MANY are the sermons which have been preached on the subject of unity among brethren. Countless are the Christians who have held such unity as an ideal which they have always been hoping might be realized. David wrote an entire psalm about it. He began by saying, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Then he went on to explain that such unity "is like the precious ointment upon the head," and "as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion;" and he concluded by declaring, "For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."
It is therefore an inevitable conclusion that when perfect unity among brethren shall have been demonstrated universally, "life for evermore" will have been as certainly realized; for with true unity in evidence, where could any evil be thought, desired, or expressed? Since this is a fundamental truth, it follows, naturally, that if one wishes to experience eternal life, he will pray and work to the end that he may in every possible way hasten the acceptance as well as the utilization of all that makes for true unity among men.
In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 117) Mrs. Eddy has said: "Obedience is the offspring of Love; and Love is the Principle of unity, the basis of all right thinking and acting: it fulfils the law. We see eye to eye and know as we are known, reciprocate kindness and work wisely, in proportion as we love." Since love, then, is the only basis of unity, the question naturally arises, How are we so to love that unity among brethren will result?
