Scientific Reversal
When the truth, as revealed in Christian Science, enlightens his consciousness, an individual finds himself beginning to reverse the processes of material thinking. He refuses consent to suggestions which hitherto he may have unquestioningly accepted. As his understanding grows, he does this in an ever increasing degree. The truth which he now apprehends, and which is active in his thought, instinctively resists the attempted inroads of error. Therefore, whatever his outward occupation may be, he is frequently mentally engaged in a process of scientific reversal. "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."
At first this process may seem arduous, but as the individual's knowledge of Truth increases, it becomes natural. When confronted by something which apparently threatens danger, the truth which he knows, the Christ in his consciousness, denies and reverses the false appearance, and thus averts disaster.
In the book of Job we read, "When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up." When things seem to be at their worst, the Christian Scientist lifts up the standard of Truth in his own consciousness, and knows that in reality all is perfect and harmonious. Mrs. Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 368), "The greatest wrong is but a supposititious opposite of the highest right." Then, no matter how complicated or aggressive may seem the material suggestions which are pressing themselves upon our attention, we can remember that "the highest right" is at hand, is here even now, to be known and rejoicingly proved.
A student of Christian Science found herself one day in a large city under unhappy circumstances. Inadvertently she had become separated from the friend with whom she had come. After wandering about for some time in the vicinity where they had parted, she decided to try to find a quiet place where she could rest; but in the place she finally entered there was noise, bustle, confusion, and she began to be aware of a very acute sense of discomfort. Then the words already quoted from the book of Job came to her. Human sense was beginning to argue that she was exceedingly cast down; that she was in most uncongenial surroundings; that everything had gone wrong; that the day was turning out to be quite different from the pleasant one anticipated. Moreover, there was anxiety about the welfare and safety of her friend.
The student nevertheless knew that this was the time to reverse error and to declare, "There is lifting up." It was an opportunity to realize that in God's perfectly governed universe nothing had gone wrong; that "in atmosphere of love divine" she lived and moved, and that the friend, herself an earnest student of Christian Science, was safe in the Father's care. There followed an immediate sense of mental and physical relief, and she decided to take a suburban car to a house where she knew her friend intended to call during the afternoon, and await her there.
In making her way through a densely crowded subway station she suddenly became aware that the person almost immediately preceding her was the friend whom she had missed. Together they rode to their destination, and while the one made her call, the other rested beside a beautiful reservoir. Song sparrows gave forth their exquisite notes in the surrounding trees; robins hopped about on the grass. In a pine grove near by some birds were busy with their nest-building. A gentle breeze blew across the water. All was beauty, serenity, and peace. The student's heart was lifted to God as on eagles' wings. It seemed almost incredible that such a short time before anything could have seemed wrong, when now everything was beautifully right. It was as though a hand had reached down and lifted her out of the midst of that turmoil and discomfort, and set her here where all was tranquillity and loveliness. And yet it had all come about so naturally, albeit so quickly, after the definite reversal of mesmeric suggestion with the truth. The day proved to be not only a happy, but a never-to-be-forgotten one, because of the lesson learned, and because of that uninterrupted hour of joyous and close communion with the Father in beautiful out-of-door surroundings.
"When men are cast down"—when those around us are, perhaps, talking sickness, business depression, lack, political or domestic unrest—then is the time for the Christian Scientist to know, not only for himself, but for the whole world, that "there is lifting up." If he is ever tempted to doubt the latter fact, let him but think of some of the activities of the Christian Science movement: of its church services, of the work of its practitioners, its Board of Lectureship, its literature distribution committees, the whole forming a mighty lever which, the world over, is steadily and surely uplifting mankind to a recognition of man's true status as the son of God. Let him consider for a moment how human consciousness in general is beginning to deny the belief of the reality of matter, a belief which constitutes the false sense of limitation.
Indeed, "there is lifting up"! The regenerated lives of hundreds of thousands of people testify to it. The vast multitude of those healed through the ministration of Christian Science bears joyful witness to this power; and as each one to whom this truth has come is vigilant and consistent in reversing the mesmeric suggestions of mortal mind with the truths of being, he is having his individual part in this universal uplifting.
