Not a Strange Language nor an Hard Speech BETTIE BELL, CSD          When Ezekiel the prophet was called "Son of Man " and told to hearken to the voice of God, it was said to him: "For thou art not sent to a people of a strange language and of an hard speech, but to the house of Israel." To this "Son of Man" was given but one speech, and that not strange; but one language and that not hard, and he was to guide the House of Israel into but one way and that way was the only way of pleasantness and peace.          Whence comes the present out-cry of ways many? From whence cometh the voice that is enticing the traveller into the broad road that leadeth to destruction? Whence cometh the strange woman that sitteth at the gate with her cups of subtleness and treachery, to woo the seeker after Truth into the false way? And he, being simple in understanding, comprehends not the speech that was not strange, nor the language that was not hard, but falls into the snare not knowing the depths of hell were there.          Look well at the wonderful prophecy recorded in the 9th chapter of Proverbs. See how Wisdom hewed out her seven pillars, and prepared her table with the fruits thereon. Note how the promise is ripe with blessings if we but stand under this banner of wisdom, going not from under these seven pillars, which are the understanding of Principle, Life, Truth, and Love, Spirit, Mind, Soul. The promise to the wise is conditioned on their holding fast to this one way of understanding.          Take note of the strange woman at the gate and it will be clear how it has occurred that some of those instructed in the right way, — in the language and speech of the House of Israel, — have fallen away from the doctrines of Wisdom, and gone out from under her seven pillars and hewed out pillars of their own; constructed for themselves molten images and graven images, calling them the production of wisdom.          One child of this strange woman is Pantheism, with its errors; another is Theosophy, with its tares; another is Mind-cure, with its snares; another is Mediumship, with its foibles; another is Mesmerism, with its delusions; Animal magnetism, with its hallucinations; and Spiritualism, with its fretwork of nonsense. These are the seven pillars set up in opposition to the seven pillars of Wisdom. With a loud and boisterous noise these voices of error are all claiming and declaring themselves to be Christian Science; sending forth "keys" to solve [SCIENCE AND HEALTH], and to make people understand what is to them the strange language and hard speech of SCIENCE AND HEALTH, and flooding the land with poisonous literature; enticing the simple in understanding and the unwary. ...          But to the world the language and speech of Israel is unknown, and the deceiver that lays claim to the name of Christian Science, is accepted as readily as the true soldier of the Cross. The world does not accept them willingly, but ignorantly. When multitudes are suffering through this ignorance, is it not our duty to do our Leader's bidding and expose this evil, that all may become blessed by following the good?          Some have wilfully gone out of the way to sow tares among the wheat, and are sailing under false colors, winning the people, through false claims to loyalty, into the meshes of error. These are they who get into fiery trials, make mistakes and loudly pretend to do what they cannot do and thus the Truth is evil spoken of. Then [Mrs. Eddy], who is silently at work in her demonstrations, has to bear the blame of mistakes made by the erring workers, claiming to teach "Divine Science." The true workers press on to rectify these evils, and bear the cross — knowing this, the time is near when the tares and wheat will be separated and justice to our noble cause will finally be done.          These false teachers hold up to view the beauties of SCIENCE AND HEALTH, claim the name "Christian Science," tell their victims they are taught by the author of SCIENCE AND HEALTH at her Metaphysical College or received this instruction from her students.          After they have enticed them and they are bound hand and foot, they tell them, "There are other works of Christian Science far surpassing SCIENCE AND HEALTH. They advise that the chapter "Prayer and Atonement " be left aside, as "useless and meaningless." They...tell their dupes they must be so "good and so lovely," but in no way do they teach Christian Science in its fundamental principle, nor how to rend the fetters of mortal sense. If we ask their students, "Are you taught to master animal magnetism?" they are frightened at the word and say they never heard of it before.          They go away from these instructions impressed with a deep sense of the wonderfulness of their own knowledge; that they know all that is to be known, and it is not a matter of any importance to study SCIENCE AND HEALTH. Many practice what they call Christian Science without ever seeing a SCIENCE AND HEALTH, about which they talk so affectionately when getting hold of their victims. Ere long troubles arise with those who have listened to error's voice. Mortal claims assert themselves. Then they turn, if not too deep in error, to SCIENCE AND HEALTH, begin to scan its pages, and the Truth that expresses and declares itself in the inspired pages begins to impress them that they have been taught falsely, and they turn towards the true Teacher. They quit the false and flimsy basis they have been building on.          Many were honestly in search of "the speech that is not strange, and the language that is not hard," and desire a home in the House of Israel, when they were by fraudulent means wooed and won into the House of Egypt. These false teachers boast of their prosperity, and claim that it is an evidence they are right; but they are blind to see how the prophecy is fulfilling as told by Daniel: "And they practiced, and they prospered, and they trod the Truth down to the ground." And the prophecy goes on to state how Truth was delivered and error was cast down and destroyed. ...          Is this, then, not a fitting hour that the error should be exposed, and the people be warned of the false teaching, false literature, and the deception practiced of holding out SCIENCE AND HEALTH as their standard to lure their victims, and then indulging in the most blasphemous vituperations of it and its Author?          Through experience I know of what I am speaking. I have taught and healed those who have been misled; have removed medicines and wines from the sick room, prescribed by so-called Scientists. One of their leading members told me "what most engaged their desire was to injure and hate our Leader and her loyal band of honest workers." My reply was this: "Do you not know Pharaoh and all his hosts were swallowed up in the Red Sea, and that God is omnipotent and you can never even wound the Leader or her loyal band? She has taught us that God is Love, and not one of us but would stretch forth the hand in love and deliver you if we could."          But none can hinder the prophecy that wilful sin will go down in the night of despair and the doom of the bottomless pit. Thus has error striven to cope with Truth along the whole line of Biblical prophecy — from Moses through to the Revelator's vision. The Pharaoh of mortal sense pushes forward its army of deluded followers until sense shall be swallowed up, and the finite give place to the Infinite. ...          ...To understand God we had to have SCIENCE AND HEALTH; to understand Science we have to follow the Principle and rule. If you want the speech and language of Israel, you will find it in SCIENCE AND HEALTH.   "Not a Strange Language nor an Hard Speech" by Bettie Bell, CSD The Christian Science Journal, August, 1889

 

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