Article January 22, 1910 Issue

"ARISE, SHINE; FOR THY LIGHT IS COME."

EUGENIA P. GODFREY

A little over two years ago, while lying in the hospital, trying to decide whether to submit to a very critical operation which materia medica said was my only hope for relief, or to turn to Christian Science, I awakened one morning with these beautiful words from Isaiah's prophecy coming to me over and over again: "Arise, shine; for thy light is come." The clarion call was unmistakable, and I knew with the psalmist that "our help is in the name of the Lord." I turned to Christian Science, left the hospital, and in a few weeks I had "touched the hem of his garment." I knew instantly that I was healed, and I have been in absolutely perfect health every day since.

"Arise, shine." What wonderful words are these when illumined by Christian Science! "Arise"—ascend in consciousness from the material to the spiritual. The prophet says. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts," and this surely means that we should arise to a higher plane of thought if we would be like God. We must arise if we would shine,—reflect God,—and after we have arisen we are bound to shine. When Jesus went up into the high mountain and was transfigured, we read that "his face did shine as the sun." Likewise, all who follow him to the high mountain of scientific understanding, and are transfigured with the spiritual illumination, will "shine as the sun."

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"Thy light is come,"—the knowledge that we are not material beings, bound down by the weight of mortal beliefs, but that we have ascended into the realm of the real—the spiritual. This light floods us from all the pages of the Bible: "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light." "And they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." "Thy light is come." Now—this day—"is salvation come to this house."

The words quoted from Isaiah, at the beginning of this article, are followed by the statement: "For the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." "The glory of the Lord." Does not this mean a spiritual awakening to the power of God—to the knowledge that there is no power opposed to Him, that He is all-power? It means also a spiritual awakening to the love of God, and our relationship to Him as sons and daughters. No wonder the beloved disciple exclaimed, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." In Christian Science we awaken to the fact that God is Principle; that His laws are immutable, and that as His children we have a right to understand this Principle and work in accordance with its demands. When we understand and obey spiritual law, we have dominion. This is self-evident, for in reality there is no matter to resist the dominion of Spirit.

"Is risen upon thee." The risen thought lifts us into a recognition of man's inheritance, and we realize that all things the Father hath are ours now, to take possession of and use. God is manifested through His children, and the more we understand Him the more we reflect Mind, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love, as made known to us through the teachings of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by our revered Leader, Mrs. Eddy, When the glory of the Lord is risen upon us and we begin to realize the infinitude of God, belief fades into understanding, fear is destroyed by courage, weakness is displaced by power; instead of subjection, we have dominion, and we are able to obey the command, "Arise, shine, for thy light is come."

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THE TRUE REFLECTION
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