0.0 – Christian Science Publication Contents

 9	       THE MARCH PRIMARY CLASS 

  	           To the Primary Class of the Massachusetts Metaphysical
  	               College, 571 Columbus Avenue, that Assembled Feb. 25,
12	               1889, with an Attendance of Sixty-five Students 

  	    My students, three picture-stories from the Bible pre-
  	sent themselves to my thought; three of those pictures
15	from which we learn without study. The first is that of
  	Joshua and his band before the walls of Jericho. They
  	went seven times around these walls, the seven times
18	corresponding to the seven days of creation:  the six days
  	are to find out the nothingness of matter; the seventh
  	is the day of rest, when it is found that evil is naught
21	and good is all. 
  	    The second picture is of the disciples met together in
  	an upper chamber; and they were of one mind. Mark,
24	that in the case of Joshua and his band they had all to
  	shout together in order that the walls might fall; and the
  	disciples, too, were of one mind. 
27	    We, to-day, in this class-room, are enough to con-
  	vert the world if we are of one Mind; for then the whole
  	world will feel the influence of this Mind; as when the
 
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1	earth was without form, and Mind spake and form
  	appeared. 
 3	    The third picture-lesson is from Revelation, where, at
  	the opening of the seals, one of the angels presented him-
  	self ...with balances to weigh the thoughts and actions of
 6	men; not angels with wings, but messengers of pure and
  	holy thoughts that say, See thou hurt not the holy things
  	of Truth. 
 9	    You have come to be weighed; and yet, I would not
  	weigh you, nor have you weighed. How is this? Be-
  	cause God does all, and there is nothing in the opposite
12	scale. There are not two, — Mind and matter. We
  	must get rid of that notion. As we commonly think, we
  	imagine all is well if we cast something into the scale of
15	Mind, but we must realize that Mind is not put into the
  	scales with matter; then only are we working on one side
  	and in Science. 
18	    The students of this Primary class, dismissed the fifth
  	of March, at close of the lecture on the fourth presented
  	their teacher with an elegant album costing fifty dollars,
21	and containing beautiful hand-painted flowers on each
  	page, with their autographs. The presentation was made
  	in a brief address by Mr. D. A. Easton, who in appro-
24	priate language and metaphor expressed his fellow-stu-
  	dents' thanks to their teacher. 
  	    On the morning of the fifth, I met the class to answer
27	some questions before their dismissal, and allude briefly
  	to a topic of great import to the student of Christian
  	Science, — the rocks and sirens in their course, on and
30	by which so many wrecks are made. The doors of animal
  	magnetism open wide for the entrance of error, some-
  	times just at the moment when you are ready to enter on
 
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 1	the fruition of your labors, and with laudable ambition
  	are about to chant hymns of victory for triumphs. 
 3	    The doors that this animal element flings open are
  	those of rivalry, jealousy, envy, revenge. It is the self-
  	asserting mortal will-power that you must guard against. 
 6	But I find also another mental condition of yours that
  	fills me with joy. I learned long ago that the world could
  	neither deprive me of something nor give me anything,
 9	and I have now one ambition and one joy. But if
  	one cherishes ambition unwisely, one will be chastened
  	for it. 
12	    Admiral Coligny, in the time of the French Huguenots,
  	was converted to Protestantism through a stray copy of
  	the Scriptures that fell into his hands. He replied to his
15	wife, who urged him to come out and confess his faith,
  	"It is wise to count the cost of becoming a true Chris-
  	tian." She answered him, "It is wiser to count the cost
18	of not becoming a true Christian." So, whatever we meet
  	that is hard in the Christian warfare we must count as
  	nothing, and must think instead, of our poverty and help-
21	lessness without this understanding, and count ourselves
  	always as debtors to Christ, Truth. 
  	    Among the gifts of my students, this of yours is one
24	of the most beautiful and the most costly, because you
  	have signed your names. I felt the weight of this yes-
  	terday, but it came to me more clearly this morning when
27	I realized what a responsibility you assume when sub-
  	scribing to Christian Science. But, whatever may come
  	to you, remember the words of Solomon, "Though hand
30	join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished:  but
  	the seed of the righteous shall be delivered." 
  	    You will need, in future, practice more than theory. 
 
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 1	You are going out to demonstrate a living faith, a true
  	sense of the infinite good, a sense that does not limit God,
 3	but brings to human view an enlarged sense of Deity. 
  	Remember, it is personality, and the sense of personality
  	in God or in man, that limits man. 
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