Editorial August 1, 1925 Issue

Mental Alertness

Albert F. Gilmore

A Stirring message to all Christian Scientists which has been much pondered occurs at the bottom of page 442 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," where Mrs. Eddy says, "Christian Scientists, be a law to yourselves that mental malpractice cannot harm you either when asleep or when awake." Thus did our Leader adjure her followers to be mentally alert, instant and ever ready to deny through the understanding of spiritual truth the claims of error which it seems persistently present themselves at the door of consciousness.

The evil effects from malpractice arise from accepting erroneous beliefs as true. Falsity is accepted as true because of a failure to comprehend the truth about God and man. The lie, which would establish as true the belief in a selfhood other than that bestowed of God, results from the holding to a false concept of man and creation. It is against this kind of mesmerism in its myriad forms that our Leader warns us in terms which are no less direct than urgent. When we are a law to ourselves, we are exercising the dominion given by God to each of His children,—the dominion which overcomes all false beliefs.

Paul's inspired words, "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light," are a bugle call arousing mortals to the need of waking from materiality to find in God man's true being; of rising from the dead,—from the beliefs of the flesh which would submerge one in matter, thus shutting off the spiritual concept of man,—and to behold man as God's image, reflecting the divine qualities. Only through this awakening are mortals enabled to distinguish between the true and false, between the real and unreal, between good and evil. Those who sleep in the senses can scarcely be aware of Truth's message, or their slumbers would cease.

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