Oscar Graham Peeke, C.S.B., of Kansas City, Missouri
Member of the Board of Lectureship of The
Mother Church,
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts
The power of God to heal human ills and discords is available to all mankind in everyday living in the degree that God's true nature is spiritually understood, Oscar Graham Peeke, C.S.B., of Kansas City, Mo., said in a lecture in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, last night.
Mr. Peeke, who is a member of The Christian Science Board of Lectureship, said, "It is time for mankind to cease from regarding God as an unknowable Being possessing human characteristics, a God who is sometimes loving, sometimes vengeful, sometimes afflictive — a God of changing moods."
Speaking on "Christian Science: The Divine Law of Healing," he described God as limitless divine Love, and said that "divine Love is the infallible healer." The demonstrable understanding of God as All-in-all "is the great verity which must sometime be established in the consciousness of everyone," he added.
Mr. Peeke was introduced by Miss Helen Appleton, C.S., Second Reader of The Mother Church.
The lecturer spoke substantially as follows:
From the time in the third century that the healing works of the Christian religion ceased to be accomplished, until the discovery of Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy, the term "law" appears to have been given scant consideration in connection with the worship of God. Law had been generally considered in its so-called material aspect. When referred to in connection with Deity, the human mind had been prone to regard it as something mysterious and enigmatical, albeit inexorable in one particular decree, its decree of the certainty of death.
With the advent of Christian Science, however, the true meaning of law soon commenced to take root in human consciousness, and today spiritual law is being studied with much profit by continually increasing numbers of earnest seekers for Truth. Of particular importance is the fact that in Christian Science these seekers are learning that the law of God is the law of Life, in which there is no death, and that it destroys only that which is opposed to the divine nature.
This all-embracing spiritual law is proved by Christian Science to be supreme over so-called material law and wholly beneficent in its ceaseless operation. Christ Jesus, who understood and demonstrated spiritual law better than all others, rebuked the thought which failed to look beyond a material concept of law. To the hostile Jews he said (John 7:19), "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?" No doubt this was a shock to their self-righteousness, for the Pharisees considered themselves to be rigid observers of the law of Moses. They, however, failed to see that because Moses received the law through divine inspiration there was a far greater significance attached to it than could be discerned from its merely literal interpretation. Jesus pointedly illustrated the error of such interpretation when, for instance, they brought to him for judgment an adulterous woman. His treatment of the case was designed to open their blind eyes; but they failed to see that the spiritual law of regeneration is fulfilled in compassion and love.
Through many centuries ignorance of God and of spiritual law has cut deep into the affairs of men and nations. But for the teachings of Christian Science it would indeed be disheartening that after nearly two thousand years of Christianity the tendency of the greater portion of mankind is still to cling to a blind faith in some far-off deity instead of to seek and to find a demonstrable understanding of the ever-present divine Father, the eternal Giver of all good. Surely it is time for mankind to cease from regarding God as an unknowable Being possessing human characteristics, a God who is sometimes loving, sometimes vengeful, sometimes afflictive — a God of changing moods. Sin, sickness, sorrow, catastrophes, and calamities will continue to harass mankind so long as God is so regarded. The great Ruler of the universe must be rightly understood as the never varying and ever-present divine Principle, Love; then His omniactive power can be demonstrated in overcoming error and evil and establishing and maintaining harmony and peace.
Christian Scientists use for their study the King James Version of the Bible. Among the many important truths indicated in this sacred volume are two which may be mentioned as fraught with deep significance for all mankind: first, that God is the one and only Life or Mind; secondly, that man, created in the image and likeness of God, as stated in the first chapter of Genesis, is the only real man, and that he reflects and expresses this omnipotent divine Being.
A too literal rendering of the Scriptures accounts for many of the mistaken concepts of God and His creation. There can be no doubt that Mrs. Eddy's discovery of Christian Science in the year 1866 was an event of supreme importance in the world's history, for this divine Science marvelously interprets and illumines the sacred writings of prophets and apostles and makes the Bible the true guide for Christian living — a book in which may be found priceless treasures of practical Christian idealism.
Relative to this, let me tell you the experience of a certain lady. From childhood she had learned to love the Bible. She knew nothing about Christian Science, but had been taught to make a practice of reading her Bible every day. She was generally regarded as a very devout character.
A severe illness came upon this lady. She read her Bible even more diligently, hoping it would heal her; but her condition remained the same. She called on a Christian Science practitioner and stated that she was not a student of Christian Science but was a Bible student.
She went on to say that she had heard of people being healed by reading "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy and could not see why she should not be healed by diligently reading the Bible. The practitioner told her she could if she were able to interpret correctly its spiritual meaning. He recommended for that purpose that she study Science and Health and stated that the book was the result of Mrs. Eddy's inspired interpretation of the Bible, that she wrote it under divine direction, so great was the spirituality with which she was endowed. He further stated that Mrs. Eddy discovered the spiritual law by which Jesus accomplished all his mighty works and that through her discovery she herself was enabled to heal as Jesus did — immediately and permanently. He added: "This book is the key which opens the Bible to one's understanding and reveals the treasures of truth which the book contains. If you will study it with an unbiased mind, endeavoring to keep out of your thought the belief of a physical disorder, and have, as your primary motive, a great desire to increase your understanding of God, I feel sure you will be healed." She did so, and with a little help from the practitioner was quickly set free.
At this point in the lecture I should like to point out to you that it is being conceded by many prominent and scholarly people that Mrs. Eddy has given the world the purest and most beneficial literature outside of the Holy Scriptures. She sought no worldly honors; hers was a life of loving service and self-sacrifice, and yet no one can truthfully gainsay the magnitude of her accomplishments.
For many years prior to her discovery of Christian Science Mrs. Eddy had been convinced that there was a divine law underlying all primitive Christian healing. From early girlhood she had been a devout student of the Bible, and in process of time God revealed to her the ever-operative law by which Jesus and the early Christians accomplished their marvelous works.
This remarkable woman in writing of her discovery states (Science and Health, pp. 108, 109): "My discovery, that erring, mortal, misnamed mind produces all the organism and action of the mortal body, set my thoughts to work in new channels, and led up to my demonstration of the proposition that Mind is All and matter is naught as the leading factor in Mind-science."
"That Mind is All and matter is naught"! This thought-provoking statement of Truth is gradually revolutionizing world thinking. The Mind which is All is the divine Mind, or God. Throughout her writings Mrs. Eddy makes clear the demonstrable truth that divine Mind is the only real Mind, and that which is called the carnal or mortal mind does not exist in reality; that it is a falsity of material sense, and therefore illusory. With unquestionable logic she shows that the divine Mind is infinite and embraces all real existence.
Mrs. Eddy never put herself on an equality with Christ Jesus, although her healing works were comparable with those of the great Galilean. She healed instantaneously even the most insidious diseases, and in humility she counseled her students to follow her only so far as she followed Christ. (See Message for 1902, p. 4)
Because her teachings contrasted so radically with the dogmatic and false theological doctrines which were prevalent in her day, Mrs. Eddy was evilly spoken of. Naturally she had high hope that her discovery of Christian Science would be welcomed by the Christian world. Instead, however, it met with general coldness. For years ingratitude and cruel mockery were meted out to her. But her dauntless hope was born of spiritual understanding and unselfed love; therefore she remained firm in her assurance that eventually the world, through God's good grace, would recognize Christian Science as God's infallible law of universal harmony.
In the fire of persecution Mrs. Eddy rose to even greater heights of inspiration. She was divinely led and protected in all that she did, and everything she accomplished was inspired by her love for God and her Christly affection for humanity. She lived to love and to make known to humanity the healing power of infinite divine Love.
Today, Mrs. Eddy's writings, particularly the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," are being read and studied by millions of people throughout the world. Also in her Church Manual are outlined various activities which she established for the definite purpose of leading humanity out of the darkness of materialism into the light of spiritual understanding — the understanding which reveals God as the divine Principle of man and the universe.
We read in Science and Health (p. 517), "Love imparts the clearest idea of Deity;" and in several places in her writings Mrs. Eddy refers to God as "the divine Principle, Love." Because Christian Science is the Science of God, man, and the universe, and because this true Science demonstrates absolute spiritual law, then God must be the Principle of Christian Science. Occasionally one hears it said that Christian Science must be a cold religion because Christian Scientists speak of God as Principle. A certain lady once told me she had formed that impression. I opened Science and Health and said to her, "Let me read to you just one sentence in this book." I read (p. 247), "It is Love which paints the petal with myriad hues, glances in the warm sunbeam, arches the cloud with the bow of beauty, blazons the night with starry gems, and covers earth with loveliness." "Oh, that is beautiful," she said. I asked her, "Do you believe that statement?" "Yes, indeed I do," she replied. "Then do you not see that all the wonderful things accomplished by Love must be according to fixed Principle — and that divine Love is that Principle?" After thinking for a few moments she agreed that this must be so. A short time later she purchased a copy of Science and Health and by studying it was soon healed of a chronic disorder.
Previous to her study of Science and Health this lady had believed that God created a material universe and that matter is real substance. She also believed that God endows matter with life and intelligence, that He invests it with power, and that it is oftentimes His will that people should be sick and die. Her study soon cleared away these misconceptions. Also she found that her mentality was being renovated as she progressed in her understanding of man's true relationship to God.
Nothing concerning the man of God's creating can be deduced from material premises;
his being is wholly spiritual. The carnal or mortal mind — a supposititious mind opposed to God, and typified by a talking serpent in the allegory contained in the third chapter of Genesis — falsely avers that man is composed of mortal and material elements. It also claims that he shall be held earth-bound and that eventually, through the process of disintegration, he must mingle with earth's elements. Another belief of this so-called mind is that every mortal has within him an immortal soul which is set free from its material habitation on the death of the mortal. The logic of the theory of an immortal soul within a mortal body has long been questioned by thinking people. But not until the discovery of Christian Science was the impossibility of immortality commingling with mortality made plain.
Inspired interpretation of the Scriptures shows that Soul must be rightly understood in order to understand man's true being. In a few passages in the Bible the term "soul" is used to designate material sense; but a careful study of Science and Health shows that, in its higher and proper signification, Soul is synonymous with Spirit, or God. It is axiomatic that the real man, created in God's likeness, must necessarily be Godlike. He could neither be governed by material sense nor have within him a soul which is capable of sinning. As God's likeness he always reflects the harmony of Soul or God. Consider this statement, given on page 311 of Science and Health: "So long as we believe that soul can sin or that immortal Soul is in mortal body, we can never understand the Science of being. When humanity does understand this Science, it will become the law of Life to man, — even the higher law of Soul, which prevails over material sense through harmony and immortality."
The wisdom of seeking this understanding should be apparent, for through it one discerns more and more clearly the allness of God and the unreality of matter and evil.
To attribute reality and power to matter is to become subservient to material conditions and thereby to lose the true import of Jesus' teachings. It is unfortunate that most individuals have only a nebulous concept of the spiritual realm, on which Jesus centered his teachings. He referred to it as the kingdom of heaven. He indicated the beauty and grandeur of this heavenly kingdom. He pointed out that it is not a locality but a condition of thought — a state of spiritual harmony. He said it is "within you"; but most people are not aware of that truth, because the true understanding of God and of man's relation to Him is, as yet, not generally sought. However, there is clear indication that most of the Protestant religions are giving increasing thought to the teachings of Christian Science and are becoming more in agreement with it concerning the kingdom of heaven, that it is a state of spiritual harmony, and that it is "at hand" — attainable here and now.
Jesus also had pertinent things to say about the so-called material realm. He designated it as "the world." In contrast with his statements about the kingdom of heaven he made it quite clear that he considered "the world" to be nothing more than a realm of unrealities and false beliefs — a fictitious world. By what are termed his miracles he proved this to be so. His clear discernment of these truths enabled him to speak with authority and to give infallible proofs of the real man's inseparability from God.
The true demonstrable understanding of God, that He is All-in-all, is the great verity which must sometime be established in the consciousness of everyone. Does one question what Christian Science teaches about matter — that it is illusory and could not possibly be endowed with life, substance, or intelligence? The proof is in demonstration. Ignorance of God's true nature, and reliance on matter, believing it to be real substance, is the cause of all suffering and of death. Jesus' parable of the man whose material goods had become so great that he decided to pull down his barns and build greater ones for their storage illustrates the great mistake of neglecting the attainment of the truly substantial things of Spirit by letting the desire for material riches, and the care of them, to be preponderant in one's thought.
It is recorded that Jesus once told a young man who had great possessions of worldly goods that he should sell them and use the proceeds in doing good. He certainly could not have meant that the man should impoverish himself, but he evidently saw that, although he had been meticulous in obeying the Commandments, this individual's thought was too greatly given over to caring for his material wealth, and that he should rid himself of whatever stood in the way of his attainment of the understanding of spiritual reality, or true substance.
Christian Science shows that for true happiness one's affections and aims in life must be spiritual. One should realize the importance of gravitating away from the insubstantial and deleterious beliefs of the physical senses and of letting thought soar upward toward the realities of true being, where Mind-substance is seen to be the only true substance, and that it is joy-giving and health-bestowing, the only real attraction.
Mortals believe strongly in a material law of gravitation, also that they are bound by it. Christian Science shows it to be a false law.
Briefly stated, material gravitation is supposed to be a force which, acting on all material bodies throughout the universe, causes them to be attracted or drawn to one another. Its operation is particularly noted in the form of earthward attraction. Material objects are always drawn downward to the center of the earth.
This so-called activity is primarily mental; it is resultant from the downward gravitation of mortal, material thought, producing the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — the beliefs of sin, disease, and death of the mortal and material man formed from the dust of the ground — in other words, by material sense.
Elisha did not believe in the reality of material gravitation or he could not have caused the sunken ax head to rise to the water's surface. When Jesus walked on the water, fed multitudes, stilled the storm, caused the boat to go immediately from the middle of the lake to the shore, raised the dead, he demonstrated man's inseparability from God and proved that material laws of gravitation and limitation are not laws, but false beliefs, errors of material sense.
The point is that we should endeavor to master all beliefs about man as being a material entity and emulate Jesus in his works. We read in Science and Health (p. 369); "In proportion as matter loses to human sense all entity as man, in that proportion does man become its master. He enters into a diviner sense of the facts, and comprehends the theology of Jesus as demonstrated in healing the sick, raising the dead, and walking over the wave." By entering "into a diviner sense of the facts" of true being, one becomes increasingly conscious of his inseparability from the one Mind and sees the falsity of all beliefs about material gravitation. Even with a little spiritual understanding one can at least demonstrate for himself in goodly measure the truth of the statement of the prophet Isaiah (Isa. 40:31), "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
The motivating power in Christian Science demonstration is prayer. True prayer is the prayer of right desire, the desire to think rightly and do rightly, the desire to understand better the truth about God and His creation. True prayer includes selfless desire for the welfare and happiness of all mankind. Such prayer comes from the self-forgetful heart which longs to have Christ enthroned therein. It operates as spiritual law. In Christian Science one does not petition God for material benefits of any nature — not even for physical healing. God knows His children, not as mortals, but only as created in His own likeness and reflecting His nature; therefore the prayer which heals sickness and disease is the prayer of spiritual understanding. It involves the ability to discern, in place of a sick or sinful mortal, the real man of God's creating, spiritual and immortal. In this grand work absolute faith in God and unselfed love are the requirements.
Little children who are brought up in Christian Science invariably live lives of prayer. They express joy and activity spontaneously, and with many it is a simple matter to heal.
A little girl of seven or eight years, who attended a Christian Science Sunday School, healed her mother almost instantly of a severe nervous headache by reading to her a single sentence from Science and Health. Opening the book at random she read slowly and earnestly (p. 259), "The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea, — perfect God and perfect man, — as the basis of thought and demonstration." She closed the book and said, "Mother, you are well," and ran off to join another little girl in a nearby park.
Very quickly the mother realized perfect freedom. Later she asked the child if she understood what she had read to her about perfect Principle. "Of course!" came the reply. "It just means that perfect Principle is God, and you know that God is Love, and you are Love's perfect child. There is no sickness in Love, so you could not have any sickness in you." To this child the healing was perfectly natural.
Because Christian Science is the divine law which demonstrates God's illimitable goodness and love, there can be no limit to its power of accomplishment through the prayer of spiritual understanding.
It is not claimed that any Christian Scientist has yet reached the high point of spiritual understanding which was attained by our great Master, or that of his humble follower, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science. Good progress, however, is being made in Christianly scientific demonstration. Many successful cases of mental surgery are on record. Quite often broken bones are healed without having them set by a surgeon.
As an example of the foregoing, a friend of mine who was manager of the credit department in a large department store fell from a ladder and fractured his left arm in two places. He refused to go to a surgeon to have the bones set, declaring that he knew God could do the work better than any human hands. With his arm in a sling, he attended to his daily duties, not losing an hour's time. In less than three weeks he had full use of the arm. His co-workers would not believe there had been a fracture and persuaded him to have an X-ray. The picture showed a perfect setting and healing of the two fractures — one above the elbow, and one below it.
The true Christian Scientist endeavors to keep close watch over his thinking. He knows that wrong thinking is abnormal. He realizes the importance of striving to discern, at all times, spiritual reality in place of material unreality. He knows that this is also protective work. Perfection in thinking is his goal.
With Jesus perfection was normal. He knew how greatly he was endowed with the spirit of Christ. The immaculate Jesus was born of a virgin mother, and he partook partly of Mary's human nature; therefore his personal selfhood was not Christ. Christ is the eternal nature of infinite divine Love. Jesus manifested this divine nature in such high degree that he is rightly called Christ Jesus, or Jesus the Christ. This human and divine coincidence shown in Jesus was a strong rebuke to evil and to personal adoration.
Jesus did not arrogate to himself alone the ability to walk among men endowed with the Christ. He indicated that his true followers were those who earnestly endeavored to follow him in all his ways — doing the Christly work of healing and regenerating, loving God or good supremely, and ceasing to believe that good can be resident in matter or proceed from human personality. He disdained and rebuked personal adoration, and never did he teach that salvation is attainable by believing his personal selfhood to be Christ. He taught that Christ confers full salvation, salvation not merely from sin but also from sickness and death, through obedience to the law of Christ. There can be no personal forgiveness of sin. Salvation requires that sin be overcome in the individual human consciousness — forsaken and destroyed. It is thus that the law of Christ is fulfilled.
Let me show you how this divine law oftentimes operates to heal in an unexpected way through an immediate change of thought.
A Christian Scientist was asked by a friend to go with him to call on a young lawyer, who was suffering from a malady which medical doctors believed to be incurable. On entering the room the friend said to the invalid: "I have brought a Christian Scientist to see you: won't you let him talk to you a little on the subject of Christian Science? You might find it very helpful."
"No thanks," was the reply; "I hope I have more intelligence than to believe I can be healed by trying to think I am well when I know I am not."
The Scientist quietly spoke up, "I too hope you have; and I also hope you will pardon me if I question the intelligence of those who believe that Christian Science teaches anything of the sort."
"Well, if that isn't the process, what is it?" came the inquiry.
"I shall answer your question in one brief sentence," was the reply. "Christian Science healing is accomplished by the operation of spiritual law, the law of divine Principle, or God, understood and demonstrated."
The man sat up in bed. "When you speak of law in connection with healing you interest me," he said. "Please continue."
He was receptive to the simple and logical statements which were presented. His manner became eager and expectant. Before the visitor left, a great change had taken place in his thought. He turned wholeheartedly to Christian Science for treatment, and complete healing quickly followed.
A good many people still believe that the human mind is a factor in Christian Science healing. Nothing could be further from the truth. God knows no human mind. God's law of healing can be demonstrated neither through the exercise of the human will nor through blind belief in God. Nor is academic knowledge of the letter of Christian Science without its spirit of avail. But knowledge of the letter accompanied by the heavenly virtues that reflect the divine nature equips one with power from on high. Thus does the law of God operate in healing sickness, sin, pain, and grief.
Let me show you how readily Christian Science can overcome grief. Not long ago I was visiting a married couple, friends of long standing. The mother of the lady had just passed on. The lady had been very devoted to her mother.
Before going to the service she asked me to give her support through Christian Science. I told her I would do so. I was engaged in some rather important writing at the time, but I put it aside to give her the support for which she had asked. On her return she appeared radiant. She expressed gratitude and said, "I felt your support." I told her I had worked mentally to see her as a child of God, spiritual and perfect, happy, and free from the false beliefs of grief and loss. I also said to her, "Because you are a child of God, no gloomy thoughts can assail you, nor can you be really conscious of anything contrary to Divine Love, which knows no death, no separation, no loss, no grief, but only the things which pertain to Life eternal."
"How grateful and happy I am," she said. "I felt divine Love's presence all the time, and I know that Mother is happy and free."
There you have an instance of childlike faith in a time of stress gained through the application of Christian Science. It is at such a time that the angels of God's presence come to give solace to the suffering heart and the sweet assurance that all is well.
Through spiritual understanding and true prayer all have the privilege of entertaining angels, or God's thoughts. Angels are defined, in part, in Science and Health (p. 581), as "God's thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect." These angels, or pure thoughts, are winging toward us every moment. They are spiritual messengers, which will always guide the receptive thought into paths of happiness and peace. Their source being divine Love, they are designed to meet every human need.
Does one believe that he or she is lacking humanly needful things? If so, Christian Science is saying in substance, Trust God with all your heart, and open your thought to receive the true substance which He is giving you — the substantial ideas of love, joy, kindness, patience, selflessness, Christly compassion. Accept and utilize these spiritual ideas; allow them to be sent forth into the world; let your thought be a giving thought, endeavoring to think of your fellowmen as God thinks of them; be ready to speak words of comfort, of loving-kindness, and compassion and to do good, wherever needed; be ever so grateful to your heavenly Father for the privilege of reflecting His all-loving nature; be grateful for what little you may seem to have; know that the kingdom of God is within you, and be grateful for it; be grateful because Christian Science assures you that your dear Father will never see you otherwise than as a perfect expression of Himself. All this is Christianly scientific thinking, it is truly substantial thinking, for it is the utilization of real substance; also it is true prayer, Christianly scientific prayer, and it operates as spiritual law. Do you begin to realize the power of such thinking? It is immeasurable.
Consider Elijah the prophet who, in the dark days of King Ahab's reign, had ample reason to consider himself in dire straits. His trust in God, however, was profound, and it carried the conviction that God's law supersedes every so-called material law. He probably could have gone to someone in far more affluent circumstances than the poor widow of Zarephath to have his immediate needs cared for; but it is quite evident that in taking this course, he was divinely led by the operation of God's law because he had full trust in Him and also because he would accept no other law as real. Because this law demands selfless giving in place of getting, what was more natural than that he be divinely led to the humble, unselfish, trustful woman of Zarephath, whose worldly subsistence had been reduced to a mere handful of meal and a little oil in a cruse, in order that he might bring her the blessed assurance of God's protecting care.
That she had those needful qualities — humility, unselfishness, and trust — is evidenced by the fact that although her little stock was so meager that it was only sufficient to supply the barest sort of meal for two, yet she unquestioningly obeyed the prophet's testing demand that she bake him a little cake first, and afterwards prepare for herself and her son.
How amply the widow's needs were supplied! And to what spiritual heights the prophet rose after that overcoming of limitation!
In these modern times remarkable demonstrations over lack are frequently made in Christian Science. Also diseases of the most virulent type, after medical doctors have done their utmost to help the patients, have been healed in Christian Science. Christian Science never fails. Sometimes individuals fail in their endeavors to demonstrate its rules. If these rules are understood and strictly adhered to, however, the healing necessarily follows. It could not be otherwise, for Christian Science is infallible.
Quite often individuals who have been pronounced incurable by their doctors are healed readily when they turn fearlessly and expectantly to Christian Science. Let me endeavor to show how Christian Science can meet the need at such a time.
A man called on a Christian Science practitioner, and with tears in his eyes, told him that his wife was very ill with tuberculosis, and that her doctor had stated she could not live over a month at most. He asked if Christian Science could do anything for her. He was told that it certainly could, but that it would be necessary for her to dispense with medicine and all material means for healing.
Then realizing the necessity of quieting the man's great fear for his wife, he lovingly told him that he was doing her no good, but rather was he making it harder for her to be healed by allowing the condition to become so real to him. He was advised to endeavor to show her a cheerful countenance.
Before he left, the practitioner tried to impress him with a few simple truths about Christian Science. He told him that he should think of his wife, not as a sick woman, but as a child of God, remembering that God is Love and could not bestow on His children anything contrary to love. He further told him that God knows no disease, but only perfection and that this would become clear to him by studying Science and Health.
On leaving the office the man said: "I feel a great deal better about the situation. I shall think of my wife in the way you have told me. I shall read to her from Science and Health, and I shall endeavor to maintain a cheerful attitude."
As soon as the man left, his wife was given a Christian Science treatment, and on his arrival home he was happily surprised to find that she had improved considerably. In much less time than the month she had been given to live she was perfectly healed.
In these days when Christian Science has brought to light God's real nature and man's true relation to Him, the genuine Christian Scientist realizes the necessity of being thoroughly alert to the subtle encroachments of the forces of evil. Christ's demonstrable Christianity is a particular target of these so-called forces. Almost two thousand years ago Jesus pointed this out, and his admonition, "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch," is even more pertinent today. The true watchman is one who puts first things first — makes it of primary importance to equip himself with the spiritually mental qualities which pertain to God and the real man.
Christian Science proves evil to be a negation; therefore its existence can only be illusory.
In Christian Science victory over the evil beliefs of sickness, sorrow, poverty, or lack is assured provided the divine rules of Christian Science are strictly adhered to. Does evil seem to assert itself in making one believe in the reality of a painful physical condition? Then the sufferer should understandingly deny the error and do his best to hold his thought to spiritual reality, striving to realize divine Love's presence and power and his own true selfhood as a reflection of divine Love. Divine Love is the infallible healer. It cannot be stated too often that it never fails in its stately operations. However, the thought of the individual who would demonstrate the truths of Christian Science must be a clear transparency for divine Love to shine through and heal. No one should believe that there can be any limit to God's power and man's ability to demonstrate that power.
Sometimes someone ignorantly avers that Christian Science can heal only functional difficulties. The truth is that the power of Christianly scientific prayer has brought about the healing of virtually every disease known to mankind. The following is a case with which I am familiar. It is of a lady who was afflicted with an abdominal tumor. It had become very large, and the woman was confined to her bed.
Her doctor finally told her that she must undergo an operation and have it removed — and quickly. Right after he left she telephoned to her sister, who was a student of Christian Science, and related to her what the doctor had said, and she quickly added, "I shall not submit to having myself cut open, and I am now ready to have Christian Science treatment."
Her sister promptly telephoned to a Christian Science practitioner. He immediately commenced treatment, working mentally to blot out the false material belief of disease from the woman's thought and to replace it with a spiritual sense of harmony and peace. This was accomplished by discerning the woman's true status as a reflection of infinite, divine Love, spiritual and perfect, and this discernment became clear as he gained the realization of the supremacy of the divine Mind over all false material concepts and that this Mind was controlling every fiber of the woman's being,
The next morning the doctor called on her to make arrangements for a surgical operation. He found the lady up and dressed, and her body in a normal state of health.
In joyous strain the Hebrew bard sang of his love for the law of God and of the divine Being who "forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." And in this age Mrs. Eddy, in her love for God and man, established the Christian Science movement to lead thought onward and upward to the full understanding of God's ever-beneficent law. The power and infallibility of this law, understood and demonstrated, destroys fear, overcomes aggression, oppression, and the lust for power; it also gives assurance that all that dishonors God is destined to perish. This omni-active law proves conclusively that man's real being is inseparable from God and is therefore spiritual and deathless, and that he dwells now and forever in God's spiritually mental universe, governed and directed by His infallible law of good.
[Delivered May 12, 1952, in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and published in The Christian Science Monitor, May 13, 1952.]