The first tenet of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, as found on page 15 in the Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of the world-wide movement of Christian Science, reads, "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life." The result of the foregoing admonition of our Leader, to be found also on page 497 of our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," is that students of Christian Science, as they gain in the understanding of this teaching, turn away more and more from material remedies or material assistance in case of need, whether it be physical, moral, financial or spiritual, and, instead, look to the contents of the Bible and its immeasurable treasures for comfort and deliverance. In the pages of this Book of Life will be found, when prayerfully and diligently sought, an answer to every question or doubt, relief from suffering, joy and happiness for sorrow, abundance for lack, and life eternal for decay and mortality.
A helpful lesson may be learned from the story of Jehoshaphat, as given in II Chronicles. Jehoshaphat was at one time king of the tribe of Judah, having succeeded Asa, who, as we read, "in his disease . . . sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers." To gain an idea of what conditions Jehoshaphat found, the reader should remember that during the reign of Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, the ten tribes of Israel revolted against his injustice and inability to rule, gave up the true worship of God, and sank deeper and deeper into idolatry under Jeroboam, who had made himself king of these ten tribes.
The tribes of Benjamin and Judah did not follow the other ten, but united under the kingdom of Judah, whereto the priests and Levites of Israel gathered to continue their monotheistic worship. However, in course of time these people also surrendered to the worst kind of idolatry; but through the efforts of the aforenamed king, Asa, Judah returned to monotheism. To reach this end and maintain it, they had a continuous struggle and warfare with their idolatrous neighbors; but they succeeded to some extent, although Asa himself fell a victim to worshiping or trusting in other gods. Thus Jehoshaphat became ruler over a nation which was being menaced from within, not yet being wholly freed from image worship, and from without by enemies— idolaters, endeavoring to break up Judah.
