Loyalty

JULIA SALOME KINNEY

ACCORDING to the tenth chapter of John's Gospel, Jesus, illustrating the necessity for loyalty to his teachings, declared, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." In his explanation of the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, as recorded in this chapter, he emphasizes the fact that there is but one door. Desiring to save his followers from being deceived by false teachings, the great Teacher unfolded the divine plan of salvation to which all merely human theories, and dogma must give place. Our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, who followed in the Master's footsteps, gives us a helpful definition of loyalty where she says on page 50 of "Retrospection and Introspection," "By loyalty in students I mean this,—allegiance to God, subordination of the human to the divine, steadfast justice, and strict adherence to divine Truth and Love."

Members of The Mother Church, having found refuge within its fold, are equipped to help save other seekers after Truth from the thieves that would climb up some other way; that would blind them to the right door. They let it be understood that the literature which helps the seeker to gain an understanding of Christian Science points definitely tko the one shepherd and one fold. The Master's beautiful illustration of the sheep which know the voice of their shepherd serves to show the necessity of being to discern between that which quickens their response to the guidance of the one divine Mind and that which dulls or lessens this response.

The door of right thinking is wide enough to admit all. It shows that the one divine Mind or Principle can be understood by every individual and applied to his every need. The Science of Christianity, being based on an exact law, must be correctly understood and obeyed by those who would demonstrate it. The law of God, which is symbolized by the law governing numbers, cannot be changed by entreaty, and it makes no concession to persons or mistakes. God's law can be understood and obeyed by the child as well as the adult, by the so-called poor and rich, and by the unlearned as well as the learned.

The spiritual vision of our Leader, piercing the mist of materiality, saw the necessity for a Christian Science Publishing Society as one of the activities of The Mother Church, from which should emanate authorized Christian Science literature. That which is published by this Society has the one purpose of pointing to the right door. In an address written in 1895 and found in "Miscellaneous Writings" (pp. 113, 114) Mrs. Eddy writes: "The systematized centres of Christian Science are life-giving fountains of truth. Our churches, The Christian Science Journal, and the Christian Science Quarterly, are prolific sources of spiritual power whose intellectual, moral, and spiritual animus is felt throughout the land. Our Publishing Society, and our Sunday Lessons, are of inestimable value to all seekers after Truth."

It is cause for rejoicing that students now have the privilege of expressing their loyalty to their Leader by helping to build a larger Publishing House which will facilitate the carrying on of this work. That the Publishing Society has outgrown its present quarters is largely the result of faithful work on the part of loyal students; therefore, the "steadfast justice," of which our Leader has spoken, would indicate that we should support the building activity which will meet this need.

On page 52 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says: "The 'man of sorrows' best understood the nothingness of material life and intelligence and the mighty actuality of all-inclusive God, good. These were the two cardinal points of Mind-healing, or Christian Science, which armed him with Love." Through these two cardinal points, namely, the denial of sense-testimony and the realization of ever present Spirit, all may enter into the true fold where right ideas support and sustain. "Strict adherence to divine Truth and Love," as set forth by Mrs. Eddy in her definition of loyalty, brings to the student that state of consciousness described in Revelation: "They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamp which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit