Chapter III - Spirit and Matter
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darkness, and this belief comes from error, an igno-
darkness, and this belief comes from error, an igno-
rance of real existence; but the light of science will
awaken us all to the understanding of Life that is real,
and the grave is not its goal; sickness, sin, and death,
enter not into Life; they are mortality's self. The
dream that Life or Intelligence is in matter, Soul in
body, and God in man, is fatal as it is false. To admit
Spirit in matter is an attempt to limit the limitless, and
make immortality a myth; like saying frost is in fire,
and with this belief dream you get into the fire, but are
glad to waken to live and recognize Life independent of
your illusion or matter. Science reverses every belief
of personal sense, for every condition of mortality is
destroyed in immortal man. Socrates understood this
when pledging the superiority of Spirit over matter in
a cup of poison hemlock, refusing to care for the body
mortal. The malice of that age would have killed
the venerable philosopher because of his high regard for
spiritual things and indifference to the body. When
nothing that loveth or maketh a lie is left, the reign of
Spirit will come on earth; science will not always wait,
but lifting its voice far above the centuries, will be
heard, and old things be done away, and all become
new. Who can say that man is alive to-day and to‑
morrow dead? What has touched Life to such strange
issues? matter may destroy itself, but cannot destroy
Spirit. What, then, has unstrung this harp of many
strings? Theories stop here, and science alone rolls
back the mystery and solves the problem of immortal
man. Error bites the heel of Truth, but cannot destroy
it; Truth bruises the head of error and kills it; error
is mesmerism; one lie scaring off another and taking
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the rule itself; but Truth is science walking over all
the rule itself; but Truth is science walking over all
lies. Christianity is open seige with the world; on
which side are you fighting? Popularity gained by
dishonesty, is smoking flax ready to perish. The wrong
you do another weighs most heavily against yourself,
for at some time Truth will adjust the balances. As
soon think to make evil good, as to benefit yourself by
injuring others. If the balance of your character is
wrong you lose the weight of Truth, and work not in
science; if you treat the sick mesmerically, or with
medicine, you are calling on your gods, like the wor-
shippers of Baal, but they are not the Prophet's God,
the Principle of being; the moral mercury is what rises
or falls your demonstration, according to the amount
of Truth you possess. Worshipping in temples made
with hands; loving the world and listening to the de-
mands of personal sense, is not the true worship.
Then let the Christian who has grown away from forms
and ceremonies, enjoy his worship in the right way, viz.,
Spirit and in Truth. If we come out from the world,
as the Scripture demands, and are separate, we shall
have its frowns instead of flatteries, and they will enable
us, more than its favors, to be a Scientist. Losing her
crucifix, the poor Catholic said, "I have nothing left
now but Christ," and this was not greater ignorance
of God than to fall away from Truth because of perse-
cution. If we have God on our side, what need we
more? Loving error more than Truth we shall not
separate ourself from the world, but wait on its approval
until sickness comes to dull this false sense of happi-
ness. When we silence the demands of conscience, at
some future hour we shall hear the reply, "darkness