Article April 29, 1922 Issue

"A time to break down"

CORNELIA MOORE

The attendance at the Church of Christ, Scientist, of which the writer was a member had almost outgrown the seating capacity of the building. A meeting was called to appoint a committee whose duty it would be to find a suitable site for a larger building. The writer had long felt it a privilege to do her part of the metaphysical work on every problem that arose; but on this occasion the tempter whispered: Inasmuch as you will be leaving the city soon, this work does not concern you. However, she soon saw the subtlety of the error that would have liked to cheat her out of the blessings to be derived from such work; and she realized that the Christian Scientist is in his place, and should be doing his work there every minute. To atone for her remissness in thus having listened, even for a moment, to the tempter, she went to work with unusual vigor on the subject of church building.

She took her Concordances and studied many passages in the Bible and in our Leader's writings on the subject. Among them was this from Ecclesiates: "A time to break down, and a time to build up." The "break down" part did not seem to be what she was after at all; so she passed it over. It refused, however, to be so summarily dismissed; and, long after she had gone about other duties, "a time to break down" kept saying itself over and over to her. For a time she paid little heed; but it contiued to clamor so loudly that, finally, she was forced to give it attention. Then she asked herself: Why has this little phrase of five short words come down to us intact, through all the many translations and vicissitudes of our English Bible? It could not have been just to fill up space, but must be for a good, wise purpose. Now she saw that, metaphysically, this breaking down could only mean the elimination of wrong thinking. The old building (wrong thinking) must be broken down, and the rubbish removed before a new one could be erected on the same spot.

The whole picture was graphically presented to her soon after this, in the removal of a large old church from a valuable lot near her home to make room for a modern building. For many days the workmen were busy removing the timbers and other material from the interior without making any change in the external appearance, except that the doors and windows were open, and the passing in and out of the workmen made it evident that something was going on. Then the windows came out, the doors came off, the steeple came down, and brick by brick the walls came down; finally, the last brick and the last particle of débris were removed. Despite the fact that at certain stages of the demolition there was no change apparent to the eye of the onlooker for days together, the workmen went about their task each day with full confidence and assurance that the desired end would ultimately be attained. As the beholder realized this her heart cried out, Why cannot the Christian Scientist go about his work of extermination error with the same degree of confidence and assurance as is being here manifested? The answer came: He can; yea, he must, or else he merits the rebuke administered to him that wavereth, "Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." Why, indeed, should not the Christian Scientist have as much confidence in his God-given powers, as set forth in the Holy Scriptures and clearly elucidated in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, as the workmen in material things have in the power of their own hands.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Scientific Right Thinking