The beloved Leader of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy, through whom the Manual of The Mother Church was unfolded, in speaking of its By-Laws tells us in "Miscellaneous Writings" (Miscellaneous Writings, p.148), that "they were impelled by a power not one's own;" and she adds, "They sprang from necessity, the logic of events,—from the immediate demand for them as a help that must be supplied to maintain the dignity and defense of our Cause."
Pulsating with tender, protecting mother-love, the Manual is therefore animated with the Christ-spirit, with that which makes for brotherly love, unity, law, and order. Its provisions are permeated with the purpose of saving and healing; and its admonitions glow with mercy, justice, and grace. Its rules of discipline and correction are neither autocratic nor puritanical, for, though firm, they are tender with divine charity. Vibrant with theocracy and democracy, the spirit of the Manual is neither perfunctory, proscriptive, nor ritualistic. It is true to the law and the gospel, resolute, defined, unwavering. With the golden thread of the Tenets of Christian Science woven throughout its provisions, the Manual, spiritually administered, assures peace on earth and "good will toward men."
To understand the marvelous spirit of the Manual requires spiritualization of thought; for the unillumined human mind has not the spiritual discernment with which to perceive the deep significance of the rules of divine Principle. Thus, if we have reached conclusions through a merely intellectual study of its By-laws, we can have no assurance that these conclusions are scientifically correct. Just as humility must be had to understand the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, so must it be had to understand the Manual. Since it undoubtedly took prayer to reveal the By-laws, it takes prayer to reflect their spirit and apply them. As we pray for unselfed love, charity, and wisdom in endeavoring to understand the Manual, its vision will appear to us in its spiritual significance, and we shall be divinely guided in our use of its rules. Hence, it is well, before accepting our individual sense of any By-Law, to subject our interpretation to the test of humility and prayer, to see if it is true to the Christ-spirit as well as to the letter of Christian Science. Overcoming thus the dominating tendencies of the so-called human mind and making way for the spiritual idea to function in our own thinking, we come in touch with the true animus of the Manual and find at-one-ment with its spirit.
