Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures Part 29

Dangerous shoals avoided

Such books as will rule disease out of mortal mind, - 196:21 and so efface the images and thoughts of dis- ease, instead of impressing them with forcible descriptions and medical details, - will help 196:24 to abate sickness and to destroy it.

Many a hopeless case of disease is induced by a single _post mortem_ examination, - not from infection nor from 196:27 contact with material virus, but from the fear of the disease and from the image brought before the mind; it is a mental state, which is afterwards outlined on the 196:30 body.

Pangs caused by the press

The press unwittingly sends forth many sorrows and diseases among the human family. It does this by giv- 197:1 ing names to diseases and by printing long descriptions which mirror images of disease distinctly in thought. A 197:3 new name for an ailment affects people like a Parisian name for a novel garment. Every one hastens to get it. A minutely described dis- 197:6 ease costs many a man his earthly days of comfort. What a price for human knowledge! But the price does not ex- ceed the original cost. G.o.d said of the tree of knowledge, 197:9 which bears the fruit of sin, disease, and death, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Higher standard for mortals

The less that is said of physical structure and laws, and 197:12 the more that is thought and said about moral and spiritual law, the higher will be the stand- ard of living and the farther mortals will be re- 197:15 moved from imbecility or disease.

We should master fear, instead of cultivating it. It was the ignorance of our forefathers in the departments 197:18 of knowledge now broadcast in the earth, that made them hardier than our trained physiologists, more honest than our sleek politicians.

Diet and dyspepsia

197:21 We are told that the simple food our forefathers ate helped to make them healthy, but that is a mistake.

Their diet would not cure dyspepsia at this 197:24 period. With rules of health in the head and the most digestible food in the stomach, there would still be dyspeptics. Many of the effeminate const.i.tutions 197:27 of our time will never grow robust until individual opin- ions improve and mortal belief loses some portion of its error.

Harm done by physicians

197:30 The doctor's mind reaches that of his patient. The doctor should suppress his fear of disease, else his belief in its reality and fatality will harm his patients even more 198:1 than his calomel and morphine, for the higher stratum of mortal mind has in belief more power to harm man than 198:3 the substratum, matter. A patient hears the doctor's verdict as a criminal hears his death- sentence. The patient may seem calm under it, but he is 198:6 not. His fort.i.tude may sustain him, but his fear, which has already developed the disease that is gaining the mastery, is increased by the physician's words.

Disease depicted

198:9 The materialistic doctor, though humane, is an art- ist who outlines his thought relative to disease, and then fills in his delineations with sketches from text- 198:12 books. It is better to prevent disease from forming in mortal mind afterwards to appear on the body; but to do this requires attention. The thought of 198:15 disease is formed before one sees a doctor and before the doctor undertakes to dispel it by a counter-irritant, - perhaps by a blister, by the application of caustic or 198:18 croton oil, or by a surgical operation. Again, giving an- other direction to faith, the physician prescribes drugs, until the elasticity of mortal thought haply causes a 198:21 vigorous reaction upon itself, and reproduces a picture of healthy and harmonious formations.

A patient's belief is more or less moulded and formed 198:24 by his doctor's belief in the case, even though the doctor says nothing to support his theory. His thoughts and his patient's commingle, and the stronger thoughts rule the 198:27 weaker. Hence the importance that doctors be Christian Scientists.

Mind over matter

Because the muscles of the blacksmith's arm are 198:30 strongly developed, it does not follow that exercise has produced this result or that a less used arm must be weak. If matter were the cause 199:1 of action, and if muscles, without volition of mortal mind, could lift the hammer and strike the anvil, it 199:3 might be thought true that hammering would enlarge the muscles. The trip-hammer is not increased in size by exercise. Why not, since muscles are as material as 199:6 wood and iron? Because n.o.body believes that mind is producing such a result on the hammer.

Muscles are not self-acting. If mind does not move 199:9 them, they are motionless. Hence the great fact that Mind alone enlarges and empowers man through its mandate, - by reason of its demand for and supply of 199:12 power. Not because of muscular exercise, but by rea- son of the blacksmith's faith in exercise, his arm becomes stronger.

Latent fear subdued

199:15 Mortals develop their own bodies or make them sick, according as they influence them through mortal mind.

To know whether this development is produced 199:18 consciously or unconsciously, is of less impor- tance than a knowledge of the fact. The feats of the gym- nast prove that latent mental fears are subdued by him.

199:21 The devotion of thought to an honest achievement makes the achievement possible. Exceptions only confirm this rule, proving that failure is occasioned by a too feeble 199:24 faith.

Had Blondin believed it impossible to walk the rope over Niagara's abyss of waters, he could never have 199:27 done it. His belief that he could do it gave his thought- forces, called muscles, their flexibility and power which the unscientific might attribute to a lubricating oil. His 199:30 fear must have disappeared before his power of putting resolve into action could appear.

Homer and Moses

When Homer sang of the Grecian G.o.ds, Olympus was 200:1 dark, but through his verse the G.o.ds became alive in a nation's belief. Pagan worship began with muscularity, 200:3 but the law of Sinai lifted thought into the song of David. Moses advanced a nation to the worship of G.o.d in Spirit instead of matter, and il- 200:6 l.u.s.trated the grand human capacities of being bestowed by immortal Mind.

A mortal not man

Whoever is incompetent to explain Soul would be wise 200:9 not to undertake the explanation of body. Life is, always has been, and ever will be independent of matter; for life is G.o.d, and man is the idea 200:12 of G.o.d, not formed materially but spiritually, and not subject to decay and dust. The Psalmist said: "Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy 200:15 hands. Thou hast put all things under his feet."

The great truth in the Science of being, that the real man was, is, and ever shall be perfect, is incontrovertible; 200:18 for if man is the image, reflection, of G.o.d, he is neither inverted nor subverted, but upright and G.o.dlike.

The suppositional antipode of divine infinite Spirit 200:21 is the so-called human soul or spirit, in other words the five senses, - the flesh that warreth against Spirit.

These so called material senses must yield to the infinite 200:24 Spirit, named G.o.d.

St. Paul said: "For I determined not to know any- thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified."

200:27 (I Cor. ii. 2.) Christian Science says: I am determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him glorified.

CHAPTER VIII - FOOTSTEPS OF TRUTH

Remember, Lord, the reproach of Thy servants; how I do bear in my bosom the reproach of all the mighty people; wherewith Thine enemies have reproached, O Lord; wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of Thine anointed. - PSALMS.

Practical preaching

201:1 THE best sermon ever preached is Truth practised and demonstrated by the destruction of sin, sickness, 201:3 and death. Knowing this and knowing too that one affection would be supreme in us and take the lead in our lives, Jesus said, "No man can serve 201:6 two masters."

We cannot build safely on false foundations. Truth makes a new creature, in whom old things pa.s.s away 201:9 and "all things are become new." Pa.s.sions, selfishness, false appet.i.tes, hatred, fear, all sensuality, yield to spirit- uality, and the superabundance of being is on the side 201:12 of G.o.d, good.

The uses of truth

We cannot fill vessels already full. They must first be emptied. Let us disrobe error. Then, when 201:15 the winds of G.o.d blow, we shall not hug our tatters close about us.

The way to extract error from mortal mind is to pour 201:18 in truth through flood-tides of Love. Christian perfec- tion is won on no other basis.

Grafting holiness upon unholiness, supposing that sin 202:1 can be forgiven when it is not forsaken, is as foolish as straining out gnats and swallowing camels.

202:3 The scientific unity which exists between G.o.d and man must be wrought out in life-practice, and G.o.d's will must be universally done.

Divine study

202:6 If men would bring to bear upon the study of the Science of Mind half the faith they bestow upon the so- called pains and pleasures of material sense, 202:9 they would not go on from bad to worse, until disciplined by the prison and the scaffold; but the whole human family would be redeemed through 202:12 the merits of Christ, - through the perception and ac- ceptance of Truth. For this glorious result Christian Science lights the torch of spiritual understanding.

Harmonious life-work

202:15 Outside of this Science all is mutable; but immortal man, in accord with the divine Principle of His being, G.o.d, neither sins, suffers, nor dies. The days 202:18 of our pilgrimage will multiply instead of di- minish, when G.o.d's kingdom comes on earth; for the true way leads to life instead of to death, and earthly 202:21 experience discloses the finity of error and the infinite capacities of Truth, in which G.o.d gives man dominion over all the earth.

Belief and practice

202:24 Our beliefs about a Supreme Being contradict the practice growing out of them. Error abounds where Truth should "much more abound." We

202:27 admit that G.o.d has almighty power, is "a very present help in trouble;" and yet we rely on a drug or hypnotism to heal disease, as if senseless matter or err- 202:30 ing mortal mind had more power than omnipotent Spirit.

Sure reward of righteousness