Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures | Page 6

have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. - CHRIST JESUS.
1:1 THE prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are 1:3 possible to God,- a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love. Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak from experience. 1:6 Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-im- molation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christian- 1:9 ization and health of mankind. Thoughts unspoken are not unknown to the divine Mind. Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from 1:12 trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds. Right motives
2:1 What are the motives for prayer? Do we pray to make ourselves better or to benefit those who hear us, 2:3 to enlighten the infinite or to be heard of men? Are we benefited by praying? Yes, the desire which goes forth hungering after righteous- 2:6 ness is blessed of our Father, and it does not return unto us void. Deity unchangeable
God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more 2:9 than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He is unchang- ing wisdom and Love. We can do more for 2:12 ourselves by humble fervent petitions, but the All-lov- ing does not grant them simply on the ground of lip- service, for He already knows all.
2:15 Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it. Goodness at- tains the demonstration of Truth. A request that 2:18 God will save us is not all that is required. The mere habit of pleading with the divine Mind, as one pleads with a human being, perpetuates the belief in God as 2:21 humanly circumscribed,- an error which impedes spirit- ual growth. God's standard
God is Love. Can we ask Him to be more? God is 2:24 intelligence. Can we inform the infinite Mind of any- thing He does not already comprehend? Do we expect to change perfection? Shall 2:27 we plead for more at the open fount, which is pour- ing forth more than we accept? The unspoken desire does bring us nearer the source of all existence and 2:30 blessedness. Asking God to /be/ God is a vain repetition. God is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever;" and 3:1 He who is immutably right will do right without being reminded of His province. The wisdom of man is not 3:3 sufficient to warrant him in advising God. The spiritual mathematics
Who would stand before a blackboard, and pray the principle of mathematics to solve the problem? The 3:6 rule is already established, and it is our task to work out the solution. Shall we ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do His own 3:9 work? His work is done, and we have only to avail ourselves of God's rule in order to receive His bless- ing, which enables us to work out our own salvation.
3:12 The Divine Being must be reflected by man, - else man is not the image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One "altogether lovely;" but to 3:15 understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire. Prayerful ingratitude
How empty are our conceptions of Deity! We admit 3:18 theoretically that God is good, omnipotent, omni- present, infinite, and then we try to give information to this infinite Mind. We plead 3:21 for unmerited pardon and for a liberal outpouring of benefactions. Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the 3:24 blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more. Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks. Action expresses more gratitude than speech.
3:27 If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are in- sincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pro- 3:30 nounces on hypocrites. In such a case, the only acceptable prayer is to put the finger on the lips and remember our blessings. While the heart is far from 4:1 divine Truth and Love, we cannot conceal the ingrati- tude of barren lives. Efficacious petitions
4:3 What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. To keep the com- 4:6 mandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper