THE study of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," brings to us many illuminating views with regard to the power of prayer. On the first page of this wonderful book Mary Baker Eddy tells us what faith, understanding, and love can do to make our prayers effectual. Sickness is healed and sin is destroyed through this spiritual activity. From these results we are led to the conclusion that as we learn to pray in the way that Christian Science teaches, certain effects can always be looked for.
One of these effects is the tranquillizing power of prayer. Most of us come to Christian Science with many undefined fears; and how they gained admission is a question to which we cannot find the answer. This state of fear accounts for our cry for help. How to meet the need is the inquiry with which we face Christian Science; and to this condition of thought the power of prayer is immediately applied. The first impression often created through Christian Science treatment is that of a new feeling of peace, a tranquillity that dawns on the disturbed thought. A sense of security displaces the feeling of uncertainty, and a calm pervades thought where previously conflict and chaos seemed to reign.
This sense of calm and serenity that follows the first application of prayer in Christian Science, naturally leads one to desire to know more about this teaching. This desire is gratified as we learn to employ the true modus of prayer and begin to experience the results which accompany it. To this great end we are irresistibly drawn, led on by the example of Christ Jesus. In the chapter on Prayer in Science and Health Mrs. Eddy has faithfully shown how the great Exemplar gave us the modus operandi for prayer when he said, "When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Commenting on these words, she says (p. 15), "The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love."
