Page:The Quimby Manuscripts.djvu/203

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CHRIST OR SCIENCE
199

Christ. Then Jesus said, “Flesh and blood hath not revealed this to you.” It must have come from the same power that Jesus had. Therefore He said, “Upon this rock or truth I will build my church or theory, and the gates of error and superstition shall not prevail against it.” This truth or Christ is what Jesus taught. This broke the locks and bars, opened the prison doors and let the captive free from the old superstition and ignorance. By this power He healed all manner of diseases, cast out devils, established health and happiness, brought peace and good will to man.

This theory came in contact will all other theories, for there were false ones and Christ warned the people against them. He said there were false Christs and told them how to distinguish between the false and the true. Now as Jesus became popular with the people, the chief priests, and the doctors or scribes sought how to put Him down, and they tried in every way to catch Him. At one time while in the temple the chief priests and elders of the people came to ask by what authority He did these things. Jesus answered them by asking them a question which, if they answered, He would tell them how He performed His cures. The baptism of John, or his theory, was it from Heaven or of man? And they reasoned among themselves, saying, If we say, from Heaven, He will say, “Why then did ye not believe it?” — for they had killed John as a prophet. And so they answered, “We cannot tell.” “Neither can I tell you how I do these things.”

As it never has been explained how Jesus did these things, the people have looked upon them as miracles. But to suppose Jesus performed a miracle is to suppose Him ignorant of the power He exercised, and if so He was just as much a quack as those He condemned; for He said, when accused of curing through ignorance or Beelzebub, “If I cast out devils through Beelzebub, my theory or kingdom cannot stand, but if I do it by Science, it is not of this world, but of God, and it will stand.” Here He makes a difference between ignorance and knowledge. Again, if Jesus was ignorant of His power, and did not know how to explain it to others, why did He tell His disciples to go out in all the world and heal all manner of disease? If ignorant of what He said, and gave no explanation of His manner of curing, He was as ignorant as they. But I am certain that He knew more than His disciples could understand, and as soon as Jesus was crucified, the cures