How often our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, uses the word watch! In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" she bids us (p. 128), "Watch, and pray daily that evil suggestions, in whatever guise, take no root in your thought nor bear fruit." Evil suggestions do seem to bear fruit if they are allowed to take root in our thought, as most of us know from experience. We may be so mesmerized by the subtleness of these suggestions that we label our emotional reactions righteous indignation, or sympathy and compassion for another, thus justifying the evasion of our duty to handle false claims of error.
As students of Christian Science we have a great and grave responsibility to handle these claims. Our revered Leader provides the following By-Law in the Manual of The Mother Church (Art. VIII, Sect, 6): "It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged,—and justified or condemned."
A student of Christian Science had an experience proving that negative thoughts entertained may seem to become active in very unexpected ways. One day during World War II, when there was a shortage of many commodities, she went to a store and found a long line of prospective customers at the hosiery counter. Overjoyed that stockings, which she greatly needed, were again on the market, she took her place in the line and made her purchase. Then in another part of the store she became interested in some articles spread out on a table. That she might have her hands free to examine these, she put an armful of books down on a corner of the table with her small stocking package on top of them.
