HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Only that is stable which abideth "under the shadow of the Almighty." In the subsequent verses of the 91st Psalm, we have remarkably concise references to the counterfeit laws of mortal consciousness. We note, also, how absolutely free "he that dwelleth in the secret place" becomes from all those seeming laws, and how like a rock he stands — "a thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee," "because thou hast made... even the most High thy habitation."
We certainly can need no better statement of the law of God than "he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."
There can be no variableness in Principle. Therefore Principle and the laws through which it is manifested must demonstrate stability, now and forever.
Stability suggests substance, and a secure foundation. No foundation can be secure unless built on true Substance, and of it; and no man can truly build anything unless he build it of true substance, and on it.
Paul says, "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The Greek word here translated "faith," more properly signifies "understanding," meaning an understanding of Truth— absolute Truth.
Stability, then, involves understanding, and it is self-evident that no man can build securely who builds haphazard, or without understanding that which should be built, in all its details, as well as that of which the structure should be built.
"Charity never faileth." "Now abideth faith, hope, charity;... but the greatest of these is charity." That which "never faileth" and "abideth" must surely be stable and built of true Substance. Charity signifies love— the reflecting of divine Love. "God is Love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." Dwelling "in the secret place of the most High" must then be dwelling in Love, and no one can be said to be dwelling in Love, who is conscious of hating any one, or of being hated by any one, or who is even in part conscious of discord in himself or others. But each one can daily rid himself of somewhat of his sense of hate, malice, and discord; thereby drawing nearer to this ideal condition, and such an one can be said, relatively with his past, to be dwelling in Love. The evidence thereof will be manifested in the "signs following," as indicated in the text. Such an one can never see less good in any one than he sees to-day, and to-morrow will always reveal more good in everybody.
Nothing is so fatal to the progress of any church as the lack of stability, which is its foundation on divine Love and understanding. "Upon this rock [Love] I will build my church."
In the individual, stability involves: Never being betrayed by a kiss; this means, having no sense of friendship or human love or sympathy that can betray us into making even a seeming reality of another's error, or cause us to voice that error, unless it be for the purpose of getting assistance to see its nothingness; an understanding of one's own progress; an understanding of loyalty; an understanding of the unreality of all material conditions, no matter how real they may seem or how feebly we may be demonstrating our way therein; an understanding, even amidst the seemingly cruel attacks of malice, envy, and hate, that right then and there God— Good— is present, and His attributes are being manifested.
Stability ceases to be, and weakness is making itself apparent, during the time we take to voice, as real, errors in ourselves or others. We do not understand the true principle of Life during the time we compare our seeming with a brother's seeming manifestation of Life.
Stability involves referring all things at all times to Principle— Good— and judging righteous judgment; namely, that Good and its reflections are all perfect, now and forever.
In the material universe there is no manifestation of life which demonstrates absolute changelessness. Time and the elements wear away even the granite cliffs. Look where you will, Mind and its manifestations alone demonstrate stability; and truly, then, Mind can only be demonstrated through understanding, for Mind, God, without understanding is inconceivable.
Finally, then, the demonstration of Truth must be by the understanding of the Principle of the universe, including all reality.
An understanding of Truth must involve a knowledge of the real Creator and the real creation and all things involved in our concept of the universe.
According to orthodox theology, it might seem arrogant and blasphemous for one to aspire to the demonstration of stability as here outlined, but we have the Scriptures for our authority, and Jesus— the Way-shower— as our loving instructor, who said, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect," and "What things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." Paul says also, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."
Our stability, then, demonstrates our love of God,— Good, — so let us join Paul in his holy expression, "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
