Sunday, November 3rd, 2019 Roundtable

Oh, my God, I offer as a consecrated gift upon Thine altar, a heart dedicated to Thy service, lips speaking only words of charity, love, and truth, thoughts striving to be only the true thoughts of the Mind of God. Help me to endure unto the end, strong in the faith, powerful in the truth, all the influence that I can bring to bear, all the force of tongue or pen that is mine, I offer in Thy service. May heaven help, consecrate, and accept.

— Mrs. Eddy’s Prayer, given at the Massachusetts Metaphysical College, found in both the April 1885 Christian Science Journal and in Mary Baker Eddy’s Six Days of Revelation, page 171

496 — WATCH that you realize that you are a terror to error, that your consciousness of God is so effective and powerful, and you are the custodian of such vast power, that the moment you apply it, it does things, it dissipates error and leaves the infinite good filling all space. The time must come when we recognize ourselves as aggressors, rather than merely defenders of the faith. There is a temptation to feel that there exists a great lie claiming to be power, and that we must forever protect ourselves against it. Like the knights of old we must ride forth with shield and sword to defend ourselves against error, so that we may destroy it. Yet this conception does not fit Mrs. Eddy’s statement that she used to do her work with the realization that God is All. The answer is that this phase of our experience is a necessary but passing one. We must recognize ourselves as terrors to error, until we can rise to the realization that there is no error, since God is All.

Some students fail because they regard animal magnetism as a lion, and themselves as but a rabbit. We are the lion equipped with God’s power. The lie retreats when we face it with divine courage.

Mrs. Eddy once said, “Animal magnetism is powerless — but you must declare against it as though it had all power.”

— from 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter

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Golden Text — “All things work together for good to them that love God.” — I Romans 8 : 28

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Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

— Romans 13 : 1, 2 from Responsive Reading portion of this week’s Lesson

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Forum post from June 13, 2019 — “Being non-resistant to God.” by Jeremy

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Father, we Thy loving children
Lift our hearts in joy today,
Knowing well that Thou wilt keep us
Ever in Thy blessed way.
Thou art Love and Thou art wisdom,
Thou art Life and Thou art All;
In Thy Spirit living, moving,
We shall neither faint nor fall.

Come we daily then, dear Father,
Open hearts and willing hands,
Eager ears, expectant, joyful,
Ready for Thy right commands.
We would hear no other voices,
We would heed no other call;
Thou alone art good and gracious,
Thou our Mind and Thou our All.

In Thy house securely dwelling,
Where Thy children live to bless,
Seeing only Thy creation,
We can share Thy happiness,
Share Thy joy and spend it freely.
Loyal hearts can feel no fear;
We Thy children know Thee, Father,
Love and Life forever near.

— Hymn 58 from the Christian Science Hymnal

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Forum post — “Sin confers no pleasure.” by Joanne

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Everlasting Love destroys everlasting punishment.

— Doris White Evans

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Humility is an unresistant thought.

— Plainfield Roundtable

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A corrupt mind is manifested in a corrupt body. Lust, malice, and all sorts of evil are diseased beliefs, and you can destroy them only by destroying the wicked motives which produce them. If the evil is over in the repentant mortal mind, while its effects still remain on the individual, you can remove this disorder as God’s law is fulfilled and reformation cancels the crime. The healthy sinner is the hardened sinner.

The temperance reform, felt all over our land, results from metaphysical healing, which cuts down every tree that brings not forth good fruit. This conviction, that there is no real pleasure in sin, is one of the most important points in the theology of Christian Science. Arouse the sinner to this new and true view of sin, show him that sin confers no pleasure, and this knowledge strengthens his moral courage and increases his ability to master evil and to love good.

— Citation 7 from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, page 404 : 9-25

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Grace: A divine influence or the influence of the spirit, in renewing the heart and restraining from sin.

— from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

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And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.

Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings;

— I Samuel 25 from citation 2 in the Bible portion of this week’s Lesson

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Regenerate — “to implant holy affections in the heart.”

— from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

A virtue of divine origin.

— Plainfield Roundtable

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Forum post — “Thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.” by Susanne

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Brood o’er us with Thy shelt’ring wing,
’Neath which our spirits blend
Like brother birds, that soar and sing,
And on the same branch bend.
The arrow that doth wound the dove
Darts not from those who watch and love.

If thou the bending reed wouldst break
By thought or word unkind,
Pray that his spirit you partake,
Who loved and healed mankind:
Seek holy thoughts and heavenly strain,
That make men one in love remain.

Learn, too, that wisdom’s rod is given
For faith to kiss, and know;
That greetings glorious from high heaven,
Whence joys supernal flow,
Come from that Love, divinely near,
Which chastens pride and earth-born fear,

Through God, who gave that word of might
Which swelled creation’s lay:
“Let there be light, and there was light.”
What chased the clouds away?
’Twas Love whose finger traced aloud
A bow of promise on the cloud.

Thou to whose power our hope we give,
Free us from human strife.
Fed by Thy love divine we live,
For Love alone is Life;
And life most sweet, as heart to heart
Speaks kindly when we meet and part.

— Hymn 30 from the Christian Science Hymnal The words to this hymn are written by Mary Baker Eddy

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Forum post — “Partially indulged.” by Lynda

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Article — Taking Offense From Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy page 223-224

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Article — Love Your Enemies From Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy

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Ripen: To be matured; to be fitted or prepared; as, to mature; to fit or prepare; as, to ripen one for heaven. To bring to perfection; as, to ripen the judgment.

— from Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

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Final Readings