SOME years ago at the close of a school term an English boy was presented by the headmaster with a book entitled, "From Log Cabin to White House." The book was a biographical sketch of the life of Abraham Lincoln. The gift was accompanied by the comment, "Lincoln was a great man because he knew the value of simplicity." Later on, the young man settled in the United States. He read much about Lincoln and was impressed with that great statesman's love for the Bible and his habit of turning to it for guidance. The headmaster's statement remained in his thought, but he modified it. "Lincoln was a great man," he told himself, "because he loved humanity and was imbued with the dignity of Christian simplicity."
It is axiomatic that there can be no true greatness unless humility and unselfed love are paramount in the individual consciousness. Undoubtedly the greatest, because the most selfless and loving individual of all time was he who declared, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Christ Jesus came to teach a simple doctrine— the doctrine of universal love—the purpose of which was to establish the kingdom of God, the reign of harmony, in the world. His teachings ran counter to those of the hypocritical priesthood of his day, and so were regarded by the Jewish hierarchy with strong disfavor. But the simple and direct message of the great Galilean Prophet, coupled with the dignified simplicity with which he presented it, caused "the common people" to hear him gladly. He talked to them about the one omnipotent and all-loving God. This divine Being, he told them, was his Father and their Father, who tenderly loved each one of them, and they must love Him, and love one another also, if they would enjoy the blessings which He continually showers on all His children. Unselfed love for God and man was basic in Jesus' teachings and works, and today it is the basic teaching of true or scientific Christianity.
Shorn of all the creed and ritualism with which, through the centuries, the Christian church has been encumbered, the simple and demonstrable teachings of Christ Jesus are reiterated in Christian Science, and are being gladly received by increasing multitudes throughout the world. By his marvelous works Christ Jesus demonstrated the truth of all that he taught, and today his divine method is being followed by sincere Christian Scientists. By studying and following the teachings given in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, any honest seeker of Truth may learn to heal himself and others by the power of divine Love, which Christian Science proves to be the Principle of man's being. In the Preface to this book the author states (p. x): "The divine Principle of healing is proved in the personal experience of any sincere seeker of Truth. Its purpose is good, and its practice is safer and more potent than that of any other sanitary method." She adds, "No intellectual proficiency is requisite in the learner, but sound morals are most desirable."
