The intellectual and spiritual activities of Mary Baker Eddy have given her a permanent niche in the world's history. Neither ignorance, envy, nor hate can remove or destroy that landmark. "Crowns and thrones may perish," but spiritual truth discerned, accepted, demonstrated, and established is immovable, imperishable. Mrs. Eddy's recognized literary activities stretched over a long period of years. Her spiritual aspirations were signally externalized through her physical healing in 1866; and for about forty-five years thereafter she was seeking and revealing ways by which the healing truth might be generally visualized among men.
The main purpose of Mrs. Eddy's writings is to uncover, reveal, illustrate, and demonstrate the regenerating and healing spiritual power, potential in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Her greatest work is the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Compared with all other commentaries ever written on the Bible, this book stands alone. It penetrates and illuminates sacred things with a metaphysical depth and a radiance hitherto unknown, save in the word and works of our Master himself. While all of Mrs. Eddy's published writings are uncoverings of spiritual truth, yet the chapter called "Glossary," in the textbook, is especially so. In the twenty pages of that chapter she rends the veil of material interpretation, and throws into prominence the spiritual sense of Bible terms and names. This chapter is a golden mine of illumination, and as a help in the study of the Bible, and particularly as an aid in understanding the Christian Science Bible Lessons as they appear in the Christian Science Quarterly, its importance can scarcely be overestimated.
As an illustration in point, one may cite her definitions of "Church," as found on page 583 of the textbook, and note the inevitable conclusions flowing from these definitions. Thus: "Church. The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle." The Church thus defined is unlimited in its scope, being neither the child of time nor the child of space. There is nothing with which it can be compared: it stands alone. And this "structure of Truth and Love" is the invisible Church, without beginning of years or end of days. This Church is what Jesus had in thought when he said, "Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The occasion of this utterance is worthy of notice. He had been asking his disciples what people in general thought of him. And then he asked pointedly what they, the disciples, thought of him. Thereupon Simon, the quick and impulsive disciple, replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Simon looked beyond the personal, visible Jesus and beheld the impersonal Christ, or pure activity of God. That spiritual penetration went to the bottom, touched bedrock, discerning the one primal cause. On that account Jesus said to him, "Thou art Peter,"—petros, a stone, a rock, a piece of a rock,—"and upon this rock," this state of thought, conviction, or consciousness, "I will build my church." The Church, then, which Jesus revealed was not a visible organization. It was and is mental, spiritual. It was and is builded in true consciousness.
