THE keynote of success in Christian Science is constant, prayerful watchfulness. By this, is meant watchfulness in its highest meaning, not mere watchfulness of your neighbor, your friends, your supposed enemy, or your brother Scientist, but a careful watchfulness of self, a guarding of thought, a carefulness to exclude from consciousness every thought that maketh or worketh a lie. In the words of Paul, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."
Jesus recognized the great necessity, the imperative need for true watchfulness. He knew well that the constant effort of error was to produce within mankind apathetic conditions; to blind man to its subtle workings; to confuse and muddle thought. Hence his injunction, "But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up." Mrs. Eddy says, "Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously" (Science and Health, p. 392).
The "thief" against which Jesus warned his disciples, may be briefly designated as any unreal, delusive condition of thought calculated to rob man of his birthright. This thief works through envy, jealousy, malice, hatred, and every other subtle claim of evil. It would separate families, would provoke misunderstanding and estrangement among church members, deceiving, if it were possible, even the elect.
