Chapter V - Prayer and Atonement
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election and fore-ordination of a portion to be saved
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 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.
Chapter VI
Marriage
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When our great Teacher went to John to be baptized,
When our great Teacher went to John to be baptized,
not having reached his motives, the good patriarch was
astounded, and reading his thoughts, Jesus prefaced his
purpose saying, "Suffer these things to be so now, for
thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness," that is,
yield obedience to common forms, until you reach the
understanding of their spiritual significance. Marriage
is the only legal and moral form among the higher
species, for generation, and until the spiritual creation
is discerned and the union of male and female appre-
hended in its Soul-sense, this rite should continue un-
der such moral regulations as secure increasing virtue.
Infidelity to the marriage covenant is the social scourge
of all peoples; the pestilence that wasteth and walketh
at noon-day. The commandment, "Thou shalt not
commit adultery," is not less imperative, than "Thou
shalt not kill." Virtue is the basis of civilization and
progress; without it there is no true foundation to so-
ciety, and it were utterly impossible to attain the
Science of Life; but virtue should be recognized; and
the fear to take responsible posts of duty lest the vicious
misjudge you, be wholly removed. Owing to the
shocking depravity of mankind, chastity is looked at
suspiciously; it requires more moral courage for woman
to meet the low estimates in society of virtue, than to
help lift its standard from the dust.