Editorial December 2, 1944 Issue

Only the Father Knoweth the Son

Paul Stark Seeley

One of the terse sayings of Jesus fraught with meaning and promise is, "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father." The "Son" referred to by the Master is "the Son of God, the Messiah or Christ," to use the words of Mary Baker Eddy in the first line of her definition of "Son" on page 594 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Since individual man is forever "hid with Christ in God," Jesus' statement includes the meaning that no materially thinking mortal can know your true individuality or mine, which is God's son, for only the Father knoweth the son.

Some mortals are afraid of what other mortals may think. They fear those who may be hateful, jealous, designing, or critical. There is no reason for such fear. No materially-minded mortal can possibly know, understand, or perceive the true selfhood of you or me. What complete release from fear of malpractice this fact provides! Your true being and mine is of the substance of Spirit, which material thought cannot cognize. Only the all-knowing Father Mind can and does know that selfhood—His idea. Our brother's true consciousness, reflecting the Father Mind, of course knows his brother aright. As God's reflection, he reflects the Father's knowledge of His son. But the fact forever remains that no state of material-mindedness animated by human will and malicious motive, can ever know, discern, or make contact with the individuality which God constitutes and holds safe and secure in His impenetrable allness. The safety of man is equal to the safety of God.

Why then do some mortals fear what is called malpractice? Because they ignorantly attribute more power to mortal mind, the one evil, than they do to immortal Mind, God. They are believing that the negative material mind, asserting itself through wrong-thinking mortals, has in some unexplainable way taken to itself some of God's omnipotence, perverted it, and directed it against the child of God. They are believing not only that evil thinking, or mortal mind, has some power, but that it has more power than God, immortal Mind, whom they theoretically declare is omnipotent. They feel like the Psalmist when he said, "My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword." But if God is truly omnipotent, how much power is left for evil? Yes, just how much?

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