1. THOUGHT AND CHARACTER

The aphorism, "As a man thinketh in his heart
so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man’s being, but is so
comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his
life. A man is literally what he thinks, his character being he complete
sum of all his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every
act of man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have
appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called "spontaneous"
and "unpremeditated" as to those which are deliberately executed.

Act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruit;
thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice, and cause and
effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as
in the world of visible and material things. A noble and God-like character
is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued
effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with
God-like thoughts. An ignoble and bestial character, by the same process,
is the result of the continued harboring of groveling thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself. In the armory of thought he forges
the weapons by which he destroys himself. He also fashions the tools with
which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.
By the right choice and true application of thought, man ascends to the
divine perfection. By the abuse and wrong application of thought he descends
below the level of the beast. Between these two extremes are all the grades
of character, and man is their maker and master.

Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul which have been restored
and brought to light in this age, none is more gladdening or fruitful of
divine promise and confidence than this–that man is the master of thought,
the molder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment,
and destiny.

As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the lord of his own
thoughts, man holds key to every situation, and contains within himself
that transforming and regenerative agency by which he may make himself
what he wills.

Man is always the master, even in his weakest and most abandoned state.
But in his weakness and degradation he is foolish master who misgoverns
his "household." When he begins to reflect upon his condition
and search diligently for the law upon which his being is established,
he then becomes the wise master, directing his energies with intelligence
and fashioning his thoughts to fruitful issues. Such is the conscious master,
and man can only thus become by discovering within himself the laws of
thought. This discovery is totally a matter of application, self-analysis
and experience.

Only by much searching and mining are gold and diamonds obtained, and
man can find every truth connected with his being, if he will dig deep
into the mine of his soul. That he is the maker of his character, the molder
of his life, and the builder of his destiny, he may unerringly prove, if
he will watch, control, and alter his thoughts, tracing their effects upon
himself, upon others and upon his life and circumstances, linking cause
and effect by patient practice and investigation. And utilizing his every
experience, even the most trivial, everyday occurrence, as a means of obtaining
that knowledge of himself which is understanding, wisdom, power. In this
direction is the law of absolute that "He that seeketh findeth; and
to him that knocketh it shall be opened." For only by patience, practice,
and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the door of the temple of knowledge.

Next Chapter: EFFECT OF THOUGHT ON CIRCUMSTANCES