Christian Science Seminar (Class) Notes – Volume 6

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Christian Science Seminar (Class) Notes – Volume 6

These are notes of the sixth day of a six-day seminar on Christian Science classroom teaching in accord with the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy as given in the Massachusetts Metaphysical College in the 1880’s. Their purpose is to restore to Christian Scientists and to the world Mrs. Eddy’s school of Christian Science teaching.

In an effort to preserve the teachings of Mary Baker Eddy, these notes have been compiled from teachers’ class books which conform to the doctrine of Christian Science as taught by Mrs. Eddy.

In Volume 6, we read:

“TREATMENT

“Suppose someone came to you for help for a bodily ailment, how would you treat them?

“You would change their thought. When their thought is changed from material belief to the spiritual fact, their body corresponds.

“In order to change their thought you would declare the truth and demand the error to come out. You would know the error had no place in Mind.

“You would correct the error in the human consciousness, by knowing that man is spiritual consciousness right now. You would not correct it in one place or another on the body.

“Disease does not exist, and you must know that.

“There is just one Mind and the manifestation of that Mind. There is no material body.

“We do not treat body as does materia medica. Jesus did not treat body, and he did not destroy anything. He did not destroy the material body. He healed. So let us heal.

“When Jesus restored Lazarus he had the same body that he had before it was placed in the tomb, even though it had lain in the tomb for four days. Error says that a body which has been dead for four days has begun to decompose. But the body is not self-acting, and does not die, or decompose, because the individual human consciousness always maintains within itself a perfect manifestation of its identity and individuality which is the objective condition of its present state of thought, until that thought ascends. Consciousness never dies or decomposes, and neither does its objective state, or body. It is transformed. So, even though mortal mind suggested that the body of Lazarus was beyond restoration, Jesus brought him back through the realization that nothing had happened to the consciousness of Lazarus or his mind, and consequently nothing could destroy or decompose the manifestation or objective condition of that consciousness.

“Jesus awakened Lazarus just where he was, in the scale of human thought. Death does not change the body or restore anything to the body.”

“INDIVIDUALITY AND IDENTITY

“Individuality is defined as ‘the quality which distinguishes one person, or thing, from another; separate or distinct existence.’

“So your individuality is your ‘separate oneness.’ You and all other individual ideas of God are the reflection of God, and express His image and likeness, but all have distinctness and separate oneness from the other individual compound ideas.

“We can say that in music the notes are all at one with the scale, but each note has distinct individuality, or separate oneness from the other notes. For instance, ‘C’ on the scale in music says that it is at-one with the scale, but that it expresses its individuality differently from ‘A.’ But both have their identity with the scale. Each one, though, has its own place and individual expression. Each one is vital and important. We can say that each tone is individual, distinct, yet it reflects the scale which includes multifarious tones and combinations of tones.

“So it is with all of the individual compound ideas of God; they have separate distinctness, or individuality, but are at one with the infinite Principle, God, and by reflection include all the right ideas of God, which is man’s identity.

“So identity means likeness, at-one-ment. Individuality means distinctness, separate oneness.”

“TREATMENT AS LAW

“In every treatment you must include law. Law is divine Mind in operation. It is spiritual thought-force.

“The very word ‘law’ implies Mind, then. So, in our treatments we must make the distinction between the supposititious operation of the human mind, which it calls laws, and the real law of Mind. There is just one law, and this law comes from the operation of Mind. Paul writes, ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.’ (Rom. 8:2) That is, from the beliefs of the human mind which are called laws. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, then, has exposed the unreality of so-called material laws, and, seeing the unreality, has made me free.

“So, the law of God is operating everywhere, but to the human consciousness which seems to have accepted false beliefs, theories, and opinions called material laws, the divine law must be applied through treatment, through declaration, even as God does, until false laws — that is, false opinions — disappear.

“So, in every treatment we must know and declare that it is the operation of the law of God. We are not just calling out for help to God.

“There is no guesswork in Christian Science: no doubt as to the outcome, no uncertainty. The rules are fixed and unalterable.

“When you sit down to work out a problem in mathematics you don’t wonder if your application of the rules will bring the right results, do you?

“Well, the Principle of Christian Science is equally as perfect, and the rules are perfect.

“Realize that your treatment, when properly and scientifically given, is the operation and enforcement of spiritual law.

“Just as Moses invoked the law of God when he divided the Red Sea, and also when he brought water from the rock, so do you invoke and use the law of God in your treatment.

“God declared His Word, ‘uttered His voice,’ which means that He laid down His law, and ‘the earth melted.’ Every false belief of matter and earth melts before the law of God.

“So, you see, all law is thought-force, Mind-force in operation. The beliefs and phenomena of the physical universe, whether good or bad, animate or inanimate, appear as the result of supposed laws. On the other hand, the spiritual reality, man and the universe, appears as the result of God’s law, the thought-force of divine Mind.

“So, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has exposed the unreality of so-called material laws, AND, SEEING THE UNREALITY, HAS MADE ME FREE.

“Our treatments, then, are declarations of the Word of God, let there be light, and this light of divine law exposes the darkness, or unreality, of so-called material law, and, the unreality being seen, the patient is made free.

“That is how treatment heals. It is as light destroying darkness. It is God’s law of spiritual understanding exposing the unreality and nothingness of matter and its supposed laws, and thus making free.

“It is not two opposing laws fighting in mortal combat. It is reality exposing unreality, and unreality falling when its nothingness is seen.”