Article October 7, 1944 Issue

"Awaken to vigor and to victory"

THOMAS E. HURLEY

Every sincere student of Christian Science is striving for victory over some phase of error, for he is working out his own salvation, and this involves overcoming every argument of evil—"the world, the flesh, and the devil." The Apostle Paul declares, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." In other words, now is the day of victory, now is the time to be healed. But sometimes it seems that today is not a day of victory. Since Paul stated a spiritual fact, what is it that seems to delay or postpone one's realization of present victory, of present salvation from evil, sin, disease, and death?

On page 204 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" Mary Baker Eddy says, "My faith in God and in His followers rests in the fact that He is infinite good, and that He gives His followers opportunity to use their hidden virtues, to put into practice the power which lies concealed in the calm and which storms awaken to vigor and to victory." A challenging phrase, "awaken to vigor and to victory"! And might not this indicate the pressing need in a delayed demonstration? Even humanly, vigor and victory go hand in hand. Vigor conveys the thought of active power or powerful action, which is certainly essential to victory. Vigor is positive, the very antithesis of apathy, inertia, indifference, and procrastination. And does not Mrs. Eddy's statement further imply that where there is sufficient spiritual vigor there is victory?

So let us, individually and collectively, "awaken to vigor and to victory," for great is the need of the present hour. Let us be alert to handle effectively the arguments of error that would claim to produce apathy and inertia, or that would claim to dim our expectancy of present victory, of immediate healing. These arguments, whatever their nature, are but phases of animal magnetism, of the claim of active evil. Since God, good, is the infinite and only Mind, the source of all action, there is no evil action, no evil argument. These false beliefs have no mind in which they can originate or exist and no man to express them or to listen to them, for individual man in reality expresses or reflects the divine Mind and hears only its voice. The student who is alert to handle thus the claims of error is in no danger of being handled by them, of being rendered apathetic or inert. Rather, he deals with the adversary promptly, vigorously, and effectually.

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