All thoughts may be divided into two general classes, those which are bad or destructive, and those which are good or constructive. As God has given to all the capacity and capability of discriminating, it largely depends upon the individual's own alertness in selecting the thoughts he thinks, whether his life is one of sickness, misery, and failure or of health, happiness, and success.

One may inquire, But where is the source of either bad or good thoughts? The study of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, will answer this question, and will show conclusively that all evil thinking originates in the so-called mortal or carnal mind, which in itself is but an illusion, a counterfeit of the real Mind, God; while good thoughts proceed from God, and are seen in the manifestation of God's good ideas everywhere. Mind being the source of all true ideas, the importance of constantly watching and examining every thought presenting itself to us, before we permit its entrance into our consciousness, cannot be overestimated.

The majority of our troubles can be traced back to some wrong thought entertained. Because a photographic film is very sensitive, those interested in photography carefully guard the film in a camera from exposure to scenes not desirable of reproduction. By viewing a picture taken on an unguarded film, a student of Christian Science once learned a valuable lesson. The photographer had done his part in the taking of the picture; the individuals photographed had done their part; a good picture was expected, yet the result was not a success. And all this because the photographer had not guarded his film against exposure to extraneous light before taking the picture! Our mentalities are more receptive than the film in the camera. Should they not, therefore, be guarded even more carefully against exposure to wrong thoughts, whether these seem to originate within ourselves or to be suggested by the words and actions of others? Who but we ourselves are to be blamed if the wrong thought-pictures are reproduced at some future date in our own experience!

Our Leader's instruction as found on page 40 of the Manual of The Mother Church, "The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously," cannot be regarded too highly! It is in a direct line with our Master's teaching when he said, "But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil." One often realizes that he has been exposing his mentality to many undesirable thought-pictures, and how, even in church work, he may have failed to separate error from man and been guilty of making evil personal by regarding some fellow worker as a personal sinner. Honest self-examination may reveal to the student that he has been deserving of the rebuke which Jesus pronounced upon the Pharisee who claimed to be better than the publican, and that self-righteousness is not the reflection of divine Love, which heals and saves.

Are we aware that the wish we entertain is often father of our thoughts, words, and deeds? If so, we shall weigh all our desires in the scale of Spirit before expressing them, that they may not be "found wanting." Is it not sound common sense to examine our thoughts to see whether they are beautiful or ugly, perfect or imperfect, when we know that upon these thoughts depends our well-being? Are we holding thoughts which do not emanate from the one and only Mind, God? Do we try continually to bring every thought into accord with Truth and Love? What is the basis of our thinking? Is it the understanding of the perfect man of God's creating, or of him whom the five corporeal senses testify to as discordant, sick, sinning, and dying, and whom in Christian Science we learn to know as only the counterfeit of the real man? Are we guarding our consciousness so thoroughly that we admit no thought which has not been tested and proved as proceeding from God? If we are permitting the thought that matter is real to persist in our consciousness, can we do better than strive to spiritualize our own thinking? Are not we all soldiers, enlisted in the army against evil? Then the battle ground is in our own individual consciousness, where right thinking must be our armor!

Evil often masquerades under very innocent masks. One of these is the belief that since will-power is evil, we should make no effort to free ourselves from the particular forms of false appetite, sin, or sickness that hold us in bondage, because in striving thus to free ourselves we might be using will-power! One therefore may be tempted to think that inasmuch as Mrs. Eddy has condemned the use of will-power, the only thing for him to do is to continue indulging his sins, praying for deliverance, and hoping that the prayer entertained by him or by a Christian Science practitioner in his behalf may cause the sin to leave him, even while he may continue to indulge it. Such an attitude is contrary to Christian Science and leads to defeat; for it involves the serving of two masters, which Jesus condemned.

If we will remember that the power we exercise to do right is the expression of the will of God and has nothing in common with the will-power of the mortal or carnal mind, prompting us to do evil, we shall readily see the subtlety of the aforesaid false argument. We shall not be afraid to be firm with error of any form, and shall positively refuse to serve it, however much the five corporeal senses may tempt us to continue doing so by arguing that the desire for the indulgence will voluntarily leave us. We remember that Satan, tempting Jesus, even used quotations from the Scriptures in the attempt to deceive the Way-shower. Realizing this, we shall never again be afraid to express the will of God, and shall gladly use all the power which God gives us with authority for good. The will of God thus expressed enables us to go our way rejoicingly, dethroning the carnal will-power through that power of God which Mrs. Eddy admonishes us to reflect constantly, in the words (Science and Health, p. 261): "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." It is self-evident that one continuing to indulge in sin is not holding thought steadfastly to good.

All of us have had the experience of striving in the right direction and of being blessed by so doing. In striving for good we reflect divine power, which brings with it spiritual understanding and enables us to take a stand as God's child. James says, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." All of us can do more along this line than we are doing. As we obey our Leader's advice (Science and Health, p. 392), "Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously," our thoughts will be directed into right paths, leading us to victory over the temptations of the five corporeal senses. Thus we may prove that "now are we the sons of God."