Handling the 'Judas Thought'

by Gilbert Carpenter

Animal magnetism and mental suggestion are merely the human mind operating in ways that have for their intent to rob man of God. To those to whom the term animal magnetism, covering the action of the human mind, is distasteful, the third verse of the twenty-second chapter of Luke should come as an awakening, proving that Judas was handled by it, since it declares that Satan entered into him. When students realize that to some extent they all yield to mesmerism, they realize how close many of them come at times to a betrayal of the Master.

Judas simply functioned under the human mind at a time when it required that dastardly deed to be done. Metaphysicians are not indignant at Judas for the betrayal, but at animal magnetism; although they do not mitigate Judas' responsibility for yielding to the human mind.

As students realize how easy it seems to be to yield to the human mind, they will take stronger measures against it, and prepare for war in times of peace. In Europe whole cities are trained to don gas masks when mock attacks are staged, in preparation for danger. Should not Christian Scientists be even more wise in the mental realm, and exercise a divine protection that will stand in times of stress, when mass mesmerism seems rife? What Christian Scientist dares to declare that all mortals are not subject to mental suggestion when awake or asleep? If mortals are wise enough to prepare cement fortifications in which they may take refuge in times of war, how much more should students of Christian Science prepare upper rooms in thought, where they may retreat when the armies of earth press hard upon them!

It is interesting to note, in connection with animal magnetism, that Jesus said that he would be betrayed by one whose hand was with him on the table, showing that a man's foes are they of his own household. It is difficult to feel that the thought we should protect ourselves from may come through our nearest and dearest. Yet, the very thought that we accept with never a suspicion that we should guard against it, when it is not governed by Truth, is always our betrayer.

When we like people, we are apt to feel that they are incapable of doing us any harm. But anyone who is susceptible to animal magnetism will lend himself to error, and we must be on guard against such at all times. Whoever can be made a channel for error becomes our Judas, because the devil is using him.

Finally, she saw that there would always be an element in the church of those who, as they developed, would manifest certain human traits that they had not handled, which would be a disturbing element. An illustration of this was a member of my church who told me that he loved to stir up the membership. When things were going smoothly at a business meeting, he loved to throw in a bombshell, at the same time declaring that he loved harmony, but had to do what he was doing for the good of all. This was a Judas trait which he had never cast out. Members like him are a positive influence on the wrong side. They tend to keep the church stirred up and to oppose everything that is constructive and progressive. They are determined that the human mind shall be the ruling mind in the church.

Judas, the disciple, was selected because he showed possibilities of being an influence for good; but evidently he allowed his satisfaction in being selected to take the place of demonstration. Actually, the demand of God upon him was to clean house, which he neglected to do. There were some old errors which he did not touch; the result was that they tripped him up and eventually destroyed him.

When Mr. J. V. Dittemore permitted error to use him to the point where he betrayed the Cause and Mrs. Eddy, he was treated as a pariah, a Judas, one whose name was not fit to be mentioned. Yet his downfall came somewhat in the same way Mrs. King's did, he being put in a position he was not ready to fill. Had he been permitted to go along in the ordinary way, he might have been an exemplary student.

Apparently the eleven disciples thought that Judas was a good man. Not one of them knew to whom the Master was referring when he foretold that the one who dipped with him in the dish would betray him. At least this is proof that there was no malpractice toward Judas on the part of his fellow disciples, that might have contributed to his deflection. Whatever the error was, it came from the enemies of the Master, and not from the eleven.

John V. Dittemore played the part of a present-day Judas, when he betrayed his trust as a member of the Board of Directors, and threw the church into costly litigation. The question in regard to him is, was he fundamentally unsound, or was his downfall the result of the malpractice of the workers around him that he could not handle? Did he have such confidence in his own probity that, when animal magnetism handled him, it caused him to be unconscious of this fact, and to believe that everyone else around him was in error?

We learn from this incident that in Science we must deal with cause, and consider effect merely as an indicator that points to what is taking place in cause. If a demonstration is made which does not seem to be in perfect accord with truth and right, let us cast aside its manifestation without fear or regret, and start fresh, with full assurance that Love will approve and meet the need. What did a few dollars amount to in the founding of the Cause of Christian Science, if only thought was scientifically established on the basis of God's conception of right! Mrs. Eddy knew that if the foundation of a demonstration is faulty, it is far better to dig it out and start again, than to attempt to build a superstructure and then have the whole thing collapse, as it did in the case of Judas. There was a sense of dishonesty that he had never cast out of the foundation of his thought, and when the test came, this basic deficiency betrayed him.

The ultimate effect of demonstration is harmony, but it does not follow that all harmonious manifestation is a proof that spiritual thought is ruling and guiding. Harmony may also evince the fact that one is subject to the belief of harmonious matter; in the long run, however, truth will show forth which is the real harmony.

Mrs. Eddy placed her trust in these three trustees, and set the example for her church to do likewise. Was that a lack of demonstration on her part? Was it a lack of demonstration that caused the Master to select Judas as one of his disciples, or did he do it because God led him to do it, in spite of the fact that Judas was material put into the temple that would crack under pressure?

Many times one who joins the Christian Science organization believes that all the members who are apparently faithful and active in their love of Christian Science, can be trusted. Yet the same individual would not necessarily believe that a boat was seaworthy in a storm, merely because it had proved to be so in fair weather.

Could the Master foretell how Judas would act in a storm? Could Mrs. Eddy tell in advance how students would stand up under the pressure of error? Many students who have fallen by the wayside, were humanly and metaphysically adequate for the offices they were placed in, as long as there were no storms of error.

The absence of Mrs. Clarke would indicate that error was striking at Mrs. Eddy's demonstration of completeness in founding the church, just as error attempted to break the Master's chain of completeness by striking at him through Judas. His disciples drew their spiritual light from his crown of twelve stars, and this group would have symbolized a complete reflection, had it not been for Judas. Yet Revelation contains no record of incompleteness, since in the 21st chapter we read of the foundations of the great city, “...and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” This proves that in spite of Judas' betrayal, Jesus' demonstration was complete and was so recorded. Jesus filled in the vacancy left by Judas with his own demonstration.

In like manner, the effort of error to break up Mrs. Eddy's demonstration of completeness in founding her church was circumvented by including Mrs. Clarke's name in the list of those present. Her presence in person was not as important as to record for all time that the students which reorganized the church were the manifestation of the stars in Mrs. Eddy's crown, and since this contained twelve stars symbolizing completeness, it was fitting to record the meeting in the Manual as well as in the minutes, as having been attended by twelve students.

The average Christian believes that the beauty of the Master's character, his gentleness and goodness as the son of God were self-evident; but how many Christian Scientists today, if they had been face to face with Judas, would have seen his underlying perfection as God's child? Would they have seen the spiritual perfection of those who believed themselves to be Jesus' enemies? Mrs. Eddy tells us that Jesus beheld the perfect man, where sinning mortal man appeared to mortals, and that that was how Jesus was able to help and heal others. Students need to watch and pray lest they lay even a slight burden of malpractice on a brother, thus, perhaps, making it necessary for him to be excommunicated from such malpractice, before he can reform or be healed. In God's sight the adding of the slightest malpractice to the burden of another is a sin.

Judas' betrayal of the Master arose from an error in him that was uncondemned and hence nurtured, as Mrs. Eddy says on page 448 of the textbook, whereas Peter's denial resulted because he was ignorant of the trickery of animal magnetism, and so was unprotected. Peter was impulsive, and yet loyal and faithful. Jesus saw that his defences needed strengthening, so he permitted him to be caught by error in order that he might learn the lesson.

When I was quite a boy I undertook to cure a group of painters, who were working for my father, of the habit of swearing. Amused by my earnestness they agreed to try to stop using profanity, and I checked their progress each day. Then one day when I became irritated at something my sister did, I used an oath such as I had heard the men use. I was shocked, since it was something so offensive to me that I had rebuked it in these painters; yet I had let it into my own thought by seeing it as real in them. In looking back I can see that I had not “shaken the dust off my feet,” as the Master has taught.

On page 233 of Miscellany Mrs. Eddy writes that you cannot “demonstrate over the effects of other people's sins by indifference thereto.” It requires an active and vigorous mental effort to cleanse our understanding from the dirt of materiality that is picked up through contact with the world. In my experience with profanity I was like Peter, in that I had no intention of manifesting the error that I was rebuking in others.

It is possible for one to be handled by an error that is foreign to one's natural inclinations, if one makes a reality of it or does not rebuke it. Peter needed the lesson, because of his impulsive nature. The Master warned him in a general way and then permitted him to learn from experience.

Mrs. Eddy did not consider the evil which obtains in the bodily senses, but which the heart condemns, in the same category with that which is uncondemned, and hence undenied, and nurtured. Yielding to this error would be “living or teaching far apart from the doctrines of Christian Science,” and might cause the one manifesting it to have his name dropped from the list of membership.

Sin may be inadvertent. Under the pressure of animal magnetism one may say and do things not native to his thought or inclination. Such a one could not be said to be living and teaching far apart from the doctrines of Christian Science. Like Peter, his sin is in the superstructure, and can be corrected, and not like Judas', in the foundation.

The Bible declares that Truth is a burning and a shining light. As it lights the traveller on his way, it also destroys the falsity of material sense. The honest student who formerly depended on material sense, rejoices to see this false sense beginning to disappear, because he knows that thus he will win his spiritual freedom. During this process he may at times make mistakes and yield to error, but he will continue to build up his recognition of spiritual reality, and thus will be sustained and protected during the destruction of error.

On page 151 of Miscellaneous Writings we read, “God is a consuming fire. He separates the dross from the gold, purifies the human character, through the furnace of affliction.” In line with this statement, what will happen to those who profess to be Christian Scientists, and yet continue to place reliance on material sense? Does not the Master warn us that we cannot serve God and mammon, that we cannot augment the fire that is destroying the earthly house of this tabernacle, which in reality is only an illusion, and at the same time settle down to make it our eternal home?

Man's true heart is in reality always right with God; but there are two phases of animal magnetism that present themselves for acceptance. To use baseball as an illustration, one might be defined as the “pitcher” error and the other the “catcher.” A mortal may believe that his heart is fundamentally right with God, but that he is subject to influences outside that send error to him which he accepts; or he may believe that fundamentally his heart is not right with God, and so the very foundation of his thinking is corrupt. While there is little choice between these two phases of belief, the “pitcher” error (the one where one believes that the error thrown at him is responsible for his deflections) is handled more readily than the “catcher” error, (the one where one regards his own mentality as depraved). Thus, whatever comes to one, he distorts, and makes it appear sinful. It may be said that Mrs. Eddy sought to establish a discipline for her church that would take care of the Judases, at the same time giving the Peters a chance to reform.

If the offenders covered by Mrs. Eddy's classification were permitted to remain within the borders of the organization, it would not be injurious for the church. If this be true, why should not the church take a tolerant view, and refrain from excommunicating such individuals? The answer to this question may sound radical, but it cannot be disputed, if the initial premise is accepted, namely, that “God is a consuming fire,” that is, a destroyer of falsity, having for its purpose the utter annihilation of every claim of existence, power and life apart from God.

If a band of campers were grouped around a brilliant but burning fire, they would be safe as long as they did not carry anything combustible; but if one was clinging to something highly inflammable, so that he might be severely burned, — and he refused to drop it or let it go, — the kindest thing would be to force him to leave the vicinity of the fire.

It was for the good and safety of the Judases in her church who believed that their errors were fundamental, so that either they could not get rid of them, or else they did not want to, — that Mrs. Eddy made the provision of discipline and excommunication. She preferred to send members away from the fire, than to have them remain nearby, and have the very light that was a blessing to the Peters, be a curse to them, so that they might even be self-destroyed, as Judas was.

When Mrs. Eddy criticized the editorial written by John B. Willis (see Miscellany, page 232), she did not state that this was the only questionable article that had appeared in the Christian Science periodicals. But she was guided by God to use this article as an example to teach students that the letter without the Spirit, or preaching without practice, has no place in Christian Science. A country may print beautifully engraved paper money, but unless it is supported by a gold or silver reserve, the money has no value. Our religion is founded on healing, and everything should heal, services, lectures, periodicals, as well as reading the Bible and Science and Health. Mr. Willis' editorial lacked the inspiration that heals, because it was not the fruit of demonstration; and, therefore, it had to be mightily rebuked. Thereby Mrs. Eddy set a standard for all time, namely, that the editors of the Publishing Society should never accept for publication an article that lacks inspiration and demonstration, no matter how correct or striking it may be from the intellectual and doctrinal standpoint.

Similarly, Judas was not the worst sinner the world produced in Jesus' time; but he served as an awful example of what will happen to one who continues in Christian Science, and who does not meet the belief that he is not fundamentally sound. It was necessary for someone to go through the Judas experience, in order that the world might know the awful consequences of one remaining a member of the Christian Science church, without seeking to cast out the belief that he has some irremediable flaw in his mentality or character, some phase of materiality or inclination that he cannot cast out with God's help.

Therefore, the Judases in our Movement, those who believe that they have some streak of imperfection, some dishonesty, depravity or sensuality that it is incapable of being cast out (when Christian Science teaches that all sin is illusion and no more part of man than the rain that falls on him), must be excommunicated for their own sake, because of the danger they are in if they remain members and still cherish this belief regarding themselves. On page 81 of Retrospection and Introspection, Mrs. Eddy writes, “The letter of the law of God, separated from its spirit, tends to demoralize mortals. The enlightened heart loathes error, and casts it aside; or else that heart is consciously untrue to the light, faithless to itself and to others, and so sinks into deeper darkness.”

It was Mrs. Eddy's love for mankind that prompted her inauguration of discipline. A knowledge of this fact will help to perpetuate a right motive on the part of those who do the excommunicating, and to restrain all malpractice toward those who are found deserving of such a fate. It would appear as if it was an acknowledgment of the reality of error, to take one living far apart from the teachings of Christian Science, and to vote to dismiss him from church membership. Mrs. Eddy teaches that man is the perfect child of God, and whatever error a mortal manifests, is animal magnetism. One might assert that Mrs. Eddy should have instructed her church to go to work and demonstrate for the one manifesting some evident error, that he might be brought back into the right path, and that he should be expelled only when this effort failed. Would one not feel that it was the duty of the Directors and of all right-minded members to strive to see the erring one rightly, and thus to help to free him from the mesmerism that was holding him?

These arguments are all true, but when a member reaches the point where he comes under the classification outlined by Mrs. Eddy in this letter, he is beyond being helped for the time being, because of his belief in the fixedness of his error, and he must be let alone until he awakens of his own accord.

There is a story of a woman who was so uncomplaining, that when a neighbor, in an attempt to break through her unfailing optimism, brought wood for her stove that was twisted and gnarled, she merely remarked how nicely her pots would fit into a fire made of such pieces. When some of her students appeared to be twisted in thought, instead of complaining, Mrs. Eddy used them as best she could. She was unfailing in her effort to see the best in people, take advantage of it, and so bring out more fruitage. Thus she helped them to do better and to be better.

Jesus evidently handled Judas in this way. Judas had qualities that were important and helpful. As long as Jesus watched over him, he played his part well. It was only when Jesus had to withdraw his help, that the error that had never been cast out, ripened into action and caused his downfall.

Both Peter and Judas were handled by animal magnetism, when the Master withdrew his protection. Judas' error, however, was a belief in a foundational flaw, whereas Peter's was in superstructure. All error is false belief, but when one believes that he has a fundamental flaw in his character, such a belief is more tenacious than one where the individual merely believes that for the time being he becomes the victim of an error that is no part of himself.

Peter was strengthened by his experience, whereas Judas was self-destroyed. Students who have to be excommunicated because they believe that they have some error in foundation, are like Judas, and must remain apart, unless the error is finally exposed in such a way that it is seen as false and unreal, and so is dropped. A study of these letters indicates that Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson would come under the classification of Peter, rather than Judas. Hence when their error was seen, repented of, and dropped, they were ready to be restored as members in full fellowship.

In his dealing with Judas, the Master set a wonderful example of the Christianly scientific way to deal with students. The more Jesus recognized the error in Judas' thought, the more he tried to save him. From this we learn an important lesson, that even though we may be called upon to deal with some qualities of thought that cannot be redeemed at the present time, we should never give up trying. Even though human sense may declare that certain ones are beyond the pale, we must be as untiring as the Master and Mrs. Eddy were, in our effort to express the love that characterizes the genuine Christian Scientist.

The disciples had been taught the lesson of the impersonal nature of error so well, that when Jesus declared that one of them would betray him, they did not look at each other suspiciously, but asked, “Is it I?” Jesus had taught them the possibilities of animal magnetism. So Judas' as well as Peter's experience became a mighty lesson to show how, even with a great loyalty to good, one may be disaffected by false argument, if he does not protect himself from it. If a student feels strongly entrenched in a humanly moral sense, that were no reason for his neglecting to protect himself from animal magnetism, lest he be enticed to yield to that which in his right mind he never would assent to.

The question is whether Mrs. Eddy's students would have said, “Is it I?” if she had declared that one of them was to betray her. Most of them were so convinced of their loyalty to her and to her teachings, that they did not realize that it was possible for them ever to be disloyal.

I do not believe that I will be misunderstood if I declare that there were certain students of our Leader who carried a hidden disloyalty toward her. They really believed that they were loyal because they had great respect for her on account of the position she occupied, and the truth she had discovered; yet in their hearts they criticized her at times, because their interpretation of certain things she said and did indicated that she was not living Christian Science as she taught it.

It is necessary for students to realize that no one can be sure of his position in relation to Science, if he does not handle the belief in animal magnetism. He may live for years and be steadfast on some particular point; then, if he is not watchful, he may be thrown off by mesmerism.

Mrs. Eddy was careful to set forth the ideal in every direction, even while she permitted many things as temporary expedients. She made it very plain that she disapproved of a material organization, intimating that the time would come when a church under a wholly spiritual organization would be a possibility. Yet she permitted a material organization and made all arrangements for it to be continued.

While she could conduct a Cause through her own demonstration without an organization, the students could not. So she had to arrange for a limited demonstration, or a lack of it, on the part of her followers.

In dealing with erring students, for which she arranged in this letter, it is important to determine whether one is a Peter, with an error in his superstructure, or a Judas, with an error in his foundation. It is always possible to repair an error in superstructure, but an error in foundation is more serious, since if one advances too far without correcting it, there may be too great a load laid on it, to make any changes. The situation may require a fresh start.

It is not wise for one to continue in Science, if he has an error in his foundation that he fails to correct, or is unwilling to cast out, since he is destined to have a sad experience, and perhaps do the Cause harm. It would appear as if the error that finally overthrew Augusta Stetson, was in her foundation, since she manifested a certain ambition for human aggrandizement and power. Such individuals gain power by leaning on God, which is good; but when that power comes to them, they let go of God, which is not good. From that standpoint they may do things which are not good, and much harm may result, as happened in Mrs. Stetson's case.

A great deal of the error that students manifest comes from mental laziness. They may be driven through a sense of lack to make a demonstration of supply; but if the moment that lack is taken care of, they stop working, it is the claim of mental laziness. They lay hold of God when they need something, and let go of Him the moment they receive it. They are like the man who wanted to join a Christian Science church. In order to do so he stopped smoking. After he was taken in, he soon began smoking again. The Bible records that Job received the rewards that come to anyone who turns wholeheartedly to God; but then he turned away from God to enjoy them. The only way for him to learn the lesson, namely, that one must never neglect the Giver, God, because of His gifts, was to have those rewards temporarily taken away.

The spiritual man is not mentally lazy. Therefore mental laziness is part of the garment of mortality that has been put upon mortal man. Every student has the task of handling it. Often those who are the most active humanly,

have the greatest argument of mental inertia to meet when they become right thinkers. The only way to handle mental laziness is to realize that it is not a normal condition for man, and it does not belong to him. It is just as much the action of animal magnetism for one to forget or to neglect his duty in Science, as it is to be sick or sinful.

In dealing with refractory students, Mrs. Eddy applied punishment wholly for purposes of reformation, and her followers should do likewise. Often students are tempted to believe that God sends them hard experiences for purposes of punishment; but that is never true. Whatever experiences come to one as a result of divine wisdom, are for purposes of reformation. They seem like punishment only when one resists them, and fails to take advantage of them. All God can send His children is divine Love, and that Love seems like punishment only when man rejects or resists it.

This same rule holds when a Christian Scientist loves his enemies. If they accept this love, it blesses them. If they reject it, its effect upon them is wrathful.

No one is perfect until he demonstrates perfection. There are spots on the otherwise clean sheet of every student's life. Anyone who is forging ahead constructively is bound to make mistakes. The Directors take this fact into consideration and judge accordingly. If the honesty and integrity of a student is evident, if he has proved that he has no desire for place or power, but simply yearns to be about the Father's business of freeing humanity from the so-called bondage of mesmerism, the Directors are usually willing to trust such a one to God's unerring guidance, and conclude that whatever mistakes he makes, will only serve to open his eyes so that he may avoid them in the future; that through such honest mistakes he will be led to the right ideal. Anything short of perfection will always be criticized; yet the only road to perfection consists in crossing swords with the adversary, and in this warfare the student is bound to have defeats, as well as joys and victories, as Mrs. Eddy says.

Those who have studied Mrs. Eddy's life, often contend that she made mistakes. If one should assert that she made a mistake in accepting Augusta E. Stetson as a student, he would have to contend that the Master made a mistake in accepting Judas as a disciple. Yet it can be proved that every step she took had a spiritual value, and hence was important. The fact that she brought her work to a successful conclusion is proof enough that she harbored no errors, and successfully handled whatsver assailed her. Otherwise unhandled error would show up at some point in the great tapestry which she wove.

Let us assume for a moment that it would be legitimate to declare that she made mistakes, but later rectified them, because her motive and purpose were so pure and correct. Then when her followers make mistakes because they desire to keep active, and to work for the world in a constructive way, should they be damned, since mistakes growing out of a deep sincerity God will care for, as Mrs. Eddy implies on page 203 of Miscellany? The Field may feel that it is a disgrace for a student to come under criticism for any reason, and that it were far better to do nothing and avoid it. Yet no student can honestly strive to follow what he believes God demands of him in his life, without criticism springing up. He must learn not to fear it, and to rise above it. Surely it is not Love's plan that a student do nothing merely to avoid unfavorable criticism.

The only student who has a right to feel that he is living and demonstrating in a way that would satisfy Mrs. Eddy, if she were personally here to observe him, is the one who feels that the demands of God come first. When he believes that God is guiding him, he must consider it the most important thing for him to follow. He must let no fear of human opinion or mortal judgment deter him.

When I became interested in Christian Science in 1894 Josephine Woodbury was considered a dangerous malpractitioner by many. She was thought to be a living embodiment of evil. Loyal students felt that it was part of their daily duty to work to neutralize her harmful influence. Yet in these letters Mrs. Eddy says in referring to her, that she is giving a chance for sinners to reform; then she directs the church to reinstate her name on the list of membership. Did not Mrs. Eddy already know the true character of the woman? Did she believe that it was better to have a trouble-maker inside the ranks than outside? Did she feel that Mrs. Woodbury would not hesitate to malpractice to accomplish her purposes, and that it would be wiser to quiet such malpractice by taking her back?

Jesus did not hesitate to retain Judas as a member of the group of disciples as long as possible. Evidently he proved to be no deterrent to the growth and spiritual development of the Master, his students, or the promulgation of the Cause of Christianity.

When a student has a quality of thought that is liable to run rampant and do harm, it is sometimes wise to retain him as a member, until the error comes to a head where it will be self-destroyed. One can deduce that the reason Mrs. Eddy ordered Mrs. Woodbury's reinstatement, was to stop “the perpetual broils” in the church which resulted from “the unchristian acts” of the members. Mrs. Eddy quotes Jesus' words concerning mercy and sacrifice, indicating that to take her back into the fold at this time represented the greatest good to the greatest number.

In the case of Augusta Stetson, Mrs. Eddy showed that it was wisdom to retain a member under the wing of the organization, — even though such a one was a trouble-maker, — until every effort had been made to help her and to give her a chance to reform. The church would have excommunicated her ten or fifteen years before Mrs. Eddy did, had the latter not been present to restrain them. She acted with divine wisdom, and this wisdom indicated that until the time came for ousting her, Mrs. Stetson could do less harm inside the organization, than she could outside, even though she was misteaching students.

Mrs. Eddy was not deceived in regard to Mrs. Woodbury. She could read character and probe motive, because she used divine insight in order to do so. She knew that there was no danger to the church connected with taking Mrs. Woodbury back into membership, since there was too much genuine Science among honest students to have any harm result. Furthermore, it was necessary for the latter to expose herself in her true colors. Jesus made no effort to excommunicate Judas from the group of disciples, even though he knew, as Mrs. Eddy once declared, that his sin was of such a nature that it would not give up until destroyed.

It is worth noting that Mrs. Eddy was troubled because the church was running into debt for flowers. In the midst of working on matters of great import, she takes time to note a small one. All through her experience she gave strict attention to details. Ofttimes little errors unhandled have more effect in opening a way for the entrance of evil, than the big ones. To Mrs. Eddy the failure to watch the little foxes, constituted a serious deflection in a student. It is possible that error argued to Judas that his little irregularities in regard to the money bag that he carried, could be no serious deterrent to his spiritual growth, as long as he fulfilled the larger requirements of the Master's teachings; yet his failure to meet the little errors caused him to trip and lose the race.

On page 228 of Powell's life of Mrs. Eddy we find a note written to August Mann in which she says, “Pull up the strawberries — they are not in the proper place.” Accompanying Mrs. Eddy's spiritual sense was a keen appreciation of the practical. Even though she acknowledged that material sense was a deterrent to spiritual growth, because it had mortal mind back of it, yet this did not cause her to disregard or to omit doing necessary things. On the contrary she made them part of her scientific and spiritual demonstration, and encouraged others to do so. Even with such a small detail as strawberries, she made the need of planting them in their proper place a matter of demonstration.

It was Mrs. Eddy's necessity growing out of her Christly love, to protect the lambs that needed protection. In Matt. 12:20 we read, “A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.” Analysis of this statement will show that Mrs. Eddy regarded Mr. Chase as a bruised reed, and she was careful that he should not be broken.

When Peter denied the Master, he yielded to the influence of evil inadvertently; so he was a bruised reed, in contrast to Judas who was harboring evil in the name of good. Peter was subject to the fiery darts of the evil one, because of the good he was accomplishing; but he was not a wilful sinner.

On the other hand, Judas had been harboring phases of the human mind that seemed good to him, and nothing but the fire of suffering would awaken him to see the error of his way, and thus rouse him to reformation. He was a smoking flax that should not be quenched, until the fire of purification had done its work.

Thus the Master's statement is a call to use spiritual judgment in dealing with mortals, lest on the one hand we seek to break one who has already been bruised by error, or on the other to “spare through false pity the consuming tares,” as Mrs. Eddy writes on page 18 of her Message for 1902.

Once the wife of a practitioner and teacher felt that, because he was impractical in relation to money matters, she must take hold on the basis that someone had to be practical in the family, if they were to get along. It was as if she said, “We may be Christian Scientists and Mrs. Eddy's students, but someone has to keep his feet on the ground, if this family is going to continue to eat!” In this “practical” attitude she was harboring a phase of the human mind in the name of good, since it finally proved to be the Judas which betrayed her.

Judas had charge of the money bag for Jesus and his disciples. Evidently he was considered to be a trustworthy student. Perhaps he was highly regarded by the others for the efficient way in which he safeguarded their funds. It is possible that he regarded his scheme to obtain thirty pieces of silver for the little band as evidence of his practical-mindedness, an act that would not harm the Master at all. He may have been as surprised as the rest at the awful consequences of his deed, which exposed to him how he had been harboring evil in the name of good.

This “practical” sense which he harbored, which was uncondemned and hence nurtured, caused him to become a smoking flax, since the fire of suffering was the only way he could be aroused to the nature of the error he had cherished.

Dr. Foster Eddy more or less played the part of a present-day Judas. We are all Judases, in that we all have faults that need to be overcome. There are faults that resist and close the door on Truth, more than others. A fault may be called a “Judas fault” when a student harbors it, because he does not see or acknowledge the need of demonstrating over it.

The Bible indicates that it was Judas' love of money that betrayed him. He saw no harm in retaining an appreciation of its value and purchasing power, as well as of his practical ability in handling it. It was as if he felt that this trait fitted in with his spiritual activities, enabling him to be the one who watched over the finances of the disciples; so he did not handle the error, and finally it became the obstacle that shut him off from God.

Every student of Mrs. Eddy who failed, who became disloyal or who went apart in paths devious, did so because of human traits that they could or would not see were inimical to spiritual progress. Finally these errors created a deterrent that barred further progress. Knowing this fact students should look themselves over for any lurking “Judas faults.” As Mrs. Eddy writes on page 128 of Miscellany, “Ofttimes examine yourselves, and see if there be found anywhere a deterrent of Truth and Love, and ‘hold fast that which is good.'”

Students must be scientific in thinking about Judas. Animal magnetism betrayed the Master, but Judas was himself betrayed by unhandled animal magnetism. Human law, in demanding penalty, takes into consideration the fact that if a man was drunk when he committed a crime, he is sentenced more for getting drunk, than he is for what he did while in that state. It may be said that Judas became drunk and betrayed his Master. When he awoke from his drunkenness, he was so conscience-stricken that he committed suicide. He could not bear to have that dreadful experience haunting his memory and staring him in the face. His self-destruction indicates that he had a genuine affection and appreciation for the Master. When he found that he had been the means of betraying him, he could no longer endure to live.

Had Judas been a secret sinner, he would have joined the enemies of the Master openly and profited by the money he had received. His retribution proved that when he betrayed Jesus he was in a state of mental drunkenness, and that what he did was the result of mesmerism. He acted under the impulsion of animal magnetism in the first instance; then when he realized what he had done, he acted under a secondary form of animal magnetism and committed suicide.

Mrs. Eddy's history shows that she was true to her own teachings, and that when a student did wrong, she laid the sin at the door of animal magnetism. It was her custom to give such a one every chance to reform, by giving him mental help, as well as instruction and warning, so that there would be no recurrence of the error. If the erring one did not take her warning, and continually turned away from her admonitions — persisted in yielding to this influence — he finally had to pay the penalty and be banished from the ranks of Christian Scientists.

Dr. Eddy — sad to relate — reached the point where his adopted mother found it necessary to deal with him, by calling a meeting of the First Members to which he was not permitted to come. Thus he did not even have a chance to raise his voice in protest against what went on. It was a delicate situation, since Mrs. Eddy did not care to have his errors and deflections discussed to his face.

In requesting the members to meet by adjourning to her home, she showed that she did not wholly trust them to handle this matter in such a way, that the error would not be personalized. She wanted no criticism as to the metaphysics used in the treatment of her son. She did not want future generations to have a chance to look back and to feel that Dr. Eddy was treated in an unscientific way, since such a mistake would reflect on her and her teachings.

In law the phrase, nuisance value, is commonly used. Judas had a nuisance value in that he illustrated for all the suffering and punishment that must surely follow unhandled error of any sort. Also, by contrast, he caused the faithfulness of the other disciples to stand out in greater relief. Had it not been for Judas we might believe that, under the Master's watch and care, it was easy to demonstrate good. In like manner one might believe that it was a simple matter to be a good Christian Scientist, when one lived with our Leader; whereas her history proves that students in her home were often subject to phases of error intended to render them spiritually useless, which were more subtle than those that they would have encountered in their ordinary run of experience. The reason for this was because the greater opportunity to do good that being in the Leader's home offered, aroused a greater opposition to prevent that good from being done. If Mrs. Eddy had not adopted Foster Eddy, he might never have been subjected to the subtlety of animal magnetism which caused his downfall. The greater the value of the jewels entrusted to a man, the more active and subtle become the efforts of thieves to rob him. The poor man is not molested.

This letter was a masterpiece of healing, and one reason for this is the fact that it appeared on the surface to be nothing of the sort. Mrs. Eddy had prayed over Foster Eddy as the Master of old prayed over Judas. As her son he showed great promise, and she had every right to expect great things of him, until she indicated outwardly that she had great hopes for him. At once he was put to the test, and animal magnetism tried to break down the fulfilment of such hopes. It succeeded, as it did in many instances. In the case of her husband, Dr. Eddy, error could not deviate him from perfect loyalty; so he had to be removed. In the case of Foster Eddy, his downfall took the form of human folly.

Mrs. Eddy was like one designing a metal chassis for an airplane and testing the metal that was going into its manufacture. It is always a disappointment to have the metal break at a point lower than the required tensile strength, but it is better to have it do so before than after planes have gone into production and are in the air.

Mrs. Eddy often placed students in positions as tests, to discover whether they had an unhandled “Judas” error in their foundation. A “Peter” error was never serious, since it could be remedied; but a “Judas” error was a foundational weakness that would show up under pressure, and work ill for the Cause, because the superstructure was already built on it.

It is well to remember that error is self-destructive. Judas developed truth in him until it caused his error to be self-destroyed; but the error was so much a part of him, that to human sense he perished with it. Once a patient had nervous prostration. After a time she found what she thought to be a healing by being absent from the body, although she did not fulfil this statement by being present with the Lord. Instead, she found herself able to forget herself by indulging in many harmless human activities. This all seemed legitimate enough, and certainly nothing to condemn her for. Yet finally circumstances robbed her of this chance for continued outward distraction, and she discovered that the nervous claim had not been healed at all. She had merely been able to be unconscious of it, by being absent from the body. At that point the demand was that she be present with the Lord, which finally brought her complete healing.

To understand this case is to understand Judas' experience. It throws light on Foster Eddy's downfall, and also explains the enigma of those whom Mrs. Eddy considered as candidates for workers in her home, and then rejected when she discovered that formerly they had had some distressing disease and been healed of it. She detected that in a busy human life where one was constantly absent from the body, he might fancy that he was healed of some condition, merely because he had fulfilled only half of Paul's command. She had no fear that students might pick up a serious case of disease in her home; but she did not want a worker suddenly to come face to face with a disease which he had thought was healed, but which was not. One may fancy that he is healed of some condition, because he is able to be absent from the body; but no one is permanently healed in Christian Science until he is present with the Lord.

Judas might have believed that he was free from certain tendencies because, under the activity of the Master's spiritual thought, he was no longer conscious of them. As soon as the Master had to drop him, however, and he was no longer carried along in a spiritual way, his unhandled materiality rose up to mock him.

Foster Eddy loved Christian Science and its Founder. In the warmth of its glow he felt that so much of his materiality had been overcome, that he was able to live close to its Founder and be a daily help to her. But finally unhandled error rose up to mock him, and brought down criticism on his head. At this point Mrs. Eddy was true to her teachings, namely, that when a good student who is working along right lines is thrown off, it is the influence of animal magnetism, so he must be given every chance to recover, since he is healable. She did not pounce on the culprit and demand his excommunication. She took precious time, hours and hours of it, and used it in trying to free good students like Foster Eddy from the effect of animal magnetism and mental malpractice.

One definition for a Judas might be one who was willing to take a position in Science that he had not earned through demonstration. A man who is blindfolded should never attempt or desire to climb a steep mountain. A member who has not demonstrated some insight into the action of animal magnetism, is not ready to take positions which naturally subject one to this influence. Foster Eddy's experience shows that one should never be advanced in Christian Science because of any natural ability, if he has not demonstrated to a point of readiness for such advancement.

Mrs. Eddy prayed that Dr. Foster Eddy might represent a strong help to her, and might become her successor; but he could not endure the grind of the daily routine of mental work which Mrs. Eddy did and expected her students to do, just for love of God and man, without hope of praise or reward, but with full faith that God knows and rewards according to motive. The senses crave something more tangible and exciting than that. They demand something new constantly. Unless they are silenced, they claim to interfere with and to prevent this mental work.

Nothing that God called our Leader to do was more difficult, than to have the Manual adopted without creating dissension or a sentiment against many By-laws. One of the difficulties our branch churches find themselves in, results from endless discussions which characterize the business meetings. How can the government of Mind be demonstrated under such circumstances, unless the situation is resolved by alert thinking?

The very fact that these By-laws were important, meant that there would be an opposition aimed by animal magnetism against their acceptance. For this reason Mrs. Eddy insisted upon their immediate consideration. She did not wish to give the devil a chance to enter in through the claim of time. Otherwise why could she not wait for the regular meeting, which was soon to come? Her implication was, that there might be an immediate occasion for the use of these By-laws in their revised form. This was a legitimate method on her part of having them passed without opposition or discussion.

The Master said to Judas, “What thou doest do quickly.” Mrs. Eddy always gave the impression of requiring haste in matters pertaining to God. The antidote for error must always be given quickly, before the error has a chance to get a foothold.

This letter calls for haste in deciding matters concerning Mrs. Woodbury's students. The reason haste is essential in such matters is that, when they drag along, gossip and malpractice pile up, with the result that the thought of the entire membership may become darkened, and true justice is not done.

It is worth while to ponder what Mrs. Eddy meant by the term “old sinner.” One who had reached the stage Mrs. Woodbury had, where she was impervious to Mrs. Eddy's rebukes, would be an “old sinner.” Judas was an “old sinner,” in the sense that he was satisfied in his sin, and beyond the point where he could be rebuked and helped. He was a smoking flax, — one who could be awakened only by suffering, — in contrast to Peter. Peter was a bruised reed, — one who had been temporarily deceived by animal magnetism, — hence he was not an “old sinner.” When he saw his error, he quickly came out of it.

“Let us obey Him as I said to you when here.” These words to Mr. Johnson indicated, that what Mrs. Eddy said to him of a spiritual and scientific nature, was something to be lived up to, and not just something to be accepted with the comment, “How true that is!” Members may fancy that they are living up to the spirit of Christian Science when they make such a comment, when they are living a long way from the practice of what they admit. Merely to see the truth of Science and to appreciate it, is not living up to it, nor obeying God.

“Take no defensive steps.” In these words Mrs. Eddy indicates that a Christian Scientist has nothing external against which to defend himself. If he is striving honestly to obey God, he need take no defensive steps. God will take care of him. If he is not obeying Him, that is where the correction must be made. Once a Roman priest remarked, “When Christian Scientists live up to their religion, they are the salt of the earth.” This would indicate that students who feel that in the Roman church they have a great enemy against which they must defend themselves, would make a better defence if they strove to live up to their religion, and to be consistent Christian Scientists. One who is busy defending himself all the time from external enemies, does not have much time for living the truth. Example is the best defense.

Finally Mrs. Eddy writes, “I shall not notice Mr. Woodbury's false statements in his letter. I taught him Christian Science and if I did him good that satisfies me.” Teachers of Christian Science would be helped to know of this statement, since they are all liable to have a Judas among their pupils. Judas probably appeared to be the right kind of a student, before he was put under pressure. Then his flaw was discovered. A man may buy a bag of apples and pick out the best; yet when he opens a good looking one, it may be rotten or wormy inside.

Mrs. Eddy selected her students by demonstration; yet under pressure many of them turned against her and became Judases. Perhaps this was part of wisdom's plan for her, since she gained valuable spiritual lessons and growth under the opposition that was created in this way. A teacher of Christian Science rejoices in his loyal and active students, but they do not force him to grow spiritually, nor teach him the lessons that those do who give him trouble.

One can glean a helpful precept at this point for all teachers of Christian Science. When pupils turn out badly and make false assertions, the best way is not to notice them. A teacher should take refuge in the realization that he did these individuals good, and let that satisfy him. That will save him from spending too much time in regret.

In this letter we learn that Mrs. Eddy's tender loving thought was most readily reached, and hurt by such an assertion as Mr. Woodbury made, that she tortured his wife, even though that was probably the fact as it appeared to him. If one trespasses in your yard and injures himself on your barbed wire, he should not complain. You had a right to put the wire there, even though he could maintain that it was your wire that injured him.

There is no doubt but what, when Josephine Woodbury failed to live up to the truth Mrs. Eddy taught her, it tortured her. Hence her husband had reason to state that his wife was tortured. When a practitioner chemicalizes a patient, the latter may be tortured; but it is the Truth that does it. Furthermore, if the patient and practitioner are right minded, that Truth blesses and heals him, and does not torture him. The chemicalization is painless.

What really tortured Mrs. Woodbury was her own failure to live up to Mrs. Eddy's teachings. Augusta Stetson had the same experience. Mrs. Eddy held before her the ideal that Mrs. Stetson knew was right, and it tortured her because she could not bring herself to live up to it. Mrs. Stetson had built herself up with her students by threatening them with malpractice if they failed to be loyal to her, and could not bring herself to change this custom. Perhaps she felt that it was legitimate to rule her students in this way, as long as she never actually malpracticed on them; but what she failed to discern was, that when she threatened a student with malpractice, that in itself constituted malpractice. What more is there to the claim of malpractice, than to frighten another into believing that you are malpracticing on him?

Mrs. Woodbury knew what genuine Christian Science was. She had gained a knowledge of it from the fountain head. She was pleased with what she learned, and determined to live and practice it. When the test came, however, she did not have the understanding to stand firmly on the side of God against mortal mind. Her teacher had taken her over to the side of God, but when mortal mind's subtle suggestions presented themselves, instead of defending herself as she had been taught to do, she went back to mortal mind. Then the very teachings that she had loved became her torment.

Now Mrs. Eddy says that after having done all she could to save Mrs. Woodbury's character, she is done touching her case. Mrs. Eddy had done all God called upon her to do, and now she was permitted to leave this one in the hands of God. She did not say “She is hopeless,” but merely implied that she had turned her over to the wisdom of God, much as a lower court that has sought to deal with a case and failed, turns it over to a higher court.

Practitioners may take a hint from this attitude on Mrs. Eddy's part. When they fail to heal a case and the patient turns to a doctor, they should not condemn that patient, and declare that he or she is never going to receive help. It is far better to say that they have turned them over to the higher wisdom of God, knowing that He will deal with them justly, and in the way that will bring them the greatest good, and perhaps lead them back to Christian Science.

When in 1897 the State of Rhode Island sent spies to the Christian Science practitioners to get evidence against them, it seemed a great error when one of the latter accepted money for treatment, an act which was against the law at that time. Yet, in this way the question of the legal side of our work was brought to a head and settled.

Otherwise it might have threatened the work of practitioners in many states for years to come.

Mrs. Eddy declared in her letter that she believed she had a strong board in these three men, implying that she could not make such an assertion positively. No one knows what a student is going to do under pressure.

Evidently none of the disciples knew in advance that it would be Judas who would give way under pressure.

In its secret operation, animal magnetism claims to influence mortals without their knowledge. When under its influence Peter denied his Master, he might have concluded that he had a weakness in his character which needed to be strengthened; but we know that the lesson he needed to learn was how to protect himself from animal magnetism. Christian Scientists must learn that, when they manifest error, it is because there is a need to exercise protection. If they believe that it is correction that is called for, in the sense that they have fundamental flaws in character which must be eliminated, they will find that they have an endless and impossible job; but when they seek to protect and to release themselves from false beliefs about man, the finale will be that all limitations will roll away, and man will shine forth with an infinite capacity to understand all things, and will be found immortal and eternal.

In using the words, strong board, Mrs. Eddy was setting forth an ideal which she hoped the Trustees would live up to. In Science we state the ideal, in order to inspire students with the desire to fulfil it. If these three men truly appreciated Mrs. Eddy; if they looked upon her as representing the ideal of God; if they felt that through her stripes the whole world was being healed; if they had a glimpse of the vast blessings which were coming to humanity through the unselfish labors of the one who never took any thought for self; then they would strive for her sake to be a strong board. Mrs. Eddy knew how to appeal to students to bring forth their best efforts, to cause them to feel that she was guided by God, — that it was God who told her to put them in whatever position she appointed them to, because He knew that they would not fail. As a result they would watch continuously to be sure they did not.

It is possible, had we known Judas, that the trait which finally caused him to betray his Master — his unhandled belief in the value and necessity of money — would not have seemed very offensive to us. I doubt if he gave any outward indication of an inordinate love for it, other than what would seem a normal desire and appreciation for it as a medium of exchange, whereby the modest needs of the Master and his disciples might be supplied. His error was not a serious one, humanly considered, even though the Bible calls him a thief. But students who came to Mrs. Eddy's home cherishing human traits, even though these were not considered serious errors humanly,

were convicted of sin.

Any leaning toward materiality becomes a serious error as one progresses spiritually. Errors which in the beginning of our career of demonstration may not seem serious, become so as we ascend. A man who was slightly intoxicated might be able to drive his automobile; yet he would stumble and fall, if he was required to climb a steep cliff.

When, in I Kings 13, the man of God followed his desire to eat with the old prophet, he merely followed a natural inclination, but it was a disobedience to God which cost him his human life. It is not considered wrong for one to eat when he is hungry; but when one is making a demonstration where he is required to handle every human inclination as an effort to throw him back under the control of the human mind, any failure to do so spoils the entire problem. To whom much is given, of him shall much be required.

If a student was sincere and genuine in his desire to progress, a suggestion from Mrs. Eddy that he forego the privilege of class instruction would not interfere with his spiritual growth. Her wisdom was displayed in her effort to make Col. Sabin feel that, if he was earnest and honest, he would receive more from God than he could from a human teacher. Sometimes, when a pupil reaches the point when he should go to God for all things, the relation to his teacher hinders his advancement. The right-minded teacher constantly turns his pupils to God, encouraging them to replace their human teacher with the divine One. God is the Teacher, and any help one receives from any other teacher is only temporary, and is designed to lead him to God, the one source of all good.

Col. Sabin was not teachable in his self-opinionated frame of mind. His arrogance and pride had not been humbled. Yet he had a temporary value which Mrs. Eddy appreciated. Even Judas did service for the Master for a time. The fact that he became a betrayer should not blind us to the fact that he served the cause of good acceptably for a period.

Pride was the reef on which Col. Sabin made his shipwreck. When, in a kindly way it was pointed out that he was printing matter harmful to Christian Science, he rebelled, and took the stand that he was right, and everyone else was wrong. He began to talk about the “trust” in Boston that was using Science just to make money. He put forth his side of the story as if he was the injured party.

One who permits a prejudice against our organization and its officials to enter his thought, will make a shipwreck, even though he avers that he is still loyal to Mrs. Eddy. She established the Cause through the wisdom of God, and we must be loyal to Him and all that He designed. Those who have charge of the affairs in our Movement, may not always conduct things in just the way that we fancy to be scientific, but what Mrs. Eddy has given us is the best human means that could be devised to perpetuate the truth, and to keep it from adulteration and interference, and if we are loyal to God and His way-showers, we will support it.

Judge Clarkson finally went off the track as a Christian Scientist. When we find Mrs. Eddy approving of such a student lecturing in The Mother Church, the question naturally arises whether she was mistaken in judgment; yet if she were, then the Master was mistaken when he selected Judas to be a disciple, on the basis that he was a suitable instrument for God to use in His service. It would be possible to support one's front porch with a cake of ice, if it became necessary to do so. The support would be temporary, but it might suffice until the posts could be repaired. The one using the ice would know that it would soon melt. So he cannot be convicted of making a mistake.

When one becomes a soldier of God, he is tested on all points. Evidence indicates that the point at which Judge Clarkson failed the test, was when it came to the adulation that his position brought to him. It is as possible to spoil a student with flattery, as it is to ruin him with malpractice. In fact flattery is malpractice. The most definite animal magnetism that a successful lecturer brings down on his head, is in the form of flattery. Unless he is well protected from this form of subtlety, he is liable to be touched by it, and permit his ego to become inflated.

In illustrating for all time what the life of a true Christian Scientist would encounter, the Master first met the temptation of appreciation and adulation. When he proved that he was untouched by this form of error, he met the opposite swing of the pendulum, which resulted in his crucifixion. Yet this injustice did not touch him or produce friction in his thought. He endured a wider swing of this human pendulum than any mortal has before or since — greater appreciation, and then greater persecution for the good that he did. This fact should encourage all who have flattery and persecution to bear in a lesser degree. If the Master could stand under the same pressure we have to meet in a lesser degree, and not be affected by adulation nor be overthrown by persecution, we should also stand. Because most criticism is unjust, and most praise is undeserved, we should not be upset by one or set up by the other.

Our Leader might have known that her judgment would come under criticism, and her spiritual discernment be thought to be wanting, when she adopted a son who turned out as badly as Dr. Foster Eddy did from the standpoint of Science. Yet animal magnetism makes incredible claims. We know what it did to Judas. He hoped he had left the old behind, when he became a disciple. And surely this would have been so, had he gone down to the root of his trouble and cast it out. Our textbook tells us never to let an error grow upon the thought. This statement also means never to admit or to believe that an error has the power to grow.

No advanced student can escape the necessity to study Augusta Stetson's experience, since more than all other students, she illustrated the possibility of being active, sincere, loving, and yet, like Judas of old, having a certain human quality which she did not condemn, which, when she rose to a certain height, betrayed her. With Judas his uncondemned error was a love of money. There are indications that Mrs. Stetson held an appreciation for money, social position and power, which she endeavored to gloss over rather than root out. With wealthy students who were ready to give her whatever she wanted, she justified indulgence in materiality, pride and power, in the name of good.

From Mrs. Stetson's downfall we learn, that unhandled human qualities become a stumbling block in our upward path, and that the nearer we come to fulfilling the demands of God, the more serious becomes the harboring of error, especially that which we cling to in the name of good.

Mrs. Eddy watched over Mrs. Stetson as she did over the church. It was not the church or Mrs. Eddy that finally brought her to a point where she was disgraced, but God. Had the church failed to act against her, God would have arrested her in her headlong career. Knowing her experience, we should voluntarily withdraw from the ranks of Christian Science, unless we are willing to overcome all tendencies which stand in the way of our complete yielding to God. Mrs. Eddy did not speak idle words in her article “Consistency,” which she dictated to Mr. McLellan, which was directed at Mrs, Stetson and the New York problem: “Are you striving to make the most possible of matter, which you admit is unreal, or are you striving to make the most of Spirit, which you admit is All, and that there is none beside Spirit? If it be Spirit, let it be Spirit; and if it be matter, let him acknowledge it, and remove his name from the list of Christian Scientists. This he must do, and will do if he is honest.” (See Christian Science Sentinel, 1908.)

The Master's declaration that his followers were as sheep in the midst of wolves, also applied to Mrs. Eddy's followers. They were not only harmless, but often ill prepared to meet animal magnetism. Here was a good man who had been elected to the Lecture Board, and his very usefulness to God and man caused him to become a target for error. Mrs. Eddy recognized that the position that the organization had put him into, was directly responsible for the error that he had failed to meet. To be sure, he did not exercise the proper protection, but evidently those who put him into the position did not support him properly. Hence a great deal of responsibility for what happened to him rested on them.

When a soldier runs from the enemy in battle, he is subject to criticism and discipline; yet those who had charge of his training must have been either remiss in preparing him, or in detecting this weakness. His mental qualities should have been gauged in advance, and if he was found wanting in one direction, he should have been placed in some position where he would be of value, without having to engage in actual combat.

When they are called upon to discipline students who occupy important positions, the Directors must always ascertain how much the position itself was responsible for the error. If the student was incapable of handling error connected with the position, he never should have been given it, and the Directors themselves must share in the blame for appointing him in the first place.

It is essential that the Directors remember that part of their duties is to salvage all they can from every shipwreck. A true Christian Scientist is one who is always looking to see how much there is to be salvaged, whereas mortal mind is looking to see how much there is to be destroyed. The Master's experience illustrates this point. He found Peter worth salvaging, whereas Judas had carried an error from his past that finally became his downfall; so at that point he was not worth salvaging. Peter was tempted because of his relation with the Master, as one of the disciples. He partook of the Master's cup. The animal magnetism that was aimed at the latter, reached Peter because of his nearness to him. This is why Mrs. Eddy once wrote to Mr. McLellan (October 12, 1907), “I pity you, dear student, to be my best man and Trustee, but God will bless you and give you wisdom.”

The more valuable a student is to the organization, the more he becomes a target for animal magnetism. Mrs. Eddy did not wish her church to cast aside lightly students who could not be replaced, students who had worked for years faithfully, and had proved their ability to demonstrate in healing the sick and working in the organization successfully. If it were possible to help them if they went astray, and to free them from the animal magnetism, so that they might be restored to their place of usefulness, she watched to be sure that this was done.

It is a very precious thing to observe how tolerant our Leader was toward old students who broke faith with her teachings and organization. She knew that they could not readily be replaced, and so she did all she could to save them. If she found that the error was in the nature of a betrayal, rather than a denial, she perforce had to let the student go. Peter was caught by animal magnetism inadvertently, whereas Judas cherished an uncondemned and unacknowledged error, and could not be pardoned for it, until he had suffered sufficiently to reform him.

Mrs. Eddy's own experience had indicated that the more God appreciates you, the less man does; so he is more apt to malpractice on and persecute you when you are progressing spiritually than when you are not. Mrs. Eddy did not tell her students too much about this phenomenon, lest they come to expect it, and so help to bring it about. At the same time, she did not want them to be cast down by it, when it did happen. Nevertheless she knew it to be a fact, that as one comes into a higher knowledge of Truth, so that God's appreciation for that one is magnified, mortal man's misunderstanding of him likewise increases. So he must learn to rejoice in this perse‐ cution, as proof that he is acceptable in the sight of God, and to protect his thought from the malpractice of misunderstanding, so that he will not be cast down by it. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.”

Often the persecution that attends higher spiritual growth comes in the form of unjust accusations. If one is not watchful, he may lose his spiritual thought, since there is nothing more apt to upset a good working student, than to be the object of unjust accusations. He is liable to become so disturbed that he lets go of God, and this is the design of animal magnetism. Once a student accepts a persecution complex, he is for the time being robbed of God. He may accept suggestions of paranoia, and imagine constant persecution on every hand.

Our Leader stood ready to help all of her followers, that she could, who reached the exalted place where they were persecuted for righteousness sake, and she hoped that throughout the history of her Cause, her Directors would assume this same office. If they did not, she foresaw that to some degree her old church would become a victim of M.A.M. and many splendid students disciplined and excommunicated, who broke faith, without a sufficient effort being made to save them.

Surely the greatest lesson Mrs. Eddy taught her followers was that they must avoid the easy way — the lazy way of the human mind — since it is the broad road that leads to hell. The straight and narrow way is the demonstrating way, — God's way that is exact and perfect, — the way that leads to Life.

Here were some of Mrs. Eddy's fine students accused of immorality. Surely her loving heart yearned to have the Directors see that only the unerring wisdom of God could take care of the situation. Who but God can know whether an offending member is a Peter or a Judas, and is to be treated accordingly? Furthermore, even when Jesus knew the nature of Judas' error, he did not excommunicate him from the favored few who were privileged to be called his disciples. He trusted that the error would be taken care of in God's own time, and it was.

As the faithful servant of God, Mrs. Eddy was watching to see what form animal magnetism would take in its aggressive efforts to shut off the truth about God and man from the world. When she saw a student like Captain Eastaman who had been invaluable in the early upbuilding of the Cause — a man with a high sense of faithfulness, morality and honesty, — suddenly put in a position where animal magnetism could accuse him of that which would cause the students to feel that they must cast him out, she knew that that was just what the devil wanted. It is said that she called the Captain to Pleasant View and had a long talk with him. When he left, he had a letter to the Directors in which she declared that he was one of her best students, and was to be reinstated. Bliss Knapp refers to this case on page 140 of his book of reminiscences, and Mrs. Eddy verifies it in her next letter to the Directors via Mr. Armstrong.

Mrs. Eddy knew that a good student of Science who becomes handled by animal magnetism is not hopeless,

unless there is an error in his foundation such as Judas had, which has never been handled. She was determined that the Peters in her Cause should not be excommunicated, no matter what they had done. She wished the Directors to learn that what the Peters do under animal magnetism is never according to their normal and natural impulses or character. In fact, had they not become Christian Scientists, they would not have been brought under additional pressure of temptation to which they yielded, because of an ignorance of animal magnetism.

There is no record that the Master even rebuked Peter for denying him. Jesus knew that it was a valuable experience for Peter to learn what would happen to him, if he did not handle animal magnetism. Evidently Mrs. Eddy placed Captain Eastaman in the category of a Peter who according to Miscellany 211, was tempted “into the committal of acts foreign to the natural inclinations.”

In some respects Captain Eastaman's experience duplicated that of Mr. Chase, since when the accusation was made that there was something wrong with the latter's account, Mrs. Eddy would not let the Board take any action against him. She forbore to treat students who went off the straight line as Judases, when spiritual insight told her that they were Peters.

The Master's disciples knew little about the claim of evil, and how to handle it; so he had to exercise protection for them. He could have prevented Peter from doing what he did in denying his Master, but it was important for him as a student to learn the lesson, that the desire to be faithful and loyal was not realized as simply and easily as he fancied it could be — namely — by merely cherishing it as a desire. It had to be protected with watchfulness and understanding. The world at large is ignorant of this fact, and has no knowledge of the error that stands in the way of every right attainment. One can guess what it cost our Leader to discover it, when one finds her writing to a student, “Not only through strife but through agonizing struggle, experience, is the victory over error won.”

Calvin Frye's experience with our Leader for twenty-eight years, and his brief history after she left our midst, will always yield helpfulness to the one who learns of it and ponders it, since it proves that she must have exercised great protection over him, to enable him to remain steadfast over such a long period of time. Yet when that protection was withdrawn, and he seemed to fall into the ways of the world to some extent (the exact nature of which will probably never be known), he should no more be condemned, than Peter was. The Bible records no word of remonstrance from the Master, for he knew that it was important for Peter to get a taste of what life would be without his protection — committing acts foreign to his natural inclinations — so that he might be aroused to make the demonstration of protection for himself. The pungent nature of the lesson is evident, when one realizes that Peter violated what he considered to be his strongest and not his weakest point, namely, his loyalty to the Master.

Jesus recognized that after he left him, Peter would have to look out for himself, so he wanted him to learn the lesson that would encourage him to acquire the ability to protect himself. His success in doing this after the Master's ascension was self-evident.

Mrs. Eddy has been accused of being a demanding personality whose word was always law, but this letter proves that accusation false. In it she does not call for obedience to herself as a capable personality, but was demanding the students to follow the instructions resulting from the demonstration she was making of oneness with God. The emanation of this oneness, when first gained, was the textbook itself. When God talked through her, she expected the students to listen and obey. Only when they did, were they worthy of being called “loyal, obedient to God and the author of S. & H.” Her final name for this oneness was the Pastor Emeritus.

Loyalty is commonly considered to be that quality that causes one to use his influence, and best efforts towards the one to whom he is loyal; yet it is supposed to last only as long as one's best interests are served in such a manner. Betrayal may take place at any time for a price. What Judas displayed toward the Master seemed to be loyalty but it was largely self-interest, since true loyalty means that the more error tries to break down that loyalty, the more determined one is that this shall not be done.

There was only one way for Mr. Johnson to know if his son was a suitable candidate for the position of trustee. This was not the human favoritism of a father for his son, nor a human knowledge of him, but a demonstration of divine guidance. The father knew that his son was loyal and obedient, but the greatest question was how he would stand under mesmerism and pressure.

Christian Scientists who live together learn a great deal as to how each one endures the pressure of animal magnetism, whether he handles it, or lets it handle them. When one considers the betrayal of our Master, it would seem as if the difference between Peter and Judas was that one declared that he did not know Jesus, and the other that he did. The important difference was that Peter, discovering the possibility of being affected by animal magnetism, rose out of it and became a better student because of the experience, whereas Judas sank down under it and killed himself. This attitude illustrates the difference between all students who yield to animal magnetism.