"Spirit, God, is heard when the senses are silent," writes Mary Baker Eddy on page 89 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." How important it is to silence the material senses, to listen quietly for the voice of Truth, and then to follow its directing. As we do this, we bring into our experience rich fulfillment of good, the signs which follow obedience to the divine command.
"The Soul-inspired patriarchs heard the voice of Truth, and talked with God as consciously as man talks with man" (ibid., p. 308) . The patriarchs, therefore, must have known the art of spiritual listening, and thus their reward was assured. Noah was one who could be described as listening for and hearing the voice of Truth. The whole record of his experiences as given in the sixth to ninth chapters of Genesis is one of listening, obeying, and experiencing fulfillment of a spiritual promise.
Early in the narrative we find a description of Noah's character: "Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God" (Gen. 6:9). Thus Noah was spiritually ready to carry out the work God had for him to do. God told Noah to build an ark. This may have seemed like a tremendous undertaking, but Noah listened and then with childlike trust obeyed God's direction. Through listening and through obedience to instructions Noah built his ark and brought all of his family and two of each kind of the lesser creatures into it. As a result of Noah's obedience, the ark rose above the flood, and the safety of all in it was assured. When the waters were dried up, Noah and all with him went forth from the ark and received God's blessing.
The narrative points a useful lesson. If we would gain the understanding of Spirit, which destroys belief in matter, build character on pure ideals, and bring all of our cherished plans and concepts into the spiritual understanding of "ark" (see Science and Health, p. 581), we shall benefit by taking a cue from Noah. We must be both listeners and doers if we would enjoy the signs following: dominion, harmony, peace, and salvation.
It is well first to examine our thinking for those moral qualities that make for sound character. The books of the Bible known as the Law, and particularly the Ten Commandments in Exodus, as well as the Book of Deuteronomy, set forth moral precepts plainly and precisely. Christ Jesus in his talks with his disciples sometimes referred to this moral code, upholding it as a standard. But Jesus went deeper. His spirituality enabled him to see that one must seek spiritual understanding, which is the basis of the moral law with its Commandments. In his Sermon on the Mount and in other talks with his disciples, Jesus completed the pattern of Christian ideals and showed that the foundation of Christian life is unselfed love and that without love there can be no blessing. He declared (Matt. 22:37): "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind," and (verse 39), "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Mrs. Eddy realized the great love of the master Christian, and she based her teachings on this same love for God and man. Like Noah, Mrs. Eddy "walked with God." She too was a listener and a doer, and rich indeed were the signs following her obedience. Today the whole world benefits as a result of her developed listening power. Her love for mankind was the basis of her great desire to establish again on earth the healing works of Jesus and thus bring to the world eternal redemption and salvation. In a small attic room she listened to God and obediently finished the Christian Science textbook.
In "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy asks (p. 337), "What is the Principle and rule of Christian Science?" and then she answers: "Infinite query! Wonder in heaven and on earth,—who shall say? The immaculate Son of the Blessed has spoken of them as the Golden Rule and its Principle, God who is Love. Listen, and he illustrates the rule: 'Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, . . . Whosoever . . . shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.' "
A Christian Scientist found the account of Noah a useful lesson in following the leadings of Truth. She had given up her position and launched into business for herself. At first the way was difficult, and she took all the human ways of building up the business. Then she remembered Noah. She realized that Noah first listened to and then obeyed God. Turning from all human effort, the Scientist prayed. Through listening and obeying, she was led to take active and intelligent steps. In the calm and quiet of prayer she realized that it is divine Mind, God, who guides, and when we know this we are divinely directed in our contacts, and our contacts are divinely protected. She saw that in reality she was dealing with ideas and not with material personalities. She realized also that she could come in contact only with the real man, the image and likeness of God.
The closer the student came to the understanding of God and of man's relationship to Him, the better she understood her own relationship to God. She realized that man is in the presence of Love at all times and under all conditions. She felt assured that through her understanding of the omniaction of divine Love her business could be established on a firm foundation of true brotherhood and fellowship, without which no business relationship or any other human relationship can be a success.
Before long she had built up a small but active and successful business. She had brought her concept of business into the ark, and now it had come to rest on a firm foundation of spiritual understanding. Like Noah, she had listened and obeyed. It requires humility and childlike trust to listen. It calls for courage and steadfastness to obey.
The results following intelligent listening and obedient action are manifold blessings. They are those added things promised us by the Master when he said (Matt. 6:33), "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Listening is an art developed through self-discipline and the recognition of divine control. When we have developed this art, we can rejoice in the words from Hymn No. 85 in the Christian Science Hymnal,
All the way that we must go
We will take at Thy direction,
Where the floods of trouble flow
Find Thy perfect, calm reflection;
On the path that has no turning,
Patience, courage, meekness learning.
