The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1941-04-18
Main Entrance to the Building of The
Christian Science Publishing Society
in Boston, Massachusetts

of Mother our concept of Cod is in
complete. Furthermore, this word
helps us to a clearer vision of the
nature of Love. We all know how q
mother longs for her child to be
happy, makes little plans constantly
for its happiness, Is concerned in all
the details Of its welfare. feeds and
cherishes 1t without any thought Of
herself Thinking along these lines
makes God seem closer, more init
mate. 1t makes us feel how dear our
happiness is to the heart of God. It
makes us realize that God, the di-
vine Mother, wants us to be happy,
just as much as He wants us to be
good. How could the mother-love of
God, whose nature it is to feed and
cherish, ever let us lack any good or
needful thing? From all this we see
that the relationship of man to God
Is that of beloved child, the idea of
divine Principle, the representative
or radiation of Life, Truth, and Love.
This higher sense of the nature and
character of man as scientifically
understood is demonstrated when by
it the sick are healed.
1t is sometimes ,sked how we dare
to claim spiritual perfection for man
when on every side there are evil
dences that he is both sick and
sinful. The answer is that we do not
claim this for a mortal. This dis
tinction is made so clearly and con-
vincingly by Christ Jesus in his con-
versation with Nicodemus that it is
worth while to consider that story.
When the ruler of the Jews came to
him and questioned him, Jesus said
that to see the kingdom man must
be born again, or as the exact trans
lation has it, "be born from above"
That which is born of the flesh is
flesh" he continued, land that which
is born of the Spirit Is spirit" One
is mortal, the other immortal. These
two never nningle, although like the
wheat and the tares they seem to
grow side by side. That which is of
the flesh remains mortal, imperfect,
that which is of the Spirit, sinless,
stainless, immaculate. Therefore we
do not make mortal good, but let the
mortal give place little by little to the
immortal. In so doing what appears
to take place is the emergence of a
better, happier, and healthier human
being. What does it mean to be born
of the Spirit? 1t means that the
Christ-idea awakes in us, which from
then on is the governing factor Of
our experience. It means that the
intellectual acceptance of Truth
bows before a knowing of Truths
actuality, which is beyond all argyll
ment and beyond all doubling, be-
cause it is an inward conviction Of
that which is. Its first fruit is joy,
and with it comes always a lessen
ing of the trust in materiality. The
mortal has begun in however small
a degree to withdraw. That which Is
born from above has nothing of the
human about it. Being spiritual
only, it is indestructible.
Is there any experience equal in
Importance and desirability to this
new birth? without it we have only
the letter, therefore without It
heaven is not opened. With it the !
divine possibilities begin to unfold
and even our human experience is
bathed in new and fairer light. If
that light sometimes does not seem
to last it Is only because further
rebirth Is necessary, for as Mrs.
Eddy tells us, the new birth goes on
continually until we reach eternity.
Commenting upon his own words
Jesus said: 1.-THE wind bloweth
where it listeth, and thou nearest
the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh, and whittier it
goeth: SO is every one that is born
OF the Spirit" How true that isl
Caiaphas had a high position but
he had not been born again of the
Spirit. The woman of Samaria had
and so had the Roman centurion.
Truly we cannot tell of the Spirit
whence 1t cometh or whittier it
goeth.
How do we gain the new birth?
Nicodemus laid down prejudice, and
was ready to learn and to inquire
from one who had less authority
and learning humanity than himself.
And it was night when he came to
Jesus. II 1t is night with you, be of
good cheer, for that is the moment
when the mortal is most ready to
yield and when the idea of beauty
and glory which is your true self
hood is most likely to appear. 1t is
this man born Of the Spirit" which
Christian Science claims for each of
us as perfect and spiritual and
fefnonstrab1e The maintaining NJ
this truth about man brings the
spiritual idea into view and results
In healing.
Christian Science being Science
also defines for US the nature of the