Editorial November 21, 1925 Issue

Withdrawal

Albert F. Gilmore

The student of the New Testment must needs be impressed with the frequency with which Jesus withdrew from the crowd, sometimes even from the immediate society of his disciples, to commune with God, and thereby to refresh himself at the infinite fountain of divine inspiration. Through communion with the Father, he gained that spiritual understanding and assurance which enabled him to perform many works so wonderful that while by many they have come to be regarded as miracles, by others they have been dismissed as beyond the pale of possible occurrence. Fresh from the mount of transfiguration, where he had gained new visions of the Christ, he was enabled to answer the appeal of the distressed father seeking aid for his son, declared to be "lunatick," healing the lad instantly.

Again, "led up of the spirit into the wilderness," alone, tempted of the devil with all the allurements of material belief, he fasted "forty days and forty nights," emerging victorious over all the wiles of the evil one. Through denial of their reality, he withdrew from false material sense, gaining the spiritual heights whereon he was enabled to meet the tempter and reject his most appealing proffers, even the kingdoms of the world. When temptation was overcome, "angels came and ministered unto him." Again, in the garden of Gethsemance, facing the period of his greatest trial, he withdrew from human companionship to gain from communion with God the sense of unity with the Father which would enable him to rise above personal sense, even to the extent of proving life to be wholly spiritual. These periods of withdrawal, it is clear, served the great purpose of affording to Jesus the opportunity for realizing his oneness with God, thereby lifting thought so far above material sense as to make him complete master of it. Can one doubt the tremendous importance to Jesus of these hours of withdrawal in proving his Messiahship?

On pages 34 and 35 of "Pulpit and Press" we read: "From 1866—'69 Mrs. Eddy withdrew from the world to meditate, to pray, to search the Scriptures. 'During this time,' she said, ... 'the Bible was my only textbook. It answered my questions as to the process by which I was restored to health; it came to me with a new meaning, and suddenly I apprehended the spiritual meaning of the teaching of Jesus and the Principle and the law involved in spiritual Science and metaphysical healing—in a word—Christian Science.'" Thus did our revered Leader arrive at the conclusion that the works of Jesus were not miraculous, but altogether in accord with the divine law which governs God's universe. And she proceeded through application of that law to prove its efficacy as the greatest healing agency. Her season of withdrawal was one of the world's most momentous periods, for out of it came the Science of Christianity, whereby mankind is enabled to gain that salvation which is regeneration.

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