Chapter III - Spirit and Matter
156:1
only science, but Christianity; but the shocking auda-
only science, but Christianity; but the shocking auda-
city that calls itself God, and yet demonstrates only
erring mortality, surprises us! Some one has said Chris-
tianity must be science, and science Christianity, else
one or the other is false and useless; but neither of
these is proved thus, hence they are inseparable in
demonstration. When looking to mortal man for evi-
dences of Life and Truth, we find sin and death stronger
than either of these, hence we must look away from
body to soul; not in mortality is Spirit that is infinite
and blest. It is impossible to shut up the infinite in
man; we cannot be both Spirit and matter, for these
are opposites. Again, if God is both within and with-
out all things, then all is God. When we say the body
is matter, we say with Paul, then you must certainly be
"absent from the body, to be present with the Lord,"
even Spirit. But to be absent from the body, materia
medica calls death, yet Jesus and Paul knew Life is not
in the body. The belief that Life and intelligence blend
with matter is the foundation of all misapprehensions
of God and man; and we shall prove we are Spirit that
mixes not with matter, when this opposite error or belief
goes down in death, until it is finally destroyed; yet we
shall see, hear, feel, &c., all the same, and independent
of matter organizations, which we now deem indispen-
sable to these faculties of Soul. Sooner or later we
shall all learn the fetters of our infinite capacities are
forged by belief only, and that matter is not substance,
Life, or Intelligence. When we understand Spirit bet-
ter than to think it person or man, or to call it matter
and place Life that is supreme in mortality, we shall
clothe our bodies with immortality, and not until then.
157:1
In science we find Spirit and idea harmonize, and
In science we find Spirit and idea harmonize, and
man's existence in Soul, the substance and Principle of
the idea we name man. There are no personal senses
in Spirit, where thy neighbor is as thyself; thus the
command to hold no Intelligence in matter, but to love
God, Spirit, with all thy heart, Soul and strength, and
thy neighbor as thyself, Jesus said, embraced all law
and prophesy. In this relationship of Soul and body,
otherwise of God and man, what is one man's meat is
not another's poison; but what feeds one feeds all,
even as Jesus illustrated with the loaves and fishes,
when Spirit instead of matter supplied food for the
multitude.
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How long before we arrive at the full understanding
How long before we arrive at the full understanding
of the science of being, no man knoweth, not the idea
but the Principle, not the son but the Father; yet one
thing is certain: we shall destroy sin, sickness and
death only as we gain this understanding of science,
the Truth of man.
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We talk of evil spirits, but there is no evil in Spirit;
We talk of evil spirits, but there is no evil in Spirit;
all discord proceeds from the belief of Spirit in matter;
but our slow progress from material stand-points to‑
day, portends a long night to the traveller. Whoso
opens the way with science is a stranger and pilgrim
at present, that marks out the path for future genera-
tions.
157:27
On the Western Hemisphere, some immortal senten-
On the Western Hemisphere, some immortal senten-
ces broke the fetters, and demolished whipping-posts
and markets for man, but tyranny would go down in
blood, and the breath of freedom must come through
the cannon's mouth. The abolition of negro enslave-
ment, however, did not destroy slavery. We have