Editorial December 9, 1916 Issue

Holding Fast

Annie M. Knott

In Paul's second epistle to Timothy he says, "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus." Christian people in all the centuries have undoubtedly seen the importance of heeding this admonition, but in some cases they have been led astray by what the apostle calls "doubtful disputations," by personal opinions, or by material considerations. Paul himself makes it clear how we may hold fast "that good thing" which has been committed unto us, when he says that we should keep it "by the Holy Ghost." From the Christian Science viewpoint this would mean that we can only hold fast to the truth by understanding the divine Science of being, which is also the Science of the Scriptures, and which compels us to turn away from mere personal opinion, our own or that of others, and to take every problem direct to divine Principle.

In time of trial or temptation the Christian Scientist knows that he can only emerge safely from the shadows of mortal belief by holding fast to what he knows of the truth, yet the temptation often is to cling to mortal evidence and to listen to the arguments of personal sense, which would make it difficult to overcome the seeming conditions, whether these be expressed through sickness and suffering or some other phase of mortal discord; but all the while the one important thing to be done is to "hold fast that which is good."

It is well known by all students of human experience that tremendous impressions for good have been made from time to time upon human consciousness through the work and teachings of some great thinker, but it is also too evident that these teachings, whether they were along strictly religious lines or dealt specifically with some phase of human progress, seemed to lose their value after a time, because the high ideal of the original thinker had been obscured by poor interpreters, who substituted their own imperfect views for the high ideals offered to the race.

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