Articles

Today the need of adequate armament, in an ever-increasing capacity and better quality, is being stressed. In the present world conditions such armament is a legitimate necessity.

Is it possible for one individual to have any influence in saving the world? Are we just helpless, hapless, and hopeless in these days of confusion—or is there truth in the saying that every little helps, no good thought is fruitless, no good act performed in vain? Here is the message of the sixty-seventh Psalm: "God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. " For us, surely, the beauty of progress in Christian Science is a knowledge that every man, finding the blessing of healing for himself, can thus aid the world in its efforts for deliverance from evil.

Almost from the very beginning, the effect and knowledge of Paul's letters spread far beyond the immediate circle of those who received them, and it is of interest to inquire as to how this wider distribution came about. The high esteem in which Paul was held would go far towards assuring acceptance of those all too brief records which have been preserved for us.

Christ Jesus' mission was not primarily to heal sickness and to raise the dead, but to prove that matter is not the substance of true being, and to bring salvation to men by helping them to spiritualize their thinking and living. His sayings, which are ever helpful and compassionate, have therefore a spiritual signification.

In a world where the limitations of time and age are constantly presenting themselves to our thought, Mrs. Eddy's glorious statements about the indestructible life of man constitute a complete refutation of this entire network of mortal falsehoods.

With her statement, "Spirit is the only creator, and man, including the universe, is His spiritual concept" ( Unity of Good, p. 32 ), Mary Baker Eddy announced a revolutionary truth.

How important is the standpoint from which we observe, and how certain we should be that we look at each thing aright! There are many who, observing conditions from a material standpoint, take a pessimistic, gloomy view, anticipating trouble, fearing horrors and suffering. They become downcast, depressed and mesmerized by erroneous thinking, and seemingly unable to release themselves from it go on delving, brooding, and arguing, until they do not know what they are to believe.

Under the marginal heading, "The armor of divinity," Mary Baker Eddy writes on page 571 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," "Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you. " In her writings she gives explicit directions which, if understood and obeyed, enable the student to realize complete protection from hatred and other phases of evil.

Some people consider themselves especially enlightened because in their approach to human problems they are, as they may express it, realistic in their thinking, or they believe the common-sense or matter-of-fact point of view to be the only sound attitude to maintain in any situation. This often means dealing with evil and error, in whatever manner these may present themselves, as real and formidable, perhaps even unconquerable, and preparing to deal with these false claims by such human recourse and on such terms as may seem available or expedient, or by fighting evil with more evil, or by surrendering to it as inevitable.

Christ Jesus said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. " To the searcher for release from sickness and disease, this statement is of the utmost importance; first, because in the words "when ye pray" is plainly indicated the method of healing advocated by the Master, and secondly, because in the words "believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," it is shown that healing will follow confident and expectant prayer.