Chapter V - Prayer and Atonement
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be slain, and afterwards presented it to his students
be slain, and afterwards presented it to his students
unchanged, he had proved what he had taught, showing
them he was not dead, and they knew it was proof of
the Principle he had before taught, and disproved our
opinions of a future resurrection, or a spiritual body
at the change, called death; his body was a belief of
matter, as before, until he rose to Spirit above the reach
of personal sense, and triumphed over the last enemy,
death, as before he had conquered sickness and sin, and
this was what his followers were to commemorate in
their lives, so far as they understood his teachings and
demonstration; hence the saying, "The works that I
do ye shall do, and greater."
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Theology explains the crucifixion of Jesus, a pardon
Theology explains the crucifixion of Jesus, a pardon
ready for all sinners; Spiritualism finds his death neces-
sary only for the presentation, after death, of the per-
sonal Jesus; calling this "a spirit's return." We differ
from both, and while we respect all that is good in the
church, and outside of it, our later consecration to
Christ has been on the ground of demonstration, and
not profession, yea, to follow the commands he gave
to those he sent forth. For conscience's sake we dare
not cling to the old belief, insomuch as understanding
somewhat the Principle of his proof, the Life, and not
death, that Jesus showed forth, raised us from hopeless
disease, and gave us a triumph over sickness and sin,
we never had gained from our former beliefs and pro-
fession of religion.
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The efficacy of the crucifixion of Jesus is the practi-
The efficacy of the crucifixion of Jesus is the practi-
cal Truth it demonstrated for our understanding, and
that ultimately will deliver mankind from sickness, sin
and death. This Truth he had before spoken in their
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midst; but until they saw it triumph over the grave
midst; but until they saw it triumph over the grave
the disciples were not able to admit and demonstrate
so fully its Principle. Thomas, beholding the idea of
it in Jesus, (after his supposed death) was forced to
acknowledge how entire was the proof. From all the
disciples had seen and suffered, they became more spir-
itual, therefore could better understand what the Master
had taught them. This, therefore, was the resurrec-
tion, for it raised them from the blindness of a belief
in God to the understanding of Him, "Whom to know
aright was Life." They needed this, for soon their dear
Master that had just risen to their comprehension would
rise again, higher in the spiritual scale of being, and so
much beyond them in reward for all his faithfulness,
he would disappear to their more material thoughts,
and Biblical history would name it the ascension. An-
cient prophets who wrought before Jesus, foretold his
coming, and the reception the world of sense would
give Truth; also there is a connection inseparable be-
tween their experiences, and those of every Christian
who perceives the idea and accepts the understanding
of God. Jesus, born of a virgin mother, was more of a
miracle to that age, than to this; for even the naturalist
is now furnishing reports of embryology in some species
wholly without the male element. The Bethlehem
babe was the nearest approximation since the record
in Genesis to the science of being, in which Spirit
makes man; for man born of woman, was the usual
advent of mortal man, and this material belief was
what entered Mary's spiritual conception of Jesus,
which accounts for the struggles of Gethsemane, but it
made him the mediator between God and mortal man;