The power of Truth is formidable, and it is felt. Every aspect of mortal thought is being challenged by a divine standard. This standard is the one set up by the Master, Christ Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount. He said (Matt. 5:48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

The standard of perfection does not and cannot refer to the mortal, else it would contradict another statement Jesus made to Nicodemus, as recorded in John's Gospel (3:6,7): "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."

Christ Jesus did not find a standard of perfection in mortal men. He unveiled a spiritual kingdom in which the man of God's creating, the man who is born of Spirit and governed by spiritual law, expresses perfection. Throughout all eternity the standard of perfection has remained unchanged, awaiting recognition.

The time has passed when a material or literal interpretation of the Scriptures is acceptable. The deeper need beholds the deeper things, and thus the spiritual interpretation of the Bible is required in Christian Science. The standard of perfect God and perfect man is the basis of Christian Science practice. By our maintaining this standard and recognizing perfection as the primal and eternal fact of man's existence, everything which does not conform to this standard is classified as temporal and unreal.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 353): "Perfection underlies reality. Without perfection, nothing is wholly real. All things will continue to disappear, until perfection appears and reality is reached."

The mistiness and mystery of mortal thought are cleared by the continuous application of the standard of perfection. The acceptance and demonstration of the perfect Principle, or cause, are inseparable from the acceptance and demonstration of the perfect effect. Therefore under the divine influence of the Christ, sin, sickness, and death are divested of their claim to existence.

Another fact to be found in the Sermon on the Mount is that a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit (see Matt. 7:18, 19); therefore the mortal or carnal mind cannot be raised to the standard of perfection, but must be discarded as unreal before the divine standard can be demonstrated.

An influx of spiritual enlightenment, which revealed the divine standard, followed closely upon the Master's ascension when spiritual inspiration and mutual understanding were present in the crowded assembly at the feast of Pentecost. It was natural that this influx of light, healing, and spiritual expansion should follow closely upon the resurrection.

Today Christian Science has revealed to us the second appearing of the Christ, Truth; therefore we live in a period of great expectancy. An influx of spiritual light, the advent of the Holy Ghost, or divine Science, is the hope and prayer of every Christian Scientist. This enlightenment is not confined to the individual student of Christian Science, to practitioner or patient, but to the community as a whole, just as it was at the feast of Pentecost. Our revered Leader writes in Science and Health (p. 371), "Truth is an alterative in the entire system, and can make it 'every whit whole.'"

We have the power today, through our understanding of the Christ, to let the Holy Ghost empty mortal thought of the errors of the carnal mind. Every student of Christian Science has a solemn obligation imposed upon him to keep aglow the light of inspiration. We are called to proclaim the standard of the Christ—perfect God and perfect man—an imperative standard which tolerates no compromise.

If we are to heal by the Spirit, we can only achieve success by obedience to the rules laid down in the Bible and the Christian Science textbook. These rules are simple to understand. Two of them have been emphasized in this editorial, namely the perfect standard and the impracticality of mingling Spirit and matter.

We all have the ability to follow these rules and reap the results of obedience. The Master would not have given any rule which was not understandable to the least of his followers. The simple or the intellectual, each one in his own way, can understand the Master's teaching. We have Jesus' assurance of the ever-availability of divine Love, for did he not say (Luke 12:32), "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom"?

Obedience is the secret of success. The standard of perfect God and perfect man must be practiced in Christian Science. It is obedience to and the understanding of this premise and conclusion, divine cause and spiritual effect, which will free us from the problems of mortality.

Robert Ellis Key