A Change'll Do You Good

Jer. 13:23
23Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil.

Job 17:1-16; 18:1, 2
1My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me.
2Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation?
3Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?
4For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
5He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
6He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret.
7Mine eye also is dim by reason of sorrow, and all my members are as a shadow.
8Upright men shall be astonied at this, and the innocent shall stir up himself against the hypocrite.
9The righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
10But as for you all, do ye return, and come now: for I cannot find one wise man among you.
11My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the thoughts of my heart.
12They change the night into day: the light is short because of darkness.
13If I wait, the grave is mine house: I have made my bed in the darkness.
14I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
15And where is now my hope? as for my hope, who shall see it?
16They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak.

Eccl. 10:15-19; 11:1
15The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city.
16¶ Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
17Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!
18¶ By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
19¶ A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things.
1Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

Mark 1:2-11
2As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
3The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
5And there went out unto him all the land of Judæa, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
7And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose.
8I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan.
10And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him:
11And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Mark 1:14-26
14Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
16Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
17And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.
19And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
20And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.
21And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.

Eccl. 7:1-29
1A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
2¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
3Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.
4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools isin the house of mirth.
5It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
6For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
7¶ Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
8Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
10Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.
11¶ Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.
12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
13Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?
14In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.
15All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.
16Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
17Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
18It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
19Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
20For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
21Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:
22For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.
23¶ All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.
24That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
25I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:
26And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
27Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
28Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Gen. 32:24-30 Jacob
24Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Zeph. 2:1, 2 (to 2nd ,)
1Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired;
2Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff,

Eccl. 3:1-14 (to 2nd :)
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it:



SH 323:28-12
Childlike receptivity    The effects of Christian Science are not so much seen
as felt. It is the “still, small voice” of Truth
uttering itself. We are either turning away
from this utterance, or we are listening to it and going
up higher. Willingness to become as a little child and
to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of
the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks
and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps
to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification
of sense and self is a proof of progress. “Blessed are the
pure in heart: for they shall see God.”
Narrow pathway
    Unless the harmony and immortality of man are be-
coming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea
of God; and the body will reflect what gov-
erns it, whether it be Truth or error,
understanding or belief, Spirit or matter. Therefore
“acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace.”

SH 124:32-126:7
Corporeal changes    The elements and functions of the physical body and
of the physical world will change as mortal mind changes
its beliefs. What is now considered the best condition
for organic and functional health in the human
body may no longer be found indispensable
to health. Moral conditions will be found always har-
monious and health-giving. Neither organic inaction
nor overaction is beyond God’s control; and man will
be found normal and natural to changed mortal thought,
and therefore more harmonious in his manifestations than
he was in the prior states which human belief created and
sanctioned.

    As human thought changes from one stage to an-
other of conscious pain and painlessness, sorrow and
joy, — from fear to hope and from faith to understand-
ing, — the visible manifestation will at last be man gov-
erned by Soul, not by material sense. Reflecting God’s
government, man is self-governed. When subordinate
to the divine Spirit, man cannot be controlled by sin or
death, thus proving our material theories about laws of
health to be valueless.
The time and tide
    The seasons will come and go with changes of time and
tide, cold and heat, latitude and longitude. The agri-
culturist will find that these changes cannot
affect his crops. “As a vesture shalt Thou
change them and they shall be changed.” The mariner
will have dominion over the atmosphere and the great
deep, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air.
The astronomer will no longer look up to the stars, --
he will look out from them upon the universe; and the
florist will find his flower before its seed.
Mortal nothingness
    Thus matter will finally be proved nothing more
than a mortal belief, wholly inadequate to affect a man
through its supposed organic action or supposed exist-
ence. Error will be no longer used in stating truth. The
problem of nothingness, or “dust to dust,” will
be solved, and mortal mind will be without
form and void, for mortality will cease when man beholds
himself God’s reflection, even as man sees his reflection
in a glass.

SH 193:32-9
    It has been demonstrated to me that Life is God
and that the might of omnipotent Spirit shares not its
strength with matter or with human will. Review-
ing this brief experience, I cannot fail to discern the
coincidence of the spiritual idea of man with the divine
Mind.
Change of belief
    A change in human belief changes all the physical symp-
toms, and determines a case for better or for
worse. When one’s false belief is corrected,
Truth sends a report of health over the body.

SH 8:28-10:16
Searching the heart    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. If a
friend informs us of a fault, do we listen pa-
tiently to the rebuke and credit what is said? Do we not
rather give thanks that we are “not as other men”?
During many years the author has been most grateful
for merited rebuke. The wrong lies in unmerited cen-
sure, — in the falsehood which does no one any good.
Summit of aspiration
    The test of all prayer lies in the answer to these
questions: Do we love our neighbor better because of
this asking? Do we pursue the old selfish-
ness, satisfied with having prayed for some-
thing better, though we give no evidence of the sin-
cerity of our requests by living consistently with our
prayer? If selfishness has given place to kindness,
we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless
them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great
duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is
a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition
of our hope and faith.
Practical religion
    Dost thou “love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind”?
This command includes much, even the sur-
render of all merely material sensation, affec-
tion, and worship. This is the El Dorado of Christianity.
It involves the Science of Life, and recognizes only the
divine control of Spirit, in which Soul is our master,
and material sense and human will have no place.
The chalice sacrificial
    Are you willing to leave all for Christ, for Truth, and
so be counted among sinners? No! Do you really desire
to attain this point? No! Then why make long
prayers about it and ask to be Christians,
since you do not care to tread in the footsteps of our
dear Master? If unwilling to follow his example, why
pray with the lips that you may be partakers of his
nature? Consistent prayer is the desire to do right.
Prayer means that we desire to walk and will walk in
the light so far as we receive it, even though with bleed-
ing footsteps, and that waiting patiently on the Lord,
we will leave our real desires to be rewarded by Him.

    The world must grow to the spiritual understanding
of prayer. If good enough to profit by Jesus’ cup of
earthly sorrows, God will sustain us under these sor-
rows. Until we are thus divinely qualified and are
willing to drink his cup, millions of vain repetitions
will never pour into prayer the unction of Spirit in
demonstration of power and “with signs following.”
Christian Science reveals a necessity for overcoming the
world, the flesh, and evil, and thus destroying all error.

    Seeking is not sufficient. It is striving that enables
us to enter. Spiritual attainments open the door to a
higher understanding of the divine Life.


SH 308:14-23 (np)
    The Soul-inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth,
and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man.
Wrestling of Jacob
    Jacob was alone, wrestling with error, — struggling
with a mortal sense of life, substance, and intelligence
as existent in matter with its false pleasures
and pains, — when an angel, a message from
Truth and Love, appeared to him and smote the sinew,
or strength, of his error, till he saw its unreality; and
Truth, being thereby understood, gave him spiritual
strength in this Peniel of divine Science. Then said
the spiritual evangel: “Let me go, for the day breaketh;”
that is, the light of Truth and Love dawns upon thee.
But the patriarch, perceiving his error and his need
of help, did not loosen his hold upon this glorious light
until his nature was transformed. When Jacob was
asked, “What is thy name?” he straightway answered;
and then his name was changed to Israel, for “as a prince”
had he prevailed and had “power with God and with
men.” Then Jacob questioned his deliverer, “Tell me,
I pray thee, thy name;” but this appellation was withheld,
for the messenger was not a corporeal being, but a name-
less, incorporeal impartation of divine Love to man, which,
to use the word of the Psalmist, restored his Soul, — gave
him the spiritual sense of being and rebuked his material
sense.
Israel the new name
    The result of Jacob’s struggle thus appeared. He had
conquered material error with the understanding of Spirit
and of spiritual power. This changed the man.
He was no longer called Jacob, but Israel, --
a prince of God, or a soldier of God, who had fought
a good fight. He was to become the father of those, who
through earnest striving followed his demonstration of the
power of Spirit over the material senses; and the children
of earth who followed his example were to be called the
children of Israel, until the Messiah should rename them.
If these children should go astray, and forget that Life
is God, good, and that good is not in elements which are
not spiritual, — thus losing the divine power which heals
the sick and sinning, — they were to be brought back
through great tribulation, to be renamed in Christian
Science and led to deny material sense, or mind in matter,
even as the gospel teaches.


SH 655:1-26
A JOYFUL EXPERIENCE
    In love and gratitude to God, and to Mrs. Eddy, the
interpreter of Jesus’ beautiful teachings, I wish to tell
of some of the benefits which I have received from
Christian Science. It is a little over a year since
Science found me in a deplorable condition, physically
as well as mentally. I had ailments of many years’
standing, — chronic stomach trouble, severe eye trouble,
made almost unbearable from the constant fear of
losing my sight (a fate which had befallen my
mother), also a painful rupture of twenty-five years’
standing. These ailments, combined with unhappy
conditions in my home, made me very despondent. I
had entirely lost my belief in an all-merciful God, and
I did not know where to turn for help. At that time
Christian Science was brought to my notice, and I shall
never forget the sublime moment when I perceived that
an all-loving Father is always with me. Forgotten was
all sorrow and worry, and after four weeks’ reading in
Science and Health all my ailments had disappeared.
I am to-day a healthy, contented woman.

    All this has come to pass in one short year, and my
earnest desire is to be more and more worthy to be
called a child of God. This is in loving gratitude for
an understanding of this glorious truth.  — Mrs. R. J.,
Chicago, Ill.



Hymn 148

Hymn 148
Anna L. Waring*
(148)
EWING
Alexander Ewing
In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me,
No want shall turn me back;
My Shepherd is beside me,
And nothing can I lack.
His wisdom ever waketh,
His sight is never dim;
He knows the way He taketh,
And I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me,
Which yet I have not seen;
Bright skies will soon be o’er me,
Where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure,
My path in life is free;
My Father has my treasure,
And He will walk with me.


Hymn 317

Hymn 317
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Adapted
(317)
STRENGTH AND STAY
John B. Dykes
Still, still with Thee when purple morning breaketh,
When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee,
Fairer than morning, lovelier than the daylight,
Dawns the sweet consciousness, I am with Thee.

Alone with Thee, amid the changing shadows,
Solemn the hush of nature, newly born;
Alone with Thee, in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

So shall it ever be in the bright morning,
When hearts awaking see the shadows flee,
O, in that hour, and fairer than the dawning,
Rises the glorious thought, I am with Thee.


Hymn 35

Hymn 35
Charles Wesley
(35)
DIX
Conrad Kocher
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the perfect Light,
Sun of righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near,
Daystar, in my heart appear.

Dark and cheerless is the morn
Uncompanioned, Lord, by thee;
Joyless is the day’s return,
Till thy mercy’s beams I see;
Till they inward light impart,
Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.

Visit then this soul of mine,
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
Fill me, radiancy divine,
Scatter all my unbelief;
More and more thyself display,
Shining to the perfect day.

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