IN a case of sickness where the nothingness of the error which holds the patient in bondage seems long in being demonstrated, it would be well if the patient thoroughly studied and made his own the many lessons embodied in the article named "Pond and Purpose" in "Miscellaneous Writings"(p. 204). Every earnest Christian Scientist has passed through the stage mentioned by Mrs. Eddy, when Truth begins to uncover error and sin in the human consciousness, when "agony struggles, pride rebels, and a mortal seems a monster." We must all go through this testing-time, this upturning of the dark places in our hearts, if we would be fitted to serve Truth aright.
What should we think of a gardener who sowed his rarest seeds on the top of rank grass and noisome weeds? Could he hope to see any of the plants take root and arrive at fruition? No! their growth would he choked and destroyed because there would be no room in which to germinate. The plough must first have been at work to uproot the grass and weeds, and to expose the earth to the purifying influences of light, air, sunshine, frost, and rain. Care must be taken that there is no springing up of the accumulated seeds of waste places, if later they are to "blossom as the rose." The soil must lie prepared for the reception of the seed, placed where the sun may rest upon the plants early and late. Each weed must be ruthlessly uprooted as soon as it makes its appearance, in order that it may in no wise hamper the tiny seedling: and lastly the plants must be protected from the host of enemies which would destroy them.
Compare all this toil for that which perishes—"which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven"—to the preparation of the human mind for the truth, before Christian Science pointed out the better way. A few tears, a confession of sin repeated so often as to become a meaningless string of words; a feeling, "Oh, I am not as bad as I might be"—too often this describes what mortal mind means by repentance. This is not the agony of the uprooting of all the rank grass and rubbish we have allowed to take root and flourish. No; repentance goes deeper than this! Not only does it mean the acknowledgment and uprooting of every error and sin which claims to hold us, but often the parting with our most cherished beliefs as to what constitutes goodness. How often we find this very thing to be one of the chief difficulties to many people in 'accepting Christian Science. In the old thought humility, unselfishness, repentance, love had quite a different aspect and meant something quite apart from that which we learn in Science. Before, the putting into practice of one or the other of these virtues, as we were taught, led us to believe we acquired merit by which we could win heaven, and pardon for having given way to our besetting sins.
