It was in the year 1866 that Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science and the art of healing practiced by Christ Jesus. Mrs. Eddy had long felt, as a devoted Christian, that the Bible contained the secret of spiritual healing, but it was not until she realized that Christ, Truth, is ever present to destroy human illusions, of which sickness is one, and was healed of a condition which had resulted from an accident her physician thought might prove fatal, that she became convinced that she had discovered the Science which underlay all the demonstrations of the Master. She was deeply conscious of the sacred nature of her discovery and of its tremendous importance to the human race, and she accordingly labored with intense and prayerful effort to set it forth in terms which every sincere seeker for Truth could readily understand. The result was that in 1875 she published the first edition of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures."
Before publishing Science and Health Mrs. Eddy had healed many cases of disease through her understanding of God and His law, and had taught many the art of spiritual healing. Her students, obedient to her teaching, followed her example. So much so, that knowledge of the healings which were being wrought by Christian Science spread rapidly throughout America, to Great Britain, the continent of Europe— even to the uttermost isles of the sea. Many, in consequence, began to read the textbook, to have Christian Science treatment, and to experience healings, sometimes of diseases which had been pronounced incurable by reliable physicians, every healing being the result of the spiritual understanding which had been gained from prayerful study of the textbook. Great was the joy of those who were healed, that the method of spiritual healing practiced by Christ Jesus had been restored to the world.
Our Leader thought at first that Christian Science would be gladly accepted by the Christian churches throughout the world, and that they, also, would rejoice in the restoration of spiritual healing as practiced by the Master; but her expectations were not realized. Accordingly, she established the Church of Christ, Scientist—The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and its branches—to protect her discovery, and to make it known to mankind. Furthermore, she gave her Church a Manual of By-Laws and Rules, to guide its members in the conduct of their lives, in their church work, and in their ministry of healing. Our Leader writes on page 232 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "Spirit is omnipotent; hence a more spiritual Christianity will be one having more power, having perfected in Science that most important of all arts,—healing." She knew that to establish "a more spiritual Christianity" entailed spiritualization of thought, and she was certain that this could be attained only as the members devoted themselves to prayerful study of the Bible and Science and Health.
