TO THE COLLEGE ASSOCIATION
| |
| 24 | College Association, June 3, 1891 TO THE MEMBERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS' ASSOCIATION OF |
| 27 | THE MASSACHUSETTS METAPHYSICAL COLLEGE My Beloved Students: - You may be looking to see me Page 136 |
| 1 | longer expect. When I retired from the field of labor, it was a departure, socially, publicly, and finally, from |
| 3 | the routine of such material modes as society and our societies demand. Rumors are rumors, - nothing more. I am still with you on the field of battle, taking forward |
| 6 | marches, broader and higher views, and with the hope The eternal and infinite, already brought to your |
| 9 | earnest consideration, so grow upon my vision that I cannot feel justified in turning aside for one hour from contemplation of them and of the faith unfeigned. |
| 12 | When the verities of being seem to you as to me, - as they must some time, - you will understand the neces- sity for my seclusion, and its fulfilment of divine order. |
| 15 | "Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye sepa- All our thoughts should be given to the absolute |
| 18 | demonstration of Christian Science. You can well afford to give me up, since you have in my last re- vised edition of Science and Health your teacher and |
| 21 | guide. I recommend that the June session of this honorable |
| 24 | hereafter you hold three sessions annually, convening once in four months; oftener is not requisite, and the members coming from a distance will be accommodated |
| 27 | by this arrangement. Yours affectionately, MARY B. G. EDDY Page 137 TO THE NATIONAL CHRISTIAN SCIENTIST
ASSOCIATION My Dear Students and Friends: - Accept my thanks |
| 3 | for your card of invitation, your badge, and order of exer- When I gave you a meagre reception in Boston at the |
| 6 | close of the first convention of the National Christian Scientist Association, it was simply to give you the privi- lege, poor as it was, of speaking a few words aside to your |
| 9 | teacher. I remember my regret, when, having asked in general assembly if you had any questions to propose, I received no reply. Since then you have doubtless realized |
| 12 | that such opportunity might have been improved; but I greatly rejoice over the growth of my students within |
| 15 | the last few years. It was kind of you to part so gently with the protecting wings of the mother-bird, and to spread your own so bravely. Now, dear ones, if you take my |
| 18 | advice again, you will do - what? Even this: Disorganize the National Christian Scien- |
| 21 | labor, to work out individually and alone, for himself and To accomplish this, you must give much time to self- |
| 24 | examination and correction; you must control appetite, passion, pride, envy, evil-speaking, resentment, and each one of the innumerable errors that worketh or maketh |
| 27 | a lie. Then you can give to the world the benefit of all this, and heal and teach with increased confidence. My students can now organize their students into associa- |
| 30 | tions, form churches, and hold these organizations of their Page 138 |
| 1 | own, - until, in turn, their students will sustain them- selves and work for others. |
| 3 | The time it takes yearly to prepare for this national convention is worse than wasted, if it causes thought to wander in the wilderness or ways of the world. The de- |
| 6 | tail of conforming to society, in any way, costs you what it would to give time and attention to hygiene in your ministry and healing. |
| 9 | For students to work together is not always to co- operate, but sometimes to coelbow! Each student should seek alone the guidance of our common Father - even |
| 12 | the divine Principle which he claims to demonstrate, - and especially should he prove his faith by works, ethi- cally, physically, and spiritually. Remember that the |
| 15 | first and last lesson of Christian Science is love, perfect I once thought that in unity was human strength; but |
| 18 | have grown to know that human strength is weakness, - My counsel is applicable to the state of general growth |
| 21 | in the members of the National Christian Scientist Asso- ciation, but it is not so adapted to the members of students' organizations. And wherefore? Because the |
| 24 | growth of these at first is more gradual; but whenever they are equal to the march triumphant, God will give to all His soldiers of the cross the proper command, and |
| 27 | under the banner of His love, and with the "still, small voice" for the music of our march, we all shall take step and march on in spiritual organization. |
| 30 | Your loving teacher, CONCORD, N. H., May 23, 1890 Page 139 |
| 1 | N. B. I recommend this honorable body to adjourn, if it does not disorganize, to three years from this date; |
| 3 | or, if it does disorganize, to meet again in three years. received. M. B. G. E. TO THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST,
SCIENTIST, BOSTON (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty 12 imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the |
| 15 | In April, 1883, I started the Journal of Christian Science, with a portion of the above Scripture for its motto. |
| 18 | On December 10, 1889, I gave a lot of land - in Boston, situated near the beautiful Back Bay Park, now |
| 21 | of having erected thereon a church edifice to be called The I had this desirable site transferred in a circuitous, |
| 24 | novel way, at the wisdom whereof a few persons have since scrupled; but to my spiritual perception, like all true wisdom, this transaction will in future be regarded |
| 27 | as greatly wise, and it will be found that this act was in As with all former efforts in the interest of Christian |
| 30 | Science, I took care that the provisions for the land and Page 140 |
| 1 | building were such as error could not control. I knew that to God's gift, foundation and superstructure, no one |
| 3 | could hold a wholly material title. The land, and the church standing on it, must be conveyed through a type representing the true nature of the gift; a type morally |
| 6 | and spiritually inalienable, but materially questionable - even after the manner that all spiritual good comes to Christian Scientists, to the end of taxing their faith |
| 9 | in God, and their adherence to the superiority of the No one could buy, sell, or mortgage my gift as I had |
| 12 | it conveyed. Thus the case rested, and I supposed the trustee-deed was legal; but this was God's business, not mine. Our church was prospered by the right hand of |
| 15 | His righteousness, and contributions to the Building Fund generously poured into the treasury. Unity prevailed, - till mortal man sought to know who owned God's temple, |
| 18 | and adopted and urged only the material side of this The lot of land which I donated I redeemed from under |
| 21 | mortgage. The foundation on which our church was to be built had to be rescued from the grasp of legal power, and now it must be put back into the arms of Love, if we |
| 24 | would not be found fighting against God. The diviner claim and means for upbuilding the
Church |
| 27 | be safe and sound - when we can "read our title clear" to heavenly mansions. Built on the rock, our church will stand the storms of ages: though the material super- |
| 30 | structure should crumble into dust, the fittest would sur- Page 141 |
| 1 | The First Church of Christ, Scientist, our prayer in stone, will be the prophecy fulfilled, the monument up- |
| 3 | reared, of Christian Science. It will speak to you of the Mother, and of your hearts' offering to her through whom was revealed to you God's all-power, all-presence, and |
| 6 | all-science. This building begun, will go up, and no one can suffer from it, for no one can resist the power that is behind it; and against this church temple "the gates |
| 9 | of hell" cannot prevail. All loyal Christian Scientists hail with joy this
pro- |
| 12 | error, which hates the bonds and methods of Truth, and shudders at the freedom, might, and majesty of Spirit, - even the annihilating law of Love. |
| 15 | I vindicate both the law of God and the laws of our land. I believe, - yea, I understand, - that with the spirit of Christ actuating all the parties concerned about |
| 18 | the legal quibble, it can easily be corrected to the satis- faction of all. Let this be speedily done. Do not, I im- plore you, stain the early history of Christian Science by |
| 21 | the impulses of human will and pride; but let the divine will and the nobility of human meekness rule this busi- ness transaction, in obedience to the law of Love and the |
| 24 | laws of our land. As the ambassador of Christ's teachings, I admonish |
| 27 | in Boston; or else return every dollar that you yourselves declare you have had no legal authority for obtaining, to the several contributors, - and let them, not you, say |
| 30 | what shall be done with their money. Of our first church in Boston, O recording angel! Page 142 |
| 1 | feet! how beautiful are her garments! how hath He en- larged her borders! how hath He made her wildernesses |
| 3 | to bud and blossom as the rose! TO DONORS OF BOAT, FROM TORONTO,
CANADA Written on receipt of a beautiful boat
presented by Christian |
| 9 | boat displays, among other beautiful decorations, a number
of Beloved Students and Friends: - Accept my thanks |
| 12 | for the beautiful boat and presentation poem. Each day since they arrived I have said, Let me write to the donors, - and what? |
| 15 | My first impression was to indite a poem; my second, a psalm; my third, a letter. Why the letter alone? Be- cause your dear hearts expressed in their lovely gift such |
| 18 | varying types of true affection, shaded as autumn leaves with bright hues of the spiritual, that my Muse lost her lightsome lyre, and imagery of thought gave place to |
| 21 | chords of feeling too deep for words. A boat song seemed more Olympian than the psalm in |
| 24 | answer in a commonplace letter. Poor return, is it The symbols of freemasonry depicted on the boat |
| 27 | wakened memory, touched tender fibres of thought, and I longed to say to the masonic brothers: If as a woman I may not unite with you in freemasonry, nor you with |
| 30 | me in Christian Science, yet as friends we can feel the Page 143 |
| 1 | touch of heart to heart and hand to hand, on the broad basis and sure foundation of true friendship's "level" |
| 3 | and the "square" of moral sentiments. My dear students may have explained to the kind
par- |
| 6 | above the plane of matter. If so, I may hope that a closer link hath bound us. Across lakes, into a kingdom, I reach out my hand to clasp yours, with this silent bene- |
| 9 | diction: May the kingdom of heaven come in each of your hearts! With love, |
| 12 | MARY BAKER EDDY ADDRESS, - LAYING THE CORNER-STONE
Beloved Students:-On the 21st day of May, A. D. |
| 15 | 1894, with quiet, imposing ceremony, is laid the corner- stone of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist," in Boston. |
| 18 | It gives me great pleasure to say that you, principally the Normal class graduates of my College, well known physicians, teachers, editors, and pastors of churches, |
| 21 | by contributions of one thousand dollars each, husband and wife reckoned as one, have, within about three months, donated the munificent sum of forty-two thou- |
| 24 | sand dollars toward building The Mother Church. A quiet call from me for this extra contribution, in aid of our Church Building Fund, found you all "with one |
| 27 | accord in one place." Each donation came promptly; Page 144 |
| 1 | The granite for this church was taken from the quar- ries in New Hampshire, my native State. The money |
| 3 | for building "Mother's Room," situated in the second story of the tower on the northeast corner of this build- ing, and the name thereof, came from the dear children |
| 6 | of Christian Scientists; a little band called Busy Bees, On this memorable day there are laid away a copy of |
| 9 | this address, the subscription list on which appear your several names in your own handwriting, your textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and |
| 12 | other works written by the same author, your teacher, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science; (1) with- out pomp or pride, laid away as a sacred secret in the |
| 15 | heart of a rock, there to typify the prophecy, "And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; . . . as the shadow of a great rock in |
| 18 | weary land:" henceforth to whisper our Master's promise, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." |
| 21 | To-day, be this hope in each of our hearts, - precious in God's sight as shall be the assembling of His people in this temple, sweet as the rest that remaineth for the |
| 24 | righteous, and fresh as a summer morn, - that, from earth's pillows of stone, our visible lives are rising to God. As in the history of a seed, so may our earthly |
| 27 | sowing bear fruit that exudes the inspiration of the wine To-day I pray that divine Love, the life-giving Prin- |
| 30 | ciple of Christianity, shall speedily wake the long night (1) A copy of the Bible was included among the
books placed in the corner-stone. Page 145 |
| 1 | other institution, at present is the cement of society, and it should be the bulwark of civil and religious liberty. |
| 3 | But the time cometh when the religious element, or Church of Christ, shall exist alone in the affections, and need no organization to express it. Till then, this form of godli- |
| 6 | ness seems as requisite to manifest its spirit, as individ- Does a single bosom burn for fame and power? Then |
| 9 | when that person shall possess these, let him ask him- self, and answer to his name in this corner-stone of our temple: Am I greater for them? And if he thinks that |
| 12 | he is, then is he less than man to whom God gave "do- minion over all the earth," less than the meek who "in- herit the earth." Even vanity forbids man to be vain; |
| 15 | and pride is a hooded hawk which flies in darkness. Over a wounded sense of its own error, let not mortal thought resuscitate too soon. |
| 18 | In our rock-bound friendship, delicate as dear, our names may melt into one, and common dust, and their modest sign be nothingness. Be this as it may, the visible |
| 21 | unity of spirit remains, to quicken even dust into sweet memorial such as Isaiah prophesied: "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with |
| 24 | the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling When the hearts of Christian Scientists are woven to- |
| 27 | gether as are their names in the web of history, earth will float majestically heaven's heraldry, and echo the song of angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth |
| 30 | peace, good will toward men." To The Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston,
and to Page 146 |
| 1 | say, 'Tis sweet to remember thee, and God's Zion, with healing on her wings. May her walls be vocal with sal- |
| 3 | vation; and her gates with praise! TO THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BOSTON |
| 6 | My Beloved Students: - I cannot conscientiously lend my counsel to direct your action on receiving or dismiss- ing candidates. To do this, I should need to be with |
| 9 | you. I cannot accept hearsay, and would need to know the circumstances and facts regarding both sides of the subject, to form a proper judgment. This is not my |
| 12 | present province; hence I have hitherto declined to be consulted on these subjects, and still maintain this position. |
| 15 | These are matters of grave import; and you cannot be indifferent to this, but will give them immediate at- tention, and be governed therein by the spirit and the |
| 18 | letter of this Scripture: "Whatsoever ye would that men I cannot be the conscience for this church; but if I |
| 21 | were, I would gather every reformed mortal that desired to come, into its fold, and counsel and help him to walk in the footsteps of His flock. I feel sure that as Chris- |
| 24 | tian Scientists you will act, relative to this matter, up to your highest understanding of justice and mercy. Affectionately yours, |
| 27 | MARY BAKER EDDY Page 147 THE FIRST MEMBERS OF THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS |
| 3 | My Beloved Students: - Another year has rolled on, another annual meeting has convened, another space of time has been given us, and has another duty been done |
| 6 | and another victory won for time and eternity? Do you meet in unity, preferring one another, and demonstrating the divine Principle of Christian Science? Have you |
| 9 | improved past hours, and ladened them with records worthy to be borne heavenward? Have you learned that sin is inadmissible, and indicates a small mind? |
| 12 | Do you manifest love for those that hate you and de- The man of integrity is one who makes it his constant |
| 15 | rule to follow the road of duty, according as Truth and the voice of his conscience point it out to him. He is not guided merely by affections which may some time give |
| 18 | the color of virtue to a loose and unstable character. The upright man is guided by a fixed Principle, which |
| 21 | abhor whatever is base or unworthy; hence we find him ever the same, - at all times the trusty friend, the affec- tionate relative, the conscientious man of business, the |
| 24 | pious worker, the public-spirited citizen. He assumes no borrowed appearance. He seeks no |
| 27 | is indeed what he appears to be, - full of truth, candor, and humanity. In all his pursuits, he knows no path but the fair, open, and direct one, and would much rather |
| 30 | fail of success than attain it by reproachable means. He Page 148 |
| 1 | never shows us a smiling countenance while he meditates evil against us in his heart. We shall never find one part |
| 3 | of his character at variance with another. Lovingly yours, MARY BAKER EDDY |
| 6 | Sept. 30, 1895 EXTRACT FROM A LETTER The Rules and By-laws in the Manual of The First |
| 9 | Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston, originated not in solemn conclave as in ancient Sanhedrim. They were not arbitrary opinions nor dictatorial demands, such as |
| 12 | one person might impose on another. They were im- pelled by a power not one's own, were written at differ- ent dates, and as the occasion required. They sprang |
| 15 | from necessity, the logic of events, - from the immedi- ate demand for them as a help that must be supplied to maintain the dignity and defense of our Cause; hence |
| 18 | their simple, scientific basis, and detail so requisite to demonstrate genuine Christian Science, and which will do for the race what absolute doctrines destined for future |
| 21 | generations might not accomplish. TO THE MOTHER CHURCH Beloved Brethren: - Until recently, I was not aware |
| 24 | that the contribution box was presented at your Friday evening meetings. I specially desire that you collect no moneyed contributions from the people present on these |
| 27 | occasions. Let the invitation to this sweet converse be in
the words Page 149 |
| 1 | come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without |
| 3 | money and without price." Invite all cordially and freely to this banquet
of Chris- |
| 6 | bring what they possess of love and light to help leaven your loaf and replenish your scanty store. Then, after presenting the various offerings, and one after another |
| 9 | has opened his lips to discourse and distribute what God has given him of experience, hope, faith, and under- standing, gather up the fragments, and count the baskets |
| 12 | full of accessions to your love, and see that nothing has With love, |
| 15 | MARY BAKER EDDY TO FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN OCONTO |
| 18 | My Beloved Brethren: - Lips nor pen can ever ex- press the joy you give me in parting so promptly with your beloved pastor, Rev. Mr. Norcross, to send him to |
| 21 | aid me. It is a refreshing demonstration of Christianity, brotherly love, and all the rich graces of the Spirit. May this sacrifice bring to your beloved church a vision of the |
| 24 | new church, that cometh down from heaven, whose altar is a loving heart, whose communion is fellowship with saints and angels. This example of yours is a light that |
| 27 | cannot be hid. Guided by the pillar and the cloud, this little
church |
| 30 | shall abide steadfastly in the faith of Jesus' words: "Fear Page 150 |
| 1 | not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." May He soon give you a pastor; |
| 3 | already you have the great Shepherd of Israel watch- ing over you. Give my forever-love to your dear church. Yours in bonds of Christ, |
| 6 | MARY BAKER G. EDDY Boston, Mass., 1889 TO FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST,
IN SCRANTON Beloved Brethren:
- Space is no separator of hearts. |
| 12 | hearts to-day are repeating their joy that God dwelleth in the congregation of the faithful, and loveth the gates of Zion. |
| 15 | The outlook is cheering. We have already seen the salvation of many people by means of Christian Science. Chapels and churches are dotting the entire land. Con- |
| 18 | venient houses and halls can now be obtained wherein, as whereout, Christian Scientists may worship the Father "in spirit and in truth," as taught by our great Master. |
| 21 | "If God be for us, who can be against us?" If He be with us, the wayside is a sanctuary, and the desert a resting-place peopled with living witnesses of the fact |
| 24 | that "God is Love." God is universal; confined to no spot, defined
by no |
| 27 | to all, is God demonstrable as divine Life, Truth, and Love; and His people are they that reflect Him - that reflect Love. Again, this infinite Principle, with its uni- |
| 30 | versal manifestation, is all that really is or can be; Page 151 |
| 1 | and folds the sheep of His pasture; and their ears are attuned to His call. In the words of the loving disciple, |
| 3 | "My sheep hear my voice, . . . and they follow me; neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." |
| 6 | God is a consuming fire. He separates the dross from the gold, purifies the human character, through the furnace of affliction. Those who bear fruit He purgeth, |
| 9 | that they may bear more fruit. Through the sacred law, He speaketh to the unfruitful in tones of Sinai: and, in the gospel, He saith of the barren fig-tree, "Cut it down; |
| 12 | why cumbereth it the ground?" God is our Father and our Mother, our Minister
and |
| 15 | earth and in heaven. David sang, "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee." |
| 18 | Brother, sister, beloved in the Lord, knowest thou thyself, and art thou acquainted with God? If not, I pray thee as a Christian Scientist, delay not to make Him |
| 21 | thy first acquaintance. Glorious things are spoken of you in His Word.
Ye |
| 24 | May mercy and truth go before you: may the lamp of your life continually be full of oil, and you be wedded to the spiritual idea, Christ; then will you heal, and |
| 27 | teach, and preach, on the ascending scale of everlasting Life and Love. Affectionately yours in Christ, |
| 30 | MARY BAKER EDDY Page 152 TO FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN DENVER |
| 3 | Beloved Pastor and Brethren: - "As in water face answereth to face," and in love continents clasp hands, so the oneness of God includes also His presence with those |
| 6 | whose hearts unite in the purposes of goodness. Of this we may be sure: that thoughts winged with peace and love breathe a silent benediction over all the earth, co- |
| 9 | operate with the divine power, and brood unconsciously I, as a corporeal person, am not in your midst: I, as a |
| 12 | dictator, arbiter, or ruler, am not present; but I, as a mother whose heart pulsates with every throb of theirs for the welfare of her children, am present, and rejoice |
| 15 | with them that rejoice. May meekness, mercy, and love dwell forever in
the |
| 18 | will they receive the heritage that God has prepared for His people,-made ready for the pure in affection, the meek in spirit, the worshipper in truth, the follower of |
| 21 | good. Thus founded upon the rock of Christ, when storm |
| 24 | safely sheltered in the strong tower of hope, faith, and Love, are God's nestlings; and He will hide you in His feathers till the storm has passed. Into His haven of |
| 27 | Soul there enters no element of earth to cast out angels, to silence the right intuition which guides you safely home. |
| 30 | Exercise more faith in God and His spiritual means Page 153 |
| 1 | and methods, than in man and his material ways and means, of establishing the Cause of Christian Science. |
| 3 | If right yourself, God will confirm His inheritance. "Be not weary in well doing." Truth is restful, and Love is triumphant. |
| 6 | When God went forth before His people, they were fed with manna: they marched through the wilderness: they passed through the Red Sea, untouched by the bil- |
| 9 | lows. At His command, the rock became a fountain; and the land of promise, green isles of refreshment. In the words of the Psalmist, when" the Lord gave the word: |
| 12 | great was the company of those that published it." God is good to Israel, - washed in the waters of |
| 15 | encompassed not with pride, hatred, self-will, and self- justification; wherein violence covereth men as a gar- ment, and as captives are they enchained. |
| 18 | Christian Scientists bring forth the fruits of Spirit, not flesh; and God giveth this "new name" to no man who honors Him not by positive proof of trust worthiness. |
| 21 | May you be able to say, "I have not cleansed my heart Sir Edwin Arnold, to whom I presented a copy of |
| 24 | my first edition of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," writes: - Peace on earth and Good-will! |
| 27 | Souls that are gentle and still Hear the first music of this Far-off, infinite, Bliss! |
| 30 | So may the God of peace be and abide with this church. MARY BAKER EDDY Page 154 TO FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST, IN LAWRENCE |
| 3 | Beloved Brethren: - The spreading branches of The Church of Christ, Scientist, are fast reaching out their broad shelter to the entire world. Your faith has not |
| 6 | been without works, - and God's love for His flock is manifest in His care. He will dig about this little church, prune its encumbering branches, water it with the dews |
| 9 | of heaven, enrich its roots, and enlarge its borders with divine Love. God only waits for man's worthiness to enhance the means and measure of His grace. You |
| 12 | have already proof of the prosperity of His Zion. You sit beneath your own vine and fig-tree as the growth of spirituality - even that vine whereof our Father is |
| 15 | husbandman. It is the purpose of divine Love to resurrect the
under- |
| 18 | mony already within us. Through the word that is spoken unto you, are you made free. Abide in His word, and it shall abide in you; and the healing Christ will |
| 21 | again be made manifest in the flesh - understood and Honor thy Father and Mother, God. Continue in |
| 24 | His love. Bring forth fruit - "signs following" - that your prayers be not hindered. Pray without ceasing. Watch diligently; never desert the post of spiritual ob- |
| 27 | servation and self-examination. Strive for self-abnega- tion, justice, meekness, mercy, purity, love. Let your light reflect Light. Have no ambition, affection, nor |
| 30 | aim apart from holiness. Forget not for a moment, that Page 155 |
| 1 | God is All-in-all-therefore, that in reality there is but one cause and effect. |
| 3 | The pride of circumstance or power is the prince of this world that has nothing in Christ. All power and happiness are spiritual, and proceed from goodness. |
| 6 | Sacrifice self to bless one another, even as God has blessed you. Forget self in laboring for mankind; then will you woo the weary wanderer to your door, win the |
| 9 | pilgrim and stranger to your church, and find access to the heart of humanity. While pressing meekly on, be faithful, be valiant in the Christian's warfare, and peace |
| 12 | will crown your joy. Lovingly yours, MARY BAKER EDDY TO CORRESPONDENTS Beloved Students:
- Because Mother has not the time |
| 18 | less wherein to answer it (however much she desires thus to do), she hereby requests: First, that you, her students' students, who write such excellent letters to |
| 21 | her, will hereafter, as a general rule, send them to the editors of The Christian Science Journal for publication, and thereby give to us all the pleasure of hearing from you. |
| 24 | If my own students cannot spare time to write to God, - when they address me I shall be apt to forward their letters to Him as our common Parent, and by way of |
| 27 | The Christian Science Journal; thus fulfilling their moral obligation to furnish some reading-matter for our denomi- national organ. Methinks, were they to contemplate the |
| 30 | universal charge wherewith divine Love has entrusted us, Page 156 Miscellaneous Writings |
| 1 | in behalf of a suffering race, they would contribute oftener to the pages of this swift vehicle of scientific thought; |
| 3 | for it reaches a vast number of earnest readers, and seek- With love, MARY BAKER EDDY TO STUDENTS Beloved Christian Scientists: - Please send in your |
| 9 | quarters, and when the mist shall melt away you will see clearly the signs of Truth and the heaven of Love within your hearts. Let the reign of peace and harmony be |
| 12 | supreme and forever yours. I proposed to merge the adjourned meeting in the
one |
| 15 | disadvantage, in one student's opinions or modus oper- andi becoming the basis for others: read "Retrospection" on this subject. Science is absolute, and best under- |
| 18 | stood through the study of my works and the daily Chris- tian demonstration thereof. It is their materiality that clogs the progress of students, and "this kind goeth not |
| 21 | forth but by prayer and fasting." It is materialism through which the animal magnetizer preys, and in turn becomes a prey. Spirituality is the basis of all true thought and |
| 24 | volition. Assembling themselves together, and listening to each other amicably, or contentiously, is no aid to students in acquiring solid Christian Science. Experi- |
| 27 | ence and, above all, obedience, are the aids and tests of With love, |
| 30 | MARY B. G. EDDY Page 157 TO A STUDENT My Dear Student: - It is a great thing to be found |
| 3 | worthy to suffer for Christ, Truth. Paul said, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him." Reign then, my beloved in the Lord. He that marketh the sparrow's fall |
| 6 | will direct thy way. I have written, or caused my secretary to write,
to Mr. |
| 9 | card in The C. S. Journal), that you or your lawyer will ask them all questions important for your case, and re- quested that they furnish all information possible. They |
| 12 | will be glad to help you. Every true Christian Scientist will feel "as bound with you," but as free in Truth and Love, safe under the shadow of His wing. |
| 15 | Yes, my student, my Father is your Father; and He helps us most when help is most needed, for He is the ever-present help. |
| 18 | I am glad that you are in good cheer. I enclose you the name of Mr. E. A. Kimball, C. S. D., of Chicago, - 5020 Woodlawn Ave., - for items relative to Mrs. Steb- |
| 21 | bin's case. "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also
in Him; |
| 24 | thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the Write me when you need me. Error has no power |
| 27 | but to destroy itself. It cannot harm you; it cannot stop the eternal currents of Truth. Ever with love, |
| 30 | MARY B. G. EDDY Page 158 TO A STUDENT My Beloved Student: - In reply to your letter I will |
| 3 | say: God's ways are not as our ways; but higher far than the heavens above the earth is His wisdom above ours. When I requested you to be ordained, I little |
| 6 | thought of the changes about to be made. When I in- sisted on your speaking without notes, I little knew that so soon another change in your pulpit would be demanded. |
| 9 | But now, after His messenger has obeyed the message of divine Love, comes the interpretation thereof. But you see we both had first to obey, and to do this through faith, |
| 12 | not sight. The meaning of it all, as now shown, is this: when |
| 15 | faithful service, thus to honor it. The second command, to drop the use of notes, was to rebuke a lack of faith in divine help, and to test your humility and obedience in |
| 18 | bearing this cross. All God's servants are minute men and women. As |
| 21 | ing for the watchword and the revelation of what, how, whither. Let us be faithful and obedient, and God will do the rest. |
| 24 | In the April number of The Christian Science Journal you will find the forthcoming completion (as I now think) of the divine directions sent out to the churches. It is |
| 27 | satisfactory to note, however, that the order therein given corresponds to the example of our Master. Jesus was not ordained as our churches ordain ministers. We |
| 30 | have no record that he used notes when preaching. He Page 159 |
| 1 | spake in their synagogues, reading the Scriptures and expounding them; and God has given to this age "Science |
| 3 | and Health with Key to the Scriptures," to elucidate You may read this letter to your church, and then |
| 6 | send it to Rev. Mr. Norcross, and he will understand. May the God of all grace give you peace. With love, |
| 9 | MARY BAKER EDDY EXTRACT FROM A CHRISTMAS LETTER
Beloved Students: - My heart has many rooms: one |
| 12 | of these is sacred to the memory of my students. Into this upper chamber, where all things are pure and of good report, - into this sanctuary of love, - I often |
| 15 | retreat, sit silently, and ponder. In this chamber is memory's wardrobe, where I deposit certain recollec- tions and rare grand collections once in each year. This |
| 18 | is my Christmas storehouse. Its goods commemorate, - not so much the Bethlehem babe, as the man of God, the risen Christ, and the adult Jesus. Here I deposit |
| 21 | the gifts that my dear students offer at the shrine of Christian Science, and to their lone Leader. Here I talk once a year, - and this is a bit of what I said in 1890: |
| 24 | "O glorious Truth ! O Mother Love ! how has the sense of Thy children grown to behold Thee! and how have many weary wings sprung upward! and how has our |
| 27 | Model, Christ, been unveiled to us, and to the age!" I look at the rich devices in embroidery, silver,
gold, |
| 30 | parts of our nation, and some from abroad, - then al- Page 160 |
| 1 | most marvel at the power and permanence of affection under the régime of Christian Science! Never did grati- |
| 3 | tude and love unite more honestly in uttering the word thanks, than ours at this season. But a mother's love behind words has no language; it may give no material |
| 6 | token, but lives steadily on, through time and circum- Thus may our lives flow on in the same sweet rhythm |
| 9 | of head and heart, till they meet and mingle in bliss super- nal. There is a special joy in knowing that one is gaining constantly in the knowledge of Truth and divine Love. |
| 12 | Your progress, the past year, has been marked. It satis- fies my present hope. Of this we rest assured, that every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger and firmer in |
| 15 | understanding and obedience. Lovingly yours, MARY BAKER G. EDDY Page 161 CHAPTER VI - SERMONS
A CHRISTMAS SERMON DELIVERED IN CHICKERING HALL, BOSTON, MASS., ON THE SUNDAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 1888
SUBJECT: The Corporeal
and Incorporeal Saviour TEXT: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the |
| 6 | government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. - ISAIAH ix. 6. |
| 9 | TO the senses, Jesus was the son of man: in Science, man is the son of God. The material senses could not cognize the Christ, or Son of God: it was Jesus' |
| 12 | approximation to this state of being that made him the The prophet whose words we have chosen for our |
| 15 | text, prophesied the appearing of this dual nature, as both human and divinely endowed, the personal and the impersonal Jesus. |
| 18 | The only record of our Master as a public benefactor, or personal Saviour, opens when he was thirty years of age; owing in part, perhaps, to the Jewish law that none |
| 21 | should teach or preach in public under that age. Also, it is natural to conclude that at this juncture he was specially endowed with the Holy Spirit; for he was given |
| 24 | the new name, Messiah, or Jesus Christ, - the God- Page 162 |
| 1 | anointed; even as, at times of special enlightenment, Jacob was called Israel; and Saul, Paul. |
| 3 | The third event of this eventful period, - a period of such wonderful spiritual import to mankind! - was the advent of a higher Christianity. |
| 6 | From this dazzling, God-crowned summit, the Naza- rene stepped suddenly before the people and their schools of philosophy; Gnostic, Epicurean, and Stoic. He must |
| 9 | stem these rising angry elements, and walk serenely over Here the cross became the emblem of Jesus' history; |
| 12 | while the central point of his Messianic mission was peace, Clad with divine might, he was ready to stem the tide |
| 15 | of Judaism, and prove his power, derived from Spirit, to be supreme; lay himself as a lamb upon the altar of materialism, and therefrom rise to his nativity in Spirit. |
| 18 | The corporeal Jesus bore our infirmities, and through his stripes we are healed. He was the Way-shower, and suffered in the flesh, showing mortals how to escape from |
| 21 | the sins of the flesh. There was no incorporeal Jesus of Nazareth. The |
| 24 | Father, without corporeality or finite mind. Materiality, worldliness, human pride, or self-will,
by |
| 27 | dethroned his power as the Christ. To carry out his holy purpose, he must be oblivious
of |
| 30 | Of the lineage of David, like him he went forth, simple Page 163 |
| 1 | ing, he sought to conquer the three-in-one of error: the world, the flesh, and the devil. |
| 3 | Three years he went about doing good. He had for thirty years been preparing to heal and teach divinely; but his three-years mission was a marvel of glory: its |
| 6 | chaplet, a grave to mortal sense dishonored - from which He who dated time, the Christian era, and spanned |
| 9 | eternity, was the meekest man on earth. He healed and taught by the wayside, in humble homes: to arrant hypocrite and to dull disciples he explained the Word |
| 12 | of God, which has since ripened into interpretation His words were articulated in the language of a de- |
| 15 | clining race, and committed to the providence of God. In no one thing seemed he less human and more divine than in his unfaltering faith in the immortality of Truth. |
| 18 | Referring to this, he said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away!" and they have not: they still live; and are the basis of divine |
| 21 | liberty, the medium of Mind, the hope of the race. Only three years a personal Saviour! yet the founda- |
| 24 | stone. After his brief brave struggle, and the crucifixion
of |
| 27 | or spiritual idea which leadeth into all Truth - must needs come in Christian Science, demonstrating the spir- itual healing of body and mind. |
| 30 | This idea or divine essence was, and is, forever about Page 164 |
| 1 | Its divine Principle interprets the incorporeal idea, or Son of God; hence the incorporeal and corporeal are |
| 3 | distinguished thus: the former is the spiritual idea that represents divine good, and the latter is the human presentation of goodness in man. The Science of Chris- |
| 6 | tianity, that has appeared in the ripeness of time, re- veals the incorporeal Christ; and this will continue to be seen more clearly until it be acknowledged, under- |
| 9 | stood, - and the Saviour, which is Truth, be compre- To the vision of the Wisemen, this spiritual idea of the |
| 12 | Principle of man or the universe, appeared as a star. At first, the babe Jesus seemed small to mortals; but from the mount of revelation, the prophet beheld it from the |
| 15 | beginning as the Redeemer, who would present a wonder- In our text Isaiah foretold, "His name shall be called |
| 18 | Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting As the Wisemen grew in the understanding of Christ, |
| 21 | the spiritual idea, it grew in favor with them. Thus it will continue, as it shall become understood, until man be found in the actual likeness of his Maker. Their |
| 24 | highest human concept of the man Jesus, that portrayed him as the only Son of God, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and Truth, will become so magnified |
| 27 | to human sense, by means of the lens of Science, as to reveal man collectively, as individually, to be the son of God. |
| 30 | The limited view of God's ideas arose from the testimony Page 165 |
| 1 | itual idea that the personal Jesus demonstrated, casting out evils and healing, more than eighteen centuries ago, |
| 3 | disappeared by degrees; both because of the ascension of Jesus, in which it was seen that he had grown beyond the human sense of him, and because of the corruption of |
| 6 | the Church. The last appearing of Truth will be a wholly spiritual |
| 9 | corporeality. This infinite idea of infinity will be, is, as eternal as its divine Principle. The daystar of this appear- ing is the light of Christian Science - the Science which |
| 12 | rends the veil of the flesh from top to bottom. The light of this revelation leaves nothing that is material; neither darkness, doubt, disease, nor death. The material cor- |
| 15 | poreality disappears; and individual spirituality, perfect The truth uttered and lived by Jesus, who passed on |
| 18 | and left to mortals the rich legacy of what he said and did, makes his followers the heirs to his example; but they can neither appreciate nor appropriate his treasures |
| 21 | of Truth and Love, until lifted to these by their own growth and experiences. His goodness and grace pur- chased the means of mortals' redemption from sin; but, |
| 24 | they never paid the price of sin. This cost, none but the sinner can pay; and accordingly as this account is settled with divine Love, is the sinner ready to avail himself of |
| 27 | the rich blessings flowing from the teaching, example, The secret stores of wisdom must be discovered, their |
| 30 | treasures reproduced and given to the world, before man Page 166 |
| 1 | Science, which alone demonstrates the divine Principle and spiritual idea of being. |
| 3 | The monument whose finger points upward, commem- orates the earthly life of a martyr; but this is not all of the philanthropist, hero, and Christian. The Truth he |
| 6 | has taught and spoken lives, and moves in our midst a divine afflatus. Thus it is that the ideal Christ - or impersonal infancy, manhood, and womanhood of Truth |
| 9 | and Love - is still with us. And what of this child? - "For unto
us a child is |
| 12 | be upon his shoulder." This child, or spiritual idea, has evolved a more
ready |
| 15 | standing of Truth and Love. When Christ, the incor- poreal idea of God, was nameless, and a Mary knew not how to declare its spiritual origin, the idea of man was |
| 18 | not understood. The Judaean religion even required the Virgin-mother to go to the temple and be purified, for having given birth to the corporeal child Jesus, whose |
| 21 | origin was more spiritual than the senses could inter- pret. Like the leaven that a certain woman hid in three measures of meal, the Science of God and the spiritual |
| 24 | idea, named in this century Christian Science, is leaven- ing the lump of human thought, until the whole shall be leavened and all materialism disappear. This action |
| 27 | of the divine energy, even if not acknowledged, has come to be seen as diffusing richest blessings. This spiritual idea, or Christ, entered into the minutiae of the |
| 30 | life of the personal Jesus. It made him an honest man, Page 167 |
| 1 | The material questions at this age on the reappearing of the infantile thought of God's man, are after the man- |
| 3 | ner of a mother in the flesh, though their answers per- tain to the spiritual idea, as in Christian Science: - Is he deformed? |
| 6 | He is wholly symmetrical; the one altogether lovely. Is the babe a son, or daughter? Both son and daughter: even the compound idea of |
| 9 | all that resembles God. How much does he weigh? His substance outweighs the material world. |
| 12 | How old is he? Of his days there is no beginning and no ending. What is his name? |
| 15 | Christ Science. Who are his parents, brothers, and sisters? His Father and Mother are divine Life, Truth, and |
| 18 | Love; and they who do the will of his Father are his brethren. Is he heir to an estate? |
| 21 | "The government shall be upon his shoulder!" He has dominion over the whole earth; and in admiration of his origin, he exclaims, "I thank Thee, O Father, Lord |
| 24 | of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes !" |
| 27 | Is he wonderful? Page 168 |
| 1 | to the captive, health to the sick, salvation from sin to the sinner - and overcometh the world ! |
| 3 | Go, and tell what things ye shall see and hear: how the blind, spiritually and physically, receive sight; how the lame, those halting between two opinions or hob- |
| 6 | bling on crutches, walk; how the physical and moral lepers are cleansed; how the deaf - those who, having ears, hear not, and are afflicted with "tympanum on the |
| 9 | brain" - hear; how the dead, those buried in dogmas and physical ailments, are raised; that to the poor - the lowly in Christ, not the man-made rabbi - the |
| 12 | gospel is preached. Note this: only such as are pure in spirit, emptied of vainglory and vain knowledge, re- ceive Truth. |
| 15 | Here ends the colloquy; and a voice from heaven seems The nineteenth-century prophets repeat, "Unto us a |
| 18 | son is given." The shepherds shout, "We behold the appearing
of EDITOR'S EXTRACTS FROM SERMON TEXT: Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures,
nor the power of |
| 24 | The Christian Science Journal reported as follows: - The announcement that the Rev. Mary B. G. Eddy |
| 27 | afternoon of October 26, drew a large audience. Haw- thorne Hall was densely packed, and many had to go away unable to obtain seats. The distinguished speaker |
| 30 | began by saying: - Page 169 |
| 1 | Within Bible pages she had found all the divine Science she preaches; noticing, all along the way of her researches |
| 3 | therein, that whenever her thoughts had wandered into the bypaths of ancient philosophies or pagan literatures, her spiritual insight had been darkened thereby, till |
| 6 | she was God-driven back to the inspired pages. Early training, through the misinterpretation of the Word, had been the underlying cause of the long years of in- |
| 9 | validism she endured before Truth dawned upon her understanding, through right interpretation. With the understanding of Scripture-meanings, had come physical |
| 12 | rejuvenation. The uplifting of spirit was the upbuild- She affirmed that the Scriptures cannot properly be |
| 15 | interpreted in a literal way. The truths they teach must be spiritually discerned, before their message can be borne fully to our minds and hearts. That there is a |
| 18 | dual meaning to every Biblical passage, the most eminent divines of the world have concluded; and to get at the highest, or metaphysical, it is necessary rightly to read |
| 21 | what the inspired writers left for our spiritual instruction. The literal rendering of the Scriptures makes them noth- ing valuable, but often is the foundation of unbelief and |
| 24 | hopelessness. The metaphysical rendering is health and peace and hope for all. The literal or material reading is the reading of the carnal mind, which is enmity toward |
| 27 | God, Spirit. Taking several Bible passages, Mrs. Eddy showed
how |
| 30 | understood. "Let the dead bury their dead; follow Page 170 |
| 1 | from the belief of death, the last enemy to be overthrown; for by following Christ truly, resurrection and life im- |
| 3 | mortal are brought to us. If we follow him, to us there can be no dead. Those who know not this, may still believe in death and weep over the graves of their beloved; |
| 6 | but with him is Life eternal, which never changes to death. The eating of bread and drinking of wine at the Lord's supper, merely symbolize the spiritual refresh- |
| 9 | ment of God's children having rightly read His Word, whose entrance into their understanding is healthful life. This is the reality behind the symbol. |
| 12 | So, also, she spoke of the hades, or hell of Scripture, saying, that we make our own heavens and our own hells, by right and wise, or wrong and foolish, conceptions of |
| 15 | God and our fellow-men. Jesus interpreted all spirit- ually: "I have bread to eat that ye know not of," he said. The bread he ate, which was refreshment of divine |
| 18 | strength, we also may all partake of. The material record of the Bible, she said, is
no more |
| 21 | and America; but the spiritual application bears upon our eternal life. The method of Jesus was purely meta- physical; and no other method is Christian Science. In |
| 24 | the passage recording Jesus' proceedings with the blind man (Mark viii.) he is said to have spat upon the dust. Spitting was the Hebrew method of expressing the utmost |
| 27 | contempt. So Jesus is recorded as having expressed contempt for the belief of material eyes as having any power to see. Having eyes, ye see not; and ears, ye hear |
| 30 | not, he had just told them. The putting on of hands Page 171 |
| 1 | "His hand is not shortened that it cannot save," can never be wrested from its true meaning to signify human |
| 3 | hands. Jesus' first effort to realize Truth was not wholly successful; but he rose to the occasion with the second attempt, and the blind saw clearly. To suppose that |
| 6 | Jesus did actually anoint the blind man's eyes with his spittle, is as absurd as to think, according to the report of some, that Christian Scientists sit in back-to-back |
| 9 | seances with their patients, for the divine power to filter from vertebrae to vertebrae. When one comes to the age with spiritual translations of God's messages, expressed |
| 12 | in literal or physical terms, our right action is not to con- demn and deny, but to "try the spirits" and see what manner they are of. This does not mean communing |
| 15 | with spirits supposed to have departed from the earth, but the seeking out of the basis upon which are accom- plished the works by which the new teacher would prove |
| 18 | his right to be heard. By these signs are the true disciples EXTRACT FROM A SERMON DELIVERED IN BOSTON, JANUARY 18, 1885 TEXT: The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman |
| 24 | took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.
Few people at present know aught of the Science of |
| 27 | mental healing; and so many are obtruding upon the public attention their ignorance or false knowledge in the name of Science, that it behooves all clad in the shin- |
| 30 | ing mail to keep bright their invincible armor; to keep Page 172 |
| 1 | their demonstrations modest, and their claims and lives steadfast in Truth. |
| 3 | Dispensing the Word charitably, but separating the tares from the wheat, let us declare the positive and the negative of metaphysical Science; what it is, and |
| 6 | what it is not. Intrepid, self-oblivious Protestants in a higher sense than ever before, let us meet and defeat the claims of sense and sin, regardless of the bans or |
| 9 | clans pouring in their fire upon us; and white-winged charity, brooding over all, shall cover with her feathers the veriest sinner. |
| 12 | Divine and unerring Mind measures man, until the three measures be accomplished, and he arrives at fulness of stature; for "the Lord God omnipotent |
| 16 | reigneth." Science is divine: it is neither of human origin
nor of |
| 18 | the evidences whereof are taken in by the five personal senses, presents but a finite, feeble sense of the infinite law of God; which law is written on the heart, received |
| 21 | through the affections, spiritually understood, and dem- This law of God is the Science of mental healing, |
| 24 | spiritually discerned, understood, and obeyed. Mental Science, and the five personal senses, are
at |
| 27 | mutable right, - the health, holiness, and immortality of man. To gain this scientific result, the first and funda- mental rule of Science must be understood and adhered |
| 30 | to; namely, the oft-repeated declaration in Scripture Page 173 |
| 1 | Ancient and modern philosophy, human reason, or man's theorems, misstate mental Science, its Principle |
| 3 | and practice. The most enlightened sense herein sees Who has ever learned of the schools that there is but |
| 6 | one Mind, and that this is God, who healeth all our sick- Who has ever learned from the schools, pagan phi- |
| 9 | losophy, or scholastic theology, that Science is the law of Mind and not of matter, and that this law has no relation to, or recognition of, matter? |
| 12 | Mind is its own great cause and effect. Mind is God, omnipotent and omnipresent. What, then, of an oppo- site so-called science, which says that man is both matter |
| 15 | and mind, that Mind is in matter? Can the infinite be within the finite? And must not man have preexisted in the All and Only? Does an evil mind exist without |
| 18 | space to occupy, power to act, or vanity to pretend that If God is Mind and fills all space, is everywhere, matter |
| 21 | is nowhere and sin is obsolete. If Mind, God, is all-power and all-presence, man is not met by another power and presence, that - obstructing his intelligence - |
| 24 | pains, fetters, and befools him. The perfection of man is intact; whence, then, is something besides Him that is not the counterpart but the counterfeit of man's creator? |
| 27 | Surely not from God, for He made man in His own likeness. Whence, then, is the atom or molecule called matter? Have attraction and cohesion formed it? |
| 30 | But are these forces laws of matter, or laws of For matter to be matter, it must have been self-created. Page 174 |
| 1 | Mind has no more power to evolve or to create matter than has good to produce evil. Matter is a misstatement |
| 3 | of Mind; it is a lie, claiming to talk and disclaim against Truth; idolatry, having other gods; evil, having presence and power over omnipotence! |
| 6 | Let us have a clearing up of abstractions. Let us come into the presence of Him who removeth all iniqui- ties, and healeth all our diseases. Let us attach our sense |
| 9 | of Science to what touches the religious sentiment within man. Let us open our affections to the Principle that moves all in harmony, - from the falling of a sparrow |
| 12 | to the rolling of a world. Above Arcturus and his sons, broader than the solar system and higher than the at- mosphere of our planet, is the Science of mental |
| 15 | healing. What is the kingdom of heaven? The abode of Spirit, |
| 18 | there - nothing that maketh or worketh a lie. Is this kingdom afar off? No: it is ever-present here. The first to declare against this kingdom is matter. Shall |
| 21 | that be called heresy which pleads for Spirit - the All of The kingdom of heaven is the reign of divine Science: |
| 24 | it is a mental state. Jesus said it is within you, and taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come;" but he did not teach us to pray for death whereby to gain heaven. |
| 27 | We do not look into darkness for light. Death can never usher in the dawn of Science that reveals the spiritual facts of man's Life here and now. |
| 30 | The leaven which a woman took and hid in three Page 175 |
| 1 | small voice" that breathes His presence and power, cast- ing out error and healing the sick. And woman, the |
| 3 | spiritual idea, takes of the things of God and showeth them unto the creature, until the whole sense of being is leavened with Spirit. The three measures of meal |
| 6 | may well be likened to the false sense of life, substance, and intelligence, which says, I am sustained by bread, matter, instead of Mind. The spiritual leaven of divine |
| 9 | Science changes this false sense, giving better views of Life; saying, Man's Life is God; and when this shall appear, it shall be "the substance of things hoped for." |
| 12 | The measure of Life shall increase by every spiritual touch, even as the leaven expands the loaf. Man shall keep the feast of Life, not with the old leaven of the |
| 15 | scribes and Pharisees, neither with "the leaven of malice and wickedness; but the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." |
| 18 | Thus it can be seen that the Science of mental healing must be understood. There are false Christs that would "deceive, if it were possible, the very elect," by institut- |
| 21 | ing matter and its methods in place of God, Mind. Their supposition is, that there are other minds than His; that one mind controls another; that one belief takes the |
| 24 | place of another. But this ism of to-day has nothing to do with the Science of mental healing which acquaints us with God and reveals the one perfect Mind and His |
| 27 | laws. The attempt to mix matter and Mind, to work by |
| 30 | literally saying, Have we not in thy name cast out devils, But remember God in all thy ways, and thou shalt Page 176 |
| 1 | find the truth that breaks the dream of sense, letting the harmony of Science that declares Him, come in with |
| 3 | healing, and peace, and perfect love. SUNDAY SERVICES ON JULY FOURTH - EXTEMPORE REMARKS |
| 6 | The great theme so deeply and solemnly expounded by the preacher, has been exemplified in all ages, but chiefly in the great crises of nations or of the human race. |
| 9 | It is then that supreme devotion to Principle has espe- cially been called for and manifested. It is then that we learn a little more of the nothingness of evil, and more |
| 12 | of the divine energies of good, and strive valiantly for the The day we celebrate reminds us of the heroes and |
| 15 | heroines who counted not their own lives dear to them, when they sought the New England shores, not as the flying nor as conquerors, but, steadfast in faith and love, |
| 18 | to build upon the rock of Christ, the true idea of God - the supremacy of Spirit and the nothingness of matter. When first the Pilgrims planted their feet on Plymouth |
| 21 | Rock, frozen ritual and creed should forever have melted away in the fire of love which came down from heaven. The Pilgrims came to establish a nation in true freedom, |
| 24 | in the rights of conscience. But what of ourselves, and our times and obligations? |
| 27 | responsibilities? Are we prepared to meet and improve Page 177 |
| 1 | Never was there a more solemn and imperious call than God makes to us all, right here, for fervent de- |
| 3 | votion and an absolute consecration to the greatest and holiest of all causes. The hour is come. The great battle of Armageddon is upon us. The powers of evil |
| 6 | are leagued together in secret conspiracy against the Lord and against His Christ, as expressed and opera- tive in Christian Science. Large numbers, in desperate |
| 9 | malice, are engaged day and night in organizing action against us. Their feeling and purpose are deadly, and they have sworn enmity against the lives of our standard- |
| 12 | bearers. What will you do about it? Will you be equally
in |
| 15 | zeal, and become real and consecrated warriors? Will you give yourselves wholly and irrevocably to the great work of establishing the truth, the gospel, and the Science |
| 18 | which are necessary to the salvation of the world from EASTER SERVICES The editor of The Christian Science Journal
said that |
| 24 | the pastor, Rev. Mary Baker G. Eddy, accompanied by Rev. D. A. Easton, who was announced to preach the sermon, came on the platform. The pastor intro- |
| 27 | duced Mr. Easton as follows: - Friends: -
The homesick traveller in foreign lands |
| 30 | sick for heaven. In my long journeyings I have met Page 178 |
| 1 | one who comes from the place of my own sojourning for many years, - the Congregational Church. He is |
| 3 | a graduate of Bowdoin College and of Andover The- ological School. He has left his old church, as I did, from a yearning of the heart; because he was not sat- |
| 6 | isfied with a manlike God, but wanted to become a God- like man. He found that the new wine could not be put into old bottles without bursting them, and he came |
| 9 | to us. Mr. Easton then delivered an interesting discourse |
| 12 | those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col. iii. 1), which he prefaced by saying: - |
| 15 | "I think it was about a year ago that I strayed into this hall, a stranger, and wondered what sort of people you were, and of what you were worshippers. If any |
| 18 | one had said to me that to-day I should stand before you to preach a sermon on Christian Science, I should have replied, 'Much learning' - or something else - |
| 21 | 'hath made thee mad.' If I had not found Christian Science a new gospel, I should not be standing before you: if I had not found it truth, I could not have stood up |
| 24 | again to preach, here or elsewhere." At the conclusion of the sermon, the pastor again
came |
| 27 | My friends, I wished to be excused from speaking to-day, but will yield to circumstances. In the flesh, we are as a partition wall between the old and the new; |
| 30 | between the old religion in which we have been educated, Page 179 |
| 1 | The old churches are saying, "He is not here;" and, "Who shall roll away the stone?" |
| 3 | The stone has been rolled away by human suffer- ing. The first rightful desire in the hour of loss, when believing we have lost sight of Truth, is to know where |
| 6 | He is laid. This appeal resolves itself into these Is our consciousness in matter or in God? Have we |
| 9 | any other consciousness than that of good? If we have, He is saying to us to-day, "Adam, where art thou?" We are wrong if our consciousness is in sin, sickness, and |
| 12 | death. This is the old consciousness. In the new religion the teaching is, "He is
not here; |
| 15 | more to us, - more true, more spiritual." Can we say this to-day? Have we left the conscious-
|
| 18 | holiness? What is it that seems a stone between us and the |
| 21 | It is the belief of mind in matter. We can only come into the spiritual resurrection by quitting the old con- sciousness of Soul in sense. |
| 24 | These flowers are floral apostles. God does all this through His followers; and He made every flower in Mind before it sprang from the earth: yet we look into |
| 27 | matter and the earth to give us these smiles of God! We must lay aside material consciousness, and then |
| 30 | - Master! In 1866, when God revealed to me this risen Christ, Page 180 |
| 1 | lives, I live," I awoke from the dream of Spirit in the flesh so far as to take the side of Spirit, and strive to cease |
| 3 | my warfare. When, through this consciousness, I was delivered
from |
| 6 | frightened at beholding me restored to health. A dear old lady asked me, "How is it that
you are |
| 9 | "Christ never left," I replied; "Christ is Truth, and Then another person, more material, met me, and I |
| 12 | said, in the words of my Master, "Touch me not." I shuddered at her material approach; then my heart went out to God, and I found the open door from this sepulchre |
| 15 | of matter. I love the Easter service: it speaks to
me of Life, and |
| 18 | Let us do our work; then we shall have part in his BIBLE LESSONS |
| 21 | But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of |
| 24 | God. - JOHN i. 12, 13. Here, the apostle assures us that man has power
to |
| 27 | "son" is defined variously; a month is called the son of a year. This term, as applied to man, is used in both a material and a spiritual sense. The Scriptures speak |
| 30 | of Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of man; but Page 181 |
| 1 | Jesus said to call no man father; "for one is your Father," even God. |
| 3 | Is man's spiritual sonship a personal gift to man, or is it the reality of his being, in divine Science? Man's knowledge of this grand verity gives him power to dem- |
| 6 | onstrate his divine Principle, which in turn is requisite in order to understand his sonship, or unity with God, good. A personal requirement of blind obedience to |
| 9 | the law of being, would tend to obscure the order of Science, unless that requirement should express the claims of the divine Principle. Infinite Principle and infinite |
| 12 | Spirit must be one. What avail, then, to quarrel over what is the person of Spirit, - if we recognize infinitude as personality,-for who can tell what is the form of |
| 15 | infinity ? When we understand man's true birthright, that he is "born, not . . . of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God," we shall understand that man |
| 18 | is the offspring of Spirit, and not of the flesh; recognize him through spiritual, and not material laws; and regard him as spiritual, and not material. His sonship, referred |
| 21 | to in the text, is his spiritual relation to Deity: it is not, then, a personal gift, but is the order of divine Science. The apostle urges upon our acceptance this great fact: |
| 24 | "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God." Mortals will lose their sense of mortality - disease, sickness, sin, and death - in |
| 27 | the proportion that they gain the sense of man's spirit- ual preexistence as God's child; as the offspring of good, and not of God's opposite, - evil, or a fallen |
| 30 | man. John the Baptist had a clear discernment of divine Page 182 |
| 1 | antedated his own existence, began spiritually instead of materially to reckon himself logically; hence the im- |
| 3 | possibility of putting him to death, only in belief, through "As many as received him;" that is, as many as per- |
| 6 | ceive man's actual existence in and of his divine Princi- ple, receive the Truth of existence; and these have no other God, no other Mind, no other origin; therefore, in |
| 9 | time they lose their false sense of existence, and find their adoption with the Father; to wit, the redemption of the body. Through divine Science man gains the |
| 12 | power to become the son of God, to recognize his perfect "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of |
| 15 | the flesh." This passage refers to man's primal, spirit- ual existence, created neither from dust nor carnal de- sire. "Nor of the will of man." Born of no doctrine, |
| 18 | no human faith, but beholding the truth of being; even the understanding that man was never lost in Adam, since he is and ever was the image and likeness of God, |
| 21 | good. But no mortal hath seen the spiritual man, more than he hath seen the Father. The apostle indicates no personal plan of a personal Jehovah, partial and finite; |
| 24 | but the possibility of all finding their place in God's great love, the eternal heritage of the Elohim, His sons and daughters. The text is a metaphysical statement of exist- |
| 27 | ence as Principle and idea, wherein man and his Maker When the Word is made flesh, - that is, rendered |
| 30 | practical, - this eternal Truth will be understood; and Page 183 |
| 1 | and the pride of life will then be quenched in the divine Science of being; in the ever-present good, omnipotent |
| 3 | Love, and eternal Life, that know no death. In the great forever, the verities of being exist, and must be acknowl- edged and demonstrated. Man must love his neighbor |
| 6 | as himself, and the power of Truth must be seen and felt in health, happiness, and holiness: then it will be found that Mind is All-in-all, and there is no matter to |
| 9 | cope with. Man is free born: he is neither the slave of sense,
nor a |
| 12 | conscious matter. Man is God's image and likeness; whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection. Through the transparency of Science we learn |
| 15 | this, and receive it: learn that man can fulfil the Scrip- tures in every instance; that if he open his mouth it shall be filled - not by reason of the schools, or learning, but |
| 18 | by the natural ability, that reflection already has bestowed "Who hath believed our report?" Who understands |
| 21 | these sayings? He to whom the arm of the Lord is re- vealed; to whom divine Science unfolds omnipotence, that equips man with divine power while it shames human |
| 24 | pride. Asserting a selfhood apart from God, is a denial of man's spiritual sonship; for it claims another father. As many as do receive a knowledge of God through |
| 27 | Science, will have power to reflect His power, in proof of man's "dominion over all the earth." He is bravely brave who dares at this date refute the evidence of material |
| 30 | sense with the facts of Science, and will arrive at the true Page 184 the very opposite of that Maker, by claiming that
God is |
| 3 | evil; that Deity is deathless, but man dies. Science and sense conflict, from the revolving of worlds to the death of a sparrow. |
| 6 | The Word will be made flesh and dwell among mortals, only when man reflects God in body as well as in mind. The child born of a woman has the formation of his |
| 9 | parents; the man born of Spirit is spiritual, not material. Paul refers to this when speaking of presenting our bodies holy and acceptable, which is our reasonable service; |
| 12 | and this brings to remembrance the Hebrew strain, If man should say of the power to be perfect which he |
| 15 | possesses, "I am the power," he would trespass upon divine Science, yield to material sense, and lose his power; even as when saying, "I have the power to sin and be |