http://www.spiritualworld.org/science/sin.htm
“Dr. Holmes always believed that a sin was a missing of the mark, which was the actual Anglo-Saxon meaning, used in archery when an arrow missed its target. Dr. Holmes stated, ‘There is no sin, but there is a mistake; and there is no punishment, but a consequence.’”
“And these consequences are given from out of this one universal love, which guides and teaches us through our mistakes?” I questioned.
“Dr. Holmes said, ‘God neither punishes nor rewards. Life is a blessing or a curse according to the use we make of it. We believe in a law that governs all things and all people. If we make mistakes, we suffer.”’
I’m not familiar with the author you cite.
The person speaking is Rev. William Hornaday, a minister of the “Religious Science” or “Science of Mind” movement. The Dr. Holmes he quotes is Ernest S. Holmes, who founded this movement in the 1920s. Dr. Holmes was influenced by Mary Baker Eddy and Christian Science.
Rev. William Hornaday is sometimes confused with Dr. William T. Hornaday, a zoologist and pioneer in wildlife conservation.