Perfectibility Is Scientific

LEONARD ANN

Can there be anything more encouraging than to become conscious of the fact that there is a law of happiness, that the attainment of this law is not a question of chance or uncertainty, but that perfect happiness can be obtained just in proportion to our desire and willingness to recognize the Science of Christianity, and to work with the knowledge that there can be no fortuitous circumstances, no good or bad luck, but simply the reward of correct understanding bringing about results as certain and as sure as the answer which must follow the correct working out of a mathematical calculation? What an incentive to the seeker for Truth when the fact dawns on him that progress is in direct proportion to his faithful adherence to the facts of Life which he is perceiving. The work of the Christian Scientist is to watch and pray, to know that perfectibility is scientific and the demand of God to man, that nothing short of this exact standard understood, accepted, meditated upon, and daily and hourly acted upon can bring to bear the power of Truth which will scientifically destroy error in the innumerable forms in which it seeks to present itself as reality.

Let a man commence the day with the determination to keep before him the fact of man's spiritual perfection, and an equal determination to act upon this fact and make it practical, and he will find that he is measuring his thoughts and actions by a higher standard than he had before thought possible; then there will be a rejection of much that does not measure up to this perfect standard. As this process is faithfully and consistently held to, the metaphysical uncovering of error and the destruction of both itself and its effects progresses in direct ratio, and the results are apparent in advancement based upon understanding, where every step is sure and certain and there is no return to past mistakes, for there can be no loss of that understanding which has been earned through experience put to the test and bearing the fruits of proof.

The statement of Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect," or as with even added emphasis it appears in the following form in the American Revised Version of the New Testament, "Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect," is crystal clear and the practical operation is plainly pointed out by Mrs. Eddy in the following passage from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 476-477 ): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." This loving demand is really a metaphysical necessity, and in proportion to its acceptance as such, and the faithfulness with which the endeavor is made to bring all thoughts into line with this perfect standard, will health, joy, happiness,—the attributes of God,—be expressed in our daily experience.

Surely there can be no more or less, no near enough, no condonation or excuse. Christianity being Science, must be exact, and that which is the outcome of God, who is unchanging Love, can only work for good, can only help and protect, and bring about those conditions which with infinite tenderness and gentleness lead along the path of individual spiritual advancement. Perceiving the operation of this law of Love, the seeker for Truth is no longer an optimist in the ordinarily accepted sense of the word, for he has ceased to believe in a law of chance, and although the substanceless beliefs called optimism and pessimism may for a time continue to present themselves for acceptance, it is found that the only real optimism can be that which is founded on the metaphysical fact of the allness of God, and man in His image and likeness. This understanding can only be obtained by individually working out one's own salvation with faithful persistence, earning and deserving each step of progress until all doubts and fears are relegated to the past and in their place are found health, happiness, and the knowledge of man's dominion over all the earth.

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