One of the many interesting marginal headings in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, is "Veritable success" (p. 372). It refers to the following statement: "When man demonstrates Christian Science absolutely, he will be perfect. He can neither sin, suffer, be subject to matter, nor disobey the law of God. Therefore he will be as the angels in heaven." What a striking and comprehensive statement this is, differing widely from the commonly held human view of success.
This then is the star to which we may hitch our wagon. In our endeavor to attain this "veritable success" we may freely manifest all the pure sinlessness which already belongs to man's true being; we have unlimited opportunity to lift our thought above the jumble of earthly concepts, which are the cause of all suffering; we are entirely at liberty to put belief in matter with all its spurious laws under our feet and prove its nothingness; and we may fully enjoy our at-one-ment with our divine Father-Mother, God, whereby we joyously obey His will, knowing that it has for us nothing but perpetual harmony.
Spiritual good is unlimited. It is free and available for all. The more we use, the more we shall have. The intention, the directness, and the thoroughness which we put into our endeavor to gain true success are a matter of our own choosing, a matter solely between ourselves and God. Each one may be as complete as he wishes in his reflection of divine qualities, without interfering with his neighbor's acquisition of those qualities. Each one may overcome his belief in sin and materiality without diminishing his brother's opportunity to do so. On the contrary, our overcoming makes his overcoming easier; his achievement opens the way for our achievement.
