Article April 17, 1909 Issue

RIGHT THINKING AND ACTING

EDWARD EVERETT NORWOOD.

The basis of all Christian Science growth and practice is the great truth that there is but one Mind, who governs intelligently and harmoniously through spiritual law. Only as a practitioner is a channel for Truth and Love, expressing honesty, purity, patience, and intelligent mental activity, can correct healing be done. As desire is pure, thought clear, and purpose good, then in proportion to one's energy and persistent application will results be attained. The healing in Christian Science is thorough and exact because based upon Principle and law and caused by the irresistible and irrefutable impulse of divine Love, hence it cannot return void nor fail in its mission.

This law is the method of action of Mind,—the law of which Paul speaks as overcoming the (false) law of sin and death,—and as one is honestly fulfilling this law of love, doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly, each day records progress with increased blessings, for they are legitimately earned. We have but to do our part in reflecting the one Mind, keeping thought free and clear of all limitation and fear, and trust God supremely, in order to reap the reward of righteousness, gain harmony and health and every good and perfect gift that belongs to the ideal man.

The truth of being is that God, ever-present and eternal good, is supreme—here, now, and always. The spiritual man reflects divine Mind; he expresses all that there is in this Mind; and as we identify ourselves with all that is pure, loving, and good (of which this Mind is Principle), we go through the transforming process spoken of by Paul, and gain our sonship, or spiritual identity, which seemed lost in the belief of material sense. This is the "only begotten" (begotten only) of the Father,—never of material sense,—"full of grace and truth." Nothing but right thinking enables one to do this work; and as it is honestly done, one can say with Job of old, "I know that my redeemer liveth;" for the mental power based on Mind and law, purified and illumined and rightly directed, is the "redeemer," or Christ, becoming operative and saving the individual from the sins of the world. The sins of the world are the various erroneous beliefs about God and man, the envies and jealousies, the passion and pride, the ignorance of God, with the resultant mental malpractice that would crush the consciousness of all who are on a human plane of existence. The world was really ignorant, in a great measure, of what this means, and certainly ignorant of any right method of overcoming evil until Mrs. Eddy pointed the way in Christian Science. She says in "No and Yes" (p. 12), "The essence of this Science is right thinking and right acting—leading us to see spirituality and to be spiritual, to understand and to demonstrate God."

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