"Thou hast no enemies"

The man who understands the metaphysical fact that infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation is All-in-all has no enemies; and in knowing this, such a man is loving his enemies. The reason for this statement is that the very perception that divine Truth and its expression is all that really exists, is the surest way, in this human sense of things, of destroying any belief of evil. Such perception, if thoroughly established, not only helps the one who believes he has enemies to see that he has none, but aids in healing any belief of tendencies in others, seemingly aimed toward himself. And healing is truly loving. This is the divine way of rebuking and of loving any supposed enemies. The writings of Mrs. Eddy show this, one of her statements, on page 30 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," being: "If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we shall loathe sin and rebuke it under every mask. Only in this way can we bless our enemies, though they may not so construe our words." And in "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy says (p. 9), "'Love thine enemies' is identical with 'Thou hast no enemies.'"

Meaning the same thing, although stated in words that seem to indicate something different, is the passage in the Bible, where God, the great I am, speaks to the children of Israel through the understanding of Moses, and says: "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. . . But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries." Of course, this does not mean that God, divine Principle, is an adversary to anything that really exists or that He is a destroyer of men. It signifies merely the same truth that is contained in the statement quoted above from Science and Health; namely, that Principle and its effect constitutes all there is, and is infinitely good. This leaves no room for evil, or any belief in it, and any supposed wrong manifestation is thus destroyed. Hate and good cannot abide together in the same place. Good being the only presence, anything that would claim to be an opposite of good, or God, would be asserting itself to be more than all there is, and this is an impossibility. If one will apply this truth to any belief of hate or enmity or revenge that seems to be present in his thought, he will demonstrate that Principle is indeed the one cause and has never brought forth anything evil.

Considering another as an enemy is no more legitimate than believing that sickness is real. Healing does not proceed from such a condition of thought. One practicing Christian Science could not possibly expect to go on being of service to the world in healing what is wrong while at the same time having an untrue thought concerning another. Good, or holiness, or healing, is present in a man's experience only in proportion as evil is absent. God is, and is eternal only because of the everlasting fact that He contains no evil or element of destruction. If He knew any destroying force and so contained it, He who is infinite Mind would not be endless Life. What is true of God must be true of His image and likeness, the spiritual man. This man cannot have knowledge of evil, such as hate, because he would then suffer destruction, and as he reflects the eternal, and so is eternal, he has no sense of untrue conditions. Now all this is the only basis from which the human being can work. Just as surely as he hugs to himself the slightest bit of wrong thinking, and believes that he has enemies who should be hated and bitterly condemned, he is inviting disaster—not to those who he supposes are his opponents, but to himself.

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Supply Made Manifest
April 24, 1920
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