Miscellaneous Writings Part 24

The last act of the tragedy on Calvary rent the veil of matter, and unveiled Love's great legacy to mortals: [25]

_Love forgiving its enemies_. This grand act crowned and still crowns Christianity: it manumits mortals; it translates love; it gives to suffering, inspiration; to patience, experience; to experience, hope; to hope, faith; to faith, understanding; and to understanding, Love tri- [30]

umphant!

In proportion to a man's spiritual progress, he will

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indeed drink of our Master's cup, and be baptized with [1]

his baptism! be purified as by fire,-the fires of suffering; then hath he part in Love's atonement, for "whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." Then shall he also reign with him: he shall rise to know that there is no sin, [5]

that there is no suffering; since all that is _real_ is _right_.

This knowledge enables him to overcome the world, the flesh, and all evil, to have dominion over his own sinful sense and self. Then shall he drink anew Christ's cup, in the kingdom of G.o.d-the reign of righteousness- [10]

within him; he shall sit down at the Father's right hand: _sit down_; not stand waiting and weary; but rest on the bosom of G.o.d; rest, in the understanding of divine Love that pa.s.seth all understanding; rest, in that which "to know aright is Life eternal," and whom, not having seen, [15]

we love.

Then shall he press on to Life's long lesson, the eternal lore of Love; and learn forever the infinite meanings of these short sentences: "G.o.d is Love;" and, All that is real is divine, for G.o.d is All-in-all. [20]

Message To The Annual Meeting Of The Mother Church, Boston, 1896

_Beloved Brethren, Children, and Grandchildren_:- Apart from the common walks of mankind, revolving oft the hitherto untouched problems of being, and [25]

oftener, perhaps, the controversies which baffle it, Mother, thought-tired, turns to-day to you; turns to her dear church, to tell the towers thereof the remarkable achievements that have been ours within the past few years: the rapid transit from halls to churches, from un- [30]

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settled questions to permanence, from danger to escape, [1]

from fragmentary discourses to one eternal sermon; yea, from darkness to daylight, in physics and metaphysics.

Truly, I half wish for society again; for once, at least, to hear the soft music of our Sabbath chimes saluting the [5]

ear in tones that leap for joy, with love for G.o.d and man.

Who hath not learned that when alone he has his own thoughts to guard, and when struggling with man- kind his temper, and in society his tongue? We also [10]

have gained higher heights; have learned that trials lift us to that dignity of Soul which sustains us, and finally conquers them; and that the ordeal refines while it chastens.

Perhaps our church is not yet quite sensible of what [15]

we owe to the strength, meekness, honesty, and obedi- ence of the Christian Science Board of Directors; to the able editors of _The Christian Science Journal_, and to our efficient Publis.h.i.+ng Society.

No reproof is so potent as the silent lesson of a good [20]

example. Works, more than words, should characterize Christian Scientists. Most people condemn evil-doing, evil-speaking; yet nothing circulates so rapidly: even gold is less current. Christian Scientists have a strong race to run, and foes in ambush; but bear in mind that, in the [25]

long race, honesty always defeats dishonesty.

G.o.d hath indeed smiled on my church,-this daughter of Zion: she sitteth in high places; and to de- ride her is to incur the penalty of which the Hebrew bard spake after this manner: "He that sitteth in the [30]

heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision."

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Hitherto, I have observed that in proportion as this [1]

church has smiled on His "little ones," He has blessed her. Throughout my entire connection with The Mother Church, I have seen, that in the ratio of her love for others, hath His love been bestowed upon her; watering [5]

her waste places, and enlarging her borders.

One thing I have greatly desired, and again earnestly request, namely, that Christian Scientists, here and elsewhere, pray daily for themselves; not verbally, nor on bended knee, but mentally, meekly, and importu- [10]

nately. When a hungry heart pet.i.tions the divine Father- Mother G.o.d for bread, it is not given a stone,-but more grace, obedience, and love. If this heart, humble and trustful, faithfully asks divine Love to feed it with the bread of heaven, health, holiness, it will be conformed to [15]

a fitness to receive the answer to its desire; then will flow into it the "river of His pleasure," the tributary of divine Love, and great growth in Christian Science will follow,- even that joy which finds one's own in another's good.

To love, and to be loved, one must do good to others. [20]

The inevitable condition whereby to become blessed, is to bless others: but here, you must so know yourself, under G.o.d's direction, that you will do His will even though your pearls be downtrodden. Ofttimes the rod is His means of grace; then it must be ours,-we cannot avoid [25]

wielding it if we reflect Him.

Wise sayings and garrulous talk may fall to the ground, rather than on the ear or heart of the hearer; but a tender sentiment felt, or a kind word spoken, at the right moment, is never wasted. Mortal mind presents phases of charac- [30]

ter which need close attention and examination. The human heart, like a feather bed, needs often to be _stirred_,

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sometimes roughly, and given a variety of _turns_, else it [1]

grows hard and uncomfortable whereon to repose.

The lessons of this so-called life in matter are too vast and varied to learn or to teach briefly; and especially within the limits of a letter. Therefore I close here, [5]

with the apostle's injunction: "Finally, brethren, what- soever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any [10]

praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the G.o.d of peace shall be with you."

With love, Mother, MARY BAKER G. EDDY

CHAPTER V. LETTERS.

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To The Mother Church.

My Beloved Brethren:-If a member of the church is inclined to be uncharitable, or to condemn his brother without cause, let him put his finger to his lips, and forgive others as he would _be_ forgiven. One's first [5]

lesson is to learn one's self; having done this, one will naturally, through grace from G.o.d, forgive his brother and love his enemies. To avenge an imaginary or an actual wrong, is suicidal. The law of our G.o.d and the rule of our church is to tell thy brother his fault and thereby help [10]

him. If this rule fails in effect, then take the next Scrip- tural step: drop this member's name from the church, and thereafter "let the dead bury their dead,"-let silence prevail over his remains.

If a man is jealous, envious, or revengeful, he will seek [15]

occasion to balloon an atom of another man's indis- cretion, inflate it, and send it into the atmosphere of mortal mind-for other green eyes to gaze on: he will always find somebody in his way, and try to push him aside; will see somebody's faults to magnify under the lens that [20]

he never turns on himself.

What have been your Leader's precepts and example!