0.0 – Christian Science Publication Contents

  	                            DEIFICATION OF PERSONALITY 

12	    Notwithstanding the rapid sale already of two editions
  	of "Christ and Christmas," and many orders on hand, I
  	have thought best to stop its publication. 
15	    In this revolutionary religious period, the increasing
  	inquiry of mankind as to Christianity and its unity — 
  	and above all, God's love opening the eyes of the blind
18	 — is fast fitting all minds for the proper reception of
  	Christian Science healing. 
  	    But I must stand on this absolute basis of Christian
21	Science; namely, Cast not pearls before the unprepared
  	thought. Idolatry is an easily-besetting sin of all peoples. 
  	The apostle saith, "Little children, keep yourselves from
24	idols." 
  	    The illustrations were not intended for a golden calf,
  	at which the sick may look and be healed. Christian
27	Scientists should beware of unseen snares, and adhere
  	to the divine Principle and rules for demonstration. 
  	They must guard against the deification of finite person-
30	ality. Every human thought must turn instinctively to

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 page 308

1	the divine Mind as its sole centre and intelligence. Until
  	this be done, man will never be found harmonious and
 3	immortal. 
  	    Whosoever looks to me personally for his health or
  	holiness, mistakes. He that by reason of human love or
 6	hatred or any other cause clings to my material per-
  	son...ality, greatly errs, stops his own progress, and loses
  	the path to health, happiness, and heaven. The Scrip-
 9	tures and Christian Science reveal "the way," and per-
  	sonal revelators will take their proper place in history,
  	but will not be deified. 
12	    Advanced scientific students are ready for "Christ
  	and Christmas;" but those are a minority of its readers,
  	and even they know its practicality only by healing
15	the sick on its divine Principle. In the words of the
  	prophet, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one
  	Lord." 
18	    Friends, strangers, and Christian Scientists, I thank
  	you, each and all, for your liberal patronage and scholarly,
  	artistic, and scientific notices of my book. This little
21	messenger has done its work, fulfilled its mission, retired
  	with honor (and mayhap taught me more than it has
  	others), only to reappear in due season. The knowledge
24	that I have gleaned from its fruitage is, that intensely
  	contemplating personality impedes spiritual growth; even
  	as holding in mind the consciousness of disease prevents
27	the recovery of the sick. 
  	    Christian Science is taught through its divine Prin-
  	ciple, which is invisible to corporeal sense. A material
30	human likeness is the antipode of man in the image and
  	likeness of God. Hence, a finite person is not the model
  	for a metaphysician. I earnestly advise all Christian
33	Scientists to remove from their observation or study
 
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 1	the personal sense of any one, and not to dwell in thought
  	upon their own or others' corporeality, either as good or
 3	evil. 
  	    According to Christian Science, material personality is
  	an error in premise, and must result in erroneous con-
 6	clusions. All will agree with me that material portraiture
  	often fails to express even mortal man, and this declares
  	its unfitness for fable or fact to build upon. 
 9	    The face of Jesus has uniformly been so unnaturally
  	delineated that it has turned many from the true con-
  	templation of his character. He advances most in divine
12	Science who meditates most on infinite spiritual sub-
  	stance and intelligence. Experience proves this true. 
  	Pondering on the finite personality of Jesus, the son of
15	man, is not the channel through which we reach the
  	Christ, or Son of God, the true idea of man's divine
  	Principle. 
18	    I warn students against falling into the error of anti-
  	Christ. The consciousness of corporeality, and what-
  	ever is connected therewith, must be outgrown. Corporeal
21	falsities include all obstacles to health, holiness, and
  	heaven. Man's individual life is infinitely above a
  	bodily form of existence, and the human concept an-
24	tagonizes the divine. "Science and Health with Key
  	to the Scriptures," on page 229, third and fourth para-
  	graphs, elucidates this topic.¹ 
27	    My Christmas poem and its illustrations are not a text-
  	book. Scientists sometimes take things too intensely. 
  	Let them soberly adhere to the Bible and Science and
30	Health, which contain all and much more than they
  	have yet learned. We should prohibit ourselves the

  	¹See the revised edition of 1890, or page 334, lines 10-30
33	 in current editions.
 
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 1	childish pleasure of studying Truth through the senses,
  	for this is neither the intent of my works nor possible
 3	in Science. 
  	    Even the teachings of Jesus would be misused by sub-
  	stituting personality for the Christ, or the impersonal
 6	form of Truth, amplified in this age by the discovery of
  	Christian Science. To impersonalize scientifically the
  	material sense of existence — rather than cling to per-
 9	sonality — is the lesson of to-day. 
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