Article December 20, 1919 Issue

The Most Convenient Season

ALICE E. RAMSAY

When Paul was accused before Felix of being "a pestilent fellow," we learn in the book of Acts that after a few days, Felix, with his wife Drusilla, sent for Paul to hear him concerning the faith of Christ; and as the prisoner "reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." In our pilgrimage Spiritward we, as students of Christian Science, meet with experiences similar to this of Felix. When the operation of divine truth in the human consciousness uncovers some hidden error,—a frailty, false belief, or latent fear,—we are prone to tremble at its seeming magnitude. Instead of instantly facing and destroying the enemy, as when David fought with Goliath, we are tempted to turn our backs upon it, hide it under cover, or gently push it aside, figuratively saying to every correcting voice: "Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee."

But why tremble at error unmasked? Mrs. Eddy has taught us in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" that one form of error is no more real than another. In fact she says clearly (p. 418): "Cast out all manner of evil. 'Preach the gospel to every creature.' Speak the truth to every form of error. Tumors, ulcers, tubercles, inflammation, pain, deformed joints, are waking dream-shadows, dark images of mortal thought, which flee before the light of Truth." Thus we see that error is not real, and therefore its seeming magnitude is but the false sense we entertain concerning it; for a lie multiplied one hundred times, still remains a lie,—false in every detail, unreal in every manifestation,—and we have but to let into our thought the light of the truth concerning the lie in order to destroy it. How clearly the Master recognized the nothingness and unreality of evil when he said: "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Quite recently the writer received a well merited rebuke along these lines, and it is with a heart full of gratitude that she would now pass on the experience to others. For years the thought of using canned goods for food had been repulsive. A latent fear of ptomaine poisoning was the basic error to be destroyed. Notwithstanding the statement of Paul that "now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation," the error had been allowed to remain undisturbed in thought. Whenever it came to the surface it had been invariably dodged or sidetracked; so there it lay, ever ready to make its appearance at the least provocation.

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