The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-21

done through such prayer, and that this prayer must be without teasing. Our every thought. inclination and deed must be the outcome of con- stant mental attitude of prayer if we would follow the Master in the way of his appoint A Christian Scientist soon leains 4AHf in o-'nR- ing to the world eApe8 9iessines tT Gods Law which Jesus 50 clearly exemplified we do not have 70 com pei the operation of Gods ] ". we simply have to let At do its W
 or rather, let the work this IAYg Has already accomplishea for mar, be manifested to us. Tho Iurposa of true prayer Is one of eliminatio4. persuasion-the elimination, through standardization of consciousness, of that which St. Paul characterized as the Carnal mind, the mortal mlnd, thus allowing that mind to be mani fested in us which was also in Christ Jesus"
 We have been sadly blinded to the teachings of Jesus and to the won- derful possibilities of a demonstra- ble understanding of his teachings by tho educational systems based up- on materiality, by the befogging in- constituencies of creedal and formal
 
 beliefs, fears, hatred. malice, envy. jealousy and revenge. Much, even, that we have considered beautiful and at times. helpful has been a him drance to us in gaining that clarified vision necessary to our spirItual ad- vancement. And 1t Is this vast ar ray of mental misconceptions, this dense web of materiality, which must be removed from before our ss.,, ,t. see the glory of the coming of the Lord" before we can begin to ex- perience in our daily lives those won derful blessings which the Bible has vouchsafed every one of us. And 1t Is through constant prayer and self immolation that these mental bar riers are removed from our con- sciousness and the sunlight of Gods ever presence Is borne In upon us. As We begin to work in Christian Science and begin to understand what true prayer is. and how to pray as Jesus did. we begin. little by little. to replace. In our thinking fear, envy. tealously, hatred, revenge and the like. the procurers of all disease. with confidence and meakness and trust and love and charity and for giveness and sweetness; be begin to replace our concept of Gods creation to be crassly material with the un- derstanding that the universe and man are pure and spiritual: we begin to break the letters of creed and dogma and ritual and emerge into the freedom of the Christ. And as we progress in prayer and under standing. Gods Law begins to mani- fest itself to us and through us, in proportion to our purification of con sciousness. In better health. better morals, better living. better business and more love for God and all man kind-in a more harmonious condi- ton generally. We begin then to understand a little of what Jesus meant when He said. If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed. you shall say unto this mountain, Re move hence to wonder place: and 1t shall remove: and nothing shall be impossible unto you" We begin then to unders tand a little of how Jesus accomplished his wonderful works and to appreciate how far we have still to traverse, how much genuine purifying we have yet before us, be- fore we are able to fully obey Ills command to Ego and do likewise" It Is through prayer that we gain our atonement, our at-one-ment with God, with divine Love. with Life and with Truth. whereby we can go with confidence to the bedside of the sick and bid them "arise and walk; to the charnel house of the sinner and command the "evil spirit to come out of him" and to the tomb of the dead and bid those asleep in rnateriality 10 'come forth.'
 Mary Baker Eddy
 Jesus taught and demonstrated conclusively this Law of God, but none Of the writers in the New Teta- ment have left us a practical. usable rule for it's application. Just as the demonstration of this Law has ap- reared throughout human history from time to time. when the spirit uality of the age permitted. so the discovery of the rule of its practical application was to have come at the proper time and in the proper way It was destined to come at a period when mankind should be ready to receive 1t. and through people capable of understanding and per- petuating it among the nations. So 1t was only natural. and in accord with Gods Law. that is should have been revealed first to nati~~ 's'