Responsive Reading: I Samuel 2 : 1-3, 8-10

1.     My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

2.     There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

3.     Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

8.     For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.

9.     He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10.     The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

1. Leviticus 26 : 1 (I am), 3, 6 (I will give) (to :)

1     I am the Lord your God.

3     If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them;

6     I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid:

2. Proverbs 16 : 1-3, 6 (to :), 7, 9, 20 (and)

1     The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

2     All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

3     Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

6     By mercy and truth iniquity is purged:

7     When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

9     A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.

20     …and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.

3. Malachi 3 : 1 (to 1st :), 3, 5, 6 (to ;), 10 (and prove), 18

1     Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me:

3     And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness.

5     And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord of hosts.

6     For I am the Lord, I change not;

10     …and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

18     Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

4. Malachi 4 : 2 (unto) (to ;)

2     …unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings;

5. Matthew 3 : 1-3, 5-7, 10 (also)-13, 16, 17

1     In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa,

2     And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

3     For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

5     Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan,

6     And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

7     But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

10     …also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

11     I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12     Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

13     Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

16     And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

17     And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

6. Matthew 4 : 1, 3 (to 2nd ,), 9 (All)-11, 17

1     Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

3     And when the tempter came to him, he said,

9     All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10     Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11     Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

17     From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

7. Matthew 15 : 30, 31

30     And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus’ feet; and he healed them:

31     Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel.

8. Luke 13 : 23-25 (to ;), 27, 28 (to 1st ,), 30

23     Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them,

24     Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

25     When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us;

27     But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.

28     There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth,

30     And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.

9. II Peter 3 : 17, 18

17     Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

18     But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.

1. 103 : 18-23 (to 1st .), 29-32

As named in Christian Science, animal magnetism or hypnotism is the specific term for error, or mortal mind. It is the false belief that mind is in matter, and is both evil and good; that evil is as real as good and more powerful. This belief has not one quality of Truth.

In reality there is no mortal mind, and consequently no transference of mortal thought and will-power. Life and being are of God.

2. 102 : 1-8

Animal magnetism has no scientific foundation, for God governs all that is real, harmonious, and eternal, and His power is neither animal nor human. Its basis being a belief and this belief animal, in Science animal magnetism, mesmerism, or hypnotism is a mere negation, possessing neither intelligence, power, nor reality, and in sense it is an unreal concept of the so-called mortal mind.

3. 104 : 13-18

Christian Science goes to the bottom of mental action, and reveals the theodicy which indicates the rightness of all divine action, as the emanation of divine Mind, and the consequent wrongness of the opposite so-called action, — evil, occultism, necromancy, mesmerism, animal magnetism, hypnotism.

4. 192 : 4-31

We are Christian Scientists, only as we quit our reliance upon that which is false and grasp the true. We are not Christian Scientists until we leave all for Christ. Human opinions are not spiritual. They come from the hearing of the ear, from corporeality instead of from Principle, and from the mortal instead of from the immortal. Spirit is not separate from God. Spirit is God.

Erring power is a material belief, a blind miscalled force, the offspring of will and not of wisdom, of the mortal mind and not of the immortal. It is the headlong cataract, the devouring flame, the tempest's breath. It is lightning and hurricane, all that is selfish, wicked, dishonest, and impure.

Moral and spiritual might belong to Spirit, who holds the "wind in His fists;" and this teaching accords with Science and harmony. In Science, you can have no power opposed to God, and the physical senses must give up their false testimony. Your influence for good depends upon the weight you throw into the right scale. The good you do and embody gives you the only power obtainable. Evil is not power. It is a mockery of strength, which erelong betrays its weakness and falls, never to rise.

We walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love by following the example of our Master in the understanding of divine metaphysics. Christianity is the basis of true healing. Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.

5. 239 : 11-20

The wicked man is not the ruler of his upright neighbor. Let it be understood that success in error is defeat in Truth. The watchword of Christian Science is Scriptural: "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts."

To ascertain our progress, we must learn where our affections are placed and whom we acknowledge and obey as God. If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit.

6. 240 : 18-32

Mortals move onward towards good or evil as time glides on. If mortals are not progressive, past failures will be repeated until all wrong work is effaced or rectified. If at present satisfied with wrong-doing, we must learn to loathe it. If at present content with idleness, we must become dissatisfied with it. Remember that mankind must sooner or later, either by suffering or by Science, be convinced of the error that is to be overcome.

In trying to undo the errors of sense one must pay fully and fairly the utmost farthing, until all error is finally brought into subjection to Truth. The divine method of paying sin's wages involves unwinding one's snarls, and learning from experience how to divide between sense and Soul.

7. 241 : 23-5

One's aim, a point beyond faith, should be to find the footsteps of Truth, the way to health and holiness. We should strive to reach the Horeb height where God is revealed; and the corner-stone of all spiritual building is purity. The baptism of Spirit, washing the body of all the impurities of flesh, signifies that the pure in heart see God and are approaching spiritual Life and its demonstration.

It is "easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle," than for sinful beliefs to enter the kingdom of heaven, eternal harmony. Through repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, mortals put off their material beliefs and false individuality. It is only a question of time when "they shall all know Me [God], from the least of them unto the greatest."

8. 254 : 19 (the)-32

…the human self must be evangelized. This task God demands us to accept lovingly to-day, and to abandon so fast as practical the material, and to work out the spiritual which determines the outward and actual.

If you venture upon the quiet surface of error and are in sympathy with error, what is there to disturb the waters? What is there to strip off error's disguise?

If you launch your bark upon the ever-agitated but healthful waters of truth, you will encounter storms. Your good will be evil spoken of. This is the cross. Take it up and bear it, for through it you win and wear the crown. Pilgrim on earth, thy home is heaven; stranger, thou art the guest of God.