[54]Thetheisticexplanationisbydivinegrace，whichcreatesanewnaturewithinonethemomenttheoldnatureissincerelygivenup。Thepantheisticexplanation(whichisthatofmostmind-curers)isbythemergingofthenarrowerprivateselfintothewiderorgreaterself，thespiritoftheuniverse(whichisyourown“subconscious“self)，themomenttheisolatingbarriersofmistrustandanxietyareremoved。Themedico-materialisticexplanationisthatsimplercerebralprocessesactmorefreelywheretheyarelefttoactautomaticallybytheshunting-outofphysiologically(thoughinthisinstancenotspiritually)
“higher“oneswhich，seekingtoregulate，onlysucceedininhibitingresults——Whetherthisthirdexplanationmight，inapsycho-physicalaccountoftheuniverse，becombinedwitheitheroftheothersmaybeleftanopenquestionhere。
Whenwetakeupthephenomenaofrevivalisticconversion，weshalllearnsomethingmoreaboutallthis。MeanwhileIwillsayabriefwordaboutthemind-curer’sMETHODS。
Theyareofcourselargelysuggestive。Thesuggestiveinfluenceofenvironmentplaysanenormouspartinallspiritualeducation。
Buttheword“suggestion。”havingacquiredofficialstatus，isunfortunatelyalreadybeginningtoplayinmanyquartersthepartofawetblanketuponinvestigation，beingusedtofendoffallinquiryintothevaryingsusceptibilitiesofindividualcases。
“Suggestion“isonlyanothernameforthepowerofideas，SOFAR
ASTHEYPROVEEFFICACIOUSOVERBELIEFANDCONDUCT。Ideasefficaciousoversomepeopleproveinefficaciousoverothers。
Ideasefficaciousatsometimesandinsomehumansurroundingsarenotsoatothertimesandelsewhere。TheideasofChristianchurchesarenotefficaciousinthetherapeuticdirectionto-day，whatevertheymayhavebeeninearliercenturies；andwhenthewholequestionisastowhythesalthaslostitssavorhereorgaineditthere，themereblankwavingoftheword“suggestion“
asifitwereabannergivesnolight。Dr。Goddard，whosecandidpsychologicalessayonFaithCuresascribesthemtonothingbutordinarysuggestion，concludesbysayingthat“Religion[andbythisheseemstomeanourpopularChristianity]hasinitallthereisinmentaltherapeutics，andhasitinitsbestform。
Livingupto[ourreligious]ideaswilldoanythingforusthatcanbedone。”AndthisinspiteoftheactualfactthatthepopularChristianitydoesabsolutelyNOTHING，ordidnothinguntilmind-curecametotherescue。[55]
[55]Withinthechurchesadispositionhasalwaysprevailedtoregardsicknessasavisitation；somethingsentbyGodforourgood，eitheraschastisement，aswarning，orasopportunityforexercisingvirtue，and，intheCatholicChurch，ofearning“merit。”“Illness。”saysagoodCatholicwriterP。Lejeune：
(Introd。alaVieMystique，1899，p。218)，“isthemostexcellentcorporealmortifications，themortificationwhichonehasnotone’sselfchosen，whichisimposeddirectlybyGod，andisthedirectexpressionofhiswill。’Ifothermortificationsareofsilver，’Mgr。Gaysays，’thisoneisofgold；sincealthoughitcomesofourselves，comingasitdoesoforiginalsin，stillonitsgreaterside，ascoming(likeallthathappens)fromtheprovidenceofGod，itisofdivinemanufacture。Andhowjustareitsblows！Andhowefficaciousitis！……Idonothesitatetosaythatpatienceinalongillnessismortification’sverymasterpiece，andconsequentlythetriumphofmortifiedsouls。’“
Accordingtothisview，diseaseshouldinanycasebesubmissivelyaccepted，anditmightundercertaincircumstancesevenbeblasphemoustowishitaway。
Ofcoursetherehavebeenexceptionstothis，andcuresbyspecialmiraclehaveatalltimesbeenrecognizedwithinthechurch’spale，almostallthegreatsaintshavingmoreorlessperformedthem。ItwasoneoftheheresiesofEdwardIrving，tomaintainthemstilltobepossible。Anextremelypurefacultyofhealingafterconfessionandconversiononthepatient’spart，andprayeronthepriest’s，wasquitespontaneouslydevelopedintheGermanpastor，Joh。ChristophBlumhardt，intheearlyfortiesandexertedduringnearlythirtyyears。Blumhardt’sLifebyZundel(5thedition，Zurich，1887)givesinchaptersix。，x。，xi。，andxvii。aprettyfullaccountofhishealingactivity，whichheinvariablyascribedtodirectdivineinterposition。
Blumhardtwasasingularlypure，simple，andnon-fanaticalcharacter，andinthispartofhisworkfollowednopreviousmodel。InChicagoto-daywehavethecaseofDr。J。A。Dowie，aScottishBaptistpreacher，whoseweekly“LeavesofHealing“wereintheyearofgrace1900intheirsixthvolume，andwho，althoughhedenouncesthecureswroughtinothersectsas“diabolicalcounterfeits“ofhisownexclusively“DivineHealing。”mustonthewholebecountedintothemind-curemovement。Inmind-curecirclesthefundamentalarticleoffaithisthatdiseaseshouldneverbeaccepted。Itiswhollyofthepit。Godwantsustobeabsolutelyhealthy，andweshouldnottolerateourselvesonanylowerterms。
Anidea，tobesuggestive，mustcometotheindividualwiththeforceofarevelation。Themind-curewithitsgospelofhealthy-mindednesshascomeasarevelationtomanywhoseheartsthechurchChristianityhadlefthardened。Ithasletloosetheirspringsofhigherlife。Inwhatcantheoriginalityofanyreligiousmovementconsist，saveinfindingachannel，untilthensealedup，throughwhichthosespringsmaybesetfreeinsomegroupofhumanbeings？
Theforceofpersonalfaith，enthusiasm，andexample，andabovealltheforceofnovelty，arealwaystheprimesuggestiveagencyinthiskindofsuccess。Ifmind-cureshouldeverbecomeofficial，respectable，andintrenched，theseelementsofsuggestiveefficacywillbelost。InitsacuterstageseveryreligionmustbeahomelessArabofthedesert。Thechurchknowsthiswellenough，withitseverlastinginnerstruggleoftheacutereligionofthefewagainstthechronicreligionofthemany，induratedintoanobstructivenessworsethanthatwhichirreligionopposestothemovingsoftheSpirit。“Wemaypray。”
saysJonathanEdwards，“concerningallthosesaintsthatarenotlivelyChristians，thattheymayeitherbeenlivened，ortakenaway；ifthatbetruethatisoftensaidbysomeatthisday，thatthesecolddeadsaintsdomorehurtthannaturalmen，andleadmoresoulstohell，andthatitwouldbewellformankindiftheywerealldead。”[56]
[56]Edwards，fromwhosebookontheRevivalinNewEnglandI
quotethesewords，dissuadesfromsuchauseofprayer，butitiseasytoseethatheenjoysmakinghisthrustatthecolddeadchurchmembers。
Thenextconditionofsuccessistheapparentexistence，inlargenumbers，ofmindswhounitehealthy-mindednesswithreadinessforregenerationbylettinggo。Protestantismhasbeentoopessimisticasregardsthenaturalman，Catholicismhasbeentoolegalisticandmoralistic，foreithertheoneortheothertoappealinanygenerouswaytothetypeofcharacterformedofthispeculiarminglingofelements。Howeverfewofusherepresentmaybelongtosuchatype，itisnowevidentthatitformsaspecificmoralcombination，wellrepresentedintheworld。
Finally，mind-curehasmadewhatinourprotestantcountriesisanunprecedentedlygreatuseofthesubconsciouslife。Totheirreasonedadviceanddogmaticassertion，itsfoundershaveaddedsystematicexerciseinpassiverelaxation，concentration，andmeditation，andhaveeveninvokedsomethinglikehypnoticpractice。Iquotesomepassagesatrandom：——
“Thevalue，thepotencyofidealsisthegreatpracticaltruthonwhichtheNewThoughtmoststronglyinsists——thedevelopmentnamelyfromwithinoutward，fromsmalltogreat。[57]Consequentlyone’sthoughtshouldbecentredontheidealoutcome，eventhoughthistrustbeliterallylikeastepinthedark。[58]Toattaintheabilitythuseffectivelytodirectthemind，theNewThoughtadvisesthepracticeofconcentration，orinotherwords，theattainmentofself-control。Oneistolearntomarshalthetendenciesofthemind，sothattheymaybeheldtogetherasaunitbythechosenideal。Tothisend，oneshouldsetaparttimesforsilentmeditation，byone’sself，preferablyinaroomwherethesurroundingsarefavorabletospiritualthought。InNewThoughtterms，thisiscalled’enteringthesilence。’“[59]
[57]H。W。DRESSER：VoicesofFreedom，46。
[58]Dresser：Livingbythespirit，58。
[59]Dresser：VoicesofFreedom，33。
“ThetimewillcomewheninthebusyofficeoronthenoisystreetyoucanenterintothesilencebysimplydrawingthemantleofyourownthoughtsaboutyouandrealizingthatthereandeverywheretheSpiritofInfiniteLife，Love，Wisdom，Peace，Power，andPlentyisguiding，keeping，protecting，leadingyou。
Thisisthespiritofcontinualprayer。[60]Oneofthemostintuitivemenweevermethadadeskatacityofficewhereseveralothergentlemenweredoingbusinessconstantly，andoftentalkingloudly。Entirelyundisturbedbythemanyvarioussoundsabouthim，thisself-centredfaithfulmanwould，inanymomentofperplexity，drawthecurtainsofprivacysocompletelyabouthimthathewouldbeasfullyinclosedinhisownpsychicaura，andtherebyaseffectuallyremovedfromalldistractions，asthoughhewerealoneinsomeprimevalwood。Takinghisdifficultywithhimintothemysticsilenceintheformofadirectquestion，towhichheexpectedacertainanswer，hewouldremainutterlypassiveuntilthereplycame，andneveroncethroughmanyyears’
experiencedidhefindhimselfdisappointedormisled。”[61]
[60]Trine：InTunewiththeInfinite，p。214
[61]Trine：p。117。
Wherein，Ishouldliketoknow，doesthisINTRINSICALLYdifferfromthepracticeof“recollection“whichplayssogreatapartinCatholicdiscipline？OtherwisecalledthepracticeofthepresenceofGod(andsoknownamongourselves，asforinstanceinJeremyTaylor)，itisthusdefinedbytheeminentteacherAlvarezdePazinhisworkonContemplation。
“ItistherecollectionofGod，thethoughtofGod，whichinallplacesandcircumstancesmakesusseehimpresent，letsuscommunerespectfullyandlovinglywithhim，andfillsuswithdesireandaffectionforhim……Wouldyouescapefromeveryill？NeverlosethisrecollectionofGod，neitherinprosperitynorinadversity，noronanyoccasionwhichsoeveritbe。Invokenot，toexcuseyourselffromthisduty，eitherthedifficultyortheimportanceofyourbusiness，foryoucanalwaysrememberthatGodseesyou，thatyouareunderhiseye。Ifathousandtimesanhouryouforgethim，reanimateathousandtimestherecollection。
Ifyoucannotpracticethisexercisecontinuously，atleastmakeyourselfasfamiliarwithitaspossible；and，likeuntothosewhoinarigorouswinterdrawnearthefireasoftenastheycan，goasoftenasyoucantothatardentfirewhichwillwarmyoursoul。”[62]
[62]QuotedbyLejeune：Introd。alavieMystique，1899，p。66。
AlltheexternalassociationsoftheCatholicdisciplineareofcourseunlikeanythinginmind-curethought，butthepurelyspiritualpartoftheexerciseisidenticalinbothcommunions，andinbothcommunionsthosewhourgeitwritewithauthority，fortheyhaveevidentlyexperiencedintheirownpersonsthatwhereoftheytell。Compareagainsomemind-cureutterances：——
“High，healthful，purethinkingcanbeencouraged，promoted，andstrengthened。Itscurrentcanbeturnedupongrandidealsuntilitformsahabitandwearsachannel。Bymeansofsuchdisciplinethementalhorizoncanbefloodedwiththesunshineofbeauty，wholeness，andharmony。Toinauguratepureandloftythinkingmayatfirstseemdifficult，evenalmostmechanical，butperseverancewillatlengthrenderiteasy，thenpleasant，andfinallydelightful。
“Thesoul’srealworldisthatwhichithasbuiltofitsthoughts，mentalstates，andimaginations。IfweWILL，wecanturnourbacksuponthelowerandsensuousplane，andliftourselvesintotherealmofthespiritualandReal，andtheregainaresidence。Theassumptionofstatesofexpectancyandreceptivitywillattractspiritualsunshine，anditwillflowinasnaturallyasairinclinestoavacuum……Wheneverthethough；isnotoccupiedwithone’sdailydutyorprofession，itshouldhesentaloftintothespiritualatmosphere。Therearequietleisuremomentsbyday，andwakefulhoursatnight，whenthiswholesomeanddelightfulexercisemaybeengagedintogreatadvantage。Ifonewhohasnevermadeanysystematicefforttoliftandcontrolthethought-forceswill，forasinglemonth，earnestlypursuethecourseheresuggested，hewillbesurprisedanddelightedattheresult，andnothingwillinducehimtogobacktocareless，aimless，andsuperficialthinking。Atsuchfavorableseasonstheoutsideworld，withallitscurrentofdailyevents，isbarredout，andonegoesintothesilentsanctuaryoftheinnertempleofsoultocommuneandaspire。Thespiritualhearingbecomesdelicatelysensitive，sothatthe’still，smallvoice’isaudible，thetumultuouswavesofexternalsensearehushed，andthereisagreatcalm。TheegograduallybecomesconsciousthatitisfacetofacewiththeDivinePresence；thatmighty，healing，loving，Fatherlylifewhichisnearertousthanwearetoourselves。ThereissoulcontactwiththeParent-Soul，andaninfluxoflife，love，virtue，health，andhappinessfromtheInexhaustibleFountain。”[63]
[63]HENRYWood：IdealsuggestionthroughMentalPhotography，pp。51，70(abridged)。
