Responsive Reading: Proverbs 16 : 1-3, 5, 6, 17

1.     The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

2.     All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.

3.     Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.

5.     Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.

6.     By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

17.     The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

1. II Chronicles 7 : 14

14     If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2. II Chronicles 34 : 1 (to ,), 2 (to 2nd ,), 8 (to he sent), 8 (to repair), 14 (Hilkiah)-16 (to 1st ,), 19, 22 (to 3rd ,), 23 (to 1st ,), 26, 27, 29, 30 (to 1st ,), 30 (and he read)-32, 33 (And all his days)

1     Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign,

2     And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father,

8     Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent ... to repair the house of the Lord his God.

14     Hilkiah the priest found a book of the law of the Lord given by Moses.

15     And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.

16     And Shaphan carried the book to the king,

19     And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

22     And Hilkiah, and they that the king had appointed, went to Huldah the prophetess,

23     And she answered them,

26     And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall ye say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;

27     Because thine heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and humbledst thyself before me, and didst rend thy clothes, and weep before me; I have even heard thee also, saith the Lord.

29     Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

30     And the king went up into the house of the Lord, ... and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the Lord.

31     And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book.

32     And he caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

33     And all his days they departed not from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

3. I Timothy 2: 1-5

1     I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2     For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

3     For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;

4     Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

5     For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

4. Matthew 4 : 17

17     From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

5. Matthew 6 : 5-8

5     And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6     But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7     But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8     Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

6. I Peter 2 : 1-5, 11, 12, 15, 16, 25

1     Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,

2     As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

3     If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

4     To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,

5     Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

11     Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12     Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.

15     For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

16     As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

25     For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

7. James 4 : 10

10     Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

1. 481 : 2-3

Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else.

2. 258 : 11-15

Man reflects infinity, and this reflection is the true idea of God.

God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis.

3. viii : 3 (to reach)-8

...to reach the heights of Christian Science, man must live in obedience to its divine Principle. To develop the full might of this Science, the discords of corporeal sense must yield to the harmony of spiritual sense, even as the science of music corrects false tones and gives sweet concord to sound.

4. 3 : 32-16

While the heart is far from divine Truth and Love, we cannot conceal the ingratitude of barren lives.

What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds. To keep the commandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient to express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he has said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

The habitual struggle to be always good is unceasing prayer. Its motives are made manifest in the blessings they bring, — blessings which, even if not acknowledged in audible words, attest our worthiness to be partakers of Love.

5. 7 : 32-6

Hypocrisy is fatal to religion.

A wordy prayer may afford a quiet sense of self-justification, though it makes the sinner a hypocrite. We never need to despair of an honest heart; but there is little hope for those who come only spasmodically face to face with their wickedness and then seek to hide it.

6. 8 : 10-18, 28-30

If a man, though apparently fervent and prayerful, is impure and therefore insincere, what must be the comment upon him? If he reached the loftiness of his prayer, there would be no occasion for comment. If we feel the aspiration, humility, gratitude, and love which our words express, — this God accepts; and it is wise not to try to deceive ourselves or others, for "there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed."

We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this way only can we learn what we honestly are.

7. 568 : 30-32

Self-abnegation, by which we lay down all for Truth, or Christ, in our warfare against error, is a rule in Christian Science.

8. 14 : 31-20

"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father

which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly."

So spake Jesus. The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love. Closed to error, it is open to Truth, and vice versa. The Father in secret is unseen to the physical senses, but He knows all things and rewards according to motives, not according to speech. To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error.

In order to pray aright, we must enter into the closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and silence the material senses. In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God's allness. We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love.

9. 459 : 3-11

Paul and John had a clear apprehension that, as mortal man achieves no worldly honors except by sacrifice, so he must gain heavenly riches by forsaking all worldliness. Then he will have nothing in common with the worldling's affections, motives, and aims. Judge not the future advancement of Christian Science by the steps already taken, lest you yourself be condemned for failing to take the first step.

10. 241 : 19-22

The substance of all devotion is the reflection and demonstration of divine Love, healing sickness and destroying sin. Our Master said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

11. 326 : 3-22

If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the way of God's appointing. Jesus said, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." He, who would reach the source and find the divine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hill of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.

We must forsake the foundation of material systems, however time-honored, if we would gain the Christ as our only Saviour. Not partially, but fully, the great healer of mortal mind is the healer of the body.

The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth?"

12. 367 : 17-23

A Christian Scientist occupies the place at this period of which Jesus spoke to his disciples, when he said: "Ye are the salt of the earth." "Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid." Let us watch, work, and pray that this salt lose not its saltness, and that this light be not hid, but radiate and glow into noontide glory.