The article by "S," in the February Journal, directing attention to the fact that the security of Christian Science organizations is dependent wholly upon individual consecration of its members, cannot be too carefully pondered. We will do well to examine ourselves and learn if we have attained to that subordination of self, of human intellect and its opinions, ambition, personal prejudices and favors, that alone can prove a safeguard to ourselves individually, or to the organization of which we maybe a member. If we have not attained this subordination of self we may decide at once, that as a possible contingency, our organization is in jeopardy. To be successful, organizations must be the fruit of consecration. If, on the contrary, they are based upon the hope that in some way they will produce consecration where none previously existed, the fruition of that hope is sure to be failure, and it is not the part of wisdom to lure ourselves onward with any other anticipation.
Now that so many new churches are forming, would it not be well to observe another pitfall in our pathway, and seek its avoidance?
A Christian Science Church is, to our sense, an organized effort of humanity to extricate itself from erroneous beliefs; to gain an understanding of God, and of the Truth of Being. Human effort, in its pursuit of the righteousness and knowledge that lead to spiritual perception, realization, makes use of a church. This, however, is not the true "Church of God "; for that is Spiritual and perfect. Still it should strive to approximate thereto as closely as possible.
