THOSE who aspire to tread the Spiritual Path are ofttimes bewildered when they see one whom they know to be a Great Soul, or a Messenger of God, suffering the ordinary ills of humanity. They think that these Great Ones should be above all physical pain or discomfort, and when they find that this is not so, will say among themselves, " This one, whom we thought great, cannot be a Master, or surely he could not be as mortal man, subject to fatigue or illness ; a real Master would be above such things."

It is the same in all ages, those around Jesus during his earthly life thought just the same. " He saved others, himself he cannot save ; if he can, then we will believe that he is the Son of God." They demanded, as many to-day demand, that a Messenger of God should conform to their ideas of what he should be, or he is not from God.

A daily and hourly crucifixion is the life of the Messenger who comes in a physical body to a world of scoffers and unbelievers, bringing life to those who are dead in sin. How can they, even the few who would tread the Spiritual Path, understand the laws governing the Holy Ones ; who, when working in the material world, voluntarily limit themselves to its conditions in order that none of the ills to which mankind is subject may be unknown to them.

The way of God is as different from man's way as is light from darkness. " For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, saith the Lord."

Very few would-be disciples are willing to " become as a little child " receiving instructions in faith and trust. It is difficult for one who has travelled far and gathered stores of intellectual knowledge to bring to a spiritual Teacher a mind emptied of facts, or to refrain from measuring the teaching he receives by his own small measure of understanding. Man is slow to realize that " The false ego is a false god. When the false god is destroyed the true God arrives." —Inayat Khan. This is the lesson that ail candidates on the Path must learn ; and how can one, whose feet have not yet taken even the first step, judge the actions of one who has trodden it ? He has not begun to understand the meaning of the sacred prayer, uttered by ail the Great Souls who have attained " Son ship." " Not my will, but Thine be done." To utter these words in deed and in truth is the last and supreme sacrifice ; it means the surrender to the Father of a perfected personality. As Browning expresses it : " The submission of man's nothing-perfect, to God's All-complete; as by each new obeisance in spirit I climb to His feet."

In this sacramental act of submission, all powers gained that could be used for the help or glorification of the personal self are trans-muted into a never-failing power to help suffering humanity, and from henceforth only the will of God works through those who, having completely surrendered their personal will, are called Masters of Compassion ; and in them, whatever the Father wills, although often incomprehensible to man, is done. " How unsearchable are His judgements, and His ways past finding out ! For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? " —Rom. II. 33.