Article December 27, 1919 Issue

A Victory Behind the Lines

HERBERT M. GEORGE

Not all of the battles in France were fought in the front line trenches during the recent war. There were many mental battles waged behind the lines, of which the world is hearing through the Wednesday evening testimony meetings and the Christian Science periodicals. The soldiers fought some of these battles alone with God, some with the aid of their comrades, and others with the assistance rendered by the Christian Science War Relief workers. The workers, too, had their battles.

The Lesson-Sermon on the subject of "Unreality" reminded the writer of a very interesting engagement with the common enemy, called by Paul "the carnal mind." One of the Bible references in this lesson was from the tenth chapter of Matthew. The Master was giving instructions to his disciples preparatory to sending them forth to preach the gospel and heal the sick. He told them that they would be delivered up to councils and scourged in the synagogues and brought before governors and kings for his sake; but they should take no thought as to how or what they should speak, because God would give them what they should speak.

The writer was engaged in Christian Science War Relief work in one of the hospital centers in France, and accepted an invitation one noon to mess with the officers, who were all doctors. It was an exceedingly busy hour for the worker. Material sense found some very willing mouthpieces in the group seated at the mess table. A malicious attack was made upon what they conceived to be Christian Science. If Christian Science had really been what they thought, the attack would have been justified and their objective attained,—that of stopping all Christian Science activities. While the grenades and bombs of the carnal mind were exploding all about the immediate vicinity of the worker, he withdrew mentally into "the secret place of the most High." Thus abiding "under the shadow of the Almighty," angels ministered unto him. He knew that divine Love would give him "a mouth and wisdom" which adversaries would "not be able to gainsay nor resist." When the barrage of error lifted, the truth was spoken. The effect was to let loose the batteries of mortal mind in a controversy against the truth.

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A Victory Behind the Lines

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