Place and Power MARTIN G. TORSON          From the Pharaohs to Alexander the Great, to Julius Caesar, to Napoleon Bonaparte, and so on to our own day, the human concepts of place and power have, in varying degrees, dominated much of human thought, and spun their tangled threads into the nature of the human race. Loud has been the clamor, mighty has been the temporal effort, not only of these well-known types of men, but also of a vast multitude besides who have sought the same selfish ends. They all listened to the same voice which said, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me;" and this serpentine voice has been the whispering lie which has caught the unguarded ear of the less noble throughout every age, who, not detecting its subtlety, have fallen victims to it, and reaped its empty reward.          Where are now the power and place of the Pharaohs, the Caesars, and their like? Nothing but crumbled ruins and musty manuscripts can resound their echo to the weary searcher. They exist not; they have reaped the dry and tasteless fruits of a temporal greatness, and "the place thereof shall know it no more." All the while, the truth has been talking to the receptive, the willing and obedient hearts of all ages, and in gentle whispers this spiritual utterance has taught the way of life to those who have been willing to hear. Of these receptive ones, God has been raising up a people who "declare plainly that they seek a country" whose "kingdom is not of this world." Such types as Abraham, Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and the noble reformers, such as Wycliffe, Luther, and Wesley, together with the faithful truth-seekers of all generations, — all these sought "a city which hath foundations;" and, surely, they were "kings and priests unto God."          How beautiful have been the unselfish acts of these selfless ones, who sought not their own but others' good! The unselfish efforts of the true seekers for the spiritual concepts of place and power live today in the hearts of mankind, constituting a record of true accomplishment. Our dear Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, as a result of having lived this unselfish life, speaks with demonstrated authority when she says (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 238): "What has not unselfed love achieved for the race? All that ever was accomplished, and more than history has yet recorded." In the same article she says, "Yet the good done, and the love that foresees more to do, stimulate philanthropy and are an ever-present reward. Let one's life answer well these questions, and it already hath a benediction. Have you renounced self? Are you faithful? Do you love?"          The more spiritually active thought becomes, the less desire for human place and power is manifested. It is only when a mortal becomes "weary in well doing" that the desire for a false sense of place and power enters thought. God is the only power: and we reflect as much of that spiritual power as we spiritually understand and demonstrate; but it must always be demonstration, else it ceases to be power; for without demonstration it becomes a mortal mockery of power. Jesus said, "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you;" and in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 588) Mrs. Eddy defines "Holy Ghost," or the Comforter, in part, as "divine Science." After divine Science dawns upon human thought, and to the extent that this thought becomes demonstratively active, it reflects power — the power which is the result of a spiritual understanding of God. Demonstration, then, is the only proof that one has this understanding of spiritual power. Works of healing are the proofs of an individual's possession or, rather, reflection of spiritual power.          Is it wrong, then, to seek greatness and power? Not if the power and greatness are spiritual, and spiritually applied. In her Message to The Mother Church for 1902 (p. 14) Mrs. Eddy put it so beautifully when she said: "I suggest as a motto for every Christian Scientist, — a living and life-giving spiritual shield against the powers of darkness, — "'Great not like Caesar, stained with blood, But only great as I am good.'" Is there a heart which seeks a human sense of place or power, even in the activities of the wide movement of Christian Science? Seek it not, for the search is fruitless; it would sap the spiritual activities of an otherwise noble life. Seek, rather, the kingdom of God, and all shall be added; and it will be seen that God then supplies all the occupation needed for a constantly progressive life.          When the heart has been purified of its desires for place or power through seeking "first the kingdom of God," then it is able to reflect God's sense of place and power, which has no taint of the earth. There comes then, to this heart, the sense of place as being a knowledge of God; and the sense of power as that which is divine, not human. The thought imbued with spiritual power is ever unselfish: it does not seek its own; it exists not for self or a favored few; it has only the welfare of humanity at heart. Unselfishness is the very key to spiritual power and authority. It is the unselfish thought which opens the gates of heavenly power; and only unselfishness can demand entrance to God's kingdom: it is that unselfishness which esteems others better than one's self; which "in honor" prefers another before one's self; which is willing to take the lowest seat at the table of Christ, and is grateful even for the privilege to sit in any place at this spiritual feast. Above all, it is that thought which envies not those who have demonstrated a higher spiritual understanding; it endures all things; it suffers "long, and is kind": and this unselfishness must constantly unfold more of good.          Spiritual power, then, comes as a result of unselfish thinking; and is obtained in no other way. The secret of finding place is to be faithful over the few things given to our care; then, we shall be made "ruler over many things," — the rule which Jesus laid down to the seekers after a higher concept of place and power.          Christian Science has come to show humanity that place is not the result of the accretion of so-called human efforts, but is the unfoldment of that spiritual reality which already exists. From all eternity man has enjoyed his spiritual identity as a reflection of Spirit, God. A knowledge of man's spiritual identity, as reflection or expression of the one Spirit, enables each one to find his right place in daily activity, and to be imbued with power, to reflect God but not to dominate his fellowmen. This right understanding of place and power in seeking "not her own," rejoices as much to see one's fellow-workers advance, as if that advancement were one's own. This thought is not "puffed up" at popular applause, when it has been the channel for some good; nor is it cast down at merited rebuke: it seeks only to reflect God. He who possesses it has the Cause of Christian Science first in his heart; and selfish consideration of human place and power is cast among the lees of worthless aspiration.          When mortals cease to seek place and power in matter, in material authority and office, and seek instead an understanding that identity is the reflection of Spirit, they find that their true place unfolds naturally, and that power is seen in actual experience in a conscious ability to reflect, in a degree, the nature and character of God. Jesus gave a beautiful assurance to those who sought a true concept of place when he said, "In my Father's house are many mansions." "Many mansions" — room for all! Mortals believe that there are not enough places to go around — not enough power, or supply, or what not. But Jesus said that there are "many mansions;" and, as if to destroy any doubt in our thought, he added, "I go to prepare a place for you . . . that where I am, there ye may be also." Truth ever seeks to prepare its concept of place and power in our consciousness, that where Truth is, there we may be also. As we gain the true concept, as we apply it to daily experience, we find that we are endued with power to heal.          As Christian Scientists, we must needs be ever awake to our noble calling of unselfishness, as the spiritual lights of this world — seeking only to bless the race, lifting the sackcloth of material place and power from ourselves and others, and penetrating the mortal mist of worldly motives and aspirations to that consciousness which knows and feels that power and glory and honor come from God, and not from the plaudits of the contradictory multitude. Then will our names be seen to be "written in heaven," and the promise be fulfilled, — "I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off."   "Place and Power" by Martin G. Torson The Christian Science Journal, November, 1922

 

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