THIRD STUDY IN CHRISTIAN SCIENCE A S we hold in thought that God is Good, Truth, Life, Love, Charity, Mercy, Spirit, Knowledge, Intelligence, Mind; that these, with many other words, are simply a desire to give expression to our idea of the Supreme Being, and that this Supreme Being is Supreme, over all, through all and in all-Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient-All-power, All-presence, All-wisdom-we see, hear, feel, etc., many things that don't seem to be Good, Truth, Life, Love, Charity, Mercy, Spirit, Knowledge, Intelligence, Mind. We can't think that God is both unseen and seen, both Good and bad, Spirit and matter. We define what we mean by God being All, Good being What is not Spirit is not anything. We get to the point where the Master said we should if we persisted in following him. We deny ourselves. Now the denial of self, in and of itself is nothing. Paul says, Though I speak with the tongues of men and Angels, and have not Charity I am become as sounding brass and a tinkling symbol. And though I have the gift of prophecy and understand all mystery and all knowledge; and though I have all faith so that I could remove mountains, and have not Charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long and is kind: Charity envieth not: Charity vaunteth not itself: is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil: rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the Truth. Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail: whether there be tongues, they shall cease: whether there be knowledge it shall vanish away: For we know in part and we prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child I spake as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man I put away childish things. For now we see through a a glass darkly, or as in a riddle; but then face to face: now I know in part, but then shall I know, even as I am known. And now abideth Faith, Hope and Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity. Paul seemed to deny away everything but Charity or rather he puts Charity as his highest idea of God. Faith, Hope and Charity. This chapter may be called Paul's sermon on the mount. The point where he loses himself and all earthly things in his contemplation of God. To him God and Charity were one. Charity suffereth long and is kind. Charity envieth not. Charity vaunteth not itself. Charity is not puffed up. Charity doth not behave itself unseemly. Charity seeketh not her own. Charity is not easily provoked. Charity thinketh no evil. Charity rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the Truth. Charity beareth all things. Charity believeth all things. Charity endureth all things. Charity never faileth: other things may fail but Charity, like God, never faileth. Faith, Hope and Charity, these three; but the greatest of these is Charity. These denials and affirmations of Paul, how they take away the false ideas, and see, how along with the rubbing off of the false, he pours in the highest, best and purest that he has. |