Article June 17, 1922 Issue

Knowing the Truth

WILFRID S. ILIFF

When the great Master, addressing his fellow-countrymen, said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," he received the scornful reply that they were never in bondage and, consequently, there was nothing from which they needed to be made free. This brought forth further instruction from Jesus, which, judging by the subsequent verses, his listeners quite failed to grasp. How many people of the present day are aware that they are in bondage, and, more important still, that complete freedom awaits them here and now? The verse above quoted surely also means that if one does not know the truth he will continue in bondage; and on page 184 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says, "Belief produces the results of belief, and the penalties it affixes last so long as the belief and are inseparable from it."

My first glimpse of what belief is, and what it means to know the truth, occurred after I had just commenced to study Science and Health. Knowing little or nothing of Christian Science, I was called upon suddenly about midnight to aid my baby boy, who appeared to be choking. Full of fear, I took him in my arms and commenced by declaring the allness of God. Thoughts of failure, and the attendant consequences for ignoring the world's method of seeking health seemed to crowd into consciousness. Material sense argued that it was little short of madness to continue, the child meanwhile becoming worse. However, after a while, as I denied the error, and vehemently affirmed the allness of the creator, thought became calmer; and, finally, the truth was demonstrated, the baby being completely healed. What a joy it was, the realization that I had proved His power and love! Further lessons, in which there were failures as well as triymphs, strengthened my confidence in God; and little by little I learned to turn instinctively to Him, who healeth all our diseases. Soon came a further opportunity of learning more of what knowing the truth does for mankind. I had always been a martyr to seasickness. Like many others I accepted the bondage as a natural failing or weakness. Never had the thought occurred that the was all caused by not knowing the truth. Yet, nothing else brought about such misery and discomfort. Freedom came quite suddenly when I realized that neither the vessel nor the sea, separately or conjointly, had any power whatever over me, and that "the heavens declare the glory of God." What a holiday it was! The freedom of being able to walk anywhere on the ship, to gaze at the waves, and to partake of my meals, was a tremendous event. Greater, however, was the spiritual uplift that followed, and the knowledge that all the previous suffering had been unnecessary, and simply a belief in error—the outcome of failing to know the truth. Since then, I have had further proof that the healing is complete, having traveled some four hundred miles in quite a small vessel, thoroughly enjoying the trip, notwithstanding the fact that the steamer danced upon the waves in a merry fashion.

Freedom has also been mine in another and quite unlooked-for direction, namely, health. I did not come to Christian Science for physical healing; but the truth has shown me that what I believed to be health was the counterfeit of the harmony, health, and peace which are mine now. We undoubtedly have experienced and are still experiencing a lot of unnecessary suffering. The whole world is witnessing scenes of sorrow, sin, discord, simply through failure to know the truth—the truth about God and His universe. As one of our hymns puts it,

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