Article May 16, 1942 Issue

The Way of Life

DUNCAN SINCLAIR

"Enter ye in at the strait gate;...because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." These words of Jesus are to be found in his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:13, 14). Did the Master mean by them that it is a well-nigh impossible thing for men to enter into life? His words certainly imply that it is no easy task, since material sense argues continually for sensuous indulgence, which leads not to life, but to life's opposite—death. How intense oftentimes has been the struggle of mortals for spiritual mastery, after the errors of sense have been uncovered to them and the disastrous nature of the effects of these errors has been pointed out!

The way which leads to life eternal is spiritual: it is the way of spiritual understanding. Knowledge must be gained of God's allness—Spirit's allness—and of the nothingness of matter. The teaching of Christian Science on this is perfectly clear: God, Spirit, is infinite, and matter, consequently, is unreal. Therefore, that which claims to tell us of matter, namely, material sense, is also unreal. Christian Science thus teaches plainly how to master material sense: an understanding must be gained of that which is real, namely, Spirit and all that pertains thereto, and the unreality of matter must be acknowledged and demonstrated.

Since all materiality, all that is associated with material sense— envy, jealousy, hatred, malice, revenge, sensuousness, strife—is unreal, obviously it is foolish to allow oneself to be victimized by materiality, indulgence in which is the broad way "that leadeth to destruction." When this is recognized, there is but one thing to do, namely, change to the way which to material sense is narrow, but perfectly straight to spiritual sense and spiritual understanding. This mean that those who have made the discovery for themselves have to take a decisive stand for Truth, for Principle. And what a blessing it is for them to have Christian Science as their guide when they do so!

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

"The sacrifice of thanksgiving"