Certainty

CHARLES T. ROOT

St. Luke's explanation of his reason for writing as he did to Theophilus, to wit, "that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed," must make forceful appeal to any thoughtful Christian believer, and provide many particular occasions for thanksgiving, one or more of which are recognized by every individual who has entered upon the journey from sense to Soul. Healing of sickness in one's own case or in that of a dear one, a sin overcome or a bad habit corrected, fear replaced with courage, a business tangle straightened out, or some family discord destroyed,—these results, and others, form the basis of thousands of written and spoken testimonies to the efficacy of Christian Science in individual experience. But besides, and underlying such particular reasons for loving acknowledgment by beneficiaries of the Science of Sciences, there is one cause for continuing gratitude which is common to them all, and that is the certainty in regard to the essentials of life which the apprehension of the divine Principle of Christian Science confers upon its recipients.

Christian Science is unique in that it is free from any trace of theory, opinion, or belief. It is definite science; it courts and sustains every test of logic, and also meets the severer and final test of demonstration. So surely is this the fact that the one who professes doubt or ignorance concerning the nature of God, man, and the universe, and of their relations to one another, thereby furnishes conclusive proof that he has never understood the fundamental postulates of Christian Science. The perception of the inevitable truth of these postulates comes in widely different manner to different individuals. In one case it may break upon consciousness with the sudden splendor of a tropical sunrise; in another, it may grow upon the mental vision slowly, like the creeping dawn of the long arctic day. But in both cases and in all cases it is the same sun that rises, the sun that knows no shadow, and whose rays leave unrevealed no fact necessary for correct thinking and for consequent salvation from the ills of mortal existence.

He who by patient and earnest study of the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, has finally grasped its basic revelation, has experienced the first fulfilment of that grandest of all promises, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free," in that he has been, once for all, emancipated from unnumbered beliefs. Respecting many vital things he has achieved positive certainty. No longer does his thought shift and waver in the winds of doctrine; never again will he seek human opinion or lean upon authority, for he knows! Whatever obstacles or slowness of progress may seek to discourage him in his task of conforming his thinking and living to the standard set before him by Christian Science, he can always recover himself and gather new strength as he recurs to the certainty which is his priceless possession,—that he is on the right road, and that, indeed, there is no other.

How many thousands of men and women have spent weary years groping for the truth which would satisfy both their reason and their spiritual instincts! How they have fruitlessly explored every suggested byway of philosophy and theological theory, and then halted bewildered, and doubting even the existence of ascertainable knowledge, until the sense of absolute certainty was finally found in Christian Science. Their experience in the search for truth may be likened somewhat to that of a navigator who, nearing a port reached only by a narrow but well-marked channel, finds himself enveloped in a dense fog just outside its entrance. He can hear the waves on the rocks but can see neither lighthouse nor buoy,—nothing but a narrow circle of restless water close about his ship. He has a chart, but it is useless, because he does not know his own position and can make out no landmarks. He can only drop anchor and wait. Then the shore wind comes up, tearing the fog to shreds and rolling it back to the horizon. The headlands grow distinct and one after another the landmarks and buoys appear. Uncertainty has gone with the fog, and with anchor up, chart restored to service, and anxiety banished, the pilot steers with caution but with full assurance toward the desired haven.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Acknowledging the Divine Idea

January 23, 1915

Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit