TO become conscious of that peace and joy which is the rightful possession of all mankind, we must realize that we are dependent upon God alone. For the Christian Scientist who, each day and many times a day, is declaring mentally or audibly, "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all" (Science and Health, p. 468), the realization of his utter dependence upon God, Mind, would seem to follow as a matter of course; but the suppositional, material opposite of this one and only Mind has for so long been mistaken for reality that it takes earnest and persistent effort to overcome the habit of expecting to receive good from a material source.

Man, who is forever dependent on Spirit for health, happiness, and immortality, is seemingly counterfeited in so-called material man who is always looking to some material circumstances to improve his condition. Depending upon matter for health, a man can feel little security; for does not matter claim to give disease and death as well as health and life? Even when, through the study of Christian Science, thought has begun to turn to Mind for health, previous material health laws relating to food, air, exercise, and so on, may linger in human thought to prevent the realization of that perfect health which comes from dependence upon Spirit alone. It is well to remember that it is always error, not Truth, that tells a man he is dependent upon something besides Spirit for harmonious existence. God is not the author of material law and man is not in bondage to it. Man exists under the changeless law of Mind. We must know our way out of a false sense of law; and whatever can be done to-day had best be done to-day. There is no more convenient season. It is manifestly impossible to live beyond one's understanding; but Christian Science demands that we prove understanding as rapidly as possible and live up to it. Says Paul, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

The student of Christian Science should find it no more difficult to rely on God for his supply than for his health. His desire for enough is a righteous one. Failure to understand Jesus' teaching on this subject is doubtless responsible for a more or less general impression that a Christian should be satisfied with little. A world whose substance is matter reads the advice of the Master to the rich young man, "Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor," and goes on its way, sorrowing; but awakening spiritual thought grasps the vital import of the accompanying promise, "Thou shalt have treasure in heaven," and follows the spiritual idea with rejoicing. Jesus' life was devoted to showing mankind this treasure in heaven, this practical understanding of ever present Life, Truth, and Love, which healed the sick, raised the dead, stilled the tempest, and replaced lack with abundance. Is it possible to have this treasure and lack any good thing?

So long as a man depends on matter for supply he can never be free from a sense of limitation. So-called material wealth will not free him. Do not the material senses say there is both want and plenty? They would give us abundance to-day and take it all away to-morrow. "This night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" pictures the helpless poverty of the man who thinks he has found supply outside of Spirit. Since there is in reality no matter, but only a false sense of something besides Spirit, he who believes he has material wealth and depends on it for supply is after all only entertaining an erroneous sense which separates him from real riches just as completely as though he believed he had no supply and nothing to depend on because he had no money in the bank.

Here the query naturally arises: Are we depending on matter for supply and have we nothing that is real and permanent because we cannot yet multiply the loaves and take coil from the fish's mouth? On page 442 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy answers this question thus: "Christ, Truth, gives mortals temporary food and clothing until the material, transformed with the ideal, disappears, and man is clothed and fed spiritually." How can this be true in our daily living? How can we know that it is Christ, Truth, that is giving us our food and clothing? How can we know that we are not depending on a false sense of supply that may fail us any moment? These questionings are profitable, for they compel us all to examine our thoughts, and there we shall find our answers. Each one can know for himself, and no one else can know, to what extent his sense of supply is based on the spiritual man's possession of all things because of his unfailing reflection of Mind. Every one can watch his own thought processes and learn for himself how much he is depending on uncertain material conditions and even more uncertain human personalities for his supply. Each one can likewise know which dependence brings him peace and joy, and which fills his days and often nights with fear and anxiety. Dependence upon Spirit sets a man free from any irksome sense of earning a living. The gift of God is eternal living. Each one's part is joyously to express the intelligent activity of Mind. He who is intelligently depending on Spirit learns that his supply is always the same; it is only his sense of supply that varies and that only in illusion or supposition. The true relationship between Mind and its idea, man, is presented by these words from one of Jesus' parables, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine." Can all change?

On page 60 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy has written, "Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul." How many hearts have overflowed with gratitude for this statement of revealed Truth! The human heart, though yearning for happiness, finds it difficult to part with those material habits of thought which continually rob it of happiness. Remembrance of past joys or past sorrows, discontent with the present, doubts and fears for the future, claims presence and activity as consciousness until conquered by the steadfast purpose of the student to have one Mind. The arguments that claim to separate a man from the happiness he craves claim also to be infinite in number and variety for the very simple reason that these arguments, having no real entity, exist only as suppositional opposites of the countless joy-bringing thoughts with which Mind is forever blessing its idea, man.

The belief that we are being unkindly or unjustly treated, that those who should love and encourage us are cold and critical or perhaps even skeptical of our sincerity, the temptation to yield to self-pity because of human selfishness and indifference, even these beliefs should not be difficult to take into the realm of pure Mind for healing. When the human mind has become sufficiently humble to admit its own nothingness and acknowledge the allness of divine Mind, it becomes clear that those errors which this mind claims to be supported by material facts have no more reality than those which this same mind classifies as purely imaginary. Then we shall no longer believe we can suffer for another's fault but shall rejoice in the understanding that, as Mrs. Eddy says (Science and Health, p. 57), "Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love."

Copyright, 1921, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.