FOR many years before becoming a student of Christian Science the writer was afraid to voice all of the Lord's Prayer, especially the sentence, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." She felt she did not want God to forgive her as she sometimes forgave! The spiritual understanding of this marvelous prayer, imparted by Christian Science, dispelled the almost superstitious fear, and gave her, instead, an abiding sense of protection, peace, and power, which no emotional prayer of mere supplication could ever give. On pages 16 and 17 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is the clearest and most comprehensive disquisition ever given to the world on the subject of prayer. Here the line above referred to is interpreted by Mrs. Eddy thus: "Love is reflected in love."
How often have we seen a smile beget a smile; and how often have we been confronted with the spectacle of one angry word starting an avalanche of error, although men have been admonished that the "soft answer turneth away wrath"! Christian Science is daily making plainer the wonderful harmony of the inspired Word of the Bible, and is teaching its students how to keep together in one golden chain the Ten Commandments of the Mosaic Decalogue and the teaching of the Master; for the textbook of Christian Science is proving to be a key, indeed, to the great treasure house called the Bible; and those who study the Book of books with the aid of this great commentary are learning that in proportion to their earnest endeavor to understand and put into practice the truths thus unfolded, they are adding daily to their spiritual perception and their ability to detect and destroy for themselves and others the errors which beset mortal existence.
Moses gave as the ninth commandment, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour;" Jesus said, "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;" and Mary Baker Eddy declared, "Love is reflected in love." What is false witness? One who beholds an event is accounted a reliable witness. To have seen with one's eyes is generally accepted as evidence; but in innumerable instances this evidence has been found untrustworthy. The Christianity of Jesus the Christ taught that only the good is true; and this is in accord with what we read in Genesis: "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." Jesus proved his words by demonstrations which were incontrovertible. Errors of every sort were made to dissolve under the searching rays of Truth and Love which he turned upon them. Blindness disappeared before his understanding of the eternal nature of sight; the lame walked when he exposed the falsity, the lie of imperfection; the deaf heard clearly when his dear concept of the perfection of the spiritual senses rebuked the false witness of the so-called physical senses; and those bowed down or paralyzed were freed when Jesus discerned man's spiritual perfection.
