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In true understanding there is no room for warped or astigmatic thought. So long as I "abide in my Father's house" of spiritual realization the Father says to me, “All that I have is thine"-every perfection. By true understanding, by the perfect perception of harmonious, symmetrical Truth as the real status of being, and by the denial of every astigmatic error thought, and by continually abiding in Truth I shall be able to look all things squarely in the face, seeing all things clearly without astigmatic thought or astigmatic vision. While I looked through blurred and distorted thought, I saw all things blurred and distorted, after the pattern of my thought. So I must proceed to correct the error subjective in myself—I must 'cast the beam out of my own eye"-see clearly within if I would see clearly without. To see as through the eyes of Divinity is to see truly and without myopia or astigmatism.

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Truth is not in time nor space-neither too near so as to make me myopic, nor yet too remote so as to make me presbyopic. It is. "Say not in they heart, who shall ascend into heaven to bring Christ down, nor who shall descend into the deep to bring Christ up. It is nigh thee and in thy heart, the word of Truth." Truth is not a something to get or acquire. It is not even a something. It is Divine Principle, unchangeable and ever present, not to be sought, but to be recognized and realized in all its perfection. Therefore, in Truth, omnipresent, without variableness, nearness or remoteness, there can be no astigmatism, no myopia, no presbyopia, no hypermetropia, or any other opia of the whole category of false claims. They are a part of the hallucination of mortal thought in the dream of illusion. I have nothing to do with illusion. I am Being, and as eternal Being, belong and exist in the realm of reality, where all perfection eternally is. In this "strong tower," in this "secret place of the Most High," I now choose to abide, and realize that "all is good," that every perfection is mine now. Had I at all times this understanding, there could have been no acquired myopia;

had my parents fully understood this truth, there could have been no congenital myopia. On me alone rests the responsiblity of continuing to manifest what I now see clearly to be only error, falsity, illusion. I now firmly repudiate it and relegate it to the realm of the false and the unreal. I cast out the lie of the astigmatic thought, and affirm perfection of Being, perfectly square and clear perception of Truth, and claim the right to manifest all this implies.

Those spectacles! they are an offense unto me, because they emphasize and perpetuate error, and thus hide. the truth of being from my consciousness; and, besides warping vision, with consciousness clouded, they lead me into interminable labyrinths of error. I must be rid of the. whole combination; and if these spectacles are the stumblingblock by which error is perpetuated, and by which I am led into interminable mazes of error, then I throw them to the dogs-away with them (throwing them away). They shall never stand in the way of my understanding of Truth, and of my ultimate attainment to the manifestation of the Sons of God. Truth is full-orbed, symmetrical, omnipresent. Understanding is perfect perception of Truth, which is true sight. With true sight in realization I cast out all myopic and astigmatic thought, and find there is no myopic or astigmatic vision. I am no longer in bondage.

This reasoning was first entered upon as a sort of intellectual exercise to see how I stood before the bar of Truth, but before I got through I found myself the prisoner at the bar, under sentence, with no way of escape but through reform and demonstration. The result is an infirmity of forty years is overcome, and I have been a free man ever since.

[EDITOR'S NOTE.-The foregoing was written in January, 1901, and the demonstration had taken place six years previous. When Mr. Douglass last visited this office, in June, 1912, he read his Bible on the platform without glasses.]

BIBLE LESSONS

BY CHARLES FILLMORE

LESSON 4, OCTOBER 27

WANDERINGS IN DECAPOLIS.-Mark 7:31-8:10.

31. And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of Decapolis.

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

33. And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; 34. And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

35. And his ears were opened, and the bond 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 they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well; he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

1. In those days, when there was again a great multitude, and they had nothing to eat, he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them,

2. I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat:

3. And if I send them away fasting to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them are come from far.

4. And his disciples answered him, Whence shall one be able to fill these men with bread here in a desert place?

5. And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

6. And he commandeth the multitude to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.

7. And they had a few small fishes: and having blessed them, he commanded to set these also before them.

8. And they ate, and were filled: and they took up, broken pieces that remained over, seven baskets.

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9. And they were about four thousand: and he sent them away. 10. And straightway he entered into the boat with his disciples, and came into the parts of Dalmanutha.

GOLDEN TEXT-He hath done all things well; he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. -Mark 7:37.

All physical acts are first performed in the mind. The strongest man in the world, Sandow, said in an interview: "It is in the mind-all a matter of mind. The muscles really have a secondary place. A man with strong concentration of mind will develop quicker in the quality of his muscles than will he who cannot concentrate his mind upon the matter. The whole secret of my system lies in concentration of mind." This testimony from a man who is a muscular giant, is important because of the emphasis he puts upon the mind as the source of power.

But the mind does not necessarily have to confine its working power to fleshly muscles. A magnet the size of a man's arm will lift as much scrap iron as twenty men, when it is charged with electricity.

Metaphysicians find that there is an energy even finer than electricity through which the mind acts they call it Spirit. When the mind concentrates upon Spirit there is an inflow of this finer force, and the whole man, spirit, soul, body, is charged like a magnet.

In the lesson today Decapolis means "Ten cities." In the symbology of the New Testament a city represents a nerve center. Jesus withdrew his attention from the outer centers (borders), Tyre and Sidon, and concentrated upon the "midst," Decapolis. These ten centers are of the soul, and when lined up by a developed mind exert great power.

Deafness is usually caused by inability of nerves in carrying sound waves. Back of this is the mind that prevents the natural inflow and outflow of universal life. Continuous thought about self and selfish interests throws the life force to the nerve centers and they become clogged.

The blood and serums are congested in the mucous linings, and medical men classify the various conditions that arise as disease. The remedy for such is a quickening of the life flow in the body, and opening of the mind to Truth.

Jesus may have treated the deaf and dumb man just as described in the lesson. He had purified and raised to a high rate of vibration all the elements of his organism. He was like a highly electrified magnet, which could impart its power to other magnets in a state of partial inertia. Energy flowed from his finger tips and his saliva was a quickening, purifying serum. When he had set going the physical machinery of hearing and speech, his next and most important move was to impart the consciousness of Spirit, which he did. "He looked up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Eph-pha-tha, that is, Be opened."

Jesus is still with us, doing his mighty works. "Lo, I am with you alway." We must have faith in the spiritual power of our minds, then the way is opened for the healing of our deafness and dumbness. We should all be hearing the voice of the Spirit and speaking the words of Truth. We need this treatment daily until our minds and ears are opened. Enter into the "midst" of your consciousness and quicken the power dormant there. Then throw it out to ears and tongue, saying as you do so, “In the name of Jesus Christ, Be opened."

LESSON 5, NOVEMBER 3

THE SIGN AND THE LEAVEN-Mark 8:11-26. 11. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, trying him.

12. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

13. And he left them, and again entering into the boat departed to the other side.

14. And they forgot to take bread; and they had not in the boat with them more than one loaf.

15. And he charged them, saying, Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

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