CHAPTER XVI.
"God is commanding us off, every hour of our lives, toward things eternal, there to find our good, and build our rest. Sometimes He does it by taking us out of the world, and sometimes by taking the world out of us."--_H. Bushnell._
"The second letter has come," said Grace the moment Kate entered theroom, after her day's lessons were over.
"Has it? Let us hurry and get the tea over so we can study it."
"Don't you want to hear it first? I haven't looked at it because Iwanted to wait for you, but I can't wait that long," cried Grace,pulling it out of her painting-apron pocket.
"All right, then read away while I start the fire."
"No; come and sit down like a good child, you can't half listen whenyour mind is filled with stoves and tea-pots."
Kate smiled, and drawing her chair up beside Grace, she listened to thereading, while her face alternately brightened or darkened.
"Well, it sounds very beautiful and very plausible, but I can't see howany one can say there is no evil when the world is full of it, and tosay there is no sin, sickness or death! why, that is blasphemous! I knowthe Bible won't corroborate that," she said, in a horrified voice, atthe conclusion of the letter.
"Hold on, we must not be so fast; there are good reasons for everystatement, and she says it is necessary to say these denials over andover. It is harder for me to believe there is no matter, but if there isa way to prove there is none, then I will submit. But first let us seewhat the Bible says," said the more moderate Grace.
She got the Bible and concordance, but could find no reference to matteras pertaining to physical creation, but she found under the word "flesh"an allusion to John i: 12-13, and iii: 6. "The first reads," beganGrace, "'But as many as received him, to them gave he power to becomethe sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born,not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, butof God.' That evidently refers to a creation possible to all, but whereis the authority for saying 'there is no matter'?"
She pondered a moment, then referred to the letter--"Oh, I see! Shesays, 'no _reality_ in matter,' and then goes on to explain about thereal. Yes, now I see. Do you understand it, Kate?"
"I can understand that the body is not the real," replied Kate,thoughtfully, "for Jesus said 'the spirit is all, the flesh profitethnothing,' but--"
"That's so. Why didn't we think of that before? Besides, it was taughtby the ancient philosophers as much as 4,000 years ago, that matter hasno reality. Yes, its plain to see how it can be, theoretically, butwhere they can demonstrate it practically, puzzles me. Here is areference; let us see if that will tell us something."
She read Heb. xi: 3: "'Through faith we understand that the worlds wereframed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not madeof things which do appear.'"
"That seems quite conclusive," said Kate.
"Yes, it does. Now we will consider your problem," replied Grace,running her finger down the references, "and see if we can find anythingin that. Let us bear in mind," she continued, "she does not say there isno appearance, but no reality in evil. Among the first references, Ifind one to the twenty-third Psalm: 'I will fear no evil, for thou artwith me.' How plain that is! Of course there can be no evil where Godis, and God is everywhere. God is Love. In Love there is no evil."
"But just think of the awful crimes that are committed every day, andthe wicked people who commit them," demurred Kate, with an incredulouslook.
"We haven't got far enough to solve everything; listen to this: 'Onlywith thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked,'"read Grace.
"That must mean that with the carnal mind we see all things oppositeGod, and with the mind of the spirit we discern spiritual things; thatis in Romans somewhere," exclaimed Kate, with a gleam of understandingin her face.
"What word shall I look for?" asked Grace, intently pursuing her search.
"Mind, I think; shan't I look for it?"
"No; here it is in the eighth chapter and tenth verse: 'The carnal mindis at enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God,neither indeed can be.' That is plain enough. It means that allthoughts opposite God and God's creations are of the animal man, henceat enmity with God, and since there is nothing real but God and Hiscreations, of course there is no reality in them. Now you are satisfied,aren't you, Kate?"
"I suppose I ought to be, for I don't see any other way to understandthose passages," she admitted, with a sigh of relief.
"Just one more, and we'll go on to the next denial, which will hit me,I'm afraid," continued Grace.
She turned to Isa. xxxiii: 15-16: "I declare, Kate, here is the essenceof the whole lesson," and she read: "'He that walketh righteously, andspeaketh uprightly' (according to the true creation), 'he that despiseththe gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hand from holding of bribes,that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes fromseeing evil; He shall dwell on high; his place of defence shall be themunitions of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall besure.'"
"I really did not know there was such a passage in the Bible, and Idon't see why other people haven't found it before," said Kate, quitewon over. "But how strange it seems to deny this way."
"Yes, that is the most unreasonable part of it, and yet I think Mrs.Hayden has explained it very clearly. Now what is next?" asked Grace.
"There is no life, substance or intelligence in matter," answered Kate,glancing at the letter.
"I must confess that puzzles me," mused Grace, thoughtfully.
"Oh, that is easy enough to understand, when you remember the spirit isall, besides, when a person dies the organs of the body may be perfect,but there is no life or feeling, and according to this newunderstanding, no substance," explained Kate, in her turn.
"I can see it well enough as a theory, but what all this has to do withpractical every-day living, is a mystery to me."
"'We haven't got far enough to solve everything,' somebody said to meonce, and here it is for you," remarked Kate, with a spice of mischiefin her tone.
"All right, what next?"
"No sensation or causation in matter; but I think that is answered thesame way as the other. But this last one; I do wonder if the Biblecorroborates it?" Kate looked troubled again, as she read: "'There is nosin, sickness nor death.'"
"The same reasoning applies to that as to all the rest. There is noreality to anything but God's creation, and that is changeless andperfect. But we will see what the Bible has to say; I. John iii: 2-10.In the second verse it reads: 'Beloved, now are we the sons of God, butit doth not yet appear what we shall be;' that of course is an assertionof our spiritual self. Then verse nine says: 'Whosoever is born of Goddoth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him and he can not sin,because he is born of God.' Then it seems plain there can be no sin tothe spirit, neither can there be sickness nor death."
"It is wonderful," murmured Kate.
"What is next?" pursued Grace, with the concordance open before her.
"That is all, except she explains the use and necessity of denial, andsuggests to Mr. Hayden the benefit of denying for hours at a time."
"Well, we can do that, too. If it is good for him, it must be for us. Imean to do it," said Grace, shutting her book with a snap and pacingback and forth excitedly.
"Oh, well, take it calmly; we can do that while we are getting supper,and I am hungry now. Do you know it is seven o'clock?" Kate exclaimed,looking at her watch.
"Two hours we have been studying," said Grace. "Really, this is asinteresting as painting. I don't see one thing but what is reasonable,do you, Kate?"
"Not the way it seems now."
After everything was put away they began making earnest application ofthe rules. Each sat silently thinking, according to directions: "Thereis no reality in matter, there is no reality in matter," etc. For twohours neither spoke. Then Kate said: "I feel so light; as though therewere no weight to my bo
dy. What does it mean?"
"I don't know, unless it shows you are realizing what you say."
"That is it. I can feel that there is no obstruction to spirit orthought; that spirit is limitless and God is everywhere."
She seemed lost in her new thoughts, and went to bed as though she weredreaming. Grace had experienced nothing but a sense of dullness andextreme sleepiness.