Chapter 5: 'Science and Health' by Mary Baker Glover

Chapter V - Prayer and Atonement

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this lack of entire science in the advent of Jesus, pro-

duced its discord, and met its fate in death. Had his

origin and birth, however, been wholly apart from mor-

tal belief, Jesus would not have been recognized by

mortal man; and "he was the light that was to lighten

every man that cometh into the world;" therefore he

must be the mediator, or interpreter of Truth to error

that destroyed error and rebuked personal sense with

the Principle of being.

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Jesus never ransomed man, by paying the debt sin

incurs; whosoever sins must suffer. This Christian

martyr suffered for the Truth, that destroyed error, and

while it blessed the whole world, was that for which it

hated him; even the sinner must learn Truth, by the

things he suffers. Love is no compromise with sin, and

pays no debt of its contracting; but it can and does

point out the way to escape from it and reach the har-

mony and science of being. The blood of that righteous

man shed by sinners, was a crime that affords no ground

for further sin or a belief of its pardon, it was an injus-

tice to humanity that the best man should be sacrificed

by the worst men. Jesus taught the way of escape

from sin, but that all that sinneth shall die, in other

words, that sin must be destroyed. Wisdom pun-

ishes, instead of pardons, sin. The terrible effect of

our false views regarding the atonement, is to make a

sinner less fearful to sin, believing a tear or a prayer

will secure its pardon; this heightens hypocrisy and

suffocates conscience. The time is not far distant when

our theological views of atonement will undergo as radi-

cal a change as those have already done regarding a

bottomless pit, burning with fire and brimstone, and the

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election and fore-ordination of a portion to be saved

or be lost. But for these false views regarding the

forgiveness of sin, ministers and laymen would never

break the commandment, "Thou shalt not commit

adultery," and then talk of their love for God, and

Christian experience.

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The sweet and spiritual significance of the death on

the cross, is Love laying down all of earth to instruct

its enemies the way to heaven, proving what heaven is,

and how obtained. We speak of the blood of Jesus

as efficacious to save sinners; it is the efficacy of the

Truth and Love that Jesus taught and demonstrated,

which alone can destroy sin; and sinners are never

saved. The blood of Christ was an offering of Spirit

and not matter, a pledge of undying Love. O! highest

conceptions of spiritual sense tell us, what is Love.