ACCORDING to Jesus' command, the work of a Christian Scientist is twofold, namely, "to preach the gospel, and to heal the sick." The first is an endeavor to instruct the human consciousness out of its erroneous beliefs regarding God, man, and the universe. The second is a practical application and natural result of this instruction. Truth may be brought to a diseased consciousness through silent or even audible treatment, without its being fully understood, in which case the practitioner's apprehension of Truth may be said to effect the results apparent in the patient's thought and body. In many instances healing is effected through the reading of the text-book or other Christian Science literature, by which it is made yet more apparent that Truth can and does heal. A seeming failure should not awaken doubt in the efficacy of Christian Science treatment as a remedial agent; rather should we regard the statement of failure as our opportunity for correcting the erroneous concept of Christian Science, thereby removing the error which seemed to hinder a complete demonstration.
The causes of failure often lie in the patient; they may also be found in the practitioner, but never in the Science of Christianity, which contains the law of Life and the understanding of man's creator. Much as we might desire only credit to be reflected upon our cause and its workers, and strongly as we might wish to deny that any one ever came to Christian Science for help and failed to get it, our own growth demands a fair and impartial analysis of these seeming failures and an honest acknowledgment when the desired results are not wholly or even partially apparent. We cannot shirk the responsibility of attaining a right solution to an assigned problem, by leaving the problem unsolved and simply declaring that since the Principle is correct, the result must be. Our results must be manifestly correct. If we truly know, have acquainted ourselves with, our Principle, and are confident of results, what can hinder us from applying that Principle and making apparent that result?
If the error is in the patient, then we must fearlessly uncover it and cast it out. There can be no toleration of nor compromise with error, and we need have no fear to handle serpents, provided we have put on the whole armor. Our Leader says, "Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you" (Science and Health, p. 571). Not a phase of mortal mind presents itself to the practising Christian Scientist but some experience of Jesus reveals a method of dealing with the claim, so that the facts may be uncovered and the individual freed. Sometimes people have turned to Christian Science and after a few treatments were told that they received no help because they were not ready. Usually this reason seems obscure to the disappointed one, and many times it stirs up antagonistic feelings toward Christian Science and the practitioner. Would it not be wise to test such a patient's thought before giving treatment, as did Jesus that of the Syrophoenician woman, or to give to the sufferer some explanation of what Christian Science is and how it brings healing, so as to prepare his consciousness for the truth which does make free?
