"Physician, heal thyself," is a very natural maxim, and very just. When we have seen a physician walking on crutches, or staying in his chair several months each year for several years, or bending in pain and weakness to the earth, and all his skill and that of his brother-physicians are entirely unavailing, we reasonably infer that their skill is small and their science nil. We are led to attribute much significance to the words of the doctor who prescribed for a certain ailment, saying: "Try that. I have the same trouble, and if it does do you good, I'll try it myself." The damaging force of this sentence consists in the little word "try." They can seldom do better than "try," make experiments, see what comes of using what they allow, on their own theory, is neither food nor drink, but poisonous. What wonder, if permanent disability or death is a frequent result? That is physicking, but not doctoring (teaching) or curing.
If there were anything like this anywhere among Christian Scientists, we should condemn it without reserve. One should not try or pretend to cure in another an ailment under which he is himself a permanent and virtually hopeless sufferer.
One who is a constant sufferer from gout or rheumatism or bronchitis, ought to heal himself, before he undertakes to heal similar maladies, or any maladies, in others. But he may have temporary maladies of the severest kind, and yet at the very same time operate successfully in healing others. He may know that his infirmity is the effect of malicious mesmerism, which baffles him for a while, but which he is sure he will conquer by and by; and that the healing of others will help him to this conquest in the end, and teach him how to make that conquest permanent. We have known this exemplified in several cases; and most strikingly in one of the best healers and teachers of Christian Science within the range of our acquaintance. The object of this malicious mesmerism is to discourage, and thence destroy, the conviction of healing power; and to which we must "not give place, no not for an hour;" but in order to baffle it, we must work the harder, and with all our might, for the healing of others. In such cases this may be our only remedy, and our only avenue of escape from mesmeric influence.
