13. But go ye and learn what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice: for I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. GOLDEN TEXT-The Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins.-Matt. 9:6. Jesus taught that it is the prerogative of the Son of man to forgive sin. But the Scribes thought it blasphemy for man to claim to do what they construed to be the exclusive privilege of God. So those who today read only the letter of life, and have no understanding of mental action and the metaphysical character of the soul, reason from the standpoint of the Scribe—it is sacrilegious for man to claim to be able to forgive sin. But a little sound reasoning shows that the Son of Man, which is man in the consciousness of I Am power, does forgive sin daily. Peloubet says, "There are in the Bible ine terms for in-debts, missing the mark, lawlessness, disobedience, transgression, fault (moral aberration), defeat, impiousness, dis-harmony er discord. For all these kinds of sin we need forgiveness. And there are as many words for forgiveness as for sinsforgive, remit, send away, cover up, blot out, destroy wash away, cleanse, make them as if they had never been." When man through sound reason perceives that God does not sin, nor suffer for sin, he soon locates the sinner in himself and also the one who suffers frora sin. Then shall not the sinner right his own wrong? Certainly, when he understands his relation to God and the power of his word to extricate his mind from its delusions. We often speak of sinning against God, as if God were the injured one. In Truth there is no such thing as sinning against God. This would imply that we could break up the foundations of Being itself. Man departs from the standard which is fundamental in Being and gets the result in the defeat which follows; so he sins against himself. When he, or another man who is careful to conform to that Divine standard, again restores the currents of mental harmony, the discordant effect disappears and the sin is forgiven. When the mother finds discord in her children, and in the quiet strength of her own spiritual poise speaks the word of peace, she is forgiving sin just as effectually in her sphere of action as Jesus did when he said to the violent winds, "Peace, be still." When the querulous fault-finder resolves to mend his ways and praise the good in everybody and everything, he is forgiving sin. When the materially-minded turns to spiritual thoughts and themes he is forgiving the sin of disobedience. It is the Spirit of Truth in us all that is moving to these Divine ends, and man through its inspiration finds out the law of God and conforms to it, then harmony reigns in his mind and body-his sins are forgiven. In the lesson today Jesus perceived that the Scribes were saying to themselves, "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go unto thy house." That is, it is easy enough for man to say, "Son, thy sins ars forgiven," but what proof is there that it has been accomplished? Then Jesus shows that forgiveness of sin is followed by a release from those conditions which the sin has brought about, and he says to the sick of palsy, "I say unto thee, Arise and take up thy bed and go unto thine house." From this we learn that we should not only forgive the sin mentally but also speak a word of freedom to the condition which has been fixed in the body as the result of that sin. Lesson 13, March 27. EASTER LESSON-THE EMPTY TOMB.- 1. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2. And very early on the first day of the week, they come to the tomb when the sun was risen. 3. And they were saying among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? 4. and looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back: for it was exceeding great. 5. And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, arrayed in a white robe; and they were amazed. 6. And he saith unto them, Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, who hath been crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid him! 7. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8. And they went out, and fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them: and they said nothing to any one for they were afraid. GOLDEN TEXT-I am he that liveth, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever more.-Rev. 1:18. The resurrection of Jesus is a great mystery, and to those who read the Bible in the letter, and have no discernment of the power of the spirit to transform the body, it must ever remain a mystery. In former times believers accepted it as a miracle and made no attempt to explain the law by which it was accomplished, but blind faith is not so popular in the church as it once was and skeptics are more bold. The school of "higher criticism" is openly attacking Bible occurences that cannot be accounted for under natural law, and the church seems on the eye of an open split between those who blindly accept and those who question the so-called "miraculous" of Scripture. The time is at hand when the church must either explain how Jesus did his miracles, including the resurrection of his body, or be counted weak minded by thinking people. That Jesus did know how to restore life to dead organs is evidenced by his healing paralytics, blind people, and in two cases raising those who had died. He knew a way of restoring life which those living in his age did not know. He tried to explain it to his disciples and companions but they did not understand. He told them before he was crucified that it would happen and that he would come to life again, but they seemed to have no comprehension of what he was saying. They thought he was telling them about the temple at Jerusalem when he was talking of his "body temple," which he could lay down and take up at will. It is not at all surprising in the face of this universal ignorance of the power of the Spirit in man, that the very near friends of Jesus were filled with astonishment and fear when they found that he was not in the tomb where they had laid him. They could not conceive that he had for years been training his soul to accomplish this very thing. But he had, and it is the heritage of this age to understand the law by which it was done. The body is the outer expression of a perfect bodyidea eternally existing in the Mind of Being. This body-idea is externalized through the thinking principle in man and he has power to think any condition into his body he can imagine. For ages men on this planet had lost sight of this law and their bodies got farther and farther away from the Divine plan until they died. Then death as a habit became so universal that they accepted it as unavoidable. Jesus spent whole nights in prayer and through the intensity of his devotions made union with the Divine Mind. This union was so full and complete that his whole being was flooded with spiritual life, power, substance, and the wisdom to use them in Divine Order. In this manner he projected the Divine Body Idea and through it his mortal body was transformed into an immortal body. This was accomplished before the crucifixion, and Jesus knew that he had so strengthened his soul that it would restore his body, no matter how badly it might be used by destructive men. Thousands in this day have found this law which Jesus demonstrated and they are steadily working, pray ing, denying, affirming, concentrating, willing, and in all ways building up the perfect body-idea, until it shall transform flesh corruptible into substance incorruptible. Thus they are following Jesus in the regeneration. Lesson 1, April 3. THE POWER OF TRUTH.-Matt. 9:18-34. 18. While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shali live. 19. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. 20. And behold, a woman, who had an issue of blood twelve years came behind him, and touched the border of his garment: 21. for she said within herself, If I do but touch his garment, I shall be made whole. 22. But Jesus turned and seeing her said, Daughter, be of good cheer; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour. 23. And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the flute-players, and the crowd making a tumult, 24. he said, Give place: for the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. 25. But when the crowd was put forth, he entered in, and took her by the hand; and the damsel arose. 26. Anu the fame hereof went forth into that land. 27. And as Jesus passed by from thence, two blind men followed him, crying out, and saying, Have mercy on us, thou son of David. 28. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They say unto him, Yea, Lord. 29. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. 30. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus strictly charged them, saying, See that no man know it. 31. But they went forth, and spread abroad his fame in all that land. 32. And as they went forth, behold there was brought to him a dumb man possessed with a demon. 33. And when the demon was cast out, the dumb man |