Page:Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.djvu/467

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GENESIS.
455

only as native evil, without any specific origin. We should rejoice that evil, by whatever figure presented, has neither origin nor support in God, so that we may have faith to fight all its claims as worthless. Adam, the synonym for error, stands for a belief of material mind. He begins his reign over man somewhat mildly, but increases in jealousy and falsehood as his days become fewer. In this development the divine law of Truth is made manifest by the mortality of error.

In Science man is sustained by God, the Divine Principle of his being. The earth, at His command, brings forth food for man's use. Knowing this, Jesus once said “Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink,” — presuming not on the prerogative of his Creator, but recognizing God, the Father and Mother of all, as able to feed and clothe man, as He doth the lilies of the field.

Genesis iii. 4, 5. And the Serpent said unto the woman, “Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

This myth represents error as always asserting its superiority over Truth, and giving the lie to Divine Science, and saying: “I can open your eyes; I can do more for you than God. Bow down to me, and have other gods. Only admit I am real, that I am more pleasant to the eyes than Life, more to be desired than Truth, and you will be mine.”

The history of Adam, error, is a dream without a dreamer. First, it supposes that something springs from nothing. Second, it supposes that Mind enters