"The characters and lives of men determine the peace, prosperity, and life of nations." Thus writes Mary Baker Eddy on page 277 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" in the chapter called "Peace and War." She adds, "Whatever weighs in the eternal scale of equity and mercy tips the beam on the right side, where the immortal words and deeds of men alone can settle all questions amicably and satisfactorily."
The character, words, and deeds of Christ Jesus throughout his brief earthly career illustrated his exact, spiritual adherence to the two great commandments, love for God and love for man. The Master said (Matt. 22:37-39): "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Jesus' adherence to these laws, both in letter and in spirit, enabled him to vanquish but not to evade the efforts of the carnal mind to destroy him and to put to silence his exalted teaching.
Jesus' career is universally acknowledged by Christendom as the supreme contribution to spiritual history. His words and deeds are unquestionably proving their immortality. They are not, however, regarded in any universal sense as offering the inevitable answer to world problems or even as being humanly practical in the solving of the conflicting issues confronting nations. Nor are these two vital commandments accepted as the real basis for treaties, trade agreements, or other forms of co-operative action in the successful unifying of men and nations.
