Article January 2, 1915 Issue

God's Work and Man's Work

HELEN WARD BANKS

One Christian Scientist who was earnestly seeking to live by the truth set forth in Science and Health, found a sentence in the book that seemed difficult of comprehension. "Your true course is to destroy the foe, and leave the field to God" (p. 419). This seemed puzzling to her, for if the foe were destroyed would not the field be won?

One day an incident occurred that disturbed the student greatly. It was a case of injustice, and it seemed proper to be indignant, even though the indignation destroyed her harmony. Then to her mind came the words, "Destroy the foe, and leave the field to God." Suddenly she understood their meaning. Her foe was whatever took her out of the kingdom of heaven; and she could not dwell there while entertaining a sense of annoyance which was a tacit acknowledgment of a power opposed to God. The justice or the injustice of the case did not lie in her hands; that was God's business. Her part was to destroy her own belief in a foe and leave the situation to God.

It was only necessary to do what our Master bids us, namely, "Enter into thy closet, and ... shut thy door." This means, as interpreted by Mrs. Eddy, to "close the lips and silence the material senses" (Science and Health, p. 15), to know once more that God is omnipotent good and that the serenity of man as His reflection cannot be disturbed. A few moments of prayer brought calm and cheerfulness, and she was entirely sure that now, her foe being destroyed, she could safely "leave the field" to divine justice.

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