Article January 11, 1930 Issue

"His duty to God"

JACOBA G. COOPS

In the Manual of The Mother Church, the safe chart of conduct for every loyal student of Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy writes (p. 42): "Alertness to Duty. . . . It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged,—and justified or condemned."

Here our Leader points out that every member of The Mother Church has a duty to fulfill to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. It has been said that the first of the Ten Commandments includes all the others; and it can as truly be stated that the first of these three duties is inseparable from the other two. Let us see, then, what it means not to be made to forget our duty to God. Christ Jesus, the Way-shower, who never forgot his duty to the Father, presented a definite rule: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." We do this in proportion as we are willing to listen for God's voice, and are gratefully and humbly eager to do as He directs. But someone may ask, How can I know that it is the Word of Truth which is directing me, especially when one of several ways may be chosen? Let us remember that always and everywhere we can commune with our Father-Mother God, divine Mind, infinitely wise and tender. Just as the sun shines impartially and abundantly, so God, divine Mind, unceasingly imparts to all His creation the needed guiding and guarding ideas of Truth. And as the flower turns naturally to the sun for light and warmth, so should we turn to Truth, becoming conscious of man's unity with God, Love, the one perfect intelligence, in order that we may be blessed by His guidance.

We must persistently and trustingly pray for spiritual sense, by which we are enabled to discern the voice of Truth, to distinguish the real from the unreal; and we must cultivate those qualities which Mrs. Eddy describes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 272) as indispensable, thus: "The spiritual sense of truth must be gained before Truth can be understood. This sense is assimilated only as we are honest, unselfish, loving, and meek." As we manifest these qualities, our consciousness will be purified of all that is unlike the Christ, Truth, and become attuned to hear God's voice more definitely and clearly. Aggressive mental suggestion cannot influence one who knows man's true at-one-ment with God, divine Mind; and so it is impossible to make such a one forget or neglect his duty of constantly reflecting the one perfect and unerring Mind.

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