WE sometimes hear it said that such a one is "a man of substance;" by which phrase is meant a person who possesses an abundance of material wealth. It does not take very deep study, however, or very keen observation, to expose the unsubstantiality of this sort of wealth; for matter is constantly changing, fading, deteriorating, decaying. In fact, by its Adam-proclaimed characteristics and properties, it contains within itself the elements of destruction. Is it any wonder that humanity is forced to look outside of and beyond matter for peace and permanency? Like Job it cries, "Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?" The answer to these questions is found in Christian Science. And Christian Science turns us to the Bible and to the writings of our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, as the guides to all things spiritual and eternal. On page 468 of her book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," substance is defined as "that which is eternal and incapable of discord and decay." And she adds, "Truth, Life, and Love are substance, as the Scriptures use this word in Hebrews: 'The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.'" From this it is apparent that neither matter nor any material thing can be regarded as real substance.
The Bible contains many incidents showing that the real man's real substance is not material. Take, for example, what may be called the food miracles. The nineteenth chapter of I Kings tells of the provision made for Elijah,—a cake and a jar of water,—and states that he "went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights." It is recorded that Jesus, in his wilderness experience, went entirely without material food for the same length of time. Then there are the incidents of Elisha feeding the one hundred with "twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn," and Jesus feeding the five thousand and the four thousand with a few loaves and fishes. These miracles show that men were fed and sustained when normal material supply was apparently lacking, thus proving that something other than matter sustains man, namely, the Word of God as declared by Moses; the "bread from heaven" as affirmed by Jesus.
This does not mean that we should at present stop eating or being clothed materially, but it does prove that man's real life is not dependent upon the food he eats. It indicates, too, that it is most essential to seek spiritual understanding of God and the Christ, Truth; for this understanding, this right thinking about God and man, will bring to us, as "signs following," all we need to sustain us at this stage of existence. On page 530 of Science and Health our Leader writes: "In divine Science, man is sustained by God, the divine Principle of being. The earth, at God's command, brings forth food for man's use. Knowing this, Jesus once said, 'Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink,'—presuming not on the prerogative of his creator, but recognizing God, the Father and Mother of all, as able to feed and clothe man as He doth the lilies."
