The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-10-06

In the realm Of spiritual reality,
harmony, heaven, all ideas are wise,
holy, loyal, pure. All are 9ike the
one Mind. ),
THE OIL FOR THE LAMPS
What is this oil, this spiritual
sense, and how is It acquired?
Many people, are not clear as to
spiritual mindedness, confusing It
with the religious emotions OF
the human mind, or else consider
ing lit asmysterious abstraction be-
yond their requirement. once
knew a clergyman In whose con-
gregation there was a faithful at
tendant who, for thirty years, never
missed Sunday service or a mid
week prayer meetint. He was de-
vout, made able talks, joined In the
singing, and led In prayer. Yet he
never united with the church nor
professed conversion. AT last the
pastor preached the subject. Said
he: my friend. for thirty years you
have lived the life Of a Christian,
supported the church, and In all
other Why's shown you are worthy
to be member. Why haven't you
joined?" And the good brother
pondered while, and then replied:
"Well, 1t is this way, I've been wait.
ing for the Spirit to move me-"
Science and Her tn declares: "Spir-
itual sense is the discernnent OF
spiritual good." 1t is the spiritual
thought, the unworltliness, the
sense Of Spirit; the feeling, the
hearing, the tasting, the seeing, In
short, the discerning of the ever
presence OF God. Spiritual sense
ia the consciousness of the ideas
Of pure Mind. It Is the oppo-
site of matter and material thought.
1t is the might of pureness. It is
the power of God unto salvation.
One does not wait for spiritual
sense to be given him, one becomes
aware Of the possession Of 1t, and
aware that this supersensible force
for good in his life is illimitable In
its scope, power and embodiment
Not the waiting, but the waking
to know world more bright Is
spiritual sense. And this awaken.
ing to the reality and perfection Of
all things in Mind brings Christian
Science healing. This spiritual un-
Outstanding is answered prayer.
And from this spiritual fountain in
Truth, the faithful may draw oil
for his lamp, even that o'l defined
in Science and Health as: "Conse.
Grafton; charity; gentleness; pray
err; heavenly inspiration"
FIDELITY
In her book, "Retrospection and
Interrogation" Mrs Eddy refers
to loyal Students" and declares:
'By loyalty in students I mean
this, = allegiance to God, sub
ordination Of the human to the
divine, steadfast justice, and strict
adherence to divine Truth and
Love-" Here indeed is oil for the
lamps. Disloyalty by it's very nature
excludes itself from good. Infidelity
separates one from the true sense OF
unity, of atonement, communion
union, with God, with Life, Truth,
and Love. Disloyalty would divide
nal from God, from good, from
health, from wealth, from happi-
ness, from growth, from harmony.
Science and Health declares: "Adul-
terating Christian Science makes 1t
void" Pureness of thought and
life, faithfulness over few things,
gives one dominion over matter,
and control even Of self. This Christ
ly devotion is pure religion and un-
defiled. 1t visits the fatherless and
the widows in their affliction. 1t
keeps ones self unspotted from the
world.
ALLEGIANCE TO GOD
The word allegiance means loyal
ty and fidelity, and is defined as
devotion or loyalty where obedi-
ence or service and respect are
due" God exists. THAI there is
God is the inevitable conclusion
from the self-evident fact that con-
seriousness exists; and that ones ex-
istence necessarily involves and in
cludes a creator, and excludes self
creation. Man did not create him
self. In the Bible Micah proclaims:
For all people will walk every
one in the name of his god, and we
will walk in the name Of the Lord
our God for ever and ever" Now
If we substitute for the word
name" the equivalent word ma
ture," we have the great fact in
Christian Science, that the concept
Of God held by any one indicates
and determines the nature Of his
thought. A materialist may con-
ceive Of God in terms Of matter,
from grossest idolatry of the pleas.
ures and pains Of material sense, to
the highest refinements Of pagan
worship, the generation of so-called
physical science, biology, physiol-
ogy, electricity, material medicine,
the body, and so on. The spiritual
ly minded man will turn from mat
ter and the human mind, and so
will care for the things of the Spirit,
divine Mind. His fear Of (that is,
respect for) God will be reflected
as self-confidence and self-respect.
Such is the unity Of being as taught
in Christian Science, the oneness
and distinctness Of God and man.
To know and fear (believe in)
God is to have self-knowledge and
self-control, and to believe in ones
real self as the perfect likeness and
image of God. Christian Science
teaches, and spiritual sense tells
us, that since God is the only pres