Editorial April 10, 1920 Issue

Before the Whole World

Gustavus S. Paine

In many a case Christ Jesus proved, before the very eyes of the multitude, the power of God to heal. "When he was come down from the mountain," Matthew tells us, for instance, "great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them." Clearly this healing, which was instantaneous, was so thorough that it could satisfy the most skeptical. Though there was no reason for exhibiting it ostentatiously—and the best way is always to go forward quietly—the healing was, like true healing, complete according to any possible standard, as any one who might care to investigate could ascertain. "When the multitudes saw it," we are told in connection with the healing of the one sick of the palsy, "they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men."

Thus each one who is healed by the understanding of Truth should go quietly about his business, rejoicing that Principle maintains completely right action. There is, however, nothing secret about the Principle and effective practice of true healing. One must not be in the slightest afraid of publicity, if it seems to come. The most searching scrutiny turned upon Christian Science can find only good as the reality. Of course the flamboyant spreading broadcast of un-assimilated statements is ridiculous. So, too, is the telling of one's experience before one has learned in any degree what an overturning the real healing has involved and accomplished. Still the fact remains, that should any one, whether friendly or apparently antagonistic, discern the healing process that has been going on, there is no danger whatever to any one in such a discovery. Instead of fearing or regretting, one must rejoice that divine intelligence takes entire care of its activity. Even the onlooker who jeers will soon learn humility and appreciation before the demonstrated goodness of God.

Throughout her experience Mrs. Eddy proved this. While the world watched with open scorn and with mailcious desire for the defeat of her work, she continued with patient consecration her daily proving that the divine Mind heals all manner of wrong conditions. As she declared in her Message for 1901 (p. 28), "Sacred history shows that those who have followed exclusively Christ's teaching, have been scourged in synagogues and persecuted from city to city. But this is no cause for not following it; and my only apology for trying to follow it is that I love Christ more than all the world, and my demonstration of Christian Science in healing has proven to me beyond a doubt that Christ, Truth, is indeed the way of salvation from all that worketh or maketh a lie." So she found to her joy that activity in accordance with Principle cannot really be attacked by any supposition of trouble, for divine intelligence with its manifestation forever resists any such supposititious attacks as fully as the light resists the darkness.

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