Editorial October 28, 1922 Issue

Duty

Duncan Sinclair

The conscientious part of mankind is often deeply concerned about its duty. And rightly so; for the simple reason that it knows that unless its duty be defined to it, its actions are liable to be erratic and to produce results the very opposite of desirable. But as to what precisely is the duty of men, and what exactly should determine it, are questions which are wrapped in mystery to the great majority, because they are not in possession of that spiritual understanding of God which is the basis of all right thinking and all right acting.

The Christian Scientist should never be at a loss concerning his duty. Through his study of Christian Science has not his highest duty been defined to him in terms of love to God and man? On a certain occasion, Christ Jesus, in reply to the pharisaical lawyer, stated it in the most simple and explicit language. The lawyer's question was, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus answered: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Two great commandments, indeed! And two commandments which constitute themselves the guide to the whole duty of mankind. That this is recognized in Christian Science is clearly shown by Mrs. Eddy's words in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 496): "You will learn that in Christian Science the first duty is to obey God, to have one Mind, and to love another as yourself."

Christian duty, then, is of a twofold nature, in that it is due first to God, and secondly to man. The first becomes plain as God's real being begins to be correctly understood. To the Christian Scientist, God is no longer mysterious and undefined, or looked upon as existing apart from and perhaps afar off from His creation. God is now known, through Christian Science, as the divine Principle of all real being, as the fixed and absolutely perfect Principle of spiritual creation, never separate from it, but always guiding, and perfectly governing every idea of that creation, including man. As men know this truth, they learn to allow their thoughts to be controlled by it, instead of allowing themselves to be influenced by and subject to the vacillating, erroneous hypotheses or beliefs of the so-called human mind; and this obedience to Truth is the fulfilling of one's duty to God. In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 147) Mrs. Eddy has written: "The upright man is guided by a fixed Principle."

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October 28, 1922
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