In the army a soldier on guard has eleven "general orders," the last of which is "to be especially watchful at night and, during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post, and to allow no one to pass without proper authority." Even as armies mobilize, so must Christians unite. Mary Baker Eddy discovered and founded Christian Science in the last third of the nineteenth century. Since then it has been successfully put to the test countless times and has proved itself to be the one thing needed in a world confused and misled by erroneous thinking. As Christian soldiers we must be diligent in challenging the power and reality of every destructive element which would engulf a humanity asleep to its threatened freedom. We must heed our Leader's warning in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 120), "Beloved students, loyal laborers are ye that have wrought valiantly, and achieved great guerdons in the vineyard of our Lord; but a mighty victory is yet to be won, a great freedom for the race; and Christian success is under arms.—with armor on, not laid down."

As the sentry stands on his lone watch in the long, dark night, so must each one be especially watchful to defy all claims of hatred, jealousy, false ambition, and evil thinking expressed in the words and acts of nation or individual, and deny them entry into our own consciousness. We must not let them pass, knowing that they have no authority and consequently no power to destroy or even hinder the expression of infinite good.

With so much attention given these days to material resistance, one can assume that the necessity for all this military preparation has arisen from too little spiritual preparation, too little attention to putting first things first on the part of mankind in general. Thus we frequently read in the daily papers of national leaders avowing the need of an understandable and ever-present God to solve the ills of the world; and this is a hopeful sign.

Notably since 1875, the Word of God, as given in the Holy Bible and in the light thrown upon it by the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, has proved to be, as Paul said, "quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword," whenever honestly and diligently applied to human conditions, no matter how seemingly terrific the emergency.

That this Science is the one thing needed to bring permanent peace on earth is a clear fact to the thousands who have honestly desired to gain through the study of our Leader's writings an understanding of what is the lesson of eternal Love. She writes, "Learn its purpose; and in hope and faith, where heart meets heart reciprocally blest, drink with me the living waters of the spirit of my life-purpose, —to impress humanity with the genuine recognition of practical, operative Christian Science" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 207). Having attained this understanding even in a small degree, one can work, watch, and pray for the universal fulfillment of the purpose of Christian Science. "To organize a church designed to commemorate the word and works of our Master, which should reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing" (Manual of The Mother Church by Mrs. Eddy, p. 17), our Leader had seen was essential if this should be accomplished. To do this in the way that Jesus appointed, means relinquishing all little selfish gods and unavailing human concepts for one infinite God, governing His universe in complete harmony; it means loving all mankind, even those who seem the least deserving.

Surely Jesus' life and works never sanctioned anything save the reflection of divine Love for all, yet too often the very opposite has resulted in world affairs and even been done in the name of the Christian religion. When true Christianity is accepted more generally as the practical and exacting Science of life, and not merely a system of sacred rituals in commemoration of the Master; when it is known by its works in healing all manner of discordant conditions; when Christianity is used as a present help in individually consecrated lives rather than a means of future salvation by the sacrifices of another—then will the destructive forces of mortal mind become proportionally less rampant, and finally disappear.

Having put on our Christian armor, the armor of Truth, to destroy the lies of error, we shall do well to obey our general orders, too, as set down by him under whose title we march, Christ Jesus. During times of stress and distress, when error has most loudly challenged the proofs of God's care, the sublimest opportunities have been afforded for those who call upon Him. The Bible is replete with such accounts; the history of every God-fearing nation shows evidence of this fact. In active membership with The Mother Church, and through its numerous channels, each one is enabled to prove for himself, and for others too, that error challenged, resisted boldly, destroys itself. When faced with knowledge of its own nothingness and recognition of the omnipresence of God, good, it disappears. Hence everyone is enabled to work out his own salvation and further reveal to a weary world the triumphant Christ, Truth, the manifestation of a truly omnipotent Father, ever ready to succor His prodigal children whenever they are ready to return to His mansion and to acknowledge His loving care.

Is not the dark night but a challenge for clearer thinkers? As the night watch ends in the dawn of a new day, just so the dawn of spiritual understanding drives out the false threats of impotence posing as something terrifying and threatening to destroy all in its self-destructive path. The more earnestly the truths of the Bible's marvelous teachings about a good creator and a perfectly harmonious creation are permitted to abide in the consciousness of men, even to the exclusion of all invaders, the more glorious will be the dawn of spiritual light to a world immersed in material beliefs.

Wherever our duty takes us, even into the front line of battle, we can gladly know and prove during this challenging time that God's protecting arms are around us, as expressed by Mrs. Eddy in her article "What Our Leader Says." She writes (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210): "Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited." So let us be ever alert to challenge all interruptions of our sense of peace with those good thoughts which are "an impervious armor."