The Christian Scientist who is daily striving to free himself from the undue influence of personality prays with the Psalmist: "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
In times past it was deemed clever to perceive and criticise aptly the frailties and peculiarities of men. Through the wisdom of Christian Science, however, we see that in all personal, external analysis, the real man has no recognition, and our human concept of man has but little charity. Indeed true charity for the neighbor comes only through the recognition of the real man.
Now we know the next step, when a mode of thought or a plan of practice is admitted to be wrong,— the very next step is to turn from the wrong and seek the right. It seems easy to admit an error in the aggregate, but this admission forces each conscientious person to its practice in his own particular case. And that is not so easy. Portia says: "I can easier teach twenty what were good to be done, than to be one of the twenty to follow mine own teaching." But we must follow our own teaching, we must be true to our own conviction. We must set a watch before our mouth, keep the door of our lips.
