THERE is one fact which all mankind must come to acknowledge and accept, namely, that there is only one Governor and that this Governor is God, the infinite, divine Mind. To-day many mortals seem to believe there should be as many governors as there are persons, and but comparatively few have awakened in any degree to the great and glorious truth, that "man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love" as Mrs. Eddy says on page 106 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." From cover to cover the Bible teems with assurances that God is the Governor of all and that finally all men will gratefully and joyfully yield to His beneficent and intelligent rule, as witness the exultant song of David: "All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations."
There has always been a desire among men to know how to be God-governed. Ever since the beginning of religious history God's people have been expected to promulgate and prove His government. More recently, men have looked to the church for that demonstration of God's control which will produce the unity among brethren whereby shall be annulled the world's dissensions and discords. It was in the revelation of God as the only Mind, which came to Mrs. Eddy in her discovery of Christian Science, that the vision of His perfect, universal government commenced to unfold with broader vision than ever before until its demonstration became an assured possibility. It remains for the Christian Science church to manifest it.
When our Leader discerned that God is infinite, divine Mind and that all men are in reality His ideas, living in and governed by Him, it is not strange that she hoped others would be able to accept this truth in such full measure that they would lay hold, quickly and wholly, of this government by God. She soon realized, however, that mankind was not yet ready to put off with great rapidity its self-imposed bondage and put on the complete liberty of the sons of God which was offered by this revelation of God as the only Governor. She also hoped that Christian Scientists would not need rules to keep their feet in the straight and narrow way of the correct demonstration of this perfect government. In this, too, she was disappointed. She soon found their purpose was not sufficiently unselfed to avoid the pitfalls of the pride of personal power and control, or, if falling into them unawares, to see the way out of them. There must, therefore, be provided a system of rules to aid this demonstration; and in answer to this and other needs, through her responsiveness to God's government, He inspired her to formulate the Manual of The Mother Church with its rules for right living.
