Our Warfare

BY B. A. MILLER.

"In time of peace prepare for war," is an old proverb.

In taking a bird's-eye view of the nations of the world, what do we find? That nearly, if not all, are either at war with their fellow-man or are making gigantic preparations for war. Millions of dollars are being appropriated for the building of battle-ships and instruments of destruction. And for defense against what? Is it not the fear, doubt, mistrust, envy, jealousy, covetousness, and similar conditions of mortal thought that are creating all this confusion? With all the religious teachings for the past hundreds of years, it does not appear that mortals are practising the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount to any very large degree. Is it not that same carnal nature in mortal man which crucified Jesus, that is predominating to quite an extent in this confusion of to-day? Imagine two opposing armies each praying to the same God to help it to annihilate the other?

If the old belief were true, that man has no chance to work out his salvation after what is termed death on this plane, what a terrible responsibility for those directly accountable for plunging a nation into a conflict that hurls thousands of her citizens into eternity—into the great unknown future—to their sense. But, thank God, the world is to-day rapidly gaining the understanding through Christian Science that takes away the sting of death and lifts mortals to a higher sense of life as God—a life that is indestructible and eternal—that it is only the testimony of a false material sense that says any thing or any body ever was killed, for "matter has no life to lose, and Spirit never dies" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker G. Eddy, p. 171).

While the old adage quoted at the beginning of this article seems apropos from a mortal-mind point of view, is it not even as much or more applicable to us as Christian Scientists? We find in our warfare against error, that the adversary likes nothing better than to be let alone or to find his victim taking his ease and off guard. Are we to remain inactive because we seem to have nothing in sight to disturb our harmony for the time being? or should we not show greater wisdom to keep diligently at work, filling our storehouse full of Truth and Love, keeping on the breastplate of righteousness, and with sentinels standing guard at the door of thought? Then our fortifications will not only be impregnable against any seeming foe from without, but we shall be in a position to help our brother when a call comes for re-enforcements against the common enemy—sin, sickness, and death.

Let us keep our lamps trimmed and burning and be obedient to every call of wisdom, and then as we put the smaller claims of error under our feet by demonstrating their nothingness and God's allness, it will aid and strengthen us to rise to a higher plane of consciousness where we can meet and master greater things. We must prove ourselves faithful over the little things that cross our pathway if we would be ruler over the greater ones. Thus we must realize that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual—that it is God that worketh with us; and with this assurance we go forth from victory to victory until the final destruction of all error.

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