as to the
correct solution. For several months I pondered and fretted over it. At
last, in despair, I let it alone, resolving I would not be further
troubled. But one day it unfolded itself so clearly and beautifully I
was completely satisfied.

"Here it is: Taking the first account of creation, we find man made in
the image and likeness of God, given dominion over all things. If we
believe man to be spiritual and not material, if we know that spirit
_can not_ change its character or quality, we must know that spiritually
man never fell, but that he _seemed_ to fall through our misconception
and misunderstanding of appearances.

"Man now manifests what he believes in; his consciousness of truth is
not fully developed and he mistakes appearances for realities. Having
all possibilities of recognizing only the good, he is perfect. For every
mistake that is made he manifests error, the fallen, or rather the
undeveloped state. The Truth and Love that he manifests in his life, is
the revealment of his God-like nature. In the glimpses of his true self
he recognizes his inheritance of power, and in his mistaken conceptions
forgets to acknowledge God. He then judges according to appearances, and
says things are true because they appear true to the senses.

"The creating principle of life is perfect, but man neglects to
acknowledge this divine power in proportion to his selfishness. It is
therefore his selfishness that prevents him from recognizing the Good,
and causes him to see, name and believe in matter and its consequences;
and he thus becomes materially minded, and is known as the 'Adam' in
'whom all die.'

"Adam signifies error, clay, unreality. Christ signifies Truth, Spirit,
Reality. If we believe in things that appear to be the creation, we are
believing in nothingness, which so proves itself by death and
disintegration. If we believe appearances to be the _sign_ of the real,
we are acknowledging the spiritual to be the all, hence it proves itself
by making even the body its sign, manifest life, health, perfection.

"If we cast out all selfishness, pure love takes its place. We must be
purified from the beliefs of the world in selfishness and its
consequences by recognizing that our 'sufficiency is of God.'

"This was very plain to me, John, and I hope you will find it so too,
but if you do not, wait, and as soon as you are ready for it, the answer
will come to you.

"The lesson to-day was on deception and pers