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22. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? 23. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. And they had been sent from the Pharisees.

24.

25. And they asked him. and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?

26. John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,

27. Even he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.

28.

These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29. On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world! 30. This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me.

31. And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.

32. And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.

33. And I knew him not; but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.

34. And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

GOLDEN TEXT Behold the lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!— John 1:29.

In the regeneration two states of mind are constantly at work. First, the cleansing or denial state, in which all the error thoughts are eliminated. This includes forgiveness for sins committed and a general clearing up of the whole consciousness. The idea is to get back into the pure, natural consciousness of the Spirit. This state of mind is typified by John the Baptist, who came out of the wilderness, a child of nature - whose mission was to make straight the way for one who was to follow.

This putting away sin from the consciousness, or baptism through denial, and forgiveness, is very closely allied to the deeper work which is to follow; so much so that to the observer it seems the same. Hence the followers of John, when they saw the works

he did, asked if he was the Messiah. His answer was that the one who followed him was to baptize with Holy Spirit.

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From this we discern that mental cleansing, and the reforms that put the conscious mind in order, are preparing the way for that larger and more permanent consciousness that is to follow. This is the denial of self," or personality. Jesus said, "Deny thyself and follow me." Self is the consciousness that brings about the crucifixion. We are all guilty in a way of personal aims, which are always narrow and selfish. So long as these exist and take the place of the rightful One there is no room for the Higher Self, the Christ of God.

When the conscious mind has been put in order the Holy Spirit descends with peace like a dove. If this cleansing baptism of John does not precede the Holy Ghost baptism there is conflict in the consciousness the old error thoughts contending for their place, refuse to go out and a veritable war is the result. In metaphysical healing this is called "chemicalization." When it stirs up the patient until the body is racked with pain a very crucifixion takes place. But this is greatly modified, if not entirely eliminated, by the putting the mind in Divine order through the Nature loving John.

The bearing record that "This is the Son of God" is an important matter in the regeneration. The recognition of man as the Son of God, and the establishment in the mind of the new relation between the Divine Father and the Son, is essential to the process. If we do not affirm our sonship, with all its privileges and powers, we are sure to belittle ourselves and make limitations that prevent the entering into the fulness of the God-head. "Be ye perfect even as your Father in heaven is perfect."

ANSWERS .TO QUESTIONS

JENNIE H. CROFT

271. I am informed that Mrs. Eddy discourages a large, or indeed, any family, that the responsibility of bringing a new "thought" into the world is too great. Will you please state the attitude which Practical Christianity takes upon this question?— MRS. C. B. P.

The followers of Practical Christianity believe that there are most wonderful possibilities in pro-creation when the law of mental and spiritual cause and effect is understood and applied. Under these conditions the quality of the human race would improve from generation to generation until mankind became veritable Gods. This must necessarily be at the expense of quantity, each generation being fewer in number but of finer substance physically, mentally and spiritually. No soul should be invited into this world without careful and prayerful preparation on the part of the parents for its coming, long before the inception of the new life. After this time the power of suggestion must be recognized, and the effect of beautiful pictures, soul-stirring music and ennobling thoughts be brought to bear upon the developing life until it becomes a fitting temple for the beautiful, living soul which will inhabit it. This is under the law of generation. In regeneration" they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels in heaven." When we have risen to this plane, we are done with both the cradle and the grave.

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272. I would like to have a mental clearing up on the phrase, "Calling on the name of Jesus Christ." Now, Jesus was born of Mary and Christ was born of God, and Paul says, Christ in you the hope of glory." Now, if the Christ in me is my hope, he would be my Christ, and I will call upon my own Christ, not the Christ of Jesus. But tell me if it appears to you that Jesus Christ is really officiating between me and God, and that some sort of terms or obeisance must be made with that idea before God can become present with us. I have the idea that Jesus Christ was personally, and his example and words are yet, the shower of the way to God, and having shown us the way to God through the Christ within, I can go direct to God myself.-E. H. B.

You are right, we should never call upon the "Christ of Jesus," or upon any other entity or force to mediate between us and the GOOD, nor should we call upon exterior powers for what we have right within ourselves. Calling upon Jesus Christ means simply to

call into activity within our consciousness that great power for which the name stands. Jesus Christ is not a man, it is a force, a divine energy, and Jesus, the man of Nazareth, demonstrated what this power could do. This is the inheritance of everyone, and when we recognize this same power as our own, then we may call upon it, set it in operation within us, and then even as he said, "Greater things than these shall ye do." There is no mediator between God and man other than the indwelling Christ, the only begotten son and the Father said, "Son, all that I have is thine, and "All mine is thine."

273. Jesus did not answer when asked "What is Truth?" Why did he not do so? Please define Truth according to your understanding. A STUDENT.

Jesus did not answer Pilate's question because the answer could not be made in words. Truth is something to be, not something to define. Truth is a living power so fine as to be grasped only by the perception. We cannot tell you what Truth is, but each individual may feel within himself the impulse to be all that is pure and good and true, and this is the result of the cause which we call Truth. We are told that "If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine," and through doing the will we come to recognize our oneness with the Father and to grow into a realization of the Truth which each knows for himself and not for another, and which is the GooD in us.

274. Is it better to suffer adversities of life, or to take all the forces at our command and fight the difficulties until we have mastered them and they trouble us no more?

To take up arms and fight an evil is but to perpetuate it, for we have learned by experience that whatever we fight, fights back. Jesus taught us the better way when he said, "Overcome evil with good." I have found that we do not need to suffer or to fight. If conditions or people are not what we think we should like, we must begin to deal with ourselves and seek to change our mental attitude toward them. It may be that they are right and we are wrong when we come to examine into the matter. In any case we must harbor only thoughts of love toward them, seek to see only the good in them, and this attitude frees us both from the bondage to ideas of evil. If a cloud comes between us and our friend, we must look right through that cloud to the sun of light and love

ever shining for us both, and thus restore harmony. We must know that there is a power which is eternally adjusting things for us, and if today we are disturbed, tomorrow we will rise in the confidence that all is right, and say to the disturbing influence, "You have no part in me. You do not belong to me We must con

cern ourselves with ourselves alone, and not seek to control others. No matter what others may do, the Master says, "What

is that to thee, follow thou me."

DEFINITIONS

BY H. M. HELLER.

What is God? Omnipotent Mind.

"In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God: and the Word was God."

"The same was in the beginning with God, all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made."

What is Christ? The Perfect Man sent down from God.

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities: but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

What is man?

nipotent Mind.

The visible expression of the Om

"For God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him."

What is Thinking? The action of the Mind as controlled by Man.

"But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another, for every man shall bear his own burden."

What is Denial and Affirmation? Assertion of Oneness with Divine Mind.

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'For ye are all in Christ Jesus. That they all may be one: as thou Father art in me, and I in Thee, that they may be one in us."

What is the Power of the Word?

The visible evi

dence of the action of the mind as controlled by Man." "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

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