OF a period in the experience of the children of Israel when disobedience and material-mindedness had weakened their faith and darkened somewhat their perception of God, it is chronicled in the third chapter of I Samuel that "the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision." The child Samuel had the most receptive consciousness in all Israel at that particular time, but the thought of the multitude was not open toward the inspiration of the divine Spirit: spiritual vision was not possessed generally.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments the various writers clearly present the idea that actual seeing is not a material process, but is spiritual discernment of Truth. In the first chapter of the book of Genesis and part of the second chapter it is stated that creation is entirely spiritual. In the succeeding chapters there is depicted, in allegory, the material, sensuous Adam-concept, or counterfeit belief, which seems real to the physical senses. Because the material senses testify only to a material, erroneous belief of the universe, which belief is unsupported by God, there is great need for the spiritual vision which enables mankind to see truly; otherwise, one appears to be at the mercy of an erring, ungodly power, resident in matter.
One of the first points gained through the study of Christian Science by the seeker for Truth is the fact that what appears to material sense to be real is not the truth of being, and that Truth can be perceived only through spiritual understanding. Hence, the student strives to be ever alert to the truth, and never to be deceived by the testimony of the physical senses into mistaking the false concepts of mortal mind for the ideas of Truth. Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, with her characteristic clearness and helpfulness, has given on page 586 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the spiritual definition of the term "eyes," as it is frequently used in the Bible, so that we may have the spiritual sense of this important term as "spiritual discernment,—not material but mental." Thus the entire belief of any other means of seeing is disposed of; and one realizes that the image and likeness of God, perfect man, is not dependent upon a material structure for sight, but reflects the spiritual discernment of Soul, divine Mind. In proportion as mankind gains this true sense of sight, in that proportion will each individual have better vision. No one, therefore, should believe in so-called laws that might injure, limit, or interfere with sight, since God never made such laws, but created man to express divine intelligence.
