"The song of Christian Science"

JOHN HIBBARD TRIPP

Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, from the depth of her understanding and the height of her great spirituality, repeatedly admonishes us to be spiritually alert. She says (Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 2), "The song of Christian Science is, 'Work—work—work—watch and pray.'" She emphasizes the great importance of our doing the necessary protective work every day. Indeed, only as we individually do our metaphysical work, watching that the ever-available truth is brought into our lives, are we singing that song.

It is vitally important that the student observe the By-Law entitled "Alertness to Duty" (Manual, Art. VIII, Sect. 6): "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged,—and justified or condemned."

In analyzing this By-Law and endeavoring to understand its meaning, we may ask, What is our duty to God? Is it not to realize that He is infinite, all-power, all-presence, and is ever available? Then we must know that aggressive mental suggestion, in any form of material belief or so-called material action, cannot keep us from realizing the omnipotence and the ever-presence of God. We must know that sin, disease, and death cannot seem real to us, for if we believed in their reality we should be denying the all-power and ever-availability of God. Therefore, we must know that we can always realize that God is ever present and all-powerful, and that evil, error—nothing—cannot keep us from declaring, realizing, and proving the truth.

We must also know that aggressive mental suggestion cannot prevent us from realizing our duty to our beloved Leader. Now what is our duty to our Leader? Certainly, it is to acknowledge her as the revelator of Truth in this age, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, and the inspired author of our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the Manual, and other writings. Through her spiritually inspired wisdom and foresight in establishing The Mother Church and its branches, and all the activities of our great Cause, she has preserved and protected her revelation of Truth for all time to come. Thus we must know that aggressive mental suggestion cannot make us doubt or disparage any of the wise By-Laws or Rules that our Leader has given us.

And what is our duty to mankind? Assuredly, it is to bless mankind through our understanding of God's man, made in His image and likeness—the perfect reflection of Spirit. Therefore we must know that aggressive mental suggestion cannot prevent us from holding to the concept of perfect man, God's man, who is never sick, sinning, or dying. Certainly our duty to mankind is to know the truth that makes free, and we can fulfill this duty only as we see that the perfect spiritual reflection of God is the only man. So it is of great importance to declare that we cannot be kept from knowing the truth, since the ever-present possibility of knowing it is given us of God; and when opportunities come to us to prove the allness of God, aggressive mental suggestion cannot make us believe that we cannot know the truth, or prevent us from making the needed demonstration.

In the final sentence of the By-Law under consideration the student is reminded that "by his works he shall be judged,—and justified or condemned." Since the work of individual students of Christian Science constitutes the work done for the Cause of Christian Science, how important it is that we each of us protect our work, for only as we protect our thought and experience from error will the Word of God be made manifest in our lives and in our practice.

So, when we wake each morning, how important it is immediately to know the truth as shown us in Christian Science; to know that man is perfect, that he is never sick or sinning. Thus we are honoring God; and, as we advance in our understanding and demonstration, our work will truly support the Cause of Christian Science.

In obeying this By-Law we are conforming to the statement of our Leader (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 115), "Your means of protection and defense from sin are, constant watchfulness and prayer that you enter not into temptation and are delivered from every claim of evil, till you intelligently know and demonstrate, in Science, that evil has neither prestige, power, nor existence, since God, good, is All-in-all."

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever."

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