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THE WIDER VISION
Among the many blessings which have come to the world through the knowledge of a scientific Christianity, there is nothing perhaps that has given more peace, hope, joy, and courage to the human heart than the change in thought which is brought about by this knowledge in regard to what is called death. In spite of brave efforts to find comfort and cheer in the old views of a future life, everything connected with that life has seemed to most of us vague, unsubstantial, and unsatisfactory. As thus described, heaven was desirable only as the best thing that offered itself under the circumstances, and the friends who had been apparently separated from us by the dark valley of the shadow, seemed to our consciousness unfamiliar, unreal, and far away, even if we did not feel that they were lost to us altogether.
In the unfolding of spiritual facts in the light of Christian Science we are, however, gaining a clearer, truer concept of the hereafter, and are beginning to grasp somewhat the meaning of Mrs. Eddy's words in Science and Health, "When our friends pass from our sight and we lament, that lamentation is needless and causeless" (p. 386). We are learning that life goes on, and that individuality and identity are never affected by death. Mrs. Eddy tells us that "mortals waken from the dream of death with bodies unseen by those who think that they bury the body" (Science and Health, p. 429).
These thoughts were recently illustrated for me by a simple incident. One Sunday morning, after the church service, I stepped into a drug-store to wait for the trolleycar which was to take me to my home. At one side of the shop was hung a narrow mirror which reflected the activity of the street below the shop, so that any one who glanced into the glass might see when the special car for which he was looking was at hand. As I gazed at the reflected copy of the life behind me, I became interested in watching various figures which came toward me and at a certain point vanished from my sight. They had not faded away in the distance; they had not turned aside from their course; but to my sense of things they were all at once nothing and nowhere, although I knew that if my eyes should wander to the large window by my side, I would find them still going on their way, undisturbed and unchecked,—still in God's air and sunshine and under His care and guidance.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
April 20, 1912 issue
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THE ALLNESS OF GOOD
ROBERT NALL.
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MENTAL WORK
GRACE SQUIRES.
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OVERCOMING FEAR
EDWARD EVERETT NORWOOD.
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THE WIDER VISION
MARTHA BURR BANKS.
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THE UNIVERSAL POEM
CASSIUS M. LOOMIS.
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"BLESSED ARE THE MEEK"
KATHARINE T. PORTER.
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CURRENT OPPORTUNITIES
PETER B. BIGGINS.
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ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP IN THE MOTHER CHURCH
John V. Dittemore
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In my recent letter, in reply to Mr.—, I promised to...
Frederick Dixon
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What does "the higher tribunal of public opinion" have...
M. I. Whitcroft
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In a recent issue of the News it was stated that a clergyman...
De Witt McMurray
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Christian Science conceives of God as infinite personality,...
R. Stanhope Easterday
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"What shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Willis D. McKinstry
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BUILDING ARIGHT
Archibald McLellan
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LIFE
John B. Willis
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ECONOMY
Annie M. Knott
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THE LECTURES
with contributions from Geoffrey Wilkinson, Edwin Swinford, Albert R. Vail
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"Why, it is a practical religion!" These were the words...
Newton C. Gillham
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I have long wished to express my gratitude for what...
Mary Boisseau Phillips
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I have been an adherent of Christian Science....
A. Maria Becker
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I feel it a duty to express my gratitude for what Christian Science...
Edward B. Fitzgearl
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I wish to express my gratitude for the healing which has...
Alena A. MacKenzie
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I wish to add my testimony for the many practical....
James J. MacKenzie
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I wish to express my gratitude for the blessing that has...
Olive D. Irwin
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I am a believer in Christian Science, although I....
Rex S. Roudebush
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I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to God for the perfect...
B. F. Pritchard
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It is with gratitude to God that I give the following testimony
S. A. Walsh with contributions from Paul Walsh
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I am profoundly grateful for Christian Science
Cordelia A. Johnston
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I have often wanted to send my testimony, since benefits...
Gardner Manning Gale
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I sought the truth for a long time, and finally found it in...
Magdalene Stavenhagen with contributions from G. T. Springer
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Unlike many others, I had had Christian Science....
G. T. Springer
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THE NEW YEAR
JOHN STEEN.
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FROM OUR EXCHANGES
with contributions from Rollin A. Sawyer, Theodore G. Soares, R. J. Campbell