CHAPTER XXXVII.
Love is the high consummation and fulfillment of all Law. It casts out fear, discord and imperfection. To minister is God-like, Christ-like. * * * * The law of love reaches down, rules, and overcomes adverse laws which are below itself.--_Henry Wood._
Outside, deepening twilight of a midwinter's day: inside, a bright gratefire, soft curtains, beautiful rugs and simple but elegant adornings formantel and wall in this lovely room of a lovely home.
The only occupant is a young woman--young because of the real life ofwhich she so vividly and strongly expresses a consciousness, the onlylife after all to be expressed, and which, rightly appropriated will andmust forever be clothed with the freshness and vigor of youth. The youngwoman is Grace Hall Carrington.
She sits before the glowing embers in an expectant attitude. She isevidently waiting for some one, and as she waits, her mind seems full ofpleasant musing. The three years that have passed since we saw her haveripened her character. We can see that. The unrest and longing whichpervaded her whole being in the old days are gone. A poise and calmnessof spirit have taken their place. Even her attitude as she sits therewith the shadows flickering over her, is full of a suggestive alertnessthat expresses an awakened life. The forces that had slumbered so longin her being are fully alive to their duty and their privilege. Yes,Grace Carrington is awake, and happy as a wife and woman should be. Sheis thinking even now of the richness of effort and opportunity thathave been hers in these last years. She had been particularly fortunatein her marriage. Few women have as much to be thankful for as she has inthis respect, but then, she waited to find her true womanhood before shefound a husband. Perhaps that had something to do with it. At any rateshe is satisfied that she waited.
The door bell rings. A moment later she is greeting two visitors. Whobut the friends we knew in the old days--Kate Turner and Mrs. Hayden?
"I really expected you sooner, Mrs. Hayden; Kate is more uncertain. Onenever knows when to look for her; but never mind, we are together again,so come up to the fire and let us get settled for the evening." AndGrace hastened to make her friends comfortable.
"Oh but it is nice to get home occasionally," cried Kate with a shrug ofpleasure as she looked around the beautiful room and then at the smilinghostess.
"I only wish you would come oftener Kathie. It seems like the old daysto have you here," replied Grace with a loving pat.
"I suspect Kate has a bit of news for us," remarked Mrs. Hayden, as shesat down near the fire.
"Indeed," exclaimed Grace, lifting her eyebrows, and tightening her holdof her friend's hand. "And is the momentous question decided, dearie?
"Yes, and I am to report for duty next week," was the reply.
"Good for you, Kathie. I always knew the Truth would make your musicheard, and as Professor Beal's assistant it will be heard a long way andto good advantage."
"She is reaping the reward of her trust in the Law," said Mrs. Hayden."That is the only thing that will make the working sure."
"Well Kate, you have trusted surely, and to think what a proof this is!"
"How you talk Grace! One might think you had never proven it at all, orthat your work didn't bear witness to your own trust," reproved Mrs.Hayden, smiling.
"Oh well, girls, my work has been of the silent order altogether, orrather it has consisted more of silence than work. There's no tellinghow it will show up," was the blushing response.
It had been a standing joke with the three as to how Grace managed her"liege lord," inasmuch as he had never been quite won over to theHealing, protesting that he had no time for such things, persisting in agood-natured skepticism, although strangely enough he believed a greatmany things when they were presented without the name of "Healing"attached to them.
"Perhaps that very silence is the secret of its showing, for I assureyou it shows," resumed the elder friend, who still seemed to the othertwo, the incarnation of all that was noble and wise.
"Do tell us the way you manage anyway, Grace," begged Kate, with specialreasons for inquiring.
"Why my dear, there's nothing to tell unless it be that a bland silenceis a good thing to cultivate. There's no use in making so much of abugbear of these people who seem to oppose, and the best way to leadthem into the green pastures is to let them nibble along the outsideuntil they want to jump the fence and get over in spite of you. NowLeon is really quite hungry to know some things, especially about thepractical application of thought to business, but he knows just whereand how to find what he wants, so I let him take his own time and hisown way."
"Which will end, of course, in his wanting to know all, providing youhave the patience to wait", laughed Kate.
"That is a foregone conclusion. I _can_ wait, and I will," said Grace."Besides," she continued more soberly, "I must consider Leon's rights.He should not be forced to a conclusion simply because I hold it. Ahot-bed growth, produced by whatever means, will not bear the hardy,healthy bloom of a natural development. He may be slow but he must betrue."
"There Grace, you have touched the keynote," exclaimed Mrs. Haydenwarmly. "It is freedom people need, freedom to think and act thehighest, for everybody has a highest."
"Yes, if they can only keep the channels open for the inspiration of thehighest to come to them or work through them," remarked Kate with agesture of doubt.
"What better way is there to give freedom or open the channel, than todestroy prejudice, put away antagonism and--"
"Either in yourself or others," interposed Grace, "for to hold prejudiceor to believe in evil is always an obstruction."
"After all, it all hinges upon the non-resistance of evil," said Kate.
"Yes, one of the first laws of the beautiful Christlife, and yet one ofthe very last to be practiced in my experience. I tell you girls, it isthe lesson of non-resistance we most need." Mrs. Hayden spoke earnestlyas she always did, and her words carried weight.
"Go on, Mrs. Hayden. If I'm asleep anywhere, I wish you would wake meup," cried Kate, drawing the hassock upon which she sat, close up to theelder lady, and putting one hand in her friend's lap, as she waitedexpectantly for the answer.
"Well dear, I'm only talking on general principles, and what I havediscovered in myself--"
"Please tell us what you have found Mrs. Hayden," said Grace. "We needall the light we can get, and no matter how it may cut, we won't shrinkwill we, Kathie?" with a loving glance at the latter.
"No, we'll only know and be glad that the hot blaze of truth is meltingsome more of the dark spots in our range of vision," returned Kate.
"It is only this," began Mrs. Hayden, modestly. "I have been looking mytheory and practice squarely in the face lately, and I find them in manythings quite widely separated. For instance, I have been saying forthree years that there is no evil, while in many cases my actions havecarried the very opposite idea, and--"
"Why, what do you mean, Mrs. Hayden?" cried Kate in astonishment, "whohas been more faithful, who more loving, and who more successful inproving the unreality of sickness and evil?"
"For one thing then, I have never put away the tendency to pronouncejudgments on people or things, and I must get beyond that before Iprove that I mean what I say, when I say there is no reality in evil."
"But surely we can't help seeing the negative side of things," wasKate's remonstrance.
"No, but we _can_ help making it positive, and we can avoid fightingagainst it if we only stick to our first statement that there is but oneLaw."
"I see what you mean," said Grace quietly. "You mean that we must holdso perfectly to the allness of Good, that no shadow of ignorance canever darken our vision or our consciousness."
"Yes, indeed, we all see that that is the ultimate," interposed Katewith some warmth, "but when and how are we to reach it?"
"In the first place we must know that the ultimate is always in the Now,and that by holding to our highest statements with that thought, we canrest in the consciousness of the allness of Good a
s Grace has expressedit. With that consciousness there is no judgment and no resistance."
Kate still looked mystified, "Please make it a little plainer," shebegged.
"Well, last summer when I was called to treat Mrs. Hart's child, as youknow, the father knew little or nothing of the Science, and when heinsisted on having a physician what did I do? Instead of calmlyrealizing that all the medicine in the world could not hurt Truth, anddealing with his ignorance as I would with his fear, I felt that itwould be a terrible thing to countenance such disloyalty, and sowithdrew from treating the case, forgetting that the father's ignorancecould not be called disloyalty; forgetting that my faithfulness toprinciple would be the same regardless of any and all ignorance. In factmy action belied my words that there is no reality in evil."
"But--why, what else could you do?" asked Kate with a puzzled frown.
"I could, or at least I ought to be able to maintain my faith and myconsciousness of Good just the same under those, as other circumstances,and so make no resistance."
"Oh yes, I see what you mean," exclaimed Grace suddenly. "You mean thatwe make _something_ of what we declare as nothing?"
"Exactly, Grace. We resist it by thinking it something antagonistic toTruth, whereas we should remember our first statement that there is butone Power. It is the One that heals in every instance. We know that. Whyshould we stop to combat what other people think or do not think?"
"There! Now I understand you," ejaculated Kate with a brightening face."It is the One only which acts under all disguises, and--but what wouldyou have us do?" suddenly falling into doubt again. As of old Kate wasever the questioner.
"Dear, I am not talking of persons or laying down rules of action foranybody, but I am giving you my idea of the non-resistance of evil. Thequestion with me is, am I 'about my Father's business.' If I accusesomeone of being unfaithful, or if I criticise any methods, means orpersons, I still believe in something besides the Good. Even if Iaccuse myself in any way no matter how slight the fault, I amrecognizing that which I have declared does not and never did exist. Yousee what I mean. There is no use to multiply examples."
"Oh yes, I see, but can I live up to it? That is the all importantquestion," was the dreamily earnest reply.
"As for that I might say the same, but we are not to look at that sideof the question. A safe and I think the very best guide to right living,is to measure every act by the standard of love. Would love prompt thisor that thought, or decision or action? It is very easy to decide."
A thoughtful silence fell upon the group. The evening shadows grewdeeper outside. The firelight cast long crimson shafts of light into thecorners, and flickered fitfully over the faces and forms before thegrate.
"I have been learning a lesson too." It was Kate who broke the silence.Her voice was reverential. Her eyes were bright with an inner light. "Ihave been holding strongly to the name--the name of Jesus Christ--andrealizing what it means, and it has helped me more than anything."
"What does it mean, Kate? That is something which is still a littletainted with the old superstitious worship of a personality," saidGrace.
"Beware, Grace; that is criticism. Put it away until you know," warnedMrs. Hayden.
"Thank you. Tell me every time," returned Grace humbly.
"Indeed, this contemplation of the name takes one farther frompersonality or the recognition of mere person than anything else," Katewent on earnestly. "Jesus Christ means God or Truth manifest. Holdingthe words with that thought, all sense of person, limitation, or time,disappears. Wisdom and power come to fill your consciousness, until theChrist life seems not only a possibility but a real demonstration." Katepaused. Perhaps she had said too much!
But there was no mistaking the vibration of a sympathetic thought, evenif the pressure of friendly hands had not reassured her.
"It is wonderful how many ways there are of attaining the same end,"mused Grace. "Now I can gain the same state of mind Kate speaks of, byholding to the idea of Law. To me everything is embodied in that,although of course, any great word understood as to its real meaning isan all-inclusive term. But we cannot always live in an ecstasy."
"We should not if we could," said Mrs. Hayden. "We must get beyond thatif we ever attain the mental poise that will carry us througheverything."
"But I am so weak," murmured Kate. "How shall I ever--"
"There, child, you are doing the very thing that will keep you fromgrowing strong. What right have you to pass judgment on Katherine Turneranymore than on anyone else?" said Mrs. Hayden almost sternly; thensuddenly softening her tone she added, "Dear heart, we must not let selfjudgment or self condemnation creep in upon us to leave their blight ofdiscouragement or failure. No, the only way is to keep our eyes fixed onthe mark of the high calling, resisting nothing, carrying on our lips,success, in our hearts love, in our lives truth. By the outer we judgenothing: by the inner we know all. Personally, that is, physically weare only a part of all external limitation. Individually, that is,spiritually, we are the potentiality of Infinity itself."
"And that means the possibility of true living, which is positivelynecessary to perfect demonstration," added Grace.
"Yes, perfect demonstration in oneself or in others," said Mrs. Haydenemphatically. "In fact the first, last, and only consideration is orshould be true living, or the ability _to be lived_."
"That is what it amounts to, after all," accorded Grace, "for what istrue living but the setting aside of self, so that the great, infiniteLife may be established in our action, as a manifest reality?"
Kate rose softly, and went to the piano. Then spoke the mighty Voicethrough Music, and through that wondrous harmony a consciousness of theperfect Life, with all its power and presence, burst upon these threewho were no longer three but One. For that moment they knew and livedonly as the One, and in that moment the world received a baptism ofblessed, healing tenderness.
* * * * *
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