IN the Manual of The Mother Church, by Mary Baker Eddy, is found the following By-Law (Art. XXIV, Sect. 5): "God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceedings of the members of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist." It will be noted that this rule applies to "all the proceedings of the members of The Mother Church." Therefore its members should not overlook the fact that "wisdom, economy, and brotherly love" should characterize the conduct not only of their church activities, but also of their own personal affairs. Strict obedience to this By-Law will ensure greater harmony and success in the management of the affairs of Christian Scientists, individually and collectively. It will tend to eliminate from their experience extravagance, waste, loss, and possible financial embarrassment.
When Solomon was called to succeed his father, David, as king of Israel, he asked that he be given "an understanding heart," in order that he might "discern between good and bad," and it is recorded that God said, "Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart." Had Solomon retained the humility with which he began his reign, and continued to seek the guidance of divine wisdom, instead of turning his attention to the accumulation of material things and the acquirement of worldly power, it would not have been necessary for him later to write: "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun."
Jesus, wiser than Solomon, rejected the temptation to seek a worldly kingdom in these words: "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." And all students of the Gospels are familiar with his later utterance, "My kingdom is not of this world." The Master shunned the acquirement of worldly wisdom and the accumulation of material things. He depended solely upon his understanding of the infinite goodness of God, Spirit, to provide for his daily needs. Although Jesus was not rich in material possessions, he was rich in spiritual understanding, and his knowledge of divine Mind as the one real substance was sufficient to provide for his needs as well as for the needs of those who were with him.
