LESSON VII. Jesus Forgives Sin.

Mark 2:1-12.

Central Truth: It is through individual giving over to Divine Order that man restores the inactive functions of his body.

I AM Affirmation: I am inspired by the invigorating power of Spirit.

LESSON VIII. Jesus and the Sabbath.— Matt. 12:1-13.

Central Truth: We attain the true Sabbath day of rest when we realize that it is not the personality but the Spirit that does the work.

I AM Affirmation: It is not I but the Father within me, he doeth the works.

LESSON IX. Hearers and Doers of the Word.- Matt. 7:21-29.

Central Truth: Self and selfish aims must be surrendered before we can realize the harmony of heaven.

I AM Affirmation: Not my will, but thine be done.

LESSON X. Jesus Calms the Storm - Matt. 4:35-41. Central Truth: By proclaiming peace to Our thoughts we still the vibrations of vitality on every plane of consciousness.

I AM Affirmation: Peace, Be Still!

LESSON XI. Death of John the Baptist.- Matt. 14:1-12. Central Truth: Do not condemn your evil tendencies but overcome them without conflict. I AM Affirmation: I am temperate in all things, especially my thoughts.

LESSON XII. Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand. - Matt. 14:13-23.

Central Truth: Satisfaction in mind and body can be had through Spiritual realization only. I AM Affirmation: I do not live alone on the food that I eat, but upon the thoughts that I think and the words that I speak.

Lesson 1. April 3.

JESUS VISITS TYRE AND SIDON.-Mark 7:24-37.

24. And from thence he arose, and went into the border of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered into an house, and would have no man know it; but he could not be hid.

25. For a certain woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet.

26. The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.

27. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.

28.

And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord, but the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.

29. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.

30. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

31. And again, departing from the coast of Tyre and Sidon, he came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis.

32. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him.

33. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue;

34. And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

35. And straightway his ears were opened, and the strings of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.

36. And he charged them that they should tell no man; but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it:

37. And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

GOLDEN TEXT- Without faith it is impossible to please Him.- Heb. 11:6.

Tyre means strength, and Sidon wild. They refer to that region of man which may be termed body sensation. This realm in its intelligent aspect is designated in Scripture as Greek. It has not been -illuminated by Spirit, and is considered too material to be worthy of spiritualization. This is the way nearly all people look upon the body and its sensations. As shown in this lesson they go into it consciously; "he entered into a house," but they do not want it known, "and would have no man know it;" but we can't get away from our thoughts, "he could not be hid."

The Greek woman represents the unspiritualized love, natural to body. Its daughter is physical sensation, which has been sensualized by impure thought.

Whenever the illuminated I AM centres its attention in a part of the consciousness there is at once a quickening of intelligence and reaching out for higher things by the thoughts there operating. Every part of the organism is under the control of a set of thoughts that direct and care for that particular function. The nerves are under the control of a man who thinks about nerves; the muscles, bones, blood, in fact every department of the man each has its distinct thought centre, which forms a personality. So we are made up of many men and many women, because there is both the musculine and feminine qualities equally distributed, and they all work together in harmony when Divine order is established.

We really use all these different parts of our being, but not understandingly. In our ignorance we dissipate the natural purity and strength of these obedient people who form our soul and body. But when we become illuminated by the Spirit a reform sets in, and they all reflect the new light that has come to us, especially so when we concentrate our minds upon the centres, or "enter into the house."

Yet there lingers in the mind that old idea, borrowed from the limited vision of the Jew, that the Spirit does not include the body in its redemptive process. But the body cries out for cleansing and purification. "Even the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." Good common sense should teach us that life is continuous throughout nature, a continuous stream proceeding from the highest to the lowest.

This understanding of the unity and purity of the One Life brings healing to the demonized sense consciousness. "She found the child laid upon the bed and the devil gone out.

Galilee means to whirl, and Decapolis ten cities.

This refers to a place of great vital activity to which ten of the body centres are closely related. This is the nerve centre at the root of the tongue, which controls the distribution of the nervous energy from the medulla oblongata to the sympathetic nervous system permeating all parts of the organism. This centre responds to the word POWER. When one lets the thought of powerlessness and inability to grapple with conditions control, there is a lack of action at this centre that causes the voice to grow weak; sometimes even the speech has an impediment. The flow of nervous energy to the ears is also cut off and deafness results. The hand represents the activity of the thought of power. So when they beseech him to lay his hand upon him," they ask for the thought of power to be laid at this centre, the tongue touched with the Divine thought, and the words "Be opened" spoken to the ears. This is a treatment for fluency of speech and clearer hearing. It should be repeated daily until the quickening is realized.

Lesson 2. April 10.

66

PETER CONFESSES THE CHRIST.- Mark 8:27-38.

27. And Jesus went out and his disciples, into the towns of Cæsarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am?

28. And they answered, John the Baptist, but some say, Elias, and others, One of the prophets.

29. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

30.

And he charged them that they should teil no man of him. 31. And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

32. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him

33. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

34.

And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, and follow me.

35. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.

36. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

GOLDEN TEXT — Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.-Matt. 16:16.

There is a realm in consciousness that is ambitious for temporal conquest and dominion, designated in this lesson Caesarea Philippi. This is the realm where personality has to be met and overcome.

The faculties of man (disciples) have to be educated in spiritual understanding. They are connected with the world of Spirit within and the world of form without. When the spiritual anointing, which is a quickening and broadening of the understanding, takes place in the individual, there is sort a of "quiz club" in the mind, and we ask and answer our own questions.

"Who do men say that I am?" What does personality say about this new consciousness? We have not thought about the real identity, nor meditated upon the deep questions of existence. But the pouring into the mind of the light of Spirit agitates these most important problems of our being, and we begin to ask what it all means. Personality sees all things in a personal way. The new consciousness is asserting itself, and we are forced to give it attention. The first thought is that it is personal in its character, "Elijah or one of the prophets." This is the testimony of men; the many minds that are not yet in the understanding of Principle. When the question is submitted to the untrammeled discernment of Truth, which is native to everyone, the reply is "This is the Christ."

Inward confession of this great truth is absolutely necessary to its ultimate perpetuation in consciousness. When we say in thought "I am it," we lay right hold of the substance of the mind, and a founda