Chapter XV - Genesis
Rising to the light
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of spiritual understanding. This period corresponds to
of spiritual understanding. This period corresponds to
the resurrection, when Spirit is discerned to be the Life of
all, and the deathless Life, or Mind, dependent
upon no material organization. Our Master
reappeared to his students, – to their apprehension he
rose from the grave, – on the third day of his ascending
thought, and so presented to them the certain sense of
eternal Life.
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Genesis i. 14. And God said, Let there be lights in the
Genesis i. 14. And God said, Let there be lights in the
firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days,
and years.
Rarefaction of thought
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Spirit creates no other than heavenly or celestial bodies,
Spirit creates no other than heavenly or celestial bodies,
but the stellar universe is no more celestial than our earth.
This text gives the idea of the rarefaction of
thought as it ascends higher. God forms and
peoples the universe. The light of spiritual understand-
ing gives gleams of the infinite only, even as nebulae indi-
cate the immensity of space.
Divine nature appearing
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So-called mineral, vegetable, and animal substances
So-called mineral, vegetable, and animal substances
are no more contingent now on time or material struc-
ture than they were when "the morning stars
sang together." Mind made the "plant of
the field before it was in the earth." The periods of
spiritual ascension are the days and seasons of Mind's
creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness
– yea, the divine nature – appear in man and the uni-
verse never to disappear.
Spiritual ideas apprehended
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Knowing the Science of creation, in which all is Mind
Knowing the Science of creation, in which all is Mind
and its ideas, Jesus rebuked the material thought of his
fellow-countrymen: "Ye can discern the face of the
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sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
How much more should we seek to apprehend the spirit-
ual ideas of God, than to dwell on the objects
of sense! To discern the rhythm of Spirit
and to be holy, thought must be purely spiritual.
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Genesis i. 15. And let them be for lights in the firma-
Genesis i. 15. And let them be for lights in the firma-
ment of the heaven, to give light upon the earth: and it
was so.
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Truth and Love enlighten the understanding, in whose
Truth and Love enlighten the understanding, in whose
"light shall we see light;" and this illumination is re-
flected spiritually by all who walk in the light and turn
away from a false material sense.
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Genesis i. 16. And God made two great lights; the
Genesis i. 16. And God made two great lights; the
greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the
night: He made the stars also.
Geology a failure
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The sun is a metaphorical representation of Soul out-
The sun is a metaphorical representation of Soul out-
side the body, giving existence and intelligence to the
universe. Love alone can impart the limit-
less idea of infinite Mind. Geology has never
explained the earth's formations; it cannot explain them.
There is no Scriptural allusion to solar light until time has
been already divided into evening and morning; and the
allusion to fluids (Genesis i. 2) indicates a supposed for-
mation of matter by the resolving of fluids into solids,
analogous to the suppositional resolving of thoughts into
material things.
Spiritual subdivision
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Light is a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love,
Light is a symbol of Mind, of Life, Truth, and Love,
and not a vitalizing property of matter. Sci-
ence reveals only one Mind, and this one shin-
ing by its own light and governing the universe, including
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man, in perfect harmony. This Mind forms ideas, its
man, in perfect harmony. This Mind forms ideas, its
own images, subdivides and radiates their borrowed light,
intelligence, and so explains the Scripture phrase, "whose
seed is in itself." Thus God's ideas "multiply and re-
plenish the earth." The divine Mind supports the sub-
limity, magnitude, and infinitude of spiritual creation.
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Genesis i. 17, 18. And God set them in the firmament of
Genesis i. 17, 18. And God set them in the firmament of
the heaven, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over
the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the
darkness: and God saw that it was good.
Darkness scattered
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In divine Science, which is the seal of Deity and has
In divine Science, which is the seal of Deity and has
the impress of heaven, God is revealed as in-
finite light. In the eternal Mind, no night is
there.
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Genesis i. 19. And the evening and the morning were
Genesis i. 19. And the evening and the morning were
the fourth day.
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The changing glow and full effulgence of God's infi-
The changing glow and full effulgence of God's infi-
nite ideas, images, mark the periods of progress.
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Genesis i. 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth
Genesis i. 20. And God said, Let the waters bring forth
abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl
that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of
heaven.
Soaring aspirations
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To mortal mind, the universe is liquid, solid, and aeri-
To mortal mind, the universe is liquid, solid, and aeri-
form. Spiritually interpreted, rocks and mountains stand
for solid and grand ideas. Animals and mor-
tals metaphorically present the gradation of
mortal thought, rising in the scale of intelligence, taking
form in masculine, feminine, or neuter gender. The
fowls, which fly above the earth in the open firmament
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of heaven, correspond to aspirations soaring beyond and
of heaven, correspond to aspirations soaring beyond and
above corporeality to the understanding of the incorporeal
and divine Principle, Love.
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Genesis i. 21. And God created great whales, and every
Genesis i. 21. And God created great whales, and every
living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after
his kind: and God saw that it was good.
Seraphic symbols
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Spirit is symbolized by strength, presence, and power,
Spirit is symbolized by strength, presence, and power,
and also by holy thoughts, winged with Love. These an-
gels of His presence, which have the holiest
charge, abound in the spiritual atmosphere of
Mind, and consequently reproduce their own character-
istics. Their individual forms we know not, but we do
know that their natures are allied to God's nature; and
spiritual blessings, thus typified, are the externalized, yet
subjective, states of faith and spiritual understanding.
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Genesis i. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruit-
Genesis i. 22. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruit-
ful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas; and let
fowl multiply in the earth.
Multiplication of pure ideas
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Spirit blesses the multiplication of its own pure and
Spirit blesses the multiplication of its own pure and
perfect ideas. From the infinite elements of the one
Mind emanate all form, color, quality, and
quantity, and these are mental, both primarily
and secondarily. Their spiritual nature is discerned only
through the spiritual senses. Mortal mind inverts the true
likeness, and confers animal names and natures upon its
own misconceptions. Ignorant of the origin and opera-
tions of mortal mind, – that is, ignorant of itself, – this
so-called mind puts forth its own qualities, and claims
God as their author; albeit God is ignorant of the ex-
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istence of both this mortal mentality, so-called, and its
istence of both this mortal mentality, so-called, and its
claim, for the claim usurps the deific prerogatives and is
an attempted infringement on infinity.
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Genesis i. 23. And the evening and the morning were
Genesis i. 23. And the evening and the morning were
the fifth day.
Spiritual spheres
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Advancing spiritual steps in the teeming universe of
Advancing spiritual steps in the teeming universe of
Mind lead on to spiritual spheres and exalted beings. To
material sense, this divine universe is dim and
distant, gray in the sombre hues of twilight;
but anon the veil is lifted, and the scene shifts into light.
In the record, time is not yet measured by solar revolutions,
and the motions and reflections of deific power cannot be
apprehended until divine Science becomes the interpreter.
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Genesis i. 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth
Genesis i. 24. And God said, Let the earth bring forth
the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing,
and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
Continuity of thoughts
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Spirit diversifies, classifies, and individualizes all
Spirit diversifies, classifies, and individualizes all
thoughts, which are as eternal as the Mind
conceiving them; but the intelligence, exist-
ence, and continuity of all individuality remain in God,
who is the divinely creative Principle thereof.
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Genesis i. 25. And God made the beast of the earth after
Genesis i. 25. And God made the beast of the earth after
his kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything that
creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that
it was good.
God's thoughts are spiritual realities
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God creates all forms of reality. His thoughts are
God creates all forms of reality. His thoughts are
spiritual realities. So-called mortal mind – being non‑
existent and consequently not within the range of im-
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mortal existence – could not by simulating deific power
mortal existence – could not by simulating deific power
invert the divine creation, and afterwards recreate per-
sons or things upon its own plane, since noth-
ing exists beyond the range of all-inclusive
infinity, in which and of which God is the
sole creator. Mind, joyous in strength, dwells in the
realm of Mind. Mind's infinite ideas run and dis-
port themselves. In humility they climb the heights of
holiness.
Qualities of thought
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Moral courage is "the lion of the tribe of Juda," the
Moral courage is "the lion of the tribe of Juda," the
king of the mental realm. Free and fearless it roams in
the forest. Undisturbed it lies in the open
field, or rests in "green pastures, . . . beside
the still waters." In the figurative transmission from the
divine thought to the human, diligence, promptness, and
perseverance are likened to "the cattle upon a thousand
hills." They carry the baggage of stern resolve, and
keep pace with highest purpose. Tenderness accompa-
nies all the might imparted by Spirit. The individ-
uality created by God is not carnivorous, as witness the
millennial estate pictured by Isaiah: –
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The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
And the calf and the young lion, and the fatling together;
And a little child shall lead them.
Creatures of God useful
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Understanding the control which Love held over all,
Understanding the control which Love held over all,
Daniel felt safe in the lions' den, and Paul proved the
viper to be harmless. All of God's creatures
moving in the harmony of Science, are harm-
less, useful, indestructible. A realization of this grand
verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies.
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It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor
It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor
to emulate the example of Jesus. "And God saw that
it was good."
The serpent harmless
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Patience is symbolized by the tireless worm, creeping
Patience is symbolized by the tireless worm, creeping
over lofty summits, persevering in its intent. The ser-
pent of God's creating is neither subtle nor
poisonous, but is a wise idea, charming in its
adroitness, for Love's ideas are subject to the Mind which
forms them, – the power which changeth the serpent
into a staff.
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Genesis i. 26. And God said, Let us make man in our
Genesis i. 26. And God said, Let us make man in our
image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Elohistic plurality
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The eternal Elohim includes the forever universe.
The eternal Elohim includes the forever universe.
The name Elohim is in the plural, but this plurality of
Spirit does not imply more than one God, nor
does it imply three persons in one. It relates
to the oneness, the triunity of Life, Truth, and Love.
"Let them have dominion." Man is the family name
for all ideas, – the sons and daughters of God. All that
God imparts moves in accord with Him, reflecting good-
ness and power.
Reflected likeness
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Your mirrored reflection is your own image or like-
Your mirrored reflection is your own image or like-
ness. If you lift a weight, your reflection does this also.
If you speak, the lips of this likeness move in
accord with yours. Now compare man before
the mirror to his divine Principle, God. Call the mirror
divine Science, and call man the reflection. Then note
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how true, according to Christian Science, is the reflection
how true, according to Christian Science, is the reflection
to its original. As the reflection of yourself appears in
the mirror, so you, being spiritual, are the reflection of
God. The substance, Life, intelligence, Truth, and Love,
which constitute Deity, are reflected by His creation;
and when we subordinate the false testimony of the
corporeal senses to the facts of Science, we shall see
this true likeness and reflection everywhere.
Love imparts beauty
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God fashions all things, after His own likeness. Life
God fashions all things, after His own likeness. Life
is reflected in existence, Truth in truthfulness, God in
goodness, which impart their own peace and
permanence. Love, redolent with unselfish-
ness, bathes all in beauty and light. The grass beneath
our feet silently exclaims, "The meek shall inherit the
earth." The modest arbutus sends her sweet breath to
heaven. The great rock gives shadow and shelter. The
sunlight glints from the church-dome, glances into the
prison-cell, glides into the sick-chamber, brightens the
flower, beautifies the landscape, blesses the earth. Man,
made in His likeness, possesses and reflects God's domin-
ion over all the earth. Man and woman as coexistent
and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality,
the infinite Father-Mother God.
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Genesis i. 27. So God created man in His own image,
Genesis i. 27. So God created man in His own image,
in the image of God created He him; male and female
created He them.
Ideal man and woman
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To emphasize this momentous thought, it is repeated
To emphasize this momentous thought, it is repeated
that God made man in His own image, to reflect the
divine Spirit. It follows that man is a generic
term. Masculine, feminine, and neuter gen-
ders are human concepts. In one of the ancient lan-
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guages the word for man is used also as the synonym of
guages the word for man is used also as the synonym of
mind. This definition has been weakened by anthropo-
morphism, or a humanization of Deity. The word an-
thropomorphic, in such a phrase as "an anthropomorphic
God," is derived from two Greek words, signifying man
and form, and may be defined as a mortally mental at-
tempt to reduce Deity to corporeality. The life-giving
quality of Mind is Spirit, not matter. The ideal man
corresponds to creation, to intelligence, and to Truth.
The ideal woman corresponds to Life and to Love. In
divine Science, we have not as much authority for con-
sidering God masculine, as we have for considering
Him feminine, for Love imparts the clearest idea of
Deity.
Divine personality
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The world believes in many persons; but if God is per-
The world believes in many persons; but if God is per-
sonal, there is but one person, because there is but one
God. His personality can only be reflected,
not transmitted. God has countless ideas, and
they all have one Principle and parentage. The only
proper symbol of God as person is Mind's infinite ideal.
What is this ideal? Who shall behold it? This ideal
is God's own image, spiritual and infinite. Even eternity
can never reveal the whole of God, since there is no limit
to infinitude or to its reflections.
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Genesis i. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto
Genesis i. 28. And God blessed them, and God said unto
them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth,
and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea,
and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth.
Birthright of man
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Divine Love blesses its own ideas, and causes them to
Divine Love blesses its own ideas, and causes them to
multiply, – to manifest His power. Man is not made
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to till the soil. His birthright is dominion, not sub-
to till the soil. His birthright is dominion, not sub-
jection. He is lord of the belief in earth
and heaven, – himself subordinate alone to
his Maker. This is the Science of being.
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Genesis i. 29, 30. And God said, Behold, I have given
Genesis i. 29, 30. And God said, Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all
the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree
yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every
beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to
everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is
life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it
was so.
Assistance in brotherhood
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God gives the lesser idea of Himself for a link to the
God gives the lesser idea of Himself for a link to the
greater, and in return, the higher always protects the
lower. The rich in spirit help the poor in
one grand brotherhood, all having the same
Principle, or Father; and blessed is that man who seeth
his brother's need and supplieth it, seeking his own in
another's good. Love giveth to the least spiritual idea
might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through
all as the blossom shines through the bud. All the varied
expressions of God reflect health, holiness, immortality –
infinite Life, Truth, and Love.
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Genesis i. 31. And God saw everything that He had
Genesis i. 31. And God saw everything that He had
made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and
the morning were the sixth day.
Perfection of creation
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The divine Principle, or Spirit, comprehends and ex-
The divine Principle, or Spirit, comprehends and ex-
presses all, and all must therefore be as perfect is the
divine Principle is perfect. Nothing is new to Spirit.
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Nothing can be novel to eternal Mind, the author of all
Nothing can be novel to eternal Mind, the author of all
things, who from all eternity knoweth His own ideas.
Deity was satisfied with His work. How could
He be otherwise, since the spiritual creation
was the outgrowth, the emanation, of His infinite self‑
containment and immortal wisdom?
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Genesis ii. 1. Thus the heavens and the earth were
Genesis ii. 1. Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them.
Infinity measureless
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Thus the ideas of God in universal being are complete
Thus the ideas of God in universal being are complete
and forever expressed, for Science reveals infinity and
the fatherhood and motherhood of Love. Hu-
man capacity is slow to discern and to grasp
God's creation and the divine power and presence which
go with it, demonstrating its spiritual origin. Mortals
can never know the infinite, until they throw off the old
man and reach the spiritual image and likeness. What
can fathom infinity! How shall we declare Him, till,
in the language of the apostle, "we all come in the unity
of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto
a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the ful-
ness of Christ"?
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Genesis ii. 2. And on the seventh day God ended His
Genesis ii. 2. And on the seventh day God ended His
work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had made.
Resting in holy work
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God rests in action. Imparting has not impoverished,
God rests in action. Imparting has not impoverished,
can never impoverish, the divine Mind. No
exhaustion follows the action of this Mind,
according to the apprehension of divine Science. The
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highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint,
highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint,
is in holy work.
Love and man coexistent
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Unfathomable Mind is expressed. The depth, breadth,
Unfathomable Mind is expressed. The depth, breadth,
height, might, majesty, and glory of infinite Love fill all
space. That is enough! Human language
can repeat only an infinitesimal part of what
exists. The absolute ideal, man, is no more seen nor
comprehended by mortals, than is His infinite Principle,
Love. Principle and its idea, man, are coexistent and
eternal. The numerals of infinity, called seven days, can
never be reckoned according to the calendar of time.
These days will appear as mortality disappears, and they
will reveal eternity, newness of Life, in which all sense of
error forever disappears and thought accepts the divine
infinite calculus.
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Genesis ii. 4, 5. These are the generations of the heavens
Genesis ii. 4, 5. These are the generations of the heavens
and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the
Lord God [Jehovah] made the earth and the heavens, and
every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every
herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God [Jehovah]
had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not
a man to till the ground.
Growth is from Mind
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Here is the emphatic declaration that God creates all
Here is the emphatic declaration that God creates all
through Mind, not through matter, – that the plant
grows, not because of seed or soil, but because
growth is the eternal mandate of Mind. Mor-
tal thought drops into the ground, but the immortal creat-
ing thought is from above, not from beneath. Because
Mind makes all, there is nothing left to be made by a
lower power. Spirit acts through the Science of Mind,
never causing man to till the ground, but making him
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superior to the soil. Knowledge of this lifts man above
superior to the soil. Knowledge of this lifts man above
the sod, above earth and its environments, to conscious
spiritual harmony and eternal being.
Spiritual narrative
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Here the inspired record closes its narrative of being
Here the inspired record closes its narrative of being
that is without beginning or end. All that is made is
the work of God, and all is good. We leave
this brief, glorious history of spiritual creation
(as stated in the first chapter of Genesis) in the hands of
God, not of man, in the keeping of Spirit, not matter, –
joyfully acknowledging now and forever God's supremacy,
omnipotence, and omnipresence.
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The harmony and immortality of man are intact. We
The harmony and immortality of man are intact. We
should look away from the opposite supposition that man
is created materially, and turn our gaze to the spiritual
record of creation, to that which should be engraved on
the understanding and heart "with the point of a diamond"
and the pen of an angel.
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The reader will naturally ask if there is nothing more
The reader will naturally ask if there is nothing more
about creation in the book of Genesis. Indeed there is,
but the continued account is mortal and material.
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Genesis ii. 6. But there went up a mist from the earth,
Genesis ii. 6. But there went up a mist from the earth,
and watered the whole face of the ground.
The story of error
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The Science and truth of the divine creation have been
The Science and truth of the divine creation have been
presented in the verses already considered, and now the
opposite error, a material view of creation, is
to be set forth. The second chapter of Gene-
sis contains a statement of this material view of God and
the universe, a statement which is the exact opposite of
scientific truth as before recorded. The history of error
or matter, if veritable, would set aside the omnipotence
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of Spirit; but it is the false history in contradistinction
of Spirit; but it is the false history in contradistinction
to the true.
The two records
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The Science of the first record proves the falsity of
The Science of the first record proves the falsity of
the second. If one is true, the other is false, for they are
antagonistic. The first record assigns all
might and government to God, and endows
man out of God's perfection and power. The second
record chronicles man as mutable and mortal, – as hav-
ing broken away from Deity and as revolving in an orbit
of his own. Existence, separate from divinity, Science
explains as impossible.
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This second record unmistakably gives the history of
This second record unmistakably gives the history of
error in its externalized forms, called life and intelli-
gence in matter. It records pantheism, opposed to the
supremacy of divine Spirit; but this state of things is
declared to be temporary and this man to be mortal, –
dust returning to dust.
Erroneous representation
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In this erroneous theory, matter takes the place of Spirit.
In this erroneous theory, matter takes the place of Spirit.
Matter is represented as the life-giving principle of the
earth. Spirit is represented as entering mat-
ter in order to create man. God's glowing
denunciations of man when not found in His
image, the likeness of Spirit, convince reason and coincide
with revelation in declaring this material creation false.
Hypothetical reversal
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This latter part of the second chapter of Genesis, which
This latter part of the second chapter of Genesis, which
portrays Spirit as supposedly cooperating with matter in
constructing the universe, is based on some
hypothesis of error, for the Scripture just pre-
ceding declares God's work to be finished. Does Life,
Truth, and Love produce death, error, and hatred? Does
the creator condemn His own creation? Does the un-
erring Principle of divine law change or repent? It can-
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not be so. Yet one might so judge from an unintelligent
not be so. Yet one might so judge from an unintelligent
perusal of the Scriptural account now under comment.
Mist, or false claim
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Because of its false basis, the mist of obscurity evolved
Because of its false basis, the mist of obscurity evolved
by error deepens the false claim, and finally declares that
God knows error and that error can improve
His creation. Although presenting the exact
opposite of Truth, the lie claims to be truth. The crea-
tions of matter arise from a mist or false claim, or from
mystification, and not from the firmament, or under-
standing, which God erects between the true and false.
In error everything comes from beneath, not from above.
All is material myth, instead of the reflection of
Spirit.
Distinct documents
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It may be worth while here to remark that, according
It may be worth while here to remark that, according
to the best scholars, there are clear evidences of two dis-
tinct documents in the early part of the book of
Genesis. One is called the Elohistic, because
the Supreme Being is therein called Elohim. The other
document is called the Jehovistic, because Deity therein is
always called Jehovah, – or Lord God, as our common
version translates it.
Jehovah or Elohim
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Throughout the first chapter of Genesis and in three
Throughout the first chapter of Genesis and in three
verses of the second, – in what we understand to be the
spiritually scientific account of creation, – it is
Elohim (God) who creates. From the fourth
verse of chapter two to chapter five, the creator is called
Jehovah, or the Lord. The different accounts become
more and more closely intertwined to the end of chapter
twelve, after which the distinction is not definitely trace-
able. In the historic parts of the Old Testament, it is
usually Jehovah, peculiarly the divine sovereign of the
Hebrew people, who is referred to.
Gods of the heathen
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The idolatry which followed this material mythology is
The idolatry which followed this material mythology is
seen in the Phoenician worship of Baal, in the Moabitish
god Chemosh, in the Moloch of the Amorites,
in the Hindoo Vishnu, in the Greek Aphro-
dite, and in a thousand other so-called deities.
Jehovah a tribal deity
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It was also found among the Israelites, who constantly
It was also found among the Israelites, who constantly
went after "strange gods." They called the Supreme
Being by the national name of Jehovah. In
that name of Jehovah, the true idea of God
seems almost lost. God becomes "a man of war," a
tribal god to be worshipped, rather than Love, the divine
Principle to be lived and loved.
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Genesis ii. 7. And the Lord God [Jehovah] formed man
Genesis ii. 7. And the Lord God [Jehovah] formed man
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Creation reversed
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Did the divine and infinite Principle become a finite
Did the divine and infinite Principle become a finite
deity, that he should now be called Jehovah? With
a single command, Mind had made man,
both male and female. How then could a
material organization become the basis of man? How
could the non-intelligent become the medium of Mind,
and error be the enunciator of Truth? Matter is not
the reflection of Spirit, yet God is reflected in all His
creation. Is this addition to His creation real or un-
real? Is it the truth, or is it a lie concerning man and
God?
524:27
It must be a lie, for God presently curses the ground.
It must be a lie, for God presently curses the ground.
Could Spirit evolve its opposite, matter, and give matter
ability to sin and suffer? Is Spirit, God, injected into
dust, and eventually ejected at the demand of matter?
Does Spirit enter dust, and lose therein the divine nature
525:1
and omnipotence? Does Mind, God, enter matter to be-
and omnipotence? Does Mind, God, enter matter to be-
come there a mortal sinner, animated by the breath of
God? In this narrative, the validity of matter is opposed,
not the validity of Spirit or Spirit's creations. Man re-
flects God; mankind represents the Adamic race, and is
a human, not a divine, creation.
Definitions of man
525:7
The following are some of the equivalents of the term
The following are some of the equivalents of the term
man in different languages. In the Saxon, mankind, a
woman, any one; in the Welsh, that which rises
up, – the primary sense being image, form; in
the Hebrew, image, similitude; in the Icelandic, mind.
The following translation is from the Icelandic: –
525:13
And God said, Let us make man after our mind and
And God said, Let us make man after our mind and
our likeness; and God shaped man after His mind; after
God's mind shaped He Him; and He shaped them male and
female.
No baneful creation
525:17
In the Gospel of John, it is declared that all things were
In the Gospel of John, it is declared that all things were
made through the Word of God, "and without Him [the
logos, or word] was not anything made that
was made." Everything good or worthy, God
made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not
make, – hence its unreality. In the Science of Genesis
we read that He saw everything which He had made,
"and, behold, it was very good." The corporeal senses
declare otherwise; and if we give the same heed to the
history of error as to the records of truth, the Scriptural
record of sin and death favors the false conclusion of the
material senses. Sin, sickness, and death must be deemed
as devoid of reality as they are of good, God.
525:30
Genesis ii. 9. And out of the ground made the Lord God
Genesis ii. 9. And out of the ground made the Lord God
[Jehovah] to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight,