IT would be worth while to pause each morning, as we pray, "Thy kingdom come," to ask ourselves how much we are doing daily to bring about the fulfilment of our prayer, and to reflect upon the fact that millions, possibly, are uttering the same words at the same time. If we on our part were to pray with faith and understanding, and were then to bend our energies through the entire day to live the spirit of our prayer, and if others did the same, there could be no doubt whatever that all the wonders of St. John's apocalyptic vision would speedily be realized, that all belief in evil — sin, sickness, sorcery, idolatry, death — would be forever consumed in the fire of divine Love, which to the evil belief is hell. Then would the new heaven and the new earth, as eternally known of God, be known to men, while "the healing of the nations" would go on unimpeded, with the unfoldment of eternal life.
Here the question presents itself, What hinders the immediate realization of this glorious consummation of spiritual harmony? It cannot be denied that God has done His part, and is forever doing it! To infinite Life there is no death, to infinite good no evil. "All live unto him," said Jesus; and St. John, who was taught by the Master, and who witnessed his mighty works, saw the eternal harmony, the eternal fact, coming down to the consciousness of men and dispelling all the darkness of mortal belief. It is true that John also saw the resistance of this false sense, typified by war, but he also saw that evil "prevailed not" in its attempt to overthrow the truth.
Christian Scientists have been learning wonderful lessons in the years since Mrs. Eddy's discovery of the Science of being. They have learned that the truth is more precious than anything that mortal sense can desire, and as they have loosened their grasp upon the material the imperishable riches of Spirit have come as the reward of their faith. and faithfulness. They have health for sickness, courage for fear, strength for weakness, assurance for doubt, and because of this they gladly give up money and other material things; but more than this is needed to bring about the reign of righteousness, the kingdom of God as supreme in the hearts of all men. Of old, Truth said, "My son, give me thine heart;" while Christ Jesus summarized the entire law as love — whole-hearted love for God and our neighbor. One may be willing to give all his goods to feed the poor, even his body to martyrdom, to quote St. Paul, and yet this would profit nothing without the love which "seeketh not her own." What we should "seek," and seek first, last, and always, is "the kingdom of God and his righteousness," pushing aside as utterly inconsequential the considerations of self, with its pride and manifold lusts, so that the Christ may rule in us and "put down," to quote St. Paul again, "all rule and all authority and power;" finally, death itself.
