Article January 1, 1921 Issue

Signs of the Times

with contributions from William Temple, A. Clutton-Brock, Minosuke Yamaguchi, F. C. S. Schiller, John A. Hutton

["Real Unity"—The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, U.S.A., Nov. 13, 1920]

On page 138 of "Miscellaneous Writings," Mrs. Eddy writes, "I once thought that in unity was human strength; but have grown to know that human strength is weakness,—that unity is divine might, giving to human power, peace." In this passage Mrs. Eddy points out that the source of all unity must be divine and not human, and it is well for every one to assure himself that he is in unity with good, and not just one of an unthinking crowd that is following the multitude without knowing why or wherefore. It is the easiest thing possible to be in so-called unity with the majority in human opinion, but where does such unity sometimes lead? In the Biblical story of the Gadarene swine, the unity that existed amongst the swine led them down the steep place into the sea to their own destruction. And that, of course, is the inevitable result of unity with evil, or error. It is now more than ever necessary to be alert and watchful to see that no subtle temptation to seek an easier path is accepted, and that our real peace and safety lie in being in unity with divine might, not human strength.

On looking back at the great war something may be seen of the suffering and disaster that can be brought about by so-called unity, when that unity is based on human strength, and not on Principle. The unity of God and man can never produce discord; but its counterfeit, the unity of mortal man and evil, can produce nothing else, for it is by its nature the very essence of discord. How then can we know that we are in unity with good and not evil? Jesus gave the people of his day one unfailing proof. "By their fruits ye shall know them," and in another place he asks, "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" And Mrs. Eddy says on page 324 of Science and Health, "Unless the harmony and immortality of man are becoming more apparent, we are not gaining the true idea of God; and the body will reflect what governs it, whether it be Truth or error, understanding or belief, Spirit or matter." It is obvious that a student of mathematics will quickly find out, in working out his problems, if he has gained or is gaining a correct understanding of the rule applying to his particular branch of study. He may, however, make mistakes in cases where he has failed to grasp the rule, and these mistakes will eventually prove a blessing, as they will effectually prevent him from uniting himself altogether to the wrong interpretation of the rule, and thus landing himself in chaos.

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