supreme man, as a man? Why no! he must have represented a Principle, his teaching couldn't have continued as it has; it couldn't have taken such possession of men's minds all these a^es, and grown and increased, if it were not founded on the Principle - a Principle that applies to every and all.
The Principles underlying the life and demonstration of Jesus Christ are just as true in the development cf man's character as the principles underlying the discoveries and demonstrations of uclid, the great ancient 'athematician. It is fort his very reason
that they are alive to-day; that we are cel eh rat inn the Birth of
7
Jesus, because he represented a perennial Principle constantly being used by man. But, if you look upon him as a man, and strip him of the Principle, will you 'oe benefitted? Very slightly. Christ must be form-d in you, or you r-ust reap the reward of his teaching by roalisia- the steps that he took, and following them in your own history, in your own experience. You must know that there is a better and higher life for you to live; that you can grow into that larger man, as Je3uc grew from a child to manhood; that you can take the same steps in the understanding of what your power is among men and in the world about you, just exactly as Jesus took those steps, portrayed in his history in the 'Jew Testament. But you must read between the lines; you must read as one who sees spiritually,
6
and gradually eliminate all the factors of personality, of history -forget about liuclid when you demonstrate his propositions, he was a necc33nry factor in pointing the way, but he should not include so much of hi3 personal life as to shut out the working in you of the principle.
Now, when we study the Life of Jesus Christ, and celebrate hie birth-day, it should rot be with that external consciousness *hat thinks about the history; but a deeper understanding of that immortal man, that great Christ Principle which existed in the mind of ‘he father from the beginning, and which Jesus Christ flashed forth and many other great ones have lighted the world With. It is the light that shineth in the darkness, and the darkness now and then comprehends it, but not always. The comprehension of this Life is so meager that we have looked upon its exoressors as exceptional
men, when they were the real men, the standard men. Y.'e are the exceptional, because we are not up to the standard of nan, which exists eternally, always. The Father sees man as Christ, he v/as man.
Isaiah saw the Christ in himself, and neo..le have said,
"Why, this was a prophesy of Jesus Christ", lio, I don't think that Isaiah looked into the future and saw Jesus of Jazareth, hut he saw the Christ potential in himself, he knew that there was a wonderful man; a man within him who would guide him,and counsellor; he knew that there was a man who was the nighty ather, because this higher nan is Cod manifest, he knew that, that man was the Prince of ’’eace; that the kingdom and the ruling power of all men wa3 upon his shoulders, but he knew that that nan must be born as a child; that he must grow in his stature; that is, his understanding; he
10
Chris*, doesn't express himself in your consciousness all at once, like a conversion in a revival; hut you catch the light; you sec the possibility, and this conceives ir. your soul a larger consciousness of yourself. The soul is typified in the history of Jesus Christ as "ary, the feminine Principle in all; and it first gets the idea of the possibility of a larger consciousness, a greater man; and, in due season, this man is brought forth, is expressed, he is expressed in the body.
”e have thought that this Christ consciousness, this forming of Christ in you was to be done in some miraculous way, but no, it cones under a law, and that law is, unknown to us, working itself out in what ve call the subconscious mind.
ow, the life orinciple in man may he compared to the an-
11
irnal. It is that which would eat and drir.k and sleep; "but it has inexhaustible possibilities. You can educate animals. So, the animal in yon can be educated; it can be trained; its faculties can be expanded until you find that the animal is transformed into a human, and the human in its various 3teps can be transformed and transmuted and lifted up until it becomes the Divine, showin* that it is p matter of consciousness.
But the first step, the first -founr* ti<>n laid for this Christ man in human consciousness, is down the"e a no nr: the animals. So, when you see yourself -- if a great spiritual idea has become buried, or oes dov;n into your subconscious mind; when you sec yourself quickened, know that the Christ is being fomed in you. That is the first fora of this Christ Hind, your mind at. first r-ather-
T ( 'a Tl 1 <!•«< o-i*
»•< o+ '->>* * » f	ivy	»’	1	C	'I
12
he had to have t.he teaching of the Spirit, as ne have to have that teaching? he didn't get into his true 3pirl* >al understanding until he became a nan, say of 3° 3h years of age. He was a nan among men; his faculties developed as yours and ours.
Then, 1‘ requires patience in the development and growth of *';e Christ man; it requires watchfulness, culture, ’out, above all, a firm conviction that Christ is being formed in ne. The Christ idea is like a 3tar in the consciousness of ruin. It seems away of'’, but it always hangs over the place where the child is being brought forth. This Star, which to you seems so distant, is the first glean of light; and. as you think more and more about the Christ being formed in you, that Star comes closer and closer, and finally it takes up its abode in you, and your very body is alight with the
13
light which scorned distant, which seemed on the outside - it bee'nes an inner light; and this is the forming in you of the Substance and Life o~' the Omnipresent Principle, man.
?’ ir. is symbolized by the eat in" and drinking of the body nd ' lood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas is but a celebration in this eating and drinking, of the Last Supper. That is what Tass means - Christ *'aso. And all the masses that are celebrated, have as their foundation this affirmation, because it is a mental affirmation in its highest.
That is the spiritual meaning. And they celebrate the affirmation with these outer symbols of the mind. And the affirming, day by day, year by year, that the Christ of God is in its Substance, in its Life, formed in me. One of the old writers said:
1IT*..	<*•	,.J	_*	-	*•... _J I , S B	1	.	.	*.	-	I	V,.	1	..	-nJ.
14
bora in thee, thy soul is all forlorn". If this Christ of God is not horn in you, you miss the nark of the high calling; you miss 4 he understanding of this celebration. You fail to eat of the real Substance of the Christ Mind, or drink of the real wine of Life.
Modem Metaphysics has substantiated all that is taught in these symbols of 'he Christ, and the 4'ormin~ of the Christ in us.
V.'hen we know that all things are in essence in a great mental universe, and that our minds are forming and transforming 3nd building in and putting out all of these universal elements,-I say, when •we know that and realize its truth now, as it was in the beginning, there dawns upon us a new perception, a new consciousness of what Life is, and how v;c develop and grow, and how ws put on Christ, and what these writers meant when they 3aid, "L t Christ be formed in you". "Christ in y^u, the hope o-** Glory".
"Ye are the temple of the
15
living God". "If you follow not Christ; if you do not the will of God, you have no place in His Kingdom". These writers understood *hesc Principles, hut not just in the way ‘hat we understand them. There was a spiritual perception. The light was iri their minds, hut it. hadn't been just worked out in details; hut nor/ we have the details; we know absolutely that these are true, that the only requirement on our own, to come into the Christ Itind, and he the full demonstrations of what Jesus Christ was, is to let the Christ he formed in us.
Can there he any greater object than this forming of the Christ mind, and the Christ body in you? V/e spend a great deal of our time in these Christmas celebrations, in running around on the outside, spending our money for the symbols. We are following, in-
l6
stead of Jesus, the wise men who came from the unknown country and roufiht the presents to the Christ child. But that isn't the essential thin#. The essential thing is to know and understand that the real child of God is formed in your soul, - it exists there, arid is now being manifest.
”ake yourself a present of that thou*lit; and make it an every-day thought. Let Christmas he every day. Kr.ter into the Christ "ind and see Christ in you.
I know a man who ha3 grown wonderfully in spiritual understanding and spiritual »ower, and he told re once that he made it a daily practice t.o 30c Christ in his heart. He saw the Christ as a picture, as a life, and he said he talked mentally to that Christ portrait at his heart's center; and lie said a light has gradually
17
sprung up within ne that lights -n ny way. I an a changed nan from mentally sc ing Christ in me, instead of locking at the Christ outside, looking at rn historical Christ, thinking **bout the •nan as separate from me. "I am the Christ of Cod" in the dominant appellat ion o'" thnt man to himself, and he has demonstrated it. And he is only one of thousands who have brought that Christ principle home t.o every-day life, v.ho are bringing forth in themselves the Christ of Cod, who arc forming Christ in then.
"ov:, \/e are but few in our demnst rat ions of this Principle, but our li-'ht in going forth. We have laid hold of the absolute Truth of our ^eing, and the world is receiving it more rapidly than they think. And the time is not far distant when all the historical part of this Scripture will be resolved into
i8
nrir.ciples, wl nen will universally te~ch just what v.e are teach-
ing; 'nd when this light begins to spread around the world, you will find th t, just as Isaiah perceived, he is the Prince of Peace, and o'* the endurance of ‘'is Kingdom there is no end, no li~.it, because this is the footstool, this enr*h, of the Christ ’’ind. This is the rlace where the Christ Hind is to ^e expressed, through the minds o<* humanity, and we are the expressions of that mind, just to the extent that we onen ourselves to it; that we say to t^e great Father, "Let Thy son, Christ, co~e into nv consciousness; make me t'-e demonstration o* that which thou conceived in the beginning - before Abraham was, I am".
11:37 A. ’I.
12:05-1/2 P. K