To my thought, the awakening of the spiritual consciousness is a new birth. By the "law of inversion" this is typified by the birth of the child on this material plane. The Spiritual Birth must be followed by orderly growth. "Mortals must disappear for immortals as babes have disappeared at the age of adults." Science and Health, p, 410. That is, by growth. A naturalist was once watching an insect struggling to emerge from its limitations. The struggle was so severe and long-continued, that he felt a great pity for the little creature; so, with an instrument, he made a very slight cut which liberated the insect, but alas! The hinder parts were useless. The insect had needed the strength to be gained only by mastering the difficulty itself; and it could not use its legs at all.
No one can grow for another. Students of Christian Science must do their own growing. Oftentimes an encouraging hand may be clasped, as we pass along our upward way, but the feet, the understanding, must do their own climbing; otherwise there will be no real strength, no real growth. We see most encouraging signs of growth among these students. The spirit of accord, the desire for union of feeling and aims, is most inspiring. The growth of Love in the ranks is perceptible, and is filling; the mental atmosphere with warmth and cheer. The creed of Jesus the Christ is the only creed we need. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," . . ."and thy neighbor as thy self," includes all commandment. The course given in the lessons of Christian Science is orderly. First appears the knowledge, the understanding, and the Love of God; second, the knowledge of man; then students are taught what man's work is, and how he can do it. For the first time since Jesus taught, mankind is taught what God Is. "We have been told to love God, but what kind of a God have we been told to love?" Did the knowledge of the God of revenge, jealousy, wrath, who sacrificed part of Himself to satisfy the other part, give Peace? Job. xxii. Did good thereby come to us? Many dear, saintly souls held faith in a God of Love, in spite of teaching of creed and dogma; but it was that faith without understanding, which sometimes, through belief of disease and trial, failed to bear the dear ones through the dark valleys. Christian Science comes now "with healing in its wings." Calm, clear, and satisfying comes the understanding it brings, of Love, Truth, Life, unchanging Principle Who pardons sin by destroying the consciousness of it; Who forgives our trespasses by showing us that no one can trespass against one of God's dear children; Who teaches that our prayers are not petitions, but glad shouts of victory to "our Father all glorious;" Who Is Harmony; Whose will is done in Harmony; Whose very Being does keep from temptation those who "dwell in the secret place;" our Father, our Mother, from whom comes the Mother love manifested so feebly to material sense,—seen even in the mother hen when she gathers her chickens under her wings— seen so clearly in the blessed Jesus who wept over the Jerusalem which stoned the prophets, and crucified himself! "It hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive" of Motherhood as included in Love, Truth, Life. We are not taught to believe in "cold, abstract Principle," but in active Love which is Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omnipotence. Ensphered in that Love, as it were charged with It, Man is "positive" towards all appearance of error, whether it appear as sin, sickness, or death. Paul says: "No-thing can separate us from the Love of God."
Understanding something of what God is, leads to the knowledge of what Man is, who is made in His image and likeness. We see that, as there is no substance save Spirit, for God is All in All, Man cannot express anything else; —for there is nothing else to be expressed. When Man learns what he is, he longs for activity; nothing will satisfy his craving but the consciousness of being used by God in the uplifting and teaching of humanity. We are taught that "prayer is activity of life;" desire put into practice. In order to grow in Christian Science, the student must work; he must be his own physician by teaching himself how to apply Truth. "He cannot fail, for he lays hold on Omnipotence," Christian Science teaches that Man must overcome his own personal sense, in order to be able to teach others how to overcome; and also, that in teaching, applying Truth to heal others, he learns how to heal himself. "It is a two-edged sword"—not the material sword which Jesus told Peter to "put up"—but the sword of spiritual consciousness. In a recent class a teacher told of the earnest of the Spirit, of which Paul speaks in I Cor. i. 22. He said: "On our present plane, in law, 'earnest money ' is that paid to bind a bargain. Something of this kind is meant here. God has implanted in each of His children Spiritual consciousness, which is the Light of every man coming into the world. The first awakening of this consciousness is the earnest of what it will be as it goes on, and on, unfolding and unfolding throughout eternity." This consciousness is the Real Man—God's Man—of which the appearance to material sense is the inverted, distorted shadow. We have in times past been taught to take the shadow for the reality; but we now see that it is not even a real shadow, but is a "dream shadow;" or, as a child put it, "The lie of God's Man." Learning Christian Science, from the Bible and from Science and Health, and above all from our own awakened Spiritual consciousness which is the point of union with our Source, we shall go on from "character to character," "from glory to glory," throughout the ages of eternity; ever climbing to discover new heights beyond. The Christ-Principle ever prepares a "mansion in His Father's house" for the unfolding consciousness to inhabit; ever reveals the eternal joys laid up for "God's children, God's heirs; co-heirs with Christ."
