Miscellaneous Writings, 1883-1896. Mary Baker Eddy. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: Mary Baker Eddy
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Жанр произведения: Математика
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isbn: 4064066102401
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of matter, and the power and permanence

      of Spirit. He met and conquered the resistance of the

      world.

      If you will admit, with me, that matter is neither [30]

      substance, intelligence, nor Life, you may have all that

      [pg 075]

      is left of it; and you will have touched the hem of the [1]

      garment of Jesus' idea of matter, Christ was “the way;”

      since Life and Truth were the way that gave us, through

      a human person, a spiritual revelation of man's possible

      earthly development. [5]

      Why do you insist that there is but one Soul, and that

      Soul is not in the body?

      First: I urge this fundamental fact and grand verity

      of Christian Science, because it includes a rule that must

      be understood, or it is impossible to demonstrate the Sci- [10]

      ence. Soul is a synonym of Spirit, and God is Spirit.

      There is but one God, and the infinite is not within the

      finite; hence Soul is one, and is God; and God is not in

      matter or the mortal body.

      Second: Because Soul is a term for Deity, and this [15]

      term should seldom be employed except where the word

      God can be used and make complete sense. The word

      Soul may sometimes be used metaphorically; but if this

      term is warped to signify human quality, a substitution

      of sense for soul clears the meaning, and assists one to [20]

      understand Christian Science. Mary's exclamation,

      “"My soul doth magnify the Lord,” is rendered in Sci-

      ence, “My spiritual sense doth magnify the Lord;”

      for the name of Deity used in that place does not bring

      out the meaning of the passage. It was evidently an [25]

      illuminated sense through which she discovered the

      spiritual origin of man. “The soul that sinneth, it shall

      die,” means, that mortal man (alias material sense) that

      sinneth, shall die; and the commonly accepted view is

      that soul is deathless. Soul is the divine Mind—for [30]

      Soul cannot be formed or brought forth by human

      [pg 076]

      thought—and must proceed from God; hence it must [1]

      be sinless, and destitute of self-created or derived capacity

      to sin.

      Third: Jesus said, “If a man keep my saying, he

      shall never see death.” This statement of our Master [5]

      is true, and remains to be demonstrated; for it is the

      ultimatum of Christian Science; but this immortal saying

      can never be tested or proven true upon a false premise,

      such as the mortal belief that soul is in body, and life

      and intelligence are in matter. That doctrine is not [10]

      theism, but pantheism. According to human belief the

      bodies of mortals are mortal, but they contain immortal

      souls! hence these bodies must die for these souls to

      escape and be immortal. The theory that death must

      occur, to set a human soul free from its environments, [15]

      is rendered void by Jesus' divine declaration, who spake

      as never man spake—and no man can rationally reject

      his authority on this subject and accept it on other topics

      less important.

      Now, exchange the term soul for sense whenever this [20]

      word means the so-called soul in the body, and you will

      find the right meaning indicated. The misnamed human

      soul is material sense, which sinneth and shall die; for

      it is an error or false sense of mentality in matter, and

      matter has no sense. You will admit that Soul is the [25]

      Life of man. Now if Soul sinned, it would die; for “the

      wages of sin is death.” The Scripture saith, “When

      Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also

      appear with him in glory.” The Science of Soul, Spirit,

      involves this appearing, and is essential to the fulfilment [30]

      of this glorious prophecy of the master Metaphysician,

      who overcame the last enemy, death.

      [pg 077]

      Did the salvation of the eunuch depend merely on his [1]

      believing that Jesus Christ was the Son of God?

      It did; but this believing was more than faith in the

      fact that Jesus was the Messiah. Here the verb believe

      took its original meaning, namely, to be firm—yea, to [5]

      understand those great truths asserted of the Messiah:

      it meant to discern and consent to that infinite demand

      made upon the eunuch in those few words of the apostle.

      Philip's requirement was, that he should not only ac-

      knowledge the incarnation—God made manifest through [10]

      man—but even the eternal unity of man and God, as

      the divine Principle and spiritual idea; which is the in-

      dissoluble bond of union, the power and presence, in

      divine Science, of Life, Truth, and Love, to support their

      ideal man. This is the Father's great Love that He [15]

      hath bestowed upon us, and it holds man in endless

      Life and one eternal round of harmonious being. It

      guides him by Truth that knows no error, and with

      supersensual, impartial, and unquenchable Love. To

      believe is to be firm. In adopting all this vast idea of [20]

      Christ Jesus, the eunuch was to know in whom he be-

      lieved. To believe thus was to enter the spiritual sanctuary

      of Truth, and there learn, in divine Science, somewhat

      of the All-Father-Mother God. It was to understand

      God and man: it was sternly to rebuke the mortal [25]

      belief that man has fallen away from his first estate; that

      man, made in God's own likeness, and reflecting Truth,

      could fall into mortal error; or, that man is the father

      of man. It was to enter unshod the Holy of Holies, where

      the