Article December 16, 1905 Issue

The True Church

A. L. MC BRIDE.

THE declaration, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," expressed what was at that moment present in the consciousness of Peter. This truth had been spiritually discerned. Jesus' demonstrations of the power of Spirit over the material claims, which this disciple had witnessed, made it possible for him to realize and express this fact, in answer to the question of Jesus which called it forth. Through a similar spiritualization of thought we must be led to the same consciousness of the absolute truth of Peter's statement which shall lead us to affirm it for ourselves, with that understanding which shall make it a permanent state of consciousness in us. In following up the declaration quoted above, Jesus clearly indicates that the foundation rock upon which his church must be built is spiritual. The revelation of this basic truth was also individual, being expressed through Peter. To the others present it was only a revelation in the sense that it is so to us; that is, to the degree that we make Peter's experience our own do we become conscious of that which Jesus termed the rock upon which he should build his church. It was manifestly his intention that all the disciples should profit by the teaching, but only the apostle Peter had then the responsiveness which called forth the Master's benediction "Blessed art thou."

The establishment of the Church of Christ is manifestly spiritual, coming to us and through us as a revelation from God, in the same way that it did to Peter. It is, necessarily, then, an individual work to attain that spiritual, right consciousness which forms the foundation rock. To have in consciousness the true foundation is to start aright. Daily to know that we are progressing toward the constant realization of the ever-presence of the Christ is a part of our daily work for the church, and this is the work that we can do which shall not infringe upon our brother's right to do the same work for himself. Jesus attributed to "my Father which is in heaven" the unfolding to Peter's consciousness of the great fact which he expressed as to the Christ. He recognized the one Mind as the only source of truth, and the one who was spiritual enough to perceive and express that truth, as blessed in giving expression to what could only be spiritually conceived. We cannot come into the true church so much through material means as spiritual. The right concept of this church is gained only through spiritualization of thought and life, that it may be said of us as Jesus said to Peter, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."A correction was made in the December 23, 1905 Sentinel: "The sentence commencing on the fourthe line from the bottom of the first column, page 245, the Sentinel of December 16, should have read, 'We cannot come into the true church so much through material means as spiritual,' and the sentence immediately following the above should have read, 'The right concept of this church is gained through spiritualization of thought and life, that it may be said of us as Jesus said to Peter, 'Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.'"

The structure which The First Church of Christ, Scientist, is erecting in Boston is an outward expression of the right concept of the Church of Christ, as revealed to our beloved Leader, and to the extent that we are individually conscious of being in accord with that of which the structure is an expression are we assisting in the work of its unfoldment. To erect in individual consciousness a superstructure that shall be of the same spiritual substance as the foundation rock is the Christian Scientist's daily work. This work is individual and it is spiritual. It aids in the unfoldment of the universal church, for every one may come into that consciousness which constitutes the foundation rock. It is the church for all time, and of it Christ Jesus has said, "The gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

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