WRITING in the last century, Horace Bushnell commented on human courage in these words: "There is a great and lofty virtue that we call courage, taking our name from the heart. It is the greatness of a great heart, the repose and confidence of a man whose soul is rested in truth and principle." The author was evidently writing of the heart of one whose thought rests in righteousness, and who acts from this basis. The moral conditions of the world have been constantly improved by men of heart, of courage, men who were actuated by high ideals; and we may be grateful that this is one of the central facts in the history of civilization.
Christian Science reveals clearly that Truth is God, and that Principle, as the divine cause of all that really exists, is another name for Him. This Science of Christianity also reveals the fact that, in its primal sense, courage is an immortal attribute, being allied to the spiritual strength which man derives from his divine Principle, God. It was this courage that enabled Jesus to exemplify the highest morality which has ever appeared among mortals.
Courage is derived from the Latin word cor,meaning heart. The two words in their purely mental sense are, therefore, related in meaning; and, indeed, the word "heart" is sometimes used to signify courage, that is, moral courage. In Christian Science, moral courage is regarded as an effect of spiritual understanding; and this moral courage leads to wonderful achievements. It must be seen, then, that the strength of humanity lies in moral courage, and that this courage is never merely personal; for immortal courage, from which it is derived, is divine, and always available. Courage is an eternal quality, giving strength to all who will accept and use it. In connection with comments on the revelation of the Christ, Truth, as immortal, and its effect in uplifting human thought, Mary Baker Eddy, our revered Leader, makes this simple yet profound statement in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 191): "Immortal courage fills the human breast and lights the living way of Life."
