Jesus never made a promise or imposed a condition which could not be fulfilled. Calling unto him a little child, he said to his disciples, "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." This may be counted among the most precious of his sayings, the most startling to adultism; but what material sense defines as time is no barrier to spiritual reflection, the way to which is made plain through Christian Science. Pride, shame, the multiform self-importance of personal selfhood—often accentuated by the mortal sense of time—have nothing in common with man, who knows himself as spiritually individual, neither young nor old, neither causative nor creative—as never less than the eternal image of God's perfection.
Rather marked, from the human standpoint, is the tendency in this era of youth to look down on age and of age to look down on youth. Human thought and estimate are wont to center on birthdays, on personality, on mortal dissemblances rather than on spiritual resemblances, which can only be spiritually discerned. Yet before one and all, eternity stretches, and in the light of Christian Science we learn to love and respect one another on the single basis of Spirit and spiritual identity.
Continuing, Jesus said, "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." The heavenly education upon which we enter when becoming students of this Science outshines in due course the traces of wrong upbringing. Academic education, while having its uses, does not constitute the equipment to spiritual growth. Waking to realize his need of spiritual education and its blessed availability, the student in Christian Science, of whatever age to human sense, devotes some time to spiritual study. And the more joy he brings to this higher education, this vista of the new birth, the more readily will he grasp not only the letter of Christian Science, but also its heavenly, healing spirit. If disturbed by the attempts of self-will and fear to hold him in the old mental ruts and failings, he needs to deny emphatically the belief in time and precedent. It is never too late to gain spiritual understanding and to reap its natural fruitage in release from error, and joy in Godlikeness.
On page 582 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy gives the spiritual meaning of "children" as the spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love." This true analysis of "children" is obviously distinct from the beliefs of material birth, time, disposition, set human ways, faulty mental and outward habits.
"The spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love" exist and subsist as manifestations of Mind, and they are forever conscious of their spiritual identity, intelligence, and reflected dominion. God's spiritually endowed witnesses never have been or can be disendowed, for matter is unknown to them, and they are unknown to matter and its paraphernalia.
Owing to his single-hearted reliance on God for everything, Jesus was free from any sense of limitation or egotism. In fact, he exemplified the spirit of childlikeness which he advocated in others. His trustful, worshipful, grateful dependence on the one heavenly Father made him the fearless enunciator of Truth and Love, the conveyer to men of the healing authority of infinite Love. He did not identify himself with the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, but with the spiritual dominion of Life, Truth, and Love—with true witnessing. And because he held to the premise of sonship with the almighty Father of man, the daily life of Christ Jesus was one of perpetual fruitage for himself and others.
It is for Christian Scientists to follow the Way-shower. Neither in Love nor in Love's representative, man, is there any element of fear or pretext for fear, since "there is no fear in love." The lie of fear, then, is unchildlike because unspiritual, and for this same reason fear is also nonpowerful. In the representatives of Life, Truth, and Love there is not an iota of sin or materiality, anxiety or doubt, for man cannot reflect what is spiritually unknowable. All phases of sin and sickness misrepresent God's representatives; therefore, obedience to Principle bids one turn mentally away from them. One aspect of childlikeness and humility is the willingness to regard one's self as God's reflection only, as neither being robbed of man's heritage nor presuming to originate or adopt a single evil claim, contrary to God's purpose and law. This is the basis of demonstration.
Our Leader writes (The First Church of Christ, and Miscellany, pp. 257, 258), "Wherever the child looks up in prayer, or the Book of Life is loved, there the sinner is reformed and the sick are healed." This prayerful state of thought, open to everyone, is beyond the scope of erroneous suggestion and chronology, for it is good, and good is distinct from time and evil. It is never too late to look up in true prayer and to receive its answer. However distressing or mistaken may have been one's past life, Christian Science exposes and obliterates it as ignorant material belief, having no record in divine Mind or man. The past has no inherent power to overshadow the present, else it would not be past. "Thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back." The veriest skeptic can humble intellectual pride, leave behind him all bitterness, learn to understand and love the Bible, eat of the tree of Life, and enter into the joys of innocence. Glad adoption of Christian Science with all its divine hues permeates, blesses, and transmutes the seeking heart, turning it from husks to heaven. Trueness, courage, love of good, purity, spiritual dominion, all these and other elements of sonship alone are actually existent. The dream of materiality leaves untouched the spiritually discoverable and demonstrable individuality of God's likeness.
Paul said, "Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." Nothing has intervened between man and his understanding of his own individuality, imparted to him and maintained in him by pure Mind. Man's slate is clean. with the utterances of Truth alone inscribed on it. The divine way is the way of commendation, for Love ever commends its reflection, and man abides in the light of Love's approval. Our Leader writes (Unity of Good, p. 23), "The divine children are born of law and order, and Truth knows only such."
