Article September 10, 1927 Issue

"He must increase"

HAROLD BOARDMAN

John The Baptist bore witness of the Christ, that he was the Lamb of God which should take away the sins of the world. He also said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." And it was this messenger, this herald of the Christ, to whom Jesus bore such eloquent testimony when he said, "Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist;" and yet he incisively added, "Notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." John, as he himself declared, is to decrease; whereas the Christ, which lives forever embosomed and protected in the omnipotence of good, must proportionably increase.

To prepare the way for the Christ was the life-mission of John the Baptist, and this fearless eremite, as honest as he was brave, hesitated not to declare boldly that he was not the Christ, but was sent to bear witness of the Christ, that the Christ must increase and the human, material concept in true humility decrease. What love, what honesty, what humility! And could we possibly understand the metaphysical significance of this noble Nazarite's self-effacement, were it not that the Christ has come again to us through the tender ministrations of Christian Science healing? In that beautiful poem by Mrs. Eddy, "Christ and Christmas," occurs this stanza (p. 43):

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September 10, 1927
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