ives to the illumined one a sense of freedom (Christ means
cosmic consciousness, and not a personality).

Cosmic consciousness confers, above all else, perhaps, a sense of freedom
from every form of bondage.

The duty and the obligations that bind the average person, are impossible
to the cosmically conscious one. Not that he displays indifference toward
the welfare and the rights of others. Far from that, he feels an added
sense of responsibility for the irresponsible; an overwhelming compassion
for the unfortunate, and a relationship greater than ever to mankind.

But this sense of freedom causes him to do all _in love_, which he hitherto
did because it was so "laid down in the law."

Again St. Paul makes this plain:

"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance; against such as these there
is no law--neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature."

When we are armored with the "fruit of the spirit," we have no need for
rules of conduct; for methods of salvation; or for any of the bonds that
are necessary to the merely sense-conscious man.

Plainly, Paul recognized the fact that systems of religion, of philosophy,
of rules and ethics of intercourse, are necessary only so long as man
remains on the sense-conscious plane. When Illumination comes, there comes
with it absolute freedom. God does not want to be worshipped on bended
knee; by rites and ceremonies; by obedience to commandments, but the
undisciplined soul acquires power and poise through these exercises, and in
time grows to the full stature of god-consciousness.

Nor is intellectual greatness to be confounded with the godlike character
of the one who has attained to Illumination.

Elsewhere in these pages we have made the distinction between knowledge and
wisdom. Knowledge alone can never bring a soul into the path of
Illumination. Wisdom will point the way, but love is the unerring guide to
the very goal.

St. Paul's expression of this fact is concise, and to the point. This
observation alone, stamps him as one possessing a very high degree of
realization of what cosmic consciousness is.

"If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him
become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness to God."

The worldly wise man or woman asks "how much do I get?" The truly wise
person cares nothing at all fo