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Singleness of Vision
ELIZABETH EARL JONES, CSB


         The story of Noah and the ark of refuge always stands out in memory as a symbol of the tender, protecting love of God in that mental habitation which ever floats above the waters of mortal sense. The description given in Genesis of the building of the ark, emphasizes one point that upon close study gives us the key to successful resistance and victory over the pressing claims of evil. Jesus, in preparing his students for their work against the seeming powers of darkness, said: "If therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light."

         Following the same divine guidance of the Christ, Noah builded but one window in his ark, and it was "above," opening not upon the earth, but upon the heavens. Noah was wide-awake to the claims of evil, and was prepared to meet them and keep above them until the allness of good should be manifest. He knew the awful manner of its self-destruction, but he also knew that his own safety, and the safety of those with him, lay in contemplating only reality, — the works of God, good.

         The storm was fearful beyond words, but Noah saw it not; the destruction on every side was appalling, yet Noah saw only Life. The suffering and dangers which might have overwhelmed and destroyed him, had he dwelt upon them or seen them as real, were not within the range of his upturned vision. He did not see the deluge, he saw only the fathomless heavens of peace and harmony, because his window was open only to "those things which are above;" therefore Noah and all who were with him in the ark were saved.

         We have all struggled enough with old habits of wrong thinking and with false beliefs in the reality of both good and evil, to know in some degree the value of singleness of heart and vision. We know that whenever two views of any one question present themselves before us, we must choose and hold to one of these two. Sometimes the false and discordant view has seemed so real and irresistible that we have had to ask ourselves searchingly, In which do I have more faith, in evil or good? Which should I see at all, evil or good? And we are bound to choose the good, and are saved and lifted above the deluge, rising as the waters rise, until we rest upon the heights of God. So long as Peter kept his gaze steadfast on the Christ before him, he walked the waves, but when he looked down and saw the angry waters surging all about him, when he began to measure the distance between himself and Christ, his faith failed him and he began to sink. In his extremity he cried out: "Lord, save me." Jesus rebuked him, saying, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"

         When Jesus was journeying for the last time to Jerusalem, he saw that evil was about to nail him to the cross, but he saw also the resurrection. He might have reasoned that this shameful death and seeming defeat would disprove the divine origin and truth of his teachings and mighty works; that as he had said, "If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death," none of his words would be believed, and that all men would forsake him, repulsed by his seeming failure. But did he so reason? No; he never saw defeat, — he never saw the shame and failure, but with sublime faith in good and singleness of spiritual vision he exclaimed with joy, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me;" and death was swallowed up in victory.

         Today the world stands in wonder at the steady progress and almost superhuman ability of one lone, brave woman to resist every weapon that has been formed against her. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science has successfully withstood for forty years the onslaught of every invention of evil to silence good; and she has risen with these rising waves of human hate, risen to the exaltation of divine Love blessing its enemies, far beyond the reach of the destroyer, safe in God, — because her eye has been single to good. Mrs. Eddy has taught and demonstrated that there is but one reality, and that is God, good, and His ideas; she has been consistent with her premise, and also maintains and daily seeks to prove the unreality of all evil, sin, disease, and death. In all her writings, and in her example, one is strongly impressed with the fact of her absolute loyalty to God and His Word, — to good, to Life, Truth, and Love.

         Christian Science affords an ark of refuge because its one window opens toward God, heaven, harmony, — toward Love. Those who abide in this ark can never be overwhelmed, no matter how terrible the deluge, because they never see it. They are awake to the false claims of evil, and watchful unto the end, — but they refuse to turn away even for one moment from their steadfast contemplation of God and His glorious truth. They also know that the loud thunders of evil are a subtle subterfuge of the devil to tempt our gaze away from God. The light of ever-present Love, the sunshine of the risen, living Christ, pours through our open window, floods all within, without, with peace and joy and calm unspeakable; the waters begin to abate, and the ark rests on Ararat. The supremacy of good does prevail, and evil, hate, envy, revenge, and destruction fade away before this steadfast vision of a new heaven and a new earth — a world regenerated.

 

"Singleness of Vision" by Elizabeth Earl Jones, CSB
Christian Science Sentinel, June 1, 1907
 

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