Editorial March 18, 1911 Issue

"LEARN OF ME."

Annie M. Knott

A great thinker has said that "few men know how to live," and although this is a self-evident truth, there are perhaps not many who would be willing to apply it to themselves. Christ Jesus said that "no man knoweth the Son, But the Father: neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him." Then follows the familiar but oft-forgotten invitation, "Learn of me; ... and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

There are some people who object to Christian Science on the ground that it requires so much of them in the way of study, and they talk pathetically about the simple faith which calls for no mental exercise—only belief. Now it may be granted that belief of the right sort furnishes a starting-point, as it were, for spiritual unfoldment, but throughout the Scriptures we find a constant demand for the addition of many things that are needed in the rounding out of Christian character. In order to gain these, and to be "rich toward God," we must respond to the Master's loving invitation, "Learn of me;" which surely means that we must learn to think, speak, and act as did he. This requirement, however, is met by the objection that its fulfilment would be extremely difficult, and that the constant effort to live up to this high demand would become very irksome; which is a great mistake, for Christ Jesus said that in learning of him we should find rest.

As a matter of fact, thought is unceasingly active at all times, even when we seem to be asleep; but much of the mental activity of mortals is extremely wearying, because it carries a heavy burden of false belief, which is imposed by the materialistic systems that lead humanity away from Christ and his rest. Here we may remember our revered Leader's words, "The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work" (Science and Health, p. 519). Much of the learning to which Christ Jesus invites us, consists in unlearning the false beliefs that are such heavy burdens to poor mortals,—the so-called health laws which, to be more accurate, are really disease laws. The great Teacher annulled all such when he counseled us to take no thought for the body, but instead to strive after spiritual and moral purity, and that knowledge of the Father which is real power, the kind of knowledge which enabled him to do the works that may well awe the world even to its latest hour, and which he commanded his followers to repeat.

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