AT some time or other there comes to each of us a desire for recognition, and, however indifferent one may appear to be, he generally values the esteem of his fellows more than he perhaps realizes. It is indeed natural that each should desire to stand well with his brethren and to merit their approbation; but if there be a sense of pride in one's supposedly personal attainments, then undoubtedly there is a breach of the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." As Mrs. Eddy has written in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 467): "This me is Spirit. Therefore the command means this: Thou shalt have no intelligence, no life, no substance, no truth, no love, but that which is spiritual" Hence, anyone desiring acknowledgment of his supposedly personal powers is claiming recognition for something that is unknown to Spirit, which cognizes only the things of God. The very thought of a power in man underived from Deity is opposed to the fact of one infinite divine intelligence.
No incident in the Bible is more dramatic than the death of Herod as described in the twelfth chapter of Acts. At the zenith of his earthly glory, and in a setting of Oriental splendor, the king made an oration to the people of Tyre and Sidon, who, by means of flattery, hoped to obtain from him the peace they desired. "It is the voice of a god," exclaimed the multitude. Herod was apparently either completely overcome by this outburst of frenzied adulation, or else not strong enough to refuse to accept the praise of his sycophant slaves. However that may be, we know from the record that he was smitten because he did not give God the glory: his sin was pride.
What can Christian Scientists learn from this? Each one who surrenders to such a temptation and accepts praise that belongs to God alone is taking a perilous position.
