Miscellaneous Writings Part 68

"The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

"And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his por- [10]

tion with the hypocrites."

One mercilessly a.s.sails me for opposing the subtle lie, others charge upon me with full-fledged invective for, as they say, having too much charity; but neither moves me from the path made luminous by divine Love. [15]

In my public works I lay bare the ability, in belief, of evil to break the Decalogue,-to murder, steal, commit adultery, and so on. Those who deny my wisdom or right to expose error, are either willing partic.i.p.ants in wrong, afraid of its supposed power, or ignorant of it. [20]

The notion that one is covering iniquity by a.s.serting its nothingness, is a fault of zealots, who, like Peter, sleep when the Watcher bids them watch, and when the hour of trial comes would cut off somebody's ears. Such people say, "Would you have me get out of a burning [25]

house, or stay in it?"

I would have you already out, and _know_ that you are out; also, to remember the Scripture concerning those who do evil that good may come,-"whose d.a.m.nation is just;" and that whoso departeth from divine Science, [30]

seeking power or good aside from G.o.d, has done himself harm.

[Page 336.]

Mind is supreme: Love is the master of hate; Truth, [1]

the victor over a lie. Hath not Science voiced this les- son to you,-that evil is powerless, that a lie is never true? It is your province to wrestle with error, to handle the serpent and bruise its head; but you cannot, as a [5]

Christian Scientist, resort to stones and clubs,-yea, to matter,-to kill the serpent of a material mind.

Do you love that which represents G.o.d most, His highest idea as seen to-day? No!

Then you would hate Jesus if you saw him personally, [10]

and knew your right obligations towards him. He would insist on the rule and demonstration of divine Science: even that you first cast out your own dislike and hatred of G.o.d's idea,-the beam in your own eye that hinders your seeing clearly how to cast the mote of evil out of [15]

other eyes. You cannot demonstrate the Principle of Christian Science and not love its idea: we gather not grapes of thorns, nor figs of thistles.

Where art thou?

Divine Science

What is it but another name for Christian Science, [21]

the cognomen of all true religion, the quintessence of Christianity, that heals disease and sin and destroys death! Part and parcel of Truth and Love, wherever one ray of its effulgence looks in upon the heart, behold [25]

a better man, woman, or child.

Science is the fiat of divine intelligence, which, h.o.a.ry with eternity, touches time only to take away its frailty.

That it rests on everlasting foundations, the sequence proves. [30]

[Page 337.]

Have I discovered and founded at this period Chris- [1]

tian Science, that which reveals the truth of Love,-is the question.

And how can you be certain of so momentous an affirmative? By proving its effect on yourself to be- [5]

divine.

What is the Principle and rule of Christian Science?

Infinite query! Wonder in heaven and on earth,- who shall say? The immaculate Son of the Blessed has spoken of them as the Golden Rule and its Principle, [10]

G.o.d who is Love. Listen, and _he_ ill.u.s.trates the rule: "Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said,... Whosoever ... shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." [15]

Harmony is heaven. Science brings out harmony; but this harmony is not understood unless it produces a growing affection for all good, and consequent disaffec- tion for all evil, hypocrisy, evil-speaking, l.u.s.t, envy, hate.

Where these exist, Christian Science has no sure foot- [20]

hold: they obscure its divine element, and thus seem to extinguish it. Even the life of Jesus was belittled and belied by personalities possessing these defacing de- formities. Only the devout Marys, and such as lived according to his precepts, understood the concrete char- [25]

acter of him who taught-by the wayside, in humble homes, to itching ears and to dull disciples-the words of Life.

The ineffable Life and light which he reflected through divine Science is again reproduced in the character which [30]

sensualism, as heretofore, would hide or besmear. Sin of any sort tends to hide from an individual this grand

[Page 338.]

verity in Science, that the appearing of good in an in- [1]

dividual involves the disappearing of evil. He who first brings to humanity some great good, must have gained its height beforehand, to be able to lift others toward it. I first proved to myself, not by "words,"-these [5]

afford no proof,-but by demonstration of Christian Science, that its Principle is divine. All must go and do likewise.

Faith illumined by works; the spiritual understanding which cannot choose but to labor and love; hope hold- [10]

ing steadfastly to good in the midst of seething evil; charity that suffereth long and is kind, but cancels not sin until it be destroyed,-these afford the only rule I have found which demonstrates Christian Science.

And remember, a pure faith in humanity will subject [15]

one to deception; the uses of good, to abuses from evil; and calm strength will enrage evil. But the very heavens shall laugh at them, and move majestically to your defense when the armies of earth press hard upon you.

"Thou must be true thyself, [20]

If thou the truth wouldst teach; Thy soul must overflow, if thou Another's soul wouldst reach; It needs the overflow of heart, To give the lips full speech." [25]

"Think truly, and thy thoughts Shall the world's famine feed; Speak truly, and each word of thine Shall be a fruitful seed; Live truly, and thy life shall be [30]

A great and n.o.ble creed."

[Page 339.]

Fidelity

If people would confine their talk to subjects that are [2]

profitable, that which St. John informs us took place once in heaven, would happen very frequently on earth,- silence for the s.p.a.ce of half an hour. [5]

Experience is victor, never the vanquished; and out of defeat comes the secret of victory. That to-morrow starts from to-day and is one day beyond it, robes the future with hope's rainbow hues.

In the battle of life, good is made more industrious [10]

and persistent because of the supposed activity of evil.

The elbowing of the crowd plants our feet more firmly.

In the mental collisions of mortals and the strain of in- tellectual wrestlings, moral tension is tested, and, if it yields not, grows stronger. The past admonishes us: [15]