IN "Pilgrim's Progress" Christian and his companion fall into the hands of Giant Despair. For a time they languish in prison, making no effort to escape, but through prayer, Christian is awakened to use the key in his bosom, called Promise, which opens any lock in Doubting-Castle.
As in that meaningful tale by John Bunyan, so in daily life, promise imbues with hope and renews endeavor. But all too often promise is followed by disappointment. Why? May it not be because promise and fulfillment are looked upon as separated rather than as coinciding? This belief in separation is based on the false premise that man is not in a position to receive God's gifts directly; that there is a veil between the Giver of all good and man. The mission of the Master was to break down that "middle wall of partition" (Eph. 2:14). He exemplified the coexistence of God and man. In this at-one-ment limitations could not appear for himself or another. He never saw a human person in need of healing, but saw always a divine idea already complete. This correct view healed instantly.
On one of Jesus' journeys through Galilee, a nobleman whose son was ill at Capernaum requested that he come and heal him. When Jesus tested him by intimating that his faith required signs and wonders for its basis, the anxious nobleman merely begged him to come before his son died. Jesus' reply was short. It might even seem dismissal to a casual observer, for he said, "Go thy way"; but he followed it with a wonderful affirmation: "Thy son liveth." The nobleman's genuine faith accepted this statement as a glorious promise, and he started home. His servants met him on the way with news of his son's recovery. On inquiry the nobleman discovered that the healing had occurred at the moment Jesus had uttered the words, "Thy son liveth." Dynamic words of fruition! He did not say, "Your son will live." The nobleman saw his son at the point of death. Jesus saw him as reflecting everlasting Life. Instantaneous healing will increasingly occur through Christian Science as its adherents realize the eternal perfection of man's being.
