Mrs. Eddy: On the Need to Appreciate Each Footstep

[parthens]

In 1888, the CS Journal summarized a sermon in which Mrs. Eddy portrayed Zacharias as representative of those who retard their spiritual progress by refusing to take the next step; faltering, they thus get stuck, incorporating only part of the gospel into their lives, thereby limiting God (cf. Romans 4:20 – Abraham “staggered not” but took the next step joyfully, with firm resolve):

CLOSING SERVICE OF THE SEASON
from CS Journal, August 1888

“Rev. Mrs. Eddy officiated July 29, at the last service before the August vacation. Chickering Hall was filled with an audience large for the season, and very attentive.

“The text was Matthew xxii. 21: ‘Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.’

“The Roman Emperor ruled three-hundred-millions, yet there was one born in Galilee who was to rule a larger and diviner kingdom. Today there is a similar contrast between the world and Christian Science, for whose advent spiritual nature has prepared the way. The chemist may cut his hand with the broken retort, but not with the whole vessel. So if we break the command which bids us love our brother, this error in the premise will lead to lack of love toward God, and therefore to self-inflicted wounds. Popular Christianity is fragmentary, omitting the healing principle. Jesus healed out of the spontaneity of his divine nature. The Christian Scientist must learn this Science, which Jesus had no need to learn, because it was in him; but when the understanding of God is reached, the Principle is the same in Jesus and the believer. True work is in the Spirit, not the letter.

“The speaker remembered bad cancer, before which her faith faltered; but when she turned to God in Spirit, the cancer was healed and the Infidel sufferer was converted.

“The Christian Scientist is harmonious in himself, bringing forth fruit in its season. He will not try to break Science into fragments, and live by part of it; but he will move on in straight lines, and where his treasure is, there will his heart be; for true Scientists are, must be, the best people on the globe, if they live their religion. When Zacharias saw the vision in the Temple he was dumb; but when his heart rose to an appreciation of the spiritual wonders among which he was living, his speech returned; for even speech is not essential to divine Life.”
[Italics are in original text.]

[Michael Pupko]

In the past (I hope) I was very hypocritical of Christians who appear very hypocritical. After the number of years here participating at Plainfield and all the classes on how to do things correctly, I’ve come to the point where I realize that rather than “retard (my) their spiritual progress by refusing to take the next step” I’m capable of being grossly ignorant of applying what I’m learning to take the next step. Thus why ‘forgiveness’ is such an important trait because while holding a critical view of my fellow generic man I exhibit those very traits (hypocrisy in this case).

This citation from our Lesson Sermon sums up my mental state as Mrs. Eddy has the ability to always, universally do:
6. 263 : 1-20
Mortals are egotists. They believe themselves to be independent workers, personal authors, and even privileged originators of something which Deity would not or could not create. The creations of mortal mind are material. Immortal spiritual man alone represents the truth of creation.

When mortal man blends his thoughts of existence with the spiritual and works only as God works, he will no longer grope in the dark and cling to earth because he has not tasted heaven. Carnal beliefs defraud us. They make man an involuntary hypocrite, — producing evil when he would create good, forming deformity when he would outline grace and beauty, injuring those whom he would bless. He becomes a general mis-creator, who believes he is a semi-god. His “touch turns hope to dust, the dust we all have trod.” He might say in Bible language: “The good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.”

Thankfully with all that is shared here such as the above Journal article is providing me ways of ‘rolling away the stone’ which has seemed to be entombing my thought. Grateful to finally learn which part of the ‘walls of my tomb’ is the stone that needs to be and the only thing that can be rolled away:)

[chardelle]

Thank you for these posts! What a lesson in this Lesson! Can you imagine arguing with an angel? Well, I think I am sometimes guilty of this. Zacharias couldn’t believe what he was hearing because he was believing instead that he and he wife were too old to conceive. Of course this didn’t stop God but because of his doubting Zacharias was made speechless until after John was born. Upon thinking about all of this I chuckled to myself and thought it is a wonder I am not turned to stone with all the doubting I seem to do. I am learning that we are ageless …. no older or younger than our most wonderful, merciful and loving God.

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