THE student of Christian Science finds, early in his study, that it becomes imperative for him constantly to replace his old, false concepts of all things with the right or spiritual idea. He finds, too, that this involves the necessity of his weighing with nicety all that he has previously chosen to accept as knowledge in the balance of true understanding. He is ever obliged to cast out the host of cherished beliefs which he has been deceived into accepting as actual and true. His very first task is to correct his erroneous concept of God. He has long been familiar with the beloved disciple's declaration that God is Love, but an immeasurably broadened apprehension of God has brought to him a more impersonal sense of Deity than he has ever before possessed; for this new understanding of God includes his realization that God is Mind and Principle, and when he once discerns this, then follows logically his acceptance of Love as Mind and as Principle. He discovers that this recognition of God as divine Mind and infinite Principle lifts his entire thought of reality, Spirit, the one creator and the only creation, the spiritual universe, out of the realm of material speculation and into the sphere of scientific or metaphysical knowledge. Obviously, Mind always expresses itself through ideas and in no other way. The student learns, through practical proof, that discord of every sort is destroyed through the ever applicable Christ-understanding. Then the nothingness of matter becomes clear in the degree that the allness of Love as Mind, Spirit, Principle, is grasped.

It is little wonder, therefore, that Mrs. Eddy makes this statement in Science and Health (p. 330): "Spirit is divine Principle, and divine Principle is Love, and Love is Mind, and Mind is not both good and bad, for God is Mind; therefore there is in reality one Mind only, because there is one God." It may be seen from this simple declaration that recognizing God as Mind establishes Him plainly as incorporeal, and defining God as Principle shows that in God "is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Divine Principle is absolute law, ceaselessly unfolding throughout eternity. As the great fact so simply elucidated by Mrs. Eddy, that Love is Mind and Principle, becomes better understood, it becomes obvious that the true meaning of Love will become clearer until finally all material concepts will completely disappear.

It has been said that love is the greatest thing in the world. This is readily admissible, for it is the very center and circumference of Christianity, as taught and demonstrated by its Founder. But how much of this teaching is the world accepting practically to-day? While Christ Jesus commanded his followers to love one another, pointing out that if one did not love his brother whom he had seen how could he love God whom he had not seen, yet the majority of his hearers failed utterly to gain the slightest apprehension of his words, but rejected them instead. To-day millions are nominally accepting Christianity, but are they living up to its demands? In these days, hatred and malice and all the passions of the human mind are indulged in, by such as claim to be walking in the footsteps of the master Metaphysician, though in every word and deed he proved that love is the very keystone of the arch of Christian healing. This great message of love often fell on dull ears in the first century, and it is no different to-day in what is called the present state of Christian civilization. It may be ventured that the failure of Christianity to fulfill its healing mission, all down the centuries, has been largely due to the complete ignorance of what love is. It is, therefore, of interest and value to hear what Mrs. Eddy has said in reference to what she regards as the sacred purpose of Christianity. This is recorded in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," on page 148, being contained in her address to the Concord Church: "Bear in mind always that Christianity is not alone a gift, but that it is a growth Christward; it is not a creed or dogma,—a philosophical phantasm,—nor the opinions of a sect struggling to gain power over contending sects and scourging the sect in advance of it. Christianity is the summons of divine Love for man to be Christlike—to emulate the words and the works of our great Master. To attain to these works, men must know somewhat of the divine Principle of Jesus' lifework, and must prove their knowledge by doing as he bade: 'Go, and do thou likewise.' We know Principle only through Science. The Principle of Christ is divine Love, resistless Life, and Truth."

It will be seen, therefore, that the meaning of Love is not academic, nor theoretical, but metaphysical and demonstrable. And hence it is far removed from what humanity has chosen to regard as love, a mere sentiment or evidence of human affection. Human experience has witnessed too often that what is miscalled love may momentarily be transformed into hatred with all of its dire consequences. Love, which is Mind, is divine and must be expressed in unselfish love and is not to be confused with a counterfeit which is selfish and often base and destructive. Real attraction is wholly spiritual. Divine Love and its spiritual reflection constitutes the completeness of reality. Hence, what is ordinarily termed love, or a so-called sensual attraction, is but the counterfeit of the divine idea derived from Mind and containing no element of discord. Divine Love never fears but casts out fear. Therefore, both parental and filial love are delivered from fear, thereby approximating the divine, in the measure that the false and fearful human sense of love is replaced by the understanding that Love is Mind. The one infinite Parent is both Father and Mother, ceaselessly reflected in the realization of man's true sonship with divine Mind.

Now, for the exemplification of the meaning of true Love, which is Mind, one naturally turns to the Bible record of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and there finds that Love is expressed in his loving service for humanity and in his constant prayer in its behalf. His acts were not always attended by what the human mind falsely designates as loving-kindness, however. It became often necessary for him to rebuke sensuality and the utter selfishness of material sense, as when he drove the money changers out of the Temple and called his hearers hypocrites, likening them to whited sepulchers. Wherever he was he promptly rebuked every argument of any claim of power or authority underived from divine, all-intelligent Love and awakened the dormant understanding by declaring the truth of man's oneness with divine Love. This was the love that prompted him to command Peter to put up his sword; it was this same understanding of infinite Love that raised Lazarus after four days in the grave, and healed the man with the withered hand. And it was his understanding of Love which made Christ Jesus willing to pass through the crucifixion and spend three days in the sepulcher, and restored him again to his disciples. It is in his ability to follow in the footsteps of the Master that the Christian Scientist is to-day bringing healing and solace to a sorrowful world, by replacing every suggestion of material belief with the awake and joyful realization of the truth of being, man's heritage as the son of God. Mrs. Eddy has pointed out for eternity that whatever is embodied in pure Christianity can never pass away but is here and now available in the measure that Principle is understood and scientifically applied. In this manner, and in no other way, can heaven, or harmony, be truly established in human experience.

One sees, therefore, that as Love unfolds, error of every description must be necessarily destroyed and the process is indeed natural and inevitable. In "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 209) Mrs. Eddy writes: "Divine Love, as unconscious as incapable of error, pursues the evil that hideth itself, strips off its disguises, and—behold the result: evil uncovered, is self-destroyed. Christian Science never healed a patient without proving with mathematical certainty that error, when found out, is two-thirds destroyed, and the remaining third kills itself."

It is, consequently, quite plain that the metaphysician is ever ready to manifest that love which intelligently and fearlessly uncovers error, wherever it may appear, with the realization that it is a necessary step to insure its speedy annihilation, and thus save its victim. He never falters nor fears to offend, abiding firmly upon the fact that Love strips off the disguise of error and reveals "the form divinely fair," the perfect man in God's image, always manifesting love, purity, and perfection. The Christian Scientist takes a radical stand for Principle, aiding his brother through the application of his knowledge of the Christ, and in assailing evil in high places, never doubting the consequences. Humanity needs to learn the lesson of true love, and Christian Science is teaching it in the only practical way, by healing the sick and redeeming the sinner.