1962 Manchester Closed Class
Joel S. Goldsmith
491B – The New Man 4/5

Why do I say, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee? Why does the Master say, I am come that you might have life, and that you might have life more abundant? You yourself must acknowledge that there is an “I” at the center of your being which is eternal. You must individually acknowledge that as there has been this “I” who was born, that is doomed to die, this “I” who has sometimes been a pretty good man or woman and other times not, this selfhood which is mortality selfhood. We acknowledge that this has existed and to some extent still exists, that we are in the process of dying daily. But, in acknowledging this, let us also acknowledge there is an ‘I’ within me, that has come that I might have life eternal.

Then, when through your meditations, through your inner communing, one day you actually receive the promise:

“I am with you. I have always been with you awaiting your recognition. I will never leave thee; rest in me. Put your faith, your hope, your confidence in the truth that I am in the midst of you, and that I am God. Be still and know that I am God. Be still and know that I in the midst of you am God, and that I will never leave thee. That I am thy bread, and thy meat, and thy water; cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils. Cease ye from dependence on man whose breath is in his nostril. Know that I live in thee; thou livest in me for we are one. And I am thee really. I am thy life, I am thy life eternal. I am the Word that becomes flesh as you. I am the Word by which you live. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by the Word “I.” I am thy comforter, I am thy healer, I am come that thou might be made whole.”

Therefore, the Christ ministry of healing, because “I in the midst of thee am come, that thou might be whole.” Not for three score years and ten—forever. For I am thy eternal life; I am thy eternal being; I am thy spiritual immortal being.

Know thou, you are not this man of earth as you have thought yourself to be. You are not this human, born of woman for a few days. Call no man on earth your Father. You are the offspring of God, the infinite, the divine creator of all that is. And remember that God found everything that He created to be good.

Forsake that false identity, that mortal man, that natural man, that creature, that man whose breath is in his nostril. Let him die, as you are reborn by acknowledging: “Ah, I know now, I in the midst of me is God, and has created me in His own image and likeness”, and therefore “all that God is I am, all of the infinite divine life of God is the life of my individual being and yours.”

I, Joel have access to the “I” that is within me which is God: for I and the Father, I, Joel and I the Father is one—I, Joel is the expression, the manifestation, the offshoot, the offspring of the infinite, divine “I” that I am. And this “I” is forever “in the midst of me, that I might have life and that I might have it more abundant.”

(Pause)

Be still, in quietness and in confidence—truth will be revealed to you from the center of your being. Where else will you go for truth if the Kingdom of God is within you? You do not need to accept the word of a man, of a woman, of a book. You have the divine right, to go to the center of your own being, and ask the question:

“Father who am I? Father what am I? Father for what purpose was I created in Thy image and likeness?” I know that as a human, I am not fulfilling any divine function. I know that as a human, my days are numbered. I have missed the way—now reveal Thyself and Thy plan, Thy name and Thy nature, and my relationship to Thee, and Thy relationship to me.”

All of this can be revealed to you eventually, if you are sincere Truth seekers, eventually all truth must be revealed to you from within for every man must be taught of God. No teacher is worthy the name of teacher, who does not reveal to you that you have access to the entire Kingdom of God, of Truth, of Light within yourself, and you are dependent on no man, no teacher, no teaching.

You are dependant only on “I” who sent you into expression, that “I” that is closer to you than breathing, that “I” that is within you. “Be still, be still and know that I in the midst of you am God.” Then go to the source of your being, and you will discover who have been the great revelators of truth throughout all ages, and you will learn why they have survived in the heart, souls and consciousness of mankind. Because, each one in his turn, has turned us to the Kingdom within ourselves, showing us the full and complete nature of our identity, of our relationship to infinity.

(Pause)

There is a dying process, but it’s not the death of the body or the death of the mind or soul, it is as inwardly, you refuse to accept anything about yourself that is not of a spiritual nature.

At first it is difficult; it is a dying process; it is so hard to put off that old man who likes some people and dislikes other people; who likes some nations or races and doesn’t like others. It’s a difficult process until you get underneath and find that every one of us good or bad, of any race or religion, every one of us underneath the skin—we’re brothers and sisters because there is only one Father. And the only thing that has set up a sense of separation is what lies we have been told about each other.

Now the truth can be revealed to you, but not again must you take the word of a man or a book, now you must find conformation within yourself. Something inside of you must say, “yes, yes, yes — I have longed to escape. You have had me locked up inside.” You’ve been looking outside and upside, and all around you; you have traveled the whole world looking for the Holy Grail that is buried here within you.

That is why Browning could say, “Open out a way for the imprisoned splendor to escape.” What think you is the “imprisoned splendor” except God? God, is the imprisoned splendor that has been locked up within each of us while we sought God in holy mountains, holy temples, holy men, holy books. All the while ignoring “I” in the midst of me.

“Know ye not, I am God. I am mighty. I am thy bread. I am come that ye might have life. Turn ye unto Me and be saved. Turn unto this Presence that is within you.”

And then you will know the meaning of practicing the presence of God. Practice morning noon and night, living with this truth, that God is in the midst of you: “the place whereon thou standest is holy ground, for I am with you. Whither shall I flee from Thy Spirit; if I mount up to heaven Thou art there; if I make my bed in hell Thou art there. If I walk through the valley of the shadow of death Thou art there.” You cannot escape from the “I” of your own being. I am with you withersoever thou art, and I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.