Article July 30, 1921 Issue

The Straight and Narrow Way

ROBERT RAMSEY

In the seventh chapter of the gospel of Matthew we read, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." The present day application of this passage is made clear in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, on page 233, where we read: "Every day makes its demands upon us for higher proofs rather than professions of Christian power. These proofs consist solely in the destruction of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit, as Jesus destroyed them. This is an element of progress, and progress is the law of God, whose law demands of us only what we can certainly fulfil." To make the matter absolutely clear it is necessary to consider another passage from Science and Health (p. 72), "Mortal belief (the material sense of life) and immortal Truth (the spiritual sense) are the tares and the wheat, which are not united by progress, but separated."

Every mortal, then, is each day faced with what he calls his human life problem. This human sense of being and all that it includes would, if it were real, be a mixture of tares and wheat; but since a mixture of error and truth cannot really exist, this suppositional mixture is not scientifically real but is a counterfeit. This counterfeit, like any other counterfeit, cannot be made into a reality, but as progress separates from the wheat and destroys the tares of sin, sickness, and death, the counterfeit is dissipated and real life is found, through spiritual sense, to be the reflection of principle. Any belief in the reality of the human, or mixture of wheat and tares, inevitably leads to destruction, for every counterfeit must be destroyed.

The Christian Science Sentinel was established by Mrs. Eddy to guard the way to Life, and warn travelers of the broad ways which lead to destruction. These broad ways are many in number but some of them seem more in the road of the journeying Scientist than others. Every day it is demanded of the Scientist that he journey along the narrow way leading from material sense to spiritual sense. Every day material sense throws its unreal, but seemingly very real, difficulty in the human path. Temptation comes to leave the narrow way where the difficulty seems to be and take one of the broader ways which seem more easy. Reason and revelation, however, have placed signposts in front of all these wide gates and broad ways, and Christian Science enables the traveler to understand these signs.

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