As God is Mind, true hearing consists in listening to God's thoughts. Mrs. Eddy writes in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 284): "Thought passes from God to man, but neither sensation nor report goes from material body to Mind. The intercommunication is always from God to His idea, man." Although the master Metaphysician succinctly pointed out that having ears did not constitute the ability to hear, Christians have gone on believing that hearing depends upon the condition of the auditory nerve. Since the advent of Christian Science this belief has in many well-authenticated cases been shown to be a mistaken one, for the deaf have been made to hear in spite of the physical diagnosis of surgery and medical practice.
Deafness, blindness, and all other ills of the flesh will continue to harass mankind until the mesmerism of the mortal dream, the dream that there is something apart from God, is broken. Material living is always a limited state of existence, whether as a state of health or one of sickness. Whether mortal mind says of itself, "I am well" or "I am sick," "I am deaf" or "I hear," it must be educated to see the falsity of its own declarations and to learn the facts of divine Mind. The so-called deaf person turning to Christian Science for healing is doing vastly more than he who seeks help from an aurist, though the latter may at times apparently succeed in restoring material hearing; for healing is not founded on fact so long as it is based on the falsity of mortal beliefs. Absolute harmony and freedom can never be attained until one learns to differentiate between the perfect, spiritual man and the Adam-dream or man of dust. To pray aright is to draw near to God, and this uncovers the falsity of either so-called physical perfection or imperfection.
What the divine Mind knows is reflected by its idea, man; and this reflection can never be interfered with. So that, along with all other God-given faculties, man is at all times reflecting perfect hearing, though the material senses may testify to the contrary. On page 214 of the textbook we read, "If the medium of hearing is wholly spiritual, it is normal and indestructible." When one understanding declares that hearing is the capacity to understand God, and constantly abides by this testimony of spiritual sense in daily living, then in due time "thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."
The belief in impaired hearing, whether congenital, chronic, or acute, cannot long withstand the righteous desire to hear the Word of God directing daily walk and conversation. As soon as the weight of spiritual listening overbalances the scale of mortal listening, then does healing appear. In the gospel of John we read that Jesus said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." In moments of introspection we have doubtless consoled ourselves with the thought that much has been done toward the overcoming of fleshly beliefs, such as false appetite and the countless sins that would menace human existence; yet we may have accepted the subtle suggestion that our hearing or that of another is impaired; and, furthermore, we may have allowed ourselves to be drawn into outlining the material cause for the supposed physical effect. Such an unwise course tends to fix more firmly the belief in physical defect. The way of Truth is to deny matter in toto and to follow this denial into such devious bypaths of belief as heredity, accident, or disease, thereby repudiating the suggestion of physical imperfection with all it implies. Listening to the false testimony of mortal sense, we fail to discern the perfection of God's creation and to experience the joy of dominion over inharmonious beliefs. The dream of life in matter is responsible for all the ills "that flesh is heir to;" and the awakening from this dream to the recognition of life in Spirit overcomes every obstacle, every limitation and agony, mortal sense would impose upon us.
Some one may be entertaining the belief that he can never be healed until the error that is holding him is "uncovered." May not this be a belief in the reality of error and an argument of evil for delay? There is no error that can hold us for one moment when we realize its unreality. Christian Science was not revealed to this age to bind heavier burdens upon it,—such as the belief in the power of animal magnetism and sin,—but to release mankind from all self-imposed imaginary bonds. Suppose we try to hold this comforting thought instead of wondering how we are to "meet the error;" then we shall very likely find no error to meet.
Millions of dollars are being expended and thousands of persons are daily engaged in recording and reporting the supposititious activities of mortal belief. Among the most highly prized inventions are those to be used for transmitting and receiving communications; and such communications are frequently the product of its material nature, reiterating its own conclusions. In glaring headlines it depicts calamity, epidemic, theft, death,—all that is unworthy, base, and untrue.
Untold gratitude is felt by many parents for The Christian Science Monitor, whose headlines point to the good; and we can never be sufficiently grateful to Mrs. Eddy for establishing a clean newspaper, except as we welcome the Monitor into our homes and read it. A stack of unopened Monitors in home or office indicates a waste of time, material, and money, and is the closing of one important channel for hearing the Word.
Real hearing relates to spiritual actualities, and is the understanding of Love and Life. When it is realized that the bliss of heavenly communion may be experienced here and now through right hearing, then will men prayerfully distinguish immortal from mortal strains. They will earnestly listen to the "still small voice," that they may bring healing and regeneration to all mankind. Our Master said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live."
