Editorial January 12, 1918 Issue

Outpouring

Annie M. Knott

In one of his discourses, as found in the twentieth chapter of Acts, Paul reminds his listeners of these words of Christ Jesus: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Students of the Bible are all familiar with this passage, and it is interesting to note how it relates itself to the promise found in Malachi: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." The dominant thought here is of course the divine outpouring of blessing, but it at once faces us with the fact that humanity must prepare itself to receive the divine blessing, else it comes not. Mrs. Eddy asks on page 2 of Science and Health, "Shall we plead for more at the open fount, which is pouring forth more than we accept?" It is very evident that we must enlarge our capacity for receiving the divine blessing, by emptying out of the human storehouse the material sense of substance and of good.

Recent experiences have shown very clearly that human thought is undergoing a very great change with respect to readiness in supplying quickly and adequately the needs of others, and it is no vain boast to say that the understanding of divine Science goes forth as light into the world to show how this can best be done. Time was when much pleading was needed in order to bring about the willingness to supply the needs even of those who were, according to mortal sense, most grievously afflicted, but at the present hour the wonderful and beautiful thing is the quick response which waits. for no argument but follows the example of the good Samaritan, who poured oil and wine into the wounds of the man who was not even his fellow countryman or coreligionist, and did not stop with the loving service of the hour but expressed a willingness to do more on his return journey if the need so required.

In our Master's wonderful discourse on what is usually called the last judgment we find that the severest sentence was not pronounced upon the poor and the ignorant, who in most cases sin because they do not know enough of Truth to lay hold upon the blessedness of true living. Rather did the condemnation fall upon those who were respectable and religious and who presumably were in every way able to minister to the needs of others, yet failed to do so. The picture drawn is of men arraigned before the bar of divine justice, men who pleaded with their judge that they had never neglected an opportunity to show their loyalty to the Christ, but the decision of Truth came in these words: "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me."

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