Article September 27, 1900 Issue

Patience

BY JOHN CLIFTON MERRILL

One thing we all need to cultivate is patience. Patience is the result of faith, faith in Principle, in God; impatience is doubt. Victory always comes to him who is patient, constant, and persevering. It is comparatively easy to do a thing once, but to continue patiently, day after day, to perform the same tasks requires courage, strength of purpose, and heroism. Think of Homer and Milton, men unrecognized by the people of their own day, yet in spite of every obstacle they gave utterance to their highest convictions, and patiently continued in the path of duty; today their names are known and honored all over the world. What shall we say of her who, with no one to aid, to stand by her, alone with God, dared to give to the world the light of Christian Science. How patiently and lovingly she has ever sacrificed self that the world might know God, Love; "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; . . . who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies." It is the duty, the privilege, of every one to follow humbly and faithfully in the pathway of Divine Science. Remembering the words of Paul, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." It is only by the patient performance of every task of love that we rise to the height where sin, sickness, and death are unknown, and Truth, Life, Love, and harmony are the ever—present realities.

Mrs. L. M. Childs in her short story, "Patient Continuance in Well—Doing," has brought out most beautifully and forcibly the lesson of patience. She tells us that a German, a musician, a stranger in this country, was one day passing by a church. Hearing the music he entered, but found the singing most discordant. His sensitive ear was pained by the inharmony. He was filled with the desire to hasten from the church and leave the discord behind, but knowing that this would appear rude, he decided to remain and endure the torture. He listened and soon distinguished amid the discord the clear, sweet voice of a woman singing in perfect tune, not in the least disturbed by the discord around her, apparently not even hearing it. She sang on; one after another caught the harmony, until at length all were singing in perfect tune.

Now to apply this story, so rich in its lessons. Like the German, Mary Baker G. Eddy found herself in a world of discord, surrounded by sin, disease, and death; she did not shut her eyes nor turn away, but listened, heard the sweet and gentle voice of the Master, and above the din of discord caught his message, "Peace, be still;" "I am the Resurrection and the Life." Then she, like the sweet singer in our story, hearing only the harmony of the Christ message, sang patiently and bravely on, alone in this world of seeming discord. Never did she yield to the temptation to sing louder than the world, in vain attempt to drown the voice of error which cannot be thus forced into harmony; never yielding to the temptation to stop singing when the discords of sense seemed so many and so real, but she has ever been loyal, brave, and true, until poor, suffering humanity has caught the harmony she so sweetly sings. How supremely happy we are that we are privileged to join in this song of "Peace on earth, good—will to men."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Christian Science at the North Dakota Chautauqua