Page:Miscellaneous Writings.djvu/205

Rh The old churches are saying, “He is not here;” and, “Who shall roll away the stone?”

The stone has been rolled away by human suffering. The first rightful desire in the hour of loss, when believing we have lost sight of Truth, is to know where He is laid. This appeal resolves itself into these questions: —

Is our consciousness in matter or in God? Have we any other consciousness than that of good? If we have, He is saying to us to-day, “Adam, where art thou?” We are wrong if our consciousness is in sin, sickness, and death. This is the old consciousness.

In the new religion the teaching is, “He is not here; Truth is not in matter; he is risen; Truth has become more to us, — more true, more spiritual.”

Can we say this to-day? Have we left the consciousness of sickness and sin for that of health and holiness?

What is it that seems a stone between us and the resurrection morning?

It is the belief of mind in matter. We can only come into the spiritual resurrection by quitting the old consciousness of Soul in sense.

These flowers are floral apostles. God does all this through His followers; and He made every flower in Mind before it sprang from the earth: yet we look into matter and the earth to give us these smiles of God!

We must lay aside material consciousness, and then we can perceive Truth, and say with Mary, “Rabboni!” — Master!

In 1866, when God revealed to me this risen Christ, this Life that knows no death, that saith, “Because he