Subject — Love

1.     Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

2.     Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

3.     And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.

10.     When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11.     When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12.     For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1.     Jeremiah 31 : 3

3     The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.

2.     Jeremiah 29 : 11, 13, 14 (to :)

11     For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

13     And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

14     And I will be found of you, saith the LORD.

3.     Hosea 1 : 1 (to 1st ,)

1     The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea,

4.     Hosea 11 : 1 (to 2nd ,), 4 (to 2nd ,)

1     When Israel was a child, then I loved him,

4     I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws,

5.     Hosea 2 : 19, 20, 23

19     And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.

20     I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD.

23     And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

6.     Hosea 12 : 6

6     Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

7.     Hosea 13 : 9 (in)

9     …in me is thine help.

8.     Hosea 14 : 5-7, 9 (to :)

5          I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon.

6     His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon.

7     They that dwell under his shadow shall return; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon.

9     Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them:

9.     Matthew 9 : 35-38

35     And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

36     But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.

37     Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;

38     Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

10.     Luke 11 : 1-11, 13 (how much)

1     And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2     And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

3     Give us day by day our daily bread.

4     And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

5     And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;

6     For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?

7     And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.

8     I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

9     And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

10     For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

11     If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

13     …how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

11.     Luke 12 : 6, 7, 32

6     Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

7     But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32     Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

12.     I John 3 : 18-22

18     My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.

19     And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.

20     For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

21     Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.

22     And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

13.     I John 4 : 16, 19

16     And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

19     We love him, because he first loved us.

1.     589 : 9 (God)-10 (to and), 10 (man)-11

…God is the divine Principle of all existence, and …man is His idea, the child of His care.

2.     6 : 17-18

"God is Love." More than this we cannot ask, higher we cannot look, farther we cannot go.

3.     518 : 19-23

Love giveth to the least spiritual idea might, immortality, and goodness, which shine through all as the blossom shines through the bud. All the varied expressions of God reflect health, holiness, immortality — infinite Life, Truth, and Love.

4.     387 : 27-32

The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering.

5.     134 : 31-32

A miracle fulfils God's law, but does not violate that law.

6.     119 : 18-22 (to ;)

The lawgiver, whose lightning palsies or prostrates in death the child at prayer, is not the divine ideal of omnipresent Love. God is natural good, and is represented only by the idea of goodness;

7.     135 : 17-32

There is to-day danger of repeating the offence of the Jews by limiting the Holy One of Israel and asking: "Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?" What cannot God do?

It has been said, and truly, that Christianity must be Science, and Science must be Christianity, else one or the other is false and useless; but neither is unimportant or untrue, and they are alike in demonstration. This proves the one to be identical with the other. Christianity as Jesus taught it was not a creed, nor a system of ceremonies, nor a special gift from a ritualistic Jehovah; but it was the demonstration of divine Love casting out error and healing the sick, not merely in the name of Christ, or Truth, but in demonstration of Truth, as must be the case in the cycles of divine light.

8.     xi : 14-21

Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural. They are the sign of Immanuel, or "God with us," — a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,

To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense],

And recovering of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty them that are bruised.

9.     192 : 27-31

We walk in the footsteps of Truth and Love by following the example of our Master in the understanding of divine metaphysics. Christianity is the basis of true healing. Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.

10.     1 : 1-4, 10-14

The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, — a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love.

Thoughts unspoken are not unknown to the divine Mind. Desire is prayer; and no loss can occur from trusting God with our desires, that they may be moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds.

11.     2 : 4-11, 15-17

Are we benefited by praying? Yes, the desire which goes forth hungering after righteousness is blessed of our Father, and it does not return unto us void.

God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He is unchanging wisdom and Love.

Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it. Goodness attains the demonstration of Truth.

12.     9 : 5-16

The test of all prayer lies in the answer to these questions: Do we love our neighbor better because of this asking? Do we pursue the old selfishness, satisfied with having prayed for some- thing better, though we give no evidence of the sincerity of our requests by living consistently with our prayer? If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbour unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith.

13.     12 : 1-15

"The prayer of faith shall save the sick," says the Scripture. What is this healing prayer? A mere request that God will heal the sick has no power to gain more of the divine presence than is always at hand. The beneficial effect of such prayer for the sick is on the human mind, making it act more powerfully on the body through a blind faith in God. This, however, is one belief casting out another, — a belief in the unknown casting out a belief in sickness. It is neither Science nor Truth which acts through blind belief, nor is it the human understanding of the divine healing Principle as manifested in Jesus, whose humble prayers were deep and con- scientious protests of Truth, — of man's likeness to God and of man's unity with Truth and Love.

14.     16 : 7-11, 24-15

Our Master taught his disciples one brief prayer, which we name after him the Lord's Prayer. Our Master said, "After this manner therefore pray ye," and then he gave that prayer which covers all human needs.

Here let me give what I understand to be the spiritual sense of the Lord's Prayer:

Our Father which art in heaven,

     Our Father-Mother God, all-harmonious,

Hallowed be Thy name.

     Adorable One.

Thy kingdom come.

     Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present.

Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

     Enable us to know, — as in heaven, so on earth, — God is omnipotent, supreme.

Give us this day our daily bread;

     Give us grace for to-day; feed the famished affections;

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

     And Love is reflected in love;

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil;

     And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.

     For God is infinite, all-power, all Life, Truth, Love, over all, and All.