PURIFYING THOUGHT

PROBABLY everyone who has walked along the seashore at low tide has noticed the small round gray calcareous shells of the barnacles. In many instances they cover the surfaces of large rocks, the piling of wharves, and whatsoever other objects are washed by tidal waters. This tiny form of marine growth fastens itself so tenaciously upon the object to which it has been attracted that it becomes almost a part of it. A somewhat different form of barnacle, which fastens itself with equal tenacity to the sides and keels of ships, greatly reduces the speed of the boats, until ultimately, perhaps at considerable expense to the owners, it has to be removed.

Mortals journeying on their way from sense to Soul sometimes wade through the waters of mortal belief when these appear calm and serene. Skies seem bright, waves sparkling, and the air clear and balmy, so that no particular attention is given to the barnacles of wrong thinking, superstition, and false beliefs, which are apt to adhere tenaciously to mortal thought. Sooner or later, however, one may see that the proper advancement is not being made. Then it becomes apparent that the barnacles of wrong thinking, false reasoning, and petty shortcomings, although heretofore not recognized as likely to interfere with progress, have nevertheless been slowly accumulating until at last their presence is made manifest in slackened progression. These subtle influences against spiritual advancement are manifold; and although so-called mortal mind is loath to admit that they are impeditive, and may even maintain that they are harmless, and that it is not necessary to destroy them, they must sooner or later be grappled with and removed from consciousness.

How many of our shortcomings are directly attributable to some form of selfishness! Like barnacles, the suggestions and inclinations of self-love, self-will, self-righteousness, self-justification, self-aggrandizement, self-pity, self-condemnation, self-satisfaction, and a host of other forms of error, oftentimes seem to be stubbornly resistive when an effort is made to dislodge them from human consciousness. Unquestionably, selfishness greatly hinders spiritual advancement; and full speed ahead is maintained only in proportion as love is expressed in kindness, charitableness, and a true sense of service. True happiness is experienced when selfish aims and purposes are surrendered and one's efforts are dedicated to the service of good. Physical healing or financial aid oftentimes comes quickly as the reward of true selflessness. Full freedom from selfishness is not easily or quickly attained; but the constant seeking, the constant striving to lose self in a larger service and greater love for one's fellow men insures progress, and inevitably draws one more and more closely to God.

Other errors of mortal thought, closely related to selfishness and detrimental to spiritual progress, are love of money and ease in matter. Frequently longing for wealth, luxury, and comfort in matter, so-called mortal mind fancies that if these desires could be fully satisfied Elysium would be a present reality. How far and in what direction this materialistic thinking leads one is well illustrated by the parable of the prodigal son. It will be recalled that after receiving his inheritance from his father, this young man started on the round of revelry and extravagant living which he had dreamed of as being desirable. After a time his dream ended, and he awoke to find himself in poverty, shame, and woe, homeless and hungry, forsaken by his friends. Oh, the bitterness which must have attended that moment of disillusionment; and how deep must have been the humility which at length enabled him to retrace the steps of the journey back to the father's house! But step by step the journey out of materialism was accomplished; and he came again into his father's house, where an abundance of love and goodness awaited him.

Another foe to peace and progress sometimes entertained unawares is mental laziness. Why, argues so-called mortal mind, is it necessary to study the Lesson-Sermon every day, or read the works of Mrs. Eddy and the authorized publications of The Christian Science Publishing Society? Why need one trouble to attend the church services regularly, or entertain more than a passive interest in the various departments of church activity? When all goes well, it argues, one does not need to spend one's time thus; and if one is sick or in trouble why not call a practitioner to solve the problem? Listening to this argument and yielding to its mesmeric suggestions of ease, inertia, inaction, laziness, one may, perhaps, continue undisturbed for a considerable time.

Eventually, however, problems arise which must be solved—perhaps quickly. Perchance a physical condition appears which refuses to yield to treatment, or possibly the sources of daily supply have been cut off suddenly. Terrified and ashamed, the unwary one then awakens to realize that, like the foolish virgins, he has allowed his lamp to go out, and the "oil," which Mrs. Eddy defines, in part, onpage 592 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" as "consecration," has long since been exhausted. Gradually the barnacles of apathy, indolence, and sluggishness may have multiplied and encroached upon thought, so that when a crisis occurs the unprepared one finds himself unable to cope with the situation.

Insidious, fraudulent, and retrogressive, this inertia, which leads the way to failure, confusion, and obliquity, needs constantly to be watched and guarded against. Perceiving the necessity of eternal vigilance against mesmeric suggestions of mental laziness, our Leader has made it incumbent upon every member of The Mother Church to "defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind" (Church Manual, Art. VIII, Sect. 6).

Again, to "love one another" is to be obedient to the divine commandment; but to permit one's self to be governed by mere personal attachment" (ibid., Sect. 1) is as erroneous as to allow one's self to be ruled by animosity. "Mere personal attachment" is especially mischievous, inasmuch as it is usually found masquerading under the guise of love, so that its true nature is not always readily apparent. But thought which reflects divine Love knows no favoritism, no partiality, and is always temperate in its estimation of human personality. Pure affection is never selfish, and claims neither too large a share of another's time nor an unreasonable amount of attention. Pure affection does not become jealous, exacting, or overbearing; nor does it change to antipathy and hatred. "Mere personal attachment" cannot represent true love, for human personality is too weak a foundation upon which to rear a superstructure of love; and such efforts must sooner or later end in disappointment. As long as the influences of "mere personal attachment" continue to hold sway, one's happiness is constantly at stake, and one's advancement Spiritward may be greatly retarded.

To be "every whit whole" and to go steadily forward in the way of spiritual understanding, "every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us," must be laid aside; or, as our Leader so beautifully expresses it on page 68 of Science and Health, "We ought to weary of the fleeting and false and to cherish nothing which hinders our highest selfhood." Divine Science uncompromisingly insists that if a constant gain in the unfoldment of Spirit is to be realized, nothing unlike good can be allowed to remain in one's consciousness.

Obedience to this behest of Science, and the destruction of the errors of mortal sense, through unhesitatingly casting them out as they present themselves to thought, may sometimes require considerable moral courage and perhaps a mighty struggle; but when one's course is set by Principle, with the Bible and Science and Health as the chart and compass, the winds of discouragement, impatience, and fear cannot blow one off the course, nor can any unsuspected growth of wrong thinking permanently hinder progress or retard our steady advance toward the haven of perfect understanding.