"That we are spiritually perfect is true, but it is necessary for us to prove that fact by 'working out our own salvation,' by manifesting the positive or G.o.d quality of thought through our life and actions, and the only way to be filled with good thought is to recognize and acknowledge the Good only as the real.

"This error, tempter or devil, was spoken of by Jesus as having no truth, as being a liar, and the father or cause of lies (John viii: 44).

Instead of devil (which is only another name for evil or the slanderer), or 'carnal mind', as Paul called it, we find mortal thought a better term for the expression of this power of thinking.

"'Why have we this power of thinking wrong thoughts when there is but one good and only Mind?' you ask. As G.o.d's idea, in the image and likeness of Mind that thinks, we have the power of recognition, the power to be or not to be, the possibility to become sons of G.o.d. We have the power to distinguish, to judge, to know; we have the spirit that ever leads us on and on in truth.

"But here is where we fail. In our ignorance or limited state of unfoldment, we have mistaken the symbol for that which is symbolized matter is the symbol, as also the body, we have judged according to appearances instead of righteous or strictly true judgment; we have yielded to a belief in sin, hence are servants of sin.

"The conception of matter as having power, is based on appearances, and because we have delegated to it a power, have acknowledged it as an ent.i.ty, separate from the eternal mind, it has enslaved us.

"Reasoning in this way we find everywhere two opposites or contradictories to be recognized and judged, as the visible and the invisible, the material and the spiritual, the false and the true, the mortal and the immortal, the unreal and the real, the negative and the positive.

"Judging of the true by that which is changeless and eternal, we can decide at once on those qualities or attributes belonging to or describing what is true, and by knowing what is true, we can readily distinguish it from the erroneous.

"We have considered these great errors or negatives which the world has believed and still believes in, and they must be dealt with according to scientific law.

"Through all the ages of Christianity have been heard the words of the Master: 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me;' but who has understood it? The letter of the law has indeed been observed by many earnest followers of Jesus to a degree not considered necessary in this age, but what has it demonstrated? What has come of all the fasting and renunciation, the cruel asceticism and severe discipline?

"Do these conscientious disciples give an unmistakable proof of their discipleship by showing the signs that must follow the true believer?

How can they when they talk of sin, sickness and death; of things contradictory to the nature, power and presence of G.o.d?

"Then they must not have understood the spiritual import of these words of Jesus to 'deny himself.' Deny means, according to Webster, 'to contradict; to declare not to be true; to disclaim connection with; to refuse to acknowledge; to disown.' Jesus meant deny the mortal thought, the false self; refuse to acknowledge it as having any authority; and it is only as the Christ follower proves this to be the true mode of denying self, that he can speak with authority as to the scientific method of dealing with all the errors to which mortal thought gives birth.

"No other way has brought the desired result; hence we confidently a.s.sert that all these mistakes agreed to and partic.i.p.ated in by mankind must be emphatically, persistently, scientifically denied.

"Systematically and repeatedly we say:

"1. There is no life, substance or intelligence in matter.

"2. There is no sensation or causation in matter.

"3. There is no reality in matter.

"4. There is no reality in sin, sickness or death.

"5. There is no reality in evil.

"6. There is no reality in mortal thought.

"This is denying the self recognized by the world. This is the life that must be laid down, that must be sacrificed, lost.

"Humanity has proven its subjection to these errors. Now, by its faithful rejection of them, let it prove them lies, for the force of a lie is always annulled by rejection. This proves the law referred to by Jesus when he made a denial of self the first duty of his disciples.

"In denying, it is necessary to say the words over and over again; it may be mechanically at first, but say them over, several hours at a time, if possible.

"More is accomplished by concentration than anybody is aware, and the repet.i.tion of the words helps to concentrate the thought. First repeat the whole list of denials, then select one on which to spend most of the time for several days. The denial of matter, for instance, makes us more spiritually minded.

"When denying, try to realize there is no s.p.a.ce, but that anywhere you send your thought it will go, and as you think or say the words, you will be denying error for the world as well as for yourself, as every thought is world-wide in its influence, and helps to free or bind humanity, even as it is truth or error.

"To deny is to put out of mind, to erase, as it were, the false beliefs.

Be earnest, be faithful, and you will have an abundant reward.

"This, dear John, is the substance of the lecture as nearly as I can give it. After Mrs. Pearl had finished the lesson, she requested the cla.s.s to sit in silence a few moments and together hold the thought, 'There is no reality in matter;' after which we were dismissed with this benediction: 'May we realize that G.o.d _is_, that spirit is the only reality.'

"The lessons are always opened by silent prayer, which I have forgotten to mention before.

"Please, dear husband, observe these rules and study every a.s.sertion as carefully as though you were in the cla.s.s. You, and Grace, and Kate, can accomplish a great deal together; but by all means don't pa.s.s judgment till you have carefully examined all the evidence.

"Tell me all about the children. Such details will greatly comfort me, for I must confess that to-night I am the least bit homesick.

"Good night,

"Your loving MARION."

CHAPTER XVI.

"G.o.d is commanding us off, every hour of our lives, toward things eternal, there to find our good, and build our rest. Sometimes He does it by taking us out of the world, and sometimes by taking the world out of us."--_H. Bushnell._

"The second letter has come," said Grace the moment Kate entered the room, after her day's lessons were over.

"Has it? Let us hurry and get the tea over so we can study it."

"Don't you want to hear it first? I haven't looked at it because I wanted to wait for you, but I can't wait that long," cried Grace, pulling it out of her painting-ap.r.o.n pocket.

"All right, then read away while I start the fire."

"No; come and sit down like a good child, you can't half listen when your mind is filled with stoves and tea-pots."

Kate smiled, and drawing her chair up beside Grace, she listened to the reading, while her face alternately brightened or darkened.

"Well, it sounds very beautiful and very plausible, but I can't see how any one can say there is no evil when the world is full of it, and to say there is no sin, sickness or death! why, that is blasphemous! I know the Bible won't corroborate that," she said, in a horrified voice, at the conclusion of the letter.

"Hold on, we must not be so fast; there are good reasons for every statement, and she says it is necessary to say these denials over and over. It is harder for me to believe there is no matter, but if there is a way to prove there is none, then I will submit. But first let us see what the Bible says," said the more moderate Grace.

She got the Bible and concordance, but could find no reference to matter as pertaining to physical creation, but she found under the word "flesh"

an allusion to John i: 12-13, and iii: 6. "The first reads," began Grace, "'But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of G.o.d, even to them that believe on his name, which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of G.o.d.' That evidently refers to a creation possible to all, but where is the authority for saying 'there is no matter'?"

She pondered a moment, then referred to the letter--"Oh, I see! She says, 'no _reality_ in matter,' and then goes on to explain about the real. Yes, now I see. Do you understand it, Kate?"

"I can understand that the body is not the real," replied Kate, thoughtfully, "for Jesus said 'the spirit is all, the flesh profiteth nothing,' but--"

"That's so. Why didn't we think of that before? Besides, it was taught by the ancient philosophers as much as 4,000 years ago, that matter has no reality. Yes, its plain to see how it can be, theoretically, but where they can demonstrate it practically, puzzles me. Here is a reference; let us see if that will tell us something."

She read Heb. xi: 3: "'Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of G.o.d, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.'"