Chapter IX - Creation
Thoughts are things
261:1
we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action.
we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action.
Look away from the body into Truth and Love,
the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and
immortality. Hold thought steadfastly to the endur-
ing, the good, and the true, and you will bring these
into your experience proportionably to their occupancy
of your thoughts.
Unreality of pain
261:8
The effect of mortal mind on health and happiness is
The effect of mortal mind on health and happiness is
seen in this: If one turns away from the body with such
absorbed interest as to forget it, the body
experiences no pain. Under the strong im-
pulse of a desire to perform his part, a noted actor was
accustomed night after night to go upon the stage and
sustain his appointed task, walking about as actively
as the youngest member of the company. This old man
was so lame that he hobbled every day to the theatre, and
sat aching in his chair till his cue was spoken, – a signal
which made him as oblivious of physical infirmity as if
he had inhaled chloroform, though he was in the full pos-
session of his so-called senses.
Immutable identity of man
261:21
Detach sense from the body, or matter, which is only
Detach sense from the body, or matter, which is only
a form of human belief, and you may learn the meaning
of God, or good, and the nature of the immu-
table and immortal. Breaking away from the
mutations of time and sense, you will neither
lose the solid objects and ends of life nor your own iden-
tity. Fixing your gaze on the realities supernal, you will
rise to the spiritual consciousness of being, even as the bird
which has burst from the egg and preens its wings for a
skyward flight.
Forgetfulness of self
261:31
We should forget our bodies in remembering good and
We should forget our bodies in remembering good and
the human race. Good demands of man every hour, in
262:1
which to work out the problem of being. Consecration
which to work out the problem of being. Consecration
to good does not lessen man's dependence on God, but
heightens it. Neither does consecration di-
minish man's obligations to God, but shows
the paramount necessity of meeting them. Christian
Science takes naught from the perfection of God, but it
ascribes to Him the entire glory. By putting "off the old
man with his deeds," mortals "put on immortality."
262:9
We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's
We cannot fathom the nature and quality of God's
creation by diving into the shallows of mortal belief. We
must reverse our feeble flutterings – our efforts to find
life and truth in matter – and rise above the testimony
of the material senses, above the mortal to the immortal
idea of God. These clearer, higher views inspire the God‑
like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference
of his being.
The true sense
262:17
Job said: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the
Job said: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the
ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee." Mortals will echo
Job's thought, when the supposed pain and
pleasure of matter cease to predominate. They
will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of
joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly,
working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God.
Starting from a higher standpoint, one rises spontane-
ously, even as light emits light without effort; for "where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Mind the only cause
262:27
The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of
The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of
man's origin. To begin rightly is to end rightly. Every
concept which seems to begin with the brain
begins falsely. Divine Mind is the only cause
or Principle of existence. Cause does not exist in matter,
in mortal mind, or in physical forms.
Human egotism
263:1
Mortals are egotists. They believe themselves to be
Mortals are egotists. They believe themselves to be
independent workers, personal authors, and even privi-
leged originators of something which Deity
would not or could not create. The creations
of mortal mind are material. Immortal spiritual man
alone represents the truth of creation.
Mortal man a mis-creator
263:7
When mortal man blends his thoughts of existence
When mortal man blends his thoughts of existence
with the spiritual and works only as God works,
he will no longer grope in the dark and cling
to earth because he has not tasted heaven.
Carnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involun-
tary hypocrite, – producing evil when he would create
good, forming deformity when he would outline grace
and beauty, injuring those whom he would bless. He
becomes a general mis-creator, who believes he is a
semi-god. His "touch turns hope to dust, the dust we
all have trod." He might say in Bible language: "The
good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do."
No new creation
263:20
There can be but one creator, who has created all.
There can be but one creator, who has created all.
Whatever seems to be a new creation, is but the discovery
of some distant idea of Truth; else it is a
new multiplication or self-division of mor-
tal thought, as when some finite sense peers from its
cloister with amazement and attempts to pattern the
infinite.
263:27
The multiplication of a human and mortal sense of per-
The multiplication of a human and mortal sense of per-
sons and things is not creation. A sensual thought, like
an atom of dust thrown into the face of spiritual im-
mensity, is dense blindness instead of a scientific eternal
consciousness of creation.
Mind's true camera
263:32
The fading forms of matter, the mortal body and ma-
The fading forms of matter, the mortal body and ma-
264:1
terial earth, are the fleeting concepts of the human mind.
terial earth, are the fleeting concepts of the human mind.
They have their day before the permanent facts and their
perfection in Spirit appear. The crude crea-
tions of mortal thought must finally give place
to the glorious forms which we sometimes behold in the
camera of divine Mind, when the mental picture is spir-
itual and eternal. Mortals must look beyond fading,
finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things.
Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm
of Mind? We must look where we would walk, and we
must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we
have our being.
Self-completeness
264:13
As mortals gain more correct views of God and man,
As mortals gain more correct views of God and man,
multitudinous objects of creation, which before were
invisible, will become visible. When we
realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of
matter, this understanding will expand into self-com-
pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other
consciousness.
Spiritual proofs of existence
264:20
Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being.
Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being.
Matter disappears under the microscope of Spirit. Sin
is unsustained by Truth, and sickness and
death were overcome by Jesus, who proved
them to be forms of error. Spiritual living
and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can
recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace
which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.
264:28
When we learn the way in Christian Science and rec-
When we learn the way in Christian Science and rec-
ognize man's spiritual being, we shall behold and under-
stand God's creation, – all the glories of earth and heaven
and man.
Godward gravitation
264:32
The universe of Spirit is peopled with spiritual beings,
The universe of Spirit is peopled with spiritual beings,
265:1
and its government is divine Science. Man is the off-
and its government is divine Science. Man is the off-
spring, not of the lowest, but of the highest qualities of
Mind. Man understands spiritual existence
in proportion as his treasures of Truth and
Love are enlarged. Mortals must gravitate Godward,
their affections and aims grow spiritual, – they must near
the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper
sense of the infinite, – in order that sin and mortality
may be put off.
265:10
This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for
This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for
Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity
and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man en-
larged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action,
a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent
peace.
Mortal birth and death
265:16
The senses represent birth as untimely and death as
The senses represent birth as untimely and death as
irresistible, as if man were a weed growing apace or a
flower withered by the sun and nipped by
untimely frosts; but this is true only of a
mortal, not of a man in God's image and likeness. The
truth of being is perennial, and the error is unreal and
obsolete.
Blessings from pain
265:23
Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained
Who that has felt the loss of human peace has not gained
stronger desires for spiritual joy? The aspiration after
heavenly good comes even before we discover
what belongs to wisdom and Love. The loss
of earthly hopes and pleasures brightens the ascending
path of many a heart. The pains of sense quickly inform
us that the pleasures of sense are mortal and that joy is
spiritual.
Decapitation of error
265:31
The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away
The pains of sense are salutary, if they wrench away
false pleasurable beliefs and transplant the affections
266:1
from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good,
from sense to Soul, where the creations of God are good,
"rejoicing the heart." Such is the sword of
Science, with which Truth decapitates error,
materiality giving place to man's higher individuality and
destiny.
Uses of adversity
266:6
Would existence without personal friends be to you
Would existence without personal friends be to you
a blank? Then the time will come when you will be
solitary, left without sympathy; but this
seeming vacuum is already filled with divine
Love. When this hour of development comes, even if
you cling to a sense of personal joys, spiritual Love will
force you to accept what best promotes your growth.
Friends will betray and enemies will slander, until the
lesson is sufficient to exalt you; for "man's extremity
is God's opportunity." The author has experienced the
foregoing prophecy and its blessings. Thus He teaches
mortals to lay down their fleshliness and gain spirituality.
This is done through self-abnegation. Universal Love
is the divine way in Christian Science.
266:20
The sinner makes his own hell by doing evil, and the
The sinner makes his own hell by doing evil, and the
saint his own heaven by doing right. The opposite per-
secutions of material sense, aiding evil with evil, would
deceive the very elect.
Beatific presence
266:24
Mortals must follow Jesus' sayings and his demonstra-
Mortals must follow Jesus' sayings and his demonstra-
tions, which dominate the flesh. Perfect and infinite
Mind enthroned is heaven. The evil beliefs
which originate in mortals are hell. Man is the
idea of Spirit; he reflects the beatific presence, illuming
the universe with light. Man is deathless, spiritual. He
is above sin or frailty. He does not cross the barriers
of time into the vast forever of Life, but he coexists with
God and the universe.
The infinitude of God
267:1
Every object in material thought will be destroyed, but
Every object in material thought will be destroyed, but
the spiritual idea, whose substance is in Mind, is eternal.
The offspring of God start not from matter
or ephemeral dust. They are in and of Spirit,
divine Mind, and so forever continue. God is one. The
allness of Deity is His oneness. Generically man is one,
and specifically man means all men.
267:8
It is generally conceded that God is Father, eternal, self‑
It is generally conceded that God is Father, eternal, self‑
created, infinite. If this is so, the forever Father must
have had children prior to Adam. The great I AM made
all "that was made." Hence man and the spiritual uni-
verse coexist with God.
267:13
Christian Scientists understand that, in a religious
Christian Scientists understand that, in a religious
sense, they have the same authority for the appellative
mother, as for that of brother and sister. Jesus said:
"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which
is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and
mother."
Waymarks to eternal Truth
267:19
When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals
When examined in the light of divine Science, mortals
present more than is detected upon the surface, since
inverted thoughts and erroneous beliefs must
be counterfeits of Truth. Thought is bor-
rowed from a higher source than matter, and
by reversal, errors serve as waymarks to the one Mind,
in which all error disappears in celestial Truth. The
robes of Spirit are "white and glistering," like the raiment
of Christ. Even in this world, therefore, "let thy gar-
ments be always white." "Blessed is the man that en-
dureth [overcometh] temptation: for when he is tried,
[proved faithful], he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."
(James i. 12.)
Chapter X
Science Of Being
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have
handled, of the Word of life, . . . That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and
truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.
– JOHN, First Epistle.
Here I stand. I can do no otherwise; so help me God! Amen! –
MARTIN LUTHER.
Materialistic challenge
268:1
IN the material world, thought has brought to light
IN the material world, thought has brought to light
with great rapidity many useful wonders. With
like activity have thought's swift pinions been rising
towards the realm of the real, to the spiritual
cause of those lower things which give im-
pulse to inquiry. Belief in a material basis, from
which may be deduced all rationality, is slowly yielding
to the idea of a metaphysical basis, looking away from
matter to Mind as the cause of every effect. Material-
istic hypotheses challenge metaphysics to meet in final
combat. In this revolutionary period, like the shep-
herd-boy with his sling, woman goes forth to battle with
Goliath.
Confusion confounded
268:14
In this final struggle for supremacy, semi-metaphysi-
In this final struggle for supremacy, semi-metaphysi-
cal systems afford no substantial aid to scientific meta-
physics, for their arguments are based on
the false testimony of the material senses as
well as on the facts of Mind. These semi-metaphysical
269:1
systems are one and all pantheistic, and savor of Pan-
systems are one and all pantheistic, and savor of Pan-
demonium, a house divided against itself.
269:3
From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind
From first to last the supposed coexistence of Mind
and matter and the mingling of good and evil have re-
sulted from the philosophy of the serpent. Jesus' demon-
strations sift the chaff from the wheat, and unfold the
unity and the reality of good, the unreality, the nothing-
ness, of evil.
Divine metaphysics
269:9
Human philosophy has made God manlike. Christian
Human philosophy has made God manlike. Christian
Science makes man Godlike. The first is error; the latter
is truth. Metaphysics is above physics, and
matter does not enter into metaphysical prem-
ises or conclusions. The categories of metaphysics rest
on one basis, the divine Mind. Metaphysics resolves
things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense
for the ideas of Soul.
269:17
These ideas are perfectly real and tangible to spiritual
These ideas are perfectly real and tangible to spiritual
consciousness, and they have this advantage over the ob-
jects and thoughts of material sense, – they are good and
eternal.
Biblical foundations
269:21
The testimony of the material senses is neither abso-
The testimony of the material senses is neither abso-
lute nor divine. I therefore plant myself unreservedly
on the teachings of Jesus, of his apostles, of
the prophets, and on the testimony of the
Science of Mind. Other foundations there are none.
All other systems – systems based wholly or partly on
knowledge gained through the material senses – are reeds
shaken by the wind, not houses built on the rock.
Rejected theories
269:29
The theories I combat are these: (1) that all is matter;
The theories I combat are these: (1) that all is matter;
(2) that matter originates in Mind, and is as
real as Mind, possessing intelligence and life.
The first theory, that matter is everything, is quite as
270:1
reasonable as the second, that Mind and matter coexist
reasonable as the second, that Mind and matter coexist
and cooperate. One only of the following statements can
be true: (1) that everything is matter; (2) that every-
thing is Mind. Which one is it?
270:5
Matter and Mind are opposites. One is contrary to
Matter and Mind are opposites. One is contrary to
the other in its very nature and essence; hence both can-
not be real. If one is real, the other must be unreal. Only
by understanding that there is but one power, – not two
powers, matter and Mind, – are scientific and logical
conclusions reached. Few deny the hypothesis that in-
telligence, apart from man and matter, governs the uni-
verse; and it is generally admitted that this intelligence
is the eternal Mind or divine Principle, Love.
Prophetic ignorance
270:14
The prophets of old looked for something higher than
The prophets of old looked for something higher than
the systems of their times; hence their fore-
sight of the new dispensation of Truth. But
they knew not what would be the precise nature of the
teaching and demonstration of God, divine Mind, in His
more infinite meanings, – the demonstration which was
to destroy sin, sickness, and death, establish the definition
of omnipotence, and maintain the Science of Spirit.
270:22
The pride of priesthood is the prince of this world. It
The pride of priesthood is the prince of this world. It
has nothing in Christ. Meekness and charity have divine
authority. Mortals think wickedly; consequently they
are wicked. They think sickly thoughts, and so become
sick. If sin makes sinners, Truth and Love alone can
unmake them. If a sense of disease produces suffering
and a sense of ease antidotes suffering, disease is mental,
not material. Hence the fact that the human mind alone
suffers, is sick, and that the divine Mind alone heals.
270:31
The life of Christ Jesus was not miraculous, but it was
The life of Christ Jesus was not miraculous, but it was
indigenous to his spirituality, – the good soil wherein the
271:1
seed of Truth springs up and bears much fruit. Christ's
seed of Truth springs up and bears much fruit. Christ's
Christianity is the chain of scientific being reappearing
in all ages, maintaining its obvious correspondence with
the Scriptures and uniting all periods in the design of
God. Neither emasculation, illusion, nor insubordination
exists in divine Science.
271:7
Jesus instructed his disciples whereby to heal the sick
Jesus instructed his disciples whereby to heal the sick
through Mind instead of matter. He knew that the phi-
losophy, Science, and proof of Christianity were in Truth,
casting out all inharmony.
Studious disciples
271:11
In Latin the word rendered disciple signifies student;
In Latin the word rendered disciple signifies student;
and the word indicates that the power of healing was not
a supernatural gift to those learners, but the
result of their cultivated spiritual understand-
ing of the divine Science, which their Master demonstrated
by healing the sick and sinning. Hence the universal ap-
plication of his saying: "Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me [understand
me] through their word."
New Testament basis
271:20
Our Master said, "But the Comforter . . . shall
Our Master said, "But the Comforter . . . shall
teach you all things." When the Science of Christianity
appears, it will lead you into all truth. The
Sermon on the Mount is the essence of this
Science, and the eternal life, not the death of Jesus, is
its outcome.
Modern evangel
271:26
Those, who are willing to leave their nets or to cast
Those, who are willing to leave their nets or to cast
them on the right side for Truth, have the opportunity
now, as aforetime, to learn and to practise
Christian healing. The Scriptures contain it.
The spiritual import of the Word imparts this power.
But, as Paul says, "How shall they hear without a
preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be
272:1
sent?" If sent, how shall they preach, convert, and heal
sent?" If sent, how shall they preach, convert, and heal
multitudes, except the people hear?
Spirituality of Scripture
272:3
The spiritual sense of truth must be gained before
The spiritual sense of truth must be gained before
Truth can be understood. This sense is assimilated only
as we are honest, unselfish, loving, and meek.
In the soil of an "honest and good heart" the
seed must be sown; else it beareth not much fruit, for the
swinish element in human nature uproots it. Jesus said:
"Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures." The spiritual
sense of the Scriptures brings out the scientific sense, and
is the new tongue referred to in the last chapter of Mark's
Gospel.
272:13
Jesus' parable of "the sower" shows the care our
Jesus' parable of "the sower" shows the care our
Master took not to impart to dull ears and gross hearts
the spiritual teachings which dulness and grossness could
not accept. Reading the thoughts of the people, he said:
"Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast
ye your pearls before swine."
Unspiritual contrasts
272:19
It is the spiritualization of thought and Christianization
It is the spiritualization of thought and Christianization
of daily life, in contrast with the results of the ghastly farce
of material existence; it is chastity and purity,
in contrast with the downward tendencies
and earthward gravitation of sensualism and impurity,
which really attest the divine origin and operation of Chris-
tian Science. The triumphs of Christian Science are re-
corded in the destruction of error and evil, from which are
propagated the dismal beliefs of sin, sickness, and death.
God the Principle of all
272:28
The divine Principle of the universe must interpret the
The divine Principle of the universe must interpret the
universe. God is the divine Principle of all that repre-
sents Him and of all that really exists. Chris-
tian Science, as demonstrated by Jesus, alone
reveals the natural, divine Principle of Science.
273:1
Matter and its claims of sin, sickness, and death are
Matter and its claims of sin, sickness, and death are
contrary to God, and cannot emanate from Him. There
is no material truth. The physical senses can take no
cognizance of God and spiritual Truth. Human belief
has sought out many inventions, but not one of them
can solve the problem of being without the divine Prin-
ciple of divine Science. Deductions from material hy-
potheses are not scientific. They differ from real Science
because they are not based on the divine law.
Science versus sense
273:10
Divine Science reverses the false testimony of the ma-
Divine Science reverses the false testimony of the ma-
terial senses, and thus tears away the foun-
dations of error. Hence the enmity between
Science and the senses, and the impossibility
of attaining perfect understanding till the errors of sense
are eliminated.
273:16
The so-called laws of matter and of medical science have
The so-called laws of matter and of medical science have
never made mortals whole, harmonious, and immortal.
Man is harmonious when governed by Soul. Hence the
importance of understanding the truth of being, which
reveals the laws of spiritual existence.
Spiritual law the only law
273:21
God never ordained a material law to annul the spiritual
God never ordained a material law to annul the spiritual
law. If there were such a material law, it would oppose
the supremacy of Spirit, God, and impugn the
wisdom of the creator. Jesus walked on the
waves, fed the multitude, healed the sick, and raised the
dead in direct opposition to material laws. His acts were
the demonstration of Science, overcoming the false claims
of material sense or law.
Material knowledge illusive
273:29
Science shows that material, conflicting mortal opin-
Science shows that material, conflicting mortal opin-
ions and beliefs emit the effects of error at all times, but
this atmosphere of mortal mind cannot be destructive to
morals and health when it is opposed promptly and per-
274:1
sistently by Christian Science. Truth and Love antidote
sistently by Christian Science. Truth and Love antidote
this mental miasma, and thus invigorate and sustain ex-
istence. Unnecessary knowledge gained from
the five senses is only temporal, – the concep-
tion of mortal mind, the offspring of sense, not
of Soul, Spirit, – and symbolizes all that is evil and
perishable. Natural science, as it is commonly called, is
not really natural nor scientific, because it is deduced from
the evidence of the material senses. Ideas, on the con-
trary, are born of Spirit, and are not mere inferences
drawn from material premises.
Five senses deceptive
274:12
The senses of Spirit abide in Love, and they demon-
The senses of Spirit abide in Love, and they demon-
strate Truth and Life. Hence Christianity and the Sci-
ence which expounds it are based on spiritual
understanding, and they supersede the so‑
called laws of matter. Jesus demonstrated this great
verity. When what we erroneously term the five physical
senses are misdirected, they are simply the manifested
beliefs of mortal mind, which affirm that life, substance,
and intelligence are material, instead of spiritual. These
false beliefs and their products constitute the flesh, and
the flesh wars against Spirit.
Impossible partnership
274:23
Divine Science is absolute, and permits no half-way
Divine Science is absolute, and permits no half-way
position in learning its Principle and rule – establishing
it by demonstration. The conventional firm,
called matter and mind, God never formed.
Science and understanding, governed by the unerring and
eternal Mind, destroy the imaginary copartnership, matter
and mind, formed only to be destroyed in a manner and
at a period as yet unknown. This suppositional partner-
ship is already obsolete, for matter, examined in the light
of divine metaphysics, disappears.
Spirit the starting-point
275:1
Matter has no life to lose, and Spirit never dies. A
Matter has no life to lose, and Spirit never dies. A
partnership of mind with matter would ignore omnipres-
ent and omnipotent Mind. This shows that
matter did not originate in God, Spirit, and is
not eternal. Therefore matter is neither substantial, living,
nor intelligent. The starting-point of divine Science is
that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other
might nor Mind, – that God is Love, and therefore He
is divine Principle.
Divine synonyms
275:10
To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science,
To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science,
you must begin by reckoning God as the divine Principle
of all that really is. Spirit, Life, Truth, Love,
combine as one, – and are the Scriptural names
for God. All substance, intelligence, wisdom, being, im-
mortality, cause, and effect belong to God. These are
His attributes, the eternal manifestations of the infinite
divine Principle, Love. No wisdom is wise but His
wisdom; no truth is true, no love is lovely, no life is Life
but the divine; no good is, but the good God bestows.
The divine completeness
275:20
Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understand-
Divine metaphysics, as revealed to spiritual understand-
ing, shows clearly that all is Mind, and that Mind is
God, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience,
– that is, all power, all presence, all Science.
Hence all is in reality the manifestation of Mind.
275:25
Our material human theories are destitute of Science.
Our material human theories are destitute of Science.
The true understanding of God is spiritual. It robs the
grave of victory. It destroys the false evidence that mis-
leads thought and points to other gods, or other so-called
powers, such as matter, disease, sin, and death, superior
or contrary to the one Spirit.
275:31
Truth, spiritually discerned, is scientifically understood.
Truth, spiritually discerned, is scientifically understood.
It casts out error and heals the sick.
Universal brotherhood
276:1
Having one God, one Mind, unfolds the power that
Having one God, one Mind, unfolds the power that
heals the sick, and fulfils these sayings of Scripture, "I
am the Lord that healeth thee," and "I have
found a ransom." When the divine precepts
are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship,
in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have
one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with
the Scriptural command: "Let this Mind be in you,
which was also in Christ Jesus." Man and his Maker
are correlated in divine Science, and real consciousness
is cognizant only of the things of God.
276:12
The realization that all inharmony is unreal brings
The realization that all inharmony is unreal brings
objects and thoughts into human view in their true light,
and presents them as beautiful and immortal. Harmony
in man is as real and immortal as in music. Discord is
unreal and mortal.
Perfection requisite
276:17
If God is admitted to be the only Mind and Life,
If God is admitted to be the only Mind and Life,
there ceases to be any opportunity for sin and death.
When we learn in Science how to be perfect
even as our Father in heaven is perfect,
thought is turned into new and healthy channels, –
towards the contemplation of things immortal and away
from materiality to the Principle of the universe, includ-
ing harmonious man.
276:25
Material beliefs and spiritual understanding never
Material beliefs and spiritual understanding never
mingle. The latter destroys the former. Discord is the
nothingness named error. Harmony is the somethingness
named Truth.
Like evolving like
276:29
Nature and revelation inform us that like produces
Nature and revelation inform us that like produces
like. Divine Science does not gather grapes
from thorns nor figs from thistles. Intelli-
gence never produces non-intelligence; but matter is
277:1
ever non-intelligent and therefore cannot spring from
ever non-intelligent and therefore cannot spring from
intelligence. To all that is unlike unerring and eternal
Mind, this Mind saith, "Thou shalt surely die;" and else-
where the Scripture says that dust returns to dust. The
non-intelligent relapses into its own unreality. Matter
never produces mind. The immortal never produces the
mortal. Good cannot result in evil. As God Himself is
good and is Spirit, goodness and spirituality must be im-
mortal. Their opposites, evil and matter, are mortal
error, and error has no creator. If goodness and spirit-
uality are real, evil and materiality are unreal and can-
not be the outcome of an infinite God, good.
277:13
Natural history presents vegetables and animals as
Natural history presents vegetables and animals as
preserving their original species, – like reproducing like.
A mineral is not produced by a vegetable nor the man
by the brute. In reproduction, the order of genus and
species is preserved throughout the entire round of nature.
This points to the spiritual truth and Science of being.
Error relies upon a reversal of this order, asserts that
Spirit produces matter and matter produces all the ills
of flesh, and therefore that good is the origin of evil.
These suppositions contradict even the order of material
so-called science.
Material error
277:24
The realm of the real is Spirit. The unlikeness of Spirit
The realm of the real is Spirit. The unlikeness of Spirit
is matter, and the opposite of the real is not divine, – it is
a human concept. Matter is an error of state-
ment. This error in the premise leads to errors
in the conclusion in every statement into which it enters.
Nothing we can say or believe regarding matter is immor-
tal, for matter is temporal and is therefore a mortal phe-
nomenon, a human concept, sometimes beautiful, always
erroneous.