When Jesus reproduced his body after its burial, he revealed the myth or material falsity of evil; its power- [10] lessness to destroy good, and the omnipotence of the Mind that knows this: he also showed forth the error and nothingness of supposed life in matter, and the great somethingness of the good we possess, which is of Spirit, and immortal. [15] Understanding this, Paul took pleasure in infirmities, for it enabled him to triumph over them,—he declared that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death;” he took pleasure in “reproaches” and “persecutions,” because [20] they were so many proofs that he had wrought the prob- lem of being beyond the common apprehension of sinners; he took pleasure in “necessities,” for they tested and de- veloped latent power. We protect our dwellings more securely after a robbery, [25] and our jewels have been stolen; so, after losing those jewels of character,—temperance, virtue, and truth,— the young man is awakened to bar his door against further robberies. Go to the bedside of pain, and there you can demon- [30] strate the triumph of good that has pleasure in infirmities; because it illustrates through the flesh the divine power [Page 202.] of Spirit, and reaches the basis of all supposed miracles; [1] whereby the sweet harmonies of Christian Science are found to correct the discords of sense, and to lift man’s being into the sunlight of Soul. “The chamber where the good man meets his fate [5] Is privileged beyond the walks of common life, Quite on the verge of heaven.” CHAPTER VII. POND AND PURPOSE. [Page 203.] Beloved Students:—In thanking you for your [1] gift of the pretty pond contributed to Pleasant View, in Concord, New Hampshire, I make no distinction be- tween my students and your students; for here, thine becomes mine through gratitude and affection. [5] From my tower window, as I look on this smile of Christian Science, this gift from my students and their students, it will always mirror their love, loyalty, and good works. Solomon saith, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.” [10] The waters that run among the valleys, and that you have coaxed in their course to call on me, have served the imagination for centuries. Theology religiously bathes in water, medicine applies it physically, hydrology handles it with so-called science, and metaphysics appro- [15] priates it topically as type and shadow. Metaphysically, baptism serves to rebuke the senses and illustrate Christian Science. _First:_ The baptism of repentance is indeed a stricken state of human consciousness, wherein mortals gain [20] severe views of themselves; a state of mind which rends the veil that hides mental deformity. Tears flood the eyes, [Page 204.]