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went backward and not forward."

(They offered up poor innocent animals instead of their own animal nature.) 25. Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt I have sent all My servants and prophets daily, rising up early and sending them" (symbolic), "yet they hearken not unto Me, nor incline their ear, but make their neck stiff; they did worse than their fathers. 30. For the children of Judah have done that which was evil in My sight, saith Jehovah; they have set their abominations in the house that is called by my name to defile it." (Altars upon which poor animals were offered.)

In Psalms LI, 16, we are told, "For thou delightest not in sacrifice; else would I give it." (So there must have been a time when this was understood. David seems to have understood it.) "Thou hast no pleasure in burnt offerings."

17. "The sacrifices of God are a broken Spirit,

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.' In Hosea VI: "For I desire goodness and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God is more than burnt offerings."

7. "But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant, they have dealt treacherously against Me."

8. "Gilead is a city of them that work iniquity; it is stained with blood" (of the poor animals slaughtered).

9. "And as troops of robbers wait for a man so the company of priests murder in the way to Shechem." (Shechem was a very fertile valley where many herds grazed, watering at Jacob's well.) 10. "In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing." (The blood of animals used as a religious rite.)

In Hosea VIII, 13: "As for the sacrifices of mine offerings, they sacrifice flesh and eat it; but Jehovah accepteth them not; now will He remember their iniquity.”

In the answer of the scribe to Jesus as given us by Mark XII, 32, "And the scribe said unto Him, Of a truth Teacher, Thou hast well said that He is One; and there is none other but He. 33. And to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt offering and sacrifice. 34. And when Jesus saw that he answered Him discreetly, He said unto him, 'Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.'

In I Sam. xv, 22, we are told that "To obey is better than sacrifice."

Prov. XXI, 3: "To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to Jehovah than sacrifice."

Amos v, 21-22: "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. 23. Yea, though ye offer Me your burnt offerings and your meal offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. 24. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness

as a mighty stream.

Isaiah 1, 11: "What unto Me is the multitude of your sacrifices? said Jehovah: I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts. I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of lambs or of he goats.'

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12. "When ye come to appear before Me, who hath required this at your hand? . 13. "Bring no more vain oblations, incense is an abomination to Me." 14. "Your new moons and your appointed feasts My soul hateth; they are a trouble unto Me. I am weary of bearing them. 15. When ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; Yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear, your hands are full of blood."

16. "Wash you make you clean; put away the evil in your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil. 17. Learn to do well, seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow."

18. "Come now let us reason together, saith Jehovah; Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow." 19. "If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat of the good of the land." Jeremiah vi, 20: Your burnt offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices pleasing unto Me.'

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Malachi п, 4: “My covenant may be with Levi, saith Jehovah. 5. My covenant was with him of life and peace" (not death and destruction).

6. "The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips, he walked with me in peace and uprightness and turned many away from iniquity."

7. "For the priests' lips should keep knowledge" (they should not have lost the knowledge of the Mysteries of their religion so

that such abuses could have crept in), "and they should seek law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Jehovah of Hosts.'

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8. "But ye turned aside out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble in the law; ye have corrupted the covenant of Levi, saith Jehovah of Hosts.'

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Malachi III, 7: "From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside from mine ordinances and have not kept them" (but they kept up their burnt offerings).

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8. 'Wherein have we robbed thee? The answer is in tithes and heave offerings" (the heaving hearts of the men).

Ezekiel xxxIII, 25: "Wherefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Ye eat with the blood, and lift up your eyes unto your idols, and shed blood, and shall ye possess the land?"

29. "Then shall they know that I am Jehovah when I have made the land a desolation and an astonishment because of all their abominations which they have committed.

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Ezekiel XXXVI, 17: "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their way, and by their doings; their way before me was as the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.

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18. "Wherefore I poured out my wrath upon them" (that is, let them learn the law of cause and effect), "for the blood which they had poured out upon the land because they had defiled it with their idols" (or their worship).

And what is the promise to Israel after the suffering she has brought upon herself has purified her?

Ezekiel xxxvi, 25: "I will sprinkle you with clean waters" (sign of purification) "and ye shall be clean; from all of your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you."

26. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh" (the heart that could kill poor innocent animals), “and I will give you a heart of flesh." 27. "And I will put my spirit within you." 29. "And I will save you from all your

uncleanness."

Does it not seem probable that the world has had a gross misconception of the teachings of our Sacred Book?

In Psalms XL, 6, we read: "Sacrifice and offerings thou hast no delight in, my ears hast thou opened. Burnt offering and sin

offering hast thou not required. Then I said, Lo I come to do thy will, O my God. Yea, thy law is written on my heart."

The only account we have of Jesus showing anger is in John п, 14, when He drove the money changers from the Temple (the people who sold animals and birds for sacrifice). His words were: "It is written my house shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of robbers." Surely these are strong words in support of our argument.

Oh, friends, let us study our Sacred Book and develop the intuition that it is designed to develop, and show to suffering humanity the God of Love that the inner record reveals. It is high time that the white light of truth be thrown upon these books so that man may no more hide behind Sacred Writ for authority to kill either his brother man or his younger brothers the animals.

CHAPTER XIV.

LIGHT THROWN UPON OBSCURE PASSAGES.

It may be well to show in a few words how much light is shed upon obscure passages in Scripture by this symbolic reading, light that will prevent much skepticism when it becomes generally diffused.

Take, for instance, the statement that Joshua commanded the sun to stand still, and she stood. Now every schoolboy knows that it is simply an impossibility as read literally. In the light of this understanding all becomes luminous.

The symbol of the Lord Jehovah is the moon. The symbol of the Christ is the sun. The word "Joshua" means "Jesus," which means the help of Jehovah. As we study the life of Jesus we see that His especial work (as it is of many other Masters also) is to to assist humanity to conquer their desire natures, and build up purified vehicles in which the Christ child can be born. them in their great struggle between Spirit and matter.

He leads

Now consider the allegory. Joshua (Jesus) is leading His people to battle on the spiritual hillsides. He says to Lord Jehovah, "Moon, stand thou still over the valley of Aijalon" (field of the animals, man on the animal plane), "and Sun" (Christ) "over Gideon" (Mount of Initiation) "only give me double time, for this is a fierce struggle." And double time was given Him, but more were conquered (slain) by the hailstones than by the sword. More were conquered by hard natural experiences than by the teachings of the truth.

To this day Jesus still stands on these same hillsides, helping us fight our battle against the flesh, and the Lord Jehovah still guards and guides the animal man, and still the great Christ stands on the Mount of Initiation ready to glorify those who win in the struggle and reach up to Him clean hands and a contrite heart, wholly consecrated to do the will of the Father. Thus, all

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