ON pages 137 and 138 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, points out that the church established by Jesus was founded upon "the God-power which lay behind Peter's confession of the true Messiah," not upon the personal Peter. And she proceeds, "It was now evident to Peter that divine Life, Truth, and Love, and not a human personality, was the healer of the sick and a rock, a firm foundation in the realm of harmony." This discernment of Christ as the true or spiritual idea of God is the only basis upon which spiritual building can rest, and the mental structure which rises from this sure foundation will be secure, because it rests upon the discernment of eternal Truth, and not upon the continually shifting sands of human opinions and beliefs.
Paul says, "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ;" and he also says, "Let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon," for "every man's work shall be made manifest ... and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." So it is not sufficient that we should have a firm foundation for our building; we must look well to the character of our superstructure.
In the erecting of a material building, after the foundation is laid the corner stone is placed; and as Mrs. Eddy has figuratively said (Science and Health, p. 241), "The cornerstone of all spiritual building is purity." It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that the walls of our spiritual building should rise from motives and aims which are pure; for then these walls will be beautifully symmetrical and eternally enduring. They will be constructed of thoughts that are sound, because spiritual purity and mental soundness are essentially the same. Let us take heed that no imperfect, unsound, impure thinking finds a place in the structure of our consciousness, thereby marring its beauty or impairing its strength and permanence.
