strength; and this prayer too is answered. The transformation for which we pray takes place; our wounds are healed, our vigor increased, our health restored. These experiences are the best proofs of the efficacy of prayer.

26. To those who contend that the Divine Mind would not change the laws of nature in order to restore man to health and cheer, we say that health and cheer are the law of nature in man. Man is called into existence to be healthy and cheerful; ailment and depression constitute violations against the law of nature; they are the work of man, not of God. When we pray for health, therefore, we do not request God to violate the laws of nature, which He Himself immutably fixed; we ask, not that the law be altered, but, on the contrary, that it be restored. We ask that that which was originally given to us, but which through erroneous living and thinking we lost, be returned to us. When God answers our prayer and restores us to health, He is not altering His law, He is restoring it in our lives. It is the will of God that man should enjoy good health, that he should be happy all the days of his life. When we pray for such a state, we are praying for the enactment of God's own will.

CHAPTER IV

HEALING

1. The greatest gift in man's possession is health, and when it fails him, he would readily give all his other possessions in exchange for it. Health is a divine gift. It flows from the very same spring as life itself. Both have their source in the Divine Mind. The wealth that man possesses outside of himself may be the result of his own labor; that which he possesses within himself is an emanation from the Divine Mind. Health was given to him long before he had any appreciation of its value. It was lavished upon him in the very process of his formation; it was knitted into his very bones, intertwined with his sinews, woven into every nerve and fiber; it was given to him long before he had his first glimpse of the day, long before he had sounded his first cry into the world.

2. Because health is natural to man, he need not exert himself to attain it; he need have only a care to preserve it. Health can best be preserved and life prolonged by following faithfully the precepts of Jewish Science. We say to men: Live serenely, avoid unwholesome excitement; such excitement makes man restless and weak. Live peacefully and avoid anger; anger is the bitterest poison in the heart of man; it devours his

vitality and shortens his life. Live cheerfully, avoid moroseness; gloom slackens the function of every organ, and depresses all the inner processes. Be contented, avoid envy; envy is the mother of bitterness and hatred, which are ruinous to the heart in which they dwell. Love everyone, hate no one; hate kindles destructive fires both within and without man; its flames sweep on further and further, leaving desolation in their trail. Be hopeful and courageous, never worry and never fear; the victims of worry and fear are more numerous than those of physical disease. Worry and fear are the bitterest foes of man, and man must destroy them at any cost. Above all, trust God at all times. This trust in God will prove an impregnable protection against the onslaughts of worry and fear, against the assaults of hatred and envy, against the invasion of gloom and anger, against all the treacherous and pernicious mental states which sap man's strength and hasten him to sickness and death. Trust in God whole-heartedly, and your mind will retain its serenity and peace; trust in Him with all your soul, and your heart will always be contented and cheerful; trust in Him with all your might, and hope and courage will never forsake you. Trust in God and you will come to the full realization that your life is inherently a part of His essence and that your mind, therefore, is not made to be a harbor for destructive influences, nor your body a place of refuge for pain and suffering.

3. Man is born to be healthy; it is the Divine plan that man should enjoy his existence in this world. But whatever emanates from the Divine Mind is based on

Law. Health is accompanied by definite laws which, when observed, keep the springs of strength constantly replenished; but which, on the other hand, when violated, dig an outlet for health to seep forth and make way for disease and pain.

4. Sickness is not, as some theologians have taught us to believe, a punishment from God. He who is the source of love and goodness, inflicts no punishment on those whom He has called into existence. His relation to His creatures is neither that of a despotic ruler nor of an unrelenting judge; He does not inflict punishment nor is He indifferent to the suffering of His creatures. We can understand Him only if we conceive of Him as a merciful Father who desires but the happiness and well-being of His children. Ailment and suffering are not the creations of the Divine Mind, which is all-goodness; sickness, pain, suffering are created by the human mind when it infringes upon the Divine laws of health, diminishing thus the measures of vitality and inviting illness. The violation of Divine law by the human mind is the true cause of all illness.

5. Illness is very often the consequence of a persistent pessimistic outlook upon life. The depression of the mind is communicated to the body, and as it perturbs the mind so does it disturb the vital functions of the body and cause pain and suffering. When worry or fear, or other depressing sensations invade the mind, the body responds with a slowing up of all its mechanism, and even with illness and pain. It is usually the weakest part of the body that is afflicted first, and an organ or limb that

has been weakened somewhat by a previous illness, though long forgotten, is subjected to further pain and suffering through the condition of the mind. Therefore, when one experiences the approach of ailment, he should earnestly interrogate himself: Does my mind shelter worry and fear? Am I filled with bitterness or anger? Am I poisoned by hatred or envy? To these and many other scru

tinies must one submit himself in order to discover the root of his illness and discomfort. When the discovery has been made, he must presently apply himself to the annihilation of his injurious thoughts and moods and direct his mind in the way of harmony and optimism. Such a change in his mental attitude will make an end to his ailment and suffering.

6. This procedure should be followed at the inception of the disease, or even before, to prevent its distressing occurrence. When illness, however, has already taken deep root, especially where it has made the individual helpless and weak, aid must be sought from the Divine Mind. The Infinite Fountain of life is also the inexhaustible source of strength; that which man is unable to attain through his conscious powers, he must seek to obtain from the Infinite. And divine help is to be sought through prayer.

7. A prayer for health is offered in a manner akin to the prayer offered for any other need. It is presented by the mind in visual terms. We must bear in mind again that the Divine Mind needs not human words, but requests human earnestness; that He desires not eloquence but devotion; and that He answers a prayer in propor