Scientific healing

The nature of Divine healing is conveyed in three words: Sin, Grace, Glory. It is the almost universal belief of the world, that the testimony of the present consciousness of things seen, is of God; while instead, it is belief in a manifestation of a life, substance and intelligence apart from Him. This is the abstract of sin. Its concrete is expressed in the many manifestations of the flesh enumerated by Paul. Whatever the manifestation of error in the person, whatever the so-called disease of the flesh, the fundamental cause is sin, i.e.: had all mankind continuously lived in obedience to the first commandment, there never would have been the beliefs of sickness and death now manifest. Thus, we always proceed to destroy the sin instead of the effect of sin; to remove the cause, and the effect disappears.

Our power to heal is always proportionate first, to our scientific understanding of the statement of the letter; second, to the degree in which we have imbibed the Spirit—which is Love. Without the letter, or statement, scientifically understood, by practitioner or preacher, the healing will not be scientific or divine in its character; because language is the vehicle that conveys to the concrete thought (to the sinner) the idea of the “fulness of the Godhead,” consciousness of the mind, purpose, and power of the Life Truth and Love that is God. At the outset, the patient’s faith rarely goes beyond the point of willingness to try the Science. He does not understand it, does not believe in it, but desires to be healed of disease. The fact of his asking for this, gives to the scientific preacher of the letter in Science, the light to declare in silence to the sinner the Truth as taught by Jesus—as explained in the vernacular of the present day by Science and Health.

How is the healing accomplished? The Scientist knows that the “physical” testimony before him is the result of believing a lie; of believing in God in a vague, undefined manner, perhaps, but also believing in a life and power apart from Him. This mental conviction makes of the patient a “house divided against itself,” and leaves him open to the various beliefs of the “world, the flesh and the devil.” Our term in Science to express this is “animal magnetism,” i.e.: the magnetism that prevents mortals from taking conscious possession of their rightful heritage of knowing and obeying God, Truth. We know from our statement, in logic, that if God is all—if He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omni-active—His only quality love, harmony,—all which does not express Him must be of mortal origin; must be a belief of mortal mind, therefore temporal; and because temporal, unreal to God, Truth, and unknown to Science. Thus to the Scientist the patient is never sick, but is laboring under a belief of sickness that to himself seems real, but to the Scientist is the opposite. The belief, whatever its type, has manifested itself in the unconscious thought through unconscious fear, without which it would be impossible for disease to enter and manifest itself. The fact that error has been able to enter through this door into the consciousness of the patient, assures us that Christ, Truth, can also enter there. The error entered unannounced and made its impression, and the Truth can as silently enter and do its work of destruction to the error.

The quality of error in any form is darkness; the quality, of Truth, always Light: and error has no more power to withstand Truth than darkness to withstand light. We really flash Light into darkness when we declare, “God is all, and Man is His image and likeness forever.” We have never seen this perfect man, but we have really believed the word of God, and so declare him to the person to whom we preach the Word. We have proved the doctrine of Jesus true, that it is of God. It is impossible for us to declare Truth in Science to a person without quickening his unconscious faith; for the word of God is Spirit and Life, and gives “life more abundantly.”

Those coming for healing know nothing of the beliefs of mortal mind by which they seem depleted, nor will they understand the process by which they are restored, without explanation; it is therefore necessary, at some time, and on some plane to meet their apprehension, to instruct them regarding both the Principle and rule by which Truth destroys error. Though at the outset the majority are not ready for audible instructions in our abstract statements, if they have heen helped they are glad to listen.

We may not see in the patient the full fruits of our seed-sowing, but we know the Truth, that the words of God can never be lost. We have planted the grain of mustard seed that brings forth fruit after its kind; have hid the little leaven that results in continuous quickening of the sense of divine consciousness, or at-one-ment. If we understand our scientific statement of being, backed by the definitions of our technical terms, we will understand Jesus the Christ, and thus we will preach him. We will be preachers of the gospel of the kingdom of God, and it will heal the sick; and thus we will obey the divine command. Persons who four years ago had a few treatments, or a few silent sermons in Science, who then were apparently far from the kingdom and had since passed from my own thought, recently met and told me of their conversion to the way of life in Truth. Because Infinite Principle ever works out its own infinite purpose in perfecting its own infinite idea, we only preach Christ, Truth, the divine Principle.

Our theology is our life. We must live it, or we will be a sounding-brass and tinkling cymbal when we preach it. All must know it, from the least to the greatest in mortal belief; and we can aid by purity of life, by loving our friends and our enemies alike, by reviling not again, when reviled. This keeps closed the channel by which lust, hatred, malice, the subtleties of error in the name of Truth, can enter our house.

If men are living in conscious violation of the Golden Rule, if in vicious habits they are violating moral law, they can be healed only as the belief of profit or pleasure in these indulgences is destroyed. They can be healed by nothing less than the word of Truth understood by the silent preacher who knows Life, Truth and Love to be the ever present power of God. It is an exceedingly difficult matter to report a case of healing in Science. The phenomenon of disease can be removed by mesmerism while the patient remains unquickened by divine Principle, Truth; for this reason, let our work be carefully scientific and left to bide its time. Six months will give warrant for our report, if the person evidences the performance of Truth’s office. We must all go higher and reflect more Science in the letter, and vastly more love that is Life.