Thoughts, the Master Power

THOUGHTS, THE MASTER POWER. BY GEORGE D. KIRBY. "Pure thoughts and noble feelings lead to righteous acts, and by these we form good habits." ' 'When thou wishest to give thyself delight, think of the excellence of those who live with thee; for instance, of the energy of one, the modesty of another, the liberal kindness of a third." — Marcus Aurelius. The expression found in Proverbs 23: 7, "For as a man thinketh, in his heart, so is he," not only embraces the whole of a man's being, but is so comprehensive as to reach out to every condition and circumstance of his life . A man is literally what he thinks, his character being a complete sum of all his thoughts. Thought begets habit; first by being encouraged, so that it becomes an Inclination, which inclination leads to the performance of the act in that direction, and the act being repeated, soon forms a habit for good or evil, even as the master power, thought, was good or bad. Inclination, brought about by repeated thought, is a leaning of the mind, feelings, preferences, will, disposition, more favorable to one thing than to another. It denotes the first movement towards an object. It is always at the command of the understanding; it is our duty, therefore, to suppress the first rising of any inclinations to extravagance, intemperance, or other irregularity. It is often necessary to restrain or even thwart the inclination. The wise parent or teacher, keeps watch over the first manifestations of evil, and "nips in the bud any vicious inclinations." As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. It is the

268 IMPRO VEMENT ERA . business, or duty, of each of us to exert all the influence we can for good, for we are each an integral part of the world in which we live. Of all the beautiful truths pertaining to the soul, which have been restored and brought to light in these last days, none is more fruitful of divine promise and confidence than this: that man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, destiny and environment. Good environment creates good inclinations. One of the best ways of creating pure thoughts, and thereby promulgating pure habits, is to say all the good possible of our neighbors, and to believe nothing against them except on the best authority, to avoid all tale-bearing, and report nothing which may hurt another, unless it be a greater hurt to conceal it. Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing from nettles but nettles. We understand this in the natural world, and work accordingly, but few understand it from a moral point of view, and therefore do not co-operate with it. Even the weakest, the humblest, should remember that in our daily course, we can, if we will, shed around us a little heaven. Kindly words, sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding others, sensitiveness, pure thoughts —these cost very little, but they are priceless in their value. And let none flatter themselves that evil thoughts cherished for a time can be easily given up by and by. This is not so. Every evil thought cherished, weakens the character and strengthens habit; and physical, mental and moral depravity is the result. You may repent of the evil thoughts you have had, and set your feet in right paths, but the mold of your mind, and your familiarity with evil, will make it difficult for you to distinguish between right and wrong. Through the wrong habits formed, Satan will assail you again and again. Thus, actions repeated form habits, habits form character, and by the character our destiny for time and eternity is decided. Man is a growth by law, and not a creation by artifice; and cause and effect are as absolute and undeviating in the hidden realm of thought as in the world of visible and material things. A