It may be said that muchA change was made to this article in the 2007 printing of Anthology of Classic Articles: "much of the trouble in the world" was changed to "all of the trouble in the world". of the trouble in the world comes from failure to handle animal magnetism. Since it is the necessity of Christians to imitate the example of Christ Jesus, it follows that Christians have the inescapable duty of proving the unreality of the works of the devil. Now, the works of the devil, evil, may be said in a general way to be comprised in the supposititious activities of mortal mind. Only when the so-called human mind yields to divine wisdom, to the government of the one divine Mind, God, does it awaken from the mesmeric dream of evil thoughtA change was made to this article in the 2007 printing of Anthology of Classic Articles: the word “thought” was changed to "thoughts". and deeds. Christian Scientists, who are in a measure aroused from this hypnosis, are proportionately capable of overcoming evil in themselves and in others.
Animal magnetism is a name for evil in its false claim to be and to do something; it is the belief of evil in action. Wherever a falsity claims to be exerting itself to be and to do, there is animal magnetism. On page 594 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy gives "animal magnetism" as a definition of "serpent."
The word "serpent" appears early in the Scriptures; and throughout both the Bible and Science and Health it is employed as the mostA change was made to this article in the 2007 printing of Anthology of Classic Articles: the word “most” was omitted. adequate type of evil. From the statement regarding it in Genesis, it has stood for what Paul defined as the "deceivableness of unrighteousness."A change was made to this article in the 2007 printing of Anthology of Classic Articles: the corresponding citation (II Thess. 2:10) was added. "Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made," we are told,A change was made to this article in the 2007 printing of Anthology of Classic Articles: the corresponding citation, Genesis 3:1, was noted. and the Scriptural narrative presents the qualities of the serpent as subtlety, duplicity, venom, adroitness, cunning, charm, fear, hate, anger, the counterfeit of wisdom.
