together with the reality it would falsely make of the impossibility of Life and Intelligence in matter. This error, or belief, shrinks from the voice of Truth calling to man, “where, or what, art thou, Soul or personal sense? art thou Spirit or matter? and belief replied, “I heard thy voice and was afraid.” Fear was the first manifestation of the belief of Life in matter, for “the wicked flee when no man pursueth”; fear founded sickness and death. Error was naked, but it could not hide from the eye of Wisdom; and Truth replied, who told thee thou art naked? and error fell back on personality, saying, “She gave me of the fruit of knowledge,” (a medical work, perhaps.) Woman, that was taken from my rib, (as if man was less the origin of her fault because she was not back again under that rib); told me I was in my body, and that Life and sensation are in matter. But when Truth questioned woman regarding the “knowledge” that said matter is intelligent, and personal sense is man, she replied, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Woman was the first to see out of the difficulty, owning this knowledge a serpent; as she is the first to lay down the belief that Life originates materially. A serpent hung on the “tree of knowledge,” metaphorically, to show its subtilty, and the Master bade his students be wise as the serpent, i. e., never allow the belief of Life and sensation in matter to put to silence the opposite, science of being. Woman was a higher idea of God than man, insomuch as she was the final one in the scale of being; but because our beliefs reverse every position of Truth, we name supreme being masculine, instead of feminine. Woman first perceived reason was beguiled by
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