Verily I say unto you, whosoever will not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.—Jesus.
Wonderful words and powerful, considered in the light of Christian Science. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Rev. Mary Baker Eddy, the Revelation to this age, teaches the kingdom of God to be the realm of the Divine Mind. This kingdom, the above Scripture tells us, is only to be attained through the little child consciousness. Elsewhere Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is within you." It must, therefore, be sought for as a mental state or condition, no materialist, in his most opaque mood, expecting to find it within the body.
How then shall we think Heaven and realize it? See Science and Health p. 138. What more trusting than the little child depending wholly upon his parents, believing that in them is vested all power, wisdom and wealth? The parents do not consult his babyship, as to his desires, but simply supply from their standpoint of need. Then the little one's implicit faith in the parents' word, —what a lesson! "Thy word is Truth." But do we, as Christian Scientists, fully understand, that the treasures of Divine Science, consist only of the things of Spirit— that no material need is known in the kingdom of Mind? If so understood what can be lacking that we do not at once consciously enter therein? Simply because beliefs in, and allegiance to, false gods are not surrendered, hence the qualification, deemed by the Master a necessity, whereby the kingdom may be gained, is as yet imperfect; the implacable gods of material sense so long served would hinder its achievement, but earnest effort with overcoming, must prevail. In order to take the first steps toward it, however, we must be willing to become nothing in personal sense, that the real place in Spirit be discerned. This point reached, the seeker may indeed take the shoes from off his feet, for the way in Divine Science has dawned, and it is Holy Ground. Wondrous glimpses of the Promised Land appear in more harmonious surroundings, mentalities somewhat freed from beliefs in flesh-ills, and sin somewhat lessened— but the old Dragon, sin, is to be fully conquered, in each consciousness, else the innocence of the little child is not attained.
