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Religious Thoughts
by George Burgess

HAPPINESS

The desire for happiness is the strongest of all desires in the Nature of Universal mankind. Every other human desire is only exercised with the Hope of possessing this Supreme, and most divined condition of happiness.

Its pursuit is man’s noblest Work, and Duty. It is his only Work; for every voluntary act of man, even if it is a mistake, only occurs from a belief that he will be happier by doing the thing than he would be by leaving it undone.

Duty is Servant to Happiness. Happiness creates duty. Active duty cannot exist unless its motive be happiness. If a man acts without his own happiness, or that of his fellow beings, being his aim then his act cannot be a duty. And we thus see that this Universal desire for happiness precedes duty, and that the pursuit of true happiness, and active duty, cannot be separated. Duty ever being the willing servant of the Spirit Force which climbs the hills to the crowning Joys of all life, in all Worlds – Happiness.

As the desire for Happiness has ever been the Ruling Principle in the very Nature of all Mankind it would be fair and true to say that reasonable, or comfortable, happiness is possible.

But although this is possible to all who can live according to its Laws and processes, yet only few beings uniformly enjoy more than this medium share of the happiness of life. And we know of no being at all who was ever lived on this Earth who enjoyed complete and perfect happiness, because no man can live apart from the influences of others.

Every Traveller meets with some hindrances on the way.
Every right living man, and happy man within himself, is certain to meet others who will, more or less, mar his Joys.
One evil member of the family will send a current of sorrow through the hearts of all the rest.
A number of evil and miserable members of a community will give a measure of trouble and pain to all its inhabitants.
One, powerful, greedy and war-like Nation will disturb the happiness of many peaceful Nations of the Earth.

We therefore see that only a reasonable and comfortable measure of happiness can be uniformly enjoyed, even by those who are of the happiest nature and surrounded by the most favourite conditions. Individual happiness is possible when man lives a natural good and right life in all departments of his being.

His Bodily happiness springs from perfect bodily health, owned and preserved by himself living according to the natural laws, or instincts leading to and assuring health. And exactly, and only, in proportion to the health of man’s organic being will be his proportion of bodily pleasure or happiness.

Man’s Spiritual Happiness arise from the natural healthy and intelligent exercise of his mental, social, affectional, moral and Spiritual nature. These qualities, or Gifts, from a part of his complete and higher being, and their culture lifts him up higher and higher into the divine. And unless the Spiritual or divine nature in man be exercised so as to control his Bodily nature his happiness will be incomplete.

All the inferior Animal existence can enjoy simple bodily happiness. But man has a soaring divine spirit within him which will not rest, nor be happy, with anything below the good, the spiritual, the divine, godliness, and Heaven.

Individuals, Families, Societies, Communities and Nations will only be happy in exact proportions as they live according to the one same changeless Law, that is by individually and collectively living natural, good and right lives in all departments of their individuals, and associated existence. Therefore, every living being, and all the unnumbered millions of beings, of all nations and tongues, are happy exactly and only as they live righteous, and divine lives. Thus, we see the universal and eternal law, which governs happiness. It reaches all beings, and all peoples, and all Worlds. There is no Escape!!!

The present measure of happiness in the world of human beings is considered to be proportionally greater than in the earlier ages. Still, the discoveries of the sources, which increase permanent human happiness, have been made very slowly. And it is not easily proved that a general increase of happiness keeps pace with new discoveries, and civilisations.

It is certain however, that civilisation places before mankind many more, and new sources of happiness, while it also ever brought an equal number of new wants, and therefore many new Cares. Still, Civilisation is the natural out-growth, and true work of all progressive spirits, and if used wisely for the general good then its blessing is sure and is bound to bring a permanent increase of general happiness.

It will be seen that the central Root of Happiness must be within the being himself. All outward things are only helps. And all outer help have first to enter the inner being, and there be acted upon, and used, according to the Laws of Human Nature before they can aid in promoting human happiness. The Spirit-Individuality must be Supreme Ruler of all his aids and helps to Happiness. If he once submits to be ruled by his helpers he will soon sink down, and be unhappy, and lost.

Right foods and fluids
Air, and sun, and light
Right mental and Bodily exertion
Seasons of Inspiring Cheerfulness
Spiritual, or Religious Culture
Loving Kindness from true Friends

These, and many other divine blessings, and helps, are all necessary for human happiness. But all men and women are first bound to receive their helps, within, and rule them, and wisely use them, and not abuse them, for every abused blessing brings a sure Curse.

All beings therefore, have to be the authors of their own happiness. The man who looks for anybody outside himself to make him happy never will e happy. Others can only help him, but he himself must earn, and bring Happiness and Heaven within his heart.

Of course, great multitudes of struggling Wives and Husbands, and others, are the helpless victims of surroundings, and conditions, which seem to cloud over all the bright and happy seasons of their existence, which their young and divine Fancies had so beautifully painted for themselves. In the fresh spring morning of their life they thought that as they, hand in hand, and heart in heart, journeyed along their smooth and winding way those hopes for sweet and happy seasons would be sure to come and meet them.

BUT OH! They have never come!!

THEY WILL NEVER COME!!!

But there are thousands of others, who are surrounded with all needful comforts, and conditions, and helps to happiness, and yet they are not happy. Their life habit is to dome down, even in the summer sunshine mornings, looking distressed about nothing. They are fretful before they eat, about nothing. They are irritable all the morning, about nothing. Save their own self-made unpleasant nature. And they quite expect to be cross and unhappy, “all the day long”.

Oh! – Why Godless beings of this type are ever seeking after their own unhappiness! And they find it!

But the Finer Types of men and women have no right to be unhappy, and they are not unhappy, even when Life’s Storms are beating down hard upon them, Certainly Not. As the sea gets rough, their Spirits get calm. Then their enemies rage, they grow more brave. When troubles send their heart, they fight the conqueror’s part.

It is easy to be brave, when there is no battle to fight. And it is easy for people to be happy, when there is nothing to make them unhappy. But the true and divine type of men and women who are going to make this world a very happy place to live in for us all. These rejoice in conquering difficulties. They move, but are not moved. They live noble and righteous lives, bodily and spiritually and therefore it is no wonder that the Spirit of their Living God, “worketh within them”, speaking into their ears, and their hearts, Words sweeter than music, saying “Happy shall thou be”, “and it shall be well with thee”.

Now, it must be a clear Truth to all intelligent and studious minds that Happiness is the natural condition of those who can live natural and righteous lives, in all departments of their bodily and spiritual Natures.

Real Happiness will not come, and continue, as a result of Emotions, wishes, hopes or any negative condition. Only an intelligent, positive Faith and earnest work, will secure it. Indolent, and doubting lives are unnatural, and their owners are ever complaining about other people making them unhappy.

But the Godley, and right living men and women with their Nerves and their hearts charged with living Fire helps themselves to happiness, and have enough to spare. Therefore they spread it out, as a feast, so that others may eat the bread of life, and be happy also.

Oh! - But their divine human beings do the very things, and live the very lives, which the living Personal God only has one reward for, and that one blessed reward is in the present World, unspeakable Happiness!! And in the wondrous World to come – unending HAPPINESS!!!

George Burgess, March 1900

THE PARENTAGE OF JESUS

The Statements in Mathew, and Luke, concerning a process of the conception and birth of Jesus, which would not be according to Nature do not appear to be recorded by Mark, or John, of Paul, or the other apostles, or by any other writer from Genesis to Revelation.

John the Baptist did not, once, ever mention such a conception, and therefore he never could have heard of it.

Mary, the Mother of Jesus, mentioned his Parentage once, and then named her husband Joseph as his father, saying “thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing” Luke 2+48. And these words were spoken by Many, his mother, 20 years before Mathew and Luke had heard of Jesus.

And later, Philip told Nathanael that he had seen “Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” John 1+45. Philip, therefore, recognised Joseph as the real father of Jesus.

Jesus himself never spoke once about the process of his conception, as told by Matthew and Luke. And his reason for not doing so seems clearly to have been that he never heard, or knew, anything about it. For he had “gone the way of all the earth”, before Matthew and Luke, wrote their statements.

And, although Jesus lived a life of 33 years, yet neither he himself, nor any of his family, ever once alluded to a theory of his conception that would be contrary to the changeless laws and order of all Nature!

If Jesus had not been the offspring of two human beings, make and female, he cold not have been a natural human being himself, not a perfect man! In all ages of man’s existence upon this earth, no conception, and birth, have ever occurred apart from the natural sexual oneness and agency of the male and female human beings! All animal and vegetable life, and the minutest forms of all life can only give an increase of its perfect kind by means of the natural use of the male and female agencies, which exist in all the million forms of life after their kind.

Therefore, in this life at least, the laws and processes which govern human conception, and birth, are unchanging and in no instance have they ever been suspended.

Why did Matthew, and Luke, alone, write their beliefs concerning an unnatural conception of Jesus, by Mary? The reply, and truth, would seem to be that these two writers were possessed by the Spirit of superstition. And that “possession” need not cause wonder when we know that their were written about 2000 years ago. They gave their statements prominence, but if they had been truths, and prominent truths, then John the Baptist, and other apostles, and Mary, and Jesus himself would have given them startling prominence, during some of the 33 years which Jesus lived! Yet, with them all, concerning this Impossible thing – Silence, ever, reigned Supreme.
The Neighbours of Mary, in Nazareth could never have heard the stories of Matthew. For after knowing Jesus for 30 years, and he began to teach “they were astonished” and said, “is not this the Carpenter? Mark 6+3.

And even in his life-long home, his brethren appear never to have heard anything unnatural concerning Jesus coming into the world. And “they did not believe” he was the Christ. John 7+5.

The passage in Isaiah 7+14 “Behold a virgin shall conceive” probably did not refer to Jesses. But even it if did – Still, it does not say, nor mean, that a virgin should conceive by any other than the natural human agency. Hundreds of millions of virgins have conceived, but the moment Conception begun – virginity ended. Therefore, a virgin mother has never existed.

The Angel Gabriel said to have appeared to Zacharias, Mary & Joseph is a rather mysterious being to the men of this generation. The songs of Joy he inspired, and drew forth from several real good men, and from Elizabeth and Mary, soon died away, for his perditions, and Israel’s expectations were not realised. And, from then till now, 2000 years, the whole Jewish Race have had no faith in the conception of Jesus, as predicted by Gabriel, nor in any of his perditions concerning Israel, at all. And it is a truth that Jesus never has been the “King of the Jews”, and never has sat “on the throne of David”.

There are many mysterious moving forces in Nature, and in Human Life, which cal for no doubts from men’s minds. But when any theory directly crosses the natural and uniform laws and facts of Nature, and the process of Human Existence, then that theory cannot be true. Now the natural, and only, theory of human conception and birth is simple, and well understood, and it is universal. Every single increase of he Race, once the world began, came by exactly the same kind of agency. Therefore, the child Jesus of Bethlehem and Nazareth was conceived, and born, by the same make and female human process as are al the children of men, all over all the face of the Earth.

George Burgess, June 1900

MIRACLES

Webster explains a Miracle to be a Deviation from the ordinary laws of “Nature”.

The following Statements occur in the old Bible, and New Testament, and in the Concordance, the word “miracles” stand at their head.

Exodus 7-10, “Aaron’s Rod swallowed up their Rods”.
Exodus 14-21, “The Lord divided the Ted Sea, for the Israelites to cross”.
Exodus 15-21, “”Moses cried unto the Lord who then caused the bitter waters of Marah to become sweet”.
Exodus 17-6, “Moses smote the Rock in Horeb, bringing forth water”.
Numbers 16-32, “The Lord made a New thing, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up Korah and Dathan and their houses, and all their goods”.
Numbers 21-8, “Men bitter by fiery Serpents, looked on Moses fiery Serpent of brass, and lived”.
Joshua 10-12, “Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon, and the Sun stood still”.
Judges 16-30, “Samson pulling down the pillars at Tarmath, with his hands upholding a building with 3000 people upon its roof”.
Kings 13-6, “Jehoash’s withered arm, at once, restored”.
Kings 18-38, “Elijah prays, and brings down fire from the Lord, for the sacrifice”.
Kings 20-11, Elijah, and the Chariots and horses for fire, “and Elijah taken up in a whirlwind of heaven”.

In the old Bible the above strange events are said to be the Lord’s work. That would seem to remove from them the miraculous meaning. Still, such events would appear as miracles to men from that far off time. It would be difficult to give us accuracy concerning its events. For even now Superstition still lives, but in that age it lived, and ruled the Rulers, and Kings, and the People. The Statements, as proof of facts have not been much believed in, by men of scientific-searching types of mind during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

But if men believe less in statements which run across Natural Laws, still their reverence for, and faith in, the Living God ruleth all beings, and all worlds, according to their natural order, do not diminish at all, but increase more and more.

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew 8-3, “Jesus cleansed the Leper”.
Matthew 8-13, Jesus healing the Centurion’s Servant, without seeing him.
Matthew 8-15, “Jesus healing Peter’s Mother-in-law from a fever, by a touch”.
Matthew 8-26, “Jesus rebuked the winds, and the sea, and there was a great calm”.
Matthew 9-23, “Jesus enabling the Dumb to speak”.
Matthew 14-17, 20 – “Jesus feeding 5000 people on 5 loaves, and 2 fishes”.
Mark 5-12, “Jesus casting out the Legion of devils”, “and all the devils besought him, saying, send us into the swine”, “about 2000”, which ran into the sea “and were choked by the sea”.
John 5-9, “Jesus curing the 38 years Impotent man”.
John 11-44, “Jesus raising dead Lazarus to life”.
Acts 3-6, “Peter healing the lame man at the Temple”.
Acts 5-5, “Peter and the sudden deaths of Ananias and Sapphire”.
Acts 9-40, “Peter raising dead Dorcas to Life”.

Unlike the old Bible, the foregoing New Testament reading speak of the “miracles” as being through faith in Jesus, the acts of men, namely, of the “Son of Man”, and his disciples.

According to the New Testament text, it may be noted, that the “multitudes” who sought the aid of Jesus were considered by him as being punished for their sins, and his miracles meant “Thy sins are forgiven thee, sin no more”, or “Behold thou are made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing come into thee”. Few indeed sought to know if Jesus has any Spiritual, or Future life mission. Even the Capernaum Centurion, a man high in “authority” appears to have only sought Jesus for the one purpose of curing his Servant, who was “grievously tormented”. This done, the Centurion and Jesus seem to have parted, possibly forever.

The benefit of miracles seems to have been wholly confined to this world along with the aim to convince the Jews that Jesus was their “Messiah”.

It is especially important to remember that the statements concerning Jesus “working miracles, healing the impotent, sending the cast out devils into the swine, and raising the dead to life” etc. come from Matthew, Mark and others, and not from Jesus himself. Jesus never wrote anything about himself, and as far as we know, he never wrote anything at all, so hat we have no proof that we would assent to the unreasonable declarations of a few well-meaning men, possessed by Superstition, and who did not write about him until he had “gone the way of all the earth”. Therefore, it is probable that Jesus never knew that any man would ever write about him, and he was not responsible for the many unreasonable things written about him in the four Gospels, and elsewhere.

It is admitted that, according to the Gospel writers, Jesus himself, and his disciples – all, were subjects of that Superstition, which thought that personal, evil spirits, or devils, in various numbers, lived within men. And it is quite probable that Jesus was a subject of the prevailing superstition. Still, we have no (written) word concerning it, from Jesus himself. David, Solmon, Paul, Cicero, Mahomet, Luther, Calvin, John Wesley, Dr Martinean, Henry Ward Bucher, Dr Joseph Parker and multitudes of others have left us their written opinions, and their records, and their histories. But Jesus appears to have left the world without giving it one, written, word concerning his birth, his history, his life, or his works. And in this respect, Jesus appears to have been a silent being. And the Fact itself, historically, is Remarkable, and Startling!

It is not surprising, that the alleged miraculous powers, passed away when Jesus, and his disciples passed away. Such powers have not been possessed by Christians during the passing away of all the later long centuries.

The roots of all the Gifts, and capabilities, and possibilities of man were within his being from his beginning. Therefore, if miracles were possible by men 2000 years abo, they would be possible now. But all men, of right minds, know that miracles are not possible now, therefore it is fair to conclude that they could not be possible 2000 years ago, nor at any other age of the world’s history. History may easily prove the far off existence of a marked, real, Personality. But if acts are ascribed to the Personality which are beyond the powers of Human Nature then the existence of those acts are naturally doubted. And Time, usually proves that those acts only lived in the visions of Superstition.

Since those times, of the earliest disciples of Jesus, gradually the growing knowledge of the Science, and processes of the human constitution bodily and spiritually, as removed the delusion that men were ever possessed by personal evil spirits, living within them, and also removed the delusion that “all manner of diseases” were ever cured by miracles. The foremost, and progressive preachers of the last quarter of the nineteenth century have omitted to say much about, or to be influenced by, the New Testament miracles. They have exercised too much good sound common sense to so waste their time. But instead, they have spoken forth food, strong, earnest, developing Truth. There is no miracle, nor mystery in Godliness. Godliness has its root set right in the central being of mankind. Man is naturally both human and divine. Therefore, naturally he is inclined to live a good human, and divine life. And that life is Godliness. All goodness is Godliness.

A people in this age will not seek miracles to sure their Bodies, they know that they will never fine them. And, in this latest, and best, generation, people do not desire to grow Godly by the aid of miracles, they can grow both Godly, and manly, very much better without them.

And God’s changeless Laws, of all the moving Worlds, and of all the processes of Human Life, give no sign that miracles ever were probable, and needful, or that they ever will be probable, or needful, to come to the help of man.

George Burgess, January 1901

RESURRECTION

Did the dead body of Jesus rise again, and live?

The New Testament witnesses do not give sure and certain proof of the resurrection of Jesus. After his death, the belief that his resurrection had really occurred originated mainly from one incident, and that visit first of Mary Magdalene, and other women to the sepulchre. Mary Magdalene was one out of whom Jesus said to have “cast even devils”. A woman whose constitution and Nerve System had been worn, and torn, by several devils, does not seem to be the kind of witness that the Great Living God, and Ruler of millions of Suns and Worlds, would choose to announce His temporary suspension of His mighty law of Death! A law which consigns every dead thing to eternal dissolution!!

Yet from her report, of her vision, the belief afterwards, spread, or revived among the disciples! It is a disadvantage without and records, in that we has no, written words by Jesus himself concerning his teachings, or concerning himself, in any way.

However, Luke 20-37, writes that Jesus said “Now, that the dead are raised, even Moses shivaed at the burning bush”. But, at that bush, Exo 3-6, neither God, nor Moses, speaks of any kind of resurrection.

Matthew 26-32, “After I am ridden, I will go before you, into Galilee”. Matthew did not write these words until long after the death of Jesus. And the disciples did not know of them or had forgotten all about them at the time of the death and burial of Jesus (John).

John 11-25, “I am the resurrection and the life”. The bodily life and death of Lazarus was the question here! No other kind of life and death was mentioned. And Jesus said “Whosoever liveth, and believeth in me shall never die”. Yet Lazarus, and Matthew, and Jesus himself, and that whole generation, and all the worlds millions since that far off time, believers, and others alike, all, are dead and all their bodies have dissolved and returned to the earth forever, from which they came.

Luke 9-22, “The son of man must be slain, and be raised the third day”. So according to St. Luke, St. John, and others, Jesus did teach that he should rise again after he was dead!

It is possible, and may be probable, that the body of Jesus was not in the sepulchre, that his dead body should rise again the third day, it is nature, to believe that a good multitude of those faithful followers would assemble at the sepulchre to witness the amazing event. But, not one, of them was there!! Besides, the public and open daylight rising of the dead body of Jesus to life again would have converted the whole Jewish Race to a belief in him as their “Messiah”. Was it done in the Dark?

Afterwards, when Peter and John were influenced to visit the sepulchre, it was out of curiosity, for Mary’s words “seemed to the, as idle tales”, “they believed them not” (Luke, 24-11). Not one of the disciples saw the body rise, or saw it removed or knew what had become of it. And, if removed, who removed it, no being during these last nineteen hundred years could tell. It is not possible that the dead body of Jesus could remove itself. And if the “great stone” was rolled away to let the body pass out, then it is only reasonable to conclude that those who removed the stone would also remove the body.

No angels were ever allowed to descent from God’s Heaven to roll stones from graves and to talk with, good-meaning, but credulous women, about the missing dead. Such casual ideas, and easy farces, usually the delusions of disordered natures, like Mary’s would naturally be after being “possessed” by and of “seven devils” or seven evil diseases.

Still, many of he disciples seem to have revived their belief in the resurrection; and Jesus, with his natural body, is said to have “appeared among them” several times (without their knowing him, at first) and then vanished out of their sight! The disciples however, continued preaching the resurrection of Jesus. And so also, did Paul, Paul had never seen Jesus himself, but had been the disciples’ recent, most bitter persecutor “even unto death” (Acts 22). He was now, a disciple himself, having been convinced, apparently through a restless dream-vision; having fallen to the earth tired, exhausted, worn out and frenzied!!!; when, for a desperate mission, he was on his way to Damascus.

Of course, the believers in the resurrection of Jesus were all good-living, and conscientious men and women, but, Superstition, reigned within them! Dreams, trances, and visions do sometimes, but not often, teach real, sound and natural truths.

The clear knowledge of nature and of life and Death developed during the later generations, and especially during the present generation, has dispersed the mists and vain imaginations of nervous erratic minks, which come into collision with Natural law. And now, the spirits of sound and right minds will only assent to theories, and beliefs, that are in harmony with the workings o f the accurately exact, just, sure, universal fascinating, and benevolent laws of life and Existence, which Rule changeless, and supreme, among all beings, and in all worlds.

According to God’s Natural Law – His all-good, and divine law, for a dead body to rise to life again is an Impossibility. God has set His Divine Seal upon that all, beneficent Truth, during all the Ages, that Life and Death have existed on this Earth. The very moment that a body is dead, the Forces of Nature begin to pull it all to pieces. The very moment the body begins to vitally move and breathe, Construction begins to build up the man. And the exact moment the body ceases to breathe – Destruction sets to work, and swiftly pulls down man’s body into dust.

No living thing, plant, animal, or man ever has, or ever will escape this necessary, universal, and divine process. All sayings, and beliefs, that mean exceptional escapes form this all-wise, and changeless Law, reaching from Adam, to the end of all Time on earth, arise form defective knowledge of God’s Laws of Life an Death – and from Superstition!!!

There are no escapes from the Natural, and complete Law of Death. The unchanging “God” is no respecter of persons. Death serve all alike. And once the body of any man is dead, it is dead forever. It will never rise again. It will never live again. Bit, “it shall return to the Earth, as it was – and the SPIRIT shall return unto God who gave it”. Eccl 12-7

George Burgess, February 1901

Religious Thoughts by George Burgess

HAPPINESS

THE PARENTAGE OF JESUS

MIRACLES

RESURRECTION

Religious Thoughts
by George Burgess