Christian Scientists have been so bountifully blessed, physically, mentally, morally, and spiritually, that their gratitude finds spontaneous expression in giving, and, since gratitude is an enduring virtue, their giving does not cease. They no longer give from a stern sense of duty, but rather because it is a pleasure and a privilege to do so. It is no longer a question of giving "grudgingly, or of necessity," but liberally and freely; they give because they love to give. Giving becomes to them a recognized factor in the activity of righteousness, and they have no desire to lose sight of the God-given privilege thus afforded them.

Before the healing Christ-idea has entered individual consciousness it is doubtful whether there can be any true appreciation of the spirit of giving. The true Christ-healing severs the knotted cords of human selfishness and sets thought free to take of the things of God and to give them unto others. The advent of the spirit of giving marks the downfall in individual consciousness of "the love of money," the god of this world. This accounts for the cheerful and liberal giver in Christian Science,—he has lost that love of money which Paul declared to be "the root of all evil." He is learning to love God supremely and to seek first His spiritual kingdom. As the result of this spiritual reversal of the thoughts and ways of mankind, the student of Christian Science emerges from the thraldom of human limitations and finds out that God has indeed given him "richly all things to enjoy." He no longer doubts God's bountiful supply, but he trusts it implicitly to meet every human need.

The idea of the divine sufficiency supplants the illusions of human want and limitation, and the invariable result is an increase of mental, moral, and spiritual income. The greater the activity of right thought, the more abundant the influx of good things. Because human sense would place its own material construction upon the problem of supply and demand, this does not vitiate the divine law or order of the universe. The Christian Scientist has learned that God's arm is not shortened, and that the giver of all good will continue to care for His own throughout time and eternity. Instead of worrying about what may come to pass upon earth, he is content to meditate upon spiritual things, knowing that God and His ideas constitute the substance and reality of being. He strives to keep his consciousness filled with the ideas of a spiritual plenitude, and the activity of these ideas not only keeps him supplied with the acknowledged necessaries of life, but it finds expression in a constant spirit of giving.

Human selfishness is bereft of the metaphysical idea of spiritual reflection,—is ignorant of man's relationship to God,—and this ignorance fosters the human belief in matter, or "God in man," which leads mortals to think that their happiness lies in absorption, in taking in or receiving, rather than in giving forth. In shattering this idolatrous belief Christian Science makes plain to human understand ing the true relationship of man to God, whereby man reflects the attributes of God but does not absorb them. Herein lies the metaphysical secret of giving in Christian Science, which enabled our Leader to say in Science and Health (p. 79), "Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us."

To the Scientist this is no idle theory; it is demonstrable truth. The more he gives forth of truth and love, the more he receives from the open fount of being. In the words of Milton, "Good, the more communicated, more abundant grows." The more he expresses of truth and love, the more real to human consciousness become the attributes of God; until error or evil is crowded out of thought, and good only holds sway. Making use of one's talents simply means to reflect more and more of the divine nature, and not to attempt to absorb it nor to confine it within bounds. God expresses Himself only in reflection; the substance, essence, and nature of God cannot be absorbed, but they can be and are spiritually reflected. Man's only duty is, therefore, to reflect God. This was patent to the Master when he replied as follows to those who were censuring him for healing on the Sabbath day: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."

When this idea of spiritual reflection is grasped by the student of truth, he begins to surrender the thought of personal ownership and to look more upon God as the supreme owner of everything that really exists. As he learns more of man's relationship to God, he becomes more conscious of the spiritual fact expressed by Mrs. Eddy in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 183): "Whatever is possible to God, is possible to man as God's reflection." It is this discernment of truth that enables him to become a giver in every sense of the word. The more he knows of God, the more inclined is he to share with others the good that he knows is his. Freely he has received, freely he gives. The law of Love being a law of reflection, if he ceases to give he ceases to receive.

Thousands of those who have arisen in our Wednesday evening meetings and recited their testimony of healing, tell of the added peace and joy and success that has come to them as the result of this simple act of obedience in giving forth what has been freely bestowed upon them. But some there are who selfishly withhold and unconsciously stifle the good that has been made manifest to them through healing. In other words, they bury their talent in the ground of selfishness and fear, only to awaken finally to the fact that the evidences of spiritual growth have been very meager in their cases. Another hindrance to normal growth in demonstration is the failure, under the plea of financial inability, to have for one's own use and for generous distribution the Christian Science periodicals, instead of grasping this opportunity of contributing to the cause of Truth. There have been hundreds of demonstrations in proof that the returns are a hundred fold to those who meet the subtle argument of limitation along these lines, and who act upon the conviction that this is an opportunity of seeking "first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." Healing has often resulted from taking this step, despite the suggestions of sense testimony. He who gives first and liberally to the cause of Truth will first enter the kingdom of heaven on earth, because he will be the first to obey the law of reflection whereby man gives because, as God's likeness, he cannot help giving forth of God's unlimited goodness, mercy, and truth.

Truly, the habit of giving is a most worthy one to cultivate, but it must be accompanied by discretion, wisdom, and understanding. Christian Scientists have learned from experience that they do not have to respond to every demand that is made upon them for their money and their time. Their work is to do the bidding of divine wisdom. Truth and Love never lead them to give in such a way as to encourage slothfulness, selfishness, dishonesty, or poverty. Every gift received from God demands the giving up on the part of the recipient of some erroneous thought, belief, or habit. The giving that encourages the indulgence of human desires and ambitions will cease when the true meaning of self-denial is grasped and the love of Truth supersedes the love of money. Christian Scientists give liberally and continuously to further the activities of the Christian Science movement, knowing that the hand of God and not human personality is directing "the stately operations" (Science and Health, p. 464) of this Science.

The generosity that is making possible the erection and maintenance of substantial Christian Science churches throughout the civilized world affords a practical illustration of the spirit of intelligent giving on the part of a rapidly increasing body of Christian people, and the blessings which will accrue to the givers, as well as to the countless thousands of hungering mortals who may find refuge in these church homes and be led out of bondage into health and happiness, cannot be reckoned in dollars and cents. The Christian Scientist who gives to the church does not feel that he is throwing away money, but that he is making an investment that will return to him an hundredfold. Nor does he consider the time or effort wasted which is spent in the preparation of a prayerful and scientific attitude of thought with which to be present at all church services. If he is radiating or reflecting health, holiness, and happiness upon such occasions, he is giving to the church that which the world with all of its wealth cannot give. It is this mental attitude which loosens up the purse-strings and leads so many people to give liberally of their money in support of the Christian Science movement.