When Christian Science is first presented to us, it usually finds us wandering in the wilderness of human beliefs, and we begin right at that point to work out our own salvation. We learn that in the promised land of Spirit there are no devils, no evils, no obstacles to perfect harmony, and we begin to work our way toward the promised land by overcoming the various phases of material resistance to spiritual progress which present themselves.

In Job we read: "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it." Have you ever analyzed your thought, just to see how much Satan, how much resistance to the Christ, there is "walking up and down" in it? This question may startle you at first, perhaps, because you are sure there is no resistance to the Christ in your thinking, yet, in belief, there may be quirks of disposition—results of early training—hidden religious convictions, such as fear of penalty, a personal sense of God, and so on, which would operate in your thinking as resistance to the spiritual idea of Life.

An experienced Christian Scientist testified that he found no escape from a serious illness until it was finally uncovered to him that it was his unconscious resistance to spirituality which prevented the healing. This had not necessarily been the cause of his illness, but it was the undestroyed error walking "to and fro" in his thinking which stood in the way of the healing. When he discerned this fact, and began to watch for and destroy this resistance to Truth which was claiming to be intrenched in his thinking, he was healed.

Stubbornness, will, resentment, impatience, apathy are all resisting qualities of mortal thought. Mary Baker Eddy says that "stolidity, which is a resisting state of mortal mind, suffers less, only because it knows less of material law" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 388). Unjust criticism is a resisting state of thinking. It resists the truth about man and insists on seeing a concept of man in which is something to criticize.

In Joseph Armstrong's book entitled "The Mother Church," we find these words (p. 101): "The truth is, that as mortals learn something of the nature of evil, and make efforts to overcome it, they are then met by its different forms, resisting the demands of good." Let us look at this word "resistance." Used in connection with materiality its meaning is identical with that of "adversary" as found in the Glossary of Science and Health. There our Leader defines it thus (p. 580): "An adversary is one who opposes, denies, disputes, not one who constructs and sustains reality and Truth."

For the purpose of illustrating the subtle nature of resistance, let us trace through an ordinary day of one's experience. In the morning, when the alarm clock goes off in good time to start the day, the drowsy sleeper often resists it. If he listens to the argument which says, "Don't get up yet; sleep just a little longer," he turns off the alarm and sleeps on—not long, perhaps, but long enough to put him in a frenzied rush for the rest of the day. He has listened to the adversary, resistance.

Perhaps the housewife sits down for a quiet hour after breakfast to study the Lesson. The adversary too often reminds her of something she should do first; after that there is something else, until when she finally gets to her books she is so short of time that the Lesson is brushed over. She did not recognize this as the adversary, resistance. She thought it was dishes, dusting, and telephone calls, until she finally awoke to the fact that she had been robbed of time for proper study.

As the morning advances we may receive a call from a dear friend, whom we would not refuse for the world, asking us to have luncheon with her. We leave that special study with the Concordances which we had promised ourselves, and off we go to the luncheon. Here the temptation may come to indulge in personalities and repeat just a few bits of gossip we have heard. Our conscience tells us we should not, but the adversary tempts us to resist the warning and lower the standard of our conversation.

Now it is evening. We have had a hurried dinner, and it is time for church or a business meeting. Again we may be faced with mortal mind's resistance to right activity by the plausible argument that because we have had such a busy day, it may be best to forgo church or the business meeting. If we are not awake to the real nature of the argument, we may accept it as the prompting of wisdom and act accordingly.

Many of us have had days like this when we have not been alert to detect the reason for our hurry and frustration. However, if and when we are alert to detect the nature of the adversary, we shall come to grips with these evil suggestions all along the line until our days become "the periods of spiritual ascension," which our Leader says on page 509 of Science and Health, "are the days and seasons of Mind's creation, in which beauty, sublimity, purity, and holiness—yea, the divine nature—appear in man and the universe never to disappear."

Man's whole purpose is the unfoldment of the divine nature, and any resistance to this is simply the lying suggestion of mortal mind or animal magnetism opposing it, an argument which grows out of our, as yet, undestroyed belief in a presence and power other than God.

If we are sufficiently awake to detect the nature of resistance and see it as dwelling only in the realm of belief, wholly apart from man, we can handle and overcome it quickly and surely. Then can we go in and possess the land of spiritual promise.

No matter where we go in the Bible, no matter which of the books we read, always righteousness, justice, and fair dealing are exalted and low ideals condemned. This alone, considering its multiple authorship and its widespread origins, marks the Book as unmatched in world literature.—Selected.

Copyright, 1943, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, One, Norway Street, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918. Published every Saturday.