Let God teach, not man.

THE VALUE OF SHOWING HOW TO TREAT

In principle it is a mistake to write out a treatment for anyone, as the student is inclined to repeat it in training, and in that way make it a formula, a group of words which do not carry a sufficient meaning. In other words, when treating, instead of getting right away to heaven and thinking only of God and God’s perfect world, he is prone to wonder what the words mean. Treatment is actively thinking of God and heaven, of God’s perfect world, the world of reality. The object in treatment is to get right away from all thoughts of the material world, so that one stops thinking evil, stops blaspheming God. The majority of religious people believe that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created be him. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. I:27,31), and yet they think that God’s man has been so badly made that he is liable to evil of every kind. The best plan I have found is to give those whom one is helping the main principles, let them write out their treatment, then correct it. This can be repeated giving them more and more helpful points, until they are able to write out a full and complete treatment. In this way they gradually gain the knowledge of the words they use and yet, practically all the time, are actively thinking of the world of reality when they are treating.

FORMULAS A MISTAKE

In the early days of metaphysical healing the better educated people would not take the trouble to investigate the subject and, as exemplified in the life of Jesus, it was amongst the lower classes that the truth spread more rapidly. It was found that if a man of the lower classes was shown a method of working, he was apt to make it a formula, namely, he did not understand what was said and it became a group of words which did not convey an adequate meaning. Consequently, in the early days of metaphysical healing each person was usually left to work out a method of treatment from the standpoint of personal understanding. When he did this the words he used had a definite meaning to him and he did not have to try to think out what the writer of the words meant. Consequently, in teaching, it is better to get the student to write out the way in which he treats and then to correct it and give him additional points to the improvement of the treatment.

The main point in treating is to gain a better sense of the perfection of the world of reality and of man’s unity with God. When a thorough understanding of my method of treatment is gained, then and only then is it possible to discriminate between it and others ways of working, and as St. Paul says, by careful study to “prove all things: hold fast that which is good” (I Thess. 5:1).

LET GOD LEAD

It is a mistake to write out much for a student or patient. Let God teach, not man. There is no harm, however, when a man appears to have a great deal of evil to work against, to show him how to treat just for the main troubles, so that he should start as soon as possible working properly for himself. Even in that case it is better to let him write out his method of treatment and then to correct it and return it to him with additional points. “The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Cor. 3:6)

Treatment, Or Healing by True Prayer

 By Frederick L. Rawson

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

 

How to Reverse Wrong Thoughts. By Frederick L. Rawson