Chapter X - Science Of Being
Material skepticism
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to Thomas. For him to believe in matter was no task,
to Thomas. For him to believe in matter was no task,
but for him to conceive of the substantiality of Spirit –
to know that nothing can efface Mind and immortality, in
which Spirit reigns – was more difficult.
What the senses originate
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Corporeal senses define diseases as realities; but the
Corporeal senses define diseases as realities; but the
Scriptures declare that God made all, even while the cor-
poreal senses are saying that matter causes
disease and the divine Mind cannot or will
not heal it. The material senses originate and
support all that is material, untrue, selfish, or debased.
They would put soul into soil, life into limbo, and doom
all things to decay. We must silence this lie of material
sense with the truth of spiritual sense. We must cause
the error to cease that brought the belief of sin and death
and would efface the pure sense of omnipotence.
Sickness as discord
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Is the sick man sinful above all others? No! but
Is the sick man sinful above all others? No! but
so far as he is discordant, he is not the image of God.
Weary of their material beliefs, from which
comes so much suffering, invalids grow more
spiritual, as the error – or belief that life is in matter –
yields to the reality of spiritual Life.
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The Science of Mind denies the error of sensation in
The Science of Mind denies the error of sensation in
matter, and heals with Truth. Medical science treats
disease as though disease were real, therefore right, and
attempts to heal it with matter. If disease is right it is
wrong to heal it. Material methods are temporary, and
are not adapted to elevate mankind.
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The governor is not subjected to the governed. In
The governor is not subjected to the governed. In
Science man is governed by God, divine Principle, as
numbers are controlled and proved by His laws. Intelli-
gence does not originate in numbers, but is manifested
through them. The body does not include soul, but man-
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ifests mortality, a false sense of soul. The delusion that
ifests mortality, a false sense of soul. The delusion that
there is life in matter has no kinship with the Life supernal.
Unscientific introspection
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Science depicts disease as error, as matter versus
Science depicts disease as error, as matter versus
Mind, and error reversed as subserving the facts of
health. To calculate one's life-prospects
from a material basis, would infringe upon
spiritual law and misguide human hope. Having faith
in the divine Principle of Health and spiritually under-
standing God, sustains man under all circumstances;
whereas the lower appeal to the general faith in material
means (commonly called nature) must yield to the all‑
might of infinite Spirit.
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Throughout the infinite cycles of eternal existence,
Throughout the infinite cycles of eternal existence,
Spirit and matter neither concur in man nor in the universe.
God the only Mind
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The varied doctrines and theories which presuppose
The varied doctrines and theories which presuppose
life and intelligence to exist in matter are so many ancient
and modern mythologies. Mystery, miracle,
sin, and death will disappear when it becomes
fairly understood that the divine Mind controls man and
man has no Mind but God.
Scriptures misinterpreted
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The divine Science taught in the original language
The divine Science taught in the original language
of the Bible came through inspiration, and needs inspi-
ration to be understood. Hence the misappre-
hension of the spiritual meaning of the Bible,
and the misinterpretation of the Word in
some instances by uninspired writers, who only wrote
down what an inspired teacher had said. A misplaced
word changes the sense and misstates the Science of
the Scriptures, as, for instance, to name Love as merely
an attribute of God; but we can by special and proper
capitalization speak of the love of Love, meaning by that
what the beloved disciple meant in one of his epistles,
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when he said, "God is love." Likewise we can speak of
when he said, "God is love." Likewise we can speak of
the truth of Truth and of the life of Life, for Christ plainly
declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
Interior meaning
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Metaphors abound in the Bible, and names are often
Metaphors abound in the Bible, and names are often
expressive of spiritual ideas. The most distinguished
theologians in Europe and America agree that
the Scriptures have both a spiritual and lit-
eral meaning. In Smith's Bible Dictionary it is said:
"The spiritual interpretation of Scripture must rest
upon both the literal and moral;" and in the learned
article on Noah in the same work, the familiar text,
Genesis vi. 3, "And the Lord said, My spirit shall not
always strive with man, for that he also is flesh," is quoted
as follows, from the original Hebrew: "And Jehovah
said, My spirit shall not forever rule [or be humbled] in
men, seeing that they are [or, in their error they are]
but flesh." Here the original text declares plainly the
spiritual fact of being, even man's eternal and harmo-
nious existence as image, idea, instead of matter (how-
ever transcendental such a thought appears), and avers
that this fact is not forever to be humbled by the belief
that man is flesh and matter, for according to that error
man is mortal.
Job, on the resurrection
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The one important interpretation of Scripture is the
The one important interpretation of Scripture is the
spiritual. For example, the text, "In my flesh shall I
see God," gives a profound idea of the di-
vine power to heal the ills of the flesh, and
encourages mortals to hope in Him who healeth all our
diseases; whereas this passage is continually quoted
as if Job intended to declare that even if disease and
worms destroyed his body, yet in the latter days he should
stand in celestial perfection before Elohim, still clad
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in material flesh, – an interpretation which is just the op-
in material flesh, – an interpretation which is just the op-
posite of the true, as may be seen by studying the book
of Job. As Paul says, in his first epistle to the Corin-
thians, "Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of
God."
Fear of the serpent overcome
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The Hebrew Lawgiver, slow of speech, despaired of
The Hebrew Lawgiver, slow of speech, despaired of
making the people understand what should be revealed
to him. When, led by wisdom to cast down his
rod, he saw it become a serpent, Moses fled be-
fore it; but wisdom bade him come back and
handle the serpent, and then Moses' fear departed. In
this incident was seen the actuality of Science. Matter
was shown to be a belief only. The serpent, evil, under
wisdom's bidding, was destroyed through understanding
divine Science, and this proof was a staff upon which to
lean. The illusion of Moses lost its power to alarm him,
when he discovered that what he apparently saw was really
but a phase of mortal belief.
Leprosy healed
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It was scientifically demonstrated that leprosy was a
It was scientifically demonstrated that leprosy was a
creation of mortal mind and not a condition of matter,
when Moses first put his hand into his bosom
and drew it forth white as snow with the dread
disease, and presently restored his hand to its natural con-
dition by the same simple process. God had lessened
Moses' fear by this proof in divine Science, and the in-
ward voice became to him the voice of God, which said:
"It shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither
hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe
the voice of the latter sign." And so it was in the coming
centuries, when the Science of being was demonstrated
by Jesus, who showed his students the power of Mind by
changing water into wine, and taught them how to handle
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serpents unharmed, to heal the sick and cast out evils in
serpents unharmed, to heal the sick and cast out evils in
proof of the supremacy of Mind.
Standpoints changed
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When understanding changes the standpoints of life and
When understanding changes the standpoints of life and
intelligence from a material to a spiritual basis, we shall
gain the reality of Life, the control of Soul over
sense, and we shall perceive Christianity, or
Truth, in its divine Principle. This must be the climax
before harmonious and immortal man is obtained and his
capabilities revealed. It is highly important – in view
of the immense work to be accomplished before this recog-
nition of divine Science can come – to turn our thoughts
towards divine Principle, that finite belief may be pre-
pared to relinquish its error.
Saving the inebriate
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Man's wisdom finds no satisfaction in sin, since God
Man's wisdom finds no satisfaction in sin, since God
has sentenced sin to suffer. The necromancy of yester-
day foreshadowed the mesmerism and hypno-
tism of to-day. The drunkard thinks he enjoys
drunkenness, and you cannot make the inebriate leave
his besottedness, until his physical sense of pleasure yields
to a higher sense. Then he turns from his cups, as
the startled dreamer who wakens from an incubus in-
curred through the pains of distorted sense. A man who
likes to do wrong – finding pleasure in it and refraining
from it only through fear of consequences – is neither
a temperate man nor a reliable religionist.
Uses of suffering
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The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life
The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life
of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless
woes, turn us like tired children to the arms
of divine Love. Then we begin to learn Life
in divine Science. Without this process of weaning,
"Canst thou by searching find out God?" It is easier
to desire Truth than to rid one's self of error. Mortals
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may seek the understanding of Christian Science, but they
may seek the understanding of Christian Science, but they
will not be able to glean from Christian Science the facts
of being without striving for them. This strife consists
in the endeavor to forsake error of every kind and to pos-
sess no other consciousness but good.
A bright outlook
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Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we
Through the wholesome chastisements of Love, we
are helped onward in the march towards righteousness,
peace, and purity, which are the landmarks
of Science. Beholding the infinite tasks of
truth, we pause, – wait on God. Then we push onward,
until boundless thought walks enraptured, and concep-
tion unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory.
Need and supply
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In order to apprehend more, we must put into prac-
In order to apprehend more, we must put into prac-
tice what we already know. We must recollect that
Truth is demonstrable when understood, and
that good is not understood until demonstrated.
If "faithful over a few things," we shall be made rulers
over many; but the one unused talent decays and is lost.
When the sick or the sinning awake to realize their need
of what they have not, they will be receptive of divine
Science, which gravitates towards Soul and away from
material sense, removes thought from the body, and ele-
vates even mortal mind to the contemplation of some-
thing better than disease or sin. The true idea of God
gives the true understanding of Life and Love, robs the
grave of victory, takes away all sin and the delusion that
there are other minds, and destroys mortality.
Childlike receptivity
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The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen
The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen
as felt. It is the "still, small voice" of Truth
uttering itself. We are either turning away
from this utterance, or we are listening to it and going
up higher. Willingness to become as a little child and
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to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of
to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of
the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks
and joy to see them disappear, – this disposition helps
to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification
of sense and self is a proof of progress. "Blessed are the
pure in heart: for they shall see God."
Narrow pathway
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Unless the harmony and immortality of man are be-
Unless the harmony and immortality of man are be-
coming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea
of God; and the body will reflect what gov-
erns it, whether it be Truth or error,
understanding or belief, Spirit or matter. Therefore
"acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace."
Be watchful, sober, and vigilant. The way is straight
and narrow, which leads to the understanding that God
is the only Life. It is a warfare with the flesh, in which
we must conquer sin, sickness, and death, either here
or hereafter, – certainly before we can reach the goal
of Spirit, or life in God.
Paul's enlightenment
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Paul was not at first a disciple of Jesus but a perse-
Paul was not at first a disciple of Jesus but a perse-
cutor of Jesus' followers. When the truth first appeared
to him in Science, Paul was made blind,
and his blindness was felt; but spiritual
light soon enabled him to follow the example and teach-
ings of Jesus, healing the sick and preaching Christian-
ity throughout Asia Minor, Greece, and even in imperial
Rome.
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Paul writes, "If Christ [Truth] be not risen, then is
Paul writes, "If Christ [Truth] be not risen, then is
our preaching vain." That is, if the idea of the suprem-
acy of Spirit, which is the true conception of being,
come not to your thought, you cannot be benefited by
what I say.
Abiding in Life
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Jesus said substantially, "He that believeth in me
Jesus said substantially, "He that believeth in me
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shall not see death." That is, he who perceives the
shall not see death." That is, he who perceives the
true idea of Life loses his belief in death. He who has
the true idea of good loses all sense of evil,
and by reason of this is being ushered into the
undying realities of Spirit. Such a one abideth in Life, –
life obtained not of the body incapable of supporting life,
but of Truth, unfolding its own immortal idea. Jesus
gave the true idea of being, which results in infinite bless-
ings to mortals.
Indestructible being
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In Colossians (iii. 4) Paul writes: "When Christ, who
In Colossians (iii. 4) Paul writes: "When Christ, who
is our life, shall appear [be manifested], then shall ye also
appear [be manifested] with him in glory."
When spiritual being is understood in all its
perfection, continuity, and might, then shall man be found
in God's image. The absolute meaning of the apostolic
words is this: Then shall man be found, in His likeness,
perfect as the Father, indestructible in Life, "hid with
Christ in God," – with Truth in divine Love, where
human sense hath not seen man.
Consecration required
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Paul had a clear sense of the demands of Truth upon
Paul had a clear sense of the demands of Truth upon
mortals physically and spiritually, when he said: "Pre-
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac-
ceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service." But he, who is begotten of the beliefs of the
flesh and serves them, can never reach in this world the
divine heights of our Lord. The time cometh when
the spiritual origin of man, the divine Science which
ushered Jesus into human presence, will be understood
and demonstrated.
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When first spoken in any age, Truth, like the light,
When first spoken in any age, Truth, like the light,
"shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended
it not." A false sense of life, substance, and mind
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hides the divine possibilities, and conceals scientific
hides the divine possibilities, and conceals scientific
demonstration.
Loving God supremely
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If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the
If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the
way of God's appointing. Jesus said, "He that believeth
on me, the works that I do shall he do also."
He, who would reach the source and find the
divine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hill
of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's
love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set
his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the
material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.
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We must forsake the foundation of material systems,
We must forsake the foundation of material systems,
however time-honored, if we would gain the Christ as
our only Saviour. Not partially, but fully, the great
healer of mortal mind is the healer of the body.
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The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained
The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained
now. This point won, you have started as you should.
You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian
Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your
advancement. Working and praying with true motives,
your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you,
that ye should not obey the truth?"
Conversion of Saul
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Saul of Tarsus beheld the way – the Christ, or Truth
Saul of Tarsus beheld the way – the Christ, or Truth
– only when his uncertain sense of right yielded to a
spiritual sense, which is always right. Then
the man was changed. Thought assumed a
nobler outlook, and his life became more spiritual. He
learned the wrong that he had done in persecuting Chris-
tians, whose religion he had not understood, and in hu-
mility he took the new name of Paul. He beheld for the
first time the true idea of Love, and learned a lesson in
divine Science.
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Reform comes by understanding that there is no abid-
Reform comes by understanding that there is no abid-
ing pleasure in evil, and also by gaining an affection for
good according to Science, which reveals the immortal
fact that neither pleasure nor pain, appetite nor passion,
can exist in or of matter, while divine Mind can and does
destroy the false beliefs of pleasure, pain, or fear and all
the sinful appetites of the human mind.
Image of the beast
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What a pitiful sight is malice, finding pleasure in re-
What a pitiful sight is malice, finding pleasure in re-
venge! Evil is sometimes a man's highest conception
of right, until his grasp on good grows stronger.
Then he loses pleasure in wickedness, and it
becomes his torment. The way to escape the misery of
sin is to cease sinning. There is no other way. Sin is
the image of the beast to be effaced by the sweat of agony.
It is a moral madness which rushes forth to clamor with
midnight and tempest.
Peremptory demands
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To the physical senses, the strict demands of Christian
To the physical senses, the strict demands of Christian
Science seem peremptory; but mortals are has-
tening to learn that Life is God, good, and that
evil has in reality neither place nor power in the human or
the divine economy.
Moral courage
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Fear of punishment never made man truly honest.
Fear of punishment never made man truly honest.
Moral courage is requisite to meet the wrong and to
proclaim the right. But how shall we re-
form the man who has more animal than
moral courage, and who has not the true idea of good?
Through human consciousness, convince the mortal of
his mistake in seeking material means for gaining hap-
piness. Reason is the most active human faculty. Let
that inform the sentiments and awaken the man's dor-
mant sense of moral obligation, and by degrees he will
learn the nothingness of the pleasures of human sense
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and the grandeur and bliss of a spiritual sense, which
and the grandeur and bliss of a spiritual sense, which
silences the material or corporeal. Then he not only will
be saved, but is saved.
Final destruction of error
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Mortals suppose that they can live without goodness,
Mortals suppose that they can live without goodness,
when God is good and the only real Life. What is the
result? Understanding little about the divine
Principle which saves and heals, mortals get
rid of sin, sickness, and death only in belief. These errors
are not thus really destroyed, and must therefore cling
to mortals until, here or hereafter, they gain the true un-
derstanding of God in the Science which destroys human
delusions about Him and reveals the grand realities of
His allness.
Promise perpetual
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This understanding of man's power, when he is
This understanding of man's power, when he is
equipped by God, has sadly disappeared from Christian
history. For centuries it has been dormant, a
lost element of Christianity. Our missionaries
carry the Bible to India, but can it be said that they
explain it practically, as Jesus did, when hundreds of
persons die there annually from serpent-bites? Under-
standing spiritual law and knowing that there is no mate-
rial law, Jesus said: "These signs shall follow them that
believe, . . . they shall take up serpents, and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." It
were well had Christendom believed and obeyed this
sacred saying.
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Jesus' promise is perpetual. Had it been given only
Jesus' promise is perpetual. Had it been given only
to his immediate disciples, the Scriptural passage would
read you, not they. The purpose of his great life-work
extends through time and includes universal humanity.
Its Principle is infinite, reaching beyond the pale of a
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single period or of a limited following. As time moves
single period or of a limited following. As time moves
on, the healing elements of pure Christianity will be fairly
dealt with; they will be sought and taught, and will glow
in all the grandeur of universal goodness.
Imitation of Jesus
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A little leaven leavens the whole lump. A little under-
A little leaven leavens the whole lump. A little under-
standing of Christian Science proves the truth of all that
I say of it. Because you cannot walk on the
water and raise the dead, you have no right to
question the great might of divine Science in these direc-
tions. Be thankful that Jesus, who was the true demon-
strator of Science, did these things, and left his example for
us. In Science we can use only what we understand. We
must prove our faith by demonstration.
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One should not tarry in the storm if the body is freez-
One should not tarry in the storm if the body is freez-
ing, nor should he remain in the devouring flames. Un-
til one is able to prevent bad results, he should avoid their
occasion. To be discouraged, is to resemble a pupil in
addition, who attempts to solve a problem of Euclid, and
denies the rule of the problem because he fails in his first
effort.
Error destroyed, not pardoned
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There is no hypocrisy in Science. Principle is impera-
There is no hypocrisy in Science. Principle is impera-
tive. You cannot mock it by human will. Science is a
divine demand, not a human. Always right,
its divine Principle never repents, but main-
tains the claim of Truth by quenching error.
The pardon of divine mercy is the destruction of error. If
men understood their real spiritual source to be all bless-
edness, they would struggle for recourse to the spiritual
and be at peace; but the deeper the error into which mor-
tal mind is plunged, the more intense the opposition to
spirituality, till error yields to Truth.
The hopeful outlook
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Human resistance to divine Science weakens in pro-
Human resistance to divine Science weakens in pro-
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portion as mortals give up error for Truth and the un-
portion as mortals give up error for Truth and the un-
derstanding of being supersedes mere belief. Until the
author of this book learned the vastness of
Christian Science, the fixedness of mortal illu-
sions, and the human hatred of Truth, she cherished
sanguine hopes that Christian Science would meet with
immediate and universal acceptance.
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When the following platform is understood and the
When the following platform is understood and the
letter and the spirit bear witness, the infallibility of divine
metaphysics will be demonstrated.
The deific supremacy
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I. God is infinite, the only Life, substance, Spirit, or
I. God is infinite, the only Life, substance, Spirit, or
Soul, the only intelligence of the universe, including man.
Eye hath neither seen God nor His image and
likeness. Neither God nor the perfect man
can be discerned by the material senses. The individ-
uality of Spirit, or the infinite, is unknown, and thus a
knowledge of it is left either to human conjecture or to the
revelation of divine Science.
The deific definitions
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II. God is what the Scriptures declare Him to be, –
II. God is what the Scriptures declare Him to be, –
Life, Truth, Love. Spirit is divine Principle, and divine
Principle is Love, and Love is Mind, and
Mind is not both good and bad, for God is
Mind; therefore there is in reality one Mind only, be-
cause there is one God.
Evil obsolete
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III. The notion that both evil and good are real is a
III. The notion that both evil and good are real is a
delusion of material sense, which Science annihilates.
Evil is nothing, no thing, mind, nor power.
As manifested by mankind it stands for a lie,
nothing claiming to be something, – for lust, dishonesty,
selfishness, envy, hypocrisy, slander, hate, theft, adultery,
murder, dementia, insanity, inanity, devil, hell, with all
the etceteras that word includes.
Life the creator
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IV. God is divine Life, and Life is no more confined
IV. God is divine Life, and Life is no more confined
to the forms which reflect it than substance is in its
shadow. If life were in mortal man or mate-
rial things, it would be subject to their limi-
tations and would end in death. Life is Mind, the creator
reflected in His creations. If He dwelt within what He
creates, God would not be reflected but absorbed, and the
Science of being would be forever lost through a mortal
sense, which falsely testifies to a beginning and an
end.
Allness of Spirit
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V. The Scriptures imply that God is All-in-all. From
V. The Scriptures imply that God is All-in-all. From
this it follows that nothing possesses reality nor existence
except the divine Mind and His ideas. The
Scriptures also declare that God is Spirit.
Therefore in Spirit all is harmony, and there can be no
discord; all is Life, and there is no death. Everything
in God's universe expresses Him.
The universal cause
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VI. God is individual, incorporeal. He is divine Prin-
VI. God is individual, incorporeal. He is divine Prin-
ciple, Love, the universal cause, the only creator, and
there is no other self-existence. He is all‑
inclusive, and is reflected by all that is real
and eternal and by nothing else. He fills all space, and
it is impossible to conceive of such omnipresence and in-
dividuality except as infinite Spirit or Mind. Hence all
is Spirit and spiritual.
Divine trinity
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VII. Life, Truth, and Love constitute the triune Person
VII. Life, Truth, and Love constitute the triune Person
called God, – that is, the triply divine Principle, Love.
They represent a trinity in unity, three in
one, – the same in essence, though multi-
form in office: God the Father-Mother; Christ the spirit-
ual idea of sonship; divine Science or the Holy Comforter.
These three express in divine Science the threefold, essen-
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tial nature of the infinite. They also indicate the divine
tial nature of the infinite. They also indicate the divine
Principle of scientific being, the intelligent relation of God
to man and the universe.
Father-Mother
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VIII. Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which in-
VIII. Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which in-
dicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.
As the apostle expressed it in words which he
quoted with approbation from a classic poet:
"For we are also His offspring."
The Son of God
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IX. Jesus was born of Mary. Christ is the true idea
IX. Jesus was born of Mary. Christ is the true idea
voicing good, the divine message from God to men speak-
ing to the human consciousness. The Christ
is incorporeal, spiritual, – yea, the divine
image and likeness, dispelling the illusions of the senses;
the Way, the Truth, and the Life, healing the sick and
casting out evils, destroying sin, disease, and death. As
Paul says: "There is one God, and one mediator between
God and men, the man Christ Jesus." The corporeal
man Jesus was human.
Holy Ghost or Comforter
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X. Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ
X. Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ
is the divine idea of God – the Holy Ghost,
or Comforter, revealing the divine Principle,
Love, and leading into all truth.
Christ Jesus
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XI. Jesus was the son of a virgin. He was appointed
XI. Jesus was the son of a virgin. He was appointed
to speak God's word and to appear to mortals in such
a form of humanity as they could understand
as well as perceive. Mary's conception of
him was spiritual, for only purity could reflect Truth
and Love, which were plainly incarnate in the good and
pure Christ Jesus. He expressed the highest type of
divinity, which a fleshly form could express in that age.
Into the real and ideal man the fleshly element cannot
enter. Thus it is that Christ illustrates the coincidence,
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or spiritual agreement, between God and man in His
or spiritual agreement, between God and man in His
image.
Messiah or Christ
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XII. The word Christ is not properly a synonym for
XII. The word Christ is not properly a synonym for
Jesus, though it is commonly so used. Jesus was a human
name, which belonged to him in common with
other Hebrew boys and men, for it is identical
with the name Joshua, the renowned Hebrew leader. On
the other hand, Christ is not a name so much as the divine
title of Jesus. Christ expresses God's spiritual, eternal
nature. The name is synonymous with Messiah, and al-
ludes to the spirituality which is taught, illustrated, and
demonstrated in the life of which Christ Jesus was the
embodiment. The proper name of our Master in the
Greek was Jesus the Christ; but Christ Jesus better sig-
nifies the Godlike.
The divine Principle and idea
333:16
XIII. The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the
XIII. The advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked the
first century of the Christian era, but the Christ is
without beginning of years or end of days.
Throughout all generations both before and
after the Christian era, the Christ, as the spirit-
ual idea, – the reflection of God, – has come with some
measure of power and grace to all prepared to receive
Christ, Truth. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets
caught glorious glimpses of the Messiah, or Christ, which
baptized these seers in the divine nature, the essence of
Love. The divine image, idea, or Christ was, is, and
ever will be inseparable from the divine Principle, God.
Jesus referred to this unity of his spiritual identity thus:
"Before Abraham was, I am;" "I and my Father are
one;" "My Father is greater than I." The one Spirit
includes all identities.
Spiritual oneness
333:32
XIV. By these sayings Jesus meant, not that the hu-
XIV. By these sayings Jesus meant, not that the hu-
334:1
man Jesus was or is eternal, but that the divine idea or
man Jesus was or is eternal, but that the divine idea or
Christ was and is so and therefore antedated Abraham;
not that the corporeal Jesus was one with the
Father, but that the spiritual idea, Christ,
dwells forever in the bosom of the Father, God, from
which it illumines heaven and earth; not that the Father
is greater than Spirit, which is God, but greater, infinitely
greater, than the fleshly Jesus, whose earthly career was
brief.
The Son's duality
334:10
XV. The invisible Christ was imperceptible to the
XV. The invisible Christ was imperceptible to the
so-called personal senses, whereas Jesus appeared as a
bodily existence. This dual personality of the
unseen and the seen, the spiritual and mate-
rial, the eternal Christ and the corporeal Jesus manifest
in flesh, continued until the Master's ascension, when
the human, material concept, or Jesus, disappeared,
while the spiritual self, or Christ, continues to exist in
the eternal order of divine Science, taking away the sins
of the world, as the Christ has always done, even before
the human Jesus was incarnate to mortal eyes.
Eternity of the Christ
334:21
XVI. This was "the Lamb slain from the foundation
XVI. This was "the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world," – slain, that is, according to the testi-
mony of the corporeal senses, but undying in
the deific Mind. The Revelator represents the
Son of man as saying (Revelation i. 17, 18): "I am the
first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead
[not understood]; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
[Science has explained me]." This is a mystical state-
ment of the eternity of the Christ, and is also a reference
to the human sense of Jesus crucified.
Infinite Spirit
334:31
XVII. Spirit being God, there is but one Spirit, for
XVII. Spirit being God, there is but one Spirit, for
there can be but one infinite and therefore one God.