Henry Fielding puts into the mouth of one of his characters the words, "But me no buts!" No doubt he had experienced many times the tendency of mankind to make a kindly statement and then immediately to qualify it with a "but." For instance, "Brown is a very fine fellow but ..." Why not leave Brown as a very fine character and not discount him at all? If we must say something about him, let it be, as far as honesty will permit, a description of his fine qualities, which point to man created in the image and likeness of God, Spirit, imagine; forth such qualities as courage, unselfed love, patience, and so forth.

Mary Baker Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 492), "For right reasoning there should be but one fact before the thought, namely, spiritual existence." The basis of all right reasoning is, then, that God, Spirit, is All-in-all. In her "scientific statement of being" she says (ibid., p. 468) that "all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all," and she concludes it with the declaration that man is spiritual, not material.

In order clearly to expose to mankind the illusory source of all "buts," Mrs. Eddy has called this so-called source mortal mind in contradistinction to God, whom she names immortal Mind. This mortal mind cannot reason rightly because it has neither substance, reality, nor intelligence, hence its retreat to "buts": "No, but." "Yes, but," "But yet," and any kind of "but" that will serve its purpose of minimizing good. Is it any wonder that wholly material thought fails to lead in any constructive accomplishment? Since it has no real basis for reasoning, mortal mind cannot understand the allness, goodness, and perfection of spiritual existence which Christian Science reveals, but sees only its own false creation, in which man is material, mortal, and imperfect.

"But there went up a mist from the earth" (Gen. 2:6). This is probably the first "but" recorded, and what a mist of error and confusion has followed its enunciation! Mrs. Eddy devotes some pages of Science and Health to the elucidation of this verse in Genesis, which is in such startling contrast to the verses preceding it, dealing as they do with the spiritual nature of the only real creation. Her statements of truth are so clear that many students have been released from enslaving material beliefs by the reading of these few pages. And what a release it is to be able to declare understandingly that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that man is made in His image and likeness, free, upright, pure, and strong. Every student should be alert to put a full stop to his words the moment they, with a critical sense, depict man as other than the way God made him, or when there is a danger of talking for talking's sake, instead of saying something to help and to heal.

The Bible is replete with examples of the importance of holding steadfastly to the truth about man. A classic example is that of the Shunammite woman. Her son had just died and she hastened to seek help from Elisha the man of God. In response to Elisha's inquiry, "Is it well with the child?" she replied, "It is well," without a "but" to deplete her statement of absolute truth, for she knew it always had been well and always would be well with the child of God. Her expectancy of good was rewarded by a beautiful proof that Life, God, is ever present, never absent, and that man eternally reflects this Life.

The truth of man's completeness is as true today as it was in the Shunammite's day. This was recently proved in the experience of a young serviceman. Returning home from active service abroad, he found that there appeared little possibility of making a home for his wife and young children. There seemed nothing else to do but to live at his wife's parents' home. The young man had been brought up in Christian Science, had attended the Christian Science Sunday School to the age of twenty, and was sincerely putting his understanding of the truth into practice.

He became very much interested in an article in the Christian Science Sentinel on the expectancy of good, which showed the completely satisfying way in which all our needs are met through the application of right reasoning without any "buts." He saw that he must clear his thought of the errors of material, limited reasoning through his understanding of man's heritage, as the son of God, of inexhaustible supply to find that supply manifested in his own everyday affairs. He realized that, even as he had been protected by his reliance on the beautiful Bible promise (Psalms 91:1), "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty," during six years of war service, so would he and his small family be protected and cared for now if they placed their whole trust in Him. He saw that matter and its limitations have no part or place in the secret place of Spirit, that man's supply, his well-being, safety, and sustenance are already provided, and what he needed to do was to sacrifice as fast as he could every vestige of his belief that he was dependent on limited matter for his supply.

As his thought was clarified by these angel messages, all fear of lack left him. At this point he heard of a cottage, but on inspection it was found unsuitable. The owner, however, told the family's need to the owner of a new and beautiful seaside home equipped with every labor-saving and comfort-giving device, and she at once placed it at their disposal. And it was rent free, since she would not rent her seaside home to anyone. The solution of his problem was so incredible as to appear fantastic, but there it was: all the "buts" or doubts had vanished and he gained demonstration a firmer trust in God.

No! there are no "buts" to discount God's sublime allness. Our Leader says (Science and Health, p. 84), "It is the prerogative of the ever-present, divine Mind, and of thought which is in rapport with this Mind, to know the past, the present, and the future." This statement is proved in the measure that we understand the allness of God, good. Since God, good, is All-in-all, the past was good, the present is good, and the future will be good. Really these three are one, for since God is infinite, that is, without beginning or end, there can be no point in the past to measure from and no point in the future to measure to. It follows that as the light of this truly illuminating truth shines into our hearts, we realize that the "buts" of sense have no authority. There is no past to regret and no future to fear, only an ever-present consciousness of the nearness and love of our Father-Mother God to enjoy.

"But me no buts" is indeed good counsel for the student of Christian Science. Our Leader indicates on page 249 of Science and Health how absolute should be our stand. She says, "Mind is not the author of matter, and the creator of ideas is not the creator of illusions. Either there is no omnipotence, or omnipotence is the only power."