ON page 297 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, has written, "Until belief becomes faith, and faith becomes spiritual understanding, human thought has little relation to the actual or divine."
The necessity for at least some measure of understanding in our efforts to grasp and utilize Truth will be readily admitted by everyone. One's aspiration, therefore, should be to possess that understanding. There is no royal road to knowledge; all who would attain it must tread the path of study and persistent endeavor. Class books, the lecture room, and the reference library come naturally into thought as one contemplates the acquisition of learning; for it is an ordered progression which leads from ignorance to enlightenment. Recognition of the desirability of such knowledge, and faith in one's ability to gain it and, in due course, to use it, are indispensable accompaniments to successful achievement.
On the surface it would appear that the pursuit of understanding is somewhat similar on both spiritual and intellectual lines; but is this so? We know that in the study of music and art the canons which govern them must be faithfully obeyed, for, as in mathematics, no accurate result can be hoped for unless the established rules be adhered to.
In the search for spiritual truth we have a code of rules no less definite, but these are not of human framing; nor, indeed, can they be grasped by unenlightened human thought. A characteristic feature of human nature is its proneness to plead or argue; and these tendencies stand directly athwart the path of progress.
Are we not loath to relinquish our cherished convictions, according to which we are wont to measure things unfamiliar? As we consider these human disabilities, we cannot be too grateful for Christian Science, which comes to us with illumination and encouragement, revealing the eternal perfection of God and the real man as a present fact, a glorious reality, which becomes increasingly apparent as our obscuring false beliefs are dropped.
Who can estimate the service our revered Leader rendered to mankind by designating God as divine Principle, and by revealing the established and immutable spiritual creation? One can hardly be surprised that a viewpoint so advanced, so contrary to former concepts, should occasionally cause consternation and even dismay, giving rise to the question, Is prayer, then, useless? Our textbook declares (p. 11): Prayer cannot change the unalterable Truth, nor can prayer alone give us an understanding of Truth; but prayer, coupled with a fervent habitual desire to know and do the will of God, will bring us into all Truth.
Wisdom, truth, and love are not withheld, or granted only occasionally; they are divine attributes, divinely bestowed and therefore ever present. Prayer, then, is effective in so far as it lifts human consciousness to a higher level of pure aspiration, above material mists.
Solomon's prayer for "an understanding heart" has proved helpful to many earnest seekers for Truth. The phrase is undoubtedly beautiful and expressive of humble sincerity. Does it not include the desire for the realization of health, happiness, and prosperity? As the offspring of God, man inherits wisdom and understanding. Such gracious gifts are our birthright, and nothing "other than our own wrong thinking can deprive us of them. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God," the Apostle John assures us. How may the realization of this truth be attained? Not by merely wrestling or struggling! The Master tells us that "if any man will do his [God's] will, he shall know of the doctrine;" and in the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm we find a similar assurance: "Through thy precepts I get understanding." Through true knowing or understanding, realization of sonship is won.
Spiritual man manifests the qualities of the creator; actually, he is doing nothing else. That he should appear to do otherwise is due to the false concept of mortal existence, the acceptance of which is neither more nor less than a lack of understanding; and it is this lack which deprives us of our birthright. The truth of being is divinely ordained and divinely maintained. Divine law must prevail. The way is clear: the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount reveal it. Not the mere memorizing of these, but the sedulous daily application of the truths they contain unfailingly brings light. "There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding."
The quest for holiness is the response to a spiritual urge of ever increasing insistence; and the aspirant is fain to cry with the Psalmist, "My soul longeth ... for the courts of the Lord." A yearning so divinely natural can be satisfied; and Christian Science, elucidating the promises in the Bible, encourages us in our ever growing faith.
The way to understanding is easy and simple; it seems toilsome and difficult only to human sense. Ceaseless and compelling is the struggle between spiritual understanding and the flesh; but the struggle is salutary and joy-bringing, especially if we keep before us the "more excellent way," as it is described by the Apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians.
The divine laws governing the universe are forever established and unchangeable. Our inspired Leader was divinely led to designate her discovery Christian Science, revealing, as it does, the eternal mandates of the creator. Men may ignore or scorn this Science, but, like Holy Writ, it stands as an unassailable proclamation of Truth, under the beneficent government of which all, sooner or later, must come.
Surely, then, we may carry with us a brave and cheerful heart in our pilgrimage from belief to understanding. The words of John, the beloved disciple, should help us: "He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."
