Chapter II - Atonement And Eucharist
Help and hindrance
28:1
The Pharisees claimed to know and to teach the di-
The Pharisees claimed to know and to teach the di-
vine will, but they only hindered the success of Jesus'
mission. Even many of his students stood
in his way. If the Master had not taken a
student and taught the unseen verities of God, he would
not have been crucified. The determination to hold Spirit
in the grasp of matter is the persecutor of Truth and
Love.
28:9
While respecting all that is good in the Church or out
While respecting all that is good in the Church or out
of it, one's consecration to Christ is more on the ground
of demonstration than of profession. In conscience, we
cannot hold to beliefs outgrown; and by understanding
more of the divine Principle of the deathless Christ, we
are enabled to heal the sick and to triumph over sin.
Misleading conceptions
28:15
Neither the origin, the character, nor the work of
Neither the origin, the character, nor the work of
Jesus was generally understood. Not a single compo-
nent part of his nature did the material
world measure aright. Even his righteous-
ness and purity did not hinder men from saying: He
is a glutton and a friend of the impure, and Beelzebub is
his patron.
Persecution prolonged
28:22
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough if
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough if
thou art found worthy to unloose the sandals of thy
Master's feet! To suppose that persecution
for righteousness' sake belongs to the past,
and that Christianity to-day is at peace with the world
because it is honored by sects and societies, is to mis-
take the very nature of religion. Error repeats itself.
The trials encountered by prophet, disciple, and apostle,
"of whom the world was not worthy," await, in some
form, every pioneer of truth.
Christian warfare
28:32
There is too much animal courage in society and not
There is too much animal courage in society and not
29:1
sufficient moral courage. Christians must take up arms
sufficient moral courage. Christians must take up arms
against error at home and abroad. They must grapple
with sin in themselves and in others, and
continue this warfare until they have finished
their course. If they keep the faith, they will have the
crown of rejoicing.
29:7
Christian experience teaches faith in the right and dis-
Christian experience teaches faith in the right and dis-
belief in the wrong. It bids us work the more earnestly
in times of persecution, because then our labor is more
needed. Great is the reward of self-sacrifice, though we
may never receive it in this world.
The Fatherhood of God
29:12
There is a tradition that Publius Lentulus wrote to
There is a tradition that Publius Lentulus wrote to
the authorities at Rome: "The disciples of Jesus be-
lieve him the Son of God." Those instructed
in Christian Science have reached the glori-
ous perception that God is the only author of man.
The Virgin-mother conceived this idea of God, and
gave to her ideal the name of Jesus – that is, Joshua,
or Saviour.
Spiritual conception
29:20
The illumination of Mary's spiritual sense put to
The illumination of Mary's spiritual sense put to
silence material law and its order of generation, and
brought forth her child by the revelation of
Truth, demonstrating God as the Father of
men. The Holy Ghost, or divine Spirit, overshadowed
the pure sense of the Virgin-mother with the full recog-
nition that being is Spirit. The Christ dwelt forever
an idea in the bosom of God, the divine Principle of the
man Jesus, and woman perceived this spiritual idea,
though at first faintly developed.
29:30
Man as the offspring of God, as the idea of Spirit,
Man as the offspring of God, as the idea of Spirit,
is the immortal evidence that Spirit is harmonious and
man eternal. Jesus was the offspring of Mary's self‑