Spiritual Discernment FRANK H. SPRAGUE          It is recorded in Luke's gospel that two of the disciples, journeying to Emmaus on the day of the resurrection, were joined by Jesus himself. So obsessed, however, was their thought with the belief that he was dead, that even after he had "expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself," "their eyes were holden that they should not know him." Changed though his appearance undoubtedly was by the exalting ordeal from which he had just emerged triumphant over the beliefs of darkness and death, the disciples' failure to identify their risen Lord was obviously due to a lack of spiritual discernment. It was, indeed, this mortal blindness to spiritual realities, only in an aggravated and more perverse form, which hardened the hearts of the Pharisees, and led the apathetic multitude to consent to the crucifixion of the Nazarene whose ministry had been largely devoted to the alleviation of their sufferings; and it is, in a final analysis, a like mental condition which has sealed the doom of men and races throughout the ages.          "Perceive ye not yet, neither understand? . . . Having eyes, see ye not?" was the Master's pointed reprimand to the twelve on one occasion. "Where there is no vision, the people perish," exclaimed the writer of Proverbs. It was not Roman statecraft nor Grecian culture but this vision of the Hebrew prophets that foreshadowed the Savior of the world; not the Jewish hierarchy but the wise men who, seeking truth and its spiritual enlightenment, beheld the star of him who was to rule all nations; and it is the spiritually discerning among men today who see, beyond the tempestuous fury of warring beliefs, the rainbow of promise spanning a new heaven and earth.          The listless nonchalance of the Galilean multitudes and the religious bigotry of the hypocritical Pharisees represented different aspects of the belief of mortal blindness. While the Pharisees were looked upon as an exemplary class because of their punctilious observance of the letter of Judaic codes, their disregard for the spiritual behests of the law and the prophets called forth from John the Baptist the scathing rebuke, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to f lee from the wrath to come?" Christ Jesus, the great demonstrator of spiritual being, healed the sick, raised the dead, mastered insane and diabolical beliefs, fed multitudes, subdued the elements, set aside asserted laws of nature, and left the germ of spirituality securely planted in the depths of human consciousness. The only type of mortal belief that did not yield to the authority which his understanding of God's law enabled him to exercise while on this plane of existence, was the stigma of Pharisaism, — stultification of the moral sensibilities which resulted from indulging the most subtle and willful form of self-deception. Speaking of this aggravated condition of mental and moral blindness, he said to his self-righteous accusers, "If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth."          Finding the human odds too great to permit his meeting at that time the condition of self-induced blindness which darkened his persecutors' vision of spiritual reality, the Wayshower was constrained to make his demonstration at that point over "the king of terrors," which the sin of Pharisaism brought him thus abruptly to face. In view of these circumstances is it not reasonable to infer that his prophecy of "greater works" which his followers should perform had reference among other things to the eventual overcoming of this obstinate type of blindness or imperviousness to spiritual light, — the most insidious and depraving of all the beliefs which go to make up the carnal mind? The great Teacher declared that the publicans and harlots came into the kingdom of heaven before the conventionally moral and religious scribes and Pharisees. It is a wise saying that none are so blind as those who will not see. What, indeed, is the sin against the Holy Ghost, mentioned in the Scriptures, but the act of deliberately shutting one's eyes to spiritual light, — an offense which is unpardonable for the very reason that it prevents those who persist in it from recognizing the truth which makes free. Metaphysically analyzed, the state of mental blindness, like every other phase of error, is found to have its root in the belief of ignorance, — a belief which denotes the suppositional absence of knowledge, enlightenment, understanding.          In his vision on the isle of Patmos, St. John, according to the record in the fourth chapter of Revelation, saw four beasts "in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne" of God. Now the Greek word translated beasts in the Authorized Version means literally living creatures; and it is thus appropriately rendered in the Revised Version. The qualities depicted in these living manifestations of divine power and intelligence are exactly the opposite of the animal propensities of the beast referred to in a succeeding chapter as rising "out of the sea." These "living creatures" are described as "full of eyes before and behind" (Revised Version), a metaphor which suggests spiritual traits required to detect the secret as well as the overt operations of aggressive mental suggestion. Mrs. Eddy defines eyes as "spiritual discernment, — not material but mental" (Science and Health, p. 586). The symbolism clearly points to a state of mind which is alert to perceive and take advantage of opportunities afforded by ever present divine activity, and to guard against the deceptions of false belief. Is it a mere coincidence that two of the living creatures which the Revelator beheld — the lion, typifying strength and courage, and the eagle, representing clear, exalted perception — correspond with the chosen emblems of two great nations now enlisted in a worldwide struggle for democracy as opposed to autocracy? Is it not significant, rather, as an indication that the discernment of a spiritual ideal is advancing human standards toward a realization of that state of heavenly citizenship which appeared to the beloved disciple in the mirror of divine Science?          At the present juncture the best human concepts of the spiritual idea that are abroad in the world must be protected against the ruthless assaults and clandestine plottings of modern Pharisaism, which invokes the blessing of Deity on a propaganda of hatred and hypocrisy carried on in defiance of the accepted canons of civilization. When the blind lead the blind, evil hastens on to self-destruction. Does not error even boast its ability to undermine the most stalwart defenses of liberty, loyalty, and virtue by infecting thought with the germs of suspicion, fear, apathy, discouragement, misunderstanding, and other mental deterrents to righteous activity? A prophecy of the ultimate triumph of good is seen, however, in the vision of Principle which is heartening individuals and nations as never before with a conviction of the supremacy of right over material might.          Christian Science is meeting present exigencies in a very specific sense by advancing spiritual perception to the degree of understanding required to unmask and cope with phases of the claim of aggressive suggestion whose operation is neither comprehended nor suspected by mankind in general. Mrs. Eddy has spoken in no uncertain terms on this subject. Thus on page 96 of Science and Health she says: "During this final conflict, wicked minds will endeavor to find means by which to accomplish more evil; but those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection."          Even now the handwriting on the wall indicates that the hour is approaching when carnal-mindedness in all its forms — mortal blindness, material subtlety, self-deception, animality, and every phase of thought which denies the reflection of Spirit — will be recognized for what it is, namely, a self-constituted lie born of a suppositional state of ignorance. When mortal mind stands fully revealed to itself in the light of Truth, it must of necessity utterly disappear; for the exposure of its nothingness leaves not even a trace of false mentality to perpetuate the memory of evil. "In thy light shall we see light," exclaims the psalmist. Especially applicable, in view of these things, is the apostle Paul's admonition to the church in Rome, "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."   "Spiritual Discernment" by Frank H. Sprague Christian Science Sentinel, October 12, 1918

 

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