Song and salvation

Among the beautiful words in the English tongue are these: “song” and “salvation.” All through the years these words, or their equivalents in other tongues, have been joined together by prophet, poet, philosopher, and religionist. Surely there is some reason for this association beyond the pleasing sound of the words. A hint of what that deeper significance may be is given to us in the declaration of the Psalmist, “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage,” and in Mary Baker Eddy’s words (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 200), “The law of Sinai lifted thought into the song of David.”

What must be the nature of the law of God, obedience to which brings singing to our hearts and salvation to our lives? Good it must be—permanent, changeless, eternal good. And what could be more joy-bestowing, more certain of bringing salvation, than complete obedience to the law of good? This obedience entails the consistent and persistent turning away from every argument of evil, knowing it as lawless, powerless, without attraction or attachment. Through this unswerving and entire obedience to God’s law we come to reflect God’s being and find ourselves living in accord with the rhythm of the spiritual universe, that state of true being which obtained “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”

These laws, the law of kindness, the law of forgiveness, the law of alertness to duty, the law of consistent loving, and the law of progress, would richly reward specific consideration. The last, a law of much importance, our Leader has stressed as a necessity, a demand of God. On page 244 of Science and Health she makes clear the rightness “of assigning to man the everlasting grandeur and immortality of development, power, and prestige.” This law of progress or development is not in any way akin to the restless desire for change which inheres in the unredeemed human mind; it is the orderly unfoldment of higher and clearer views, better and more perfect ways and manifestations, that follows a steadfast adherence to Principle. This law operates through the spiritual thinking of each individual student of Christian Science, and so, of necessity, through the entire movement of Christian Science.

As a manifestation of the operation of this law of progress, our revised Hymnal—the result of much consecrated love and devotion—will soon be given to the Field. With what gladness we give a willing welcome to this new evidence of Mind’s unfoldment—Love’s sweet call to higher testimony and work! On page 2 of her Message to The Mother Church for 1900, Mrs. Eddy has said, “The song of Christian Science is, ‘Work—work—work—watch and pray.’” According to this “song of Christian Science,” let us work and watch and pray that our new messenger of song—this beautiful development of good—be protected from the erroneous beliefs of the carnal mind, the notes of discord that would seek to annul its mission and destroy our joy in taking this revealed step of progress. Obeying the law of alertness to duty, let us safeguard our new book of song from carping criticism, from the personal sense of preferences and disappointments, and from unwillingness to learn new measures of beauty and harmony. Let us welcome the opportunity of learning the hymns that for long have been dear to our brothers and sisters of other lands, seeing in them an expression of that great bond of love that unites us all in song and salvation.

Knowing that true work is obedience to God’s law; that true obedience is found in reflection; and that in reflection is salvation, we shall undertake the learning of the new hymns, not as a task, but as a great joy. May we see in this effort to sing our new songs a means of growing closer together in love, making melody in our hearts, praising our God, who is the God of salvation.

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