Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Chapter 1: Prayer
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| 1 | divine Truth and Love, we cannot conceal the ingrati- | |
| tude of barren lives. | ||
| 3 | What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire | |
| for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, | ||
| love, and good deeds. To keep the com- | Efficacious | |
| 6 | mandments of our Master and follow his | |
| example, is our proper debt to him and the only | ||
| worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has | ||
| 9 | done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient to | |
| express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he has | ||
| said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." | ||
| 12 | The habitual struggle to be always good is unceas- | |
| ing prayer. Its motives are made manifest in the | ||
| blessings they bring,--blessings which, even if not | ||
| 15 | acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness | |
| to be partakers of Love. | ||
| Simply asking that we may love God will never | ||
| 18 | make us love Him; but the longing to be better | |
| and holier, expressed in daily watchful- | Watchfulness | |
| ness and in striving to assimilate more of | ||
| 21 | the divine character, will mould and fashion us | |
| anew, until we awake in His likeness. We reach the | ||
| Science of Christianity through demonstration of the | ||
| 24 | divine nature; but in this wicked world goodness | |
| will "be evil spoken of," and patience must bring | ||
| experience. | ||
| 27 | Audible prayer can never do the works of spiritual | |
| understanding, which regenerates; but silent prayer, | ||
| watchfulness, and devout obedience enable | Veritable | |
| 30 | us to follow Jesus' example. Long prayers, | |
| superstition, and creeds clip the strong pinions of love, | ||
| and clothe religion in human forms. Whatever mate- |
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