Chapter I - Natural Science
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is perceived, and its radical points admitted, we can-
is perceived, and its radical points admitted, we can-
not reach the demonstration of which it is capable.
Exchange our stand-point of Intelligence and Life,
from matter to Spirit, and we shall gain the perfect
Life, and the control that Soul holds over body; and
receive Christ, Truth, in Principle and not person,
and through the understanding and not belief. This
is the difficult point, but it must be achieved before
man is harmonious and immortal, and to gather our
thoughts in this direction to-day is highly important, in
view of the vast amount to be accomplished before the
final recognition of Life outside of matter. If we make
no progress toward the science of Life here, the here-
after will strip off our rags of error, leaving us naked,
until we are clothed upon by Truth, the immortality of
man.
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Not understanding the Principle of being, we shall
Not understanding the Principle of being, we shall
seek in another world happiness in sense, and then, as
now, receive sorrow instead of gladness because of this
error; pain, sickness, sin, and death, will continue so
long as the belief remains of Life, happiness, and Intel-
ligence in the body. If the change called death dispos-
sessed man of the belief of pleasure and pain in the
body, universal happiness were secure at the moment
of dissolution; but this is not so: "they that are filthy
shall be filthy still"; every sin and error we possess at
the moment of death, remains after it the same as be-
fore, and our only redemption is in God, the Principle
of man that destroys the belief of intelligent bodies.
When we gain the freedom of the Sons of God, we shall
master sense with Soul. As progress compels this ripen-
ing process through which man resigns the belief of
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Life and Intelligence in matter, there will be great
Life and Intelligence in matter, there will be great
tribulation such as has not been since the beginning.
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When pleasures of sense perish, they are taken away
When pleasures of sense perish, they are taken away
through anguish, even the amputation of right hands,
and plucking out of right eyes. Man at ease in error,
when stricken suddenly down by death, cannot under-
stand Life. Mortal man knows nothing about Life
that is learned by relinquishing pleasure and pain of
sense; and how long the pangs necessary for error's
amputation continue, depends on the tenacity of the
belief of happiness in personal sense. When remem-
bering God is our only Life, and contemplating our
present adherence to the belief of Life in matter, we
may well tremble for the days in which we shall say,
"I have no pleasure in them." The false views enter-
tained of pardoned sin, or universal and immediate
happiness in the midst of sin, or, that we are changed
in a moment from sin to holiness, are grave mistakes.
To suddenly drop our earthly character, and become
partakers of eternal Life, without the pangs of a new
birth, is morally impossible. We know, "all will be
changed in the twinkling of an eye when the last trump
shall sound," but the last call of Wisdom is not the first
call in the growth of Christian character; while man is
selfish, unjust, hypocritical and sensual, to conclude the
last call of Wisdom has been heard that awakens him
to glorified being, is preposterous! Science forbids
such feats of imagination, and looks us in the face with
reason and revelation.
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"As the tree falleth, so shall it lie;" as man goeth
"As the tree falleth, so shall it lie;" as man goeth
to sleep so shall he waken; when the belief of death
closes our eyes on this phase of the dream of Life in