THE world has looked long and searchingly through the lens of material sense for deliverance from its self-imposed bondage to sin, sickness, and death. As one chimerical theory after another of some hoped-for universal panacea for the ills of mankind flashes upon the kaleidoscopic screen of mortal existence and is seen to disappear in the haze of a few short months or years, one recalls most vividly these words of our Leader, written in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 250): "Upon this stage of existence goes on the dance of mortal mind. Mortal thoughts chase one another like snowflakes, and drift to the ground." What to-day humanity considers orthodox, in either religion or medicine, passes into oblivion tomorrow; and thus it will be until, according to Scriptural prophecy, "he come whose right it is."
Those of us to-day who are numbered among the multitudes that are seeing this prophecy fulfilled in Christian Science have found an answer to the age-long cry of suffering humanity, and are grateful to testify that there is indeed "balm in Gilead," that there is a "physician there." Gratitude for this great deliverance is always uppermost in the heart of the Christian Scientist; for gratitude is always the companion of spiritual progress. We are grateful to find that the faithful and sincere study of Christian Science brings to view things both new and old, as the teachings and promises of the Bible are brought forth from a mystical, incomprehensible so-called past or future, and presented anew to mankind as present, everyday, demonstrable realities. Such honest and sincere study is rewarded as the immanent, impelling, and compelling power of divine Love is allowed to govern one's every thought, and hence his every act. Restrictive, discordant, and fearful beliefs of every name and nature, expressed in sin, sickness, disease, and suffering, begin to pass away. Thus do we enter upon the age-old journey of the children of Israel, which brings us out to-day from the bondage of the modern Pharaohs, or mortal minds many, into the promised land of spiritual understanding, revealing, as Paul says, "one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all," and man as His reflection.
The Christian Scientist prays daily —yea, unceasingly—for divine guidance. To one who, perhaps, has been struggling with mortal beliefs as realities, and who is just beginning to look upward to God, as revealed in Christian Science, for divine guidance and deliverance, whatever the particular belief may be, whether lack of friends, position, home, health, happiness, or all of these together, to such a one Mrs. Eddy has given the encouraging and inspiring words in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (pp. 149, 150): "Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee. Therefore despair not nor murmur, for that which seeketh to save, to heal, and to deliver, will guide thee, if thou seekest this guidance." When reading and pondering the promises of the Scriptures or the writings of our Leader, we cannot fail to note how invariably each promise is contingent upon the fulfillment of some condition or right activity on our part. In the words just quoted, we are assured of this guidance, this deliverance—if we seek it; while one of the Scripture promises, a promise so precious to humanity,—namely, that we shall abide "under the shadow of the Almighty,"—is conditioned upon our first dwelling "in the secret place of the most High." Simply stated, then, divine guidance and true deliverance are ours in just the proportion that we subordinate fleshly or material desires to the spiritual behests of God; and there is no other way.
