Many promises in the Bible and some statements in Mrs. Eddy's writings start out with that little word "if." "If ye be willing and obedient," the Bible tells us, "ye shall eat the good of the land." Isa. 1:19; And Mrs. Eddy writes, "If mortals would keep proper ward over mortal mind, the brood of evils which infest it would be cleared out." Science and Health, p. 234; Taken out of their full context, these statements might seem to offer a discouraging choice to the reader, as though he—an imperfect mortal—had to achieve perfection, make the truth of being true.
In reality the kingdom of God is established and does not vary according to the efforts and actions of mankind. Otherwise, truth would be absolute only under certain conditions. But can we merely declare casually that man is well when we see illness around us or that man is employed when we need a paycheck and none is forthcoming? Our role is to prove the truth of being, not to make it true.
It does not always seem that man is inseparable from God. But an appearance of separation is not the truth of anyone's being. It is only the evidence of the physical senses, which would dispute the truth. Spiritual sense knows nothing of evil. These "if" statements do not set up a barrier between God and man. They do not demand impossible conditions to be fulfilled by us in order that we may experience the reality of our being. Rather, they impel us to let divine Truth dissolve the clouds of material sense and to see and enjoy our God-given freedom from lack of any kind.
