Articles

THERE probably never was a A time in the history of the world when the reign of peace and good will among men was so earnestly desired and so confidently looked for as it is today. Many are expecting to see universal peace established upon the earth in the near future,and all admit that such a state of things is preeminently desirable;and yet,what with industrial and political strife at home,wars and rumors of wars abroad,to many others the golden age of peace seems as far off as ever.

AN accomplishment,in the worldly sense of the word,may be viewed in two ways,—either as the act of a visible personal agent or as the demonstration or proof of an unseen power or law. The great men of the world who have acted as personal agents have not been wholly wrong.

In response to Pilate's interrogatory, the Wayshower gave this exact statement of his mission: "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. " To this same end is every Christian born into the world; and if this be his aim and ideal, he will reach it, but it is unlikely that any individual's achievements will exceed his expectations.

IN human consciousness and human affairs there is a constant and seemingly never-ending struggle between truth and error. On the one side is Life, Truth, Love, harmony, peace, an enduring faith and trust in God and in the all-pervading, eternal omnipotence and omnipresence of good.

The question of reward plays a vast part not alone in the business world; it goes deeper, forming in many instances the incentive even for conduct. The fear of punishment on one side, and the promise of reward on the other, are held out so that mankind shall more readily yield to the demand for morality; and this is called religious teaching.

It is impossible to so explain the origin of sin as to give a reason for its existence. Yet enough may be understood concerning both the origin and the final disposition of sin, to fully make manifest the justice and benevolence of God in all His dealings with evil.

Now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation," St. Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, and Wey-mouth gives us this beautiful translation: "Now is the time of loving welcome! Now is the day of salvation.

Jesus said,"He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. " In reading Jesus' parable of the marriage feast, we learn that they who are invited cannot mingle with the king's guests in the heavenly guest-chamber unless they are clothed upon with the wedding garments of purity and goodness.

The student of Christian Science finds his former concept of God, man, and the universe wholly inadequate to form any basis of salvation from disease or sin; in fact his mental view-point has been completely revolutionized, for he no longer looks to the material senses for evidence or draws any conclusions as to man's immortality from matter or mortal mind. From a false belief in good and evil as commingling, that both matter and spirit are included in the divine purpose, his thought is turned to the recognition of God as the only Mind, the All-in-all of being, the infinite good, expressed through its perfect idea, man and the universe.

Gladstone once said that within the two simple mandatory words, "Unhand me!" is found the entire demand of mankind for progress along the highway of intelligent liberty. In a metaphysical sense these two words voice the cry of humanity in every line of endeavor —educational, professional, industrial, and religious.