Sec. IV. man is instantly conscious of what he needs to know. Immediately afterwards a scientific man came for advice on an interesting point. He said that, amongst the ultra rays of light, there were some which, thrown upon an object, would cause it to disappear from sight, 5 although it was still in its position, and asked how he could best localise the rays.

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Disappearance of Matter." We are living in an extraordinary age ... it is a time for the open mind and the open vision in all departments of thought" (Sir Oliver Lodge).

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In the course of conversation he told me of an important experiment. He had taken 1 lb. of oxygen and 1 lb. of potassium, and placed them in an exhausted glass tube, which was then hermetically sealed. On passing a high-tension current through the tube, 1 lb. of the contents instantly disappeared, the chemical balance upon 15 which the apparatus stood registering the loss of weight as the current was turned on. He then told me that he had proved mathematically (200 pages of equations were required) that the electron was created by the action at right angles of two lines of 81 18 force of definite length upon each other, and he thought that the 20 action of the high-tension current had resolved the electrons into 213 the original lines of force, which then passed easily through the glass and disappeared. As a matter of fact, these lines of force are not finite in length, but, as beliefs, extend indefinitely in false space. It took two years before Dr. Romocki, then the chemist 25 on my staff, was able to confirm the mathematical proof.

A few days afterwards, a friend of mine, one of the leading chemical authorities in England, confidentially gave me details of somewhat similar chemical experiments which had just been carried out under test conditions before a selected body of leading scientific 30 men, and had been pronounced by them as wholly inconsistent with any conceivable theory of matter. These experiments were shown to them, to establish priority of date for the discoverer, who did not care to publish them until he had found the reason for the results.

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"The Earth Helped the Woman.”- "The whole history of science 237 shows us that, whenever the educated and scientific men of any age have denied the facts of other investigators on a priori' grounds of absurdity or impossibility, the deniers have always been wrong' (Professor Alfred Russel Wallace).

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40 It was then that I recognised that we were on the eve 54 10 of the great intellectual revolution that must attend the scientific 289 28 recognition of the non-reality of matter, and I understood 103 12

Speech at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham, June 25th, 1910.

Sec. IV. the meaning of the words in Rev. 12, ver. 16,* "And the earth [the leading scientific thought of the day] helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth [by stating the truth], and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth" [the wrong use of this newly gained mental freedom].

Crookes's Berlin Lecture.-" For we know in part, and we prophesy in part" (I. Cor. 13, ver. 9).

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The following finale in Sir William Crookes's Berlin lecture, which was shortly afterwards delivered, then showed me that already the leaven was at work: "This fatal quality of atomic dissociation 10 appears to be universal . . . the whole range of human experience is all too short to afford a parallax whereby the date of the extinction of matter can be calculated." This knowledge is now available.

Non-Reality of Matter. -Another case of knowledge gained in- 15 spirationally in a seemingly indirect manner may be given. I tried for some time by ordinary means, during the first eighteen months of my examination into "mental" phenomena for the "Daily Express," to obtain mathematical proof of the non-reality of electricity, but without success. Although in the application of 20 the method of scientific and true prayer I had as yet experienced practically no failure of any importance, doubt seized hold of me in this matter of obtaining knowledge that apparently must include abstruse mathematical calculations. I shrank from possible failure, but gained some courage through remembering that it was 25 equally scientific for the information to reach me through the channel of my head engineer or chemist, both of whom were firstclass mathematicians. Recognising that hesitation was not reliance on Principle, and that fear had the upper hand, I prayed five times during two days for the required knowledge, so requisite for 30 the clearing up of the mystery of evil. The following morning I received from Mr. Wake-Cook a copy of the Rede Lecture given by Professor Osborne Reynolds, referring to his mathematical proof of the non-reality of matter already mentioned. "And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you 35 to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours" (John 4, ver. 37, 38). Mr. Wake-Cook wrote: "Here he has proved mathematically what you have been telling us for some time." In this way the twenty years' life-work of one of the most advanced mathematicians of 40 the day, until then entirely unknown to me, was rendered available by a few minutes' prayer.

This instance also illustrates the necessity of keeping an open

*Rotherham's translation of ver. 15 is significant. It is as follows: "And the serpent cast out of his mouth 'behind the woman, water as a river, that he 45 might cause her to be river-borne" (see Misc. Writ., p. 373, line 14. Mary Baker Eddy).

+"Modern Views of Matter." An Address delivered before the Congress of Applied Chemistry at Berlin, June 5th, 1903.

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mind as to the channel through which information may reach you. 200 29 To look for help through any special channel is more or less to 312 9 close the door to all others. We must leave Principle to decide what is best. God's way is always perfect, the way of good.

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Ps. 18:30

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Thought Germs.-A third example may be given. Having found that the ether consists of lines of force, high-tension electrical currents, I had the same difficulty as other investigators in not being able to find out what was believed to exist, namely, the positive electron, although the negative electron was easily discover10 able. Neither was it clear how these lines of force or material thoughts were destroyed by the action of God. I therefore prayed 168 for knowledge two or three times in two days. The next day a well-known inventor called upon me for advice with regard to a system of wireless telephony. In the course of conversation 15 remark of his led me to put my difficulty before him. He at once gave me two solutions, one of which I knew must be accurate because it fitted in with all the other basic theories of the material universe already found to be correct.

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"Correct" and

"Accurate."

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"correct" 20 "accurate" do not mean "true" when applied to the theories of matter now advanced. They merely denote accordance with the final 265 beliefs of material so-called science. The only true statement that can be made with reference to matter is that it has no reality. 152 Reality means permanence.

Short-circuiting.-The inventor then explained that each seeming 214 line of force or so-called thought consisted of innumerable adjacent 25 small particles,† oval or egg-shaped, not touching each other, and lying with the longer axis at right angles to the general trend of the line of force. The greatest diameter is just equal to the distance apart of their centres. One of their ends is positive and the other negative. Now, when a man denies the reality of sin or sickness in heaven the 153 30 action of God causes the seeming sin or sickness to disappear. 136 What then takes place, from a theoretical point of view, is that 214 one of these particles, or thought germs, is slightly turned. The positive ends of adjacent particles then repel each other, and the dissimilar ends attract each other until each adjacent particle is 35 slightly turned. The positive end of each particle having thus come nearer the negative end of the adjacent particle, the turning action is increased by these portions attracting each other until each particle has been turned at right angles. Being oval, the positive end of each particle then touches the negative end of the adjacent particle, 40 and the whole line of force is short-circuited and finally ceases to have even its temporal or material sense of existence, and there is in 323 40 *In the chemical theory of electricity, over and above the known elements there should be two others-the positive and negative electrons (Dr. Nernst, Professor of Chemistry, Göttingen University).

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Eddy).

Thought germs" ("Science and Health," p. 164, line 16. Mary Baker

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Sec. IV. 214 18 its place what even material scientists admit to be NOTHING*554 11,35 nothing cognisable under any circumstances by the material senses with any aid whatever, and nothing that can even be logically made apparent to the so-called intellect. God's real and perfect world, is, however, present everywhere and always discernible by the true

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senses.

PROPHESYING. †

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"And every course of self-discipline thus steadily and honestly pursued tends, not merely to clear the mental vision of the individual, but to enable the race, by developing that power of immediate insight which, in man's highest phase of existence, will not only supersede the laborious operations of his intellect, but will reveal to him truths and 10 glories of the unseen, which the intellect alone can see but as through a glass darkly" (Dr. W. B. Carpenter).

One of the facts that have made it a little difficult to understand the prophecies in the Bible is that each recorded stage of human experience, in obedience to the action of material thought, imi- 15 tating the reality, foreshadows what is to appear in subsequent The only power of evil is to destroy itself" ("Science and Health," p. 186, line 19. Mary Baker Eddy).

As in the case of the healing of sin and disease, results are not always obtained immediately, especially when trying to find out details in connection with the spiritual world.

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For instance, Mrs. Eddy says: "Few persons comprehend what Christian Science means by the word reflection" ("Science and Health," p. 301, line 5). Seeing that here was some important knowledge to be gained, I set to work to find the real meaning. To do this took me two and a-half years, and I had to pray specifically over 20,000 times for it, more than twenty times a day, before I found 25 it out. The information was well worth obtaining. It opened up to me through reversal a knowledge of the spiritual world that was wonderful. indicating that which is happening in heaven, and showing how to work out logically the details indicative of what is there taking place. These logical deductions have been demonstrated by thousands of results in the so-called material world, and 30 can be proved by anyone with sufficient understanding and enough humility to subordinate material so-called knowledge.

I once lost a pair of gloves, and in order to find out whether I had properly understood the Principle that underlay the action of good in the materialisation of what is called matter, I treated every day for over a year before they were 35 found, and the right understanding of Truth demonstrated. In another important case I treated every day for three and a-half years before succeeding in my demonstration, and destroying aggressive evil that was a menace to humanity. Treatment is the name given to true prayer, in order to differentiate it from the old limited method of prayer by asking.

Mrs. Eddy says: "Self-denial, sincerity. Christianity, and persistence alone win the prize " ("Science and Health," p. 462, line 17).

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In working for material knowledge I realise that God being the Principle of all knowledge, man-the spiritual man-knows instantly anything he needs. When trying to obtain a better knowledge of God and the spiritual world, 45 I found that my most efficient method was simply to try and realise God as Truth to the best of my ability. It seemed then to be easier to lose the false sense of self in the realisation of God. You must remember, however, that you can build up in your own consciousness mistaken ideas as to the best method of working, which then become so-called laws, as far as you are con- 50 cerned. No difficulties on this point can possibly happen, however, to the consistent worker who obtains his knowledge from the right source, as all true knowledge is demonstrable here and now.

It must not be forgotten that prophesying is only reading thought. Although those in the past who lived in thought close to God, and did not 55 limit their powers by wrong thinking, were able often to prophesy accurately, in most cases they were liable to make mistakes and only partially to read the thoughts that later were about to act. It is through want of knowledge of the material world that lovers of God and the Bible have claimed too much, and so alienated scientific men, who should have been, and now will be, their strongest 60 supporters.

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ages. This continues until the material counterfeit is destroyed by the 174 action of Truth. Consequently each prophecy may foretell a series of 122 events liable to happen in their predetermined order at different periods 282 throughout the Bible history, each series of events being simply 358 5 a repetition of what has happened before, but conforming in details 285 to the improved normal conditions of each period. Further, a prophecy often refers to entirely different events, such as the history of a certain period, and events in the life of an individual. This 177 will be dealt with more fully later on. The importance of scientific 178 10 and therefore accurate interpretation of prophecy is that we can 71 begin sooner to destroy the groups of thoughts that might later give 359 trouble if left to be dealt with at any given moment. So we purify and lift up the remaining human experience, and ensure painless instead of painful progress.

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Predestination Correct." "Whom he did predestinate, them he also 174 called: and whom he called,... them he also glorified" (Rom. 8, ver. 30). Haring predestinated us ... being predestinated accord- 399 ing to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1, ver. 5, 11).

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Predestination is correct as far as anything can be said to be so in 321 the material world, that is to say, it is a fundamental false belief. It is not long ago that the predestination of a few human beings to be saved was taught by the Church. "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6, ver. 44). Dr. Inge, Professor of Divinity at Cambridge, writes: "The 25 motive power is not in ourselves. We cannot even will to please God without the help of His will. The experiences of the saints, as recorded by themselves, offer no support to a voluntaristic psychology of religion." +

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach 30 unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts" (Ps. 65, ver. 4). "God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" (II. Tim. 1, ver. 8, 9). "For by grace are ye saved... it is the gift of God (Eph. 2, ver. 8). Grace is the action of God on you that makes you 307 43 treat. This action of God is known as the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.

Dr. G. Thompson, in his "System of Psychology," says: "I have had a feeling of the uselessness of all voluntary effort, and also that the matter was working itself clear in my mind. It has many times seemed to me that I was really a passive instrument in the hands of a person not myself."

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"When I watch that flowing river which, out of regions I see not, pours for a season its stream into me, I see that I am not cause, but a surprised spectator of this ethereal water (Emerson). Dr. Franz Hartmann, in his "Life of Paracelsus," says: "Men do 499 not think what they choose, but that which comes into their mind. 45 If they could control the action of their minds, they would be able to control their own nature and the nature by which their 80 30 forms are surrounded." This can now be, and is being done, but

by God.

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"There's a divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will" (Shakespeare). Bergson. in "Creative Evolution," says that the doctrine of teleology, set out by Leibnitz, "implies that things and beings merely realise a programme previously arranged."

"Personal Idealism nd Mysticism" p. 115.

"Hamlet," V. 2.