Article May 26, 1934 Issue

"Enable us to know"

RICHARD P. VERRALL

It is deeply significant that in her spiritual interpretation of the Lord's Prayer (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, pp. 16, 17) Mrs. Eddy has shown the phrase, "Thy kingdom come," to mean, "Thy kingdom is come; Thou art ever-present." A careful study of the teachings of Christ Jesus with this interpretation in thought shows conclusively that in speaking of the kingdom of God he never conveyed the impression that it is a far-off place or that it is to come to earth at some future time. In fact, Jesus' words clearly imply that heaven is a state of spiritual consciousness which can be experienced here and now by anyone who attains sufficient purity of thought to perceive it.

A definite confirmation of this fact is to be found in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, where it is related that Jesus was accused by the Pharisees of having healed a man possessed with a devil both blind and dumb through "Beelzebub the prince of the devils." In his reply Jesus said, "If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Here we have an unequivocal statement that the coming of the kingdom of God is an individual experience, and that the ability to cast out evil thoughts and to heal the sick is a proof of its presence. When, therefore, it is realized that the healing and regenerating power which Christ Jesus exercised is always at hand, and that Christian Science reveals its divine Principle, then there remains but one thing to be desired, and that is to possess sufficient spiritual understanding with which to demonstrate it.

As a means to this end Mrs. Eddy has laid down certain By-Laws and Rules in the Church Manual, the observance of which is essential to the cultivation of those spiritual faculties through which alone a perfect understanding of Christian Science can be attained. In Article VIII, Section 9, for example, in forbidding the use of written formulas "as auxiliaries to teaching Christian Science or for healing the sick," Mrs. Eddy says, "Whatever is requisite for either is contained in the books of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science." And in the first tenet of The Mother Church she writes (Manual, p. 15), "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." Furthermore the By-Laws, by implication, exclude all spurious literature which claims to add something to the revelation of Christian Science. It would be futile, therefore, to spend time upon the study of such books, for they not only confuse thought but tend to retard spiritual progress.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

"Enable us to know"

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access