"To him that overcometh"

CYRUS A. POTTS

The book of Revelation begins with a message from "John to the seven churches which are in Asia," and closes with a vision of the holy city. In connection with this message very definite and wonderful promises are made "to him that overcometh." The Apocalypse, from beginning to end, deals with the thought of bringing together—congregating—right ideas, for the purpose of overcoming and blotting out wrong concepts; and the conflict between the forces of good and evil is termed, therein, the Armageddon. This conflict, as portrayed by John, is to be carried on by the churches; and the promises are made "to him that overcometh."

The term congregation may be defined as that which has come together into one mass or whole. When we refer to "the church" we have in thought all churches, and think of them as one mass or whole; that is, we congregate them. Each separate church is made up of individuals, and has its specific function; therefore, it will remain until the purpose for which it was organized has been fully accomplished. The Apocalypse, being revealed theology, contains only that which is to be understood by revelation; that is, by those who have "ears to hear." On this plane of experience, it is imperative that revelation coincide with divine reason; otherwise, theology would be speculative, instead of Christianly scientific.

Divine reason is the faculty which enables one to reduce revealed truth to a series of statements that together constitute a logical whole. This is what Mrs. Eddy has done for mankind. She has given to the world a systematic or scientific theology, which she has aptly termed Christian Science. The process of reducing revealed truth accurately and clearly to human apprehension required years of toil, as Mrs. Eddy found it necessary to demonstrate the verity of these statements before giving them to the world. In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 110), she relates her experience along this line, and states: "In following these leadings of scientific revelation, the Bible was my only textbook. The Scriptures were illumined; reason and revelation were reconciled, and afterwards the truth of Christian Science was demonstrated." But it is not enough that our Leader should alone demonstrate the truths of Christian Science; each individual should do likewise. To assist her followers in making such demonstration, she established The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, which is leading the way to a full and final demonstration of the allness of good and the nothingness of evil.

All that is claimed for the material structure of any Christian Science church is that it is a house or place for congregated worship. The congregations, engaged severally and jointly in a warfare to overcome evil with good, might properly be termed the church militant. It is evident, therefore, that so long as there remains any evil to be overcome, the church militant must continue. Our first association with the church militant is marked by a large degree of dependence on members of the congregation; and most of us feel the need of their companionship and ministration.

When we have traversed back and forth many times the path leading from the human to the divine, and have, in a measure, our bearings, we feel the need of personal assistance less and less; for we have triumphed somewhat over former errors. Are we going to forsake the little ones who, in turn, are just coming into the fold, simply because we have in some degree become triumphant? No! We are going to remain in the fold, and give to these little ones "a cup of cold water in Christ's name," as our Leader says on page 570 of Science and Health.

The greater our advancement in Christian Science, the greater is our need for the church and the church's need for us. A growing church is constantly admitting new members needing sympathy and intelligent help, just as we ourselves needed these at the beginning of our journey. Not only have we a debt to pay, but the church furnishes us the best and only adequate outlet for efficient service. Those who have arrived at a point where their need for the help supplied by church organization is less than in former years have before them the blessed opportunity of serving the church which so patiently served them, and from this unselfish service enjoy that peace which passeth understanding. As they reach this exalted state, and pass from the church militant to the church triumphant, in which the divine gains ascendancy over the human, they are entering the holy city, the New Jerusalem, wherein there is an abiding sense of peace, "for the former things are passed away."

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