Editorial July 15, 1922 Issue

Progress

Duncan Sinclair

Every sincere student of Christian Science is desirous of making progress. It may be that at the very beginning of his study of Christian Science he had the experience of a healing from, perhaps, some disease that had baffled all attempts to cure it by prevalent material methods of treatment. The experience was a wonderful one to him; but he felt, great as it was, as if he had only made the humblest beginning in a subject which he was certain dealt with the fundamental truths of being. He had commenced the study, however; and he recognized that it was for him to persevere in it, in order to reach some of those heights of demonstration attained by the revelator of spiritual law, Jesus the Christ.

Now it may be asked, How does the Christian Scientist know when he is progressing? What test can he apply to learn whether he is making headway or not? Mrs. Eddy answers the questions in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," on page 324, where she writes: "Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear,—this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress." One of the first revelations the beginner in Christian Science receives is that matter is unreal, and that material sense is entirely delusive with regard to real or spiritual being. Having begun to realize what the revelation implies, he commences the journey out of material sense by means of spiritual understanding. He rejoices in the destruction of the erroneous sense of being; for it means "the purification of sense and self," itself "a proof of progress." Conversely, it must be obvious that the man who continues to indulge in sensuous gratification cannot be making progress towards "the ultimate harmonv."

It is not difficult for any one to act as judge upon himself on the question as to whether he is becoming free from the thralldom of material sense. Yet, there is a further test which every Christian Scientist knows from experience to be one of the best that can be made. Mrs. Eddy states the substance of it on page 233 of Science and Health: "Every day makes its demands upon us for higher proofs rather than professions of Christian power. These proofs consist solely in the destruction of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit, as Jesus destroyed them. This is an element of progress, and progress is the law of God, whose law demands of us only what we can certainly fulfil." Profession without practice is the cloak which mortal mind throws over itself to hide its hypocrisy. It is an easy snare for the unwary. The Christian Scientist should be able to establish the sincerity of his professions by demonstrable proofs; and these proofs "consist solely in the destruction of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit." He can measure the progress he is making by the facility with which that triad of errors disappears before his understanding of divine Principle. The purer we are,—that is to say the higher we have risen in the understanding of spiritual being,—the better able are we to destroy those enemies of the human race, sin, sickness, and death; and our ability to bring about such a result is at once the measure of our purification and of our progress.

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