1. Date of Lesson

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 — Matter

GOLDEN TEXT: Proverbs 28 : 6

“Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness, than he that is perverse in his ways, though he be rich.”

RESPONSIVE READING: Psalm 112 : 1-5, 9

1.     Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

2.     His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

3.     Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

4.     Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

5.     A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

9.     He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

Lesson Sermon

The Bible

1. Psalm 49 : 1-4, 6-11, 16-18

1     Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world:

2     Both low and high, rich and poor, together.

3     My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

4     I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp.

6     They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;

7     None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:

8     (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

9     That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

10     For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.

11     Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.

16     Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased;

17     For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

18     Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.

2. Luke 7 : 6 (Jesus) (to .)

6     Jesus went with them.

3. Luke 12 : 13-21

13     And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.

14     And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

15     And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

16     And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

17     And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

18     And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

19     And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

20     But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

21     So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

4. Acts 20 : 1 (Paul), 32-35

1     Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

32     And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

33     I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.

34     Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

35     I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

5. I Timothy 6 : 17-19

17     Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

18     That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;

19     Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

6. Acts 5 : 1 (a certain)-11

1     …a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2     And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

3     But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

4     Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5     And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6     And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him.

7     And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in.

8     And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.

9     Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

10     Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

11     And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

7. I John 2 : 15-17

15     Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16     For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17     And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Science and Health

1. 275 : 1 (Matter)-9

Matter has no life to lose, and Spirit never dies. A partnership of mind with matter would ignore omnipresent and omnipotent Mind. This shows that matter did not originate in God, Spirit, and is not eternal. Therefore matter is neither substantial, living, nor intelligent. The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind, — that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle.

2. 458 : 32-8

Christianity causes men to turn naturally from matter to Spirit, as the flower turns from darkness to light. Man then appropriates those things which "eye hath not seen nor ear heard." Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the worldling's affections, motives, and aims.

3. 241 : 31-8

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." Denial of the claims of matter is a great step towards the joys of Spirit, towards human freedom and the final triumph over the body.

4. 273 : 1-9

Matter and its claims of sin, sickness, and death are contrary to God, and cannot emanate from Him. There is no material truth. The physical senses can take no cognizance of God and spiritual Truth. Human belief has sought out many inventions, but not one of them can solve the problem of being without the divine Principle of divine Science. Deductions from material hypotheses are not scientific. They differ from real Science because they are not based on the divine law.

5. 120 : 7-14

Science reverses the false testimony of the physical senses, and by this reversal mortals arrive at the fundamental facts of being. Then the question inevitably arises: Is a man sick if the material senses indicate that he is in good health? No! for matter can make no conditions for man. And is he well if the senses say he is sick? Yes, he is well in Science in which health is normal and disease is abnormal.

6. 124 : 25-31

Spirit is the life, substance, and continuity of all things. We tread on forces. Withdraw them, and creation must collapse. Human knowledge calls them forces of matter; but divine Science declares that they belong wholly to divine Mind, are inherent in this Mind, and so restores them to their rightful home and classification.

7. 301 : 17-29

As God is substance and man is the divine image and likeness, man should wish for, and in reality has, only the substance of good, the substance of Spirit, not matter. The belief that man has any other substance, or mind, is not spiritual and breaks the First Commandment, Thou shalt have one God, one Mind. Mortal man seems to himself to be material substance, while man is "image" (idea). Delusion, sin, disease, and death arise from the false testimony of material sense, which, from a supposed standpoint outside the focal distance of infinite Spirit, presents

an inverted image of Mind and substance with everything turned upside down.

8. 199 : 32-7

When Homer sang of the Grecian gods, Olympus was dark, but through his verse the gods became alive in a nation's belief. Pagan worship began with muscularity, but the law of Sinai lifted thought into the song of David. Moses advanced a nation to the worship of God in Spirit instead of matter, and illustrated the grand human capacities of being bestowed by immortal Mind.

9. 262 : 17-26

Job said: "I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee." Mortals will echo Job's thought, when the supposed pain and pleasure of matter cease to predominate. They will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly, working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God. Starting from a higher standpoint, one rises spontaneously, even as light emits light without effort; for "where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

10. 61 : 4-11

The good in human affections must have ascendency over the evil and the spiritual over the animal, or happiness will never be won. The attainment of this celestial condition would improve our progeny, diminish crime, and give higher aims to ambition. Every valley of sin must be exalted, and every mountain of selfishness be brought low, that the highway of our God may be prepared in Science.

11. 205 : 7-13, 32-3

When will the error of believing that there is life in matter, and that sin, sickness, and death are creations of God, be unmasked? When will it be understood that matter has neither intelligence, life, nor sensation, and that the opposite belief is the prolific source of all suffering? God created all through Mind, and made all perfect and eternal.

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 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, March 19th, 2023 — Subject: Matter

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