THE power of God as revealed and made usable in Christian Science operates directly upon the beliefs of material existence. The infinite wisdom of divine Mind, including spiritual vision and understanding, can be used for any good purpose by any individual, regardless of either youth or age. The "carnal mind" claims just the opposite, and asserts that wisdom and judgment are dependent upon long years of experience. Through its educated beliefs in the necessity of a long drawn-out process, it also asserts that unless one possesses this experience he is apt to be unstable, unreliable, and incompetent. On the surface this may appear to be true, but all finite belief is in direct opposition to the law of God. Furthermore, when we realize that the most grievous errors the world has ever known have been coupled with long experience in merely worldly wisdom, we see that the so-called carnal mind's inconsistency uncovers itself.
What is behind this assumption of the limitations of youth? Undoubtedly it is the erroneous belief that true consciousness exists in matter and depends upon matter for its development. The faculties of divine Mind, however, do not have a beginning in time. It is as impossible to trace the beginning of true consciousness as it is, for example, to trace the beginning of numbers. It is as impossible to prevent the manifestation of God's ideas through true, God-governed thinking as it would be to prevent the innumerable stellar bodies from maintaining their course.
Whenever true, spiritual thinking takes place in individual consciousness, the results of this thinking are inevitable. Youth or age has nothing to do with such thinking. Good judgment, right accomplishment, self-government, stability, purpose, noble ideals, progressive living—all these are the fruits of understanding and obeying divine Love's law, as revealed in Christian Science. The child, the youth, the young man or woman, the mature—all should realize this spiritual fact, and lay hold of it permanently. The truth of being, manifested in spiritual vision, intuition, and corresponding righteous judgment, is ours now. It is recorded in Deuteronomy that Moses said, "The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."
