Chapter XII - Christian Science Practice
399:1
no power, no intelligence, for God is good, and therefore
no power, no intelligence, for God is good, and therefore
good is infinite, is All.
Corporeal combinations
399:3
You say that certain material combinations produce
You say that certain material combinations produce
disease; but if the material body causes disease, can
matter cure what matter has caused? Mortal
mind prescribes the drug, and administers it.
Mortal mind plans the exercise, and puts the body through
certain motions. No gastric gas accumulates, not a se-
cretion nor combination can operate, apart from the
action of mortal thought, alias mortal mind.
Automatic mechanism
399:11
So-called mortal mind sends its despatches over its
So-called mortal mind sends its despatches over its
body, but this so-called mind is both the service and
message of this telegraphy. Nerves are un-
able to talk, and matter can return no an-
swer to immortal Mind. If Mind is the only actor, how
can mechanism be automatic? Mortal mind perpetuates
its own thought. It constructs a machine, manages it,
and then calls it material. A mill at work or the action
of a water-wheel is but a derivative from, and continua-
tion of, the primitive mortal mind. Without this force
the body is devoid of action, and this deadness shows
that so-called mortal life is mortal mind, not matter.
Mental strength
399:23
Scientifically speaking, there is no mortal mind out of
Scientifically speaking, there is no mortal mind out of
which to make material beliefs, springing from illusion.
This misnamed mind is not an entity. It is
only a false sense of matter, since matter is not
sensible. The one Mind, God, contains no mortal opin-
ions. All that is real is included in this immortal Mind.
Confirmation in a parable
399:29
Our Master asked: "How can one enter into a strong
Our Master asked: "How can one enter into a strong
man's house and spoil his goods, except he first
bind the strong man?" In other words: How
can I heal the body, without beginning with so-called
400:1
mortal mind, which directly controls the body? When
mortal mind, which directly controls the body? When
disease is once destroyed in this so-called mind, the fear
of disease is gone, and therefore the disease is thor-
oughly cured. Mortal mind is "the strong man," which
must be held in subjection before its influence upon health
and morals can be removed. This error conquered, we
can despoil "the strong man" of his goods, – namely, of
sin and disease.
Eradicate error from thought
400:9
Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they
Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they
forsake discord, acknowledge the supremacy of divine
Mind, and abandon their material beliefs.
Eradicate the image of disease from the per-
turbed thought before it has taken tangible
shape in conscious thought, alias the body, and you pre-
vent the development of disease. This task becomes easy,
if you understand that every disease is an error, and has
no character nor type, except what mortal mind assigns to
it. By lifting thought above error, or disease, and con-
tending persistently for truth, you destroy error.
Mortal mind controlled
400:20
When we remove disease by addressing the disturbed
When we remove disease by addressing the disturbed
mind, giving no heed to the body, we prove that thought
alone creates the suffering. Mortal mind
rules all that is mortal. We see in the body
the images of this mind, even as in optics we see painted
on the retina the image which becomes visible to the
senses. The action of so-called mortal mind must be
destroyed by the divine Mind to bring out the harmony
of being. Without divine control there is discord, mani-
fest as sin, sickness, and death.
Mortal mind not a healer
400:30
The Scriptures plainly declare the baneful influence of
The Scriptures plainly declare the baneful influence of
sinful thought on the body. Even our Master felt this.
It is recorded that in certain localities he did not many