Christian Science Preaches the
Frank T. Hord, C.S., of
Member of the Board of Lectureship
of The
Our great Master, Christ Jesus,
taught the people by the seaside, on the hills, and in the valley. His
teachings were tender, compassionate, full of the Father's loving provision for
His creation. He healed the multitudes who sought him.
Through parables and sermons
Jesus illustrated the Father's love. He taught his hearers by the simple things
in their daily experience. He said that a shepherd had one hundred sheep and
that one strayed. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to seek out the lost one.
Again he said, "Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: . . .
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these . . . If God
so clothe the grass of the field, . . .shall he not much more clothe you?"
He reminded them: "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things. But seek ye first the
In this quiet hour we shall
consider the
John the Baptist came declaring,
"The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2) - joyous news, glad
tidings, profound revelation. In reality, right here in this place, right here
in your own consciousness, is the law of harmony, the reign of peace. Every
detail of man's existence is in perfect adjustment, in perfect concord, now.
The One Infinite Good Is
God
In many languages good
is a term for God. Hence the
John the Baptist preached that
this kingdom of good is here and now. As he presented this great truth to the
people, he told them how to experience it. He said, "Repent ye: for the
kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). He urged them to turn from the
material sense of existence and to be baptized, to be cleansed and purified
with the spiritual sense of existence.
John was honest with the people.
He told them that he was only the forerunner of one who would come, whose shoes
he was not worthy to unloose.
Then Jesus appeared. The humble
Nazarene came to John to be baptized of him. Jesus not only confirmed John's
teaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, but Jesus gave also the fuller
revelation that the kingdom of heaven is within.
Luke tells us (17:20,21), "And
when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he
answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither
shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the
The continuity of this glad theme
was prophesied by Christ Jesus. In a parable he likened the kingdom of heaven
to "leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till
the whole was leavened" (Luke
The Christian Science textbook,
"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is the most
revolutionary book of all ages. In this precious volume Mary Baker Eddy sets forth
the divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love, the Science of the Christ. This
divine Science is the leaven of Truth which is changing the thought of the
world.
Thousands are turning from material
medicine to the curative Principle, divine Mind, for healing. Material science
is fast coming to Mrs. Eddy's revelation of the unreality of matter. Lincoln Barnett
has written an interesting book entitled, "The Universe and Dr.
Einstein." On page 11 of this book he makes some significant statements.
I shall quote.
"Thus gradually philosophers
and scientists arrived at the startling conclusion that since every object is
simply the sum of its qualities, and since qualities exist only in the mind,
the whole objective universe of matter and energy, atoms and stars, does not
exist except as a construction of the consciousness, an edifice of
conventional symbols shaped by the senses of man."
Does not this remind many of us of
Mrs. Eddy's statement in Science and Health (p. 479), "An image of mortal
thought, reflected on the retina, is all that the eye beholds"?
The Bible Is the
Authority for Christian Science
Mrs. Eddy tells us that the Bible
was her only textbook. She founded Christian Science on the teachings and demonstrations
of Christ Jesus and on the lives of the apostles and prophets.
The Bible is essential in the life
of every Christian Scientist. Every day we turn to its inspired pages for
life, health, supply, and happiness. We use the King James Version of the
Bible. It is read in all Christian Science churches in English speaking countries
in conjunction with "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
In night watches of great
distress, in the face of threatening danger, in times of sorrow, and in times
of gladness we turn to the Bible for inspiration. We are uplifted. We are
comforted and healed. In the words of Isaiah (12:3), "Therefore, with joy shall
ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."
Mary Baker Eddy
God reveals His presence and power
through the sacred pages of the Bible. While reading the ninth chapter of
Matthew, Mrs. Eddy was healed by the revelation of the power of God, following what
her physician considered to be a fatal accident. She says in her book
"Miscellaneous Writings," "As I read, the healing Truth dawned
upon my sense; and the result was that I rose, dressed myself, and ever after
was in better health than I had before enjoyed" (p. 24). This healing
inspired Mrs. Eddy to further search the Scriptures until she discovered the
spiritual laws of Life, Truth, and Love, which had healed her. She named her
discovery Christian Science and presented it to the world in her book
"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
In 1879, together with a few
faithful students, Mrs. Eddy organized her church - a church, to quote her
words (Manual of The Mother Church, p. 17), "which should reinstate
primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing."
More than half a century ago the
Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science ordained the Bible and "Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures" as pastor of The Mother Church and
of its branches.
She established the Christian
Science Lesson - Sermons which are comprised of selections from the Bible and
"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," which are read in
our churches all over the world. These Lesson-Sermons are studied daily by
Christian Scientists and many others interested in Christian Science.
The Christian Science Publishing
Society in
Heaven Is
"government by divine Principle"
The leaven of Truth, this Science
of the Christ, is the spiritual understanding of the coexistence of God and
man, the absolute inseparability of God and man, Mind and its idea. This
spiritual understanding constitutes the kingdom of heaven within, the reign
of universal harmony.
The human mind presents many
misconceptions of heaven. The divine idea of heaven is defined with clarity in
Science and Health as follows (p. 587: "Heaven. Harmony; the reign of
Spirit; government by divine Principle; spirituality; bliss; the atmosphere
of Soul."
It follows that all true government
must be "government by divine Principle." We find the solution of
every problem, whether family, business, church, or government, is based on the
spiritual understanding of God, divine Principle, Love. Divine Principle is
the ever-present living God. Principle is the primal cause, the fundamental
law of being. In obedience to divine Principle every thought, motive, and
desire must conform to God's irresistible law of perfection.
Someone may say, "How can I
uphold and demonstrate a righteous government when everything seems so
chaotic?" There are "wars and rumours of wars"; mankind is
frightened by medical propaganda of disease and death; and the uncertainty of
what we call the atomic age alarms us.
The answer to this question is at
hand. It is an imperative answer - final and absolute. The answer is, in the
words of our textbook: "The God-Principle is omnipresent and omnipotent.
God is everywhere, and nothing apart from Him is present or has power"
(Science and Health, p. 473).
At all times and especially when
the heads of government are met in conference for the solution of world
problems, it is our duty to know that the one infinite Mind is omnipresent as
divine Principle, Love. Divine Mind is motivating, outlining, directing, and controlling
thought and action. Divine Mind is revealing its plan and purpose. Divine intelligence is present, bringing
order out of seeming chaos.
In all places where the arguments
of minds many may claim to be present, right there the "God-principle is omnipresent
and omnipotent." On battlefields, in the air, on the sea, or under the
sea, the God principle is the omnipresent law of good protecting and healing those
who turn to it.
Divine Principle with its fixed
rules is demonstrating law and order. The demonstration of its supreme law of
perfection forever dispels the lawlessness of the carnal mind. Divine Principle
underlies, overlies, and encompasses true existence.
The divine, irresistible God-principle,
the infinite, all-pervading intelligence, is everywhere present. This law of
God is operative when we earnestly appeal to it and obey it. It is ever
available to destroy the errors of the carnal mind. No secret council
chamber can resist it; no blind, hypnotic suggestions can oppose it; no mortal
mentality can legislate against at.
Everything exists in and as
consciousness. The awareness and recognition of omnipresent good brings good
into concrete being; that is, good is manifested as our present experience.
The divine law to every situation
is stated, in the words of Science and Health (p. 536), "The divine understanding
reigns, is all, and there
is no other consciousness."
The anticipation of good, like
faith, is "the substance of things hoped for" (Heb. 11:1). Then let
us live the inspiration and harmony of ever-present good; for all good is here in
perfect substance, beauty, and sufficiency. The banquet table of divine Love
is spread before us; the "pure river of water of life" (Rev. 22:1)
inspires and satisfies us. The Christ-power is present to speak the
"peace, be still" to all propaganda and false prophesies. The
kingdom of heaven is intact. "O taste and see that the Lord is good"
(Ps. 34:8).
Tumor Healed Through the
Correct Understanding of God
A Christian Science practitioner
saw the kingdom of heaven appear in the life of a young friend. This young woman believed that she was strongly opposed to Christian Science. Her husband
and his fami1y loved Christian Science very much. She asked the family to
refrain from any effort to induce her to become a Christian Scientist.
A year or two after their marriage
she was faced with a physical difficulty. One of the foremost surgeons in her
state advised an immediate operation for a thyroid tumor. Her husband then told
her that, since the operation involved him in many ways, he felt that, if she
would see a friend of his who was a Christian Science practitioner, he would
be relieved. This the young wife consented to do.
The practitioner was asked to come
to their home to discuss the situation. This she did. When she arrived at
their home the young wife stated her opposition to what she considered
Christian Science to be. During the conversation she spoke of her sincere
desire to understand God.
Then the practitioner saw the
cause of the trouble - the cause was a false concept of God, a misconception of
the true nature of God. She knew that ignorance of God could not hide the
purity of the Christ and "the beauty of holiness" which were so
evident in the young woman. She assured her that Christian Science could heal
her. The young woman asked to have Christian Science treatment. The practitioner
asked her if she would read the twenty-third Psalm. She responded, "I
shall be glad to; I love the Bible."
The Christian Science practitioner
turned wholly to God in silent prayer. As the practitioner prayed, her
consciousness was illumined with the meaning of the seven synonyms of God as
found in Science and Health. These synonyms are Life, Truth, Love, Principle,
Spirit, Soul, Mind. This pentecostal light flooded her consciousness with the
full realization that God, Spirit, is All-in-all. She realized that this
spiritual truth would dispel everything unlike God, for the "word of God
is quick, and powerful" (Heb.
The next day the young woman
telephoned that the tumor was gone. Her statement of healing was verified three
days later by the surgeon. A testimony of this healing appeared in The Christian Science Journal (February,
1949).
I think you may be interested to
know more about the seven synonymous terms for God that brought this healing. Mrs.
Eddy defines God in Science and Health (p 465); "God is incorporeal,
divine, supreme, infinite Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth,
Love."
In considering the seven
distinctive terms for God as used in Christian Science, we must realize that
they combine as One. There is one God. God, being infinite, must be eternal
and perfect. The Scriptures declare (Deut. 6:4), "Hear, O Israel: The Lord
our God is one Lord."
As one gains, step by step, an understanding
of the spiritual meaning of these terms, he finds that the nature and presence
of God is gradually dawning upon his thought and being manifested in his daily
experience.
One may say: "Yet, I have
read that 'God is love' (I John
The Power of Divine Love
Heals
The understanding and demonstration
of the omnipresence of divine Love is the primal law of Christian Science Mind-healing.
The love of divine Love inspires us, and the wisdom of divine Love directs our
way when we seek this inspiration and guidance. This vital truth was
demonstrated in the experience of a young woman whom I know .
This young woman called at the
office of a Christian Science practitioner and asked for Christian Science treatment.
She said that because of the excessive drinking of alcohol she was unable to
hold a position; her friends were fast disappearing, and her family was desperate. She said
she felt disgraced and alone.
The practitioner explained to her that
God is Love, divine, all-inclusive Love, and that her true selfhood was
included in divine Love, fed, satisfied, and loved by divine Love. They further
talked of the power of divine Love, the tenderness of divine Love, the Love
that sustains, supplies, and meets all human needs.
This true idea of the nature of
divine Love awakened the patient to the deceptive nature of the carnal appetites
of mortal mind. Our Leader writes of these appetites (Science and Health, p.
536): "Their supposed joys are cheats. Their narrow limits belittle their gratifications
and hedge about their achievements with thorns." My friend had felt these
thorns and was so ready to be rid of them.
This spiritual insight of the
power of divine Love and the unreality of evil revealed her true birthright of freedom
and dominion. The healing began that day and was completed in a short time.
The desire for liquors and tobacco disappeared, and her health was restored. A
more interesting position was secured. This healing brought happiness to her
family and friends.
Our Leader laid great stress on
the healing power of divine Love. She once asked a class, "What is the
best way to do instantaneous healing?" After various answers were given,
she replied in substance: "I will tell you the way to do it. It is to
love! Just live love - be it - love, love, love. Do not know anything but Love.
Be all love. There is nothing else. That will do the work. It will heal
everything; it will raise the dead. Be nothing but love" (We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, Second Series,
pp. 49, 50).
The manifestation of divine Love
is the functioning presence of the healing Christ. Our Master, Christ Jesus,
demonstrated divine Love by healing the sick and raising the dead.
Jesus Demonstrated the
Christ
The hearts of Christian Scientists
are alive with gratitude and love for our Saviour Christ Jesus. Christian Science
makes a distinction between the human Jesus and the divine idea, or Christ.
Jesus was the highest earthly
concept of the divine idea, or Christ. The Christ was the divinity of the man
Jesus, and the Christ is the divine nature of the real man, the godliness that
animates the real man. Jesus understood God as source, primal cause, perfect and
eternal, "our Father which art in heaven." Jesus discerned that man
is the image and likeness of God and that everything that was true about God
was true about himself as God's reflection. To the Jews he said, "I and my
Father are one" (John
Jesus recognized that this
understanding of the true nature of God and man is the Christ, the Son of God.
Therefore in his daily affairs he lived the Christ, or true idea of God. This spiritual
understanding healed the multitudes, reformed the sinner, and raised the
dead. Mrs. Eddy discovered that what Jesus understood and claimed for himself
is also true of the real selfhood of each individual. This understanding is
here today to be proved by every one of us. The operation of this
understanding in our daily experience constitutes Christian Science treatment.
Soldier Healed Through
the Understanding That God Is Good
During World War II, I was serving
as a General Protestant Chaplain with an infantry division training in
As I was leaving the hospital
that night I was told that a soldier had just arrived and was been placed on
the "critical list." His family has been notified that he would not
live. I went to the ward at once. When I asked the nurse about this soldier her
first words were, "Oh, he is such a good boy." Immediately the words
of one of our hymns came to me:
"The King of Love My Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack, for I am His
And He is mine forever."
(Christian Science Hymnal, No.
330).
It was clearly seen that God is
good, and that the goodness reflected by this young man was his true conscious identity.
It was realized that no evil could befall God's image and likeness. He was
assured of God's loving care for him. The words of Science and Health came with
realization, "The good you do and embody gives you the only power
obtainable" (p. 192). I will not go into detail, but, contrary to all the
medical laws which seemed to be held over him, he not only lived, but returned
after a short period of time to full infantry duty.
The words that came to me so clearly that Christmas Eve still ring
in my heart,
"The King of Love my Shepherd
is,
Whose goodness faileth
never."
The Subjective Nature of
the
Christ Jesus commanded his followers
to go forth, preach the
We read in Science and Health (p.
291). "Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all
the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal, because sin is not
there and man is found having no righteousness of his own, but in possession
of 'the mind of the Lord,' as the Scripture says."
This clear, scientific fact that "Heaven
is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind" dispels the ignorance and
superstition of the ages. It forever destroys the false belief that one must
die to find a place of harmony and peace. It reveals the divine truth that man
must express the Life that is God to experience harmony and immortality, to
find peace and happiness. Our Leader writes in Science and Health (p. 266),
"Perfect and infinite Mind enthroned is heaven."
Our conscious awareness of the
presence and power of divine Love is the "reign of Spirit" within.
This divine law of Spirit operates in the inward parts and indeed everywhere.
It is the law of harmony to every detail of our being; it is the consciousness
of infinite good, the consciousness of the infinity of abundance and the
abundance of infinity at hand. Moses was aware of this infinity of good when he
heard God say to him, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee"
(Ex. 33:19).
As a Christian Scientist was
sitting at her desk one morning she placed her hand over one eye. To her
dismay she discovered that she could not see out of the uncovered eye. A sudden
sense of fear troubled her. Instantly she began to realize the truth. She declared,
"This error is no part of God, therefore no part of man, God's image and
likeness." After a few moments of quiet prayer, she opened
"Miscellaneous Writings" by Mrs. Eddy. She turned to the following
passage (p. 277): "No evidence before the material senses can close my
eyes to the scientific proof that God, good, is supreme." This was her
answer straight from God. She saw that she must open her eyes to a clearer
insight that God, good, is supreme. From that moment she began to work with a
newness of purpose - to magnify good, to speak only good, to hear only good,
to see only good, in fact to know the allness of God, good, and nothing
else.
In a short time her vision was
normal. The goodness of God had passed before her, and she had experienced the harmony
of its presence. Thus she had proved that the
Salvation Is Attained
Through Understanding and Obedience
It is from the standpoint of the allness
of good that Christian Science demonstrates the unreality of evil, which heals
the sick and the sinning.
Mrs. Eddy teaches that the mission
of Christian Science is primarily to heal sin. To do
this, sin must be self-seen as sin. The deception and ugliness
of sin must be uncovered and cast out as no part of the real man. This is
illustrated in the incident of the woman of
But what did the Master talk to
her about? He spoke to her of the "living water," the truth of being.
He revealed to her the Christ, the true nature of God and man, the
Our Leader has so beautifully
explained how Jesus healed. She writes: "Jesus beheld in Science the
perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals.
In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view
of man healed the sick" (Science and Health, pp. 476, 477).
To see man as God's own likeness
is the true method of healing which saves and reforms. Salvation is experienced as the human yields
to the divine. It is the daily and
hourly putting off of the old man with his fears and sins; it
is the putting on of the new man by the recognition of man's divine nature as
the image of God.
Salvation is attained through
obeying the moral and spiritual laws of the Ten Commandments and by living the
precepts of the Sermon on the Mount in our daily affairs.
Does not the Apostle Paul tell us
that salvation is not a future state of being, but that salvation is now? Today
is the day of salvation from all the ills of the carnal mind. Today all good is
present, for God is everywhere.
Scientific Prayer Heals
The question is sometimes asked,
"Do Christian Scientists pray?" The answer is, "Yes, we pray
spiritually and scientifically."
Scientific prayer is the constant
realization of God's allness, God's presence, God's power, and of man's oneness
with God as His reflection. It is the prayer of communion with God, based on
the Lord's Prayer.
Christ Jesus taught his followers
one short prayer, which is called the Lord's Prayer. Mrs. Eddy tells us (Science
and Health, p. 14), "The Lord's Prayer is the prayer of Soul, not of
material sense." And she further assures us that this prayer covers
every human need.
As we study this prayer we
discern, that it explains all cause, effect, law, sufficiency,
and salvation. The Lord's Prayer contains basic truths such
as the nature of God, the presence of the
Our great Master not only gave us
the Lord's Prayer, but taught us how to utilize it. He said, "When thou prayest,
enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which
is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly"
(Matt, 6:6). Hence to enter the sanctuary of prayer we must silence the demand
of the material senses. We must shut the door, that is exclude from consciousness
the personal sense of self and others. Then we pray to our Father. We realize
the presence of divine Love and acknowledge our sonship, our inseparability
from our Father-Mother God. This is "Immanuel," "God with
us." It is in the consciousness purified by prayer that the human yields
to the divine, and healing is experienced.
True prayer is the prayer of Love,
the law of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Our Leader's healing work exemplified this method of prayer. She
once wrote in substance: "I saw the love of God encircling the universe and
man, filling all space, and that divine Love so permeated my own consciousness
that I loved with Christlike compassion everything I saw. This realization of
divine Love called into expression 'the beauty of holiness, the perfection of being'
(Science and Health, p. 253), which healed, and regenerated, and saved all who
turned to me for help" (We Knew Mary Baker Eddy, First Series, page 74).
This "Christlike compassion"
is an essential quality of true prayer. It expresses itself in the tender love
that heals the torn wounds; in the quietness that stills "the harsh noises
of the day"; in the patience that soothes the fretful brow with the tranquility
of Soul.
In the Manual of The Mother
Church by Mary Baker Eddy we find the "Daily Prayer" that is used by
Christian Scientists throughout the entire world. It reads as follows:
"Thy kingdom come; let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be
established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the
affections of all mankind, and govern them!" (Art. VIII. Sect. 4.)
Healing Available to All
The purpose of Christian Science
treatment is to heal physically, morally, and spiritually. It is the power of
God unto salvation.
The compassionate appeal of
Christian Science is reaching the heart of the fearful, the suffering, the
sinning, reaching it through the tender presence of the healing Christ, the
true idea of Love. There is no one so ill, so poor, or so sinful that he cannot
turn to this radiant presence and feel its healing power.
Christian Science Healing
Is Based on Divine Law
Christian Science practice is
based on the unvarying laws of divine Principle. It is not one human mind acting
upon another human mind; it is not the power of mind over matter; it is the
divine law of Truth dispelling false beliefs. In our textbook we read,
"Christian Science is the law of Truth, which heals the sick on the basis
of the one Mind or God" (Science and Health, p. 482).
The absolute knowledge that God is Mind, one Mind, infinite and omnipresent,
forever disposes of the belief that there is a mind separate from God. The one infinite
Mind is all-knowing consciousness. What
Mind knows about itself - its infinity, allness, and perfection - is manifested
by Mind's creation, man and the universe. Christian Science declares that
Mind, Spirit, is all, and that all creation, existing in divine Mind, must be
spiritual and harmonious.
The one infinite Mind, or divine
consciousness, is forever reflected by its spiritual ideas. These ideas
manifest the intelligent, spiritual, loving nature of Mind. Scientific thoughts
are right ideas. They find expression in right activity and result in the
demonstration of prosperity, safety, and health. Likewise do sinful, lawless,
and unloving thoughts manifest themselves in poverty, accidents, and disease.
But these thoughts are unreal and have no effect on one who understands God,
the one Mind, to be ever present.
Christian Science practice is
based on right knowing. This knowing emanates from divine Principle and operates
as the law of Truth, which blesses and heals.
Spiritual Ideas
Constitute the Real Body
The spiritual understanding of the
incorporeal nature of God and man is a vital part of Christian Science healing.
God, Mind is incorporeal, that is, without a fleshly or material body. The
spiritual man, the image of Mind, is incorporeal, that is, without a fleshly or
material body.
Man is the compound idea of God,
the embodiment of spiritual ideas. Does not the Bible tell us, "Ye are the
temple of the living God"? (II Cor. 6:16.) Man's real body, or spiritual identity, is constituted
of spiritual ideas and governed by the law of Spirit. It follows that the real
body is indivisible and indestructible. None of these ideas can be broken, severed,
or mutilated. No suggestion of discord, disease, or sin can control the real
body; nor can any ugliness of age or decrepitude deface this real body. No arguments
either of a personal sense of life or of a finite material body can hide the
glorious spiritual identity of the real man.
What appears to the senses as a
mortal man with a material body made up of brain, heart, lungs, and other material
organs is a misconception of the real man. When the fact that man is not a
material physique is admitted, the ills of the flesh begin to disappear. Taking
less thought of a material body, we shall experience more freedom and
dominion.
I recently read an interesting
article in a pamphlet published by The Christian Science Publishing Society
many years ago. I quote in part: "According to physics, this material
body which is called man is 75% water. If you weigh 160 pounds, 120 pounds of
that is water, and according to physiology this entire body undergoes
complete reconstruction once in three to seven years. The water that largely
constituted your physical body a few years ago, has floated away in vapor and
perchance settled in some lakelet. A goose drinks it and then it is goose. Has
that water any more intelligence when it says it is man than when it says it is
goose? When is it the greater goose, when it struts itself a man or when it waddles
itself a goose?" (Christian Science: Pure Metaphysics, by Dr. Francis J.
Fluno, C.S.D., page 23, line 10.)
Even this theory is considered
out of date. We are now told that we get a new body almost as often as one's
wife buys a new hat.
Christian Science Is the
Comforter
Christian Science is the Comforter
promised by Christ Jesus. It is restoring to the world the understanding of his
practical teachings and the lost art of spiritual healing.
This Comforter, or "Spirit of
truth," is the very presence of the Christ, saying, "Fear not, little
flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke
Love Dispels Fear
The destruction of fear relieves
the symptoms of every disease and is the "peace, be still" in every Christian
Science treatment. John, the beloved disciple, assures us that fear is no part
of divine Love and that ever-present Love casts out fear,
The dream nature of fear must be
seen for what it is, an illusion of the carnal mind. Fear does not exist as an
entity or as a fact. Fear is without basic cause and without law to support
it. Neither has fear reality or presence. Fear has only the power you give it.
If fear seems to come in like a
flood, we can quietly say, "This is not my thinking; this is an imposition
of the carnal mind; it is not true." Thus in the strength of our spiritual
identity we lift up a standard against the enemy.
Jesus never admitted that error was
any part of his consciousness. He maintained his Christliness in the face of
every circumstance. He is our Wayshower.
The Kingdom of Heaven Is
a Present Possibility
Let the kingdom of harmony reign
within you. Today this liberating law of Love is unfolding the infinity of
good.
The beautiful promise God made to
Abraham may be fulfilled in your own experience. We read in Genesis, "And
the Lord said unto Abram, . . . Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place
where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: for all the
land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever"
(Gen. 13:14,15).
The same promise to Abraham is
made to us. This moment let us lift up our vision. Let us look out from the Christ-consciousness
through the lens of infinity. Let us behold the allness and oneness of God.
Then we shall see the completeness and perfection of Life, one Life and its infinite expression, spiritual man, the male and female
of God's creating.
The promise reads, "For all
the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it." How far can you see?
Sight is spiritual discernment. Sight is spiritual understanding. Let infinite
Truth enlarge the boundaries of your spiritual discernment and reveal the
kingdom within.
If you look into this infinity of
omnipresent good, all doubt, limitation, and imperfection will forever fall
from your eyes. You will experience the kingdom of heaven here and now. This
heavenly kingdom is the present realization of the coexistence of God and man,
the reign of the all-inclusive Christ-consciousness.
I leave with you the tender
assurance of our Leader's words (Science and Health, pp. 573,574): "Take
heart, dear sufferer, for this reality of being will surely appear sometime and
in some way. There will be no more pain, and all tears will be wiped away. When
you read this, remember Jesus' words, 'The
Also printed in The Christian Science Monitor (October 24, 1961)
Under the headline "Christian Science Shows That
Kingdom of God Heals"