Article September 22, 1923 Issue

The Effect of God's Government

MINNIE GARDNER

On page 393 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, we read, "Be firm in your understanding that the divine Mind governs, and that in Science man reflects God's government." Mrs. Eddy has written this in her chapter entitled "Christian Science Practice;" and all those who are endeavoring to practice Christian Science healing without doubt, give this passage a great deal of prayerful study and meditation. When confronted with any error, physical or mental, or any inharmonious condition whatsoever, to be able immediately to repudiate the error with the firm understanding that divine Mind, God, governs, would be to restore health and harmony.

But how are we going to attain to this understanding? We must begin with the simple statement that God is All, which proclaims the greatest, the most powerful truth that ever has been or ever shall be given to mankind; for, if we could but realize it, and govern our thoughts, our speech, our actions by it, we should then ascent to the Father. We know, however, that we must work out our own salvation; and, having accepted the spiritual fact that God is All, reasoning from this basis we shall ultimately arrive at a clear and firm understanding that God, and He alone, governs all His creation, from the smallest idea to the highest,—man, the perfect man, created in His own likeness. God is the one perfect Being, from whom all good emanates: and man is His image and likeness. This being so, it is seen that man must be entirely good, expressing absolute perfection.

The beginner in Christian Science, having reasoned out these facts for himself and been convinced of their truth, may still feel that the perfect, God-governed man is very far from the suffering, discordant mortal which he calls himself; but, being in earnest, his greatest desire will be to attain to the realization of man's true existence as God's child. On page 427 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy tells us that "immortal Mind, governing all, must be acknowledged as supreme in the physical realm, so-called, as well as in the spiritual." God is supreme everywhere, at all times, and nothing real can possibly be excluded from His government. In order to experience physical healing, so called, we must acknowledge God's supremacy,—in other words, keep the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The truth understood destroys false belief, and the result is physical healing. To believe that any false belief can cause suffering, even in the least degree, to any of God's ideas, is having other gods, or breaking the First Commandment. The Bible contains many promises that they who keep the Commandments will be healed of their diseases, and that they who acknowledge God's government and are obedient to it will be cared for and abundantly supplied with good.

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