In Christian Science the student early learns that as the reflection of the divine Mind, man, the spiritual idea, is forever in his proper place, and that no condition can arise to misplace or displace God's idea. In the infinite design, God's law governs every one; and it is not only our duty but our privilege to find out what this law is, and to adjust ourselves to it. This can be done only by casting aside human will, and meekly and humbly saying, "Not my will, but thine, be done." We are all soldiers striving for good on the side of God; and clad in the armor of invincible Truth, we descend upon the seeming hosts of so-called error. Error must be recognized as nothing, through the power of Truth; for Truth is supreme, and God, good, is everywhere.

The first step is to begin to weed out of ourselves wrong thoughts, such as hatred, envy, jealousy, malice, greed, avarice, covetousness, revenge, and so forth; and if we are really and truly honest in taking this first step, we shall have little time to criticize our brother erroneously. It is well to remembers that we can work out only our own salvation, not that of our brother. It makes no difference how unkindly he may seem to act; we are not responsible for his actions; we are responsible only for our own. We should strive at all times to follow our highest sense of good and right; and if we are honest in our endeavors, we shall have no time to meddle in the seeming mistakes of our fellow-men.

After we have weeded out the wrong thoughts, the next step is to get the ground ready for the planting. If we make a study of the Bible, we shall find many exhortations along this line of endeavor. The writer has found the following passages very helpful in daily work: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths;" also, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." The things one seeks are the fruits of the Spirit,—patience, kindness, purity, obedience, generosity, honesty, sincerity, humility, love; and in return for each right endeavor the human need is always met, but not always the human want.

The student of Christian Science also learns that there is but one business,—the Father's business; and the only way to be about the Father's business is to reflect Truth and Love; therefore, we are not working primarily for a living, but to reflect the qualities of the infinite Mind. Nothing can interfere with this reflection; nothing can interrupt it, obscure it, or obstruct it; for it is infinite, immortal, indestructible, without beginning and without ending, "the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

We are here to serve and love mankind in whatever way God directs,—in the business world, each one filling his proper place, cooperating for the common good, as merchant, salesman, storekeeper, mechanic, laborer, giving value for value received, for "the labourer is worthy of his hire," or as farmer, honestly tilling the soil, doing his part in the mighty work of cooperation, and receiving a just return for his labors, but he should never forget that, while man planteth the seed, it is "God that giveth the increase." Thus, we are each doing our part in bringing to light the grand brotherhood of man when we are doing good, seeing good, loving good, and knowing good. In proportion as we bring this knowing into our daily experience, we shall find that all the added things are unfolded to us in ever increasing measure.

As we continue to work in Christian Science, we learn through experience that, if we apply the rule of divine Principle correctly, there is no mortal thought which can deprive the spiritual idea of its just reward; for man in God's image and likeness is controlled, directed, and protected by spiritual law. Neither can the spiritual capacity of man be harmed, hurt, hindered, or hampered in divine Science, for it is forever intact. It behooves each one to hasten to bring himself into obedience to God's spiritual law, which is ever in perfect operation, unfolding beauty, holiness, wisdom, life, truth, love, order, intelligence, health, happiness, harmony, and immortality.

God gave man dominion over the sea of mortal beliefs; and we must exercise this dominion, striving to hold fast to the thought that in the face of seeming defeat "the wrong cannot prosper and the right cannot fail." Whittier has very beautifully and fittingly expressed this thought:—

Love is the keynote of Christian Science; and in the practice of Christian Science the little things—the small details—count for much. It is the sin of omission as much as the sin of commission that ofttimes causes the heartache. And as we journey from material sense to Soul, it is the kind word which sends the wanderer rejoicing on his way, the cheery smile which brightens the discouraged one, the handshake which helps the weary stranger over the rough place. Thus "percept upon precept; line upon line" we advance; if we neglect to take each step, as the way unfolds, we have to retrace our footsteps; for, as Mrs. Eddy tells us in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 22), "Love means that we shall be tried and purified."

To progress along spiritual lines, we must give up our most cherished human desires if need be; for all which separates us from God, good, must be relinquished. We must be willing to accept whatever will promote the most good for the greatest number of people, and thus work out our own salvation through another's good. It is well to make a careful search and study of our Leader's writings at all times and under all circumstances; and if we earnestly seek the answer to our problem, we are sure to find it. On page 160 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," our Leader admonishes us as follows: "To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science."