Chapter VIII. Precept Upon Precept“Thy Will Be Done”This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surelydie.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannotprevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin andits effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislativebill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislatorsknow not, the universal law of God has no knowledgeof evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart andgoverns it. [10]Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, comeinto sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. Thisunbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to theweary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to doHis will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]wills, and so disobey the divine order.All states and stages of human error are met andmastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the wayof God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth Hechasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have Ikept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-[pg 209]ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]remedies.Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punishsin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,that healest the wounds of my people slightly?The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divinerule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves thathuman belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle ofcure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physicsadmits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its moredangerous pleasures.Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whoseLife is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Theloss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestiontend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a falsesense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other godsbefore me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in theirown flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peacehas no foothold on the false basis that evil should beconcealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness areone: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master ofevil.To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotismand false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals havepeace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of[pg 210]error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, isself-destroyed.Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining thirdkills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, andpost around it placards warning people not to stir upthese reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdomof a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, asrevealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out ofits hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deedsare harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shockedwhen she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as itbiteth at the heel.Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. Thebelief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from theshameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]thus may save him from his destroyer.Charity has the courage of conviction; it may sufferlong, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardinessto cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opensthe eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]Charity never flees before error, lest it should sufferfrom an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not[pg 211]lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]them.Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is notcowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blindwill lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charitythat supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealtwith summarily by the good judgment of people inthe old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to hersoil.“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”Thedrowning man just rescued from the merciless wave isunconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Becauseyou wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminalis at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back tolife? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trampleon your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself athis neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeysthe law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot belost. [25]Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace withGod. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said tohis followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and letall drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayerwhen the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and[pg 212]to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressingJudas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it isobtained. [5]Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for ourexample. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-minded his students of their worldly policy. They hadsuffered, and seen their error. This experience causedthem to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]ter and cast their nets on the right side. When theywere fit to be blest, they received the blessing. Theultimatum of their human sense of ways and meansought to silence ours. One step away from the directline of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-quited toil.The currents of human nature rush in against the rightcourse; health, happiness, and life flow not into one oftheir channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves thathuman will is lost in the divine; and Love, the whiteChrist, is the remunerator.If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in awrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainlyto the offender and tries to show his errors to him beforeletting another know it.Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of[pg 213]him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]form of Godlikeness.All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and myfaith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]proportion that their instructions are assimilated, willpoint the way, shorten the process, and consummate thejoys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. TheScripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearmour fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, canbe destroyed.May my friends and my enemies so profit by thesewaymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]another's way may perfect their own lives by gentlebenedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer mustpass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Sciencegives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“Mysheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they followme: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofmy hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]seeth the wolf coming.Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the nightis far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdomwill appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswillbe done on earth as in heaven. [30][pg 214]“Put Up Thy Sword”While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, ormortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not thatI am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man atvariance against his father, and the daughter against hermother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-hold.”[10]This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Lovethat closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, andthat summed up its demonstration in the command,“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the swordmust have been drawn before it could be returned intothe scabbard.My students need to search the Scriptures and“Scienceand Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:they need to do this even to understand my works, theirmotives, aims, and tendency.The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along withTruth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.This would prevent the possibility of destroying thetares: they must be separated from the wheat beforethey can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30][pg 215]and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortalmind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comesinto the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the materialsense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritualunderstanding of them.”But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]shall do if we take the end for the beginning or startfrom wrong motives. Christian Science demands orderand truth. To abide by these we must first understandthe Principle and object of our work, and be clear thatit is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on thesummit of the roof of the house because he is a som-nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]fall immediately if he knew where he was and what hewas doing.My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselvesand in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]the sword of Spirit.They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, noradopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof hisdemonstration.If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, noryet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment[pg 216]must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combatwith error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath restfor the people of God; but we must first have done ourwork, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]example.Scientific TheismIn the May number of ourJournal, there appeared areview of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”by Phare Pleigh. [10]Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“handsoff.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxontongue, might add to the above definition the“layingon of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plumemeans, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, abig protest against injustice; but, the best may bemistaken.One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remainedsome time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a wittyor a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-lowing point?—“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, theattempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as aphenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but notbefore; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin withouta cat.”[30][pg 217]True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. Aneffect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—eventhe ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond inquality and quantity.The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all thingsis unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]Spirit.Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose thatnature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is bothcause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to itscause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neitherScience nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]kingdom divided against itself, that shall be broughtto desolation.The nature of God must change in order to becomematter, or to become both finite and infinite; and mattermustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize humanthought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense[pg 218]takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the factthat Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter neverproduced Mind, andvice versa.The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter canneither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must changeall its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the materialsenses whence to reason out God, when it is concededthat the five personal senses can take no cognizance ofSpirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap theScience of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truthcomes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfoldsthe real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, andnot material. [20]To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grinwithout a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,and this nature may linger in memory: but matter doesnot express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. Whatcan illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,“Pretty well, I thank you!”Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personalityin God.”[pg 219]According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]the final cause of things; and divine Science (and allScience is divine) neither reveals God in matter, causein effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are thematerialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, whatsaith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they thatworship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”[10]Mental PracticeIt is admitted that mortals think wickedly and actwickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, thatmortals think also after a sickly fashion. In commonparlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]third person knows that if he would remove this feelingin either case, in the one he must change his patient'sconsciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousnessof ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he mustchange the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makessick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mindmakes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; thata state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one personfeels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that ifhe can change this evil sense and consciousness to a goodsense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness willfollow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30][pg 220]Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]line of mental healing, and you will find that a good ruleworks one way, and a false rule the opposite way.Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and youknow it;”and he supports this silent mental force byaudible explanation, attestation, and precedent. Hismental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man'sthoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in thiscourse until the patient's mind yields, and the harmoniousthought has the full control over this mind on the pointat issue. The end is attained, and the patient says andfeels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]This mental practitioner has changed his patient'sconsciousness from sickness to health. The patient'smental state is now the diametrical opposite of what itwas when the mental practitioner undertook to transformit, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]That this mental method has power and bears fruit,is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist andthe observer. Both should understand with equal clear-ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of othersthat he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he isfailing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, itfollows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesussaid it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]with the certainty of Science he knows that an error ofbelief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does[pg 221]not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose hispower to harm by a false mental argument; for itgives one opportunity to handle the error, and whenmastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings showthe fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,that error and sickness are one, and Truth is theirremedy. [10]The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sinon himself, unless he believes that sin has produced theeffect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is asinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either ofthese states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-tioners and mysterious diseases.Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth beingthe cure, denial of this fact in one instance andacknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denialdethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentallystruggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are notfifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numberswould not yield the same product whichever might serveas the multiplicand.Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]committing, or call public attention to that crime? Thebelief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues[pg 222]of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both eviland good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, andstrife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. Itcauses the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reformshim, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]a moral idiot.In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready tolisten complacently to audible falsehoods that once hewould have resisted and loathed; and this, because thefalse seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morallyand physically. From the effects of mental malpracticethe subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer itsfull penalty after death. This sin against divine Scienceis cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]has meted must be remeasured to it.The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Erroris more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; forthis is the power of God, and good should seem morenatural than evil.I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousnessas easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,[pg 223]the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—but at length took up the research according to God'scommand. [5]Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is knownby its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]be separated from it. I respect that moral sense whichis sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power toheal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, andis consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doingunto others what we would resist to the hilt if done untoourselves.May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,that no counteracting influence can hinder their growthor taint their examples.
Chapter VIII. Precept Upon Precept“Thy Will Be Done”This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surelydie.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannotprevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin andits effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislativebill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislatorsknow not, the universal law of God has no knowledgeof evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart andgoverns it. [10]Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, comeinto sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. Thisunbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to theweary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to doHis will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]wills, and so disobey the divine order.All states and stages of human error are met andmastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the wayof God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth Hechasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have Ikept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-[pg 209]ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]remedies.Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punishsin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,that healest the wounds of my people slightly?The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divinerule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves thathuman belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle ofcure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physicsadmits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its moredangerous pleasures.Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whoseLife is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Theloss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestiontend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a falsesense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other godsbefore me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in theirown flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peacehas no foothold on the false basis that evil should beconcealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness areone: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master ofevil.To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotismand false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals havepeace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of[pg 210]error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, isself-destroyed.Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining thirdkills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, andpost around it placards warning people not to stir upthese reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdomof a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, asrevealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out ofits hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deedsare harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shockedwhen she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as itbiteth at the heel.Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. Thebelief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from theshameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]thus may save him from his destroyer.Charity has the courage of conviction; it may sufferlong, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardinessto cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opensthe eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]Charity never flees before error, lest it should sufferfrom an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not[pg 211]lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]them.Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is notcowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blindwill lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charitythat supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealtwith summarily by the good judgment of people inthe old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to hersoil.“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”Thedrowning man just rescued from the merciless wave isunconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Becauseyou wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminalis at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back tolife? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trampleon your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself athis neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeysthe law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot belost. [25]Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace withGod. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said tohis followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and letall drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayerwhen the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and[pg 212]to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressingJudas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it isobtained. [5]Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for ourexample. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-minded his students of their worldly policy. They hadsuffered, and seen their error. This experience causedthem to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]ter and cast their nets on the right side. When theywere fit to be blest, they received the blessing. Theultimatum of their human sense of ways and meansought to silence ours. One step away from the directline of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-quited toil.The currents of human nature rush in against the rightcourse; health, happiness, and life flow not into one oftheir channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves thathuman will is lost in the divine; and Love, the whiteChrist, is the remunerator.If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in awrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainlyto the offender and tries to show his errors to him beforeletting another know it.Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of[pg 213]him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]form of Godlikeness.All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and myfaith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]proportion that their instructions are assimilated, willpoint the way, shorten the process, and consummate thejoys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. TheScripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearmour fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, canbe destroyed.May my friends and my enemies so profit by thesewaymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]another's way may perfect their own lives by gentlebenedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer mustpass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Sciencegives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“Mysheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they followme: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofmy hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]seeth the wolf coming.Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the nightis far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdomwill appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswillbe done on earth as in heaven. [30][pg 214]“Put Up Thy Sword”While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, ormortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not thatI am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man atvariance against his father, and the daughter against hermother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-hold.”[10]This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Lovethat closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, andthat summed up its demonstration in the command,“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the swordmust have been drawn before it could be returned intothe scabbard.My students need to search the Scriptures and“Scienceand Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:they need to do this even to understand my works, theirmotives, aims, and tendency.The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along withTruth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.This would prevent the possibility of destroying thetares: they must be separated from the wheat beforethey can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30][pg 215]and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortalmind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comesinto the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the materialsense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritualunderstanding of them.”But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]shall do if we take the end for the beginning or startfrom wrong motives. Christian Science demands orderand truth. To abide by these we must first understandthe Principle and object of our work, and be clear thatit is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on thesummit of the roof of the house because he is a som-nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]fall immediately if he knew where he was and what hewas doing.My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselvesand in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]the sword of Spirit.They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, noradopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof hisdemonstration.If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, noryet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment[pg 216]must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combatwith error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath restfor the people of God; but we must first have done ourwork, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]example.Scientific TheismIn the May number of ourJournal, there appeared areview of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”by Phare Pleigh. [10]Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“handsoff.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxontongue, might add to the above definition the“layingon of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plumemeans, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, abig protest against injustice; but, the best may bemistaken.One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remainedsome time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a wittyor a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-lowing point?—“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, theattempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as aphenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but notbefore; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin withouta cat.”[30][pg 217]True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. Aneffect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—eventhe ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond inquality and quantity.The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all thingsis unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]Spirit.Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose thatnature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is bothcause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to itscause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neitherScience nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]kingdom divided against itself, that shall be broughtto desolation.The nature of God must change in order to becomematter, or to become both finite and infinite; and mattermustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize humanthought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense[pg 218]takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the factthat Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter neverproduced Mind, andvice versa.The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter canneither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must changeall its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the materialsenses whence to reason out God, when it is concededthat the five personal senses can take no cognizance ofSpirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap theScience of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truthcomes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfoldsthe real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, andnot material. [20]To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grinwithout a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,and this nature may linger in memory: but matter doesnot express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. Whatcan illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,“Pretty well, I thank you!”Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personalityin God.”[pg 219]According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]the final cause of things; and divine Science (and allScience is divine) neither reveals God in matter, causein effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are thematerialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, whatsaith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they thatworship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”[10]Mental PracticeIt is admitted that mortals think wickedly and actwickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, thatmortals think also after a sickly fashion. In commonparlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]third person knows that if he would remove this feelingin either case, in the one he must change his patient'sconsciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousnessof ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he mustchange the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makessick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mindmakes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; thata state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one personfeels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that ifhe can change this evil sense and consciousness to a goodsense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness willfollow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30][pg 220]Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]line of mental healing, and you will find that a good ruleworks one way, and a false rule the opposite way.Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and youknow it;”and he supports this silent mental force byaudible explanation, attestation, and precedent. Hismental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man'sthoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in thiscourse until the patient's mind yields, and the harmoniousthought has the full control over this mind on the pointat issue. The end is attained, and the patient says andfeels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]This mental practitioner has changed his patient'sconsciousness from sickness to health. The patient'smental state is now the diametrical opposite of what itwas when the mental practitioner undertook to transformit, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]That this mental method has power and bears fruit,is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist andthe observer. Both should understand with equal clear-ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of othersthat he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he isfailing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, itfollows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesussaid it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]with the certainty of Science he knows that an error ofbelief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does[pg 221]not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose hispower to harm by a false mental argument; for itgives one opportunity to handle the error, and whenmastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings showthe fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,that error and sickness are one, and Truth is theirremedy. [10]The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sinon himself, unless he believes that sin has produced theeffect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is asinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either ofthese states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-tioners and mysterious diseases.Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth beingthe cure, denial of this fact in one instance andacknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denialdethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentallystruggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are notfifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numberswould not yield the same product whichever might serveas the multiplicand.Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]committing, or call public attention to that crime? Thebelief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues[pg 222]of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both eviland good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, andstrife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. Itcauses the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reformshim, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]a moral idiot.In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready tolisten complacently to audible falsehoods that once hewould have resisted and loathed; and this, because thefalse seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morallyand physically. From the effects of mental malpracticethe subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer itsfull penalty after death. This sin against divine Scienceis cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]has meted must be remeasured to it.The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Erroris more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; forthis is the power of God, and good should seem morenatural than evil.I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousnessas easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,[pg 223]the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—but at length took up the research according to God'scommand. [5]Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is knownby its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]be separated from it. I respect that moral sense whichis sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power toheal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, andis consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doingunto others what we would resist to the hilt if done untoourselves.May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,that no counteracting influence can hinder their growthor taint their examples.
Chapter VIII. Precept Upon Precept“Thy Will Be Done”This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surelydie.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannotprevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin andits effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislativebill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislatorsknow not, the universal law of God has no knowledgeof evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart andgoverns it. [10]Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, comeinto sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. Thisunbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to theweary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to doHis will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]wills, and so disobey the divine order.All states and stages of human error are met andmastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the wayof God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth Hechasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have Ikept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-[pg 209]ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]remedies.Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punishsin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,that healest the wounds of my people slightly?The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divinerule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves thathuman belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle ofcure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physicsadmits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its moredangerous pleasures.Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whoseLife is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Theloss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestiontend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a falsesense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other godsbefore me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in theirown flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peacehas no foothold on the false basis that evil should beconcealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness areone: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master ofevil.To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotismand false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals havepeace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of[pg 210]error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, isself-destroyed.Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining thirdkills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, andpost around it placards warning people not to stir upthese reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdomof a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, asrevealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out ofits hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deedsare harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shockedwhen she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as itbiteth at the heel.Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. Thebelief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from theshameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]thus may save him from his destroyer.Charity has the courage of conviction; it may sufferlong, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardinessto cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opensthe eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]Charity never flees before error, lest it should sufferfrom an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not[pg 211]lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]them.Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is notcowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blindwill lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charitythat supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealtwith summarily by the good judgment of people inthe old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to hersoil.“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”Thedrowning man just rescued from the merciless wave isunconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Becauseyou wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminalis at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back tolife? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trampleon your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself athis neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeysthe law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot belost. [25]Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace withGod. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said tohis followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and letall drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayerwhen the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and[pg 212]to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressingJudas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it isobtained. [5]Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for ourexample. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-minded his students of their worldly policy. They hadsuffered, and seen their error. This experience causedthem to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]ter and cast their nets on the right side. When theywere fit to be blest, they received the blessing. Theultimatum of their human sense of ways and meansought to silence ours. One step away from the directline of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-quited toil.The currents of human nature rush in against the rightcourse; health, happiness, and life flow not into one oftheir channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves thathuman will is lost in the divine; and Love, the whiteChrist, is the remunerator.If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in awrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainlyto the offender and tries to show his errors to him beforeletting another know it.Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of[pg 213]him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]form of Godlikeness.All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and myfaith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]proportion that their instructions are assimilated, willpoint the way, shorten the process, and consummate thejoys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. TheScripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearmour fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, canbe destroyed.May my friends and my enemies so profit by thesewaymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]another's way may perfect their own lives by gentlebenedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer mustpass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Sciencegives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“Mysheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they followme: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofmy hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]seeth the wolf coming.Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the nightis far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdomwill appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswillbe done on earth as in heaven. [30][pg 214]“Put Up Thy Sword”While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, ormortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not thatI am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man atvariance against his father, and the daughter against hermother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-hold.”[10]This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Lovethat closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, andthat summed up its demonstration in the command,“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the swordmust have been drawn before it could be returned intothe scabbard.My students need to search the Scriptures and“Scienceand Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:they need to do this even to understand my works, theirmotives, aims, and tendency.The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along withTruth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.This would prevent the possibility of destroying thetares: they must be separated from the wheat beforethey can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30][pg 215]and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortalmind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comesinto the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the materialsense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritualunderstanding of them.”But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]shall do if we take the end for the beginning or startfrom wrong motives. Christian Science demands orderand truth. To abide by these we must first understandthe Principle and object of our work, and be clear thatit is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on thesummit of the roof of the house because he is a som-nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]fall immediately if he knew where he was and what hewas doing.My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselvesand in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]the sword of Spirit.They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, noradopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof hisdemonstration.If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, noryet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment[pg 216]must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combatwith error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath restfor the people of God; but we must first have done ourwork, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]example.Scientific TheismIn the May number of ourJournal, there appeared areview of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”by Phare Pleigh. [10]Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“handsoff.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxontongue, might add to the above definition the“layingon of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plumemeans, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, abig protest against injustice; but, the best may bemistaken.One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remainedsome time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a wittyor a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-lowing point?—“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, theattempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as aphenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but notbefore; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin withouta cat.”[30][pg 217]True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. Aneffect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—eventhe ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond inquality and quantity.The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all thingsis unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]Spirit.Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose thatnature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is bothcause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to itscause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neitherScience nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]kingdom divided against itself, that shall be broughtto desolation.The nature of God must change in order to becomematter, or to become both finite and infinite; and mattermustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize humanthought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense[pg 218]takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the factthat Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter neverproduced Mind, andvice versa.The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter canneither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must changeall its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the materialsenses whence to reason out God, when it is concededthat the five personal senses can take no cognizance ofSpirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap theScience of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truthcomes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfoldsthe real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, andnot material. [20]To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grinwithout a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,and this nature may linger in memory: but matter doesnot express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. Whatcan illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,“Pretty well, I thank you!”Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personalityin God.”[pg 219]According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]the final cause of things; and divine Science (and allScience is divine) neither reveals God in matter, causein effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are thematerialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, whatsaith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they thatworship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”[10]Mental PracticeIt is admitted that mortals think wickedly and actwickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, thatmortals think also after a sickly fashion. In commonparlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]third person knows that if he would remove this feelingin either case, in the one he must change his patient'sconsciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousnessof ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he mustchange the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makessick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mindmakes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; thata state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one personfeels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that ifhe can change this evil sense and consciousness to a goodsense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness willfollow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30][pg 220]Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]line of mental healing, and you will find that a good ruleworks one way, and a false rule the opposite way.Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and youknow it;”and he supports this silent mental force byaudible explanation, attestation, and precedent. Hismental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man'sthoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in thiscourse until the patient's mind yields, and the harmoniousthought has the full control over this mind on the pointat issue. The end is attained, and the patient says andfeels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]This mental practitioner has changed his patient'sconsciousness from sickness to health. The patient'smental state is now the diametrical opposite of what itwas when the mental practitioner undertook to transformit, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]That this mental method has power and bears fruit,is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist andthe observer. Both should understand with equal clear-ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of othersthat he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he isfailing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, itfollows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesussaid it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]with the certainty of Science he knows that an error ofbelief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does[pg 221]not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose hispower to harm by a false mental argument; for itgives one opportunity to handle the error, and whenmastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings showthe fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,that error and sickness are one, and Truth is theirremedy. [10]The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sinon himself, unless he believes that sin has produced theeffect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is asinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either ofthese states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-tioners and mysterious diseases.Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth beingthe cure, denial of this fact in one instance andacknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denialdethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentallystruggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are notfifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numberswould not yield the same product whichever might serveas the multiplicand.Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]committing, or call public attention to that crime? Thebelief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues[pg 222]of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both eviland good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, andstrife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. Itcauses the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reformshim, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]a moral idiot.In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready tolisten complacently to audible falsehoods that once hewould have resisted and loathed; and this, because thefalse seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morallyand physically. From the effects of mental malpracticethe subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer itsfull penalty after death. This sin against divine Scienceis cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]has meted must be remeasured to it.The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Erroris more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; forthis is the power of God, and good should seem morenatural than evil.I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousnessas easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,[pg 223]the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—but at length took up the research according to God'scommand. [5]Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is knownby its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]be separated from it. I respect that moral sense whichis sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power toheal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, andis consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doingunto others what we would resist to the hilt if done untoourselves.May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,that no counteracting influence can hinder their growthor taint their examples.
“Thy Will Be Done”This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surelydie.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannotprevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin andits effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislativebill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislatorsknow not, the universal law of God has no knowledgeof evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart andgoverns it. [10]Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, comeinto sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. Thisunbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to theweary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to doHis will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]wills, and so disobey the divine order.All states and stages of human error are met andmastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the wayof God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth Hechasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have Ikept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-[pg 209]ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]remedies.Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punishsin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,that healest the wounds of my people slightly?The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divinerule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves thathuman belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle ofcure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physicsadmits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its moredangerous pleasures.Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whoseLife is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Theloss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestiontend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a falsesense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other godsbefore me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in theirown flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peacehas no foothold on the false basis that evil should beconcealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness areone: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master ofevil.To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotismand false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals havepeace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of[pg 210]error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, isself-destroyed.Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining thirdkills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, andpost around it placards warning people not to stir upthese reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdomof a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, asrevealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out ofits hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deedsare harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shockedwhen she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as itbiteth at the heel.Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. Thebelief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from theshameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]thus may save him from his destroyer.Charity has the courage of conviction; it may sufferlong, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardinessto cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opensthe eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]Charity never flees before error, lest it should sufferfrom an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not[pg 211]lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]them.Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is notcowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blindwill lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charitythat supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealtwith summarily by the good judgment of people inthe old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to hersoil.“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”Thedrowning man just rescued from the merciless wave isunconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Becauseyou wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminalis at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back tolife? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trampleon your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself athis neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeysthe law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot belost. [25]Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace withGod. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said tohis followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and letall drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayerwhen the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and[pg 212]to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressingJudas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it isobtained. [5]Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for ourexample. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-minded his students of their worldly policy. They hadsuffered, and seen their error. This experience causedthem to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]ter and cast their nets on the right side. When theywere fit to be blest, they received the blessing. Theultimatum of their human sense of ways and meansought to silence ours. One step away from the directline of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-quited toil.The currents of human nature rush in against the rightcourse; health, happiness, and life flow not into one oftheir channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves thathuman will is lost in the divine; and Love, the whiteChrist, is the remunerator.If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in awrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainlyto the offender and tries to show his errors to him beforeletting another know it.Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of[pg 213]him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]form of Godlikeness.All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and myfaith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]proportion that their instructions are assimilated, willpoint the way, shorten the process, and consummate thejoys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. TheScripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearmour fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, canbe destroyed.May my friends and my enemies so profit by thesewaymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]another's way may perfect their own lives by gentlebenedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer mustpass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Sciencegives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“Mysheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they followme: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofmy hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]seeth the wolf coming.Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the nightis far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdomwill appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswillbe done on earth as in heaven. [30][pg 214]
This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surelydie.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannotprevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin andits effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislativebill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislatorsknow not, the universal law of God has no knowledgeof evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart andgoverns it. [10]
This is the law of Truth to error,“Thou shalt surely
die.”This law is a divine energy. Mortals cannot
prevent the fulfilment of this law; it covers all sin and
its effects. God is All, and by virtue of this nature and [5]
allness He is cognizant only of good. Like a legislative
bill that governs millions of mortals whom the legislators
know not, the universal law of God has no knowledge
of evil, and enters unconsciously the human heart and
governs it. [10]
Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, comeinto sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. Thisunbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to theweary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to doHis will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]wills, and so disobey the divine order.
Mortals have only to submit to the law of God, come
into sympathy with it, and to let His will be done. This
unbroken motion of the law of divine Love gives, to the
weary and heavy-laden, rest. But who is willing to do
His will or to let it be done? Mortals obey their own [15]
wills, and so disobey the divine order.
All states and stages of human error are met andmastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the wayof God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth Hechasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have Ikept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-
All states and stages of human error are met and
mastered by divine Truth's negativing error in the way
of God's appointing. Those“whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth.”His rod brings to view His love, and inter- [20]
prets to mortals the gospel of healing. David said,“Be-
fore I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I
kept Thy word.”He who knows the end from the be-
ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]remedies.
ginning, attaches to sin due penalties as its antidotes and [1]
remedies.
Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punishsin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,that healest the wounds of my people slightly?
Who art thou, vain mortal, that usurpest the preroga-
tive of divine wisdom, and wouldst teach God not to punish
sin? that wouldst shut the mouth of His prophets, [5]
and cry,“Peace, peace; when there is no peace,”—yea,
that healest the wounds of my people slightly?
The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divinerule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves thathuman belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle ofcure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physicsadmits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its moredangerous pleasures.
The Principle of divine Science being Love, the divine
rule of this Principle demonstrates Love, and proves that
human belief fulfils the law of belief, and dies of its own [10]
physics. Metaphysics also demonstrates this Principle of
cure when sin is self-destroyed. Short-sighted physics
admits the so-called pains of matter that destroy its more
dangerous pleasures.
Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whoseLife is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. Theloss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestiontend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a falsesense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other godsbefore me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in theirown flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peacehas no foothold on the false basis that evil should beconcealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness areone: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master ofevil.
Insomnia compels mortals to learn that neither obliv- [15]
ion nor dreams can recuperate the life of man, whose
Life is God, for God neither slumbers nor sleeps. The
loss of gustatory enjoyment and the ills of indigestion
tend to rebuke appetite and destroy the peace of a false
sense. False pleasure will be, is, chastened; it has no [20]
right to be at peace. To suffer for having“other gods
before me,”is divinely wise. Evil passions die in their
own flames, but are punished before extinguished. Peace
has no foothold on the false basis that evil should be
concealed and that life and happiness should still attend [25]
it. Joy is self-sustained; goodness and blessedness are
one: suffering is self-inflicted, and good is the master of
evil.
To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotismand false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals havepeace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of
To this scientific logic and the logic of events, egotism
and false charity say,“‘Not so, Lord;’it is wise to[30]
cover iniquity and punish it not, then shall mortals have
peace.”Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of
error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, isself-destroyed.
error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its [1]
disguises, and—behold the result: evil, uncovered, is
self-destroyed.
Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining thirdkills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, andpost around it placards warning people not to stir upthese reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdomof a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, asrevealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out ofits hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deedsare harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shockedwhen she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as itbiteth at the heel.
Christian Science never healed a patient without prov-
ing with mathematical certainty that error, when found [5]
out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining third
kills itself. Do men whine over a nest of serpents, and
post around it placards warning people not to stir up
these reptiles because they have stings? Christ said,
“They shall take up serpents;”and,“Be ye therefore[10]
wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”The wisdom
of a serpent is to hide itself. The wisdom of God, as
revealed in Christian Science, brings the serpent out of
its hole, handles it, and takes away its sting. Good deeds
are harmless. He who has faith in woman's special adapt- [15]
ability to lead on Christian Science, will not be shocked
when she puts her foot on the head of the serpent, as it
biteth at the heel.
Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. Thebelief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from theshameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]thus may save him from his destroyer.
Intemperance begets a belief of disordered brains,
membranes, stomach, and nerves; and this belief serves [20]
to uncover and kill this lurking serpent, intemperance,
that hides itself under the false pretense of human need,
innocent enjoyment, and a medical prescription. The
belief in venereal diseases tears the black mask from the
shameless brow of licentiousness, torments its victim, and [25]
thus may save him from his destroyer.
Charity has the courage of conviction; it may sufferlong, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardinessto cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opensthe eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]Charity never flees before error, lest it should sufferfrom an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not
Charity has the courage of conviction; it may suffer
long, but has neither the cowardice nor the foolhardiness
to cover iniquity. Charity is Love; and Love opens
the eyes of the blind, rebukes error, and casts it out. [30]
Charity never flees before error, lest it should suffer
from an encounter. Love your enemies, or you will not
lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]them.
lose them; and if you love them, you will help to reform [1]
them.
Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is notcowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blindwill lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charitythat supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealtwith summarily by the good judgment of people inthe old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to hersoil.
Christ points the way of salvation. His mode is not
cowardly, uncharitable, nor unwise, but it teaches mor-
tals to handle serpents and cast out evil. Our own vision [5]
must be clear to open the eyes of others, else the blind
will lead the blind and both shall fall. The sickly charity
that supplies criminals with bouquets has been dealt
with summarily by the good judgment of people in
the old Bay State. Inhuman medical bills, class legisla- [10]
tion, and Salem witchcraft, are not indigenous to her
soil.
“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”Thedrowning man just rescued from the merciless wave isunconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Becauseyou wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminalis at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back tolife? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trampleon your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself athis neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever willsave his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeysthe law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot belost. [25]
“Out of the depths have I delivered thee.”The
drowning man just rescued from the merciless wave is
unconscious of suffering. Why, then, do you break his [15]
peace and cause him to suffer in coming to life? Because
you wish to save him from death. Then, if a criminal
is at peace, is he not to be pitied and brought back to
life? Or, are you afraid to do this lest he suffer, trample
on your pearls of thought, and turn on you and rend you? [20]
Cowardice is selfishness. When one protects himself at
his neighbor's cost, let him remember,“Whosoever will
save his life shall lose it.”He risks nothing who obeys
the law of God, and shall find the Life that cannot be
lost. [25]
Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace withGod. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said tohis followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and letall drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayerwhen the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and
Our Master said,“Ye shall drink indeed of my cup.”
Jesus stormed sin in its citadels and kept peace with
God. He drank this cup giving thanks, and he said to
his followers,“Drink ye all of it,”—drink it all, and let
all drink of it. He lived the spirit of his prayer,—“Thy[30]
kingdom come.”Shall we repeat our Lord's Prayer
when the heart denies it, refuses to bear the cross and
to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressingJudas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it isobtained. [5]
to fulfil the conditions of our petition? Human policy [1]
is a fool that saith in his heart,“No God”—a caressing
Judas that betrays you, and commits suicide. This god-
less policy never knows what happiness is, and how it is
obtained. [5]
Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for ourexample. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-minded his students of their worldly policy. They hadsuffered, and seen their error. This experience causedthem to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]ter and cast their nets on the right side. When theywere fit to be blest, they received the blessing. Theultimatum of their human sense of ways and meansought to silence ours. One step away from the directline of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-quited toil.
Jesus did his work, and left his glorious career for our
example. On the shore of Gennesaret he tersely re-
minded his students of their worldly policy. They had
suffered, and seen their error. This experience caused
them to remember the reiterated warning of their Mas- [10]
ter and cast their nets on the right side. When they
were fit to be blest, they received the blessing. The
ultimatum of their human sense of ways and means
ought to silence ours. One step away from the direct
line of divine Science cost them—what? A speedy re- [15]
turn under the reign of difficulties, darkness, and unre-
quited toil.
The currents of human nature rush in against the rightcourse; health, happiness, and life flow not into one oftheir channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves thathuman will is lost in the divine; and Love, the whiteChrist, is the remunerator.
The currents of human nature rush in against the right
course; health, happiness, and life flow not into one of
their channels. The law of Love saith,“Not my will,[20]
but Thine, be done,”and Christian Science proves that
human will is lost in the divine; and Love, the white
Christ, is the remunerator.
If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in awrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainlyto the offender and tries to show his errors to him beforeletting another know it.
If, consciously or unconsciously, one is at work in a
wrong direction, who will step forward and open his [25]
eyes to see this error? He whoisa Christian Scientist,
who has cast the beam out of his own eye, speaks plainly
to the offender and tries to show his errors to him before
letting another know it.
Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of
Pitying friends took down from the cross the fainting [30]
form of Jesus, and buried it out of their sight. His dis-
ciples, who had not yet drunk of his cup, lost sight of
him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]form of Godlikeness.
him; they could not behold his immortal being in the [1]
form of Godlikeness.
All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and myfaith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]proportion that their instructions are assimilated, willpoint the way, shorten the process, and consummate thejoys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. TheScripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearmour fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, canbe destroyed.
All that I have written, taught, or lived, that is good,
flowed through cross-bearing, self-forgetfulness, and my
faith in the right. Suffering or Science, or both, in the [5]
proportion that their instructions are assimilated, will
point the way, shorten the process, and consummate the
joys of acquiescence in the methods of divine Love. The
Scripture saith,“He that covereth his sins shall not pros-
per.”No risk is so stupendous as to neglect opportuni- [10]
ties which God giveth, and not to forewarn and forearm
our fellow-mortals against the evil which, if seen, can
be destroyed.
May my friends and my enemies so profit by thesewaymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]another's way may perfect their own lives by gentlebenedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer mustpass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Sciencegives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“Mysheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they followme: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shallnever perish, neither shall any man pluck them out ofmy hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]seeth the wolf coming.
May my friends and my enemies so profit by these
waymarks, that what has chastened and illumined [15]
another's way may perfect their own lives by gentle
benedictions. In every age, the pioneer reformer must
pass through a baptism of fire. But the faithful adher-
ents of Truth have gone on rejoicing. Christian Science
gives a fearless wing and firm foundation. These are [20]
its inspiring tones from the lips of our Master,“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall
never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of
my hand.”He is but“an hireling”who fleeth when he [25]
seeth the wolf coming.
Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the nightis far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdomwill appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswillbe done on earth as in heaven. [30]
Loyal Christian Scientists, be of good cheer: the night
is far spent, the day dawns; God's universal kingdom
will appear, Love will reign in every heart, andHiswill
be done on earth as in heaven. [30]
“Put Up Thy Sword”While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, ormortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not thatI am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man atvariance against his father, and the daughter against hermother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-hold.”[10]This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Lovethat closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, andthat summed up its demonstration in the command,“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the swordmust have been drawn before it could be returned intothe scabbard.My students need to search the Scriptures and“Scienceand Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:they need to do this even to understand my works, theirmotives, aims, and tendency.The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along withTruth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.This would prevent the possibility of destroying thetares: they must be separated from the wheat beforethey can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30][pg 215]and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortalmind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comesinto the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the materialsense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritualunderstanding of them.”But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]shall do if we take the end for the beginning or startfrom wrong motives. Christian Science demands orderand truth. To abide by these we must first understandthe Principle and object of our work, and be clear thatit is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on thesummit of the roof of the house because he is a som-nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]fall immediately if he knew where he was and what hewas doing.My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselvesand in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]the sword of Spirit.They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, noradopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof hisdemonstration.If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, noryet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment[pg 216]must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combatwith error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath restfor the people of God; but we must first have done ourwork, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]example.
While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, ormortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not thatI am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man atvariance against his father, and the daughter against hermother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-hold.”[10]
While Jesus' life was full of Love, and a demonstra-
tion of Love, it appeared hate to the carnal mind, or
mortal thought, of his time. He said,“Think not that
I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send [5]
peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at
variance against his father, and the daughter against her
mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-
law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own house-
hold.”[10]
This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Lovethat closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, andthat summed up its demonstration in the command,“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the swordmust have been drawn before it could be returned intothe scabbard.
This action of Jesus was stimulated by the same Love
that closed—to the senses—that wondrous life, and
that summed up its demonstration in the command,
“Put up thy sword.”The very conflict his Truth brought,
in accomplishing its purpose of Love, meant, all [15]
the way through,“Put up thy sword;”but the sword
must have been drawn before it could be returned into
the scabbard.
My students need to search the Scriptures and“Scienceand Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:they need to do this even to understand my works, theirmotives, aims, and tendency.
My students need to search the Scriptures and“Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures,”to understand [20]
the personal Jesus' labor in the flesh for their salvation:
they need to do this even to understand my works, their
motives, aims, and tendency.
The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along withTruth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.This would prevent the possibility of destroying thetares: they must be separated from the wheat beforethey can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30]
The attitude of mortal mind in being healed morally,
is the same as its attitude physically. The Christian [25]
Scientist cannot heal the sick, and take error along with
Truth, either in the recognition or approbation of it.
This would prevent the possibility of destroying the
tares: they must be separated from the wheat before
they can be burned, and Jesus foretold the harvest hour [30]
and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortalmind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comesinto the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the materialsense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritualunderstanding of them.”
and the final destruction of error through this very pro- [1]
cess,—the sifting and the fire. The tendency of mortal
mind is to go from one extreme to another: Truth comes
into the intermediate space, saying,“I wound to heal;
I punish to reform; I do it all in love; my peace I leave [5]
with thee: not as the world giveth, give I unto thee.
Arise, let us go hence; let us depart from the material
sense of God's ways and means, and gain a spiritual
understanding of them.”
But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]shall do if we take the end for the beginning or startfrom wrong motives. Christian Science demands orderand truth. To abide by these we must first understandthe Principle and object of our work, and be clear thatit is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on thesummit of the roof of the house because he is a som-nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]fall immediately if he knew where he was and what hewas doing.
But let us not seek to climb up some other way, as we [10]
shall do if we take the end for the beginning or start
from wrong motives. Christian Science demands order
and truth. To abide by these we must first understand
the Principle and object of our work, and be clear that
it is Love, peace, and good will toward men. Then we [15]
shall demonstrate the Principle in the way of His ap-
pointment, and not according to the infantile concep-
tion of our way; as when a child in sleep walks on the
summit of the roof of the house because he is a som-
nambulist, and thinks he is where he is not, and would [20]
fall immediately if he knew where he was and what he
was doing.
My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselvesand in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]the sword of Spirit.
My students are at the beginning of their demonstra-
tion; they have a long warfare with error in themselves
and in others to finish, and they must at this stage use [25]
the sword of Spirit.
They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, noradopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof hisdemonstration.
They cannot in the beginning take the attitude, nor
adopt the words, that Jesus used at theendof his
demonstration.
If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, noryet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment
If you would follow in his footsteps, you must not try [30]
to gather the harvest while the corn is in the blade, nor
yet when it is in the ear; a wise spiritual discernment
must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combatwith error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath restfor the people of God; but we must first have done ourwork, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]example.
must be used in your application of his words and infer- [1]
ence from his acts, to guide your own state of combat
with error. Thereremaineth, it is true, a Sabbath rest
for the people of God; but we must first have done our
work, and entered into our rest, as the Scriptures give [5]
example.
Scientific TheismIn the May number of ourJournal, there appeared areview of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”by Phare Pleigh. [10]Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“handsoff.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxontongue, might add to the above definition the“layingon of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plumemeans, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, abig protest against injustice; but, the best may bemistaken.One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remainedsome time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a wittyor a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-lowing point?—“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, theattempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as aphenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but notbefore; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin withouta cat.”[30][pg 217]True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. Aneffect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—eventhe ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond inquality and quantity.The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all thingsis unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]Spirit.Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose thatnature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is bothcause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to itscause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neitherScience nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]kingdom divided against itself, that shall be broughtto desolation.The nature of God must change in order to becomematter, or to become both finite and infinite; and mattermustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize humanthought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense[pg 218]takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the factthat Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter neverproduced Mind, andvice versa.The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter canneither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must changeall its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the materialsenses whence to reason out God, when it is concededthat the five personal senses can take no cognizance ofSpirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap theScience of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truthcomes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfoldsthe real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, andnot material. [20]To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grinwithout a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,and this nature may linger in memory: but matter doesnot express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. Whatcan illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,“Pretty well, I thank you!”Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personalityin God.”[pg 219]According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]the final cause of things; and divine Science (and allScience is divine) neither reveals God in matter, causein effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are thematerialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, whatsaith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they thatworship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”[10]
In the May number of ourJournal, there appeared areview of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”by Phare Pleigh. [10]
In the May number of ourJournal, there appeared a
review of, and some extracts from,“Scientific Theism,”
by Phare Pleigh. [10]
Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“handsoff.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxontongue, might add to the above definition the“layingon of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plumemeans, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, abig protest against injustice; but, the best may bemistaken.
Now, Phare Pleigh evidently means more than“hands
off.”A live lexicographer, given to the Anglo-Saxon
tongue, might add to the above definition the“laying
on of hands,”as well. Whatever hisnom de plume
means, an acquaintance with the author justifies one [15]
in the conclusion that he is a power in criticism, a
big protest against injustice; but, the best may be
mistaken.
One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remainedsome time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a wittyor a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-lowing point?—
One of these extracts is the story of the Cheshire Cat,
which“vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end[20]
of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained
some time after the rest of it had gone.”Was this a witty
or a happy hit at idealism, to illustrate the author's fol-
lowing point?—
“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, theattempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as aphenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but notbefore; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin withouta cat.”[30]
“When philosophy becomes fairy-land, in which neither[25]
laws of nature nor the laws of reason hold good, the
attempt of phenomenism to conceive the universe as a
phenomenon without a noumenonmay succeed, but not
before; for it is an attempt to conceive a grin without
a cat.”[30]
True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. Aneffect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—eventhe ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond inquality and quantity.
True idealism is a divine Science, which combines in [1]
logical sequence, nature, reason, and revelation. An
effect without a cause is inconceivable; neither philoso-
phy nor reason attempts to find one; but all should con-
ceive and understand that Spirit cannot become less than [5]
Spirit; hence that the universe of God is spiritual,—even
the ideal world whose cause is the self-created Principle,
with which its ideal or phenomenon must correspond in
quality and quantity.
The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all thingsis unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]Spirit.
The fallacy of an unscientific statement is this: that [10]
matter and Spirit are one and eternal; or, that the phe-
nomenon of Spirit is the antipode of Spirit, namely, mat-
ter. Nature declares, throughout the mineral, vegetable,
and animal kingdoms, that the specific nature of all things
is unchanged, and that nature is constituted of and by [15]
Spirit.
Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose thatnature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is bothcause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to itscause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neitherScience nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]kingdom divided against itself, that shall be broughtto desolation.
Sensuous and material realistic views presuppose that
nature is matter, and that Deity is a finite person con-
taining infinite Mind; and that these opposites, in sup-
positional unity and personality, produce matter,—a [20]
third quality unlike God. Again, that matter is both
cause and effect, but that the effect is antagonistic to its
cause; that death is at war with Life, evil with good,—
and man a rebel against his Maker. This is neither
Science nor theism. According to Holy Writ, it is a [25]
kingdom divided against itself, that shall be brought
to desolation.
The nature of God must change in order to becomematter, or to become both finite and infinite; and mattermustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize humanthought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense
The nature of God must change in order to become
matter, or to become both finite and infinite; and matter
mustdisappear, for Spirit to appear. To the material [30]
sense, everything is matter; but spiritualize human
thought, and our convictions change: for spiritual sense
takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the factthat Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter neverproduced Mind, andvice versa.
takes in new views, in which nature becomes Spirit; and [1]
Spirit is God, and God is good. Science unfolds the fact
that Deity was forever Mind, Spirit; that matter never
produced Mind, andvice versa.
The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter canneither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must changeall its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the materialsenses whence to reason out God, when it is concededthat the five personal senses can take no cognizance ofSpirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap theScience of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truthcomes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfoldsthe real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, andnot material. [20]
The visible universe declares the invisible only by re- [5]
version, as error declares Truth. The testimony of mate-
rial sense in relation to existence is false; for matter can
neither see, hear, nor feel, and mortal mind must change
all its conceptions of life, substance, and intelligence,
before it can reach the immortality of Mind and its ideas. [10]
It is erroneous to accept the evidence of the material
senses whence to reason out God, when it is conceded
that the five personal senses can take no cognizance of
Spirit or of its phenomena. False realistic views sap the
Science of Principle and idea; they make Deity unreal [15]
and inconceivable, either as mind or matter; but Truth
comes to the rescue of reason and immortality, and unfolds
the real nature of God and the universe to the spiri-
ual sense, which beareth witness of things spiritual, and
not material. [20]
To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grinwithout a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,and this nature may linger in memory: but matter doesnot express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. Whatcan illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,“Pretty well, I thank you!”
To begin with, the notion of Spirit as cause and end,
with matter as its effect, is more ridiculous than the“grin
without a cat;”for a grin expresses the nature of a cat,
and this nature may linger in memory: but matter does
not express the nature of Spirit, and matter's graven [25]
grins are neither eliminated nor retained by Spirit. What
can illustrate Dr. ——'s views better than Pat's echo,
when he said“How do you do?”and echo answered,
“Pretty well, I thank you!”
Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personalityin God.”
Dr. —— says:“The recognition of teleology in nature[30]
is necessarily the recognition of purely spiritual personality
in God.”
According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]the final cause of things; and divine Science (and allScience is divine) neither reveals God in matter, causein effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are thematerialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, whatsaith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they thatworship Him must worship Him in spirit and intruth.”[10]
According to lexicography, teleology is the science of [1]
the final cause of things; and divine Science (and all
Science is divine) neither reveals God in matter, cause
in effect, nor teaches that nature and her laws are the
materialuniverse, or that the personality of infinite Spirit [5]
is finite or material. Jesus said,“Ye do err, not know-
ing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.”Now, what
saith the Scripture?“God is a Spirit: and they that
worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in
truth.”[10]
Mental PracticeIt is admitted that mortals think wickedly and actwickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, thatmortals think also after a sickly fashion. In commonparlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]third person knows that if he would remove this feelingin either case, in the one he must change his patient'sconsciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousnessof ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he mustchange the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makessick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mindmakes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; thata state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one personfeels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that ifhe can change this evil sense and consciousness to a goodsense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness willfollow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30][pg 220]Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]line of mental healing, and you will find that a good ruleworks one way, and a false rule the opposite way.Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and youknow it;”and he supports this silent mental force byaudible explanation, attestation, and precedent. Hismental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man'sthoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in thiscourse until the patient's mind yields, and the harmoniousthought has the full control over this mind on the pointat issue. The end is attained, and the patient says andfeels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]This mental practitioner has changed his patient'sconsciousness from sickness to health. The patient'smental state is now the diametrical opposite of what itwas when the mental practitioner undertook to transformit, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]That this mental method has power and bears fruit,is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist andthe observer. Both should understand with equal clear-ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of othersthat he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he isfailing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, itfollows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesussaid it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]with the certainty of Science he knows that an error ofbelief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does[pg 221]not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose hispower to harm by a false mental argument; for itgives one opportunity to handle the error, and whenmastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings showthe fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,that error and sickness are one, and Truth is theirremedy. [10]The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sinon himself, unless he believes that sin has produced theeffect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is asinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either ofthese states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-tioners and mysterious diseases.Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth beingthe cure, denial of this fact in one instance andacknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denialdethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentallystruggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are notfifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numberswould not yield the same product whichever might serveas the multiplicand.Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]committing, or call public attention to that crime? Thebelief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues[pg 222]of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both eviland good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, andstrife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. Itcauses the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reformshim, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]a moral idiot.In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready tolisten complacently to audible falsehoods that once hewould have resisted and loathed; and this, because thefalse seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morallyand physically. From the effects of mental malpracticethe subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer itsfull penalty after death. This sin against divine Scienceis cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]has meted must be remeasured to it.The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Erroris more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; forthis is the power of God, and good should seem morenatural than evil.I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousnessas easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,[pg 223]the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—but at length took up the research according to God'scommand. [5]Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is knownby its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]be separated from it. I respect that moral sense whichis sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power toheal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, andis consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doingunto others what we would resist to the hilt if done untoourselves.May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,that no counteracting influence can hinder their growthor taint their examples.
It is admitted that mortals think wickedly and actwickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, thatmortals think also after a sickly fashion. In commonparlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]third person knows that if he would remove this feelingin either case, in the one he must change his patient'sconsciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousnessof ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he mustchange the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.
It is admitted that mortals think wickedly and act
wickedly: it is beginning to be seen by thinkers, that
mortals think also after a sickly fashion. In common
parlance, one person feels sick, another feels wicked. A [15]
third person knows that if he would remove this feeling
in either case, in the one he must change his patient's
consciousness of dis-ease and suffering to a consciousness
of ease and loss of suffering; while in the other he must
change the patient's sense of sinning at ease to a sense of [20]
discomfort in sin and peace in goodness.
This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makessick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mindmakes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; thata state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one personfeels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that ifhe can change this evil sense and consciousness to a goodsense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness willfollow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30]
This is Christian Science: that mortal mind makes
sick, and immortal Mind makes well; that mortal mind
makes sinners, while immortal Mind makes saints; that
a state of health is but a state of consciousness made mani- [25]
fest on the body, andvice versa; that while one person
feels wickedly and acts wickedly, another knows that if
he can change this evil sense and consciousness to a good
sense, or conscious goodness, the fruits of goodness will
follow, and he has reformed the sinner. [30]
Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]line of mental healing, and you will find that a good ruleworks one way, and a false rule the opposite way.
Now, demonstrate this rule, which obtains in every [1]
line of mental healing, and you will find that a good rule
works one way, and a false rule the opposite way.
Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and youknow it;”and he supports this silent mental force byaudible explanation, attestation, and precedent. Hismental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man'sthoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in thiscourse until the patient's mind yields, and the harmoniousthought has the full control over this mind on the pointat issue. The end is attained, and the patient says andfeels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]
Let us suppose that there is a sick person whom an-
other would heal mentally. The healer begins by mental [5]
argument. He mentally says,“You are well, and you
know it;”and he supports this silent mental force by
audible explanation, attestation, and precedent. His
mental and oral arguments aim to refute the sick man's
thoughts, words, and actions, in certain directions, and [10]
turn them into channels of Truth. He persists in this
course until the patient's mind yields, and the harmonious
thought has the full control over this mind on the point
at issue. The end is attained, and the patient says and
feels,“I am well, and I know it.”[15]
This mental practitioner has changed his patient'sconsciousness from sickness to health. The patient'smental state is now the diametrical opposite of what itwas when the mental practitioner undertook to transformit, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]
This mental practitioner has changed his patient's
consciousness from sickness to health. The patient's
mental state is now the diametrical opposite of what it
was when the mental practitioner undertook to transform
it, and he is improved morally and physically. [20]
That this mental method has power and bears fruit,is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist andthe observer. Both should understand with equal clear-ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of othersthat he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he isfailing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, itfollows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesussaid it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]with the certainty of Science he knows that an error ofbelief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does
That this mental method has power and bears fruit,
is patent both to the conscientious Christian Scientist and
the observer. Both should understand with equal clear-
ness, that if this mental process and power be reversed,
and people believe that a man is sick and knows it, and [25]
speak of him as being sick, put it into the minds of others
that he is sick, publish it in the newspapers that he is
failing, and persist in this action of mind over mind, it
follows that he will believe that he is sick,—and Jesus
said it would be according to the woman's belief; but if [30]
with the certainty of Science he knows that an error of
belief has not the power of Truth, and cannot, does
not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose hispower to harm by a false mental argument; for itgives one opportunity to handle the error, and whenmastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings showthe fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,that error and sickness are one, and Truth is theirremedy. [10]
not, produce the slightest effect, it has no power over [1]
him. Thus a mental malpractitioner may lose his
power to harm by a false mental argument; for it
gives one opportunity to handle the error, and when
mastering it one gains in the rules of metaphysics, and [5]
thereby learns more of its divine Principle. Error pro-
duces physical sufferings, and these sufferings show
the fundamental Principle of Christian Science; namely,
that error and sickness are one, and Truth is their
remedy. [10]
The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sinon himself, unless he believes that sin has produced theeffect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is asinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either ofthese states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-tioners and mysterious diseases.
The evil-doer can do little at removing the effect of sin
on himself, unless he believes that sin has produced the
effect and knows he is a sinner: or, knowing that he is a
sinner, if he denies it, the good effect is lost. Either of
these states of mind will stultify the power to heal men- [15]
tally. This accounts for many helpless mental practi-
tioners and mysterious diseases.
Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth beingthe cure, denial of this fact in one instance andacknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denialdethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentallystruggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are notfifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numberswould not yield the same product whichever might serveas the multiplicand.
Again: If error is the cause of disease, Truth being
the cure, denial of this fact in one instance and
acknowledgment of it in another saps one's under- [20]
standing of the Science of Mind-healing, Such denial
dethrones demonstration, baffles the student of Mind-
healing, and divorces his work from Science. Such de-
nial also contradicts the doctrine that we must mentally
struggle against both evil and disease, and is like saying [25]
that five times ten are fifty while ten times five are not
fifty; as if the multiplication of the same two numbers
would not yield the same product whichever might serve
as the multiplicand.
Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]committing, or call public attention to that crime? Thebelief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues
Who would tell another of a crime that he himself is [30]
committing, or call public attention to that crime? The
belief in evil and in the process of evil, holds the issues
of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both eviland good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, andstrife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. Itcauses the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reformshim, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]a moral idiot.
of death to the evil-doer. It takes away a man's proper [1]
sense of good, and gives him a false sense of both evil
and good. It inflames envy, passion, evil-speaking, and
strife. It reverses Christian Science in all things. It
causes the victim to believe that he is advancing while [5]
injuring himself and others. This state of false conscious-
ness in many cases causes the victim great physical suffering;
and conviction of his wrong state of feeling reforms
him, and so heals him: or, failing of conviction and re-
form, he becomes morally paralyzed—in other words, [10]
a moral idiot.
In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready tolisten complacently to audible falsehoods that once hewould have resisted and loathed; and this, because thefalse seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morallyand physically. From the effects of mental malpracticethe subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer itsfull penalty after death. This sin against divine Scienceis cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]has meted must be remeasured to it.
In this state of misled consciousness, one is ready to
listen complacently to audible falsehoods that once he
would have resisted and loathed; and this, because the
false seems true. The malicious mental argument and [15]
its action on the mind of the perpetrator, is fatal, morally
and physically. From the effects of mental malpractice
the subject scarcely awakes in time, and must suffer its
full penalty after death. This sin against divine Science
is cancelled only through human agony: the measure it [20]
has meted must be remeasured to it.
The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Erroris more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; forthis is the power of God, and good should seem morenatural than evil.
The crimes committed under this newrégimeof mind-
power, when brought to light, will make stout hearts quail.
Its mystery protects it now, for it is not yet known. Error
is more abstract than Truth. Even the healing Principle, [25]
whose power seems inexplicable, is not so obscure; for
this is the power of God, and good should seem more
natural than evil.
I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousnessas easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,
I shall not forget the cost of investigating, for this age,
the methods and power of error. While the ways, means, [30]
and potency of Truth had flowed into my consciousness
as easily as dawns the morning light and shadows flee,
the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—but at length took up the research according to God'scommand. [5]
the metaphysical mystery of error—its hidden paths, [1]
purpose, and fruits—at first defied me. I was say-
ing all the time,“Come not thou into the secret”—
but at length took up the research according to God's
command. [5]
Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.
Streams which purify, necessarily have pure fountains;
while impure streams flow from corrupt sources. Here,
divine light, logic, and revelation coincide.
Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is knownby its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]be separated from it. I respect that moral sense whichis sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power toheal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, andis consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doingunto others what we would resist to the hilt if done untoourselves.
Science proves, beyond cavil, that the tree is known
by its fruit; that mind reaches its own ideal, and cannot [10]
be separated from it. I respect that moral sense which
is sufficiently strong to discern what it believes, and to say,
if it must,“I discredit Mind with having the power to
heal.”This individual disbelieves in Mind-healing, and
is consistent. But, alas! for the mistake of believing in [15]
mental healing, claiming full faith in the divine Principle,
and saying,“I am a Christian Scientist,”while doing
unto others what we would resist to the hilt if done unto
ourselves.
May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,that no counteracting influence can hinder their growthor taint their examples.
May divine Love so permeate the affections of all those [20]
who have named the name of Christ in its fullest sense,
that no counteracting influence can hinder their growth
or taint their examples.