The spiritual life

10 The SpiritualLife.

induced to make effortsbythe endlesstoys of

life scattered on every side. Westruggle,we

endeavour to grasp; atlast wedo graspand

hold; after a short time the brilliant apple

turns to ashes, as in Milton's fable, and the

prize that seemed so valuable loses all its

attractiveness, becomes worthless, and some-

thing else is desired. In that way wegrow.

Theresultismourselves; somepowerhasbeen

broughtout, some facultyhasbeen developed,

some inner strength has become a manifested

power, some hidden capacity has become

faculty m action. That is the object of the

Divineteacher; the toyis thrown asidewhen

the result of the exertion to gain it has been

achieved. Andsowepass fromone pointto

another,sowepassfromonestageof evolution

tothenext; and althoughuntilyou believein

the great fact of continual re-birth and ever-

continuing experience, you will not realise to

the full the beauty and the splendour of the

Divine plan, still, even in one brief life you

know you gain by your struggle, and not by

your accomplishment, and the reward of the

struggleismthe powerthat you possess,or,in

thegreatwordsofEdwardCarpenter,narrowed

down if you do not believe in re-incarnation,

"EverypainthatIsuffered inonebodywasa