Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures Part 3

For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

- PAUL.

For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of G.o.d shall come. - JESUS.

Divine oneness

18:1 ATONEMENT is the exemplification of man's unity with G.o.d, whereby man reflects divine Truth, Life, 18:3 and Love. Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage. His mission was both in- 18:6 dividual and collective. He did life's work aright not only in justice to himself, but in mercy to mortals,- to show them how to do theirs, but not to do 18:9 it for them nor to relieve them of a single responsibility.

Jesus acted boldly, against the accredited evidence of the senses, against Pharisaical creeds and practices, and he 18:12 refuted all opponents with his healing power.

Human reconciliation

The atonement of Christ reconciles man to G.o.d, not G.o.d to man; for the divine Principle of Christ is G.o.d, 18:15 and how can G.o.d propitiate Himself? Christ is Truth, which reaches no higher than itself.

The fountain can rise no higher than its source. Christ, 18:18 Truth, could conciliate no nature above his own, derived 19:1 from the eternal Love. It was therefore Christ's purpose to reconcile man to G.o.d, not G.o.d to man. Love and 19:3 Truth are not at war with G.o.d's image and likeness.

Man cannot exceed divine Love, and so atone for him- self. Even Christ cannot reconcile Truth to error, for 19:6 Truth and error are irreconcilable. Jesus aided in recon- ciling man to G.o.d by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus' teachings, and this truer 19:9 sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit,- the law of divine Love.

19:12 The Master forbore not to speak the whole truth, de- claring precisely what would destroy sickness, sin, and death, although his teaching set households at variance, 19:15 and brought to material beliefs not peace, but a sword.

Efficacious repentance

Every pang of repentance and suffering, every effort 19:18 for reform, every good thought and deed, will help us to understand Jesus' atonement for sin and aid its efficacy; but if the sinner continues to pray 19:21 and repent, sin and be sorry, he has little part in the atone- ment,- in the _at-one-ment_ with G.o.d,- for he lacks the practical repentance, which reforms the heart and enables 19:24 man to do the will of wisdom. Those who cannot dem- onstrate, at least in part, the divine Principle of the teach- ings and practice of our Master have no part in G.o.d. If 19:27 living in disobedience to Him, we ought to feel no secur- ity, although G.o.d is good.

Jesus' sinless career

Jesus urged the commandment, "Thou shalt have no 19:30 other G.o.ds before me," which may be ren- dered: Thou shalt have no belief of Life as mortal; thou shalt not know evil, for there is one Life,- 20:1 even G.o.d, good. He rendered "unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto G.o.d the things that are 20:3 G.o.d's." He at last paid no homage to forms of doctrine or to theories of man, but acted and spake as he was moved, not by spirits but by Spirit.

20:6 To the ritualistic priest and hypocritical Pharisee Jesus said, "The publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of G.o.d before you." Jesus' history made a 20:9 new calendar, which we call the Christian era; but he established no ritualistic worship. He knew that men can be baptized, partake of the Eucharist, support the 20:12 clergy, observe the Sabbath, make long prayers, and yet be sensual and sinful.

Perfect example

Jesus bore our infirmities; he knew the error of mortal 20:15 belief, and "with his stripes [the rejection of error] we are healed." "Despised and rejected of men,"

returning blessing for cursing, he taught mor- 20:18 tals the opposite of themselves, even the nature of G.o.d; and when error felt the power of Truth, the scourge and the cross awaited the great Teacher. Yet he swerved not, 20:21 well knowing that to obey the divine order and trust G.o.d, saves retracing and traversing anew the path from sin to holiness.

Behest of the cross

20:24 Material belief is slow to acknowledge what the spiritual fact implies. The truth is the centre of all religion. It commands sure entrance into 20:27 the realm of Love. St. Paul wrote, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that 20:30 is set before us;" that is, let us put aside material self and sense, and seek the divine Principle and Science of all healing.

Moral victory

21:1 If Truth is overcoming error in your daily walk and conversation, you can finally say, "I have fought a 21:3 good fight ... I have kept the faith," be- cause you are a better man. This is having our part in the at-one-ment with Truth and Love.

21:6 Christians do not continue to labor and pray, expecting because of another's goodness, suffering, and triumph, that they shall reach his harmony and reward.

21:9 If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striv- ing to enter in. He constantly turns away from ma- terial sense, and looks towards the imperishable things 21:12 of Spirit. If honest, he will be in earnest from the start, and gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last he finishes his course with joy.

Inharmonious travellers

21:15 If my friends are going to Europe, while I am _en route_ for California, we are not journeying together.

We have separate time-tables to consult, 21:18 different routes to pursue. Our paths have diverged at the very outset, and we have little oppor- tunity to help each other. On the contrary, if my 21:21 friends pursue my course, we have the same railroad guides, and our mutual interests are identical; or, if I take up their line of travel, they help me on, and our 21:24 companionship may continue.

Zigzag course

Being in sympathy with matter, the worldly man is at the beck and call of error, and will be attracted thither- 21:27 ward. He is like a traveller going westward for a pleasure-trip. The company is alluring and the pleasures exciting. After following the sun for 21:30 six days, he turns east on the seventh, satisfied if he can only imagine himself drifting in the right direction. By- and-by, ashamed of his zigzag course, he would borrow 22:1 the pa.s.sport of some wiser pilgrim, thinking with the aid of this to find and follow the right road.

Moral retrogression

22:3 Vibrating like a pendulum between sin and the hope of forgiveness,- selfishness and sensuality causing con- stant retrogression,- our moral progress will 22:6 be slow. Waking to Christ's demand, mortals experience suffering. This causes them, even as drown- ing men, to make vigorous efforts to save themselves; and 22:9 through Christ's precious love these efforts are crowned with success.

Wait for reward

"Work out your own salvation," is the demand of 22:12 Life and Love, for to this end G.o.d worketh with you.

"Occupy till I come!" Wait for your re- ward, and "be not weary in well doing." If 22:15 your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race.

22:18 When the smoke of battle clears away, you will dis- cern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving. Love is not hasty to deliver us from 22:21 temptation, for Love means that we shall be tried and purified.

Deliverance not vicarious

Final deliverance from error, whereby we rejoice in 22:24 immortality, boundless freedom, and sinless sense, is not reached through paths of flowers nor by pinning one's faith without works to another's vicarious 22:27 effort. Whosoever believeth that wrath is righteous or that divinity is appeased by human suffering, does not understand G.o.d.

Justice and subst.i.tution

22:30 Justice requires reformation of the sinner. Mercy cancels the debt only when justice approves. Revenge is inadmissible. Wrath which is only appeased is not 23:1 destroyed, but partially indulged. Wisdom and Love may require many sacrifices of self to save us from sin.

23:3 One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin. The atonement requires constant self-immolation on the sinner's part. That 23:6 G.o.d's wrath should be vented upon His beloved Son, is divinely unnatural. Such a theory is man-made. The atonement is a hard problem in theology, but its scien- 23:9 tific explanation is, that suffering is an error of sinful sense which Truth destroys, and that eventually both sin and suf- fering will fall at the feet of everlasting Love.

Doctrines and faith

23:12 Rabbinical lore said: "He that taketh one doctrine, firm in faith, has the Holy Ghost dwelling in him."

This preaching receives a strong rebuke in 23:15 the Scripture, "Faith without works is dead."

Faith, if it be mere belief, is as a pendulum swinging be- tween nothing and something, having no fixity. Faith, 23:18 advanced to spiritual understanding, is the evidence gained from Spirit, which rebukes sin of every kind and estab- lishes the claims of G.o.d.

Self-reliance and confidence

23:21 In Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English, _faith_ and the words corresponding thereto have these two defini- tions, _trustfulness_ and _trustworthiness_. One 23:24 kind of faith trusts one's welfare to others.

Another kind of faith understands divine Love and how to work out one's "own salvation, with fear and trem- 23:27 bling." "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!"

expresses the helplessness of a blind faith; whereas the injunction, "Believe ... and thou shalt be saved!"

23:30 demands self-reliant trustworthiness, which includes spir- itual understanding and confides all to G.o.d.

The Hebrew verb _to believe_ means also _to be firm_ or 24:1 _to be constant_. This certainly applies to Truth and Love understood and practised. Firmness in error will never 24:3 save from sin, disease, and death.

Life's healing currents

Acquaintance with the original texts, and willingness to give up human beliefs (established by hierarchies, and 24:6 instigated sometimes by the worst pa.s.sions of men), open the way for Christian Science to be understood, and make the Bible the chart of life, where 24:9 the buoys and healing currents of Truth are pointed out.

Radical changes

He to whom "the arm of the Lord" is revealed will 24:12 believe our report, and rise into newness of life with re- generation. This is having part in the atone- ment; this is the understanding, in which 24:15 Jesus suffered and triumphed. The time is not distant when the ordinary theological views of atonement will undergo a great change, - a change as radical as that 24:18 which has come over popular opinions in regard to pre- destination and future punishment.

Purpose of crucifixion

Does erudite theology regard the crucifixion of Jesus 24:21 chiefly as providing a ready pardon for all sinners who ask for it and are willing to be forgiven?