Chapter XII - Christian Science Practice
Vision opening
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Life is real, and death is the illusion. A demonstra-
Life is real, and death is the illusion. A demonstra-
tion of the facts of Soul in Jesus' way resolves the dark
visions of material sense into harmony and
immortality. Man's privilege at this supreme
moment is to prove the words of our Master: "If a man
keep my saying, he shall never see death." To divest
thought of false trusts and material evidences in order
that the spiritual facts of being may appear, – this is
the great attainment by means of which we shall sweep
away the false and give place to the true. Thus we may
establish in truth the temple, or body, "whose builder
and maker is God."
Intelligent consecration
428:15
We should consecrate existence, not "to the unknown
We should consecrate existence, not "to the unknown
God" whom we "ignorantly worship," but to the eternal
builder, the everlasting Father, to the Life
which mortal sense cannot impair nor mortal
belief destroy. We must realize the ability of mental
might to offset human misconceptions and to replace them
with the life which is spiritual, not material.
The present immortality
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The great spiritual fact must be brought out that man
The great spiritual fact must be brought out that man
is, not shall be, perfect and immortal. We must hold
forever the consciousness of existence, and
sooner or later, through Christ and Christian
Science, we must master sin and death. The evidence
of man's immortality will become more apparent, as ma-
terial beliefs are given up and the immortal facts of being
are admitted.
Careful guidance
428:30
The author has healed hopeless organic disease, and
The author has healed hopeless organic disease, and
raised the dying to life and health through the under-
standing of God as the only Life. It is a sin to believe
429:1
that aught can overpower omnipotent and eternal Life,
that aught can overpower omnipotent and eternal Life,
and this Life must be brought to light by the understand-
ing that there is no death, as well as by other
graces of Spirit. We must begin, however,
with the more simple demonstrations of control, and
the sooner we begin the better. The final demonstration
takes time for its accomplishment. When walking, we
are guided by the eye. We look before our feet, and if
we are wise, we look beyond a single step in the line of
spiritual advancement.
Clay replying to the potter
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The corpse, deserted by thought, is cold and decays,
The corpse, deserted by thought, is cold and decays,
but it never suffers. Science declares that man is sub-
ject to Mind. Mortal mind affirms that mind
is subordinate to the body, that the body is
dying, that it must be buried and decomposed
into dust; but mortal mind's affirmation is not true.
Mortals waken from the dream of death with bodies un-
seen by those who think that they bury the body.
Continuity of existence
429:19
If man did not exist before the material organization
If man did not exist before the material organization
began, he could not exist after the body is disintegrated.
If we live after death and are immortal, we
must have lived before birth, for if Life ever
had any beginning, it must also have an ending, even ac-
cording to the calculations of natural science. Do you
believe this? No! Do you understand it? No! This
is why you doubt the statement and do not demonstrate
the facts it involves. We must have faith in all the say-
ings of our Master, though they are not included in the
teachings of the schools, and are not understood gener-
ally by our ethical instructors.
Life all-inclusive
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Jesus said (John viii. 51), "If a man keep my saying,
Jesus said (John viii. 51), "If a man keep my saying,
he shall never see death." That statement is not con-