Mysticism as a Means of Cure by Geo. D. Ballou

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 15, 1915

Mysticism as a Means of Cure

By Geo. D. Ballou

Mind Cure — No. 5

Mysticism as a Means of Cure

GEO. D. BALLOU

Of all the means used for mental diversion from adverse moods, none can in any way compare with wonder and astonishment. Wonder makes the mind walk on tiptoe and peer into occult fields with profound expectation. Wonder and astonishment are temporary antidotes for worrying and agonizing. In the modern systems this is used to effect mind cures.

Man's spiritual nature was given to enable him to reach out after God in the study of his works and Word, but it languishes for want of legitimate exercise. Men and women generally love to wonder and be astonished. This has caused the spread of doctrines more intangible than the morning dew, and more uncertain than the wisp of vapor that floats across the sky and momentarily hides the great orb of day. Many follow wildly after fakers, until, depleted in purse and disappointed in heart, they undertake to return and find comfort in the old paths. But their eyes have been so blinded and dazzled and their knowledge of truth so perverted that they seldom recover fully from the enchantment of these ancient-modern heathen systems. Their spiritual natures were hungry and languishing for want of true spiritual food and exercise; and while these systems of new religious teachings for a time appear to nourish them, and wonder quite takes the place of the workings of the Spirit of God, at last they are left broken, disappointed, and sick and sore at heart.

The only permanent, lasting things in this universe are the Creator and his creations. And the only solid mental conclusions, and the only lasting rest and peace, must be founded in God and his works.

Many of these modern cults and forms of professedly religious healing and teaching utterly ignore or deny all idea of the personal God who is clearly revealed in his works and in his Word. The power of this eternal, infinite God is seen in all the workings of nature right before our eyes. He is guiding the suns

and worlds in their appointed orbits. Our world, whirling through space at nineteen miles a second, is an infinite marvel, and speaks to every mind of an infinite designer. In our very presence he is constantly transforming sun energy, air, water, and earth into vegetable forms, and these become food for the animal world and for man; so that by two transformations sun energy, air, water, and earth are transformed in man into flesh and blood and bones.

For every artificial, finite design, reason postulates a designer. For the infinite design seen in all the universe, the same reason demands the existence of an infinite designer. This infinite designer is the God of the Bible. The same causes which led the ancient heathen to reject the Creator are operative today. Paul speaks of such and of their condition in Rom. 1:21-23, 28: "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things." "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind." Many still do not like to retain God in their knowledge, but now they dethrone him by teaching a god who so permeates all things as to make all things a part of deity; but to see the Creator revealed in all his works and hear him speaking in the plain language of his Word means faith, restored confidence in God.

Some place confidence in anything that seems profound and occult just because it is dark and mysterious. Others deny the voice of reason and the evidence of their senses and let their confidence rest on their own assumptions. Thus the world today is being whirled into a muddle of superstition, presumptuous mystified enchantment more hazy and profound than ever before possessed any portion of the human race. In our time human minds are being hurried so rapidly from one form of mysticism to another that the Creator and his mighty workings are forgotten.