Article April 9, 1910 Issue

FORGIVENESS

HELEN E. FOWLER.

A beautiful lesson was taught me lately, showing me something of the deep significance of the teaching of Jesus in the following words: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." The forgiveness we all long for is described by our Leader in the following words: "The destruction of sin is the divine method of pardon. ... Being destroyed, sin needs no other form of forgiveness" (Science and Health, p. 339). Here is a forgiveness so thorough that the scarlet hue of mortal sin vanishes before it into nothingness, leaving the whole being clothed in the whiteness of innocence, and the consciousness, new-born of Spirit, that man is indeed that child of the Father whose angel thoughts forever behold the face of the Father.

Love's forgiveness cannot do less than make whole, since God is "of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." If this be true of God, it follows that man, the expression of His thought, must also have an equally pure outlook. For us to forgive, then, it is also necessary for us to know that the real man has never needed our forgiveness, has never been less than the outspoken thought of Love. The proof of our own pardon lies in the clearness of our vision of man as the only begotten Son of God, the spiritual idea to be understood and loved. Nothing less than this will suffice to protect us from the danger of presuming to criticize or condemn. Love cannot recognize anything but love; therefore, whenever we believe in a want of entire love in our brother, it behooves us to seek speedily our own pardon in this respect.

Mrs. Eddy has set us a glorious example, and our gratitude goes out to her whose demonstration of Love's forgiveness is removing "the covering" which has so long hidden the real man's beauty and symmetry from our vision.

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