Publisher's Synopsis
Hymns are poems about God, of such great significance that they tend to become sung for the splendor of the vistas they convey, or the depth of the prayer that is invoked by them. But what do the poems tell us? Do they inspire songs of such purity that they touch the infinite? Many do. Some come close. Often familiar terms are used to glorify God, such as the terms Lord, Father, and Mother. While these terms should be seen by their spiritual signification, the spiritual significance is often overshadowed by the terminology that renders God with attributes that are inherent in the sphere of mortal-mind. In historic times God was rendered with human attributes for the lack of scientifically-correct terms in general usage. But with the advent of Christian Science setting a higher-level scientific stage, it becomes possible to step away from anthropomorphic concepts of God to the higher-level deific presence on the lateral stage where God is All and reflected in all. Example: "Lord" (Soul) Let's consider the term "Lord" as a term for God. The term is widely used in Christian literature, poetry, and song. If one accepts the conventional meaning, the image of God in thought becomes clouded, whereby a false sense of God becomes entertained. Even if one focuses on the tallest spiritual concept of "Lord" as "supreme ruler," the mortal mind imagery translates the concept into vertical separation of the ruling and the to-be ruled. We can shed the mortal-mind coloring only when we translate the idea of "supreme ruler" into the impersonal domain, such as linking it with the deific concept of Soul. When the supreme ruler is Soul, no underlings are possible, because God, Soul, is reflected in soul everywhere. The one Soul, thereby comes to light as being universally reflected in man and the universe, and the "supreme ruler" as the Only ruler. Soul is singular and universal. It rules from the heart. In divine Science we are reminded that Soul and its universal expression is One. No basis for war and deprivation, and their countless derivatives (summarized as mortal mind), exists, or is possible in Science. On the basis of this grand verity I have added the term, Soul, to every occurrence of the term Lord throughout the book, and Truth to Father, and so on, applied to all the poems that are set to music as hymns in the Christian Science hymnal. The addition is in the form shown below. "Lord" (Soul). It 'illustrates' the incorporeal, Deific, or spiritual sense of God, which the corporeal terminology tends to hide. The poems are presented here, because they proved to be a valuable resource for healing in my personal experience, which I hereby share. The poems for the hymns have had many sources, some dating back to biblical times. Most are derived from individual contributions over a long time-span going back more than 100 years, prior to 1900. The poems presented here are based on publications prior to 1932. The poems are printed here, to enable the inclusion of the incorporeal, spiritual sense of Deity, wherever applicable. For this purpose the book was created.
