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UNITY is a hand-book of Practical Christianity and Christian Healing. It sets forth the pure doctrine of Jesus Christ direct from the fountain-head, The Holy Spirit, who will lead you into all Truth." It is not the organ of any sect, but stands independent as an exponent of Practical Christianity, teaching the practical application in all the affairs of life of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, explaining the action of mind and how it is the connecting link between God and man; how mind action affects the body, producing discord or harmony, sickness or health, and brings man into the understanding of Divine Law, harmony, health and peace; here and now.

CHARLES FILLMORE, Editor.

LOWELL FILLMORE, Business Manager.

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Unity Building, 913-915 Tracy Ave., Kansas City, Mo.

JESUS CHRIST THE SON OF GOD

AND SON OF MAN

SARAH V. LEEDY

428556

LENCY ANS

There are two ideas in the minds of the people of today as to the manner of the birth of Jesus Christ. One idea is that he was the son of Joseph and Mary. Mary' said he was begotten of the Holy Ghost, and Joseph himself, according to the Bible narrative, did not acknowledge his paternity of the child, other than to give it a father's love and protection after having been personally enlightened by God as to its origin.

The people of his own time, who considered him. the son of Joseph, were at a loss to account for his powerful and beneficent works, well knowing that flesh produces flesh with the limitations of flesh.

Others have the idea from the Bible narrative that he was the product of flesh in the person of Mary, by the quickening and overshadowing power of the Holy Ghost. People now and then immediately conclude he is more divine than we, and worship him as God. They forget the Bible says he was made like unto the sons of men; that he is our perfect example. They overlook the fact that if he were more divine than we, it would be impossible to follow him as an example. The manner in which the Christ took flesh does not differ in principle from the way in which we do. It was a union of flesh, so-called, and Spirit the same The only difference was in the instrumentality of the paternity. To explain the necessity for this difference, and that though thus begotten he is the same as we, is the purpose of this article.

as we.

It is obvious that that which is created must first take definite form as an ideal in the mind of the creator. This ideal is the nature of the object - that which distinguishes it from all other objects. This ideal of the creator becomes the consciousness of the creature. It carries God or life with it and is the pattern by which life works. The creator must also have material with which to clothe the ideal that it may become apparent may have a visible working body.

As God, Life, Spirit, Truth, is all there is or ever was or ever will be, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end, the invisible, unformed reality of all things, whence came the material with which to clothe his ideal? Visibility is a power or principle contained in the invisible substance of the universe (vice versa in all that is visible is the capability of being made invisible, to revert to the original condition). From the consciousness of this power came the thought of matter, earth, visible substance as distinguished from invisible substance - two distinct aspects of the same substance. We may term them the masculine and feminine.

This thought of matter was a creation, though void or without solidity. God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void." It was a spiritual creation. It was condensed into solidity through the word, or law, of Spirit, by which Spirit becomes visible. We have named this solidified Spirit, matter." Now, as we have seen, that which is created carries with it the consciousness through which the law works to create it. It becomes the consciousness of the object itself. its naturethe law of its expression as an individual substance, or object. So matter has a certain consciousness through which Spirit works to maintain it as matter. This matter-consciousness is limited to itself as matter and may be used for a receptacle for other thoughtforms of Spirit. It responds to these thoughts and

It is responsive to

clothes them with a visible form.
Spirit because it, too, is Spirit, or life.

Every plant and animal had an existence as an idea in the mind of Spirit. These ideas were the laws of the beings of these forms also, which laws were expressed in the words, "Let it be so." The word went forth into the earth there to be clothed. Matter being formed of Spirit was subject to it and brought forth these ideas clothed according to the forms and consciousness of the ideas embodied in it.

Man was created in the same way as other forms of life, and was clothed with matter in the same way. He had a consciousness which distinguished him as man. This creature was an animal with a larger measure of intelligence than others. He was an epitome of all the ideas or principles expressed by other forms of life. a miniature world. Another idea entered into the creation of man; namely, that he should possess a consciousness of the divinity of himself, and that this consciousness should rule the consciousness of the matter with which he was clothed. He being the epitome of all other life principles, the consciousness of his own divinity would give him the consciousness of the divinity of all things. The lower forms of life were not conscious for themselves of their own divinity, consequently man's consciousness for them gave him rulership over them.

The man was formed of the earth and was earthy, but the divine consciousness was quickened into giving expression by the inbreathing and overshadowing of God, and man became a "living soul"- the image and likeness of God. Though he was not aware of it, the matter-consciousness was there, else he could not have had a material form. Matter was present to the sense, and by looking, beholding constantly, the matter-consciousness soon made itself felt to the senses as something distinct from Spirit, and man believed the senses.