Unity in Principle

Albert F. Gilmore

In his epistle to the Christians in Ephesus, Paul admonishes the brethren to establish unity, the better to escape being tossed about by the diverse winds of doctrine and the machinations of evil men. He impressively exhorts his brethren to hold fast to the doctrine of the Master, "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

A new shade of meaning is given to the passage by a recent translator of the New Testament. "And reach mature manhood, and that full measure of development found in Christ," he renders the last two clauses. Manifestly, this translator sees man's goal of perfection in the Christ, which Mrs. Eddy in part defines in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 583) as "the divine manifestation of God." Paul apparently saw man's true unity in the understanding of divine Principle, wherein all are brethren, since spiritual man is the idea or emanation of the one Mind, which is God.

In the passage quoted the apostle gives explicit directions whereby men may establish true unity, ceasing from strife and contention, from enmity and hatred, from self-seeking, envy, and jealousy; in brief, from all malevolence which, through engendering variance, would keep apart those who are in reality brethren. Unity in faith is indeed a bond of brotherhood, for the mere fact of faith in a common cause tends to unite. But knowledge of the Son of God, that is, of the Christ, is the surer bond of unity; for such knowledge, involving as it does the truth about God and man, reveals the true brotherhood, man's unity with the Christ in divine Principle. Herein is the basis of true brotherhood, whereby is established man's oneness with the Father, which constitutes all men brethren.

This, manifestly, is a purely spiritual state, to be gained only through spiritual understanding. Mortals appear to be kept apart by the very diversity of personalities; spiritual men are united in the common qualities derived from our Father-Mother God. Mrs. Eddy sets this forth with characteristic clarity and forcefulness in Science and Health (pp. 469, 470). "With one Father, even God," she declares, "the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science." United in the one Mind, the family of spiritual men knows nothing of the differences which tend to separate and prevent mortals from recognizing the reality of existence in which all of God's children are united.

The Psalmist, foreseeing the joy to be found in true brotherhood, exclaimed, "How good ... it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Christian Scientists have tasted these joys in greater degree, perhaps, than any other body of Christians since the early disciples; and to them have been revealed the true bonds of unity and the means of their attainment. Yet it would seem this unity often fails of realization because differences arise due to lack of spiritual vision. Ambition, wrong desire, envy, and jealousy separate where there should be experienced unity, harmony, and peace.

How often does this condition obtain among a small band of Christian Scientists working to establish the Cause of Christ on a firm basis! And while perhaps successfully demonstrating the power of the living Christ in healing disease, yet in meeting and solving the problems concerning branch church organization and government, it often seems that vision is greatly beclouded. The desire to have one's own way, and that all too often not the way of Truth; ambition for place, and the power which is thought to attach to position; the desire for a personal following in order that personality may be exalted above one's fellows; the fear of obscurity that is thought to mean defeat,—all these and many other chimeras serve to prevent that unity of purpose, thought, and deed which constitutes the strong defense against the evils common to mankind. For those seeking divine guidance, humility and love for mankind are factors in demonstrating the brotherhood of man.

If there sometimes seems to be lack of harmony in the Christian Science churches, may it not be due to the tremendous efforts made by evil to withstand the growth of the movement which is its greatest enemy? Evil's chief triumph would be so to set Christian Scientists at variance as to render their efforts futile. A common wile of the enemy is to weaken by separation. Were workers in truth fully awake to these conditions, they would meet the situation by turning to the divine Source of all good, there finding perfect unity in the perpetual harmony of the one unchanging divine Mind.

In the opening paragraph of the first chapter of Science and Health our Leader, speaking from experience, declares, "Prayer, watching, and working, combined with selfimmolation, are God's gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind." Surely prayer, watching, working, and self-immolation are steps leading to the true unity of man in divine Principle.

Albert F. Gilmore

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Going Apart to Pray

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