God's Relation to Man

THOMAS E. SCANTLIN.

I have learned so much and gained so much through reading our periodicals, that I feel the longing common to all loyal hearts to add my mite to the wealth of love that comes as a continuous stream through these channels.

It was after studying Science and Health, and while reading from the Sentinel and Journal the other afternoon, that I felt impelled to write. For days previous I had been apparently under a cloud. I could not get a clear vision of God and my heart was troubled. While thus striving to obtain a clearer understanding, suddenly the clouds parted and my prayer was answered, at least in part, and this is the manner in which the truth came to me,—

If God is Mind, divine Principle, is this Principle conscious, as we understand consciousness? and the answer was, how could He be the all-knowing Mind and not be conscious? God is the only consciousness.

Is God conscious of each and every one of us, His ideas or children; conscious that is, as we are conscious of things? How could we be His ideas and not be constantly in Mind? There is no possibility of separation between thinking and thought, and hence all the ideas of Mind must ever remain in its embrace.

Does God's love for us resemble, in kind, our love for our own ideas; or does it resemble, in kind or character, the love we entertain for our dear ones? Our love for our friends and relatives is, after all, the love of ideas. We love our own idea or conception of each, as the reflection or manifestation of good. This idea or conception may be true or false, wholly or partially, according to our understanding, our own spirituality. Of course, the real individuals are the children of God, perfect as their Father in heaven is perfect; but we are considering now our concept,—the manifestation of Truth or of error in the object of our thought or affection, whether our affections be carnal or spiritual. In any case it is the idea that we love, whether we truly understand this or not, but so far as this love is pure, unselfish, and spiritual, we reflect the infinite Love, and therefore our love resembles God's love, in kind, and blesses the object upon which it rests.

In endeavoring to conceive of God as universal Principle, some may be tempted to think of Him as we have learned to think of the basic law of mathematics,—an unconscious something that can never respond to or comprehend our love, or be manifest to our consciousness as our friends are manifest; the all-inclusive but unknowable entity of creation; the source, indeed, of all life, truth, and love, of all good in fact, but itself unfathomable, unapproachable, afar off. Is this the Truth of being? No; for the Scriptures teach that God is an ever-present help in time of trouble. "God is Love; and he who dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Christian Science teaches that He is our "Father-Mother God" (Science and Health, p. 16). He is Spirit, and to the spiritually minded. He is a living presence. The carnally minded cannot see God, for only he "shall ascend into the hill of the Lord" and "stand in His holy place" who "hath clean hands and a pure heart."

I do not know how it may impress others, but to me the thought was beautiful and helpful, for I felt that God came very near to me then, and I seemed to hear His voice from out the burning bush. He was no longer "afar off," and I have felt Him near me ever since, a veritable living presence. I thank Him with all my heart for the grand anthem of love His angels are singing, and love and gratitude go out to her through whom this wonderful Science was revealed. Surely the fountain of her love was pure and sweet, else divine Love could not have poured the waters of Life through its channels. The world is awakening to the recognition of the debt of gratitude it owes to one whose life was so pure and spiritual that she, like Enoch of old, could walk and talk with God.

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