"Build on resolve, and not upon regret,
The structure of thy future. Do not grope
Among the shadows of old sins, but let
Thine own soul's light shine on the path of hope,
And dissipate the darkness. Waste no tears
Upon the blotted record of lost years,
But turn the leaf, and smile, oh smile to see
The fair, white pages that remain for thee."
--_Ella Wheeler Wilcox._
"MARLOW, October ----.
"I suppose this is the last letter I will write on the lessons in
Christian Healing, but I will be faithful as ever, even though I tell it
all over again when I see you.
"Everybody looked regretful enough when they went into the class room
to-day, but a hundred fold more so when we went out and the good-byes
were said. It means so much to us all. We have passed through twelve
lessons which may symbolize twelve epochs or stages through which we
proceed from ignorance to understanding, and understanding to complete
demonstration.
"We have been together scarcely three weeks, and yet so much has been
uncovered that we stand face to face with our real selves. All that was
conventional has been laid aside in our intercourse, and the best and
sweetest and most sacred phases of our lives laid bare, so that we have
had a clear glimpse of God's children as they are, not as they usually
appear; and indeed it gives us better courage and stronger faith to go
forth into the world again, knowing that the possibilities of one are
the possibilities of all, for 'God is no respecter of persons.'
"I know, perhaps better than some of the rest, that we shall be walking
in the valleys many times when our eyes are on the sun-crowned heights,
but if we can be patient and earnest, our feet shall reach the fertile
slopes and sunny grass lands of well attained effort. My experience of
the past shall be only a stronger incentive to perseverance in the
future, and while it seems human to fall, it is divine to rise, and
knowing the divine privilege of proving divinity, I trust God to work
through me in my daily effort. So said we all when we left the class
room to-day, and with a holy consecration to our new-born faith, we
trust we shall ever grow in grace and wisdom as God's children,
according to the promise.
"Mrs. Pearl spoke of our method as the science of silence, and told us
not to be zealous without judgment, not to speak when silence would be
golden, not to act so as to bring reproach upon our cause or ourselves,
but remember to 'avoid even the appearance of evil.' She said many in
their first joyous enthusiasm and overwhelming conviction would
indiscreetly tell people 'there is no matter,' for instance, so eager
were they to bring everybody into the sweet liberty of the spirit; but
the world not being ready to properly consider the subject, would of
course ridicule and argue hotly against such a statement, so that false
opinions would spring up and most absurd practices and claims be
attributed to Christian Healing.
"Our system should have a dignified place in the world's opinion, and if
we want to help give it that place, we should aim to be living
representatives of the principles, maintain a dignified attitude
regarding it, and if we can answer any questions pertaining to it, let
our answer and manners be ennobling and Christ-like.
"We never argue audibly with unbelievers. Argument kills the spirit of
any religion, and the person who desires to prove his position by
argument is not ready to be convinced by the spirit. If you are obliged
to carry on a conversation with an argumentative person, silently deny
all his statements of error, and with calm positiveness affirm for him
intelligence, wisdom, and a desire to know truth. In other words,
recognize his spiritual self, which is in perfect peace and harmony, and
the outward disturbance or inharmony, which is simply nothingness
expressed by him, is annulled. Possibly you may seem obliged to submit
and listen to him. Never mind. Carry on your silent thoughts
scientifically, and constantly think truth. Thus you will plant a seed
that shall bring forth beauteous blossoms, excellent fruit.
"Whenever you hear error talked, deny it. This is 'shutting your ears
from hearing of blood, and your eyes from seeing evil.' _Any_ error must
be denied in order to see the proof of its opposite truth.
"If everybody would learn to deny all the slander or gossip they hear,
we should soon have a new social world. Cruel tongues would cease their
wagging, timid hearts could breathe again, and fair names bloom in every
home.
"This would be the beginning of a much needed reform in the daily press.
Poor editors, they are obliged to fill orders, like the cooks and
waiters serving the gentlemen and ladies in the elegant dining-room,
ladies' _ordinary_ and ground-floor _café_. Alas! that the discovery
should not be made by everybody, so they could send in different orders.
How gladly would the bill of fare be changed!
"But there is nothing more certain to change it, than the little leaven
of truth dropped in the highways and byways of daily life. We must 'be
diligent in season and out of season,' silently as a rule, but at times
audibly, perchance forcibly, for some minds seem so dull and sluggish as
to need a startling thunder-clap to awaken them from their slumber of
ignorance. Thus some patients that come to be healed must be told
sharply and definitely how to think or what to say, for sometimes it is
necessary to make them say their own word of healing, they are so
completely absorbed in material beliefs.
"We grow more in wisdom and spiritual judgment as we proceed faithfully
along our way of scientific thought and living, and thus have an
unerring insight into what we shall do and say in order to give to each
the healing gospel.
"When we go to church we ought to acknowledge and emphasize every true
statement made by the clergyman with our silent affirmation, and as
emphatically deny every erroneous statement, that we may turn the tide
of Truth into a broad stream of spiritual uplifting for the whole
congregation.
"Should the minister be inclined to speak about the awfulness and power
of God's wrath and punishment, we can silently assure him that God is a
God of love, not wrath, and tell him he desires to present only the
_true_ side of religion. Some people might say this would be wrong, to
dictate to any one how they should talk, but you will notice that it is
not dictation of action, but rather recognition of motive--the true
motive of the true self. We have a right to recognize the highest and
best of every person. Indeed, we are going directly opposite God's
commands if we acknowledge any but the good creation, which is the
spiritual.
"What can the spirit, which is perfect, made in God's image and
likeness, have to say of God's anger or punishment, when it knows
neither, inasmuch as it is pure as the Father in heaven? 'Shall not the
judge of all the earth do right?'
"Not only in the social circle and in the church, but in all kinds of
work, in all affairs of business, and above all, in the home, must we
thus live up to our principles which soon prove our sublimest theory by
our sublimest practice. And, blessed privilege, we do not need to
understand all, before we can begin to demonstrate our precious
religion.
"We need not worry about the burden of to-morrow and thus drop that of
to-day, but only carry that of to-day with the strength that is given
for the day. 'Consider the lilies of the field, _how they grow_;' daily
appropriating their portion of sunshine and air and dew, they unfold and
blossom, exhale their fragrance, display their matchless beauty, thus
fulfilling their appointed mission; so we may unfold and blossom into
rare excellence and strength of character. Refreshed by the dew of a
pure purpose, nourished by the sunlight of true thoughts, fed by the
all-abounding manna--the living word, we soon grow strong enough to
withstand driving tempest or boisterous gale.
"Mentally we are quickened, learning to discern the opposing force in
ourselves, and meeting it with the sharp sword of truth, lay it low at
once. But it requires practice to wield this spiritual weapon; it takes
judgment faculty to discover whence comes selfishness that exhausts and
weakens; whence comes the material or sensual thought that sickens and
wearies, or the jealousy that poisons and embitters the life-forces.
"Faithfully and diligently do we use the word of denial, that sets us
and our patients free from these subtle enemies; faithfully and
earnestly we affirm all truth and purity and goodness as our portion, as
our strength, our refuge, and our defense.
"By the blessed law, when we have thus cleansed ourselves, we become at
one with the one Life. We intuitively draw to ourselves the best quality
of friendship and give forth the best; we seek the most uplifting and
spiritual literature, because it gives us a fresh baptism of spiritual
light, which in turn we give to others, so there is a continual
receiving and giving, a continual blessing and being blessed.
"'Henceforth I call you not servants, but friends,' said the Master
before his departure. Now 'the servant abideth not in the house forever,
but the son abideth forever.' We came as servants to be taught. While in
our ignorance, we were the servants or inferiors; knowing the Truth we
became free, and henceforth are brothers, sisters, 'heirs of God and
joint heirs with Christ.' We now claim our inheritance, the privilege to
enter into the kingdom and possess the land, our royal birthright. In
this kingdom are 'hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.'
"The patient who comes to us must on this day be told of the royal gift
of health, and we may say: 'Now are ye clean through the word I have
spoken unto you.' He, too, must now become the friend, and need no
longer be the servant. When he first came to us he was like a little
child that had lost his way. We could not show him the way to the velvet
slopes of health without taking hold of his hand and leading him through
the thickets and underbrush in which he was lost. So we graciously
reached down to him, by talking of things with which he was familiar, of
animal passions, of selfishness, of sin. We gently and kindly showed him
they were not the true, proved to him that his belief in them had led
him off the right path, and talked to him of brighter, better, truer
thoughts that led to smiling skies of hope, to balmy airs of peace.
"Each day we assured him of his true inheritance, and now we confidently
assert that he is in full possession of it. Now he is ready to believe
the affirmation without the denial, because he is convinced that the
affirmations are true, and he comes to us this day with clear, clean
eyes, and a child-like joy in his recovered health. We give him the
final word, the benediction, the binding assurance of his birthright.
"Realizing as we must ourselves the wondrous truth concerning his real
self and all which that implies, we impressively and with the most
thrilling conviction affirm for him that only health, strength, joy,
courage, peace, satisfaction, can come to him as the child of God, the
idea of Mind _in_ the power of the Thought that thinks him into being.
We assure him that he can recognize and reflect nothing but Good, that
he can manifest only the Father whose son he knows himself to be.
Nothing but Mind can affect him. He is like a column of light against
which no darkness can be thrown; like a true answer to a problem which
any number of wrong answers can not change. Spiritual like God, he can
only recognize and appropriate what is God-like. Henceforth he knows
himself and his Father, knows that whatever he may ask (realize) will be
granted unto him. Knows that he must acknowledge the Truth, and he will
abide in the kingdom of Good.
"We send him forth with all the blessings he can desire, because we have
realized for him the possession of those blessings. Knowing that God is
all there is, and that our patient lives, is moved and has his being in
God, we point with unerring finger to the sunny uplands of health. He
can never more relapse as he will ever walk in the open fields of Truth.
We bid him God speed on his journey, and thank God that he has come
into the consciousness of life everlasting, into health and joy without
measure. So be it forever more.
"The thought of perfection should be held steadfastly, even though the
patient do not manifest health at once. No matter if the cure is not
effected in one, two, three weeks, or even as many months, hold fast,
with unwavering faith (even if you do not give regular treatments all
the time, and it may be well to skip a week or so occasionally),
_knowing_ that good seed _must_ bring forth good fruit; when, where or
how, you nor no other may know. Time is unthinkable with God. We are
dealing with Principle, not time. We plant the seed, 'God giveth the
increase.'
"Do the best you know, and work out your own problems. No one else can
do that for you. Jesus gave us the key, showed us the way; more than
that he could not do. We must live our lives and maintain our place by
our own efforts. It is 'he that overcometh' who receives the supreme
gift of eternal life."