A reader emailed the following quote to me which I found thought provoking…
Susanna Wesley, the mother of John Wesley who founded Methodism, wrote in a 1725 letter to her 22-year-old son:
“Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself.”
I made my own list:
“Whatever weakens your reason…”
“…obscures your sense of God…”
“…takes off your relish of spiritual things…”
“…whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind…”
The list that could follow any of these items is long…selfishness, pride, greed, lust, laziness, love of material things, gluttony, sensualism, diet, material medicine, excess hygiene, body worship…
“…that thing is sin to you…”
And the healing thoughts for sin?
This is so helpful. Thank you. Mrs. Eddy tells us that we need to have a “proper sense of sin” “before poor
humanity is regenerated and Christian Science is demonstrated” Misc 107. Thanks for sharing a proper sense of sin! Now for the repentance! “Without a knowledge of his sins, and repentance so severe
that it destroys them, no person is or can be a Christian
Scientist.”
VERY interesting!
Thanks.
I would add to the list… from my own uncovering of sin… resentment and judgment of others…
My breakdown list also includes the overlooked “impairs the tenderness of your conscience.” That’s the one that stands out to me. I feel wretched when I’m not expressing Love’s tender affection for each and every one of Her beloved children– human and nonhuman alike.
To the first Anon, I think this quote calls upon us to get out our spades and do some deep digging — the kind called for in “The Way” (pp 355-359 of Miscellaneous Writings). The first step, self-knowledge, is what it’s about. As for the repenting in humility and the love that blot out sin, well, the Bible and its spiritual interpretation, Science and Health, contain the complete recipe.
tenderness.
this has come to me again and again.