Editorial January 1, 1927 ISSUE

Renewals

Ella W. Hoag

Mankind is always interested in renewals. Beset as it seems to be with disappointed effort, it longs for that which will bring the assurance of renewed hope, renewed opportunities, renewed possibilities. The Bible holds out many a promise in this direction, for the Psalmist sang long years ago of the sweet renewals God is constantly bringing to all the earth. Paul, lifting thought to the spiritual sense of things, advised that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind; while he also declared positively that "the inward man is renewed day by day." And in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 364 ) Mrs. Eddy, quoting indirectly from the Scriptures, encourages us when she says, "Wait patiently on the Lord, and He will renew your strength."

With all these blessed assurances for our comfort and support it would almost seem anomalous that we should ever lose sight of the constant possibility of renewal in every right direction; that we should ever doubt that omnipresent, omnipotent Love is always pouring out upon us fresh opportunities and fresh ability whereby we may accomplish—reflect—more and more of good. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 426 ) our beloved Leader has also written: "Man should renew his energies and endeavors, and see the folly of hypocrisy, while also learning the necessity of working out his own salvation." And then she adds, "When it is learned that disease cannot destroy life, and that mortals are not saved from sin or sickness by death, this understanding will quicken into newness of life."

One secret of the failure of men to claim that perpetual sense of renewal which is theirs in accordance with the law of God, is that they do not recognize that they never can gain anything by yielding to the false suggestions of evil, whatever their supposititious claim to power and satisfaction may be. All along the line of human endeavor men are tempted to give up when they should persevere. They are tempted to imagine it is easier to yield to false beliefs and practices than to resist and overcome them. They believe they can gain the same end by allowing error to go on to its own destruction as they would attain if they were to stand loyally by Truth and prove its allness. All this is, of course, mistaken reasoning, for who ever gained anything in mathematics by failing to work out the problems presented? They were but given to him to do in some other form before he could pass his examination and go up higher.

There is probably nothing which retards the progress of Christian Scientists more effectually than this acceptance of the belief that they can gain something by mental inaction. The Bible tells us that there is no discharge in the war which is started between the flesh and the spirit, and every one must finally prove himself the right kind of soldier and fight his own individual battle to the finish. It makes little difference how much one may have submitted to the deceptive or alluring, but nevertheless devastating, claims of the beliefs in evil, he must some day face them and finally prove that because they did not originate in God they have never had any entity or effect. Evil's egotistic arguments must finally be recognized as but senseless, mindless, substanceless chaff, and therefore that their seeming effects in his experience are but lies to be annulled with Truth. There is no other way out of any evil but by proving its nothingness through reflecting the all-might and all-presence of the infinite, ever present truth of being—the truth that Spirit and its perfect creation alone are real.

When Christian Scientists are confronted with some error of belief which may claim to have resulted from failure on their part to be faithful to divine Principle, if they will but recognize that they have not watched at their mental door with the diligence which Christian Science demands, then they need only turn to the blessed truth that "the inward man is renewed day by day" to see that no situation can ever be hopeless. This glorious fact that divine Life can never cease in its wonderful activity, that through all eternity God is renewedly causing His idea to reflect His perfect, infinite good—this is the deathblow to all belief that lethargy is desirable, to all the arguments that something can be gained by yielding to evil, to all sense of hopelessness. Each new year, new day, hour,—yes, every instant,—is but a fresh opportunity for the Christian Scientist to awaken anew to the blessed understanding that renewed hopes, renewed courage, renewed ability, renewed opportunities are present whereby he may prove that he is now, has ever been, and ever will be the perfect spiritual child of his perfect Father-Mother God.

Ella W. Hoag

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