Article August 16, 1930 Issue

Restitution

IRENE CONSTANCE HEMANS

TO "restitute" is to restore to its rightful owner or place somthing that has been taken away. Before we gained some spiritual understanding with which to interpret the Scriptures, it may have seemed to many of us that the eighth commandment, "Thou shalt not steal," had but little bearing on the life of the honest and fair-minded person; and thus we may have given it scant attention. The idea that we had to make some restitution may, indeed, have been very far from our thoughts. Christian Science, however, turns the searchlight of Truth upon the messages of Scripture, and permits no casual passing over of any one of its inspired sayings.

Jesus often referred his questioners to the necessity of strict obedience to the commandments, and laid special stress on the fulfilling of the law. He himself was a profound student of the Mosaic law, and he elucidated its meaning, lifting it higher in the thoughts of his followers by giving them the spiritual interpretation of "the law and the prophets," as when he once said: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."

Closely and faithfully following in the Master's footsteps, Mrs. Eddy saw the paramount importance of knowing and obeying the Commandments; for has she not set forth in her Church Manual (Art. XX, Sect. 3) the duty of teaching them to our Sunday school children among their "first lessons," thus laying a sure foundation for their mounting footsteps along the path of Truth?

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