In Christian Science we learn that God never loses sight of His perfect, eternal creation. He maintains it continually in a state of perpetual harmony. His law assures progressive activity and right associations for all of His ideas.

Such progressive activity is infinite. But it should be understood that the progressive activity of God's ideas does not mean improvement from imperfection to perfection or movement from one place to another. God's law of progressive activity is eternal and unchanging. It is the unfolding to and through man of the unlimited glories of infinite Mind.

In her book "Miscellaneous Writings" Mary Baker Eddy tells us (p. 82), "In obedience to this law, man is forever unfolding the endless beatitudes of Being; for he is the image and likeness of infinite Life, Truth, and Love." And she continues, "Infinite progression is concrete being, which finite mortals see and comprehend only as abstract glory."

Neither God nor man can ever come to a standstill. God is Life, divine Mind, and is ever conscious of His ideas and is actively occupied in revealing His goodness. Man is the ever-active and ever-unfolding reflection of his ever-active creator. This reflection is seen in the perpetual exercise of the perfect qualities of God's nature in man. The creator maintains His creation in a continuing state of freshness, newness, vitality, and usefulness. Man is, in truth, perpetually identified and endowed with the Christ, and this fact guarantees his eternal existence and progression as the son of God.

Jesus demonstrated his eternal sonship with God through his active and progressive career as the Way-shower. From childhood and throughout his ministry he rose higher and higher in proof of his identification with the Christ, until the ascension; then he realized his complete freedom from all the encumbering ties of earth. But even after his ascension, Jesus did not lose his spiritual identity as a distinct individual idea of Spirit. His manifestation of divine sonship is continuous.

How can we utilize these facts of infinite progression in daily living? By the maintaining and demonstrating of our true identity with the Christ as perpetually unfolding ideas of the perpetually sustaining Mind, God. The prophet Elijah demonstrated the continuity of Love's care. The followers of Baal sought through material ceremonies and worship to demonstrate the presence and power of their god— and failed. But Elijah, who worshiped the living God, turned to Him in quiet confidence and received an immediate sign of His ever-present availability, power, and activity in behalf of the true worshipers. Paul referred to the voice of God as saying (Hebr. 13: 5), "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."

The student of Christian Science should be alert not to lose sight of the fact that the real man is never at a standstill, but is progressively unfolding God's goodness. One who works faithfully for himself or others should not permit himself to become discouraged when he is confronted with the report or physical evidence that there is no improvement in his health or affairs. Such a suggestion is the subtle whispering of error, which when accepted results in discouragement and delay in healing.

Every statement of truth sincerely admitted and maintained must have its effect and its reward in human experience. We learn in Christian Science that the activity of Truth is made evident in improved health, business, home, and social conditions. But we should not keep looking to matter or material conditions to test the effect of Truth.

Our work is to keep our thought fixed on the spiritual facts of being, on the eternal perfection and progressive nature and activity of God, and on the unfolding perfection of His creation. In a message entitled "Loyal Christian Scientists" Mrs. Eddy says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 276): "In Christian Science the midnight hour will always be the bridal hour, until 'no night is there.' The wise will have their lamps aglow, and light will illumine the darkness."

Jesus demonstrated the truth of this statement while his body was wrapped in the winding cloth and sealed in the tomb. This was the midnight hour when to material sense all was dark. But Jesus' mentality was progressively gaining a clearer and higher understanding of Life and its perpetual activity, its newness and freshness. The result? The Christ, his divine nature, enabled Jesus to refute entirely the generally accepted beliefs of the world, and his material body was restored.

Through the understanding and demonstration of infinite progression, one's experiences in home, business, church, and all daily activities can be kept on an ever-ascending scale of unfolding accomplishment and increasing enjoyment of good. Our Leader concludes her enlightening article on the subject of infinite progression with these words (ibid., pp. 82, 83): "Immortal Mind is God, immortal good; in whom the Scripture saith 'we live, and move, and have our being.' This Mind, then, is not subject to growth, change, or diminution, but is the divine intelligence, or Principle, of all real being; holding man forever in the rhythmic round of unfolding bliss, as a living witness to and perpetual idea of inexhaustible good."

Harold Molter