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    Why has this Christian demand so little inspiration 38 38:1to stir mankind to Christian effort? Because men are assured that this command was intended only for a par‐3Jesus’ teaching belittledticular period and for a select number of fol‐lowers. This teaching is even more pernicious than the old doctrine of foreordination, — the election of a 6few to be saved, while the rest are damned; and so it will be considered, when the lethargy of mortals, produced by man-made doctrines, is broken by the demands of 9divine Science.

    Jesus said: “These signs shall follow them that be‐lieve; . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they 12shall recover.” Who believes him? He was addressing his disciples, yet he did not say, “These signs shall follow you,” but them — “them that believe” in all time to come. 15Here the word hands is used metaphorically, as in the text, “The right hand of the Lord is exalted.” It expresses spiritual power; otherwise the healing could not have 18been done spiritually. At another time Jesus prayed, not for the twelve only, but for as many as should believe “through their word.”

21    Jesus experienced few of the pleasures of the physical senses, but his sufferings were the fruits of other peo‐Material pleasuresple’s sins, not of his own. The eternal Christ, 24his spiritual selfhood, never suffered. Jesus mapped out the path for others. He unveiled the Christ, the spiritual idea of divine Love. To those buried in the 27belief of sin and self, living only for pleasure or the grati‐fication of the senses, he said in substance: Having eyes ye see not, and having ears ye hear not; lest ye should un‐30derstand and be converted, and I might heal you. He taught that the material senses shut out Truth and its healing power.

39:1    Meekly our Master met the mockery of his unrecog‐nized grandeur. Such indignities as he received, his fol‐3Mockery of truthlowers will endure until Christianity’s last triumph. He won eternal honors. He over‐came the world, the flesh, and all error, thus proving 6their nothingness. He wrought a full salvation from sin, sickness, and death. We need “Christ, and him cruci‐fied.” We must have trials and self-denials, as well as 9joys and victories, until all error is destroyed.

    The educated belief that Soul is in the body causes mortals to regard death as a friend, as a stepping-stone 12A belief suicidalout of mortality into immortality and bliss. The Bible calls death an enemy, and Jesus overcame death and the grave instead of yielding to them. 15 He was “the way.” To him, therefore, death was not the threshold over which he must pass into living glory.