Article August 3, 1912 Issue

HEAVEN'S FAVORS

LUCY HAYS EASTMAN.

As the tyro in Christian Science imbibes the milk of the Word he finds its sweetness divine and frequently becomes as impetuous as the dust-stained traveler who emerges from a dreary desert to revel rapturously in the cool brooks of the forest. Enthusiastically the traveler would, perchance, make for the distant mountain-top in the heat of the day, vainly expecting to reach it quickly, and if the tyro yields to a similar longing to scale instantly the lofty heights of divine Science self-will and blind impetuosity may bring him serious and regrettable experiences before he learns in Christian Science to advance through a clearer understanding and the practise of the truth which he knows.

On the other hand, if he subdues his overzealous aspirations and wisely leans upon the promises of God, he will indeed receive his "meat in due season," being led gently amid green pastures. Moderating boisterous enthusiasm and subjugating the spirit of human propaganda, the ardent beginner will discover what it means to be a recipient of heaven's favors. Then he will yield his thought to a systematic effort to apply what truth he already understands, and thus replace former fragmentary and theoretical opinions with demonstrable facts. Thus he learns the truth of Mrs. Eddy's statement that "heaven's favors are formidable" (Christian Healing, p. 1) and that for each spiritual blessing there is a battle to be fought and a cross to be carried. The gifts of divine Love are not showered into the arms of one who is begging for more while idly sitting still, nor bestowed upon the busybody who is promiscuously scattering pearls before swine.

Heaven's favors are jewels of boundless wisdom and haloed purity. By their very nature they impart holy inspiration and spiritual strength to humanity, while to the carnal mind they are the weapons that are "mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." Consequently this mind at once wages war with them. Hence the struggle and the cross, the victory and the crown, for those who on bended knee are seeking the things of Spirit. The human mind is the arena for the suppositional conflict between good and evil, and the more an individual becomes a conquering soldier on the side of right, the more surely he comes within range of the direct fire of the enemy. The more of heaven's favors he merits, the more of error's darts he must avert. No man ever received greater spiritual blessings than did Christ Jesus. No man ever bore a greater cross. No one was ever more unselfishly true to his kindred and country, and yet no one was ever so hated and persecuted by the members of his own race and religion.

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