A STORY is told of a small boy who, becoming restless during church service, was admonished by his mother that an acquaintance was watching him, and was asked what he supposed this person would think of a boy who did not sit still in church. Giving the question a moment's consideration, the little fellow whispered his reply: "If he is thinking anything but good of me, he is not any better than I am." Simple, concise logic, similar to that given by Paul to the Romans many years ago: "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things."
Few, if any, have admired the Pharisee who went up into the temple to pray and, as Luke tells us, "stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are." Never has this Pharisee been considered a model to emulate; and yet, how easy it is to fall into the error of his way! Every time we comment upon a brother's fault, every time we discuss and commiserate the unredeemed in thought, we are virtually doing as the Pharisee did. thanking God that we are not as other men; for, surely, we would not call attention to another's mistake unless we believed, in a subtle way, that the comparison would place us in a favorable light by emphasizing the fact that we would never think of doing such a thing!
Possibly the Christian Science practitioner appreciates as well as any one the degree of patience required to break up and mellow the seemingly stony Pharisaical soil of self-righteousness before the seeds of humility and truth will propagate. The mental state which is shocked at the faults of others and blissfully ignorant of its own shortcomings, that is inclined to classify evil by considering it very wrong to break some of the commandments but justifiable to ignore the ninth one—such a mental state is not quite ready to realize the love that "is kind," that "is not puffed up," that "seeketh not her own," and "thinketh no evil."
