Christian Science, by multiplied proof and demonstration, is to-day showing to all the prime importance of the familiar saying, "What thou seest, that thou beest." This Science of man reveals the fact that if one sees from the standpoint of a matter consciousness, he will have lost sight of the one and only cause, Spirit. Thus seeing only matter he will make no progress toward the spiritual. If on the contrary one looks at things only from the standpoint of Spirit and Spirit's formations, he will reflect to some degree the spiritual creation; he will objectify his spiritual concept and be blessed here and now with a spiritual demonstration of peace and health, joy and freedom. How all-important, then, for those who wish to attain and to maintain health and peace, joy and freedom, to see spiritually; that is, to rightly discern through spiritual sense the realities of being, and not to see, think, or dwell upon the unrealities of mortal existence. "What thou seest, that thou beest." This does not by any means imply that the eye which is blind to evil sees spiritually. To look at evil and call it good is to understand neither evil nor good. The understanding vision knows evil for what it is, comprehends its unreality, and thus reduces evil's claims to nothingness and discerns the truth which it misrepresents. What you understand, that you objectify—that is the image you reflect. What your thought is, that is the phenomenon you see.
What does the average passer-by see when he beholds The Mother Church edifice? Does he see only dome and lantern, Bedford stone and New England granite? Let us consider what Mrs. Eddy saw when she wrote (Miscellany, p. 6): "The modest edifice of The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, began with the cross: its excelsior extension is the crown....Its crowning ultimate rises to a mental monument, a superstructure high above the work of men's hands, even the outcome of their hearts, giving to the material a spiritual significance—the speed, beauty, and achievements of goodness. Methinks this church is the one edifice on earth which most prefigures self-abnegation, hope, faith; love catching a glimpse of glory."
What do you see in the great elm tree by the roadside? Do you see only its trunk, its branches, and its leaves? If so, you have seen little more than does the lumberman who, going through a beautiful pine forest, sees so much lumber and shingles. Do you see with the human poetic eye only the sensuous beauty of outline, form, and color? Then it is possible that you might still be a pagan. Or do you see the spiritual idea to which the tree points? For is not the material sense of the tree a misconception of divine Mind's creation? If you see aright, may not a stately tree remind you of the true man described by the psalmist, of whom it is said: "He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper"?
