despaired of making the people understand what God, through science, said to him, the supreme Soul bade him cast down his rod, and it became a serpent, and he fled at first before the serpent, but afterwards took it up, proving his power over it. And “the hand that was made leprous as snow,” he put into his bosom again and plucked it out, and behold it was as his other flesh, and Wisdom said: “It shall come to pass if they will not hear thee, neither harken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter;” that is, they will listen to its interpretation, when they see its demonstration in healing. Jesus also said in his answer to John's inquiry, “Art thou he that should come?” “Go and show John again these things ye see and hear; the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, etc., and blessed is he who shall not be offended in me;” in other words, who shall not deny that this is the demonstration of Truth. Jesus said to his followers: “Go ye into all the world, heal the sick,” etc., and this was enjoined not on his disciples alone, but on all Christendom; wherefore, said he: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them, who shall understand through the word.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God,” the Principle of all being; hence it was not a person, to be understood, or that healed the sick, neither mediumship, mesmerism, nor drugs, but the Principle, that is, Life and Truth.
In the original Scriptures, metaphor abounded, and proper names were significant of spiritual ideas, The authors of Smith's Bible Dictionary say, “The spiritual interpretation of the Scripture must rest upon both the literal and moral.” In the original it was written: “Je-
