to
come to the aid of whosoever turns to Him through the act of the
intelligence, and who unreservedly presents himself with the affection
of the will."[325] "The divine potency which is all in all does not
proffer or withhold, except through assimilation or rejection by
oneself."[326] "It is taken in quickly, as the solar light, without
hesitation, and makes itself present to whoever turns himself to it and
opens himself to it ... the windows are opened, but the sun enters in a
moment, so does it happen similarly in this case."[327]

The sense of "forgiveness," then, is the feeling which fills the heart
with joy when the will is tuned to harmony with the Divine, when, the
soul having opened its windows, the sunshine of love and light and bliss
pours in, when the part feels its oneness with the whole, and the One
Life thrills each vein. This is the noble truth that gives vitality to
even the crudest presentation of the "forgiveness of sins," and that
makes it often, despite its intellectual incompleteness, an inspirer to
pure and spiritual living. And this is the truth, as seen in the Lesser
Mysteries.

CHAPTER XII.

SACRAMENTS.

In all religions there exist certain ceremonials, or rites, which are
regarded as of vital importance by the believers in the religion, and
which are held to confer certain benefits on those taking part in them.
The word Sacrament, or some equivalent term, has been applied to these
ceremonials, and they all have the same character. Little exact
exposition has been given as to their nature and meaning, but this is
another of the subjects explained of old in the Lesser Mysteries.

The peculiar characteristic of a Sacrament resides in two of its
properties. First, there is the exoteric ceremony, which is a pictorial
allegory, a representation of something by actions and materials--not a
verbal allegory, a teaching given in words, conveying a truth; but an
acted representation, certain definite material things used in a
particular way. The object in choosing these materials, and aimed at in
the ceremonies by which their manipulation is accompanied, is to
represent, as in a picture, some truth which it is desired to impress
upon the minds of the people present. That is the first and obvious
property of a Sacrament, differentiating it from other forms of worship
and meditation. It appeals to those who without this imagery would fail
to catch a subtle truth, and shows to them in a vivid