THE deceptive tendencies of the physical senses are recognized by all thinking people, and yet through many centuries mankind has continued the practice of judging mostly from the standpoint of their testimony. He whom the Christian world acknowledges as having had the keenest insight into things both spiritual and mundane of any who ever walked this earth, strongly decried this tendency; and we have his admonition, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Christians, however, have been as slow to grasp the purport of this admonition as they have been to realize the significance of Jesus' direct command to heal the sick as he healed them. Who will deny that to "judge righteous judgment" is to see things, and give them consideration, not from the standpoint of mere personal sense, which can never be in accord with divine Principle, but from the point of view which accompanies an understanding of God as Spirit, and of the universe, including man, as His spiritual creation—in other words, through discernment of spiritual realities?
To the close observer of world affairs there appears to be a marked change taking place in the world's thinking. This may be noted in the quality of thought evinced in the speeches of many great statesmen, and it is also manifested by men at large; as when, for instance, the world pays tribute to an individual pursuant upon the consummation of some notable and altruistic deed, the acclaim being not so much for the performance of the deed itself, or the person who accomplishes it, as for the characteristics manifested by that person, indicative of a tendency to see beyond mere physical sense testimony.
On page 586 in the Glossary of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, an illuminating definition of the word "eyes" is given as follows: "Eyes. Spiritual discernment,—not material but mental." That the man in the street should readily grasp this definition, or accept it unquestioningly, is perhaps not to be expected. However, if he will agree with the statement given in the first chapter of Genesis, that God created man in His own image, and will admit that, God being Spirit, as the Bible also declares, His image and likeness must therefore be spiritual, then the logic of the further fact that the senses and faculties of man, Spirit's image and likeness, must necessarily be spiritual, certainly should be acceptable to him. That there seems to be a mortal, material man with material senses and faculties is admitted; but Christian Science avers that this is but the counterfeit of the man of God's creating; hence, not the real man. Unquestionably, the prophet Isaiah discerned this quite clearly when he wrote, "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?"
