Article December 25, 1909 Issue

As a matter of fact the use of will-power is absolutely...

Frederick Dixon

Jersey (Channel Islands) Leader

As a matter of fact the use of will-power is absolutely antithetical to all Christian Science treatment. Will-power is in the nature of things an exercise of the human will, and as it is obvious that the human will may be exerted either for good or evil, it follows that the only healing which could result from the exercise of it would be in the nature of that which is described in Genesis as the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Jesus himself put the same lesson somewhat differently: A house, he said, divided against itself cannot stand. Now will-power is just such a house, and the moment the will is weakened by suffering or sin the effects proceeding from it fail to stand. "But," continued Jesus, "If I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." The kingdom of God, and with it the peace of God which passeth all understanding, never came to any man by an exercise of will-power. They come in proportion as the human will is laid down, exactly in proportion as the carnal mind dies and man lets that Mind be in him which was also in Christ Jesus. It is this which Jesus described as the effort to know the truth which would free the world, and it is because this truth is absolute that the demonstration of it is necessarily scientific. The miracle was the demonstration to humanity of the truth contained in the gospel, and that this truth could be demonstrated by those who grasped it, in any age, is proved by the fact that Jesus himself declared. "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."

To gain this knowledge of the truth it is necessary to walk as closely as possible in the footsteps of Christ. This is why Mrs. Eddy has written, on page 366 of Science and Health, "In order to cure his patient, the metaphysician must first cast moral evils out of himself and thus attain the spiritual freedom which will enable him to cast physical evils out of his patient."

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