disappears.”
“Not earlier?”
“No, not until the teaching and preparation for the Third Degree are
completed.”
“It is not until then that one is enabled to take hold of Christian
Science effectively, and with the right sense of sympathy and kinship,
as I understand you. That is to say, it could not succeed during the
processes of the Second Degree, because there would still be remains of
mind left; and therefore–but I interrupted you. You were about to
further explain the good results proceeding from the erosions and
disintegrations effected by the Third Degree. It is very interesting;
go on, please.”
“Yes, as I was saying, in this Third Degree mortal mind disappears.
Science so reverses the evidence before the corporeal human senses as to
make this scriptural testimony true in our hearts, ‘the last shall be
first and the first shall be last,’ that God and His idea may be to us–
what divinity really is, and must of necessity be all-inclusive.”
“It is beautiful. And with what exhaustive exactness your choice and
arrangement of words confirm and establish what you have claimed for the
powers and functions of the Third Degree. The Second could probably
produce only temporary absence of mind; it is reserved to the Third to
make it permanent. A sentence framed under the auspices of the Second
could have a kind of meaning–a sort of deceptive semblance of it–
whereas it is only under the magic of the Third that that defect would
disappear. Also, without doubt, it is the Third Degree that contributes
another remarkable specialty to Christian Science–viz., ease and flow
and lavishness of words, and rhythm and swing and smoothness. There must
be a special reason for this?”
“Yes–God– all, all–God, good God, non-Matter, Matteration, Spirit,
Bones, Truth.”
“That explains it.”
“There is nothing in Christian Science that is not explicable; for God is
one, Time is one, Individuality is one, and may be one of a series, one
of many, as an individual man, individual horse; whereas God is one, not
one of a series, but one alone and without an equal.”
“These are noble thoughts. They make one burn to know more. How does
Christian Science explain the spiritual relation of systematic duality to
incidental deflection?”
“Christian Science reverses the seeming relation of Soul and body–as
astronomy reverses the human perception of the movement of the solar
system–and makes body tributary to the Mind. As it is the earth which
is in motion, While the sun is at rest, though in viewing the sun rise
one finds it impossible to believe the sun not to be really rising, so
the body is but the humble servant of the restful Mind, though it seems
otherwise to finite sense; but we shall never understand this while we
admit that soul is in body, or mind in matter, and that man is included
in non-intelligence. Soul is God, unchangeable and eternal; and man
coexists with and reflects Soul, for the All-in-all is the Altogether,
and the Altogether embraces the All-one, Soul-Mind, Mind-Soul, Love,
Spirit, Bones, Liver, one of a series, alone and without an equal.”
“What is the origin of Christian Science? Is it a gift of God, or did it
just happen?”
“In a sense, it is a gift of God. That is to say, its powers are from
Him, but the credit of the discovery of the powers and what they are for
is due to an American lady.”
“Indeed? When did this occur?”
“In 1866. That is the immortal date when pain and disease and death
disappeared from the earth to return no more forever. That is, the
fancies for which those terms stand disappeared. The things themselves
had never existed; therefore, as soon as it was perceived that there were
no such things, they were easily banished. The history and nature of the
great discovery are set down in the book here, and–”
“Did the lady write the book?”
“Yes, she wrote it all, herself. The title is Science and Health, with
Key to the Scriptures– for she explains the Scriptures; they were not
understood before. Not even by the twelve Disciples. She begins thus–
I will read it to you.”