Our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (pp. 390, 391), "Rise in the conscious strength of the spirit of Truth to overthrow the plea of mortal mind, alias matter, arrayed against the supremacy of Spirit." And on page 391, under the marginal heading, "Righteous rebellion," she writes, "Instead of blind and calm submission to the incipient or advanced stages of disease, rise in rebellion against them."
How clearly Mrs. Eddy points the way to the practice of scientific resisting! Each word in these inspired statements is a clarion call to us to claim our God-given dominion over error of every description. First, the word "rise" captures our attention. A definition of this word is "to move upward." Whither? Certainly to a clearer understanding of God's allness and man's perfection, whereby we may claim dominion over evil!
Then, consider the word "conscious." One definition of this word is "mentally awake or active." Should we not, therefore, make a specific effort to put our scientific right thinking into action as well as into words? Too often we claim dominion mentally, and perhaps verbally, and then by our actions we belie and reverse what we are claiming. Our great Master, Christ Jesus, said, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." This great statement shows that the way to resist evil scientifically is consciously to know the truth about God and His perfect creation. That which we know, we necessarily put into action and show forth in deeds; and there is no power that can make us do otherwise.
