Houses built upon the sand; Christian science examined, socialism reviewed, pentecostal movement tested

CHAPTER VII.— Difference Between the Person

of Man and the Spirit of Truth 167

CHAPTER I. — Economic Determinism Does Not Determine the Utter Lack of True Co-Operation in Man's Mind 207

Contents

PAGE

CHAPTER II.— Aspects of True Co-Operation, Showing the Incentives of Natural Mind to Come from Within Itself 233

CHAPTER III.— False Hope in Expecting a Change of Environment to Bring About True Co-Operation ; Instead of From the Spirit of Co-Operation 261

CHAPTER IV.— Man's Evolutionary Ideas Deal Not With the Unchanging Truth, But Merely With Shifting Formalities 283

CHAPTER V.— The Human Mind Cannot Govern

Itself, and is Led by Its Wants and Desires 303

Introduction

In taking up the following subjects, Christian Science, Socialism and the Pentecostal Movement, let it be understood by the reader that the purpose is not to combat or antagonize them, nor it is to ridicule or find fault with them; but it is solely, by way of illustration, to present to those that have ears to hear (that is, understand) the difference between what the Lord Jesus taught and the doctrines of the false teachers, who brought out only what they accumulated by themselves through the impressions of their senses, the recording instrument of which is called the brain.

The purpose, also, of this writing is to testify to the great gulf between these variant teachings, as impassable as that between Dives and Lazarus ; between man 's mind and the mind that was in Christ Jesus — which is the adverse of the human mind.

The human mind is a full representation of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," of which the whole world feeds. This is the tree of which God said, ' ' In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It is the antithesis of the tree of life, which is the Lord Jesus Christ and eternal life.

The human mind puts the question : ' ' What kind of tree is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?" That tree characterizes the person of man ; and its roots are in his personal mind. Peoples and nations are concerned over this very thing; which is, their ideas of good and evil. All the divisions of men are brought about by this question of good and evil.

xii Introduction

The human mind is a register of good and evil impressions. This mind would subvert in its own imaginings the tree of life — which is to take it away, and leave the truth in its stead.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with its opposing qualities, would save itself, and give itself gifts; but this is counterfeit salvation, and these are spurious gifts; not gifts in righteousness from the immanent God. However, the Almighty sees to it that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil plays a part as a servant, though it has the mastery of men until it is brought to its end, when the fullness of Christ appears.

The ideas of the human mind are fatuous, coming as they do from the impressions of effects; which are but shadows, that disappear in the light of the truth.

For the effect can never know the cause, which is spiritual : the shadow can never know the light before the face of which it must disappear.

In touching upon the various doctrines treated of in this book, we will not go into the details of their respective tenets; but it will be expedient to deal with some of those tenets, to show where, in the main, they differ from what the Lord Jesus Christ taught.

Man, through the moods of his mind, tries to give himself a gift, through the process of study, but the personal self cannot give itself the "gift of God," which is above all gifts. "For by grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves ; it is the gift of God. ' '

At intervals we shall digress from a particular phase of a subject, merely for the sake of a purpose which does not concern itself with any doctrine in particular. Neither does it malign knowing that all things exist for a purpose, and that even he whose name is the ' ' devil, ' '

Introduction xiii

is also a servant of the Lord. For the Adversary can only do what he is permitted to do; and the Lord will bring his works to an end in due season.

God raised up Pharaoh as a taskmaster and a chastiser of His children. He also said : i ' I have broken the arm of Pharaoh, King of Egypt." He raised him up that He might show forth His own glory in what He accomplished through him.

"To the pure, all things are pure." The disciple is weaned from the supercilious senses, and has to go through the furnace of affliction, in order that the pure gold of godliness might appear.

The following terminology, "common mind," "human mind," "mind of man," "personal mind, "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," "natural mind," and "senses of man," also terms of like nature, will be used to designate the person of man, as the converse of "the mind of Christ," "truth," "Lord" and terms synonymous.

Again, in dealing with the subjects impersonally, the rdivergence will not be from what is imminent. For it makes no difference as to the subject, if it is based on the human mind, it will be found to have been ' ' weighed in the balances and found wanting." And the human mind will be found to be running counter to and not parallel with the mind of Christ.

Coming again to the ' ' tree of the knowledge of good and evil," the human mind strives for the "good" of that tree ; which is but another branch of the same tree, the one called "good" and the other "evil."

Man cultivates that tree; but it only makes a white life on the outside, a veneered side ; and the beatitudes of the truth are but turned into platitudes of the human mind by that culture.

xiv Introduction

The personal mind continues its work of pruning the tree, cutting off all the evil branches and leaving only the good, so that it will be ready to bear fruit.

That tree appears like the truth to man's mind, for being an imitation of the tree of life it veritably deceives him.

To the natural mind this tree, which is the opposite of the truth, is ' ' a tree to be desired to make one wise, ' ' but contention, division and strife are its fruits. The pruning process is merely the cleaning of the outside of the cup and the platter.

In truth, there is no fault to find with any manifestation to those given to see the purpose of it, for there is an Almighty God that is able to take care of His own work.

There is nothing superfluous, whether it be a delusion or a hearing of the word ; whether it be a vessel to honor, or one to dishonor; they must all continue until their appointed time comes to receive what is due them.

That which is of the nature of shadows remains in the dungeon-darkness of the personal mind of man until it fades away, through the searchlight of Truth being turned upon it.

The human mind quibbles over terminology, but all that have ears to hear will hear (understand) that the spiritual is not gained by the personal study of the literal.

Those that understand are beyond the book-stage; they have the truth implanted within them, and are themselves living epistles.

A book records the testimony of heavenly things, but the testimony is not that which it testifies to ; any more than a sign of the truth is that to which it points.

Introduction x\

Therefore the disciple has to go beyond the symbology of things seen (which are temporal), to the unseen, by the mind and senses of man — which is eternal.

The spiritual is invisible; that is why it is only visible within, as the word implies. In truth, it is not "Lo, here!" — in this organization, or "Lo, there!" — in the study of that book; for "the kingdom of God is within you;" and it does not come by the observation of the personal mind.

Study of the literal is the procedure of the human will and falls far short of the goal — truth; indeed it travels in an opposite direction. They that get their learning by their own efforts are "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." The cultivation of the human mind and senses is cultivation of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ; it is a pruning process, non-conducive to its becoming the tree of life.

"The ax is laid unto the root of the tree," as Jesus said. This is annihilatory only of that which must be lost — the son of perdition, who cannot be saved, but from which we are saved.

The manifestation of shadows, evanescent of nature, goes when the truth appears in fullness — the effect being swallowed up in the cause.

When a disciple is given to know the truth in part, it is inherent in him — not understood outwardly in the symbol by looking at it, but by looking through it, for he is the beholder.

That which is true inheres spiritually within; it is not visualized by the sense of sight. It is not in what the person of man calls ' ' reason ; ' ' neither is it in black-andwhite ; nor in the rubric of the writings. It is not an explanation verbally or in writing. It is beyond the realm xvi Introduction

of symbols; but it is what they represent. It is the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit — which is the same.

It is the "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" — the Lord God Omnipotent.

These pages are submitted, not for the approval of the human mind, but for those able to receive the message.

CHAPTER I False Premise of Christian Science

The matters most deceptive in Christian Science, to those who accept it as true, are its "signs following," and apparent lack of contradictions; but he who is not a neophyte and understands the adverse nature of the human mind to ' ' that mind which was in Christ Jesus, ' ' sees it for what it is, and is not deceived.

The followers of the different religious denominations, including Christian Science, take the sayings of Jesus from the basis of the human mind (not the Divine), and the outcome is contention, division, strife.

From the basis of that mind a man cannot agree with himself, nor can he harmonize with his neighbor; and many a man who has studied Christian Science for years, supposing he was following the straight way of truth, has been going by the ups and downs of the deviating courses of his own selfish mentality.

The "good" side of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," referred to in the Introduction, is well represented in this doctrine (the "good" and the "evil" of that tree are akin and correlated) ; but it is the so-called good of that tree that would deceive the very elect — were that possible.

Christian Scientists are taught that there is no reality in sin, sickness, disease, or death ; and that their work consists in losing sight of evil and knowing only good.

The position would be well taken if the statement was made from the basis of truth ; but it is the human mind, or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that makes that declaration, as the fruit of it shows.

This tree is trying to save its ' ' good ' ' self and do away with its "evil" self; but the good and the evil are two branches of the same tree — of which God hath said : ' c Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. ' '

What is called the "good" side of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, is that which imitates the "tree of life;" but an imitation is a counterfeit, and that is what the good of this tree is, a counterfeit. The human mind has all along imitated the sayings of Jesus and the things that He did; and that mind, being deceived, cannot see that an imitation is a counterfeit ; and the more closely it resembles the original the more a deceiver it is.

Christian Scientists are taught to study thoroughly the letter and imbibe the Spirit, as a means of making rapid progress along the line of their teaching. But right here is where the followers of this doctrine are revealed as using the human mind wholly as a premise from which to start ; for study is altogether of the human mind.

The pabulum of the human mind is not that which is of true principle; nor does knowledge of truth come by exerting the mind and its senses, which are always 1 ' anti ' ' the spiritual and causative ; because the summation of the mind and senses is what constitutes the belief in limitation.

The senses, taken for what they are — servants, instead of masters — serve a good purpose ; but the man who is deceived is under their mastery; still, through their instrumentality, and as yet in subjection to them, the disciple begins to learn obedience, through the sufferings they impose; and thus at last he is weaned from the seeming rest in that in which there is no real rest. Then it is that he begins to gain the mastery of his mind and senses, and the work of the Lord is seen at this stage to be in righteousness.

Christian Science comes in the role of the great emancipator; but it has the personal mind for its starting point, which is the seat of delusion and superstition. The deceiver comes to point out the deceiver, thus diverting suspicion from himself; and he does it by presenting himself in the name of Truth. But the fruit shows that he denies the same thing that he affirms; by saying one thing and doing the opposite.

The truth does not deny and affirm ; neither does it go around exhibiting itself to the human mind. It is that which is " above all, and through all, and in you all." "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid." It is the personal mind of man that denies and affirms; and it reveals itself a house divided against itself, which shall not stand. The denial of evil and the affirmation of good, in Christian Science, is from that house divided against itself; and its followers are ''ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth ' ' — from that standpoint.

To deny one thing and affirm another already sets up the implication of a house divided against itself. In God there is no evil to deny; Christian Scientists affirm this, but their methods deny it. The human mind is the strength of evil; but, "to the pure, all things are pure." The personal mind does not see the import of things seen, nor their symbology. It would cast out the figurative as evil ; and that is merely its thought about it — but the evil or ignorance is in the human mind, but cannot be cast out by that mind.

The figurative is the symbol of the spiritual and permanent ; but the human mind and body conjoin, figuratively speaking, and from that it does not know its own nature, nor what it represents. It therefore sets up the figurative, in its own imagination, in place of that of which it is merely emblematical. This is where the idolatry of the human mind has led it astray and caused it to worship its own imaginations ; and, for the most part, mentally engraven images. The human mind would put up the sign in place of that which it denotes, or points to.

There is a healing that is healing indeed, and it makes the subject of it every whit whole ; but the testimonies of healing in Christian Science, and the demonstrations over want, do not make the illusions of them any less feasible to him who sees them for what they are. He also knows that they are brought forth for a purpose, as the mind and senses of man must be appeased in their delusions.

Christian Science claims that spiritual understanding is the main thing, and its followers aspire to acquire that understanding, but the main characteristic of the human mind is to look for outward signs. Through what ' ' Scientists" call "prayer" they are continually visualizing physical healings, and demonstrations over the lack in material things. This is the prayer of desire, and desire is called "prayer" in Christian Science. This is the opposite of the prayer of faith; for in the latter the "evidence of things not seen" is had — not seen by the mind and senses of man, with his desires. It is the knowing that the Father is aware of "what things you have need of ' ' before He is asked for them.

Healing of disease is only an incident in the truth, and comes through being "absent from the body and present with the Lord. ' ' Christian Science says as much as that, but being based on the mind of man it only imitates the real healing.

The human mind makes great claims when in earnest mood, and its forensic faculty waxes eloquent over its many blessings ; but physically mental they are, and not spiritual. For when the storms of the senses arise then comes the test which shows whether the foundation is of sand, carried about by every wind of doctrine, or whether it is the structure of truth built upon the solid rock — an unperturbable foundation.

The Lord Jesus showed the difference between man's doings and God's in the following language: "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of Mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell : and great was the fall of it."

In referring to the man of the senses, Jesus said: "This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoreth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."

The things that are seen by the mind and senses are not cognized as symbols of the glorious truth and the durable riches back of them, because man's mind and senses are of like nature with them: the unseen, to the senses, is the invisible; but is visible within the understanding.

The human mind is opaque and so cannot receive the light; but there is an irradiation that seems to the imitative human mind as the true light.

"For the invisible things of Him (God) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead ; so that they are without excuse. ' '

The things that are made and the things seen are temporal; the unseen are the eternal — the unseen by the mind and senses of man. All types and shadows disappear in the illumination — which is the light of understanding, and is identical with ' ' the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. "

Christian Science employs the trimming process — it prunes the tree ; but that is of the nescience of the human mind. It cuts off all the dead branches that the tree ma,> fructify and bring forth that which to the personal mind appears like the reality. The Christian Scientist's idea and endeavor is to lose sight of the evil and know only the good. In this he will be found to have everything — everything but the life!

Herein lies the difference between Christian Science and truth: in truth, it is not a process of pruning or trimming the tree; but, "the ax is laid unto the root of the tree" — if you eat of it, "ye shall die."

The Lord Jesus said : ' ' Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die." This is the tree of life.

The fruit of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" is ripened in the human mind, and dissensions arise in men's minds concerning the various brands of good and evil. But the tree of life was there, and that is what the sons of God partake of, and by partaking of it live for ever.

The disciple partakes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at first, in order that he may learn obedience by the things that he suffers; such shall die; and the dying process is indispensably necessary. It is a 1 ' dying daily ; " a dying to the selfish self ; that when the dying process is finished he may awake in newness of life. For "whosoever (said Jesus) will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life, for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it." He who was a full Representative of the life which is eternal, declares: "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." The "cross" is an instrument of death to the personal which would circumscribe and subdivide that which is a unit and complete — "with "Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

The ' ' denial ' ' the Lord speaks about is not the denial of the Christian Scientist, whose denial is, the (so-called) good self denying the (so-called) evil self. In truth this is no denial, properly speaking. The whole self has to go! The shadow must disappear in the light of the truth. "Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple."

The words that Jesus spake cannot be reecived by the human mind ; for ' ' the letter killeth, ' ' that is relatively, to the natural man; and the literal is all that man's mind deals with. No man can, of himself, deny himself, nor forsake all that he has. It is evident to every disciple with experience, that the sordid self cannot forsake itself — that is the Lord's work, which He accomplishes for us and in us.

The selfish mind of man is averse to the truth, which appears to it like the reverse of truth. The truth 's work is to take away that diminutive mind, when it has served its purpose. "As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations; before Him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

There are not two sides to the tree of life — which is the Lord Jesus Christ ; but the other tree represents the double-minded man — who is unstable in all his ways.

Christian Scientists declare for the good, especially when the evil is trying to hold sway in their consciousness ; but that good is not the goodness which is of God ; it is from the same source, the same tree the evil is from ; and the two branches of that tree are nourished from the same root.

The good of this tree would deceive more than the evil, for it comes cloaked, hiding with a smooth exterior its ulterior motives; it is self-righteousness, which considers itself right and judges others.

That is why it is that publicans and harlots will go into the Kingdom of God before those in that condition ; for the plight of the former is open to the world, and to themselves in measure; while the one that deceives the human mind (that is already deceived) comes with a white life outwardly. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but are within full of dead men 's bones, and of all uncleanness. ' '

From the personal standpoint, as opposed to the spiritual, it is "many men, of many minds," and it is their ideas of good and evil that bring about all the dissensions, contention, division and strife in the world.

The Christian Scientist does not see the Divine purpose in all things, especially that which he looks upon as baneful ; for it is those very things that finally are used as means of exposing his own false idea of good.

The human mind thinks it has that which tends to edification, when the good side comes with seemingly benevolent motives, which are hidden to itself; this shows its delusive nature, for it is deceived and being deceived.

The chief characteristic of man's mind is- to set up something else, other than that which is true ; but in the truth there is no place for a lie. Truth reveals the lie by turning on its manifesting light. There is no light and darkness in the truth ; no negation with its denial or affirmation. Its light makes naught of the darkness.

The personal self is that which is to be denied; but that denial is not accomplished by the human mind. That good work is brought about by the Lord. Self acts as a master of man, but it is the servant of the Lord; for it is by that self that "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth. ' '

The main point, relative to the question in hand is, that the self cannot deny the self. If it could, then there would be a basis in fact for Christian Science. It is the Lord 's work, from beginning to end. We have to be put into the self before we can be taken out of it. And after it has served its purpose the Lord 's work is seen.

The tree that the deceiver tells us to eat of does not lay the ax at its own root. It would lay the ax at every other root than its own. It does not deny itself, for that is the self of it. When the self is denied it is the work of the truth — in which there is no transition from one state of mind to another in the so-called good and evil. What is called the self is a denial of the Lord and that denial is only to be found in the human mind.

Satan does not cast out Satan; but he comes in the guise (or the disguise) of the One who does. Satan is in his own house, in the house divided against itself, which is brought to desolation. He lives in this divided house of the knowledge of good and evil — which is the personal mind of man, where all the vices and devices that are of him are hatched.

The lie is impertinent to the truth, in the sense of having power, for when the truth about it is revealed its pretended power hies away.

From the true basis, the evil is not culled from the mind and senses, leaving only the good (this is the Christian Science method), but the evil and the good of that mind are revealed for what they are — as being a lie.

The deceiver comes apparently perfect in wisdom and beauty: that is how his deception is covered to the human mind. ' ' Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth ; and I have set thee so : thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." (The human mind, with its increased knowledge, is deceived by that very knowledge.) " Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness : I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee."

The Christian Scientist speaks of "declaring the truth," The truth is not a declaration; it is over all. Truisms, in the form of declarations from man's senses, are turned into a lie by calling them the truth; for by that method something less than the truth is set up in place of the truth — which is spiritual.

The truth does not require the approbation of the human mind. That mind always misapplies the sayings of truth. It would make that literal which is spiritual. Ergo: it is in the application where the human mind fails.

The question will arise in man's mind: "But does not the truth come step by step ; and by degrees ? ' ' Yes ; but only by taking the first step first, the rest being concatenated in regular order.