INTRODUCTION
From time to time there have been men and women of a
character
and work unquestionably marking them as sent of Him to announce His
will and purpose to the children of men. When such have come among
mankind they have not needed the great churches back of them, nor the
recognition of the learned and powerful among men to support their
claims as ministers of the Gospel of the Good.
It has always been accorded by the wise that the baptism
of the
Holy Spirit, or the quickening influence of the principle of divine
Intelligence is the test of the called to teach the words and will of
the Supreme of the universe. Those so called have not needed to quote
authorities or precedents for their actions or teachings. They have all
spoken as having authority, and not as the scribes or recorders of
other men's teachings. They have all come like messengers of goodness
and freedom to men at just the time when the recognized teachers of the
world were quoting authorities to hold their doctrines in repute among
a dissatisfied and restless people.
When the ancient prophets of the Lord came to teach Truth
to
the wondering multitudes they found the great lawgivers and teachers
holding their own by showing how closely they were keeping to the laws
of dead Shemaiah and Abtalion, and because they had no authority in
themselves through the quickening Spirit's influence they must quote
Shemaiah and Abtalion, and with passionate zeal discourse upon the
terrible importance of the kind and quality of wood best for altars, or
the moral deadliness of the use of blood, or the imperativeness of
circumcision on the eighth day.
But the sent of the invisible God said; "Thus saieth the
Lord,"
and the people feared, and repented of their sins at their voices.
When the divinely appointed Jesus came He found the
learned
Rabbis quoting Hillel and Shammai, and daring not at all to claim
wisdom from the Most High Intelligence.
And they were amazed at His doctrine because He taught as
vested with authority. Like all the inspired who had preceded Him He
proved Himself God-sent by doing God-like works. The suns which had
daily set upon crowds of sick and miserable people arose at morning
time to overlook joyous multitudes, healed by the divine minister of
the Gospel of health. The wicked turned from the error of their ways.
The mad and despairing smiled and were at peace. The poor were helped
and fed. He did not have to say: "Thus heard I of Hillel or Rabbi Meir
or Rabbi Joseph," but only, "The words that I speak unto you it is not
I that speak, but the Father that dwelleth in me. He doeth the works."
His example has been the inspiration and direction of
millions
since His time, and when the devoted hearts the world has known have
been moved by the best within them to teach mankind of the goodness of
the Supreme of the world they have pointed to the unacknowledged Jesus
and walked bravely along lonely and untrod ways, teaching and helping
the ignorant and unfortunate, regardless of whether the great and proud
esteemed them, or the learned recognized their greatness.
There have been such lonely workers in our own time. They
have
all heard the voice of the Spirit and felt the impulse of goodness
stirring them to go forth to help the world. They have looked over the
religions and sciences of the intellectually great which have held sway
in the hearts of the people, and have noted that under their ages of
dominion there have been abuses and unjust dealings which the religions
and sciences have proved powerless to abolish or bring into disrepute.
Their hearts, being moved in compassion, have
strengthened
their judgments till they cry with one voice against the old
disputations, and with one voice declare for a new and a true, wherein
the poor may be taught and befriended, women walk fearless and glad,
and children be safe and free. Every fibre and thread of their being,
every instant of their time is absolutely dedicated to the prophesied
new dispensation of the Holy Spirit with its Ministry of healing from
every ill known to the old times.
They are called Christian scientists* because they have
set in
order the teachings of the one who was called The Christ, and because
they can do the works which are the outcome of His teachings
understood. In all particulars they are a repetition upon a new plane
of His experience in giving to the world His doctrine of salvation from
fleshly bondages. In all particulars they are a repetition of the
experiences of those who followed Him and believed in His doctrines one
thousand nine hundred years ago. They preach the powerlessness of evil
and the unreality of the material universe. They declaim against the
necessity for evil in any form of sin, sickness or death. They declare
the Omnipresence of God, the Good, and deny the presence or working
power of any other principle but the Good. They demonstrate that the
denial of evil as a reality or working principle puts evil into the
nothingness from whence it sprang, by putting all forms of evil
completely out of and away from the life experiences, when they deal
with principles of Goodness, the only reality. They are proving daily
what was the teachings of Christ and His immediate followers by new
interpretations of His words and imitation of His works. They insist
that the right interpretations of His words have never been given to
the
people by the great intellects who have taken them in charge to expound
and explain.
*The term "Christian science" as used in these lessons
stands
for the scientific teaching of Jesus Christ as understood by Emma
Curtis Hopkins.—Ed. note.
They urge that the misinterpretations of His teachings
are
accountable for all the pain and suffering and wickedness believed in
by all mankind since His beautiful lifetime, when the multitude
rejoiced in health and peace wherever He walked among them, teaching a
doctrine whereby men could know blessedness, and not pain forevermore.
They do not ask those preachers who have wrested His
wonderful
words from their true meanings to give sanction to their right
interpretations nor beg of them to recognize them as a ministry of the
old interpretations, whose inefficiency they scorn. They set boldly
forth with His true teachings, as sure of their calling to the work as
Peter of old, who preached salvation to the Gentiles because it had
been spiritually revealed to him that true salvation was for Gentiles
as surely as for Jews, or as boldly and bravely as Paul, the Roman
Citizen, who had all his travels and works mapped plainly out for him
by that Holy Spirit, whose mark, being set in the forehead, none may
dispute its authority.
These people are the apostles of a new dispensation. They
usher
in the dawn of a new time when evil shall be known no more among men,
because Christ the Truth has come again in the way of His perfect
doctrine revealed anew to the waiting world. They have for their
rallying cry, "Not by might, nor by strength but by My Spirit saith the
Lord," which was a watchword of the inspired prophets of old. They lay
hold with a mighty faith upon the God of the ancient Hebrews as the
only God able to save from evil beliefs. They are fulfilling that
prophecy literally which reads, that in the last days of the world of
belief in evil, "Men of all languages shall lay hold of the skirts of
Him that is a Jew, saying: we will go with you, for we have heard that
God is with you."
They teach of Him as a very present help in every time of
trouble, even to the saving from fiery furnaces, lions' teeth and angry
kings, as unto Daniel and the holy men of Israel, who, believing in His
own presence, did not put off the day of salvation from sin, sickness
and death to a heavenly future, but showed that all things of evil are
unreality now to them that speak the truth. They bring up the testimony
of the devout and good in their highest moments of inspiration through
all time to corroborate their conclusions.
Not the testimony of the good when disputing their own
words,
nor the words of the powerful and proud who know not inspiration, but
the best and truest words the best hearts have ever spoken, and they
are bound by all that is best within them to square their lives by them
and base their hopes upon them.
Certain of the faithful have formed themselves into a
body with
the sole purpose of urging these principles upon an unbelieving and
skeptical world. They are so young in their own doctrines and so hard
beset by the questionings and criticisms of the churches and schools
that they have not been coherent or unanimous upon certain points of
doctrine, and in forming this body have subjected themselves to each
other's severest tests, that there may be from henceforth no
dissensions or differences, and that what is according to Christian
science may be very clearly defined in their minds. In thus reviewing
their relations to true Christian doctrines and practice they have
repeated the experience of the early apostles of its first perfect
preaching, and in today's proceedings we see the concluding ceremonies
of the examining council of Jerusalem in the year of the first
Christian dispensation.
Paul, Peter and Barnabas have preached the full salvation
their
Lord and Master Jesus Christ had taught them. But some of the converts
have opposed the absolutely radical stand taken by Peter and Paul in
their free and kindly fellowship with all believers in the Christ
doctrine, whether of the Gentile or Jewish world, and their criticisms
have been so decided that it has become necessary to know what does and
what does not constitute sound doctrine, and who are not to be
sustained in their common endeavors to convert the world to Truth. "The
liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" was their decision, and the
yoke of the former belief in evil bondage was to be known no more among
them. Then they shook hands like loving brethren, and went forth to
minister to the world and to martyrdom.
We of the new dispensation have decided in like manner of
the
true children of the science, we free from all the evil beliefs of the
old forms of faith, in whatever guise they may present themselves,
whether as Satan of the recognized evangelical church or mesmerism of
the later church, and we hereby ask all Christian science workers the
world over to give us the right hand of fellowship on the doctrine of
freedom from all evil and fearlessness of every evil thing; or thought.
We ask the old church to take notice of our ministry that it is
apostolic in principle and practice, and we ask it to bid us God speed
on our healing mission to a world neglected in full spiritual
ministrations. We ask the world, which is to be our church, to turn and
listen to our preaching, for it is the quickening message from the
Supreme of the universe announcing the second coming long expected,
when every mountain of trouble shall be removed, every hill of
difficulty obliterated. Pride cannot hold its own where the spiritually
taught are speaking, and learning cannot defeat the wisdom of the
children of Divine science. Listen, for we will speak of excellent
things, and the opening of our lips shall be right things.
As we thus set forth upon this ministry, with the
deliberate
intention of converting the world to Christian science, we ought to
tell somewhat of our relations to those ministrations held in reverence
by other ministers of Christian doctrine. The ordinance of the Lord's
Supper, baptism, marriage, and what other observances come in the way
of the faithful minister's calling. In these matters we shall heed
Paul's injunction literally for the present. "Let us give ourselves to
the ministry of the Word," as if our only mission were to be that
ministry which the Word itself, faithfully uttered, can carry. The
ordinance of the Lord's Supper has no meaning to thousands of those who
partake of the bread and wine which symbolizes the flesh and blood of
Christ. But to the trained in Christian science, flesh and blood
themselves are only symbolic of the thought and word of the Christ, and
if we partake of the word and thought, till we have let the same mind
be in us that was in Christ Jesus, our Lord, we have really fulfilled
the ordinance of the Lord's Supper. To this interpretation we shall
adhere, and the external forms will in no way be used by us, although
their use by the external church is in no way deprecated or depreciated
by us. The various forms of baptism used to symbolize the cleansing
blood of the Christ have a deeper meaning than the red blood of the
bleeding Savior to us. Baptism means the cleansing word of denial of
all evil, spoken by the Christ, used, refusing to believe in the
fatherhood of any other being but God, the Spirit manifest, refusing to
see the evil of the world as reality, judging not according to
appearance, but judging the righteous judgment of those translated out
of such false beliefs into the white light of truth spoken.
The changeless word of truth shall be our ministry of
baptism.
Marriage is to the Christian scientist the most sacred of
all
the symbols of Christian doctrine, symbolizing the Father-Mother
principle of the Godhead complete in its beauty and wonder when the
Oneship of Trinity is perfectly understood. We know that the motherhood
of the race symbolizes the Holy Spirit or motherhood of the Trinity and
that, while unchaste thoughts or unjust dealings are tolerated or
believed in, the presence and office of the Holy Spirit will hardly be
known on earth. When men and women, with right and true conceptions of
the divine significance of marriage and the home shall be found, the
Christian science ministry will be divinely appointed to speak the
words that pronounce the marriage benediction. But the present ministry
is not called upon for such office, and will give itself wholly to the
words that purify the heart and life to be worthy of true marriage.
Now from this presence we send you forth to the world
that
waits for the healing benediction of the Spirit with which you have
been baptized. You have been tried and not found wanting. You have been
called and been answered by that fullness of power by which the devout
in all ages have prayed. You can heal the sick by the word of your
speaking. You can cheer the fainting. When hearts are cast down you
shall say, "There is lifting up." You are the revival of the full
ministry of the times of old. The Lord himself shall guide you
continually, and you shall want for no good thing. Be not afraid of the
speech of people, nor seek for the world's favor. Speak the word boldly
that is given you to utter. For this is the faith of the fathers, The
faith the apostles delivered.
Delivered
in Chicago, 1891.
BIBLE LESSON 1
ALL IS DIVINE ORDER
No place where Jesus preached, or day upon which He
wrought a
miracle, but what has divine significance. Nothing is by accident.
All is divine order. "Cana of Galilee." Cana is the
closing of
the circuit, or circle of Galilee. Here the boy attains His majority
and publicly celebrates His own marriage to the ministry of the Holy
Spirit.
The circuit is closed on the third day—the day of
fulfillment—the marriage day. At Cana He is joined unto Spirit forever.
The complete surrender of the soul to the way and will of the Holy
Spirit is fitly symbolized by the happy marriage of His young friends
on Wednesday. The beautiful virgin to her beloved, Jesus to God. "Thy
Maker is Thine husband."
Jesus never wrought any miracle till He thus publicly
closed
His recognition of Church and State and domestic authority over His
speech and actions, and with only His mother for a witness solemnly
pledged Himself to recognize as supreme the Inner Voice and the outer
call of the Divine Spirit.
Two things He thus makes clear to the students of His
teachings, viz; that He never condemned the institution of marriage,
and that no unvarying success in miracle working may be looked for till
there is complete surrender of the heart and hand and judgment to
divine will.
Therefore, no matter how many mental demonstrations one
may
make he does not indicate utter surrender to the spirit of God, except
he from thenceforth show his dominion over all external conditions by
bringing forth order out of what seems chaos, health out of what seems
sickness, life out of what seems death, peace out of seeming discord.
"Miracle" working is the sign of being absolutely united to Spirit.
"If I do not the works of the
Father,
believe me not."
How beautifully Jesus Christ sanctions true marriage.
There is
no scornful reproval—no insinuation against it. He spoke of the
obligation of one man and one woman to be true and faithful to each
other for ever and ever. He stamps His image on honorable marriage. He
is the only speaker of ancient times, in the Bible or out of it, who
speaks so plainly that there is no mistaking His meanings— "They
twain," and twain means two. Paul's words can easily be construed to
mean another way. John the Revelator never carries the intimation of
reverence for marriage in spite of his using it for a figure.
David's ideas are repulsive. But Jesus Christ—no wanton
wandering from the plighted troth—no infidelity to the vows spoken to
bind us to be faithful forever can we find excuse or sanction for in
His teachings.
He or she untrue to the marriage pledge cannot expect the
power
of the Holy Ghost to work miracles through him. It was at this pledging
time that Jesus wrought His first miracle.
The Spirit bore witness with Him that He was ONE with it.
This
marriage "in Cana" was the outward picture of the primal union or
marriage of Jesus Christ with Spirit.
Madame Guyon sought to be married to God. She succeeded
in
catching glimpses of this union several times, but she accused God as
sending so much evil upon those united unto Him that her words made a
cloud of darkness perpetually between herself and that "Maker who is
thine husband." There is wine and mirth and friendly joy in marriage
with God—Spirit. "Wine" is a word signifying reviving, refreshing joy.
They who know Jesus Christ indeed, drink refreshing, reviving,
invigorating words. The refreshing, reviving, invigorating words Jesus
made the wine of, wine praises of the goodness and tenderness and
bounty of God.
How perfectly He demonstrated that He was actually in
love with
Spirit by immediately doing the works of God! After this celebration of
His own eternal Oneness with God, He could restore a palsied hand to
vigor in an instant. He could call the living to come forth out of
coffins and graves. He could make bread and fish self-increasing. He
could coin gold on the instant for meeting all current expenses. He did
not believe in owing even the proud government of Caesar anything.
"Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's."
Unless we can do all the works that He did we have not
closed
in with the old ways at Cana and started the circuit of Galilee in
Spirit. "The same works that I do shall ye do."
The "works" He did we realize were all accomplished by
His
knowing that when one came to Him drooping in body it was the outward
picture of a drooping hope. When one came in consumption it was the
outward picture of a hope departing or consuming. He could see that a
word would quicken the hope—would restore the hope.
Looking into the mind realm where the thoughts were
dwelling, a
meek little woman, who understood Jesus, saw that a young man's hope
was failing. What hope was it that was failing? The hope that he might
be a success among men. The people said his nerves and muscles were
failing. She saw his hopes drooping. She understood, because she
understood Jesus Christ well, that there is no hope ever stirs within
one of us but that God hath for us the actual fulfillment of that hope.
So she told him by silent ministry akin to the invisible
marriage ceremony of Jesus Christ, that truly God would fulfill his
expectations. Then aloud she said: "You will be successful, child."
This was the "Wine" he was waiting to drink. It was the Word of God.
"Thy words were found, and I did eat them and Thy word was unto me the
joy and rejoicing of my heart." So he was well from that hour.
This is the power of prophecy. "Prophecy is mine and
sound
judgment." They can tell of good to come who have united with the
Spirit that is Divine Goodness all bounty without lack or failure.
Whoever believes in weakness has not yet come into Cana. For Jesus
Christ teaches that the truly joined to Spirit are filled with
Omnipotence: "All power is given unto Me in heaven and earth."
Whosoever believes in sickness is not united unto Spirit,
for
Jesus Christ was explicit and definite, "heal the sick." Do not leave
people in their sickness. Do not accuse God of sending sickness.
"As I live, saith the Lord, I know my thoughts and I
think
towards you thoughts of peace and not of evil, to bring you an expected
end."
The end we all expect is good unto ourselves. We deeply
and
profoundly love prosperity and peace and health. These we have a right
to and nothing else.
