Until one attains to some knowledge of Christian Science, how almost incredible seems the story of the poor widow who took Elijah into her home, shared with him her scanty fare, and became the beneficiary of so much blessedness,—"the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail;" and, transcending all this, her little son was brought back to life. It was no more than a touching and beautiful legend to the writer until the day she met a young father who told how his child had been restored to health through Christian Science treatment, when the best material aid had been found of no avail, when the sentence had been pronounced, and when the erring young father cried to God, as the widow had cried to the prophet, "Art thou come unto me . . . to slay my son?" Then the answer came through the demonstration of Christian Science: the shadow vanished, and Life was proved triumphant. How did it occur, this change that seemed so miraculous both to the widow and to the father? It will be remembered that in the case of the widow "the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail," according to the Word of the Lord, which He spake by Elijah. And again, when Elijah brought the child alive to its mother, she declared with swift, complete conviction, "The word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."
After this father had been told by the physicians that his boy must surely succumb to one of the most dreaded forms of disease known to childhood, in sheer desperation a practitioner of Christian Science was called; and when, within a few hours, the child was wholly restored, its father knew in his heart that the Word of the Lord in the mouth of that servant of God was truth. Thus we see how a discrimination was implied in both instances between the Word of the Lord, as they had hitherto believed they heard it, and as it was uttered on these two notable occasions. Many times, in all probability, both had heard those same words and had not accepted them as truth; but the phrase, "in thy mouth is truth," revealed a profound fact. One might say, however, that in the first instance the Word was uttered by a prophet everywhere honored as a man of God; in the second instance, the practitioner was but a humble citizen with no outstanding reputation as a prophet or man of God. The woman said, "By this I know;" and this father echoed the same. It was the proof of God's power—what is known in Christian Science as demonstration of the Word of God—which convinced both; and this proof was the healing of the sick and the raising of the dead.
Notwithstanding the fact that humanity is making ceaseless effort and spending vast sums of the world's wealth to secure some degree of bodily well-being, it is sometimes charged that Christian Scientists place undue stress upon the healing mission of Christian Science, since the soul is paramount and the body of little worth! But those who have experienced true healing in Christian Science know that it is not the proof so much as the thing proved which makes the healing such a blessed, high experience. By this healing they know that the Word of God is truth, and are thereby enabled to take a definite step into eternal life: they now believe; and belief, according to the Scriptures, is essential to salvation. That belief is necessary to salvation Christian Science holds in common with all evangelical churches; but what makes for belief and what constitutes salvation are much more searching questions in Christian Science than those which are usually accepted; because Christian Science is Science based upon divine Principle,—requiring demonstration, proof, works, fruits, as Christ Jesus demanded. What Jesus meant by "works" he clearly stated: it was to preach the word, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the leper (moral and physical), cast out evils. Christian Science declares that believing cannot become static in blind faith; but, to attain salvation, believing must grow to understanding,—such understanding as can give proof of its divine Principle in every instance; for there is no understanding where proof does not follow. Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe."
