IN the book of Isaiah there is an ancient definition of the service required by God, presented to those who believed that by ceremonials, such as fasting, and making themselves unhappy, men find grace in the sight of Him whom they worship. The prophet, as a messenger of God, said that "to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free," was the true way in which to bring themselves into favor with Deity. In ancient times the oppression of the slave was due partly to the fact that transportation was laid upon the shoulders of men. Human invention has brought out many changes. It was discovered that the weight too heavy to be lifted could be moved upon rolling logs. Then came the genius who took a section of the log and made it into a wheel; and even yet transport is accomplished in some places by similar primitive contrivances. In our time the wheel has been refined and transport has become a comparatively simple thing, so that burden-bearing has been largely taken away from the shoulders of men. In this day, indeed, transportation has become so developed that burdens are being swiftly borne through the air.
Strangely enough, in the moral realm there are still multitudes who are enslaved and burdened, whose thoughts have not kept pace with progress. The believer in the theory which is spoken of as "future punishment" assumes that a small number of persons are going to find pardon and redemption,and that the rest of mankind will have to endure darkness and sorrow and pain forever! Such a believer surely carries a burden of wrong thinking. One of old time, speaking about the divine power,said, "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee." The most blessed thing which can come to a man in the way of good is a right understanding of God, and that would include the perception of the teaching in the Psalms which says, "His mercy endureth forever." When the human so-called mind is cleansed of false doctrines and comes to an understanding of God in the light of the New Testament, which presents Him as "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings," then there comes an enduring sense of peace regarding both God and man.
The discovery and presentation of Christian Science has renewed for mankind that vision which Paul had when he said, "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Christian Scientists, therefore, can be free from the burdens which have oppressed mankind during whatever period may be spoken of as "dark ages." Mrs. Eddy has shown clearly that an inner joy is possible no matter how one is tempted to be anxious and fearful. To anyone who has learned the goodness of God through healing, there must always remain a sense of certainty in regard to goodness. Should he go through a time of darkness, he knows that the day will dawn and the darkness disappear. Whatever the human experience may have been,—whatever his national feelings once were, his heredity,his social standing, his religious predilections,—he is aware of an emergence out of these various complexities into a simplicity of thinking which may be described as progressive enlightenment; and he accepts the attitude of prayer proposed by Mrs. Eddy, as teacher and Leader in this movement,when she admonished her followers (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 387; Poems, p. 6),
