FREEDOM AT THE MIDNIGHT HOUR

MARY BAKER EDDY has written in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 276), "In Christian Science the midnight hour will always be the bridal hour, until 'no night is there.'" We find a beautiful expression of this truth in the Bible story of Paul and Silas; for not only did the truth free them at the midnight hour, but because of their faithfulness to the Christ-idea, a host of others were also freed from mental chains, including the girl bound by dementia and hypnotism. "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." We may picture to ourselves these two men, loyal servants of the Most High, amid almost the worst conditions that mortal mind could possibly foist upon them, praying and singing praises at the midnight hour. But what had brought them into the condition of seeming subjection to mortal mind?

Paul and Silas had been followed many days by "a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination . . . which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying," and who cried after them, "These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation." We may easily believe the cry to have been one of derision instigated by her masters; yet withal it was as a cry for freedom for herself. Paul was grieved at the grossness of the error which had for so long held not only the damsel in bondage, but also many who were seeking for the light; and in his tender compassion and through the realization of the all-power of God, he rose to such spiritual heights that this particular form of error, which attempted to harry them, was overcome; and possibly the girl was released to a life of real service.

"And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone," they rose in impetuous fury and hurried Paul and Silas to the rulers, charging them with being teachers of false doctrines, and as stirring up the people. As a result, they were beaten with many stripes and placed in the care of a jailer, who was himself under the heel of fear, and who, to insure their bondage, placed them in the inner prison, where their feet were made fast in the stocks, which necessitated a continuous bodily position practically without change except at the will of the jailer. There, bound about with the evidences of hatred, these two servants of God turned their thought to Him and sang praises.

What a picture and what a lesson are here for us! Here were two soldiers of God realizing their birthright of freedom amid evidences of intense mortal hatred, and expressing it in prayer and praise. It is recorded that "the prisoners heard them." What the prisoners felt was surely a touch of the power of God, which caused them to see that all was not as it seemed to be. A Christian Scientist can understand the freedom of thought which swept through the prison and presently put matter under the feet of the Christ-power; for it is further written, "There was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." An earthquake strong enough to shake the prison to its foundations, to wrench locks apart, to sever bodily fetters; and yet no devastation was recorded! It is not customary for earthquakes to free; rather do they too often bind with fetters "grievous to be borne."

The jailer was the executor of human law; and when the divine law swept mortal law out of the way, the jailer wanted to kill himself before he was put under torture for letting the prisoners escape. Here Paul showed him that divine understanding does not have to run away—it conquers; for he said, "Do thyself no harm: for we are all here." In the great demonstration of divine power human law was forgotten, and every prisoner experienced a new concept of good; and not only the keeper, but all his family, turned to seek and to find the one true God.

Our experiences to-day seem sometimes to be parallel to those of the disciples, except that conditions are expressed mentally rather than physically. As we, too, lift our songs of praise to God from the inner dungeons of hatred, strife, rebellion, envy, revenge, jealousy, malice, where mortal mind is striving to incarcerate us, prisoners who are bound with these fetters will see and hear and understand, and come tremblingly seeking for a religion which teaches love for hate, peace for strife, submission to established law for rebellion, humility for envy, divine law for revenge, self-immolation for jealousy, kindness for malice, and an understanding of endless life for death.

Think of our opportunity, our privilege, to bring the light of Truth to darkened humanity! Think of our joy in the freedom of right thinking! So we, too, at midnight may pray and sing praises to God that in our own time one was found pure enough to reflect the divine anointing. Through marvelous consecration our Leader. Mary Baker Eddy, found the way to freedom and peace and happiness through Christian Science, and found it to be just as clear and just as available now as in the day when Jesus proved forever the nothingness of material things, and through the Christ rose supreme over matter. Mrs. Eddy gave to suffering humanity the knowledge of this stupendous truth; and she prayed and sang praises at the midnight hour, when the undestroyed error cried out most loudly against annihilation by the light of Truth.

The great Leader of Christian Science sounded the depths of mortal woe; and because of this there have come from her pen passages whose inspiration has been so powerful as to cause mental earthquakes which have opened the dungeons for multitudes, and raised them toward the understanding of "the glorious liberty of the children of God." One of these life-giving passages is to be found on pages 149 and 150 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," and is as follows: "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;" and in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 276)), "Out of the gloom comes the glory of our Lord, and His divine Love is found in affliction."

What a glorious interpretation is thus put upon the midnight hour in Christian Science, teaching us to say with the Apostle Paul, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong," strong to know that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."