Editorial August 15, 1914 Issue

"Invisible things"

Annie M. Knott

In Paul's epistles there are several references to "invisible things." The one which is in the epistle to the Romans is at the first glance somewhat paradoxical in its declaration that "the invisible things of him [God] . . . are clearly seen." These words cannot, however, seem contradictory or even enigmatical to the student of Christian Science, who soon learns that if he would lay hold upon reality, he must turn away from the evidence of material sense, as did Moses, who "endured, as seeing him who is invisible."

Now it goes without saying that all we see with the physical eye is at best perishable and can never satisfy man's real nature. Besides this, it cannot be denied that the most beautiful and substantial things in the world are supported by an invisible force whose nature is but dimly guessed at, even by those who most admire these things. People are disposed to talk glibly about the phenomena of nature, while those who know most about them frankly confess to their ignorance of that which underlies the appearance. Thus one deep thinker says, that although the law of gravitation was discovered and declared by Newton, gravity itself was as yet unknown.

The Scripture writers agree in saying that God is invisible, and Christian Science goes even farther in saying that the man who is God's likeness is also invisible to material sense. Respecting this, Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 264), "As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were invisible, will become visible." These objects will have to be apprehended first mentally and spiritually, then they will take the place of the distorted views accepted by mortals as the facts of existence. This would explain the incident at Nain, when Jesus and some of his humble followers were entering that town. To mortal sense "a dead man" was being carried out for burial, but the spiritual fact must have been "clearly seen" by the Master, who said on another occasion, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death." The young man was restored to his mother, and great was the change which came over all who were present, for we read that "they glorified God," and saw, though perhaps but dimly, that He had "visited his people."

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