Golden Text
8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
17. . . thou art my help and my deliverer;
Responsive Reading
Ps. 71:1In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
3Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: thou hast given commandment to save me;
40:11. . . let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
Luke 15:11. . . A certain man had two sons:
12And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living.
13And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living.
14And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.
17And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!
20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.
Section 1
The Bible
Deuteronomy 6:4 The, 5
4The Lord our God is one Lord:
5And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
I John 5:3
3For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
Exodus 20:1–3
1And God spake all these words, saying,
2I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Ezekiel 16:60 and
60and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
Science and Health with Key to the Scripturesby Mary Baker Eddy
340:15–22
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus xx. 3.) The First Commandment is my favorite text. It demonstrates Christian Science. It inculcates the tri-unity of God, Spirit, Mind; it signifies that man shall have no other spirit or mind but God, eternal good, and that all men shall have one Mind. The divine Principle of the First Commandment bases the Science of being, by which man demonstrates health, holiness, and life eternal.
356:25–5 2nd Does
Does divine Love commit a fraud on humanity by making man inclined to sin, and then punishing him for it? Would any one call it wise and good to create the primitive, and then punish its derivative?
Two infinite
creators
absurd
Does subsequent follow its antecedent? It does. Was there original self-creative sin? Then there must have been more than one creator, more than one God. In common justice, we must admit that God will not punish man for doing what He created man capable of doing, and knew from the outset that man would do. God is “of purer eyes than to behold evil.”
340:23
One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, “Love thy neighbor as thyself;” annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.
Section 2
The Bible
Exodus 20:4, 5 (to :)
4Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
5Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
John 4:24
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Romans 8:5 they, 6 to, 9 ye (to 1st .)
5they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
9ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Science and Health
572:8
In Science we are children of God; but whatever is of material sense, or mortal, belongs not to His children, for materiality is the inverted image of spirituality.
307:20, 26
If we regard matter as intelligent, and Mind as both good and evil, every sin or supposed material pain and pleasure seems normal, a part of God’s creation, and so weighs against our course Spiritward.
Higher
statutes
Man was not created from a material basis, nor bidden to obey material laws which Spirit never made; his province is in spiritual statutes, in the higher law of Mind.
213:3, 11–12
Of a man it has been said, “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he;” hence as a man spiritually understandeth, so is he in truth.
Every step towards goodness is a departure from materiality, and is a tendency towards God, Spirit.
239:18–20
Standpoint
revealed
If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit.
64:30
Spirit will ultimately claim its own, — all that really is, — and the voices of physical sense will be forever hushed.
Section 3
The Bible
Exodus 20:7
7Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Psalms 19:14
14Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Science and Health
6:18
Mercy without
partiality
To suppose that God forgives or punishes sin according as His mercy is sought or unsought, is to misunderstand Love and to make prayer the safety-valve for wrong-doing.
13:6–12
Public
exaggerations
If we are not secretly yearning and openly striving for the accomplishment of all we ask, our prayers are “vain repetitions,” such as the heathen use. If our petitions are sincere, we labor for what we ask; and our Father, who seeth in secret, will reward us openly.
8:14–18, 28–30
If we feel the aspiration, humility, gratitude, and love which our words express, — this God accepts; and it is wise not to try to deceive ourselves or others, for “there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed.”
We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are.
Section 4
The Bible
Exodus 20:8
8Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Luke 4:14–18, 38, 39
14And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
16And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
17And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
38And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
Psalms 118:24, 29
24This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
29O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
Science and Health
135:26–5
Christianity as Jesus taught it was not a creed, nor a system of ceremonies, nor a special gift from a ritualistic Jehovah; but it was the demonstration of divine Love casting out error and healing the sick, not merely in the name of Christ, or Truth, but in demonstration of Truth, as must be the case in the cycles of divine light.
The
Christ-mission
Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning.
11:22
Desire for
holiness
We know that a desire for holiness is requisite in order to gain holiness; but if we desire holiness above all else, we shall sacrifice everything for it. We must be willing to do this, that we may walk securely in the only practical road to holiness. Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth. Such a desire has little need of audible expression. It is best expressed in thought and in life.
Section 5
The Bible
Exodus 20:12
12Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
Malachi 2:10
10Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
Science and Health
332:4–5
Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.
469:30
With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science. The supposed existence of more than one mind was the basic error of idolatry. This error assumed the loss of spiritual power, the loss of the spiritual presence of Life as infinite Truth without an unlikeness, and the loss of Love as ever present and universal.
Section 6
The Bible
Exodus 20:13
13Thou shalt not kill.
John 1:17 the
17the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Matthew 5:43–45 (to :)
43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:
Science and Health
30:14, 30–32
Rabbi and priest taught the Mosaic law, which said: “An eye for an eye,” and “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed.” Not so did Jesus, the new executor for God, present the divine law of Love, which blesses even those that curse it.
We cannot choose for ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught.
454:9
Human hate has no legitimate mandate and no kingdom. Love is enthroned. That evil or matter has neither intelligence nor power, is the doctrine of absolute Christian Science, and this is the great truth which strips all disguise from error.
4:3–5, 12
What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds.
The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer. Its motives are made manifest in the blessings they bring, — blessings which, even if not acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness to be partakers of Love.
567:7–8
To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death.
Section 7
The Bible
Exodus 20:14
14Thou shalt not commit adultery.
John 8:1–11
1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
2And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.
3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst,
4They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
5Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
6This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
8And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
9And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Science and Health
35:30 (only)
The design of Love is to reform the sinner.
224:31 (only)
No power can withstand divine Love.
56:18–1
Fidelity
required
The commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” is no less imperative than the one, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress.
405:5–9, 18
Mental
conspirators
Christian Science commands man to master the propensities, — to hold hatred in abeyance with kindness, to conquer lust with chastity, revenge with charity, and to overcome deceit with honesty.
The good man finally can overcome his fear of sin. This is sin’s necessity, — to destroy itself. Immortal man demonstrates the government of God, good, in which is no power to sin.
497:9, 24
We acknowledge God’s forgiveness of sin in the destruction of sin and the spiritual understanding that casts out evil as unreal. But the belief in sin is punished so long as the belief lasts.
And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.
Section 8
The Bible
Exodus 20:15
15Thou shalt not steal.
Ephesians 4:28
28Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Science and Health
453:16–20
Knowledge
and honesty
Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness, which forfeits divine help. You uncover sin, not in order to injure, but in order to bless the corporeal man; and a right motive has its reward.
571:15–18
The armor
of divinity
At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good. Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil.
327:22–24, 29
Fear of punishment never made man truly honest. Moral courage is requisite to meet the wrong and to proclaim the right.
Reason is the most active human faculty. Let that inform the sentiments and awaken the man’s dormant sense of moral obligation, and by degrees he will learn the nothingness of the pleasures of human sense and the grandeur and bliss of a spiritual sense, which silences the material or corporeal. Then he not only will be saved, but is saved.
Section 9
The Bible
Exodus 20:16
16Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Romans 8:16, 17 (to 2nd ;)
16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ;
Hebrews 12:1, 2 (to ;)
1Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;
Science and Health
476:32–5
Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God’s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy.
Section 10
The Bible
Exodus 20:17
17Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Matthew 5:48
48Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Science and Health
174:6, 17
Nothing save divine power is capable of doing so much for man as he can do for himself.
The thunder of Sinai and the Sermon on the Mount are pursuing and will overtake the ages, rebuking in their course all error and proclaiming the kingdom of heaven on earth. Truth is revealed. It needs only to be practised.
264:15, 24
Self-
completeness
When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness.
Spiritual
proofs of
existence
Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.