"Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." While reading this verse from Psalms recently I was reminded of the fact that I have never openly expressed my gratitude for the spiritual understanding of God, good, as taught in Christian Science, which carried me through a very difficult experience and saved my life.
Some years ago, while working as a special investigator for one of the United States government departments, during the time when prohibition was in effect, I was assigned with another agent, considerably older than myself, to observe certain breweries and distilleries being illegally operated in one of the eastern states. This assignment seemed to me to be a God-given mission. I had witnessed much suffering from the use of intoxicating liquors, and I felt that the opportunity had been given me to help bring illegal production to light and justice.
Early one morning, while fulfilling this duty, we noticed that a car was following us. When we reached a place where a large truck was about to pull out of one of the warehouses in question, we stopped our car and were going to inquire as to the contents of the truck. Immediately the car which had been following us pulled up behind us and four gunmen jumped out. At the same time four others from the warehouse truck surrounded us—all with guns pointed on us. We were roughly ordered to "stick 'em up." The agent who was with me reached for his gun, and in doing so he was violently struck on the head with a gun by one of the gangsters. Having learned that spiritual weapons are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds," I was protected by not trying to resist error with error. The first verse of the ninety-first Psalm flashed into my thought as a direct message from God: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." How comforting was this thought, and how true it actually is! We are all governed, guided, and protected by divine law, no matter where we are or what problems seem to confront us, if we sincerely strive to understand our oneness with good—with Truth, Life, and Love.
The gangsters commanded us, at gun point, to get out of our car and into theirs, and we were told that if we disobeyed their commands we would be "tortured, shot, and thrown in the river." We were taken to the upstairs part of their alcohol warehouse, blindfolded with adhesive tape, and bound with wire. Four of the gangsters kept guard over us. We were offered a large sum of money to let them continue their operations, but we refused. Humanly speaking, they could easily have killed us, because no one knew our exact location, for our assignment covered a large area.
As I was sitting there blindfolded, many suggestions ran through my consciousness, such as, "You can never get out of this alive." The story in the Bible of Daniel in the lions' den was most comforting and brought much assurance, however, and I knew that even though I was, figuratively speaking, surrounded by what seemed to be hungry, destructive lions, I was, in reality, God's child and on a right mission, and that He would protect me. Mrs. Eddy's words from our textbook, Science and Health (p. 494), "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need," brought wonderful illumination to my consciousness; also the Bible verse, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."
I had had the privilege of attending the Christian Science Sunday School since early boyhood and was brought up in a home where I had seen the understanding of Truth practically demonstrated and lived by my mother, who is a Christian Science practitioner, and I knew that the time had come when I must see the absolute nothingness of this seemingly treacherous situation, and must know the allness of Life as Spirit, God. Two of Mrs. Eddy's well-known hymns, beginning with the words, "O gentle presence," and, "Shepherd, show me how to go" (Poems, pp. 4, 14), stood out like beacon lights. I realized that my real spiritual life, hid with Christ in Mind, could not be touched by the malicious intent of the carnal mind. When this clear unfoldment came to me, a great sense of quietness and peace came, and I fell asleep.
Some time later I was awakened by the kidnapers, who were taking off the wire bonds, and in their rough, yet now kindly way were calling me "kid" and telling me they were going to let us go. Still blindfolded, we were put into the back of our car and driven quite a distance along a highway. Then the car stopped. We were told that if we counted slowly up to sixty we could be free, but that if we attempted to refuse their orders we would be killed. They drove off, and we were free. They had surrendered to the power of divine law.
The practical way in which we can apply the understanding of God through the study of the wonderful Science revealed by Mrs. Eddy has proved, and is proving, to me my oneness with God.— Swarthmore,Pennsylvania.
