CHAPTER VIII.--A SECOND VISIT TO THE COTTAGE.
The next Sunday evening when Carol entered the shoemaker's cottage, hewas not alone as before.
"This is my daughter, Mrs. Scott, Master Carol, and her little girl," hesaid to Carol. "We thought, maybe, you wouldn't object if she listenedto the reading too. She cannot often go to church, because the littlegirl has been subject to epilepsy since she was two years old. She'sjust turned eight now. I told her mother what you told me last Sunday,and she'll be right glad to hear more."
"That I shall, Master Carol. I know something of hip-disease, and ifyou could be cured of that, I'm sure my little girl could be cured ofthe fits."
"Why, of course she could. You will be able to help her ever so muchonly by knowing that God never created fits; they belong to the mistwhich we read about in the second chapter of Genesis. I am going toread that chapter to Mr. Higgs to-night. Then you'll understand. Iwill begin at the fourth verse, because the first three verses belongreally to the first chapter, which is an account of the first creation,when God made everything that was made and it was spiritual and perfect.No one could ever alter or undo God's perfect work; it remains, andalways will remain, perfect. When we understand this, and realize it,the mist will disappear, and all the things which belong to themist--sin, disease, and death."
Father and daughter looked at the boy with wonder and perplexity.Opening the Bible he read:
"These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they werecreated in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens."He continued to the end of the chapter. "Now do you see how differentthis account of creation is from the first?" he asked. "Who was theLord God who took the dust of the ground and formed man over again,after God had already created him, and pronounced His work very good?"
The old man shook his head. "I can only say, as I said last Sunday,Master Carol, in all the sermons I've listened to that has never beenexplained to me. I don't think I should have let it slip, if it had.It's just the first time I've ever known there were two creations."
"There were not really two creations, though it reads as if there were,because there are not two creators. The sixth verse explains it, 'Therewent up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.'That mist covered everything which God-Spirit had created--all the hostof them; birds, beasts, and flowers, mountains, seas, lakes, rivers,even man: God's own image and likeness. Because the mist is overeverything we do not see the world and man as they really exist. Sopeople have come to believe that God made man from the dust; for themist that is spoken of is not a mist like we see rising from the sea, orin the fields of an evening. It means false belief, misunderstanding ofGod and His spiritual creation. But, my cousin has told me, there is awoman in America who once caught a glimpse of God's real creation as shewas passing through the death valley. And that one glimpse restored herto health. Then she devoted her whole life to learn more of the truththat she might teach others how to see through the mist, and to shakeoff their old beliefs. She has written a book called _Science andHealth_ with _Key to the Scriptures_, which explains all that she hasdiscovered. Simply reading and studying that book has made hundreds ofpeople well."
"Where could we get a copy of it, Master Carol? I'd like to know for mylittle girl's sake," Mrs. Scott asked.
"I do not quite know, but there are Christian Science churches inLondon. If you were to write there perhaps someone would tell you. Iwish I had a copy to lend you. I have written the Scientific Statementof Being from memory. I am sure it will help you. I am trying torealize it for you, and for the little girl. Think always of that firstchapter of the Bible. In the beginning God created everything that wascreated, and it was very good. None of the things we want to get rid ofcould be included in God's _very good_, could they? Jesus came to teachmen to understand God better, and he said, 'that which is born of theSpirit is spirit.' So all that came from God and all that still comesis spiritual. If you could quite realize this, Mr. Higgs, you wouldsoon lose your rheumatism. I am only telling you what has been told meso many times; and I know it is true, because I was very ill when mycousin used to teach me, and I grew better as I began to understand.She helped me, because she saw me always as God's perfect child, andknew that He had never created hip-disease, therefore it never wascreated; it belonged to the mist, and it would disappear under the lightof Truth as hoar frost disappears when the sun shines upon it."
"It is wonderful and strange what you are telling us, Master Carol, I'venever heard the like before, but somehow I can't doubt it. I call tomind what the Bible says, 'Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings Godordains strength.' I'd dearly love the girl to be free from thosedreadful fits. My rheumatiz is very bad, but I'm an old man, and can'texpect to 'scape one o' the signs of old age."
"But you must not expect. You must know that it is not a sign of oldage in God's man. You must always remember the man whom God created inHis own image and likeness."
"I've heard those words many times before, Master Carol, but somehowthey never seemed to come home to me as you put it. Why, of course Iought not to suffer with rheumatiz if I _am_ God's image and likeness.But what about all the poor dwarfed and stunted creatures that arecrippled from infancy? There's a little hunchback in the village. Hewas dropped when he was a baby, and his back grew crooked, so that it'sa hump now. How can he be God's image and likeness?"
"The hunchback is not the likeness of God, but the real child--thespiritual child is, and God sees His child as He created it." The boyput his hand over his eyes a moment, realizing that of himself he wasnot telling these simple-minded people anything. Then he said:
"Suppose a great sculptor carved a beautiful statue out of a block ofmarble. Before he began his work, he would have in his mind the form hewished the marble to take. Gradually, as he worked at it, the marblewould become what his thought of it was. Then one day he would see itfinished and perfect--just what he intended it to be. Then he would workno more at it. Afterwards, suppose some one came by, and took clay andmixed it with water into a paste, and then daubed the beautiful statueall over, till the limbs looked crooked, and the beauty of the face wasspoiled. But it wouldn't be really spoiled, would it? The statue wouldstill be the work of the great sculptor, finished and perfect; the clayand the marble would be quite separate and distinct. Nothing could makethem one. So when we read the chapter I have just read to you--the LordGod took the dust of the ground and made man--God's man was alreadymade, finished and perfect, and the dust, like the clay, could only seemto hide the perfect creation. But we have to know this and to realizeit, if we are to get rid of the dust, and the clay, and the mist. Whenmy cousin was explaining all this to me one day, she said, 'It is notknown how or when the belief in a Lord God who made man of dust arose;but from that false belief came sin, sorrow, disease, and death. Jesuscame to teach us the way back to God; to teach us to see ourselves asthe children of God, not of the dust; and he said all who believed inhim, in what he taught, would never see death.' The day will come, mycousin said, when all men will so believe in Jesus the Christ, and willso understand and realize that God is their Father, that death will beovercome. Every case of sin and disease which is healed by thisknowledge--by the Truth--is bringing that day nearer."
The look of bewilderment deepened on the old man's face. Surely, theboy was throwing a different light upon words with which he had beenfamiliar all his life. "We'll think over what you've told us, MasterCarol--me and my daughter. It sort o' goes to me that it's true."
Again the words came to him, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings."
The church clock chimed the half-hour. Carol stood up to go. "The timehas gone so quickly. I must not stay longer now. I will come againnext Sunday, and all the week will you try to know that God's work wasfinished and perfect in the beginning, and everything that seems to havebeen added to it--rheumatism and fits--has no right to be?"
"We will, Master Carol
, we'll just think of the marble statue and theclay. It will help us."
"I will hold the right thought for you and the little girl, and I knowthat soon you will find that both the afflictions, which seem so real,belong to the mist."