Like A Man

Like  A  Man

Martin Cecil   May 8, 1977

As individuals, how great is your sense of destiny?

This ministry has meaning and effect to the extent that those who compose it are keenly conscious of a sense of destiny. How aware are you that individually speaking you each play a part which is absolutely unique and essential in the achievement of those purposes for which this ministry exists? It isn't only a matter of the other fellow having a sense of destiny, so that you might ride along upon what someone else's experience is. That sense of destiny comes to the extent that our involvement with the earthly state recedes in our experience. If we are wrapped up in the world, which certainly seems to be present all around us, then amongst the four billion other human beings on earth we become equally meaningless; there is no sense to our continued existence. So it is reasonable to suppose that we would feel rather futile. Most people try not to think about it, but presumably we have seen something of a vision which transcends the outlook of most people.

The voice of the Lord has spoken, and in varying measure we have heard that voice: "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away"; remember who you are and why you are here on earth; let the sense of destiny be known. His voice speaks this morning as we share this hour, to call the truth to remembrance. We may hear it, even as Job heard it long ago speaking out of the whirlwind and saying, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Who is it that has usurped the position of the truth in your experience to bring a sense of meaninglessness? Who is it that has attempted to control and direct your living by the knowledge of your mind and the feelings of your heart? Who is it that has held sway in your experience so that the sense of true destiny was obscured? As long as this one continues to exist in your experience, of what real value could you be on earth? Do you remember now, and in each succeeding moment, that you were sent as an emissary of the Lord into the earth to manifest and live in human form—your present human form?

"Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me."

Remember that man was created male and female. Man is not just the positive aspect of the combination, or the one who should occupy that position, nor indeed the negative aspect, but both—there is no man without both. "Gird up now thy loins like a man." Be prepared to remember what it is to be a man, for in man is the sense of destiny. Man was created in the image and likeness of God for a purpose. Without the experience of man there can be no experience of true purpose. Human beings have invented purposes for themselves to try to fill the void which they feel. If they succeed they have succeeded only in deluding themselves. "Gird up now thy loins like a man," male and female, and hear the question that is asked of you—as it has been asked of all generations of human beings to this hour: "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."

If you have made any claims to intelligence, if you thought you knew something, answer this question. The question is not asked merely to prove the ignorance of human beings but to emphasize in human consciousness what naturally should be known. "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?" What are the foundations of the earth? This is not talking about the earth itself but about the foundations of the earth, the reason for the existence of the earth. The question might be seen as relating to the planet but it can be seen as relating to what we call "physical form," great or small. What is it that causes the existence of physical form? What is it that has brought forth the dimensional universe? What is it that maintains the existence of this planet and all that is present upon the surface of it? What are the foundations of the earth? The heaven is the foundation of the earth; without the heaven there could be no earth. What is it that you know of the heaven?

"Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof?"

Do you remember? Or are you in darkness? There are many human beings who might say, "The Lord did this." But do they know? Do they know what their words mean? Is there in reality any separation between heaven and earth, between the Lord and the truth of man? Who is the Lord? Pharaoh asked this question and then proceeded to answer it, "I know not the Lord." Apparently in that instance he was at least honest. He acknowledged the fact that he did not know the Lord. It would seem that all too many human beings are not that honest. They think they know when they don't. They have a concept of the mind, they have an intellectual belief, they might even have a belief of the heart, but what is known? What is known of the reason for all existence? Some of the facts of existence are seen and experienced, but what is known of the reason for those facts? If we are capable of girding up our loins like a man the understanding would obviously be present that characterizes a man, and that understanding includes the truth of being, an awareness of the fact that there was no separation between the truth of one's own being and the truth of all being; there was and is no such separation.

What is known of this? Insofar as you are concerned, doubtless you have many ideas about it, but what in heaven do you know? That knowing is based in a sense of destiny, in a sense of eternal purpose, in the fact of one's own being. The Lord says, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?" Are you capable of giving an honest answer? "I was there. I was with Thee. I was and am a part of what Thou art."

When the creation of the earth is mentioned most people think of it in terms of the past; sometime in ages past something happened. The solar system took form somehow and in due season the earth appeared. This is idle speculation in the field of imagination. What do we know? We know that the earth is here; we know that we are here; we know something of the vastness of the form of creation. Has creation ceased? It's still here. If there is creation there is a Creator. Without the Creator the creation is not. The creation is; it certainly has not ceased. It's here and the Creator is here. Now is the day of creation. The creation is known in this present moment. It may only be speculated about, insofar as human consciousness is concerned, as creation may have related to the past. Whoever may have been present at a particular point of creation in the past may be capable of remembering it but what is known is what is present now, the creation that is here now. In human consciousness there may be idle speculation, imagination; in the true consciousness of being there may be memory.

But what is it that is needful? Merely to speculate, or conceivably to remember? I think not. What is needful is to know now the reality of creation, the reason for creation now, the foundations of the earth in all its myriad forms now. The truth is present now. The truth can only be known now. Certainly the creative process was clear to man somewhere in the past. Man participated in that creative process once: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy"—when there was harmonious expression by reason of the mind of man on earth, by reason of his thoughts and his feelings. "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy"—when the sons and daughters of God incarnate on earth were filled with the joys of creation, and there were the beautiful sounds of creation on every hand. Let this sense of destiny rise up in you, that you may begin to know the truth of creation now, as the morning stars begin to sing together once again and the sons and daughters of God shout for joy.

For this to occur there are many questions to be answered, not for you, but by you. Human beings are always demanding answers; there is what is called an insatiable quest for knowledge. They have been so busy trying to find answers that they never heard the question that was being asked of them: "Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." This begins to put man back where he belongs—capable of answering the questions of the creative process on earth, capable of handling his field of responsibility in creation. Human beings have imagined that they would know these things by asking questions, by seeking to multiply knowledge, the idea being that when one has all the knowledge then one would be able to answer the questions and do what is required; but who would be doing it? The Creator or an imitation?—namely human beings exalting themselves into the position of a creator.

What are the foundations of the earth? There is a great deal of awareness of the earth and of the multitude of forms it takes, but what of the reason for all these things? Why do they exist? For what purpose? What is it that should exist in this way and what is it that should not? Do you not suppose that there are many things on the face of the earth that shouldn't exist? I am sure that human beings everywhere think that there is much that should not exist according to their view of the matter, but those views are usually contradictory—nobody knows. But there are those things that should exist now and there are those things that should pass away now. This is the creative process and it relates to the foundations of the earth, what is back of the forms everywhere around us. We are not properly dealing directly with the forms but with the foundation of the forms, for the foundation determines what the forms should be. The heaven is the reason for the earth, and there is One who is the reason for the heaven. When the earth reveals what the heaven proclaims, then the true creation is made known; and man is an essential part, not only of the creation but of the Creator.  Creator and creation blend in man.

"Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?"

Have you ever experienced any sweet influences? There are many experiences on earth which human beings have deemed to be sweet. How much influence do these sweet things have over you? Your experience in the world has been largely subject to the influence of sweet things, the things that you deem to be sweet in your experience. Unfortunately human beings are very much aware that the sour comes with the sweet. Perhaps they may suppose that because of the sour the sweet tastes all the sweeter and therefore it would not be possible to know any sweetness if it were not for the fact of sourness. The question put is, "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?" Are you capable of handling those sweet influences without being subject to them, or is your experience one of a desperate chase after what you deem to be sweet? I suppose these things could be summarized with respect to eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage—sex, in other words. Certainly human beings have devised a vast array of methods of generating sweetness, synthetic sweetness, saccharin. It is interesting that saccharin is now being banned, one method human beings have invented to bind the sweet influences.

While this question is asked of man, male and female, we may see how it particularly applies to the male, because one of the primary sources of the sweet influences is considered to be that which is provided by the female. Where are the men who are capable of binding that sweet influence? The voice of the Lord has long called for men on earth. The very fact that the One who came to offer salvation to the world in the direct sense was a man is indicative of the vital role to be played by those who might be classified as men. It is said that woman was taken out of man. The word "rib" is used to describe the basis for what occurred. A bone of the head wasn't used, neither a bone of the foot, but a bone of the apparatus which keeps safe the heart and the lungs—but we may think of it particularly in terms of the heart. Male and female were supposed to be one flesh, one being, a proper role to be played by each in relationship to the other; but the female was designed to keep a man's heart, a male's heart, safe. She has failed dismally in this. She is rightly the keeper of his heart, of his home, of his heaven. The male has been left without this protection. The female has been concerned for her own heart, her own home, and mostly her own hell.

Man is male and female. The female was called womb man, the means by which the heart, the home and the heaven might be kept safe. The female purpose was not to try to get anything from the male but to provide that essential enfoldment. She may consider these things, but the man may consider them also, because his responsibility is to bind the sweet influences of Pleiades in his own experience. This is not an instruction to try to dominate women. This is something which relates to men and what they know from within themselves. What is the nature of their attitude toward women? What is the nature of their own feelings toward women, and how much are those feelings allowed to determine what a man does? The world has been filled with violence, principally because of the weakness of the male. Weak people act in desperation. Desperate action brings violence, and the world is filled with violence, a reflection of the weakness of the male. Of course he displayed his weakness in the first place by forgetting his manhood and pandering to the female. That is the story of the fall, as it is called. He went along with the female who had lost her integrity, and fundamentally the male of the human race has continued this evidence of failure and weakness ever since.

"Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?" Can you stop being controlled by your desire, your lust for what you deem to be sweet? This not only applies to men. I have brought it to point with respect to the male attitude toward the female, but the female doesn't lack in desire and lust for what she deems to be sweetness. That's what she wants too. So her attitude needs to bind those influences so that they are not dominating the experience of existence.

The American Constitution says something about the pursuit of happiness—the pursuit of happiness, the lusting after sweetness. Man was designed to lust after the Lord. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." It leaves no room at all for all the worldly things after which human beings lust. The beauty of life for man could never be known on the basis of such reversed polarity, and yet how many have awakened to the truth of this, not as a theory but as a fact in their own living? What are the things that you want? What are the things that you think you must have? These are the things that control you, and human beings are controlled by things. No wonder they have become things themselves, pawns to be manipulated by other human beings; just things. Maybe this is what we should call human beings collectively: "things." But a thing has absolutely no basis for comparison with Man.

The sweet influences of Pleiades must be bound by those who have been willing to let this experience be known for themselves. We can theorize about it as long as we exist and nothing whatsoever happens. It only begins to happen when someone is willing to experience it, and again we come back to that little word "willing." That's all it is! Most people, if they were honest, would say, "Well, I don't want to experience it." They try to delude themselves with a surface display of theory, but underneath, "I don't want to experience it," is the attitude. "I like to be dominated by these sweet influences. I like to have my life bring the experiences of sweetness, even though the experiences of sourness also come." You can't have one without the other as long as these constitute the god, the lust after the things of the earth, particularly those things which are deemed to be sweet. The sickly sweetness of what may be experienced in this way bears little relationship to the natural sweetness which comes in the experience of Man.

"Gird up now thy loins like a man" and answer the real questions that are being asked. And when we answer these questions correctly we find ourselves as true male and female components in Man.

© Emissaries of Divine Light

The Body of Women Must Have a Focus Point

The  Body  of  Women  Must  Have  a  Focus  Point

History  —  Destiny

Martin Cecil   June 23, 1962

It has been recognized by all of you, I am sure, that in the cycles of restoration the way has to be led by women. Probably some thought has been given to this matter, but it is likely that most of you have very little idea, even yet, as to exactly what that means. I thought I would take a few moments this morning to speak to you on this subject, so that you may begin to move into a clearer vision of exactly what it is that is required. Even now I can only touch it. I am reminded of the words our Master spoke long ago: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." The bearing of those things which should be said and must be said is not simply a matter of the capacity to understand; this depends upon the extent of trustworthiness—trustworthiness in the vibrational sense, trustworthiness in the collective sense.

Obviously, if there is to be a return to the divine state, there must be a moving out of something into something. It is interesting to note how it is put, "Come out of her, my people." This has a particular reference to women, amongst other things. "Come out of her." Because woman initiated the cycle of the fall, she has a very keen sense of insecurity. That sense of insecurity has engendered what might well be called female arrogance. The arrogance we might say is a cover-up; but it is this pattern of female arrogance, based upon the fact that there is this deep feeling of insecurity, that must be met. It must be met by all those women who aspire to serve the Lord because they love the Lord.

Sometimes this particular pattern is more or less obvious, except probably to the one who assumes it. It has not been obvious to many of those who have assumed it in an arbitrary sense, where it can easily be seen by others. Sometimes it is there in a more subtle way, hidden to some extent at least. It is there, nevertheless, in all of you, all of you without exception, and we can recognize the basis of it in the sense of insecurity. We can see how it works along the lines as outlined in the story of the fall in the Book of Genesis, where the idea came that, while the Lord was very wise, while He had an understanding of many things, He did not quite see it all and therefore He needed a little help from a woman to enlighten Him.

Now if we look at that simply from the standpoint of the Lord in the invisible sense—which it was not, at that time certainly—the Lord was manifest on earth—we are liable to lose the point. It can be seen insofar as you ladies are concerned, and others in this ministry, as it relates to me. The attitude may be taken that I have a certain vision, a certain wisdom, a sense of the fitness of things by and large, but there are those fields where perhaps I am a little naive, a little uncomprehending, where it needs a woman to fill in the gap, so to speak. While this may not, in the general sense, be done with consciousness of doing it, nevertheless, if you will examine your attitudes, you will find, if you are honest, that such a viewpoint is actually there, as revealed by what you do and what you say. This is the female arrogance of which I speak. She has the idea that she can improve on things somehow, and that the Lord is a little unfair and He does not really see the picture quite as it is, and therefore she needs to slip in her two bits' worth, as they say. Who shall emerge "out of her," out of this female pattern of arrogance? Woman has a tremendous part to play in the divine design, but scarcely any female has begun to see it yet. There have been many fancies in that regard which have, generally speaking, little relationship to the truth. But first this must be met.

Now always when there is the need to achieve the divine purposes it is necessarily brought to focus somewhere. I provide something in focus, representing the Lord; in this instance we are seeing it as representing the Lord to you women and others, so that you may, if you will, begin to find a balance which no longer feels that it is necessary to instruct the Lord. In the return in the processes of restoration there must be a body of women who are willing to come out of her. That body of women must have a focus point, an absolute focus point. The one who provides that focus point is naturally very carefully selected by the Lord because she is the one who can do it. Her particular position would quite easily be recognized as being in many respects extremely difficult. It is not something that the Lord has required anyone to do alone. I would be inclined to feel that it would be impossible alone.

Lillian, in this cycle, provides that focus point. That which is characteristic of her, that which is present in her nature, that which underlies and is back of the external expression, all of these things, are exactly right for that which needs to be done. It is her responsibility in this sense; but, as I say, she cannot do it alone. That which she is required to do is something which other ladies are inclined to object to. Why? Because it brings to focus those things in themselves which need to be faced.

Now there are those who have taken a neutral attitude, so to speak, insofar as Lillian's task is concerned. There are those who have recognized something—probably chiefly in feeling—of what it is that is being done and have offered support. I praise God for those. And there are others who have done everything in their power to make it as difficult as possible. Because that which needs to be done is as it is, and has of course never been done by any woman anywhere thus far, since the fall, in relationship to what is required for the restoration, and because of the consequent tendency of women in general to try to destroy it, it has been most necessary that there should be one who played a vital part in relationship to this point of focus, in extending to her agreement and support, an enfolding something, and also offering to the responding ladies something which would provide an easy focus point to hold them steady while they were drawn into position to share the necessities of meeting this "thing"—it is the politest word I can think of—which is present in the fallen female nature: Gracie plays that part.

I wonder how much of these things you have seen. This relates to what is called place—not a fanciful, airy thing which has no substance, but actually doing something. And that which needs to be done can only be done as others share in it by giving their support and by recognizing that they, individually, have to meet exactly the same thing in relationship to which Lillian is leading the way for all.  This is the way it is. It requires two to agree on earth to permit something to be done, and that is why we have two providing a focus in this sense. It is not supposed to be limited to two. Because of the deep sense of insecurity in women, because there has been a fundamental dishonesty which needs to be faced, there has been a general unwillingness to face this thing in themselves, and therefore the tendency to rebel in relationship to the one who provided the point of focus for doing it.

As I say, I am just touching upon these things this morning, because in many respects you are not in position to bear the truth in its fulness; but you need to see something, and not function on a blind basis as has tended to be the case. Every time you rebel against that which is working through the focus point, you rebel against the Lord. You rebel against the one way by which the restoration may come, and women have been adept at finding remarkable schemes by which they think to avoid this necessity, indulging in all kinds of fanciful attitudes and ideas in order to get around it. Of course patterns of personal like and dislike come in, but there is very little recognition of what it is that underlies these things.

So here it is, open for you to see in the measure that you have purity of heart, in the measure that you can be trusted  And there are those who have of course played particular parts in support. I could mention names here, but I would particularly emphasize those who have been willing to stand in the limelight, so to speak, in what we have called positions of focalization in the Unit. There have always been plenty to rebel against that and condemn that, but all who indulge in such selfishness, self-centeredness, can have no part or place or understanding of part or place in the fulfilment of the divine purposes, because these things are absolute. They are not based upon human likes or dislikes, your ideas or anyone else's, but upon that which is fitting and right and required for the fulfilment of the divine purposes. That is all. If you do not like it, you either need to learn to like it or depart. This is absolute. We have come to an absolute point.

I am not interested in maintaining a house-divided state in the pattern here—or anywhere for that matter, but it starts here because this is where I am at this moment. There must be agreement and support. There must be the beginnings of understanding of what it is that we are engaged in, so that all the pattern of foolishness is relinquished. And this morning I have spoken to you in a way that I have not spoken before. I have pointed to something of which I have not said anything in this direct sense before, although from the standpoint of principle it has been there, waiting acceptance—and it is something no one can evade, no one can get around. I praise God for each one who has been providing support in this outworking to enable it to come this far, in spite of all that has been done to prevent it. Perhaps you can search your own hearts to determine how much you have participated at any time in trying to prevent it, for that is contending with the Lord and it brings its own reward—not a very pleasant one.

What unutterable foolishness to contend with the Lord. He cannot be defeated, and those in the female pattern who are willing to face honestly the truth of what it means to serve, and to be in place, must necessarily pass through some very rigorous training. None of you have had to experience such training as Lillian and Grace have necessarily had to experience. None of you have come anywhere near it, and here we begin to see how the female arrogance projects itself forward on the basis of the human pattern, never having experienced what is required. The beginning point of that experience comes as there is the acceptance and the support of those who have the foundation upon which to stand. Only in that way can there be a sharing of that foundation—no other way. It cannot be done any other way. Anything else merely projects human arrogance into the picture.

And so this is that which is offered to you this morning, and through you to all responding women everywhere, that there may begin to be that true, understanding willingness to come out of her, to come out of that arrogant, fallen female—the body of fallen women. Lillian and Grace have been chosen by the Lord, trained by the Lord, brought into position by the Lord, actually from the moment that they came into the world, to do a specific job; and it is obvious, in view of the fact that this job has never been done, that the vast majority of women—all women, to start with—will seek to prevent it from happening. There needs to be a recognition of these things so that that which is inside may be seen for what it is and met whenever it rears its extremely ugly head.

Woman, as God created woman to be, is perfect—wonderful, beautiful, lovable—but from my standpoint the arrogant fallen female has absolutely no attraction or appeal to me. I do not care how beautiful her form or features may be. She means nothing to me. Only those who are willing to come out of her begin to mean something and begin to become the beautiful creation of God. I recognize that that creation is present in relationship to each one, and there have been evidences of its emergence through you in various ways up to a certain point, but out of her you must come if you are to be of the smallest value to the Lord—to me. You cannot come out of her without accepting that focus point which represents the process of coming out and clearing through, and giving it support, understanding support, so that you recognize that, if at any moment something appears in you which attempts to persuade you to rebel and to take away that support, you know exactly what it is: the focus of evil in the world, what we might well call the antichrist.

God chooses. What was it our Master said? "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you." God does the choosing, no one else; and He chooses right. He is not uncomprehending. He is not naive. He is not foolish. He knows exactly what He is doing, He knows exactly how to do it, and no fallen female does.

Trust!

Trustworthiness!

Blessed be those who trust the Lord.

Blessed be those who acknowledge the wisdom of the Lord.

Blessed be those who give themselves to the Lord,

for through them shall the fulfilment of God's purposes come,

through them the way shall be opened.

So it is established unto you and unto all who will receive it.

Most gracious Lord, Thou hast appointed and established that which is needful for the fulfilment of Thy purposes, and that appointment is made manifest under Thy dominion through Thy servant who speaks these words. Blessed are they who hear these words and understand. Woe unto those who reject them. In Thy holy name, my Lord and King, I welcome each divine woman who relinquishes her arrogance and receives at my hand, that that which is extended by Thee through me may be known on earth to Thy glory—to Thy glory, O Lord, in the fulfilment of Thy purposes, in the Christ.  Aum-en.

© Emissaries of Divine Light