AMONG the most beautiful of the many similes used in the Scriptures is that of the Christ knocking at the door of human consciousness, as pictured in Revelation. It is part of what John was commanded to write to the church at Laodicea, and reads, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." This gentle knock is characteristic of Christian Science. It is designed to awaken the sleeper yet not cause him to fear. It admonishes without being aggressive. It is the knock of reason and revelation, but has in it nothing of human willpower or of personal control.
Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who knew from long experience in healing the sick and reforming the sinner that humanity must be reached through affection and not through fear, advised her followers to "knock instead of push at the door of human hearts" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 303). This should be remembered by all who exemplify the missionary spirit at home and abroad, if they would see the door open to the Christ-idea. Let a knock and not a push open the way for the "still small voice;" let the beauty of holiness, the oil of gladness, and the wine of inspiration accompany our every approach to the frightened sinner and the suffering sick. Neither threats of dogma and anathema, nor the dread of everlasting punishment can unlock the door. Human will-power cannot pry it ajar; dire forebodings cannot win salvation and healing. But the compassionate call to reason, and the glorious revelation of God's ever-presence reflected to the sufferer, will cause the door to open of its own accord.
Still, it is obvious that there must be some receptivity to the truth on the part of the doorkeeper before he will be able to recognize the true voice and willing to admit the truth-bearer. The human consciousness is prepared for the visit of the Christ, Truth, either by Science or by suffering. The latter would seem to be the usual way, but it is well for those engaged in spiritual progress not to recognize suffering as an absolute necessity or to surrender to it as law. To do so would invite suffering and lead to the medieval mental point of view wherein suffering was glorified as if it were an end in itself.
If suffering comes, then Christian Science enables humanity to see it for what it is, and so overcome it when the salutary lesson has been learned. But it should be possible for advancing humanity to be ready to open the door of spiritual acceptance without having it pried open by dire necessity. It is a common saying that "God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," and Christian Science does not expect the impossible. An open mind and a loving heart should characterize the progressive human thought, and such conditions must act as a preparation for the acceptance of that Science which shows the way out of suffering into spiritual being. When the momentous knock on the door is heard, human consciousness should be awake to its significance and responsive to its call.
The ability to hear should be sedulously cultivated, for it is possible to have ears and yet hear not. The unreceptive consciousness follows out the practice for which children are frequently reprimanded,—letting an admonition in at one ear and out at the other. There are many persons who though now rejoicing in Christian Science can recall the time when this subject was mentioned in their presence without exciting the least interest. Even cases of regeneration and healing by Christian Science were no sooner heard than forgotten. Such persons will tell you that they were not ready to hear the good news and so continued deaf to it, perhaps for years, until the knock revealing the presence of the Christ finally elicited a ready response. Others again have been systematically prejudiced against Christian Science by misrepresentations from press and pulpit, and so have failed to catch the sound of Truth's gentle approach.
Not understanding that the Christ will never ask them to surrender anything true, desirable, or real, some persons feel that more will be demanded of them than they are willing to concede. Hence, when Truth knocks, they deliberately hold their hands to their ears and pretend not to hear. The carnal mind has many inventions for preventing sinning and suffering humanity from opening the door to the noble guest whose presence means happiness, health, and heaven to all who are in the house.
Another cause of unwillingness to hear may arise from the habit of confounding the human with the divine. The world at large makes its heroes and worships them; it fashions its idols and sets them on pedestals. Then comes the inevitable disillusionment; a mere human concept has been mistaken for the divine idea. The hero loses his worshipers and the idol falls from his pedestal. Good human qualities, unless governed by divine Principle, cannot stand the testing fire. The Pharisee confounds the human with the divine, and wrapping himself in the mantle of self-righteousness, awaits the hour when shame and suffering will finally drive him to repentance.
When the good man finds his goodness unequal to the contest with hidden mental foes, he gives a tardy welcome to the compassionate Christ, who has long stood outside, knocking patiently for admittance. It is one of the shabby tricks of the carnal mind to induce the unspiritual to lean too hard upon their spiritually-minded fellow mortals and then ascribe the mistakes of these mortals to spirituality itself. In numberless ways evil plies its trade and tries to make its bargains with humanity to prevent men from answering the knock which ushers in salvation.
But the door having once been opened, what a feast is prepared for those hungering and thirsting after righteousness! The Christ is ready to sup with them, and they with him. Of the infinite store of substance not one item is missing. The riches of Life eternal, of inexhaustible Love, of omnipotent Truth, are all there for the nourishment of the starving ones. The bread of Truth is there to be broken, or explained, as Mrs. Eddy puts it on page 33 of Science and Health; the wine of inspiration and the oil of gladness are on the table. All who are within the house, who are of that state of consciousness which is repentant of error and receptive to Truth, may taste of the feast prepared by illimitable bounty.
The closed door upon which Truth knocks in vain is self-love. In its multitudinous forms self bars the way to progress. It acts as the seeming barrier between God and man. It would interfere with the spiritual communion which passes between creator and creature, between Principle and idea. But when the door of self has become at least translucent, so that a little light may penetrate, then divine Love can lighten that dim interior, and presently the door is opened for the full effulgence to stream in. The growth of every Christian Scientist in spiritual understanding follows the evenings and mornings described in the first chapter of Genesis. There is at first the darkness "upon the face of the deep," but the eager desire and the desperate need of human consciousness for healing and salvation bring also the willingness to admit the light.
After six evenings and mornings, each marked by varying degrees of clearness and the dawn of new perceptions, comes the seventh day, the Sabbath rest, when Truth is fully revealed. Christ, Truth, has knocked on the door, has been joyously admitted, and now sits and sups with the repentant sinner, the lowly publican, the unselfed, the meek, those who have learned to pray aright and are ready to go forth themselves to knock on other doors. These are they who go about their Father's business, who carry comfort to the wayworn, solace to the stricken in heart, cure to the sick, and so, as proven in their own experience, are able to repeat, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find."
What is the conversation at that spiritual supper table? It may refer to the viands spread on the hospitable board, but these are all of the same quality as the meal itself,— spiritual, mental, metaphysical. Will not the talk turn upon substance? It is likely that questions and answers will bring out the fact that matter cannot be substantial, since it decays and dies. The teaching Christ will speak of that substance which though never seen, yet never fails; is hoped for, yet is ever present; is Life eternal, omnipotent Truth, inexhaustible Love.
As the glad dwellers in that house listen, there come to them visions of boundless truth. They have their moments of dimness (evenings), when the words of Truth are almost more than they can bear; then moments of illumination (mornings), when the dawn breaks in full glory upon them. Who would not sup with Christ, to hear the words of Life as ever flowing, joyous, continuous, without beginning and without end; to hear as of old the Master say, "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;" to hear the true explanation of the Son as the reflection of the Father, therefore as the expression of the Life that is God! Christ, Truth, has come to human consciousness in this age under the designation of Christian Science.
The Christ is knocking at many doors today, and is being welcomed in homes that were once dark with false belief, overshadowed by personal sense, made fearful by animal magnetism. What glorious assurance comes with the opening of the door! Hope dawns, faith follows, demonstration crowns. Those who had been afraid of God are reassured by His messenger. Those who had ascribed their sufferings and sorrows to Him are disabused of their mistaken notion. Light and yet more light streams in upon the dingy corners of that house (consciousness), uncovering as nothing all lurking fears, agonizing suspense, resentment, greed, desire for revenge, false pride, self-righteousness, and the like. Presently the house is made clean, as was the temple of old, when Jesus drove out the money-changers and them that sold doves.
Christ, Truth, invites all who are ready to sup with him to partake of the spiritual food that satisfies. Again and again the eager listeners ask how they shall know truth from error, or express their wonder that they never had seen the truth before. It all seems too good to be true. Then the compassionate Christ tells them that God is Truth; that only that which resembles God, good, can be true; that they can take all their questions, experiences, and temptations to God, Truth, and find out for themselves how true or how false they are by noting whether they resemble God, Truth, or not.
Divine Science points out to all that they did not see the truth because they saw not with spiritual perception. Yet the heavenly Comforter assures them that Truth is always true, whether they see it or not; has always stood at the door knocking for admittance, though they knew it not. With gentle rebuke the Christ chides them for supposing that aught could be too good to be true, for Truth itself is God, infinite good. Thus spiritual awakening ushers in the dawn. The door is opened at last to Truth, but shut to error. There is heard a voice announcing from heaven to the disheartened, the outcast, the misunderstood, and the isolated, "Behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it."
