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Paris Talks
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Pages 59-62
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THE TWO NATURES IN MAN
November 1st
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Today is a day of rejoicing in Paris! They are
celebrating the Festival of `All Saints'. Why do
you think that these people were called `Saints'? The
word has a very real meaning. A saint is one who leads
a life of purity, one who has freed himself from all
human weaknesses and imperfections.
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In man there are two natures; his spiritual or higher
nature and his material or lower nature. In one he
approaches God, in the other he lives for the world
alone. Signs of both these natures are to be found in
men. In his material aspect he expresses untruth,
cruelty and injustice; all these are the outcome of his
lower nature. The attributes of his Divine nature are
shown forth in love, mercy, kindness, truth and justice,
one and all being expressions of his higher nature.
Every good habit, every noble quality belongs to man's
spiritual nature, whereas all his imperfections and sinful
actions are born of his material nature. If a man's
Divine nature dominates his human nature, we have a
saint.
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Man has the power both to do good and to do evil;
if his power for good predominates and his inclinations
to do wrong are conquered, then man in truth may be
called a saint. But if, on the contrary, he rejects the
things of God and allows his evil passions to conquer
him, then he is no better than a mere animal.
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Saints are men who have freed themselves from the
world of matter and who have overcome sin. They
live in the world but are not of it, their thoughts being
continually in the world of the spirit. Their lives are
spent in holiness, and their deeds show forth love,
justice and godliness. They are illumined from on
high; they are as bright and shining lamps in the dark
places of the earth. These are the saints of God. The
apostles, who were the disciples of Jesus Christ, were
just as other men are; they, like their fellows, were
attracted by the things of the world, and each thought
only of his own advantage. They knew little of justice,
nor were the Divine perfections found in their midst.
But when they followed Christ and believed in Him,
their ignorance gave place to understanding, cruelty
was changed to justice, falsehood to truth, darkness
into light. They had been worldly, they became
spiritual and divine. They had been children of darkness,
they became sons of God, they became saints!
Strive therefore to follow in their steps, leaving all
worldly things behind, and striving to attain to the
Spiritual Kingdom.
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Pray to God that He may strengthen you in divine
virtue, so that you may be as angels in the world, and
beacons of light to disclose the mysteries of the Kingdom
to those with understanding hearts.
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God sent His Prophets into the world to teach and
enlighten man, to explain to him the mystery of the
Power of the Holy Spirit, to enable him to reflect the
light, and so in his turn, to be the source of guidance
to others. The Heavenly Books, the Bible, the Qur'án,
and the other Holy Writings have been given by God
as guides into the paths of Divine virtue, love, justice
and peace.
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Therefore I say unto you that ye should strive to
follow the counsels of these Blessed Books, and so order
your lives that ye may, following the examples set
before you, become yourselves the saints of the Most
High!
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