THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SPIRITISM

Allan Kardec

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INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SPIRITS.


TO THOSE WHO HAVE WILL BE GIVEN MORE



13. And the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speaketh Thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.' but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not.' and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand,. and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive (Matthew, 13: 10-14).

14. And He said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.' and unto you that hear shall be given more. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath (Mark, 4.. 24 & 25).

15. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away." Let us meditate on these great teachings which have so often seemed paradoxical. 'He who has received' signifies those who possess the meaning of the divine Word. They have received it solely because they have tried to be worthy of it and because the Lord, in His merciful love, animates the efforts of those who are inclined towards goodness. By their unceasing perseverance their efforts attract the blessing of God, which acts as a magnet calling to itself progressive betterment. It is these copious blessings which make them strong enough to scale the sacred mountain on whose pinnacle is to be found rest after labour.

"From whosoever hath not, or but little, shall be taken away." This should be understood as a figurative antithesis. God does not retract the good He has conceded. Blind and deaf humanity! Use your intelligence and your hearts; see with the eyes of your spirit; listen by means of your soul and do not interpret so coarsely and unjustly the words of He Who makes the justice of God shine resplendently before your eyes. It is not God who takes away from the one who has but little, but that Spirit itself who, by being wasteful and careless, does not know how to conserve, increase, and bring to fulfilment the mite which had been given to that heart.

The son who does not cultivate the field which the work of his father had conquered for his inheritance, will see it covered with weeds. Is it then his father who takes away the harvest he did not prepare? If through lack of care he allowed the seedlings, destined to produce the crop, to wither, is it the father he should accuse for their having produced nothing? No, it is not. Instead of accusing the one who had done all the preparing, as if he were guilty of taking it back, he should complain to the real author of his miseries. With repentance and desire to be industrious, the son should put himself to work courageously to reclaim the soil by sheer will-power, digging deeply with the help of repentance and hope. Then confidently sow the good seed, which he has separated from the bad, and water it with love and charity. Then God, the God of love and charity, will give to him who has already received. He will see his efforts crowned with success and one grain will produce a hundred and another a thousand. Courage, workers! Take up your harrows and your ploughs; work with your hearts; tear out the weeds; sow the good seed that the Lord has given and the dew of love will cause the fruits of charity to grow. - A Friendly Spirit (Bordeaux, 1862).



A CHRISTIAN IS RECOGNISABLE BY HIS WORKS



16. "Not all of those who say: Lord! Lord! will enter into Heaven, but only those who do the Will of my Father, who is in Heaven."

Listen to these words of the Master, all those who repel the Spiritist Doctrine as the work of the devil. Open your ears because the moment to listen has arrived.

Is it sufficient to carry the uniform of the Lord in order to be His faithful servant? Is it enough to say: 'I am a Christian', for anyone to be a follower of Christ? Search for the true Christians and you will recognise them by their works. "A good tree cannot give forth bad fruits, nor a bad tree good fruits." "Every tree that does not give forth good fruits will be cut down and cast into the fire." These are the words of the Master. Disciples of Christ, understand them well! What kind of fruits should be given by the tree of Christianity, which is a mighty tree, whose leafy branches cover part of the world with shade, but does not as yet shelter all who should seek refuge around it? Those from the Tree of Life are fruits of life, hope and faith. Christianity, as it has done for many centuries, continues to preach these divine virtues. It uses all its strength to distribute its fruits, but so few pick them! The Tree is always good, but the gardeners are bad. They tried to mould it to their own ideas, to prune it to their necessities. They cut it, diminished it and mutilated it. Having become sterile it does not give forth bad fruits, because it gives forth no fruits at all. The thirsty traveller who stops under its branches looking for the fruits of hope, which are capable of restoring strength and courage, sees only bare branches foretelling a coming storm. In vain he asks for the fruits from the Tree of Life. Only dry leaves fall at his feet. The hands of Man have so tampered with it that it has become scorched.

My dearly beloved, open then your hearts and ears. Cultivate this Tree of Life whose fruits give eternal life. The One who planted it incites you to treat it with love and even yet you will see it give an abundance of its divine fruits. Conserve it just as it was when Christ gave it to you. Do not mutilate it. It wants to cast its immense shade over the Universe, so do not cut its branches. Its tasty fruits fall abundantly so as to satiate the hungry traveller who wishes to reach the end of his journey. Do not gather these fruits in order to leave them to rot, so they are of no use to anyone. "Many are called, but few are chosen."

This is because there are monopolizers of the Bread of Life, as there are also of material bread. Do not be one of them: the Tree that gives good fruits must give to everyone. Go then, and seek those who are hungry, lead them under the leafy branches of the Tree of Life and share with them the shelter it offers. "You cannot collect grapes from amongst the thorns." My brothers and sisters, turn away from those who call to you in order to show you the thorns of the way; instead, follow those who will lead you under the shade of the Tree of Life.

The Divine Saviour, the Just par excellence, spoke, and His words will never die; "Not all who say: Lord! Lord! will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the Will of my Father who is in Heaven."

May the Lord of blessings bless you; may the God of Light illuminate you; may the Tree of Life offer you its abundant fruits! Believe and pray. - SIMON (Bordeaux, 1863).

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