No careful student of Christian Science would deny that its chief offense to the average thinker is its insistent denial of matter and material law, but just here it should be remembered that Truth's idea, from its very nature, cannot adapt itself to human opinion, but must of necessity lift thought from the material to the spiritual. This was certainly the case at the beginning of the Christian era, and St. Peter tells us that the Christ-idea was to many "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense," terms which aptly characterize the attitude of those who, to their own loss, refuse to look deeply enough into Christian Science to discover its spiritual and Scriptural basis, and thus to learn, as Christ Jesus said, that we cannot "serve two masters,"— matter and Spirit,—inasmuch as flesh and Spirit are opposites, even as are light and darkness. To put it briefly, those who come to understand the fundamental teachings of Christian Science see clearly that Jesus' wonderful works of healing could not have been accomplished except by the annulment of all belief in matter and so-called material law, and this ought to furnish a sufficient reason why his professed followers should be willing to ponder deeply the claims of spiritual law which according to St. Paul sets "free from the law of sin and death."
As some may argue that the Bible contains no definite statements respecting the wrongness of belief in matter, it may be observed that "the flesh," both in the Old and New Testament, stands for whatever is known as matter. Thus we find Paul saying, "They that are in the flesh cannot please God: but ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." Again he says that "no flesh should glory in his [God's] presence," and in many other passages it is made clear that matter, or the flesh, is not of God.
Here it should be noted that the belief in evil is inseparably connected with the belief in matter and material law, for in Spirit and spiritual law no evil can be found. In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy tells of her discovery of the Christ Science through which "religion and medicine are inspired with a diviner nature and essence; fresh pinions are given to faith and understanding, and thoughts acquaint themselves intelligently with God" (p. 107). She then goes on to explain the process of spiritual unfoldment by which she was divinely led to reach that understanding of Principle on which all true healing is based, and she shows clearly that this demands the surrender of all belief in matter as the basis of life and intelligence. On page 110 she tells of the result which must follow the acceptance of this truth, namely, "the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth," a "glorious proposition" (to use her own words) which is being demonstrated the world over by unnumbered thousands who have found in Christian Science God, health, happiness, holiness,—the coming of the kingdom for which all Christians daily pray.
