Chapter III - Spirit and Matter
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believe this, according to their faith so is it unto them.
believe this, according to their faith so is it unto them.
But take from this weight of mind and belief some
mental power, destroy some confidence in these means,
and they will do less for the sick, and destroy all faith,
and they are powerless. The cure wrought through
the science of being is not the result of faith, but un-
derstanding. I never found a quotient proving num-
bers divided according to the rule of mathematics, more
unquestionable than my tests of this science; but to
gain prominence for this Truth until it is understood,
is impossible; perfection, in the midst of imperfection,
is slow to be seen, and slower to be acknowledged.
The mental opposition to it at present, throws the great
weight of universal belief, (the only prop of materia
medica) against the science of Life: but notwithstand-
ing all this, it will live, because its Principle is Truth,
independent of belief. The Principle that made harm-
less the poison viper in the hands of Paul, and from the
boiling oil delivered the Evangelist unharmed, that
healed the sick, triumphed over sin and death, and
crowned the meek brow of Jesus, is immortal; there-
fore we need not fear what man can do unto it. Setting
aside personal sense, the error that so easily besets man,
let us strive to attain this demonstration that Jesus set
before us. Enough already has been accomplished, by
prophet and apostle, to shut all lips in regard to its
Truth; but one thing is sure, that whoso learns the
letter only of science, without possessing its Spirit, will
not be able to repeat their demonstrations. The age
will at length require demonstration, in place of doc-
trine and belief, and the Christian will at length preach
only what he practices. As mortal man, and the mist
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of knowledge enveloping man in darkness disappear,
of knowledge enveloping man in darkness disappear,
the first appeal will be to reason or philosophy, to plant
our next footstep, before we understand the higher
and spiritual resources of being; but when this period
arrives, and before former things have passed away,
the reaction of mind will be fearful. Theology, (I say
this not with reference to Christianity,) and materia
medica have failed to demonstrate what Jesus taught
and demonstrated; and why we have not followed his
precepts and example is not so much from lack of de-
sire, or willful disobedience, as lack of understanding.
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In earlier periods, even the cross that should symbol-
In earlier periods, even the cross that should symbol-
ize a denial of personal sense, was made an instrument
of torture. Error is sometimes deceit; again, it is a
misconception of Truth, and the desire to grow better
is attended with more sermons and ceremonies than un-
derstanding and practice. A clergyman once adopted
a diet consisting of bread and water, to increase his
spirituality, and continued it six weeks, but finding his
health failing, he gave it up, advising others never to
try fasting to grow in grace. But we will add a leaf of
experience here, showing how personal sense, or belief
of any sort, shuts out harmony and science. When
quite a child we adopted the Graham system for dys-
pepsia, ate only bread and vegetables, and drank water,
following this diet for years; we became more dyspep-
tic, however, and, of course, thought we must diet
more rigidly; so we partook of but one meal in twenty-
four hours, and this consisted of a thin slice of bread,
about three inches square, without water; our physician
not allowing us with this ample meal, to wet our
parched lips for many hours thereafter; whenever we