Article February 11, 1905 Issue

The Pearl of Great Price

JOHN CARVETH

"Again the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman seeking goodly pearls; who when he found one pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it."

What is the pearl of great price to-day? Is it not the scientific Christianity that heals the sick and sinful beliefs of mortals through the spiritual understanding of God and man,—the Christianity which rejects all finite premises, and accepts the divine Mind as the only Cause and basis of every real effect? Surely every parable of Jesus indicates that on this basis alone can scientific Christianity be attained. He also declared and demonstrated that this pearl had within it all the elements of substantial wealth. The true, the real, the spiritual church may be said to embrace the ideas of infinite Mind in action, manifesting life, love, health, holiness, harmony,—divine beauty and sweetness. As human consciousness, through the invincible activity of scientific Christianity, recognizes even in a degree this divine energy, thought opens to the bountiful fruition of this Christ-awakened sense of church. Through the scientific demonstration of health and holiness, thought is ever ascending the mountain slope for higher gleams of deific light and Love. As this quickened and quickening thought begins to build in human consciousness a type of divine health and purity, so likewise it begins to build in this consciousness a type of the true church, whose members may represent in ever-advancing degree the mental healing of our great Master, who was the highest earthly type of the spiritual idea.

Recognizing at this hour the divine wisdom which has guided our Leader, we also recognize and gratefully accept her counsel that, in this day of its infancy among us, the Cause of Christian Science needs church edifices, wherein the healing gospel of Truth may be preached to the poor in spirit, — the meek and ready hearts of our fellowmen. Spiritual healing, church building, and church maintenance are inseparable links in the chain of scientific Christian work to-day, as our Leader has shown us, both by example and percept. It is therefore highly important for us to see that all these means of grace are of vital signigicance to us at the present stage of our spiritual growth, and that if we fail to take the steps which they demand we are likely to lose some valuable lessons without which our future progress will be uncertain and unsatisfactory. It is often observed that when a person opposes one of these means of progress he will ere long oppose all.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

The Pearl of Great Price

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access