Aug. 18. 1886.
We long to be in BostonEditorial Note: Boston, Massachusetts sometimes to meet with our fellow-laborers, and more still, to greet and receive counsel from her towards whom our love and attachment, our respect and honor is ever increasing.
It is not because we have forgotten you nor been thoughtless of our duty, that we
have not written during the past 3 months. I think the reason may be that we have
been putting off from day to day in hopes of something more encouraging to tell you
in the progress of our work. But procrastination is stealing away our opportunities,
and the fear begins to present itself that we may be counted with the unjust stewardLuke 16:1 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward;
and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. Luke 16:2 And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an
account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Luke 16:3 Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from
me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. Luke 16:4 I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive
me into their houses. Luke 16:5 So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? Luke 16:6 And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and
sit down quickly, and write fifty. Luke 16:7 Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures
of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children
of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is
unjust in the least is unjust also in much. Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you
that which is your own? Luke 16:13 ¶No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;
or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and
mammon. , or with the servant who hid his talent in a napkinLuke 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh
to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately
appear. Luke 19:12 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself
a kingdom, and to return. Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them,
Occupy till I come. Luke 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have
this man to reign over us. Luke 19:15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then
he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money,
that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Luke 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. Luke 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in
a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. Luke 19:18 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. Luke 19:19 And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. Luke 19:20 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: Luke 19:21 For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst
not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. Luke 19:22 And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not
down, and reaping that I did not sow: Luke 19:23 Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have
required mine own with usury? Luke 19:24 And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. Luke 19:25 (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) Luke 19:26 For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that
hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him. Luke 19:27 But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither,
and slay them before me. . But we have great confidence in your judgment that you will give us due credit for
all we justly earn, for I think we are learning to see a little of what your experience
and faithfulness has taught you, which forces us to trust you more than willingly
for guidance, and we are anxious to know your thought in regard to our state of understanding.
I think we can bear rebuke in our failings, anything that will lead us into the knowledge of the truthI Tim 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; I Tim 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. I Tim 2:25 . We are learning in the (anatomy of scienceEditorial Note: Christian Science a little, for it is becoming easier for us to detect the true from the false, the
depth and quantity of the thoughts in ourselves and others, and I often think of the
discouraging and disheartening feelings that must present themselves to you as teacher,
as it seems to me they must have done to Jesus, when the dullness of your students prevent their receiving the good that is so freely poured out to them. It must seem sometimes as though you
might as well try to make the chair or table understand. Our finite or false sense
of things seems to us so real and true that it takes a sharp experience and many perhaps
to loosen our hold upon it and reveal to us the true spiritual sense of existence.
And the trouble is, we desire and cling to the unreality. How pitiful to view! We
attend church here sometimes.And generally it is torture. The tears will come, when they so earnestly pleading and seeking the truth, know not that it is right here, and would reject it if they knew, because their beliefs defraud them,
making them desire those things they are praying to be rid of. But we find a few who receive the word gladlyActs 2:41 ¶Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were
added unto them about three thousand souls. . Our friends here are multiplying and we have a few workers, and how will it be Dear
Teacher about forming a branch association. There are six or eight whom we trust are faithful and would abide strictly by our Constitution. How do we obtain
a Charter please. The Dr. taught a class in May, and soon there will be others ready. And by another year I
hope you may meet some of them. Poor Mrs Lancaster. We have been trying to [*]Archival Note: A metamark that looks like an X appears at this point in the manuscript. break down some of those beliefs ever since we met her, and we hope they are not
very tenacious. The Dr. talked with her the other day and found her in tears. I think
she understands now (I may be mistaken.) how impossible it is for Mrs Eddy to do an intentional wrong. The Dr. told her how the truth must be reveal ed and that which seemed to her unjust now, she might in time receive asablessing. She has been
practicingAs Written:practising the ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science with her children and friends with very good results, and she, we think, is where
she must suffer and wait, until she discerns the path of love and unselfishness more
clearly. She cannotAs Written:can not go back, we are quite sure.
We sometimes have thought that our efforts would have proven more successful in a City farther north where we would not have some of the prejudices that meet us here. But we are willing to labor and to waitEditorial Note: This phrase is found in the last line of the poem “A Psalm of Life,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow., for we know that Truth must be recognized here, as elsewhere. We are very desirous of entering your next Normal class. Will it be best for us? We are living as cheaply as possible in hopes to save the necessary amount for the fee and traveling expense. But there is another item for consideration. I have been longing to tell you all summer and yet have been hesitating. But I must speak of it for you might object to my presence in the class. According to mortal conception, I am soon to become a mother, and the period of gestation will end by the middle of Nov. I have no fears for the journey, and I think my costume could be arranged so as not to make my appearance embarrassingAs Written:embarressing. Dear teacher, I had rather have waited until my spiritual discernment had been clearer, before holding so responsible a position, but I am striving to understand and realize the true conception, denying the mortal, that the idea in coming to the flesh and materiality, may find nothing in it, thus making manifest the –all in all- of Spirit.
I am able to meet patients at home. and expect to continue in the work. One of us will send an account of a few of our cases here that you may put in the Journal if you choose. We enjoy the Journal so much and are encouraged and aided by it, but we feel ashamed when we see how little we have done for it. In reading over my letter I find that it does not satisfy me. Please bear with me, for the fear of not pleasing you hinders me I think.We unite in love and blessing to you and to all.
Will send an order for booksEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy as we are out.