"Love is our refuge; only with mine eye
Can I behold the snare, the pit, the fall:
His habitation high is here, and nigh,
His arm encircles me, and mine, and all."
MARY BAKER EDDY (Poems, p. 4)
In the Psalmist's statement, "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday," there appears a spiritual command which mankind would no doubt willingly obey without question, did it but know how to conform to the divine requirement and overcome fear; for human thought is awakening to the need of conquering that which claims to produce ill health and to hinder work. Hence, the problem of destroying fear seems one of paramount importance, carrying with it many material suggestions and influences, among which the use of human will power, so called, is frequently represented as an aid in annihilating doubt and anxiety.
That all unspiritual methods for overcoming fear are erring and unsuccessful is evidenced by the fact that mankind is still proclaiming that it is afraid, not only as an excuse for lack of right thought and action, but also as proof of failure to depend wholly upon God, to understand, love, and obey His law. The truth remains, as one learns in Christian Science, that no one would ever be afraid, or could he be made to fear, did he not believe in more than one power did he not acknowledge and serve materiality, which suggests combined good and evil, a false god and a counterfeit man—something besides divine Love and its reflection.
