TO suppose, as many seem to, that Christian Science is a sort of family cure-all,—like the old-time household panacea,—to be taken in frequent or large doses when pain is experienced, and to be put on the shelf when the pain is banished, is a serious mistake, and it is incumbent upon Christian Scientists to prove by their daily living that this concept of their faith is most certainly not the one held by them. Through faithful study of their text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," they have learned that to be "every whit whole" means not only to be well physically, but also to be well spiritually and morally. They have also learned that they are to demonstrate to all with whom they come in contact that Christian Science not only makes them sound of body but sound in mind, that their every thought, word, and deed must be actuated by and permeated with the spirit of its teachings; and this is the great task to which all worthy Christian Scientists are addressing themselves.
While it is true that the record of Jesus' ministry is largely given over to his healing work among those who sought him for the physical benefits which they wished him to bestow upon them,—that which to them seemed the greater need, and was therefore their chief consideration,— it is also true that others sought him to learn of the pure, holy, and Christian living which he himself was exemplifying from day to day. To many who were healed by him, it is recorded that he gave the advice to sin no more; while to the multitude who sat with him on the hillside he unfolded the broader precept?, "Love thy neighbor as thyself," and, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness."
To be Christian Scientists through and through, we must ever be putting into effect, to our highest understanding, the teachings and precepts of our Master, and the faithful accomplishment of this duty will leave no interim in which Christian Science can he shelved and its demands laid aside for the time when our physical needs shall assert themselves to the exclusion of our pleasures and our comfort. The time for Christians to be Christians is continuous, and Mrs. Eddy early recognized this, as is shown in her definition of obedience: "Never absent from your post, never off guard, never ill-humored, never unready to work for God" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 116).
