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Meekness and Might
At the beginning of that marvelous discourse called the Sermon on the Mount, as recorded by Matthew, are the pure declarations of the blessings which follow certain specified conditions of right thinking and living—the Beatitudes. One of these reads, "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Why should the meek inherit the earth? Many mistake weakness for meekness; but in order to realize how far removed this is from the true meaning of the word, we need only consider some of the Old Testament characters. Of Moses it was said, "Now the man Moses was very meek;" and yet Moses was the great leader of one of the most stupendous undertakings on record—that of leading Israel from the bondage of Egypt to the freedom of the promised land. We have also the example of Joseph, who, when asked by Pharaoh to interpret to him his dream, humbly said, "It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace." Joseph knew that to God belongs all power and glory, and because he knew this he became ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Some dictionary definitions of the word "meek" are gentle, kind, mild of temper, unassuming; and to assume means to take upon one's self; to take for granted or without proof; to usurp, or to claim more than is due. Let us see where these modes of thought, if allowed to hold sway, would lead us. First, "to take upon one's self" would imply belief in a selfhood of our own capable of doing and being something apart from God, thus breaking the First Commandment. "To take for granted or without proof" might mean that we were lacking in reason, which Mrs. Eddy calls (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 327) "the most active human faculty." The only reliable proofs are those which come as the result of exercising this faculty, since whatever physical sense tells us is never true.
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November 2, 1929 issue
View Issue-
"What hast thou in the house?"
HENRY REIMERS
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Meekness and Might
BLANCHE NELSON
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Realizing Freedom
PRISCILLA M. ALDEN
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Look Up!
NORAH L. M. FOSTER
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True Philanthropy
WILIAM COLWELL BARTLETT
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"The Mary of to-day looks up"
MADGE D. STAFFORD
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Worship
ELIZABETH LINCOLN BUSH
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There recently appeared in your paper a news item covering...
W. Truman Green, Committee on Publication for the State of Florida,
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In a further letter which appeared in your issue of the 5th...
Charles H. Parker, Committee on Publication for Cheshire, England,
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Christian Science is classed with new-thought in an unsigned...
John Murray Burriss, Committee on Publication for the State of Kansas,
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My attention has been called to a report in your columns...
Mrs. Ann P. Hewitt, Committee on Publication for the North Island of New Zealand,
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"Be still, and know that I am God"
CATHERINE M. CLISSOLD
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Announcement
The Christian Science Board of Directors
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Righteous Giving
Albert F. Gilmore
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Spiritual Power
Duncan Sinclair
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Effective Denunciation
Violet Ker Seymer
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Because of a feeling of profound gratitude to God and...
Jacqueline Dalas Munier
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At the time Christian Science was brought to my attention,...
Daniel A. Rexford
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Christian Science was revealed to me at a time when I...
Amanda Rawlings Seger
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Early in 1901 I was suffering from consumption, dyspepsia,...
Beulah Atkinson Farrar
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In the year 1912, while I was suffering from a nervous...
Rosina L. Campbell
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I first heard of Christian Science in India in 1914
Norah Blackmore with contributions from H. Stuart Blackmore
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Christian Science came to my attention about six years...
Arthur Brockner
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Peace
CICELY L. BLOCK
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from H. R. L. Sheppard, Elias Jones, Frederick M. Eliot, O. P. Gifford, T. T. Carter