Page:The Origin of Christian Science.djvu/132

124 this is not bad reasoning after all for an idealist; and from it has come much of the rationalistic idealism of the last centuries. In this reasoning we have the basis for the so-called Neoplatonic trinity which was brilliantly developed by Hegel and as such repeated in dim outline in Christian Science, as we shall see.

I am referring to the matter briefly here to point out that Mrs. Eddy, in following these idealists in holding that man is an idea of infinite mind, is following them also in identifying him with that mind.

Mrs. Eddy says: “As a drop of water is one with the ocean, a ray of light one with the sun, even so God and man, Father and son, are one in being.” Concerning the illustration of the ray of light and the sun we have already spoken. As to the illustration of the drop of water and the ocean it is evident that a part of anything is identical with that thing. Remember we have found Mrs. Eddy reasoning thus: “If Mind is within and without all things, then all is Mind.” She emphasizes this statement as being a scientific definition and it seems that she speaks correctly. When we are thinking metaphysically to say that one thing is within and without another is to identify the other with it. So she identifies man with God.

Now a similar illustration is attributed by Is. Misses to Spinoza. He says that Spinoza