be capable of light work for another twenty years, after which he
may yet enjoy another twenty years of quiet old age as the reward of his
labours, while crocodiles and tortoises have been known to live for
centuries. If then such things be possible in the ordinary course of
Nature in the animal world, why need we doubt the specializing power of
the Word to produce far greater results in the case of man? It is
because we will not accept the maxim, that "Principle is not limited by
Precedent" in regard to ourselves, though we see it demonstrated by
every new scientific discovery. We rely more on the past experience of
the race, than on the Creative Power of God. We call Him Almighty, and
then say that in His Book He promises things which He is not able to
perform. But the fault is with ourselves. We limit "the Holy ONE of
Israel," and as a consequence get only so much as by our mental attitude
we are able to receive--again the old maxim that "Power can only work in
terms of the instrument it works through." I do not say that it is at
all easy for us to completely rid ourselves of negative race-thought
ingrained into us from childhood, and subtly playing upon that generic
impersonal self in us of which I have spoken, and which readily responds
to those thought-currents to which we are habitually attuned. It is a
matter of individual growth. But the promises themselves contain no
inherent impossibility, and are logical deductions from the principles
of the Creative Law.

If the power of the Spirit over things of the material plane be an
impossibility, then by what power did Jesus perform his miracles? Either
you must deny his miracles, or you must admit the power of the Spirit
to work on the material plane--there is no way out of the dilemma.
Perhaps you may say: "Oh, but He was God in person!" Well, all the
promises affirm that it is God who does these things; so what it is
possible for God to do at one time, it is equally possible for Him to do
at all times. Or perhaps you hold other theological views, and will say
that Jesus was an exception to the rest of the race; but, on the
contrary, the whole Bible sets Him forth as the Example--an exception
certainly to men as we now know them, but the Example of what we all
have it in us to become--otherwise what use is He to us? But apart from
all argument on the subject we have his own words, telling us that those
who believe in Him, i.e., believe what He said about Himself--sh