Conversing about the "Mother Church" recently a believer in Christian Science stated as a reason for not becoming a member, that her experience in church organizations had decided her never again to limit her freedom of thought and action by such means,— a not uncommon misunderstanding of Divine Science.
A very little understanding of Christian Science will certainly show that the motive cannot be for self-purpose, self-salvation, but that salvation can only result from the utter destruction of all self-sense. (See Matt. vi. 25; Luke, ix. 23, 24.) Can a true Scientist have any motive but to do, or reflect Good, that is, to do the will of God, Love? But every Christian Scientist knows that it is one thing to desire to do good, and quite another to know how to do good; that it is one thing to follow some human concept of right, or truth, and an entirely different one to know, and obey, the one changeless Truth itself, attested in demonstration.
May we not state, then, the true motive of the Christian Scientist to be solely a desire to know Truth for Truth's sake, that Love's work may be done in God's own way; even the way taught in the Bible, and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Do not the words of Jesus, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you," distinctly specify this way and its sure demonstration, here and now? And again, the very first lesson our Master taught was to Suffer to be so now" the material ceremony standing for the highest sense of right the world then had, for it "becometh us to fulfil all righteousness."
