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2. Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

3. Lesson Sermon — The Bible

4. Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

5. The Daily Duties

6. About the preparation of this lesson

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Subject — Mind

GOLDEN TEXT: Philippians 4 : 7

“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

RESPONSIVE READING: Isaiah 45 : 5, 6, 9, 12, 19, 22

5.     I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:

6.     That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.

9.     Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?

12.     I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.

19.     I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

22.     Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Proverbs 23 : 7 (to :)

7     For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

2. Psalm 103 : 1-4

1     Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

2     Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:

3     Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;

4     Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

3. I Corinthians 2 : 1, 4, 5, 12, 13, 16

1     And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.

4     And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:

5     That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

12     Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13     Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

16     For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

4. Luke 8 : 40, 41, 42 (to 1st .), 49-56 (to :)

40     And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.

41     And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus’ feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:

42     For he had one only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying.

49     While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master.

50     But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.

51     And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden.

52     And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth.

53     And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead.

54     And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.

55     And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat.

56     And her parents were astonished:

5. Mark 9 : 14 (to 2nd ,), 17-19, 21-27

14     And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them,

17     And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

18     And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

19     He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

21     And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22     And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

23     Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

24     And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25     When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26     And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27     But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

6. Ephesians 4 : 1-7, 13-15, 22-24

1     I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2     With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3     Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4     There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5     One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6     One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7     But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

13     Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14     That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15     But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

22     That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23     And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24     And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Science and Health

1. 469 : 12-20

Question. — What is Mind?

Answer. — Mind is God. The exterminator of error is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind, and that the supposititious opposite of infinite Mind — called devil or evil — is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality. There can be but one Mind, because there is but one God; and if mortals claimed no other Mind and accepted no other, sin would be unknown.

2. 151 : 23-5

The divine Mind that made man maintains His own image and likeness. The human mind is opposed to God and must be put off, as St. Paul declares. All that really exists is the divine Mind and its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is to see and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and follow the leadings of truth.

That mortal mind claims to govern every organ of the mortal body, we have overwhelming proof. But this so-called mind is a myth, and must by its own consent yield to Truth. It would wield the sceptre of a monarch, but it is powerless. The immortal divine Mind takes away all its supposed sovereignty, and saves mortal mind from itself.

3. 460 : 5-13

Our system of Mind-healing rests on the apprehension of the nature and essence of all being, — on the divine Mind and Love's essential qualities. Its pharmacy is moral, and its medicine is intellectual and spiritual, though used for physical healing. Yet this most fundamental part of metaphysics is the one most difficult to understand and demonstrate, for to the material thought all is material, till such thought is rectified by Spirit.

4. 398 : 1-15

Sometimes Jesus called a disease by name, as when he said to the epileptic boy, "Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him." It is added that "the spirit [error] cried, and rent him sore and came out of him, and he was as one dead," — clear evidence that the malady was not material. These instances show the concessions which Jesus was willing to make to the popular ignorance of spiritual Life-laws. Often he gave no name to the distemper he cured. To the synagogue ruler's daughter, whom they called dead but of whom he said, "she is not dead, but sleepeth," he simply said, "Damsel, I say unto thee, arise!" To the sufferer with the withered hand he said, "Stretch forth thine hand," and it "was restored whole, like as the other."

5. 230 : 1-10

If sickness is real, it belongs to immortality; if true, it is a part of Truth. Would you attempt with drugs, or without, to destroy a quality or condition of Truth? But if sickness and sin are illusions, the awakening from this mortal dream, or illusion, will bring us into health, holiness, and immortality. This awakening is the forever coming of Christ, the advanced appearing of Truth, which casts out error and heals the sick. This is the salvation which comes through God, the divine Principle, Love, as demonstrated by Jesus.

6. 166 : 3-7

As a man thinketh, so is he. Mind is all that feels, acts, or impedes action. Ignorant of this, or shrinking from its implied responsibility, the healing effort is made on the wrong side, and thus the conscious control over the body is lost.

7. 71 : 1-20

Nothing is real and eternal, — nothing is Spirit, — but God and His idea. Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense.

The identity, or idea, of all reality continues forever; but Spirit, or the divine Principle of all, is not in Spirit's formations. Soul is synonymous with Spirit, God, the creative, governing, infinite Principle outside of finite form, which forms only reflect.

Close your eyes, and you may dream that you see a flower, — that you touch and smell it. Thus you learn that the flower is a product of the so-called mind, a formation of thought rather than of matter. Close your eyes again, and you may see landscapes, men, and women. Thus you learn that these also are images, which mortal mind holds and evolves and which simulate mind, life, and intelligence. From dreams also you learn that neither mortal mind nor matter is the image or likeness of God, and that immortal Mind is not in matter.

8. 205 : 32-9

When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, we can have no other Mind but His, — no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no consciousness of the existence of matter or error.

The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judgment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man. Material, erring, human thought acts injuriously both upon the body and through it.

9. 276 : 1-11

Having one God, one Mind, unfolds the power that heals the sick, and fulfils these sayings of Scripture, "I am the Lord that healeth thee," and "I have found a ransom." When the divine precepts are understood, they unfold the foundation of fellowship, in which one mind is not at war with another, but all have one Spirit, God, one intelligent source, in accordance with the Scriptural command: "Let this Mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." Man and his Maker are correlated in divine Science, and real consciousness is cognizant only of the things of God.

10. 497 : 24 (And)-27

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.

The Daily Duties

by Mary Baker Eddy

Daily Prayer

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: "Thy kingdom come;" let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 4

A Rule for Motives and Acts

Neither animosity nor mere personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, divine Love alone governs man; and a Christian Scientist reflects the sweet amenities of Love, in rebuking sin, in true brotherliness, charitableness, and forgiveness. The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 1

Alertness to Duty

It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned.

Church Manual, Article VIII, Sect. 6

Take Notice

To Christian Scientists: — See Science and Health, page 442, line 30, and give daily attention thereto.

from Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 237

“Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake.”

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 422

This Bible Lesson was prepared by Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent. It is composed of Scriptural Quotations from the King James Bible and Correlative Passages from the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 1910 Edition, by Mary Baker Eddy.

Copyright 2023 Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent

Table of Contents

Sunday, February 19th, 2023 — Subject: Mind

Date of Lesson

Subject, Golden Text, and Responsive Reading

Lesson Sermon — The Bible

Lesson Sermon — Science and Health

The Daily Duties

About the preparation of this lesson