Chapter II - Imposition and Demonstration
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site development, and it blasphemes. Mesmerism is a
site development, and it blasphemes. Mesmerism is a
belief, constituting mortal mind, error is all there is to
it, which is the very antipode of science, the immortal
mind. The former is hallucination, the latter reality;
one a wholesale mistake, the other the Truth of being.
Mesmerism assures the sick they are recovering, when
there is no evidence or basis for this conclusion, turns
belief whithersoever it wills, and is the blind leading
the blind. Nothing can be more antagonistic to sci-
ence; it hides the Truth that man is the image and
likeness of God, and as such cannot be sick, sinning, or
dying, and claims that mortal mind and substance-mat-
ter constitute man, thus admitting through personal
sense what Soul denies in science. Mesmerism is a
direct appeal to personal sense, proceeds from it, and
derives its only prestige from belief; it is predicated
on the supposition that Life is in matter, and a nervo-
vital fluid at that; whereas science reveals man's Life,
God, and therefore dwelling not in matter. Mesmer-
ism is error and belief in conflict; but science masters
error and belief with the understanding of Truth, and
reveals man immortal, sinless and undying. Mesmerism
is one error at war with another, "a kingdom divided
against itself that cannot stand;" but science is harmo-
nious and eternal. Mesmerism is personal sense giving
the lie to its own statements, denying the pains but
admitting the pleasures of sense; whereas science denies
all sensation to matter, and holds the reins in the hands
of Spirit. The gulf fixed between science and mesmer-
ism is impassible. Vitalized matter is a grave mistake.
Electricity is the last boundary between personal sense
and Soul, and although it stands at the threshold of
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Spirit it cannot enter into it, but the nearer matter
Spirit it cannot enter into it, but the nearer matter
approaches mind the more potent it becomes, to pro-
duce supposed good or evil; the lightning is fierce, and
the electric telegram swift. The more ethereal matter
becomes according to accepted theories, the more pow-
erful it is; e.g., the homoeopathic drugs, steam, and
electricity, until possessing less and less materiality, it
passes into essence, and is admitted mortal mind; not
Intelligence, but belief, not Truth, but error. But the
nearer belief approaches Truth without passing the
boundary, where it is no longer belief, but understand-
ing, the more plausible and dangerous is the error.
Mesmerism attracts man to matter, science attracts to
Principle, therefore to Spirit, or God. The more mate-
rial man is, the more mesmerism he possesses; but the
more spiritual, the less mesmerism and the more science,
and the higher his demonstration of Truth. In reality
brains and matter are one; but we call them mind and
matter; but if the brain be the organ of mind, and to
destroy this organ, destroys mortal mind, how can
you distinguish between them? What we call mind
and matter-man is mind only, but this mortal mind
grows finer towards the core, and we name its exterior
matter, and the interior mind, in contradistinction to
the Truth of being that reveals all Intelligence outside
of matter.
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The generic name of matter is mind; its different
The generic name of matter is mind; its different
species are the beliefs that say Intelligence, Life, sensa-
tion, Substance, good and evil are matter, and the body
called man; also, that Spirit and matter commingle,
and form mortal man, on the foundation of sickness,
sin, and death; this theory is not the Truth of being,