Watching Point 426

426 — WATCH, when you read of Mrs. Eddy’s personal experiences with students in her home, where she often rebuked them vigorously, lest you accept the impression that she was hard to please. She was hard to please only as God is hard to please. He is pleased only with spiritual activity, progress and purification. These can be gained only as we throw off the belief in human intelligence in order to reflect His Mind.

Can anyone estimate the fearfulness of God’s rebuke for the student who yields one iota to the belief in a human mind, or in an intelligence and ability separate from Him? Mrs. Eddy knew that if the students would listen to and profit by her rebukes, which were mild in comparison with God’s rebukes, they would be spared coming under the latter.

When Mrs. Eddy rebuked poor work of any kind, she was not displeased with it humanly. She was displeased only as God would be displeased. God searcheth the heart; so it was the lack of God in the hearts of her students that she was really rebuking, even though on the surface her rebuke related to some material task.