Chapter 1: 'Science and Health' by Mary Baker Glover

Chapter I - Natural Science

54:1
marks, theories, doctrines, and beliefs, pleasures or

pains of sense; but here we must watch that we receive

not Truth from person, but Principle; the test being,

that whatever cometh from Truth is demonstrable,

and brings forth good fruits; our lives must testify to

this. Secondly. Purity is the foundation of the science

of Life; "None but the pure in heart shall see God."

Inspiration is the highest means to convey messages from

Principle to idea, i.e., from God to man; but these

messages are never borne into matter, therefore to be

recipient of Truth, we must begin to recognize our-

selves Soul, and not body, and receive and impart the

teachings of Spirit. Such messages are angels, but not

winged messengers;' they are the aroma of Soul passing

to man, the impressions that guide him aright, and are

demonstrable when understood, and not understood

unless demonstrated. Thirdly. To rightly apprehend

and receive more Truth, we must put into practice

what we already possess. This higher understanding

of the relationship between God and man will not be

recognized by the opposite belief of Life and Intelli-

gence in matter. And the explanations or the whole-

some rebukes of our Father, even Wisdom and Love,

will often be deemed severity; but we must avoid the

yielding to error demanded by error; remembering

Love often moves the sinner to hate, in that it stirs this

opposite element before destroying it; and not until

the sinner and the sick feel their need of Truth to save

them from sickness or sin, will they become receptive

of it.

54:31
It will be seen in scientific statement that gender be-

longs to Principle, and not person; that all formation is

55:1
through Intelligence, because Life is Soul outside of

sense. This is the stepping-stone to the understanding

of Soul which, to know aright is eternal Life; man is

immortal only as the idea of God, and not as a belief of

Life or Soul in the body. Love is God; but error

would couple Love and hate together; vainly think-

ing to mingle good and evil. Soul's attraction is Truth;

but the attraction of sense is error. The former ele-

vates and immortalizes man, the latter debases and

makes mortal. The two cannot blend; one rules out

the other as light shuts out darkness and darkness light.

God is not in matter, and there is neither Life, Intelli-

gence nor Truth where He is not; the body we call

man is matter. Love is safe in Truth, but not in man,

safe in Principle, but not person.

55:16
Does Wisdom find pleasure in drunkenness? But

personal sense does! and you cannot make the inebriate

we call man averse to foul besottedness until this belief

is destroyed; when he will turn as naturally from his

cup, as the dreamer from incubus. Tell a man intoxi-

cation will kill him, cause him to believe this, and pos-

sibly it will deter him from listening to this lie of per-

sonal sense, viz., that there is pleasure in intoxication;

but is he reformed? Abstinence, if it cherishes the

desire for intemperance, is not reformation; and this

so-called man will fall again whenever the fear is re-

moved. The fear of punishment in time or eternity

never made an honest man; it is not a scientific posi-

tion; moral courage instead of fear is requisite to over-

come sin and sickness. But how reform the sensualist

through conscience? He traffics little in this commod-

ity: has even less Soul because he has more personal