Editorial May 26, 1934 Issue

"Be strong and of a good courage"

Duncan Sinclair

What assurance, what faith in God run through the words of Moses which he uttered "unto all Israel" in his farewell message to them: "Be strong and of a good courage, . . . for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee"! The knowledge of God which the Hebrews possessed did not equal that revealed by Christ Jesus; nevertheless, it was sufficient to inspire them with a great trust in the Almighty, who, as Moses assured them, would never fail them nor forsake them. It was necessary that they should have this trust in God, for their strength and their courage would be sorely tested after he who had led them out of the bondage of Egypt left them.

Courage—moral courage—is indispensable in the battle against evil which Christians are called upon to wage. As Mrs. Eddy puts it (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 327), "Moral courage is requisite to meet the wrong and to proclaim the right." And how heroically this warfare has been carried on throughout the centuries by many, history plainly shows. What an example of courage we have in the master Christian himself, Christ Jesus, he who laid the foundation of Christian faith and practice! Throughout the whole of his earthly career he showed steadfast love for God, an unswerving faith in good, implicit reliance on Spirit, unfaltering obedience to Truth. The result was complete mastery over fear and materiality.

Moral courage similar to that of Jesus was shown by the apostles. They had to face one of the most onerous tasks ever undertaken by men, in that in bringing th truths of Christianity to mankind they were opposed by the stubborn, unspiritual traditions of their own people as well as by the mythology of the Greeks and the materialism of Rome. But they did not falter. The truth had been revealed to them and demonstrated before their eyes by the great Way-shower, in the healing of all manner of sickness and sin; and they had proved its healing power for themselves. It was, thus, their understanding of and faith in Truth which inspired them throughout their careers, and supported their courage. The apostles valued the truth above all else, and were prepared to sacrifice their most cherished human desires for it.

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