The most precious experience that can come to any mortal is his awakening to the touch of spiritual sense. It is through spiritual sense that the angel first whispers to him the hope of salvation and the message of peace. It is through spiritual sense that the Christ speaks to him and enlarges his faith in God. It is through the utilization of spiritual sense that he is enabled to talk with God, to understand God, to love God, to obey God, to reflect God. It is the exercise of spiritual sense that enables him to win all his proofs in Christian Science—his demonstrations that manifest the power, the love, the glory of God, omnipotent Being. It is through his living in spiritual sense that the spiritual universe becomes to him a universe of reality, wherein there is no discordant condition, no sorrow, no suffering, no grief, no death, no hell. Through this progressive unfoldment the individual loses his belief that he is a mortal, and gains the consciousness that he is the son of God, and immortal.
The foregoing statements are beautifully epitomized in this one sentence by Mrs. Eddy on page 298 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "Spiritual sense, contradicting the material senses, involves intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, reality."
"Spiritual sense ... involves intuition." Intuition, therefore, is a quality allied to spiritual sense. Such intuition indicates a state of receptivity to Truth by which thought naturally acquaints itself with the leadings of divine Mind. Intuition does not need human reasoning to point out the way; it is spontaneously aware of real being, which always accompanies spiritual sense.
Throughout the Scriptures there is much evidence showing that spiritual sense was the sole guide in the delivering of devout individuals from danger. Spiritual sense is also prophetical. Thus the prophets, because of their righteousness, were richly endowed with intuition—foretelling, foreseeing events to come; warning, awakening the disobedient sovereigns and nations, calling for repentance and a return to the paths of righteousness.
"Spiritual sense ... involves ... hope." Hope is the expectancy of good, the anticipation of that which satisfies. Spiritual sense, therefore, is the harbinger of good things, the herald of all that is permanent and real. This spiritual sense of expectancy paved the way for the coming of the Messiah and prepared that "highway for our God" by means of which the Christ, Truth, could reach individual and universal human consciousness. These spiritual qualities of hope and expectancy entertained by Mary Baker Eddy brought to her glimpses of God's love through progressive stages of unfoldment—spiritual understanding, demonstration—and finally through the glorious views of reality—God, man, and the universe—which she has recorded for all eternity.
"Spiritual sense ... involves ... faith." Faith rises higher than hope; it progresses beyond belief into solid conviction of demonstrable Truth. Faith is a firm quality, and is inclusive of intuition and hope. It has the integral characteristics of assurance, conviction, firmness, steadfastness; and it broadens out into understanding. Faith is "the substance of things hoped for." It unfolds the evidence of the things that are not seen by material sense.
The opening lines of the chapter on Prayer in Science and Health read, "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,—a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love." Out of the depths of her own spiritual vision and proof gained through spiritual sense, our Leader says further, "Regardless of what another may say or think on this subject, I speak from experience." Therefore, in her unfolding and advancing from intuition through hope and faith to spiritual understanding, and out of a heart full of "unselfed love," she has recorded for all time the eternal statements of Truth which inspire, convince, support, and sustain Christian Scientists in their holy work.
"Spiritual sense ... involves ... understanding." In the continued unfoldment of spiritual sense, one does not leave intuition, hope, and faith, but perceives that these merge in a fuller development of spiritual sense, which enables one to understand, comprehend, know, the satisfying established relationship of God to His dear child. What a privilege to have this inherent capacity—spiritual sense! What a privilege to be alert to the opportunity to increase our spiritual capacity every moment! How the conviction grows that to make progress, to accomplish the work we are called upon to do, we must be ever faithful in exercising our spiritual capacities through the enlargement of spiritual knowing, spiritual understanding, conscious communion with God, the divine Principle of being.
Spiritual sense unfolds, even as the babe born in a manger, through the unfolding of the spiritual idea, grew in grace and in favor with God and with men. It apprehends the ever-revealing Christ, and reaches the understanding which the Master says is eternal life; for knowing God is spiritual understanding.
Spiritual sense opposes the seeming material sense; it is the light which has no affinity with the darkness of false mortal belief or worldly wisdom. Jesus spoke with absolute authority and demonstrated the omnipotence, the all-power, of God, because spiritual sense flooded his consciousness. Our Leader, too, cultivated spiritual receptivity, for through spiritual sense she received the revelation of Truth, which she expressed in Science and Health.
"Spiritual sense ... involves ... fruition, reality." Spiritual sense, through the transforming truth, dissipates the beliefs of material sense, and establishes the true sense of reality, eternality, the allness of God, in individual consciousness. Through progressive steps of unfoldment our Leader attained a vision of the perfect Church as "the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle" (Science and Health, p. 583). As we progress in our unfolding of spiritual sense, we too may catch the vision of this perfect "structure of Truth and Love," the embodiment of divine Love's spiritual ideas, and the perfect expression of spiritual brotherhood.
In this real Church there is nothing lacking. It stands as God's finished expression, manifesting the affluence of joy, peace, bliss, the fullness of supply, the infinitude of Love. No element of worldliness mars this perfect structure; no selfishness, false ambition, rivalry, criticism, suspicion, jealousy, distrust, or discontent enters its portals; no domination, no rivalry, no personal leadership, no political influencing darkens or beclouds its windows, which ever open Godward. And they who understand the true idea, Church, who have accepted the sacred name of Christian Scientist, enter this sanctuary through pure desire and motive.
Guided by spiritual sense, our Leader founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, to bring to light the Church of spiritual reality. And it was through the unfoldment of spiritual sense, embracing the qualities of intuition, hope, faith, understanding, fruition, and reality, that she gave to her followers the Manual of The Mother Church, so that they might share, through obedience thereto, in the progressive unfoldment of intuition and awareness, of hope and expectancy, of faith and assurance, of understanding and spiritual communion with God, of fruition and demonstration, of reality and joy and peace—constituting the Church Triumphant and the perfect brotherhood of man.
