THE following sentence from a well-known writer, a deeply thinking and widely cultured man, expresses as well as is usually done a comprehension of the change which must follow the understanding and application of the teachings of Christian Science; "To accept the doctrine that moral evil and physical pain and suffering are not realities, would require me not merely to change my opinions, but to recast, so to speak, my character." As to the change of character which must come when the eternal fact of the reality of good displaces in thought the fiction that evil has reality, and therefore eternity, we rejoice in expecting that beautiful change for all mankind. Being transformed by the renewing of the mind, we all shall prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Hitherto mortals have not known enough about the good will of God, and therefore have not been able to overcome evil with good; then, unwilling to acknowledge their failure, they have incorporated into their philosophies and theologies the theory that evil is a reality, and therefore unconquerable. The suffering saint, after trying the potions of many physicians without a cure, has taken pride in thinking that the disease must be specially sent by God, since it is and therefore a reality. If this were correct reasoning we should have to conclude that the infinite intelligence is a reservoir for unconquerable evil and incurable disease

Christian Scientists hold intelligently to the authority of truth revealed in the Scriptures, and so are able to distinguish what is personal and temporary in the record, from what is universal. Those who support verbal inspiration, and claim that every word of the sacred writings is mandatory, are compelled, for example, to claim that the cursing of enemies is legitimate, this being the tenor of some imprecatory psalms. If, however, the thoughts and intents of the heart must be brought before the judgment-seat of Christ, and the mandate of the Christ is, "Bless them that curse you, . . . pray for them which despitefully use you," then it is plain that the un-christianized human sense which makes evil real, and which legitimatizes persecution, cruelty, and slaughter of fellow-men, must disappear before the Christlike understanding which recognizes only good as reality, and by goodness displaces ill-will, by kindness displaces hate, and by love displaces dread and fear.

If we bring our conceptions of God before the same tribunal, we find the theories to be misconceptions which have premised that God is acquainted with evil and forever knows it. Walking in the way opened for us by Christ Jesus, and doing the works which he did, we find that God shines in our hearts, and as the source of all good gives us "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." With this light of truth coincides the prophet's vision of the true God when he said, "Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity;" thus men long ago might have had comfort on the ground that the more they knew of God, the less would they behold evil. The true thought was evidently grasped by the Psalm-writer who, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me," and the inference is plain, that the more we know of equity, the nearer do we come to God, who does not know iniquity. Out of many mental struggles came the vision of truth expressed in the book of Job, "Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace." If however as some would have us believe, the divine intelligence can be a pain-producer, and the originator of sickness and sorrow, whereby these conditions become realities, then acquaintance with that Mind would not give us peace. But the thought thrills throughout the Bible that the divine intelligence is "the very God of peace." When a vision of ultimate conditions came to the Revelator, and he thought of man's acquaintance with God being so close that the tabernacle or dwelling-place of God was with men, he saw what the necessary correlative of such acquaintance was:— "There shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Since it is the very inmost characteristic of all that is real that it cannot pass away, but endures the same from everlasting to everlasting, why should we be unwilling to grant that even now sorrow, evil, anguish, pain, and sin do not constitute reality? We pray that the divine will may be done on earth as in heaven, and then deny an answer to our prayer by theorizing that on earth the will of God is not a heavenly will, but a power which establishes discord. Men are certainly deceived when they make evil a reality, for the true light and revelation of God shows that good is real and eternal.

Let us examine one phase of evil, and consider that quality of the carnal mind which is most fertile in producing the ills wherefrom mortals suffer. We remember that Pilate was no mean judge of human nature when he discovered the hidden cause of the clamor for the murder of Jesus. The chief priests tried to show religious and political grounds for the judicial murder, but Pilate "knew that for envy they had delivered him." Envy is aroused always by the view of something considered good. What the priests envied was not so much the good character of our Master, as it was his popularity. They wanted to have the interest of the people, but were unwilling to so change their characters as to deserve it. The thief envies the comfort that results from industry, but would rather destroy the industrious worker through crime than place himself in right relations to honest labor. There is not one good condition expressed in human nature, or acquired by industry, by study, or any other form of self-devotion, which does not excite envy in the carnal mind. Shall we then speak of envy as a part of the realm of reality, and include with it the thefts, and persecutions, and false witness-bearing, and murders which it inspires? We answer quoting one of Mrs. Eddy's pregnant sentences, "If it can be destroyed it is destitute of permanence or Principle, hence is unreal." (Series, I., 1.)

Can envy be destroyed? It is a condition of human sense based upon a supposed separation from good, and it disappears when satisfaction is found in good. While envy occupies the human sense its urgency is to deny good to others, or to destroy their good. Such an one is unhappy, and would make others unhappy, deface their beauty, disturb their peace, poison their good fortune, destroy even life; and yet that whole mental state is a perversity, a misconception of fact, an inversion of truth. It is destroyed and disappears whenever an understanding of good is gained. Paul's error as a persecutor was annulled and atoned for by his life as a builder of the Church. We do not think of the inconstancy of Peter as real and eternal, because he became steadfast as a rock. No more do we imagine that an envious mortal can maintain his error as a reality forever, or think of the malevolent condition named envy as part of eternal reality, because we acknowledge God as the Principle of all reality, the originating and supporting cause of all that is good.

We have said that envy disappears when an understanding of good is gained. Consider the resources of good whereby God is ready to bless man, His child. Does he need pleasure, comfort, peace, riches, joy, health, prosperity? He may drink of the rivers of God-given pleasure: as one whom his mother comforteth so will divine Love comfort him; peace is proclaimed to him that is far off as well as to him that is nigh; with joy he may draw water from the wells of salvation; God will be the health of his countenance; and he may have prosperity in all that he does. With the need satisfied, with every faculty enriched, with the far-stretching prospect before him of infinite goodness, with a sense of life gained from knowing God, men can find no remaining perverseness to be expressed in envy of another's good. Wherever one sees good in expression he knows it to be the manifestation of divine Principle, the all-sustaining God, his God, the infinite goodness. Consequently he rejoices in (not envies) every factor of good he sees in others, in even the faintest flickering of the light of love, though it be, perchance, in the lowest criminal. He cannot be overcome of evil because he knows that by its very nature good has already overcome evil, and that when acknowledged as reality by men it enables them within themselves to overcome evil with good.

Does the disintegration or annulment of any one sin or error prophesy an end for sin? Yes, but let us not say too lightly, There is no reality in sin. The first effect of dawning truth is to reveal to mortal man his sin. Where there is no standard, how can you measure a lapse from integrity? Where there is no law, how may sin or lawlessness be known? So because of transgression law is given. This is a matter of history. But higher than formal law is the revelation of the divine Principle, obedience to which is blessedness. "Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: Christian Science men so to walk in this light that character is recast;" then love becomes the fulfilling of the law, and sin is swallowed up in spontaneous righteousness.