"Ready to distribute"

When Christ Jesus commanded his apostles to "go ... into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," he set a task to which all earnest Christians must in some degree address themselves: for true discipleship with the Nazarene connotes obedience to his commands, in both their spirit and their letter; and without the former the latter is of no avail. This admonition translated into terms of present-day conditions, however, might well be understood to include the employment of modern methods of disseminating knowledge, unknown to the early Christians. For example, the gospel tidings may be carried through the medium of that "silent witness," the printed page, no less successfully, perhaps, than by the spoken word. Moreover, that a personal messenger "to every creature"—that is, to all mankind—would be quite impracticable of demonstration, is too obvious to need comment; that the printed word is both practicable and efficacious is equally apparent.

The children of Israel, even in their most sacred communications, both written and spoken, employed language expressed in an imagery derived from the daily experiences of a pastoral people. The planting, tending, and harvesting of the crops, the husbandry of cattle and sheep, were the prolific sources from which emanated the beautiful and inspiring figures which adorn the sacred pages of Scripture. To these faithful tillers of the soil the parables of the sower, of the vineyard, of the tares and the wheat, contained no unfamiliar metaphor. To them it was inevitable that the seed of Truth implanted in the soil of right desire, tended and nurtured in love, should bring forth an abundant harvest. Likewise, Mary Baker Eddy, in conveying her revelation to a waiting world, made good use of these familiar figures; and now "the fruit of the Spirit," the parent vine and its branches, "the full corn in the ear," find fitting place in the songs of rejoicing sung by Truth's happy harvesters. On page xi of the Preface to "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy states, "When God called the author to proclaim His Gospel to this age, there came also the charge to plant and water His vineyard." The care of the vineyard, so wisely and successfully planted by our revered Leader, now devolves upon those willing toilers who, having partaken of the fruits of her labors, rejoice in the opportunity to share the blessings which invariably reward the faithful husbandmen of Love's vineyard. The sowing of good seed, true ideas, upon the waiting soil,—thought prepared to receive it,—the tending of the plants, the joy at the unfoldment of bud and blossom, the ripening of the fruits, each after its own kind, constitute an example of divine Mind's operation and care which brings to both him who tends and him who shares a deep sense of grateful thanksgiving. And the ripened grain again scattered abroad in turn finds other receptive states of thought, takes root, and repeats the never ending process of unfoldment, with its fruitage of love, humility, obedience, purity, and spiritual living.

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial
"Avoid voicing error"
March 11, 1922
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit