Article April 16, 1910 Issue

THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT

WILLIS F. GROSS.

In Christian Science it is learned that both the letter and the spirit of Christianity are necessary if humanity is to experience, in its fullest sense, the blessings of the gospel. It has never been claimed that all the benefits of the gospel have been realized, or that even one person had reached the heights and accomplished all that was possible to accomplish. The blessings of salvation are more than have been realized, and it is possible for each individual to gain still more of that good which has lifted him somewhat above the discordant things of earth. No one should be content to remain where he is, since it is possible for him to gain a higher and consequently a more harmonious sense of existence.

Both the letter and the spirit of the gospel are needed. Neither can be dispensed with in the present stage of human development. It is true the spirit is more necessary than the letter, but Christian Science is demonstrating that the earnest seeker for Truth gains the spirit in a larger degree when the letter is correctly stated and rightly comprehended. The faith which saves to the uttermost and makes man every whit whole, is not a blind belief, but an enlightened spiritual understanding. Perhaps the great drawback to spiritual growth and development has been that humanity is called upon to accept too much on faith. Many things which have seemed altogether incomprehensible to human reason have been set forth as the teaching of the gospel, and the one who was inclined to question, has been told that it was not him to know the why and wherefore, his duty was to obey. And perhaps he has earnestly endeavored to do so, even though he felt he was walking in the dark. The desire to be obedient, and the earnest longing for truth and righteousness, have brought to many of earth's faithful ones much of the spirit which the world could not receive, much less comprehend.

Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health (p. 283), "The divine Principle, or Life, cannot be practically demonstrated in length of days, as it was by the patriarchs, unless its Science be accurately stated," and in this "Key to the Scriptures" she has clearly stated the letter of gospel. So far as she has found it possible to do so, the author has expressed in simple terms a definite idea of what God is. She has also set forth a demonstrable idea of man and the universe and the scientific relation of the creator to His creation. There are also given in this book definite rules whereby the truth of being, as it is discerned in Christian Science, can be applied in all the affairs of human experience, thereby correcting the errors of mortal belief and enabling the individual to escape the discord and suffering resulting from these errors. To a certain extent, but in a very limited degree, the teachings of Science and Health can be comprehended intellectually, but those who think that this book can be studied and mastered in the same way that a book on mathematics or some other subject which deals with material things can be understood, have yet to gain the first true conception of genuine Christian Science. The letter of this Science is indispensable: but if thought does not rise above the letter to imbibe the spirit, the healing power of Truth is little realized. Ever since Science and Health was published, Mrs. Eddy has warned her students against the error of thinking the letter of Christian Science was equal to the demonstration thereof, and she writes on page 113 of the text-book, "The vital part, the heart and soul of Christian Science, is Love. Without this, the letter is but the dead body of Science,—pulseless, cold, inanimate."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

GOD NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS