who, as in Israel, "heard him gladly." Even in
China are found similar tales of the young religious firebrand,
preaching ever the Brotherhood of Man--ever known as the Friend of the
Poor. On and on He went, sowing the seeds of human freedom and the
casting off of the yoke of ecclesiastical tyranny and formalism, which
seeds are springing unto growth even at this late day. Yea, the Spirit
of His real teachings are even now bearing fruit in the hearts of men,
and though nearly two thousand years have passed by the "soul" of His
social teachings still "goes marching on" round and round the world.

THE FOURTH LESSON.

THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY.

When Jesus reached his native land, after the years of travel in
India, Persia and Egypt, he is believed by the occultists to have
spent at least one year among the various lodges and retreats of the
Essenes. By reference to the first lesson of this series you will see
who and what was this great mystic organization--the Essenic
Brotherhood. While resting and studying in their retreats His
attention was diverted to the work of Johannen--John the Baptist--and
He saw there an opening wedge for the great work that He felt called
upon to do among His own people. Dreams of converting His own
race--the Jews--to His conception of Truth and Life, crept over Him,
and he determined to make this work His great life task.

The feeling of race is hard to overcome and eradicate, and Jesus felt
that, after all, here He was at last, at home, among His own people,
and the ties of blood and race reasserted themselves. He put aside His
previous thoughts of a world-wandering life, and decided to plant the
standard of the Truth in Israel, so that from the capital of the
Chosen People the Light of the Spirit might shine forth to all the
world. It was Jesus the man--Jesus the Jew--that made this choice.
From the broader, higher point of view He had no race; no country; no
people;--but His man nature was too strong, and in yielding to it he
sowed the seeds for His final undoing.

Had he merely passed through Judea as a traveling missionary, as had
done many others before Him, he would have escaped the punishment of
the government. Although He would have aroused the hatred and
opposition of the priests, He would have not laid Himself open to the
charge of wishing to become the King of the Jews, or the Jewish
Messiah, come to resume the throne of David, His forefather. But it
avails us n