“Health is not a condition of matter, but of Mind.”
Thus it is with man, who
is but the humble servant of the restful Mind, though it
120:1 seems otherwise to finite sense. But we shall never under-
stand this while we admit that soul is in body or mind in
120:3 matter, and that man is included in non-intelligence.
Soul, or Spirit, is God, unchangeable and eternal; and
man coexists with and reflects Soul, God, for man is God's
120:6 image.
Reversal of testimony
Science reverses the false testimony of the physical
senses, and by this reversal mortals arrive at the funda-
120:9 mental facts of being. Then the question in-
evitably arises: Is a man sick if the material
senses indicate that he is in good health? No! for matter
120:12 can make no conditions for man. And is he well if the
senses say he is sick? Yes, he is well in Science in which
health is normal and disease is abnormal.
Health and the senses
120:15 Health is not a condition of matter, but of Mind; nor
can the material senses bear reliable testimony on the sub-
ject of health. The Science of Mind-healing
120:18 shows it to be impossible for aught but Mind
to testify truly or to exhibit the real status of man. There-
fore the divine Principle of Science, reversing the testi-
120:21 mony of the physical senses, reveals man as harmoniously
existent in Truth, which is the only basis of health; and
thus Science denies all disease, heals the sick, overthrows
120:24 false evidence, and refutes materialistic logic.
Any conclusion /pro/ or /con/, deduced from supposed sen-
sation in matter or from matter's supposed consciousness
120:27 of health or disease, instead of reversing the testimony of
the physical senses, confirms that testimony as legitimate
and so leads to disease.
Historic illustrations
120:30 When Columbus gave freer breath to the
globe, ignorance and superstition chained the
limbs of the brave old navigator, and disgrace and star-
121:1 vation stared him in the face; but sterner still would have
been his fate, if his discovery had undermined the favor-
121:3 ite inclinations of a sensuous philosophy.
“Jealousy is the grave of affection”
The lack of spiritual power in the limited demonstration
of popular Christianity does not put to silence the labor
67:27 of centuries. Spiritual, not corporeal, consciousness is
needed. Man delivered from sin, disease, and death
presents the true likeness or spiritual ideal.
Basis of true religion
67:30 Systems of religion and medicine treat of physical pains
and pleasures, but Jesus rebuked the suffering from any
such cause or effect. The epoch approaches when the
68:1 understanding of the truth of being will be the basis of
true religion. At present mortals progress slowly for
68:3 fear of being thought ridiculous. They are
slaves to fashion, pride, and sense. Some-
time we shall learn how Spirit, the great architect, has
68:6 created men and women in Science. We ought to weary
of the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing which
hinders our highest selfhood.
68:9 Jealousy is the grave of affection. The presence of
mistrust, where confidence is due, withers the flowers
of Eden and scatters love's petals to decay. Be not
68:12 in haste to take the vow "until death do us part."
Consider its obligations, its responsibilities, its rela-
tions to your growth and to your influence on other
68:15 lives.
Insanity and agamogenesis
I never knew more than one individual who believed
in agamogenesis; she was unmarried, a lovely charac-
68:18 ter, was suffering from incipient insanity, and
a Christian Scientist cured her. I have named
her case to individuals, when casting my bread upon
68:21 the waters, and it may have caused the good to ponder
and the evil to hatch their silly innuendoes and lies, since
salutary causes sometimes incur these effects. The per-
68:24 petuation of the floral species by bud or cell-division is
evident, but I discredit the belief that agamogenesis
applies to the human species.
“We classify disease as error, which nothing but Truth or Mind can heal”
He was inseparable from
482:21 Christ, the Messiah, - the divine idea of God outside
the flesh. This enabled Jesus to demonstrate his con-
trol over matter. Angels announced to the Wisemen of
482:24 old this dual appearing, and angels whisper it, through
faith, to the hungering heart in every age.
Sickness erroneous
Sickness is part of the error which Truth casts out.
482:27 Error will not expel error. Christian Science is the law
of Truth, which heals the sick, on the basis
of the one Mind or God. It can heal in no
482:30 other way, since the human, mortal mind so-called is not
a healer, but causes the belief in disease.
True healing transcendent
483:1 Then comes the question, how do drugs, hygiene, and
animal magnetism heal? It may be affirmed that they
483:3 do not heal, but only relieve suffering tempo-
rarily, exchanging one disease for another.
We classify disease as error, which nothing but Truth or
483:6 Mind can heal, and this Mind must be divine, not human.
Mind transcends all other power, and will ultimately su-
persede all other means in healing. In order to heal by
483:9 Science, you must not be ignorant of the moral and spir-
itual demands of Science nor disobey them. Moral igno-
rance or sin affects your demonstration, and hinders its
483:12 approach to the standard in Christian Science.
Terms adopted by the author
After the author's sacred discovery, she affixed the
name "Science" to Christianity, the name "error" to
483:15 corporeal sense, and the name "substance" to
Mind. Science has called the world to battle
over this issue and its demonstration, which
483:18 heals the sick, destroys error, and reveals the universal
harmony. To those natural Christian Scientists, the an-
cient worthies, and to Christ Jesus, God certainly revealed
483:21 the spirit of Christian Science, if not the absolute letter.
“Truth is immortal; error is mortal”
The attributes of God are justice,
465:15 mercy, wisdom, goodness, and so on.
/Question/. - Is there more than one God or Principle?
/Answer/. - There is not. Principle and its idea is one,
465:18 and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omni-
466:1 present Being, and His reflection is man and the universe.
/Omni/ is adopted from the Latin adjective signifying /all/.
466:3 Hence God combines all-power or potency, all-science
or true knowledge, all-presence. The varied manifesta-
tions of Christian Science indicate Mind, never matter,
466:6 and have one Principle.
Real /versus/ unreal
/Question/. - What are spirits and souls?
/Answer/. - To human belief, they are personalities
466:9 constituted of mind and matter, life and death, truth and
error, good and evil; but these contrasting
pairs of terms represent contraries, as Chris-
466:12 tian Science reveals, which neither dwell together nor
assimilate. Truth is immortal; error is mortal. Truth
is limitless; error is limited. Truth is intelligent; error
466:15 is non-intelligent. Moreover, Truth is real, and error is
unreal. This last statement contains the point you will
most reluctantly admit, although first and last it is the
466:18 most important to understand.
Mankind redeemed
The term /souls/ or /spirits/ is as improper as the term
/gods/. Soul or Spirit signifies Deity and nothing else.
466:21 There is no finite soul nor spirit. Soul or
Spirit means only one Mind, and cannot be
rendered in the plural. Heathen mythology and Jewish
466:24 theology have perpetuated the fallacy that intelligence,
soul, and life can be in matter; and idolatry and ritualism
are the outcome of all man-made beliefs. The Science
466:27 of Christianity comes with fan in hand to separate the
chaff from the wheat. Science will declare God aright,
and Christianity will demonstrate this declaration and
466:30 its divine Principle, making mankind better physically,
morally, and spiritually.
“Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal.”
Christian Science begins with the First Com- [1]
mandment of the Hebrew Decalogue, "Thou
shalt have no other gods before me." It goes on in
perfect unity with Christ's Sermon on the Mount, and
in that age culminates in the Revelation of St. John, [5]
who, while on earth and in the flesh, like ourselves,
beheld "a new heaven and a new earth,"--the spiritual
universe, whereof Christian Science now bears testimony.
Our Master said, "The works that I do shall ye do
also;" and, "The kingdom of God is within you." This [10]
makes practical all his words and works. As the ages
advance in spirituality, Christian Science will be seen
to depart from the trend of other Christian denomina-
tions in no wise except by increase of spirituality.
My first plank in the platform of Christian Science [15]
is as follows: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor
substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite
manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal
Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and
eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is [20]
God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man
is not material; he is spiritual."(1)
[Page 22.]
I am strictly a theist--believe in one God, one Christ [1]
or Messiah.
Science is neither a law of matter nor of man. It is
the unerring manifesto of Mind, the law of God, its
divine Principle. Who dare say that matter or [5]
mortals can evolve Science? Whence, then, is it, if not
from the divine source, and what, but the contempor-
ary of Christianity, so far in advance of human knowl-
edge that mortals must work for the discovery of even a
portion of it? Christian Science translates Mind, God, [10]
to mortals. It is the infinite calculus defining the line,
plane, space, and fourth dimension of Spirit. It abso-
lutely refutes the amalgamation, transmigration, absorp-
tion, or annihilation of individuality. It shows the
impossibility of transmitting human ills, or evil, from one [15]
individual to another; that all true thoughts revolve
in God's orbits: they come from God and return to
Him,--and untruths belong not to His creation, there-
fore these are null and void.
“Disease is an experience of a so-called mortal mind. It is fear made manifest on the body.”
To corporeal sense, the sun
493:3 appears to rise and set, and the earth to stand
still; but astronomical science contradicts this,
and explains the solar system as working on a differ-
493:6 ent plan. All the evidence of physical sense and all the
knowledge obtained from physical sense must yield to
Science, to the immortal truth of all things.
Mental preparation
493:9 /Question/, - Will you explain sickness and show how it
is to be healed?
/Answer/. - The method of Christian Science Mind-heal-
493:12 ing is touched upon in a previous chapter entitled Christian
Science Practice. A full answer to the above
question involves teaching, which enables the
493:15 healer to demonstrate and prove for himself the Principle
and rule of Christian Science or metaphysical healing.
Mind destroys all ills
Mind must be found superior to all the beliefs of the
493:18 five corporeal senses, and able to destroy all ills. Sick-
ness is a belief, which must be annihilated by
the divine Mind. Disease is an experience of
493:21 so-called mortal mind. It is fear made manifest on the
body. Christian Science takes away this physical sense
of discord, just as it removes any other sense of moral or
493:24 mental inharmony. That man is material, and that mat-
ter suffers, - these propositions can only seem real and
natural in illusion. Any sense of soul in matter is not the
493:27 reality of being.
If Jesus awakened Lazarus from the dream, illusion, of
death, this proved that the Christ could improve on a false
493:30 sense. Who dares to doubt this consummate test of the
power and willingness of divine Mind to hold man forever
494:1 intact in his perfect state, and to govern man's entire
action? Jesus said: "Destroy this temple [body], and
494:3 in three days I [Mind] will raise it up;" and he did this
for tired humanity's reassurance.
Inexhaustible divine Love
Is it not a species of infidelity to believe that so great
494:6 a work as the Messiah's was done for himself or for God,
who needed no help from Jesus' example to
preserve the eternal harmony?
“[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
This city
of our God has no need of sun or satellite, for Love
577:21 is the light of it, and divine Mind is its own interpreter.
All who are saved must walk in this light. Mighty
potentates and dynasties will lay down their honors
577:24 within the heavenly city. Its gates open towards light
and glory both within and without, for all is good, and
nothing can enter that city, which "defileth. . . . or
577:27 maketh a lie."
The writer's present feeble sense of Christian Science
closes with St. John's Revelation as recorded by the
577:30 great apostle, for his vision is the acme of this Science
as the Bible reveals it.
In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly,
578:1 the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures
by substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal
578:3 or spiritual sense of Deity: -
PSALM XXIII
[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
578:6 [LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
[LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [Love] lead-
578:9 eth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE's]
578:12 rod and [LOVE'S] staff they comfort me.
[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup
578:15 runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness]
578:18 of [LOVE] for ever.
CHAPTER XVII - GLOSSARY
These things saith He that is holy, He that is true, He that
hath the key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth;
and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold,
I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it.
When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts.
In forwarding material to be melted into the bell, please [1]
send fullest historical description. This will be entered
carefully in a book which will accompany the bell wherever
it goes.
... As the motto has not yet been decided upon, any [5]
ideas on that subject will be gratefully received; we will
also welcome suggestions of events to be celebrated and
names to be commemorated.
Very cordially yours,
MARY DESHA,
_ex-Vice-President General, D. A. R._
Contributions should be sent to the Liberty National
Bank, corner Liberty and West Streets, New York, and
a duplicate letter written, as a notification of the same,
to Miss Mary Desha, 1505 Penna. Ave., Washington, [15]
D. C., or to Miss Minnie F. Mickley, Mickleys, Pa.
We would add, as being of interest, that Mrs. Eddy is
a member of the above organization, having been made
such by the special request of the late Mrs. Harrison,
wife of the ex-President, who was at that time the Presi- [20]
dent thereof.--ED.
Angels
When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, [1]
nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove; but
we know their presence by the love they create in our [25]
hearts. Oh, may you feel _this_ touch,--it is not the
clasping of hands, nor a loved person present; it is more
than this: it is a spiritual idea that lights your path!
The Psalmist saith: "He shall give His angels charge
[Page 307.]
over thee." God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in [1]
turn, they give you daily supplies. Never ask for to-
morrow: it is enough that divine Love is an ever-present
help; and if you wait, never doubting, you will have
all you need every moment. What a glorious inheritance [5]
is given to us through the understanding of omnipresent
Love! More we cannot ask: more we do not want:
more we cannot have. This sweet assurance is the
"Peace, be still" to all human fears, to suffering of every
sort. [10]
Deification Of Personality
Notwithstanding the rapid sale already of two editions
of "Christ and Christmas," and many orders on hand, I
have thought best to stop its publication.
In this revolutionary religious period, the increasing [15]
inquiry of mankind as to Christianity and its unity--
and above all, God's love opening the eyes of the blind--is
fast fitting all minds for the proper reception of
Christian Science healing.
“To live and let live, without clamour for distinction or recognition; to wait on divine love; to write truth first on the tablet of ones own heart - this is the sanity and perfection of living.”
“A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred, envy, hypocrisy, revenge, have life abiding in them, is a terrible mistake. Life and Lifes idea, Truth and Truths idea, never make men sick, sinful, or mortal.”
“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it.”
“Reject hatred without hating.”
“Error is a supposition that pleasure and pain, that intelligence, substance, life, are existent in matter. Error is neither Mind nor one of Minds faculties. Error is the contradiction of Truth. Error is a belief without understanding. Error is unreal because untrue. It is that which stemma to be and is not. If error were true, its truth would be error, and we should have a self-evident absurdity /namely, erroneous truth. Thus we should continue to lose the standard of Truth.”
“The age looks steadily to the redressing of wrong, to the righting of every form of error and injustice; and a tireless and prying philanthropy, which is almost omniscient, is one of the most hopeful characteristics of the time.”
“Audible prayer can never do the works of spiritual understanding, which regenerates; but silent prayer, watchfulness, and devout obedience enable us to follow Jesus example. Long prayers, superstition, and creeds clip the strong pinions of Love, and”
“Give up the belief that mind is, even temporarily, compressed within the skull, and you will quickly become more manly or womanly. You will understand yourself and your Maker better than before.”
“To those leaning on the sustaining infinite, today is big with blessings.”
“Experience teaches us that we do not always receive the blessings we ask for in prayer”
“Sin brought death, and death will disappear with the disappearance of sin.”
“I would no more quarrel with a man because of his religion than I would because of his art.”
