THE student of Christian Science finds, early in his study, that it becomes imperative for him constantly to replace his old, false concepts of all things with the right or spiritual idea. He finds, too, that this involves the necessity of his weighing with nicety all that he has previously chosen to accept as knowledge in the balance of true understanding. He is ever obliged to cast out the host of cherished beliefs which he has been deceived into accepting as actual and true. His very first task is to correct his erroneous concept of God. He has long been familiar with the beloved disciple's declaration that God is Love, but an immeasurably broadened apprehension of God has brought to him a more impersonal sense of Deity than he has ever before possessed; for this new understanding of God includes his realization that God is Mind and Principle, and when he once discerns this, then follows logically his acceptance of Love as Mind and as Principle. He discovers that this recognition of God as divine Mind and infinite Principle lifts his entire thought of reality, Spirit, the one creator and the only creation, the spiritual universe, out of the realm of material speculation and into the sphere of scientific or metaphysical knowledge. Obviously, Mind always expresses itself through ideas and in no other way. The student learns, through practical proof, that discord of every sort is destroyed through the ever applicable Christ-understanding. Then the nothingness of matter becomes clear in the degree that the allness of Love as Mind, Spirit, Principle, is grasped.

It is little wonder, therefore, that Mrs. Eddy makes this statement in Science and Health (p. 330): "Spirit is divine Principle, and divine Principle is Love, and Love is Mind, and Mind is not both good and bad, for God is Mind; therefore there is in reality one Mind only, because there is one God." It may be seen from this simple declaration that recognizing God as Mind establishes Him plainly as incorporeal, and defining God as Principle shows that in God "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Divine Principle is absolute law, ceaselessly unfolding throughout eternity. As the great fact so simply elucidated by Mrs. Eddy, that Love is Mind and Principle, becomes better understood, it becomes obvious that the true meaning of Love will become clearer until finally all material concepts will completely disappear.

It has been said that love is the greatest thing in the world. This is readily admissible, for it is the very center and circumference of Christianity, as taught and demonstrated by its Founder. But how much of this teaching is the world accepting practically to-day? While Christ Jesus commanded his followers to love one another, pointing out that if one did not love his brother whom he had seen how could he love God whom he had not seen, yet the majority of his hearers failed utterly to gain the slightest apprehension of his words, but rejected them instead. To-day millions are nominally accepting Christianity, but are they living up to its demands? In these days, hatred and malice and all the passions of the human mind are indulged in, by such as claim to be walking in the footsteps of the master Metaphysician, though in every word and deed he proved that love is the very keystone of the arch of Christian healing. This great message of love often fell on dull ears in the first century, and it is no different to-day in what is called the present state of Christian civilization. It may be ventured that the failure of Christianity to fulfill its healing mission, all down the centuries, has been largely due to the complete ignorance of what love is. It is, therefore, of interest and value to hear what Mrs. Eddy has said in reference to what she regards as the sacred purpose of Christianity. This is recorded in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," on page 148, being contained in her address to the Concord Church: "Bear in mind always that Christianity is not alone a gift, but that it is a growth Christward; it is not a creed or dogma,—a philosophical phantasm,—nor the opinions of a sect struggling to gain power over contending sects and scourging the sect in advance of it. Christianity is the summons of divine Love for man to be Christlike—to emulate the words and the works of our great Master. To attain to these works, men must know somewhat of the divine Principle of Jesus' lifework, and must prove their knowledge by doing as he bade: 'Go, and do thou likewise.' We know Principle only through Science. The Principle of Christ is divine Love, resistless Life, and Truth."