that spiritualization of thought is not attained by the death
of the body, but by a conscious union with God. When
we shall have passed the ordeal called death, or destroyed
this last enemy, and shall have come upon the same plane
of conscious existence with those gone before, then we [15]
shall be able to communicate with and to recognize them.
If, before the change whereby we meet the dear de-
parted, our life-work proves to have been well done, we
shall not have to repeat it; but our joys and means of ad-
vancing will be proportionately increased. [20]
The difference between a belief of material existence
and the spiritual fact of Life is, that the former is a dream
and unreal, while the latter is real and eternal. Only
as we understand God, and learn that good, not evil,
lives and is immortal, that immortality exists only in [25]
spiritual perfection, shall we drop our false sense of Life
in sin or sense material, and recognize a better state of
existence.
Can I be treated without being present during treatment?
Mind is not confined to limits; and nothing but our [30]
own false admissions prevent us from demonstrating this
[pg 043]
great fact. Christian Science, recognizing the capabili- [1]
ties of Mind to act of itself, and independent of matter,
enables one to heal cases without even having seen the
individual—or simply after having been made ac-
quainted with the mental condition of the patient. [5]
Do all who at present claim to be teaching Christian
Science, teach it correctly?
By no means: Christian Science is not sufficiently un-
derstood for that. The student of this Science who under-
stands it best, is the one least likely to pour into other [10]
minds a trifling sense of it as being adequate to make safe
and successful practitioners. The simple sense one gains
of this Science through careful, unbiased, contemplative
reading of my books, is far more advantageous to the
sick and to the learner than is or can be the spurious [15]
teaching of those who are spiritually unqualified. The
sad fact at this early writing is, that the letter is gained
sooner than the spirit of Christian Science: time is re-
quired thoroughly to qualify students for the great ordeal
of this century. [20]
If one student tries to undermine another, such sinister
rivalry does a vast amount of injury to the Cause. To
fill one's pocket at the expense of his conscience, or to
build on the downfall of others, incapacitates one to
practise or teach Christian Science. The occasional tem- [25]
porary success of such an one is owing, in part, to the im-
possibility for those unacquainted with the mighty Truth
of Christian Science to recognize, as such, the barefaced
errors that are taught—and the damaging effects these
leave on the practice of the learner, on the Cause, and [30]
on the health of the community.
[pg 044]
Honest students speak the truth “according to the [1]
pattern showed to thee in the mount,” and live it: these
are not working for emoluments, and may profitably
teach people, who are ready to investigate this subject,
the rudiments of Christian Science. [5]
Can Christian Science cure acute cases where there is
necessity for immediate relief, as in membranous croup?
The remedial power of Christian Science is positive,
and its application direct. It cannot fail to heal in
every case of disease, when conducted by one who un- [10]
derstands this Science sufficiently to demonstrate its
highest possibilities.
If I have the toothache, and nothing stops it until I
have the tooth extracted, and then the pain ceases, has
the mind, or extracting, or both, caused the pain to [15]
cease?
What you thought was pain in the bone or nerve, could
only have been a belief of pain in matter; for matter
has no sensation. It was a state of mortal thought made
manifest in the flesh. You call this body matter, when [20]
awake, or when asleep in a dream. That matter can re-
report pain, or that mind is in matter, reporting sensa-
tions, is but a dream at all times. You believed that if
the tooth were extracted, the pain would cease: this de-
mand of mortal thought once met, your belief assumed [25]
a new form, and said, There is no more pain. When
your belief in pain ceases, the pain stops; for matter
has no intelligence of its own. By applying this men-
tal remedy or antidote directly to your belief, you scien-
[pg 045]
tifically prove the fact that Mind is supreme. This is not [1]
done by will-power, for that is not Science but mesmerism.
The full understanding that God is Mind, and that mat-
ter is but a belief, enables you to control pain. Chris-
tian Science, by means of its Principle of metaphysical [5]
healing, is able to do more than to heal a toothache;
although its power to allay fear, prevent inflammation,
and destroy the necessity for ether—thereby avoiding
the fatal results that frequently follow the use of that
drug—render this Science invaluable in the practice [10]
of dentistry.
Can an atheist or a profane man be cured by metaphysics,
or Christian Science?
The moral status of the man demands the remedy of
Truth more in this than in most cases; therefore, under [15]
the deific law that supply invariably