When the Christian Science movement was inaugurated, one of its avowed purposes, as is well known, was to "reinstate primitive Christianity" (Church Manual, p. 17), with special reference to the restoration of its "lost element of healing." Even a casual perusal of the history of the primitive church indicates the methods of its government, and a more careful scrutiny reveals many details which we may rightfully appropriate to our own use in these more modern days, secure in the conviction that whatever leads to a fuller knowledge of the "good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God," will enable the speedier fulfilment of our revered Leader's vision for our church organization.

A prominent characteristic of the early church was the reference of all its activities to the divine guidance, and no where is this more clearly seen than in the choice of those who were called to service in official capacity. Two such instances may be cited as illustrative of adherence to the divine government,—one the separation of Barnabas and Saul to work for which God had already chosen them, and the other the selection of "seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom," who were to be entrusted with the direct administration of the business affairs of the church. It will be noted that in both cases a special work was prepared to which the chosen were destined,—Barnabas and Saul were sent to preach the word of God, while the seven were to be appointed "over this business,"—and the selection was made with prayer and fasting, in full recognition that the gain of spiritual wisdom was essential to the expression of a safe judgment respecting so important a matter.

In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 13) Mrs. Eddy writes, "The church of Jerusalem seems to prefigure The Mother Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston," quoting as basis for her inference from a book by Benjamin Wills Newton: "The church at Jerusalem, like a sun in the center of its system, had other churches, like so many planets, revolving around it. It was strictly a mother and a ruling church." By reason of the government prescribed for the Christian Science churches, the preceding instances recorded in the book of Acts relate themselves in a peculiar way to the periodic election of our readers and our boards of directors.

The Manual of The Mother Church provides definite rules applicable to every need of our organization, and certainly the choosing of those who are to serve our churches in an official way, and of those who are to represent our cause before the world, demands a prayerful looking to and reliance upon divine wisdom. Section 1 of Article VIII points out the necessity for a consciousness purified from animosity and personal sense, of which our Master affirmed that "this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting," thus emphasizing the preparation made by the early church, and as well that which is today requisite, to the end that the exercise of choice may be unhampered by erroneous judgment, counsel, or influence. This purification of consciousness so that it shall become a transparency for the divine intelligence is furthered by the recognition that no one can be commissioned of God save those who are qualified for service, who are equipped with such spiritual endowments as will insure their efficiency.

We must not lose sight of the fact that under the divine government only those who reflect and manifest the unassailable spiritual qualities of mind which attest true fitness, worth, and readiness are fitted to fill positions of trust. Our share in the work is so to subordinate our personal desires that we shall reflect the divine intelligence and thus so work in response to divine guidance that mistakes may be avoided. Here it may not be amiss to remind ourselves of the fate of Uzzah which followed his rash attempt to steady the ark of God when it was in course of being transferred from one guardianship to another. Is not the use of political methods, the advocacy of one or another as a candidate for office in the church, simply a modern effort to accomplish that for which Uzzah met such salutary punishment? Is not the ambition for place and power, whether for one's self or for one's personal choice, and the determined effort to thwart such ambition when recognized in others, the outcropping of an attempt to interfere with divine government?

Let us briefly consider some of the mental qualities emphasized in the two passages in Acts to which we have referred, as requisite in those who are to be considered as available for an office. Honesty, spiritual-mindedness, and wisdom are named, and a glance at the characters of Saul, better known as Paul, and of Stephen, reveals moral courage, humility, uncompromising fearlessness, with broad, tolerant, and forgiving love to all mankind, as highly developed in these "chosen of God, and precious." Can we do less than recognize as paramount these and kindred mental qualities when we are called upon to exercise our most thoughtful judgement?

We should bear in mind the special qualifications of church-membership, education, devotion to duty, and unworldliness—or other-worldliness—so wisely enjoined for our guidance in the selection of readers. (See Manual, Art. III, Sects. 1 and 6.) It is also wise to exercise due care that we be not misled by certain negative conditions, and mistake self-depreciation for humility, wordy self-assertiveness for fearlessness, politic recognition of prevailing opinions for wisdom, and so on. One's fitness for any position of trust in our church organization cannot be rightly measured by one's personal following, but by individual adherence to and reflection of the divine character, the imaging forth of the godlikeness which alone measures true manhood and worth.

Entire subservience to divine direction means that the entire church-membership will be of "one accord in one place," with no subtle remnant of personal sense to hinder or delay the recognition of those whom God would approve, for, as our Leader says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 361), "the divine modes and manifestations are not those of the material senses; . . . . they are the forever-existing realities of divine Science; wherein God and man are perfect, and man's reason is at rest in God's wisdom."