The desire to be good is natural, even though at times it may seem otherwise. Goodness has ever borne evidence of man's true being, of his spiritual selfhood. Students of Christian Science recognize this goodness to be a quality emanating from God, and by the same token evil is perceived to be a false belief in a supposititious power opposed to Him.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in her sermon "The People's Idea of God" (p. 2), "The Hebrew term that gives another letter to the word God and makes it good, unites Science and Christianity, whereby we learn that God, good, is universal, and the divine Principle,— Life, Truth, Love; and this Principle is learned through goodness, and of Mind instead of matter, of Soul instead of the senses, and by revelation supporting reason."

To those persons earnestly seeking to manifest goodness, searching for a demonstrable religion by which life may be ordered, these statements come as a guiding light, shedding its rays upon their efforts and leading them toward the desired goal of spiritual understanding.

When Christ Jesus was addressed as "good Master"' he is recorded as saying "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God" (Mark 10: 18). Yet his entire earthly life was spent in expressing the goodness which forever flows from God to man and in demonstrating this goodness in healing works.

For about three hundred years after Christ Jesus taught his disciples, there were many who were so faithful to this teaching that they also performed spiritual healings. Then, for a time, the healing power of goodness seemed to be hidden beneath superstition and ritual or entangled in the snarls of man-made doctrines.

Yet all through the ages there have been those who, earnestly seeking to understand good, have found enough of the truth of God, good, to sustain and uphold them even unto death. While a far greater number calling themselves Christians have accepted a God defined by differing and contentious dogmas. Consequently this majority have had little or no knowledge of a God which could be applied in a practical way to the demanding experiences of everyday human existence.

Through the centuries it has not seemed possible for human thought to understand the fullness of God through that one word. With her discovery of Christian Science, it was revealed to Mrs. Eddy that an ever-expanding understanding of Deity could be gained by the use of seven all-embracing synonyms, which she has presented to the world through the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," as Principle, Mind, Soul, Spirit, Truth, Love, Life.

Pondering the qualities of each of these synonyms, we gain a clearer understanding of the source of all goodness, a fuller sense of God and of man's relation to Him. And with this enlarged understanding comes a clearer perception of the practical use of deific qualities by the application of them to human experience.

A knowledge of God as unchanging, incorporeal Principle lifts faith into understanding, and we become conscious of our rightful place in the divine order. Apprehending more clearly our true nature as a child, or idea, of God, we are proportionately more obedient to His will.

The application of the qualities of Mind to human affairs brings wisdom and foresight. When expressing kindness and compassion, we feel at one with divine Love; and our reason for existing is perceived when we realize that we are expressing God as Life. To gain an appreciation of the attributes of Soul makes it easier to forgo pleasures of the senses; while the light of Spirit exposes the nothingness of matter.

Through the use of these synonymous terms for God, we come to recognize the divine law of protection. This is a law of annihilation to all that is unlike these terms. Principle abolishes lawlessness. Love destroys hate. Where there is Life, destruction and death have no power. Health is maintained by Truth. In short, God, good, is supreme.

Even as a flower unfolds in the radiance of sunlight, so a child thrives and grows spiritually when he learns that to be good brings happiness to himself and others and understands that this happiness is based on obedience to God. "Good is natural and primitive," Mrs. Eddy tells us in the textbook (p. 128); so surely it can be said that not only a child but all men turn naturally toward goodness. Our Master must have expected response from the multitude when he taught them the truth of his heavenly Father, the source of all goodness.

Many years ago, when the writer was a young student of Christian Science, she went to see a friend before leaving Boston for the West Coast. This was before the days of Christian Science radio programs and tape recordings of meetings in The Mother Church. She was seeking farewell advice from this experienced Christian Scientist. "What shall I say when I am asked questions about the work in Boston?" she asked.

He smiled as he answered, "Yes, you will undoubtedly be asked many questions." Then he added the words she has never forgotten: "What you say, my child, is of less importance than what you are. Just be good."

As he continued, she understood that it was better to bear witness to the God she had learned to obey through the teachings of Christian Science than to give information about others whose work would speak for itself.

In later years, spending much time in foreign countries and moving among strangers, she saw goodness as a precious passport. Bearing witness to the goodness of God, using the synonyms as a pattern by which God's attributes could be expressed, she found evidence of goodness ever surrounding her. Strangers became friends, and no matter where she might be, the glowing warmth of a wider sense of home encircled her.

Goodness forever flows from God to man; and mankind, expressing this quality and seeing it in those around them, are eternally blessed. When we see goodness, we see God expressed; and as a light pierces the darkness, so the evidence of God's presence illumines the universe.