Page:The astral world, higher occult powers; (IA astralworldhighe00tiff).pdf/23

 opened before us, is that which God has given us in giving us a conscious being. Here we must commence our first lesson, because every thing must be recorded in the pages of this volume. God can never manifest any part of the universe or himself to us beyond the capacity of the pages of this volume to receive that manifestation. It follows then, as a matter of course, that truth can never be communicated by authority; and when a man tells me that a certain thing is true upon his authority, I can not receive it simply upon his statement. You will understand that I distinguish between stating a truth and narrating a fact. I may receive a statement of fact upon authority.

A man may tell me that there is such a place as London, and I believe it; and I may form an idea respecting it; but the ideal London I have in my mind is very far from being the real London—is very far from being a representation of the real London. That is, the ideal London which I have exists only in my mind, has no representative corresponding in the outward matter-of-fact London. But when the real London is brought into my consciousness, I have the London. Before, I had a sort of a London. Now you will understand what is meant by a difference between forming a conception of a fact and a truth. Suppose I should say to you that the sum of the squares of the two sides of a right-angled triangle is equal to the square of its hypotenuse, you having faith in my capacity to determine truth will say, "I will believe it as a fact; but I have no perception of its truth—I have only your word for it." Now your faith is not