Salem Andrew Hart, Jr., C.S., of Cleveland, Ohio
Member of the Board of Lectureship of The Mother
Church,
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts
When the seventy disciples, whom Jesus had sent forth on a mission of healing, returned with rejoicing, the Bible tells us that he said to them: "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). This promise, or assurance, of spiritual power to heal is beautifully set forth in the following correlative passage on page 55 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science: "The promises will be fulfilled. The time for the reappearing of the divine healing is throughout all time; and whosoever layeth his earthly all on the altar of divine Science, drinketh of Christ's cup now, and is endued with the spirit and power of Christian healing."
Webster defines the word "promise" as that which causes, or gives ground for, hope, expectation, or assurance. Now, I feel sure that we will all agree that the promises made in the Bible are true, and were made for all time; so have we not the right to expect the fulfillment of these promises? Christian Science answers this question in the affirmative, and is fulfilling the promise of health and long life to the afflicted; of deliverance and forgiveness to the sinning; of comfort and protection to the sorrowful; of peace and plenty to those in want and woe; of wisdom and strength to the humble and obedient. It fulfills God's promise found in Isaiah: "And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them" (Isaiah 42:16). So, if there be any here tonight seeking a solution for the problem of grief and separation; if there be any who are sick or in want; if there be any who are struggling with misfortune or sin; if, perchance, there be any who for the first time have crossed the threshold of Christian Science, we have for you a joyous message of Love, of deliverance, of comfort, and happiness.
Jesus said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). The truth about what? Why, the truth of being as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis — the truth about God and man, the truth which Mrs. Eddy discovered and brought to light in her study of the Bible.
In order to know this truth, it is necessary to know God aright; for Christian Science teaches that God is Truth. It is a regrettable fact that in this enlightened age so many differing beliefs about God are entertained. Many have been taught from childhood to believe that God is a corporeal or superhuman being, old in appearance, with a long, white beard, seated on a throne somewhere afar off, clad in flowing robes, with a sceptre in His hand; that He listens to our petitions or prayers, and condemns or pardons according to His judgment, which judgment is accepted as His will. Many also believe that He sends pestilence, famine, disease, and disaster to mankind as a punishment for wrong doing. It seems almost incredible that anyone today could accept such a concept of God, and yet, many individuals are worshipping just such a concept. And it is because of these false or contrary beliefs about God that men and women are suffering, and paying the awful penalties accompanying such beliefs, the penalty of sin, sickness, and even death. Ignorantly believing that God causes all these afflictions, they even fear God: and this universal fear on the part of mankind is the cause of nearly all disease, all sin and poverty, in fact, suffering of every sort.
On page 19 of the Christian Science text-book, we find these words: "Jesus urged the commandment, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me,' which may be rendered: Thou shalt have no belief of Life as mortal; thou shalt not know evil, for there is one Life, — even God, good." Christ Jesus was the son of the God that is infinite good, who made all things good, and hath done no evil. Therefore, Christian Science teaches that God has ordained no law of sin or disease for you — no discomfort of any kind. It is sometimes asked, What is God's law? Christian Science answers, His law is the law of Life, Truth, and Love, the law of health, of perfection, of infinite good. This ever-present law is ever operative, and is an ever-present help that is the healer of disease. Therefore, all we need to do is to stop being afraid, to correct our thinking, to trust God, and know that when man has no law to govern him other than God's law, the law of health and Life, he is God-governed, hence perfect. The Bible tells us that God gave man dominion, and that means that we should be master of our surroundings, our environment, our business, our thinking. Christian Science declares that to know God aright, we must know Him as infinite good, as Life, Truth, and Love, Spirit, Soul, infinite Mind, Principle, intelligence, substance. We must understand Him to be the only power, the only presence, All-in-all. Therefore, if God is All-in-all, then He is all there is.
Here someone may ask, If God is All-in-all, what and where is evil? The Bible tells us that God made all, "and without him was not any thing made that was made," and that He pronounced all He made good. Hence, evil, or devil, being no part of His creation, has no abiding place, is not power, and at best its only existence could be in a false belief. When asked, "From whence comest thou?" the devil answered, "From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." (Job 2:2.) Thus it is readily seen that there cannot possibly be two opposite powers occupying the same space at the same time, because God, good, Principle, fills all space, and, consequently, there is no room for His unlikeness, for malice, envy, hatred, fear, jealousy, revenge, anger.
With this concept of God fixed in our consciousness, let us consider for a moment His image and likeness, man. In the first chapter of Genesis it is recorded that God created man in His image and likeness. The Bible also records that God is a Spirit, or Spirit. Therefore, man, created in the image and likeness of Spirit, must be spiritual, and not material. On page 468 of the Christian Science textbook, Mrs. Eddy has given us the scientific statement of being, which, when understood, makes this point very clear. It reads as follows: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual." Thus it is shown that man is the reflection, or image and likeness, of all that is good and perfect, that he reflects the peace, joy, and happiness of perfect health. He is thinking good, healthy, pure, and loving thoughts as the direct result of reflecting divine intelligence. As Paul says, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." (II Corinthians 3:18.)
If there is any one thing that we ought to be grateful for, it is our God-given ability to think. In Proverbs we read, as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." Can you not see the importance of thinking correctly about all things? As we come in contact with the problems of human experience incident to daily life, as we encounter difficulties in our business, and entertain thoughts of inactivity, dull seasons, lack, and discouragement, we are shown by Christian Science that it is largely our own wrong thinking that causes our difficulty. So let us correct this error; let us be careful about our thinking, and, as St. Paul says, "put off the old man with his deeds; and . . . put on the new man" (Colossians 3:9-10).
One of the basic causes of so much discord and sickness today is the general acceptance by mankind of personal sense testimony as reliable and true. We are not trusting God when we accept and rely upon the testimony of the senses as real or true, for we are then believing that matter has life, intelligence, and sensation.
The five physical senses cannot be depended upon for guidance and truthful information, and I feel sure many of us have experienced striking examples of the falsity of sense evidence. Let us consider for a moment two parallel lines, such as the tracks of a railroad. Sense testimony would have us believe that these two lines converge into one at a distant point. Can we accept such a statement as true? Certainly not. And why? Because we know the truth about this proposition, and no amount of argument can change it. We also know that the sun does not rise in the morning nor set in the evening. We also know that the earth is not stationary, but revolves on its axis once every twenty-four hours. We also know that any object in the distance is not as small as mortal vision would have us believe. And so I could go on and cite many instances of the unreliability of sense testimony. There is a marked difference between understanding and belief. Sense testimony subjects us to many conflicting beliefs, while Truth only is knowable, for there is only one Truth. Mrs. Eddy states on page 203 of the Christian Science textbook, "If God were understood instead of being merely believed, this understanding would establish health." Christian Science bids us awake from this material dream of sensation in matter, from this snare and delusion which has victimized mankind, to the full realization and understanding that God is All-in-all, the only power, and that everything unlike Him is unreal and untrue.
Now how is this to be accomplished? Christian Science is demonstrating that the Christianity preached and practiced by Christ Jesus is as available today as it was centuries ago. Now, as then, does it lead the way out of the depths of sin and disease to the heights of purity and health. It matters not how long one has wandered amid the woods and mountains in profound darkness, gloom, and despair; it matters not how low one has fallen in the depths of sin; Christian Science teaches that Love is the liberator. As Mrs. Eddy has so beautifully stated on page 454 of the Christian Science textbook, "Love inspires, illumines, designates, and leads the way."
The Bible tells us that now is the day of salvation, that "now are we the sons of God." What a blessing to know that salvation is not afar off, is not a future possibility, but is a present available and practical accomplishment, the realization of which is made possible by knowing, as Christian Science teaches, that God is the only Mind, intelligence, and that man in the image and likeness of God is reflecting this Mind, this intelligence. Paul said: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5). The mind which was in Christ Jesus is a mind entirely filled with goodness and godliness; it is a state of consciousness wherein God is ever acknowledged as the only presence, the only power, the only reality, and this is the mind the student of Christian Science must attain in order to be saved. Answering the inquiry of Nicodemus, Jesus said: "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3), showing the necessity of regeneration, to put off mortality and put on immortality — to reflect that mind which heals the sick and reforms the sinner and demonstrates that "the kingdom of God is within you."
Many are under the impression today that Christian Scientists are cold, indifferent, and unsympathetic regarding the belief of sickness and suffering, and charge us with doing nothing to afford relief to those who are struggling with such beliefs. This is because it is difficult for a person thinking in terms of matter to comprehend how healing can be done without drugs, manipulation, or material means. Christian Science does not approve of or recognize the use of material remedies or material means of any sort as an agency of healing; on the contrary, it adopts the purely spiritual teaching and practice of the blessed Master, and only by intelligent and absolute reliance on God, "who," as the Psalmist declares, "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases," is true healing made possible, and is man rescued from the false beliefs of sin and disease.
Christian Science treatment is not a system of denials; it is not the hypnotic influence of one human mind upon another; nor it suggestion or mesmerism, as is sometimes ignorantly stated. To the accusation that he cast out devils by Beelzebub, Jesus replied, "If I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out?" (Matthew 12:27). Error cannot correct error; no more can the human mind uninstructed in spiritual law grasp the import of spiritual healing, nor the means by which it is brought about. The Christian Science practitioner never attempts to heal matter, never regards person as a patient. He knows instantly that a patient is an erring sense of mind, recognizes that causation is mental, and endeavors to reveal to the patient the Science or truth of being; and when this truth is revealed to the consciousness of the sufferer, he is healed.
Thousands of men and women have been healed of sickness and sin through reading the Christian Science textbook alone, as evidenced by testimonials which will be found in the last chapter, "Fruitage," and also by those given at our Wednesday evening testimonial services, proving that the revelation of Truth contained in those pages opens the door of human understanding, brings to human consciousness man's true relationship to God, and permanent healing, unlabored and joyous, follows as a natural consequence. This understanding of God impels man to learn His will and do it. Thus governed, man learns that it is God who "healeth all thy diseases" and is an ever-present help in trouble. Christian Scientists are learning to trust this God and rely on His promises. They are proving that He does answer the righteous prayer of the sick and sinning.
True Christianity includes prayer, and prayer is generally believed by Christian people to be the means by which man communicates with God. There are many differing opinions among Christians as to what constitutes true prayer, and we sometimes hear the opinion voiced that Christian Scientists do not pray, that they are a prayerless people. It seems almost incredible that such a belief could exist today. Christian Scientists not only pray without ceasing, but they pray understandingly. It is true they do not petition God to grant material desires and pleasures. They do not ask Him to conform His will to theirs. On page 1 of the Christian Science textbook, Mrs. Eddy states, "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, — a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love"; and it is from this standpoint that the Christian Scientist prays the prayer of affirmation, and such prayer is answered by removing from consciousness everything unlike God, good.
Jesus attached so much importance to the right concept of prayer that he gave us the greatest of all prayers, known as the Lord's Prayer. The first chapter in the Christian Science textbook is on prayer, and in this chapter Mrs. Eddy sets forth clearly and concisely what constitutes true prayer and what the purpose of prayer must be, all of which is in exact accord with the teaching of Jesus. Christian Science treatment is prayer which delivers men from the false beliefs of sin and sickness, and is the means of gaining the perfect understanding of God and His reflection, man. On page 16 of the Christian Science textbook, Mrs. Eddy writes, "Only as we rise above all material sensuousness and sin, can we reach the heaven-born aspiration and spiritual consciousness which is indicated in the Lord's Prayer and which instantaneously heals the sick." And then follows the Lord's Prayer with its spiritual interpretation, the reading of which has healed thousands instantaneously. The fervency and tenderness of the Lord's Prayer as revealed in the spiritual interpretation quiets fear, removes malice, envy, hatred, and jealousy, stills the tempests of mad ambition.
In June, 1924, it was my privilege to attend the Republican National Convention held in Cleveland, where I witnessed a practical demonstration of the foregoing statement. Each session of the convention was opened with prayer, and the privilege of opening the fourth session was granted to the Christian Scientists. On Thursday afternoon, after a stormy and confused session, recess was taken for one hour for conferences, the convention being called to order again at 4:00 P.M. It was a seething mass of humanity numbering 12,000 people. The delegates were hot and tired from long and tedious labor trying to unite on a candidate for Vice-President. It seemed impossible for the chairman to restore order, and, almost in despair, he asked the Christian Scientist present who was acting as chaplain to invoke the divine blessing. Stepping to the front of the rostrum, he raised his hands and requested all to arise and unite in a few moments of silent prayer, to be followed by the audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer, repeated in unison.
In an instant you could have heard a pin drop, the peace and quiet was so marked during the silent prayer; and then followed the reverent, audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer, all present responding in perfect unison. The inspiration and confidence that came to those leaders was beautiful to behold. Several expressed themselves as impressed with the thought of its being the most effectual prayer of the convention. A minister in the audience said it seemed as though the gates of heaven had opened to receive that vast audience into the presence of the Almighty. It is needless to say that the convention quietly and quickly resumed deliberations and soon nominated a candidate for Vice-President. The effects of this experience were far-reaching, as reports show that large assemblies in other cities, listening in on the radio, stood in silence during the silent prayer, and many participated in the audible repetition. It was an experience never to be forgotten, for it again proved the power of true prayer, fulfilling the promise of Scripture so beautifully set forth in the 15th chapter of John, 7th verse: "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."
The following lines of a hymn in the Christian Science Hymnal express the Christian Science thought of what constitutes true prayer:
"Prayer is the heart's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the simplest form of speech,
That infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air:
His watchword overcometh death —
He enters heaven with prayer."
Christian Scientists accept the teachings of the Holy Bible without reservation as their daily rule and guide. This Bible is not a Bible of their own, as is sometimes ignorantly believed (if by this is meant a specially written volume for them alone); it is what is known as the King James version of the Old and New Testaments, the same Bible that is used in most of the churches today, and I am glad to say that every Christian Scientist possesses a copy of this volume which he studies daily, together with the Christian Science textbook. It is recorded that when Jesus appeared to his disciples on the shores of the Galilean Sea after his resurrection, he said to them: "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:44-45). Mrs. Eddy has written on page 99 of the Christian Science textbook: "Truth has furnished the key to the kingdom, and with this key Christian Science has opened the door of the human understanding."
The Christian Scientist soon finds that the study of the Christian Science textbook, this Key to the Scriptures, increases his interest in the Bible, and, instead of being a book of mystery, it becomes to him an open fount of spiritual enlightenment, revealing spiritual truths that are usable and practical in daily experience. This spiritual enlightenment brings about an improved understanding of man's true relationship to his Maker and he is then receptive to the Christ, Truth, that heals and saves and rescues man from the false beliefs of sin and disease.
The teachings of Christian Science are fully set forth in the Christian Science textbook, of which Mrs. Eddy is the author. Describing the basis and method of her discovery, Mrs. Eddy has said: "The Scriptures were illumined; reason and revelation were reconciled, and afterwards the truth of Christian Science was demonstrated" (Science and Health p. 110).
Jesus taught that good cannot produce evil, and he proved by his works that sin and sickness were errors of belief which he could and did destroy. He promised that his followers should do the works that he was able to do (see John 14:12), and thanks to Mrs. Eddy's patient, tireless efforts in giving Christian Science to the world, thousands of her followers all over the world are able to follow the commands of the Master. The Christian Scientist daily studies the sacred teachings of the Bible and of the textbook (which is a commentary of the entire Scriptures) for his inspiration and his spiritual instruction, and there he finds them. He has found that the method revealed by Mrs. Eddy in Christian Science is correct and scientific, for in no least way does she depart from the principle and rule laid down by the Master Christian. He has also found that by emulating the example of the beloved Master in preaching the Gospel of good tidings and healing the sick, he shares in the blessings that come to those who look to God in every need. Christian Science and Christianity are one, and the Christian Scientist is taught so to live and act and think that his daily life will attest his sincerity and his Christianity.
Christ Jesus established the standard of Christianity. He was the Way-shower, leaving us the only perfect example that we should follow his steps. Jesus was as meek and humble as he was mighty, as evidenced so clearly in his reply to a certain ruler when addressed as "good Master," "Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God" (Luke 18:19). This clear perception of God's allness, this perfect understanding of God's goodness, enabled Jesus, when confronted by physical evidence of sin, disease, or death, to heal these discords or errors of belief instantly. Jesus realized that of himself he could do nothing, but that with God all things are possible. He recognized man's unity with God, the true spiritual idea of God and man, for did he not say "I and my Father are one?"
Christian Science teaches that it is this spiritual idea, this understanding of God and His reflection, man, that heals the sick today as it did in the time of Jesus. This spiritual idea is the Christ. On page 583 of the Christian Science textbook, Mrs. Eddy defines Christ: "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error." This divine manifestation of God, or Christ, was reflected so perfectly by Jesus in all that he thought and did that he will always stand as the highest type of spiritual man that ever trod the earth. Therefore in Christian Science we know him as Jesus the Christ, or Christ Jesus.
Can you not see that as we establish in consciousness this Christ, Truth, — this spiritual idea, — that all beliefs of the flesh, that is, the false beliefs of life and sensation in matter, vanish, and "man is found having no righteousness of his own, but in possession of the 'mind of the Lord,' as the Scripture says" (Science and Health p. 291)? Mrs. Eddy admonishes us so beautifully to follow the example of the Master in the following words, which will be found on page 210 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany:" "Beloved Christian Scientists, keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them."
Jesus' perfect understanding and realization of the ever-presence of the Christ enabled him to see man as the image and likeness of God, and thus it was that he healed the sick and reformed the sinner. As Mrs. Eddy so aptly states on page 476 of the Christian Science textbook, "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."
Having learned something about this Christ, Truth, which Christian Science reveals, it is only fitting and proper that we should know something about the discoverer as well as the discovery.
Born of New England parents, Mary Baker Eddy was an unusual child in that she manifested at an early age a keen desire for learning and study. She was an apt pupil, and made rapid progress under the tutorship of her brother, who was a college student, and when but a child she studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. She read the Bible with deep interest, and soon developed an aptitude for composition and writing. Tender and loving in disposition, she made steady progress in her search and study of the Bible, and soon became conscious of the ability of God's word to heal the sick and reform the sinner.
Mrs. Eddy states on page 107 of the Christian Science textbook, "In the year 1866, I discovered the Christ Science or divine laws of Life, Truth, and Love, and named my discovery Christian Science. God had been graciously preparing me during many years for the reception of this final revelation of the absolute divine Principle of scientific mental healing." This revelation came to Mrs. Eddy at a time when all seemed dark and hopeless. Lying upon a couch of pain as the result of an injury, she was placed in the hands of a physician, who despaired of her recovery and promised no hope. Left alone, she opened the Bible and turned to the ninth chapter of Matthew, second verse, and as she read about the man sick of the palsy who was healed by Jesus, the light of spiritual Truth or the Christ-spirit dawned in her consciousness, and she arose from her couch instantly and perfectly healed. Thoroughly convinced that her healing was the direct result of the operation of spiritual law, Mrs. Eddy continued to search the Scriptures until the Science of Christianity was fully revealed to her and she became conscious of the fact that the same law which enabled Jesus to heal the man sick of the palsy had healed her, again fulfilling the promise of the Master, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also" (John 14:12).
Thoroughly satisfied that her discovery was in accordance with God's law, Mrs. Eddy, undismayed, set out to prove her discovery. This pure and spiritually minded woman bore the heat and burden of the day patiently and lovingly, overcame obstacles, and gave to the world the result of her search and discovery, the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
In order that the teachings therein contained might be properly presented to the world, Mrs. Eddy recognized the necessity of establishing or providing a church. Accordingly, in the year 1879, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, was founded. The growth and progress of Christian Science have been steady and phenomenal, there being in existence today over 2,000 branch churches and societies throughout the world. The fruits of Christian Science, seen over all the world in all these church organizations, are striking evidences that Christian Scientists are gaining from the Bible the spiritual meaning and understanding which gives them power to perform the same wonderful healing works that Jesus promised his true followers that they should be able to perform, and truly say, as did the Apostle James: "Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works" (James 2:18).
Why should it be thought strange that Christian Scientists are grateful and that they publicly express their gratitude at the Wednesday evening meetings held in all Christian Science churches to the one who has shown them the way out of sickness into perfect health and harmony, out of darkness and chaos into light and peace; who has brought to light Immanuel: God with us, a God who is good, ever-present, whose arm is protecting and supporting us? The discovery and the discoverer cannot be separated; therefore do all loyal Christian Scientists express to Mrs. Eddy, the Leader of the Christian Science movement, their heartfelt gratitude for all the benefits they have received and are receiving daily through their study and application of her teachings.
It is generally conceded that the appeal of Christian Science to the world is mostly responded to by those who are suffering from despair, sickness, and sin, without hope or expectation in the world, and the question is sometimes asked, Why is this so? It is because they have searched for and tried every material healing agency known, have embraced different systems of religious beliefs, but without any lasting results or success. Turning to Christian Science, they have found that it is the fulfillment of Bible promises; that the truth preached and practiced by Jesus is as efficacious today as it was centuries ago. Christian Science stands today a practical, demonstrable Science, proved to be so by thousands within its ranks who bear living testimony to what it has done and is doing for all mankind.
You frequently hear this remark: I would like to know about Christian Science, but it seems to be so hard to understand. I just cannot grasp it. Why, it is so simple that the little children in the Sunday School grasp the import of its teachings readily and make rapid strides in its application with many happy results. The Bible records that when the disciples asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven," that he set a little child in their midst and replied, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3). In other words, as we relinquish all beliefs of self, and become humble and meek, do we become receptive (do we open the door of the human understanding) to the light that shineth unto a perfect day.
I am glad to bear witness to-night to the fulfillment of the promise in the Bible, "Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Luke 11:9). Christian Science was presented to me while on a week's outing. For many years I accompanied the male members of my family on these annual trips. One member of our party was a Christian Scientist, and it was my good fortune to pair with him one morning while on this trip, which means we were companions for the day. It was a beautiful morning, and as our little fleet of boats launched forth for the fishing ground, we were happy and full of expectation. Upon arrival, we cast off and anchored apart from the others and started our day of sport. The fishing was not very good, and after several hours of patient endeavor my thought seemed to turn to the glory of creation.
Now I had always felt I could not grasp Christian Science; in fact, I may say I was somewhat antagonistic. But, turning to this loved one with me, I said: "Tell me something about Christian Science." He smiled, and, being about his Father's business, that is, ever ready at the post of duty, he talked to me for more than an hour about God and man. He presented to me in such a simple, yet loving way, the Truth of being, the allness of God, the teachings of the Master, recounting some of his words and works, also some of the results of the consecrated and devoted life-work of Mrs. Eddy. It was a perfect setting for this illumination. Above was the clear blue sky, with the sun shining in all its glory and splendor; beneath, the quiet rippling waters of St. Clair Flats. The reeds, swaying gently in the summer breeze, were chanting their anthems of praise; the sea gulls, flying about, were singing their jubilant song of happiness; and as this new-old story of Jesus and his love awakened me to a new state of consciousness, I became cognizant of a new generation, the scales dropped from my eyes and I saw the light. Like the fisherman of old, it was there that I cast my net on the right side of the boat, and the net has been full to overflowing ever since. Needless to say, I was healed of many false beliefs that a fisherman is heir to, the most stubborn one being the tobacco habit, which had been with me for many years, also the belief of catching fish for pleasure.
Friends, Christian Science shows that Scriptural promises were ample and far-reaching, and were not made for a limited time only, as is sometimes believed, but for all time. It also shows that these promises are not a hollow mockery, but are based upon absolute spiritual law and power, available to every phase of daily experience. Christian Science teaches the Science of Christianity or the Christ, Truth, which heals and saves. It breaks the day dream of life and sensation in matter. It declares God aright and furnishes a key to the Scriptures which dispels mystery and makes plain the word of God to man. It reveals the only true God who is Love, unchangeable, ever-present, and impartial, whom to know aright brings permanent peace and happiness. Let us ponder the words of Mrs. Eddy on page 13 of the Christian Science textbook: "Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, 'Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.'" The assurance of the fulfillment of God's promises is appropriately and expressively set forth in the following verse taken from one of our hymns in the Christian Science Hymnal:
"Our God is Love, unchanging Love,
And can we ask for more?
Our prayer is vain that asks increase;
'Twas infinite before.
Ask not the Lord with breath of praise
For more than we accept;
The open fount is free to all,
God's promises are kept."
(Hymn 191)
[1926.]