THE full import of our Leader's wise admonition in Article XXIV, Section 5, of the Church Manual, under the caption "God's Requirement," did not dawn upon the writer's thought until after prayerful study of the By-law, which is as follows: "God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceedings of the members of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist." The By-law received only superficial notice at first; and it was thought obedience to it was being rendered by complying with a mere human observance of the qualities called for.
Unfolding thought has brought a joyous realization of the wisdom manifested by Mrs. Eddy in providing this By-law. The divine "wisdom, economy, and brotherly love" that refrains from thinking ill of our neighbor is indeed what God requires of each and every one. To this end we cannot guard too closely against the subtly hidden suggestion to indulge in just a little criticism, or to permit evil to assume a least vestige of reality in our thinking.
To see evil as error or illusion, and so to recognize its utter nothingness because it is not a quality of God, good, is true wisdom and also true economy. To exercise this understanding in every situation that confronts us is, moreover, to exercise brotherly love. We are practicing divine economy when we are excluding loveless thoughts of criticism, intolerance, impatience. We are violating "God's Requirement" whenever we permit these counterfeit qualities to enter into our thinking. The perfect coordination of "wisdom, economy, and brotherly love" is revealed by faithful study. Thus it becomes clear that when wisdom and brotherly love characterize our thinking, true economy is manifested in more bountiful spiritual fruits and a more expansive realization of liberty and dominion. He who in unselfed love allows his every thought to be guided by wisdom and love for his neighbor will soon find that he is not wasting his time or another's in the unfruitful speculations of mortal mind. Total abstinence from such waste can be brought about only by enlarged wisdom and a higher appreciation of man as God's idea. With his thought always on the glorious truth given in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 468), "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation," the loyal Christian Scientist will gladly part with that false mentality which revels in traits of the Pharisee.
