"Dear husband: The first thing I heard when I went into the class to-day was Mrs. Dawn telling how she had treated a severe belief of headache last evening and how marvelously soon the terrible pain ceased. She was quite rejoiced because it was the first time she had tried to demonstrate the principles.
"They all have plenty to tell now, and are growing more and more interested. Every day somebody has some new experience. Little Mrs. Dexter, who has been so long treated by the old method, says she fully believes she will be cured, is feeling much better, and has such an assurance all the time that she has found the true healing. She has had several quite remarkable demonstrations with others.
"The whole line of argument is unfolding so naturally and beautifully that it seems like a piece of fine mosaic, with every form and color interwoven with the most exquisite exactness. Mrs. Pearl gave us a lecture on inspiration and the Bible, which I consider one of the most useful and interesting of any she has yet given:
"In studying the very fountain springs of Truth, and basing our ideas upon a God who is the unexpressed and inexpressible essence of Truth itself, with whom is 'no respect of persons,' and to whom we owe all knowledge, it becomes us to inquire a little into the manner and means of gaining that knowledge.
"That all peoples in all climes and ages have developed similar ideas and expressed them in like terms, as philology shows, is an indisputable fact, strengthened and corroborated by our broader conception and higher understanding of God, the omnipresent Good.
"But how have these ideas come to them? Have they come through what is known as inspiration or revelation? As the one fountain of Intelligence is open to all alike, this must be the case, because Truth comes only in this way. Inspiration means an 'inbreathing,' a breathing in of true knowledge, and because the omnipresent Good comes into every consciousness prepared to receive it, there is an inbreathing in accordance with the readiness to receive. Intelligence is like the air, to be breathed by every living being. Thus far, humanity has expanded its lungs of consciousness only enough to have inhaled fundamental truth, or what is recognized as such, but we are constantly receiving more, and in proportion as we receive, do we know what we receive.
"All truth is inspired or revealed, because whatever is true is of the great Truth. This must be so, yet many people consider inspiration as confined to the authors of the Bible and that with them, inspiration ceased. The immortal Job said, 'There is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth him understanding.' The inbreathing of the Almighty, All-powerful Truth, giveth understanding. No truer words were ever uttered.
"As inspiration is inhaling or breathing in Truth, we can readily understand that 'God, Truth, Principle, is no respecter of persons.' That it is a 'miraculous influence which qualifies man to receive and communicate divine truth,' is in a sense true, for the works of God are always 'wonderful,' but there can be no setting aside of divine law, as some erroneously suppose, for the performance of these things that seem unaccountable to human reason. It is a lack of understanding as to how Truth works, that has caused a belief in supernatural or miraculous ways. Could a fish judge according to appearances, he would regard the creatures that walk on land as gifted with supernatural power, because it would be utterly beyond his conception to know how they could do so.
"Revelation and inspiration are frequently used interchangeably, but that which is revealed, is the manifested result of inspiration rather than inspiration itself. Whenever we are ready to breathe or absorb Truth into our consciousness, we get a revealment—'inspiration giveth understanding.' This breathing-in process lifts us above ordinary knowledge and gives refreshing glimpses of heavenly Truth, it is like breathing in fresh air, after having been in a close suffocating room. We say this or that scene, person or object inspires us; we mean that some beautiful thought or conception of Truth is revealed to us, through or by our seeing these objects, because they hint of something better and higher, and the moment we get the higher thought, we are conscious of knowing higher Truth. This is revelation.
"Revelation and inspiration are the usual terms for expressing spiritual processes but are necessarily inadequate to express accurate spiritual meanings. How ideas are born is a question of questions. Whether they come from without or within, they must establish the oneness of God and man in mind and idea. The only 'without' there can be is that which is without the consciousness, the only 'within' is that which is within the consciousness. Development, growth, unfoldment, better express spiritual consciousness. What is consciousness but a recognition of itself? Then would not 'recognition' more fully describe the birth of ideas? As we grow able to recognize harmony and love, harmony and love are revealed to us.