Theology is from two Greek words meaning God and discourse. Works on Theologiy tell us that "God is one of the names given to that eternal, infinite, and incomprehensible Being". The synonyms As Written: synonims are Adonai in the plural number meaning my Lords; Elohi; Eloi or Elohim, El; Shaddai the Destroyer or the Powerful One; Elion; El-Sabaoth; Ja.
Christianity of all subjects should have a scientific basis, and "other foundation As Written: foundaton can no man lay than is laid"I Cor 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. , for it is the most vital question that concerns man. A treatise on Divinity or divine things should have such a positive, a knowable basis that the whole world can build upon it and feel secure for time and eternity. The foundation cannot be a mixture of "gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble"I Cor 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; I Cor 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. , it must be the pure gold of Truth. A structure reared on any other foundation could but be baseless and unenduring.
Theology is divided into two general divisions, 1st Natural, 2nd Revealed. Then again we have the three divisions Moral theology, Speculative theology, and Scholastic theology.
The scholastic theology is that to which our attention is most frequently called , and in fact is the sum and substance of popular theology. What is its principle or foundation and what the structure and how built? "God is omnipotent, omnipresent God is Spirit and man is made in His likeness and imageGen 1:26 ¶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. . God is maker of all things preserver of all things".
The foundation is God therefore divine, and if the superstructure corresponds it must be imperishable. If God is omnipotent then He is all power, hence every brick in this Theological building must be firmly set in omnipotence. If God is omnipresence the material of this structure must be impersonal. If God is Spirit the building must be spiritual. And the man that is in His likeness and image cannot reflect or represent His opposite or unlikeness.
Reduced to a scientific basis and logical syllogism As Written: sylogism we must have a perfect agreement all the way. But what is the fact which is presented by the universally accepted Theology which takes its departure from the divine and is built up by man of human creeds and codes on dogmas and ceremonials? Simply this, the All Power is rent in twain, the All Presence is personalized and an aggregation of personalities are promulgated and man is so far removed from his original element as to be clothed with matter, and live move and have his being in it. So changed is he by men-madeAs Written:men made scholastic theories that he has lost every vestige of his original self and could not be recognized As Written: recognised by his rightful Maker. Hence this structure does not bear|the test of science or logic and can|not be enduring. It will be leveled to its true foundation by the logic of tArchival Note: There are capitalization marks drawn underneath this letter.ruth|until a superstructure shall be built thereon whose every part will bear the scrutiny of the Master builder. Unless this is done every theological structure built on this foundation of the allness of God will be razed by the power of Truth. Not one stone will be left upon anotherMatt 24:2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. Luke 19:44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. |that does not agree with the divine allness, and demonstrate the science of His beingEditorial Note: Christian Science.
"The Lord He is God; there is none else beside Him".Isa 45:5 ¶I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: Then how is it possible to have three persons in one and what kind of a personality would that be which is everywhereAs Written:every where present? Who could conceive of a person that would extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the great Lakes of the north to the gulf of Mexico? Such a personality would be an anomaly As Written: anomally impossible of comprehension, and very far from the statement which bears As Written: bbears no resemblance to it.
"All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made".John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. This is a generally accepted fact. His creation is established, enduring, eternal|for the created As Written: createed must partake of the Creator.
Whence this seeming universe of chance, change|and decay; this seeming man borne of matter and left to its sportive cruel mercies until another grim monster called death releases its relentless grasp on liberty? ? Whence came this matter, could it be a part or the impartation of Spirit? Whence came this death, was it evolved from Life? Do we gather figs of thistles?Matt 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
There is no uncertainty of God's creation or the place He has provided, but what of this supposed man forced into matter and expelled from it without his knowledge or against his will and relegated to a destiny predestinated of bliss eternal or eternal woe? If as the scriptures say God gave man dominionGen 1:26 ¶And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. who has the power to make him do what he would not and go where he would not? If God made all things sure and certain who can make them uncertain, and if God made all things goodGen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. and is the only creator who or what has the prerogative to make that which is not good, - ? gloats over his subjects who were made by God but perverted, corrupted and stolen from their rightful owner by his adroitness and superior power. But here is a digression We began with the premise God all power all presence and only creator and the conclusion is a divided kingdom|and a power able to unmake what God has made, - but surely a divided house is desolateMatt 12:25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: Luke 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. .
The honors of the Infinite can neither be borrowed, stolen, or misplaced; they belong to Him alone.
God could never have made a dark region of despair, an evil personality or power to rule over or rob man of his birthright, rob him of his godly nature and take from him his everlasting happiness. Neither could God make one man to honor Him and another to dishonor Him; He could not and be impartial just and God give man the ability to destroy himself and to be eternally miserable|because these things are not good, and He made all things good. If God the only creator did not make these things who did?
God's work was completed and pronounced "very good"Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. , yet the Omnipotent and Omniscient is charged with a failure in His "noblest work", man. The man that He made perfect|has, according to human creeds As Written: credes and doctrines, become utterly unmade. If the statement is true the conclusion must be false. Science admits of no uncertainties, no vagaries, no falsities no digressions.
No man has a right to a wrong opinion, neither has he the right to form theories, doctrines or creeds that will not bear the exact test of Science. No man has the right to think wrong and teach men so, neither should any man accept the thoughts and teachings of others that are not true to DIvine Science.
Francis E. Abbot writes: "Never has man been brought, as now, face to face with the great problems of existence. The advance of those twin dethroners of faith, science and historical criticism, has opened a new scene".
Every man can build for himself for he has the plummet and line of Truth, as in Divine Science whereby to square his building, and except he be guided by this his work must go down.
The time has gone by when people will accept the ipse dixet of any man on theological questions..|They must be based on the sure foundation of God and receive As Written: recieve scientific and reasonable treatment.
The nothingness of mortal human hypotheses As Written: hypothesese is a vacuum that draws men into soundless oblivion, that gilds sepulchers of rottenness with Hebrew and Greek technicalities As Written: technecalities but is able only to lisp in monosyllables As Written: monosylables God's ways, and knows naught of the — Science which its divine Principle includes.
We cannot rest our eternal interest and welfare As Written: wellfare on the belief of any individual. And yet whoever has tried to define belief outside of Christian Science has failed and come far short of its true import. The subjective state of belief or thought is what one thinks ?; they cannot be two for they are one namely, thought of thought. Hence the scientific term for belief is human conception, the opposite of the divine concept or fact. Create a conviction with no substantial evidence and the end thereof is guessing, or belief without understanding.
ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science reveals the requisite action necessary to discern spiritual truth and arrive ? at understanding is first belief, then faith, then understanding. Belief has no substantiality and until linked to understanding it is of no import whatever. Belief in evil has equal evidence to belief in good and the preponderance of testimony to the senses is on the side of evil , but faith rises to apprehend the substance of unseen Truth, yet even thus it is human, fallible, and may take hold of error instead of Truth. Hence human belief and faith must be swallowed up in understanding or of Divine Science and the logic of events before it can touch Christ's garmentsMatt 9:20 ¶And, behold, a woman, which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind him, and touched the hem of his garment: Matt 9:21 For she said within herself, If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole. Matt 9:22 But Jesus turned him about, and when he saw her, he said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. and rest on the infallibility of Science.
Why are there so many different denominations abroad in the land todayAs Written:to day? It is because creeds are composed of human beliefs which are unsubstantial. They can all be shaken, as the light of ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science reveals, because of their human origin. They are deductions unsustain by the facts of Spirit, therefore do not satisfy the demands of the spiritual man. Nothing short of the real and the true can do this. The husks of materiality have no nutriment in them and mankind are seeking a spiritual pabulum that will strengthen and sustain . tArchival Note: There are capitalization marks drawn underneath this letter.hey must have it and they will have it when they know how and where to obtain it, and no circumscribed rules or creeds of mortal man will have power to hold them as captives from their inheritance, - spiritual birthright.
? "As Paul knew so must every one know that they were free bornActs 22:27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. Acts 22:28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. ; borne of Spirit, not of matter, and are not subject to mortal beliefs or material laws.
The change from servitude to material things, and dominant clerical sway, to the liberty ? of Spirit and spiritual unity and harmony must necessarily be slow. [*]Editorial Note: The allusions that follow regarding the Children of Israel leaving their bondage in Egypt are found in the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Pharaoh As Written: Pharo did not and never does complaisantly let his adopted children of Israel As Written: Isreal go, but holds on to them to the last extremity, even after being beaten with many stripes, and until engulfed in oblivionAs Written:obllivion. This history will be repeated until every Pharaoh As Written: Pharao shall relinquish his tyrant grasp and God whose right it is shall rule, and whose children shall go forth liberated from the thralldom of mortal mind, or material sense, and enter into the promised land of spiritual freedom.
Many who start for the promised land will wander in the material wilderness an undue time because of their rebelliousness to Truth. They may come to the border of the land of spiritual freedom but not having conquered all their foes by the understanding of Love they will have to return and work out the entire problem in Science until each enemy, error, shall be overcomeAs Written:over come;|destroyed, with Truth.
This glorious consummation As Written: consumation would be more speedily realized As Written: reallized if all were willing to hear and follow the voice of Love instead of clinging so closely to the illogical dogmas and biased opinions|and superstitions|of men that can never conduct us into the realm of the real, the true kingdom of our God and His righteousnessMatt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. .
? Men-makersAs Written:Men makers of creeds profess to look down with disdain upon what they term Pantheism and at the same time are unconsciously sowing seeds of the rankest Pantheism. They ? teach that Spirit, Life, enters matter, which has no life, that Life is wholly at the mercy of this inanimate and impotent matter, which is wholly unlike Spirit, having no likeness or resemblance to God, and which because of this, could not have proceeded from Him|and cannot return to Him, kills man and lets him go free for a season. Then after a time when its putrescence As Written: putresence has become purified by decadence into its primitive element nothingness, it shall be reminded of its remissness by the blowing of a mythological hornI Cor 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, I Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. when it shall resume its former prestige and once more engulf its previous occupant.
ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science is the only teaching that is free from the absurd idea of pantheism. Science never puts Life into matter and never endows matter with Spirit's As Written: Spirits prerogatives. It always places matter as a nonentity where it rightfully belongs and makes Life, prove itself God, Spirit. Hence nothing could be farther from truth than to charge Divine Science, (and all science is divine since it cannot be human), with pantheism. There is nothing that teaches so clearly, so positively, so supremely the allness ofAs Written:allnessof God.
When we have done all we can in our highest conception, and we seem beset on every hand by sorrow, sin, sickness and death, where is God? The answer comes "He is here there everywhere for there is no place where He is not and there is none beside Him"Deut 4:39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. . O! That precious overpowering all powerful Truth in Christian Science: "There is none beside Him" naught but the perfect Good.. It is the keynoteAs Written:key note of the angelic overtures, the symphony of heaven, the anthem of the blest, the harmony that shall resound through time and eternity.
When we think the opposite of God is present, dand that it afflicts, obstructs and pierces the innermost sense with agony we have only to chide that thought and know that we have externalized our own thoughts, made our own images that are apart from God, and are recoiling before the subjective state of our own mind.
Then how easy it becomes to be reconsiled to GodII Cor 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. and have "peace that passeth understanding"Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. . Then we "acknowledge Him in all our ways and lean not to our own understanding", but "trust in Him with all our heart"Prov 3:5 ¶Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Prov 3:6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. , mind, sense and power to do His will. Then harmony becomes to us the real even the will of God and discord sin sickness and death the unreal and we wake from this|dream of Life in matter just enough to behold the fact in Science namely, that God is our Life, yea that God is all there is none beside Him".
The so-calledAs Written:so called material senses know not God|neither can they testify of Him in Divine Science. Hence by reversing the evidence we are able to approach As Written: appoach nearer to Truth.
[*]Archival Note: The following text has a bracket around it with the notes "restate better" and "See other side of this sheet". See A11653.Science is natural. is not material law and does not agree nor correspond with it, mArchival Note: There are capitalization marks drawn underneath this letter.aterial sense and human belief says divine Science is super natural. But Science being divine, the only natural, and only law, and all, how can it be super, more than it is or less than it is? There being no material scienceAs Written:sience or law it is the belief in it that is unnatural, that makes the real and natural seem like the supernatural.[*]Archival Note: End bracketed text with notes. wArchival Note: There are capitalization marks drawn underneath this letter.e are informed by present theologians that the day of miracles is passed. The very things Jesus did and commanded his followers to do, - to "heal the sick, cast out devils"Matt 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. - which according to Scripture are the positive and natural evidences of the following of Jesus the Christ, are the things that at this time are denied by those who claim to be the expounders of his [*]Archival Note: The following corrections are made by E. J. Foster Eddy. teachings. If these signs are a test of discipleship or believers, and they are, what of those who profess to be believers and cannot prove by demonstration their belief by the test that Jesus gave. The only attempt on the part of the majority of professed believers is to deny that they are bound by this test as "the day for such things has passed". But the only evidence of this is their own denial which is a conclusive indication of their own inability to comprehend the teaching of the Master and testify of the Spirit of the true God. These signs are and must be the test for the world to know who are bringing out the Truth "as it is in Jesus"Eph 4:21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; , and are following in his footsteps.
[?] Unclear or illegible ? Christian Science comes a full-orbedAs Written:full orbed beauty of Truth, and its light brings conviction and condemnation; so the period at which it appears ascendent, the senses will rebelAs Written:rebell.
The popular feeling will compromise and rule out absolute Science if possible; will introduce high-soundingAs Written:high sounding|names :: Prolegomena, Cosmic Theism, or anythingAs Written:any thing to deny Science and make it appear that this great Truth . [*]Archival Note: End of corrections made by E. J. Foster Eddy.
At this period the denial of Christian Science and the compromise of the churches repeat the vanity of Jew and Gentile. It was this spirit that caused Jesus to exclaim: "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them unto babes"Matt 11:25 ¶At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Luke 10:21 ¶In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. .
One has said Christian Science or the Science of Theology|must come through the pulpit. But I say unto you that it is come already and they knew Him notJohn 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. ".
America was an unknown land to those on the other side of the Atlantic, yet some believed it existed and others had caught sight of its shores. But not until Columbus sailed away bravely in the face of doubt and opposition and planted his feet firmly upon its soil and sent the thrilling message to the civilized world of his discovery did they know of its actual existence. So Christian Science is a discovery. Jesus demonstrated it but if he or any of his disciples As Written: desciples or anyoneAs Written:any one else understood its Principle it was not left on record for the benefit of the world and it had been entirely lost sight ? of until the author of Science and HealthEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, amidst bitter persecution and hedged and pent-upAs Written:pent up ways, in the name of Almighty God sought and discovered this Priceless blessing for the world, and after having explored this great Truth and founded it upon Christ sent out the glorious message, Science and HealthEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, to heal and save the whole world.
As the servant learns to steal by taking a pin and going from that to larger things so many theologians begin by adopting now and then|an idea until by and by they will try to claim the whole of ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science as theirs. But Science and HealthEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy will speak for itself through the ages which shall rise up and call it blessedProv 31:28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. . The Science of Theology, and its name is Christian Science, has truly come and is established, and thousands can testify of its Truth, and have demonstrated it.
One peculiarity of all who have demonstrated in ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science is that no matter what they have said about the Discoverer and founder of Christian Science, or how much they have abused her, they cling to Science as she first stated it and their only divergence from this statement is to get away from Science and still profess to be Christian Scientists. not one such who has been her student has been known to deny the Science no matter what change has come to his relations, and why? Because he has had the convincing proof that he cannot dare not deny.
Some will be slow to yield to Truth because of popularity, position, power, the love of moneyI Tim 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. , the fear and opinions of men, but the constant action of Love, like the water drop by drop upon the flinty rock, will sometimeAs Written:some time make an impression and all will at last be brought into one fold, having one Father and mother God, one brotherhood, abiding in Love, and demonstrating Love one toward another in every thought and action.
[*]Archival Note: There is a horizontal line drawn across the page here.
⇉ Handshift:Calvin A. FryeDictated by Mrs. Eddy.
Aug. 26, 1915