Editorial September 13, 1919 Issue

Trust

Ella W. Hoag

In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (p. 171) Mrs. Eddy gives us the following epigram: "Trust in Truth, and have no other trusts." This is a statement so simple, so direct, so all-embracing in its demands, that if obeyed it will bring the reign of heaven upon earth, the perfect government of God, and thus banish all the difficulties of the world. All our fears, all our doubts, all our disappointments and discouragements, are because of lack of faith in Truth. To trust Truth to the exclusion of reliance on aught else is to rest absolutely in the assurance of the supreme governing power of God, good, no matter what the seeming may be.

There is no place and no circumstance where this complete, all-encircling faith in Truth will not act to the elimination of any seemingly opposing power. We are always trusting something that we acknowledge as power. If error seems to govern in our affairs it is because of our belief in it as a power. Then the remedy is to learn to understand Truth. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 286) Mrs. Eddy says, "The understanding of Truth gives full faith in Truth, and spiritual understanding is better than all burnt offerings." Then if one would advance in the understanding of the Science of Life he must seek Truth with all his heart. That all men shall know Truth is the will of God for all. Not only is this His will, but in Christian Science He has revealed Truth to this age in so plain a way that all are without excuse who do not avail themselves of its marvelous power.

The difficulty is that the human mind prefers its burnt offerings. It prefers to stumble along with its beliefs in matter, laying its sacrifices upon error's altar, because there is always the argument that it is the easier way. It invariably insists that it is easier to yield to error than to resist it with the truth. The unwary are thus beguiled into treading a long way which must inevitably be retraced, for every step in the wrong direction involves an equal number of steps reversed. On the contrary, each effort to follow Truth is a point gained in the pathway of overcoming evil with good. Even the least endeavor to trust Truth will be a step in the right direction, for we must all take the first step before a second is possible. We do not always find perfect results immediately, but persistent effort to hold our faith in Truth under all conditions will finally win the victory of perfect trust.

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