Editorial January 10, 1920 Issue

Be a Law to Yourself

William P. McKenzie

Knowing the character of a man one can usually predict what he will do. The courageous man will rise above whelming fear, the courteous man will be polite regardless of insult, the merciful man will show favor, and the kind man will be generous. The ill doer is also true to type; hence the Scripture, "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still;" but herein also the other fact is recognized, because it is further said, "He that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still," and the continuation of the passage is interesting: "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." This expectation brings comfort to all who are willing to say of Mind, "How I love thy law."

We are aware, then, of right activity in the world, and we can observe wrong actions also; that is, we see men engaged in manly practice, or else in malpractice, concerning which Mrs. Eddy declares in "Rudimental Divine Science" (p. 9): "The basis of malpractice is in erring human will, and this will is an outcome of what I call mortal mind,—a false and temporal sense of Truth, Life, and Love. To heal, in Christian Science, is to base your practice on immortal Mind, the divine Principle of man's being; and this requires a preparation of the heart and an answer of the lips from the Lord."

One may say of the malpractitioner that he loses his individuality in trying to be some one other than himself, or else in trying to persuade others to become subordinate to his own changing mortal self. He wants to be a power in the world and conform human beings to his will, hence tries to project himself into spheres where he has no right to enter. When he interferes with others he causes discord continually; he will not enter into peace himself, yet hinders those who are trying to find the way to harmony. In short, he acts like the operators of Jesus' day of whom the Master said, "They bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers."

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