“On the morrow he came back a little boy.  And his teacher (who was God) put him in a class a little higher, and gave him these lessons to learn:  Thou shalt do no hurt to any living thing.  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not cheat.  So the man did no hurt to any living thing; but he stole and cheated.  And at the end of the day (when his beard was gray—­when the night was come) his teacher (who was God) said:  Thou hast learned to be merciful.  But the other lessons thou hast not learned.  Come back tomorrow.

“Again, on the morrow, he came back, a little boy.  And his teacher (who was God) put him in a class yet a little higher, and gave him these lessons to learn:  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not cheat.  Thou shalt not covet.  So the man did not steal; but he cheated and he coveted.  And at the end of the day (when his beard was gray—­when the night was come) his teacher (who was God) said:  Thou hast learned not to steal.  But the other lessons thou hast not learned.  Come back, my child, tomorrow.

“This is what I have read in the faces of men and women, in the book of the world, and in the scroll of the heavens, which is writ with stars.”

Under the operation of the Law of Karma every man is master of his own destiny—­he rewards himself—­he punishes himself—­he builds, tears down and develops his character, always, however, under the brooding influence of the Absolute which is Love Infinite and which is constantly exerting the upward spiritual urge, which is drawing the soul toward its ultimate haven of rest.  Man must, and does, work out his own salvation and destiny, but the upward urge is always there—­never tiring—­never despairing—­knowing always that Ultimate Victory belongs to the soul.

Under the Law of Karma every action, yea, every thought as well, has its Karmic effect upon the future incarnations of the soul.  And, not exactly in the nature of punishment or rewards, in the general acceptation of the term, but as the invariable operation of the Law of Cause and Effect.  The thoughts of a person are like seeds which seek to press forward into growth, bud, blossom and fruit.  Some spring into growth in this life, while others are carried over into future lives.  The actions of this life may represent only the partial growth of the thought seed, and future lives may be necessary for its full blossoming and fruition.  Of course, the individual who understands the Truth, and who has mentally divorced himself from the fruits of his actions—­who has robbed material Desire of its vital force by seeing it as it is, and not as a part of his Real Self—­his seed-thoughts do not spring into blossom and fruit in future lives, for he has killed their germ.  The Yogis express this thought by the illustration of the baked-seeds.  They show their pupils that while ordinary seeds sprout, blossom and bear fruit, still if one bakes the seeds their vitality is gone, and while they may serve the purposes of a nourishing