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“Not that which entereth through the eye or the ear, defileth a man,1 but that which
proceedeth from the heart when its desires are impure;
For out of the heart are the issues of good and evil.
To eat the bread of this world with unwashen hands, defileth no man;2 but to eat of the Bread
of Heaven with unwashen hands is not only to defile himself, but also the sacred Bread which he
eateth.3
For when the hands are unwashen, the ways of the man’s life are impure; his heart seeketh
only those things found in the paths of evil, and his hands do them.
But when the hands of a man have been made clean, then are his ways those of compassion
and pity; he is full of goodness and righteousness.
Are not two sparrows bought for one farthing? Yet the heavenly Father-Mother taketh notice
of them.
Of how much more value is a man than a sheep? Yet the heavenly Father-Mother careth for the lambs of the fold.4
The ox knoweth the crib wherein its owner hath placed it, though the owner knoweth not unto what end the ox was fashioned: but in the day wherein the owner of the ox understandeth why it was fashioned, he who killeth the ox shall be as one who slayeth a man.5
The horse is a useful creature. He hath understanding, though he is held and guided by bit and bridle; but do those who use him know that when he looketh at them, he doeth so with the eyes of a man-child?6
The dog is a faithful companion. How great is his affection and beautiful his devotion?
When he respondeth to his master’s call he doeth so with the impulse of a child; for he is a little
man-child.7
Hurt not therefore one of these little ones for whom the Heavenly Father-Mother careth.”
Quotation and notes from The Logia or Sayings of the Master
by John Todd Ferrier, pp 26-27.
© The Order of the Cross
The Parable of the Net from The Logia
Synopsis of The Logia
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Notes
1 These Sayings were in answer to questions which had been asked. Those who neither
understood His Teachings nor His way of life raised difficulties where there were none. In the
Records of the New Testament it is stated that the Master said “Not that which entereth into a
man defileth him, but that which proceedeth from him,” which is so obviously a misstatement
that it is surprising any one of spiritual discernment could ever believe it. How many indeed do
defile their bodies by what they eat and drink! If the Churches had not been ensnared by the
delusion foisted upon them that flesh-eating was a divinely appointed means of sustenance, they
would have perceived in such a statement the hand of the betrayer.
We have to both see much and hear many things which of themselves cannot defile, but
which do defile if assimilated and made part of the life's thought, feeling and action.
2 This does not mean that uncleanness in person is acknowledged as of no account. It had
reference to Jewish traditional washing of the hands. Those who followed the Master knew how
pure He was, and how much purity meant in those who were with Him.
3 The Heavenly Bread cannot be defiled; but it can be brought down in its meanings and
uses, as the religious history of the world can testify. For the unwashen hands referred to are the
ways of a man’s going. “Who shall ascend into the Hill of the Lord? He who hath clean hands
and a pure heart.”
4 The care of the Oversoul whom we speak of as the ever Blessed One, the Father-Mother,
for all true life, is something the western world has yet to learn. It professes much belief in this
direction, but by its conduct it negatives all.
5 Who knoweth now whether the Oxen are mere temporary sojourners on this Planet, being
only as the goods which become chattels for man, having no conscious perpetuated life beyond
this existence; or whether they have spiritual being hidden in their seemingly dull forms? Man’s
dominion of this world is one full of astounding darkness, and ignorance of those things he
should have known. The day is hastening when these words of the Master will become true in
human experience.
6 So also with the Horse man uses and abuses: it is more than it appears to be.
7 The Dog and the Horse were once upon the Human Kingdom as Souls; but in the last
terrible human descent into the Animal Kingdom, they became so impoverished that they could not rise with the race. Many of their attributes are most human.
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