PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.

I HAVE to thank many readers of the first edition who have written to me, giving me details of how, by putting into practice the truths stated, they have, to their great joy, been able to help not only themselves but their fellow-beings, in a number of instances and 5 in a great variety of ways. This is the natural outcome of true religion, when wedded to true science, and should be our sole aim in this world of agonising suffering. There is no proof of any theory but results. God is the great I AM, Life, Truth, Love, Mind, Soul, Spirit, all substance, and 14 intelligence, and therefore the Principle of good. This divine Principle, omnipotent and universal, inevitably and instantly works, destroying evil, if even for a moment a man stops thinking wrongly and thinks rightly. God, being no respecter of persons, hears the prayers of a sinner just as much as those of a saint, if 15 only the sinner prays rightly, that is, in accordance with divine rule or Principle.

Our great need is to know what constitutes true prayer. For countless centuries man has endeavoured to solve the mystery of life, and for nearly 2,000 years he has struggled to know the truth, 20 the truth that Jesus declared would set man free. This knowledge of the truth is knowledge of God and leads to true prayer, conscious communion with God.

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The Right and Wrong Methods of Prayer.—

The value of "Life Understood " is not to prove that all disease is mental, as medical men are rapidly coming to this conclusion; nor is it to prove that matter is mental phenomena, and can be caused to appear and disappear by thought, although the scientific difference between the two methods in which this can be done is given. One is the harmful and exhausting way in which the witches 30 and scorcerers of old worked, and the way in which black magic workers and hypnotists of the present day work, namely, with the human mind, which inevitably leads to sin, disease, and death; the other is the marvellous and inspiring way in which Jesus the Christ worked, namely, by turning in thought to God, thus steadily 35 revealing perfect health, holiness and happiness.

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The value of this book is to enable the reader to demonstrate daily what true prayer is. It shows demonstrably what God is. It lays bare and scatters to the winds the mistaken theories of natural science. It sets out exactly the difference between the right and wrong method of working mentally, as now proved by 5 thousands of workers. It gives the scientific proofs of this difference, and shows clearly how every one can work in the right way. This is of vital importance, as in two to three years' time every intelligent person will be a mental worker. Advanced thinkers of all classes are now investigating the effect of thought and getting 10 wonderful results, and in a year or two, at latest, the reports of their investigations will be made public, confirming beyond a shadow of doubt the most important of the statements put forward herein. There is a hard and fast line drawn between the two methods of working mentally, and Jesus pointed out the difference more than once. If when you are praying you are thinking of reality, that is of God or heaven, of the Christ or the spiritual man, you are helping your patient, yourself, and the world. If, on the contrary, you are thinking of the material man or the material world-whatever you may be thinking about them-you are harming your patient, 20 harming yourself, and doing no good to the world. Even by strong, determined thinking or will power you can neither destroy the evil thoughts that attack you or others, nor purify the so-called human mind; you merely alter the electrical tension. of what is scientifically spoken of as the lines of force of which the ether is composed. 25 Troubles invariably follow. God, namely, Truth and Love, the Principle of all good, alone heals, and this by destroying the so-called cause of the evil, under its name of the devil in theology, the ether in the scientific world, and mortal mind amongst the metaphysical sects. Although few recognise it, these are the same as the unconscious or subconscious mind, subliminal self, etc., of the modern psychologist.

The Great Change in the Mental Outlook.

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When the first edition of "Life Understood" was issued, I knew that the loosing of the devil-spoken of in Revelation, and referred to 35 in Esdras as the death of "my Son Christ"-took place in 1910, and that the terrible troubles foretold in the Bible and elsewhere would start three-and-a-half years later, namely in 1914. Although I drew attention, in Appendix XII., to the final seven years of evil, and in Appendix VIII. showed that there was war with Germany in the 40 immediate future, to have openly stated at that time all that the Bible showed, or even what I now say, would have done more harm than good, as, with most people, it would have detracted from the

value of the other facts put forward. The world was not ready. It was still on a material basis, and it would not take the trouble to look into the statements made and test whether they were true or not. Most people were too busily engaged in trying to make 5 both ends meet. Nevertheless, in many of my lectures many details of forthcoming events were publicly given, for instance, that the serious troubles were going to start in July, 1914.

Since the first edition was issued, many of the new views therein presented have been confirmed. The final war has also started, 10 and is widely recognised as one view of the battle of Armageddon, namely, its material presentation, full details of which are prophesied in the Bible. Many of these I have recently given in "How the War Will End,' ," which also gives most of the known accurate secular prophecies. Fear of impending evil is also turning 15 men to God. A large number of those who heard me, together with many advanced thinkers, are therefore now prepared to accept as correct what the Bible prophecies tell us with regard to the end of the world, that is the end of all sin, disease, troubles, limitations and death itself. It is possible now to speak more openly, 20 especially to those, such as my readers, whose study has led them to investigate along the advanced lines of thought herein dealt with.

A great change has taken place since the first edition of "Life Understood" was published. was published. The recognition of the pseudo-mental 25 power of mortal mind and of the truth that sets man free has been increasing with great rapidity.

The change that has taken place during the last four years has been greater than in the previous eight; the change during the last two years greater than in the previous four; and in the course of 30 the last year, changes have taken place more important than all those in the previous two years. In the last six months there have been great alterations in the views of the advanced general public, and the last three months have seen even greater changes than have taken place in the previous six months. These changes will 35 continue with increasing rapidity, until in the last few hours of this material sense of existence the transformation will be unparalleled and spontaneous. These changes have taken place in England, and also to a lesser extent in other countries, and will gradually spread out from England and America into all civilised countries. The So-called End of the World.

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When I prepared the second edition of "Life Understood," I thought it better not to state definitely the details of what was foretold with regard to the end of the world. Even when it was How the War will End," 3rd edition, 1s. 5d., Post Free. Published by the Crystal Press, Ltd., 91, Regent Street. London, W. 1.

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finished and in the printer's hands, I thought that it was wiser to give no details in this Preface. The tremendous change which has taken place during the last three months, however, has shown that the world is now ready not only to receive the information, but to pray persistently in the scientific manner taught and demonstrated by Jesus the Christ, irrespective of beliefs in any particular creed or dogma. This with a view of relieving the suffering that now exists, and the increasing suffering that admittedly in any case must continue to make this earth a hell to so many, until they know how to pray correctly or until all evil disappears.

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The end of the material world, that is, the end of all matter, and its consequent sin, disease, troubles, worries, and limitations, is, is, fortunately, close at hand, and the scientific reasons are easy to understand. The action of God starts the movement, and then all matter short-circuits itself. approximate year I first calculated out over twelve years ago, taking as my basis the yearly increasing number of those who know that matter is not a reality, the only reality being God and His manifestation. Six or seven years later, when I learnt what I know of the science of numbers, I was able to 20 work out mathematically the exact year and month," which later I found were shown in the Bible. Jesus only told us that we should not know the day or the hour, and of these only an approximate estimate can be made, as it depends upon how people do their work at the end.

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The one objection that has been put forward to this speedy termination of all matter, and therefore of all evil, is that everyone would have to be almost perfect before the end could come. This is true, but with the large majority the vision of perfection which brings this about comes only in the last few 50 minutes. The action of God, taking place through the minority, leavens "the whole lump." The weight of thought of many millions of the majority amounts to little, as they can hardly even be called thinkers; whereas the power of Truth through the thought of the trained mental worker is incalculable, because it is the power of 35 God, infinite good, working through the human being as through a channel, annihilating the sense of evil.

The Bible shows that this glorious revolution, this universal deliverance from a bondage almost unbearable to many, comes from the united joyous effort, on a fixed and definite day, of all the 40 mental workers who work in the right way, namely, in the scientific

*This is the year and month of the commencement of the last period, the ength of which cannot at present be foretold.

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method taught and demonstrated by Jesus the Christ. shown in Daniel, results in the widespread use of "the denial"the "great Prince Michael"-by all intelligent people throughout the world at a pre-determined date, namely, shortly after this final 5 war, the material battle of Armageddon, is ended. The Book of Revelation gives many of the details, more than any other book. II. Esdras gives many minute details, and shows definitely the year and the month. It also gives a time after December 3rd, 1917,* as the day on which takes place what is described by John 10 as, "I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." The statement in Esdras, showing exactly the time, came to me as another confirmation of what I already knew well.

15 The Forthcoming Troubles.

All the prophets and all modern leaders of thought have foretold the troubles, in fact, the horrors, that are coming as a prelude to the end of the belief in matter. The signs of some are so evident that they are now being foreseen by scientific men and experts. 20 They will affect us if, instead of obeying the covenant set out by Moses, and having only one God, absolute good, and being constantly in conscious communion with God-thinking of goodwe think wrongly, being attacked by devilish thoughts, which we intensify instead of destroy.

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Hitherto, fortunately, the thoughts have not been strong enough for the results immediately to follow. When everyone recognises the effect of so-called thought, conditions entirely change, and a thought of evil is instantly followed by dire punishment.

Details of a few of the terrible troubles that are coming are given 30 herein. When the thought of these evils or of the suffering of the victims of the terrible war now devastating Europe comes to me,.a burst of joyous feeling at once takes its place, as, with overflowing gratitude to God, I recognise that all sorrows are shortly finished for ever.

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*This is the year and the month of the commencement of the last period, which originally I thought was going to be 45 hours, but which has turned out to be a longer period, the length of which I cannot at present tell as it does not seem to be mentioned in the Bible. Considerable changes then took place, one of the most important being the pronouncements in the speech of President 40 Wilson, which many look upon as the commencement of a new era in political life, and which was cabled to every news agency all over the world on the 3rd of December, 1917. The taking of Jerusalem, which was foretold, and which followed almost immediately afterwards, was another sign of the times, the date of which was predicted in the Bible.