How greatly would our load be lightened and our progress heavenward be accelerated if, when stumbling and groping more or less blindly along the rugged way, or hesitating which to take of the many paths opening up before us, some of which look more enticing than others, we constantly kept before us the comforting assurance of our Master recorded in the eleventh chapter of Luke, to the effect that the honest and diligent seeker will infallibly be rewarded with success. There is nothing equivocal about that promise, nor is it addressed to a privileged few; but, on the contrary, it is a divine assurance extended to all mankind—to the highly placed and the lowly, to the Gentile and the Jew—for the encouragement of each and every one of us. We do, however, learn from various passages in the Bible that our search must be whole-hearted and continuous, not desultory or intermittent. Both in the Pentateuch and in the chief of the "wisdom" books known to us as "Proverbs," diligence is declared to be necessary to success; while in several of his epistles Paul impresses upon those to whom he is writing the necessity for exercising this virtue.

We must, then, be zealous in our search after that which we desire to find; and the more we value the object of this search the more earnest and sustained will be our efforts to discover it. The Science of being is not laid bare in a moment, nor is it revealed to the casual prospector; for as our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, writes in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 3), "To understand God is the work of eternity, and demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire." That is to say, there must be no slackening in the process of seeking; it must always be our main preoccupation. Should the worldly-minded raise objection to this on the ground that it savors of the transcendental, in that it would interfere with the due performance of one's daily tasks and obligations, they can be refuted by another of the Way-shower's injunctions, namely, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness: and all these things shall be added unto you."

How feasible and practical is this command, many of those who are endeavoring to obey it can testify; for do not our periodicals frequently publish testimonies recording how success hitherto lacking in business, in the arts, in literature, in fact in every description of legitimate and worthy undertaking, has come to those who have progressed in the realm of the spiritual by making the study and practice of Christian Science the main concern of their lives? Mrs. Eddy's illuminating explanation of the true nature of prayer has made it perfectly plain that while yet engaged in our ordinary vocations we can obey Paul's admonition to "pray without ceasing." And it is prayer such as this which constitutes the most effectual method of seeking. Those, therefore, who fear, because of error's suggestion, that it is too unpractical in this busy world to pay heed to this behest, lest they should be losers rather than gainers, can be reassured by the proofs so abundantly forthcoming that for every shadowy material possession they relinquish, as a result of their growth in grace, they gain a greater measure of that real substance which constitutes all that is worth having, and which consequently includes within itself all true contentment.

When we remember that among the chief meanings attributed in Webster's dictionary to the verb "seek" are "to ask for; ... to try to acquire or gain; to strive after," no shadow of doubt can remain as to the degree of diligence required of us in the course of our search. There can be no lingering on mossy banks or in shady places along the way, in obedience to the specious suggestion that we have gone far enough, or have explored sufficiently for to-day, or must rest during the noonday heat. In this quest after the things of Spirit the Latin proverb, "Nihil sine labore" (Nothing without labor), applies as surely as it does with respect to all our merely mundane endeavors. There is, however, this great difference, that whereas the labor expended upon attempts to attain what the world deems success is exhausting, and in its results always falls short of our hopes and expectations, our efforts to achieve in the realm of divine Science, by gaining a clearer understanding of God and serving Him whole-heartedly, are quickening in their effects and, moreover, cannot fail—if we are working honestly—to lead us on from achievement to achievement.

It is no doubt true, in almost every case where merely material pursuits are concerned, that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy;" but this dictum in no way applies to our strivings after spiritual progress. On page 519 of our textbook our Leader tells us that "God rests in action;" and, therefore, so also must all of His children as His reflection. Work done for God is never tiring nor laborious; but, on the contrary, it always strengthens and refreshes us, and acts as an incentive to further efforts in the same direction. Mrs. Eddy has beautifully described her own experience when she first essayed to develop and systematize her epoch-making rediscovery of the Science of Mind-healing, as being "sweet, calm, and buoyant with hope, not selfish nor depressing" (Science and Health, p. 109). So will our experience prove to be if we apply ourselves to the search after truth with the same earnest devotion and honesty of purpose which she manifested. Indeed, if we really believe the encouraging promise contained in the twenty-ninth chapter of Jeremiah, "Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart," it is impossible for us to be other than hopeful, nay, confident. He who knows that his efforts are bound to be crowned ultimately with success, so long as he does his part, can scarcely become the victim of discouragement or depression, even if at times error endeavors to beguile him with the suggestion that he is baffled or has suffered a setback in his search.

And how reassuring it is to know that the search is not selfish. It cannot be; for is it not true that blessing is really universal? When we ourselves are seeking to enter in, we are helping our brother to find an entrance too, and perhaps in a more direct manner than may be apparent. Everyone who does aught to spiritualize his own thought, and thereby his actions, is a public benefactor; for by his success not he alone, but the whole of mankind, is so much the richer. The example, too, of one applying himself to the endeavor to become more and more Godlike is a strong incentive to others to do likewise; because not only is example contagious, as the old saw has it, but even the dullest and most cynical cannot fail to observe that such a one enjoys a measure of that peace which the world cannot give, but which it is the earnest desire of even the worst of sinners to possess.

What an obligation, then, rests upon everyone who professes to be a student of Christian Science! Every time he fails to live up to the standard which this Science sets, he may be causing doubt, discouragement, or disappointment to some brother newly embarked on the quest after Truth, by conveying a false impression regarding this standard. His failure to offer an example of high achievement which others might be led to emulate, may produce the impression that there is no use in others' attempting to soar to these heights.

Realizing what is required of us, then, as the bannermen of divine Truth and Love, let us all go confidently forward, whether through the valley or over the summit, encouraged by the thought that all around us the angels of His presence are constantly singing,

Copyright, 1928, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.