One of the dictionary definitions of the word "manual" is "handbook." Students of Christian Science have in the Manual of The Mother Church by Mary Baker Eddy a handbook which is indispensable to their proper growth. This book is unique in that its Rules and By-Laws unfailingly bless the one who obeys them, and it is restrictive in just one way—one cannot obey the Manual and at the same time be deluded by the false law of mortal mind. Mrs. Eddy understood that God, the divine Mind, or Principle, who imparted these By-Laws to her waiting thought, blesses the obedient heart in every age.
The Manual never limits us in doing good; its purpose is to guard, govern, and protect us from mistakenly following material sense testimony. One who is new in the study of Christian Science may ask: "In what way am I affected by the Manual? I am not a member of The Mother Church or of a branch church; so in what way am I blessed by the Rules in this book?"
Before answering these questions, let us consider for a moment some of the different ways in which one may have become interested in Christian Science. Perhaps a friend has invited him to attend a Christian Science lecture, a church service on Sunday, or a Wednesday testimony meeting. Or one may have heard on the radio or on television the program, "How Christian Science Heals." Possibly he has taken authorized Christian Science literature from a distribution box, or has visited a Christian Science Reading Room. Again, he may have been healed through the help of a practitioner. Prayerful study of the Manual reveals that its By-Laws, based upon unerring Principle, contain guidance for every situation.
At one time, while serving as a Reader in a Christian Science Society, the writer was laboring to free herself from the belief of a badly sprained ankle. She was able to be at her post with freedom and joy and without pain when she remembered that part of the By-Law regarding Readers which says (Art. Ill, Sect. 1): "They must keep themselves unspotted from the world, —uncontaminated with evil,—that the mental atmosphere they exhale shall promote health and holiness, even that spiritual animus so universally needed."
She reasoned that if this spiritual demand had been made upon Readers, she as a Reader could certainly meet it. As her consciousness became filled with the fact that her true selfhood was uncontaminated by evil and unspotted from the worldly claim of injury, she realized her healing.
At another time, while teaching a Sunday School class, she was troubled by the distracting questions being asked by a pupil in her class. After prayerfully studying Article XX in the Manual, she perceived in a new light the spiritual demand of Mrs. Eddy's requirement for instruction in juvenile classes. There Mrs. Eddy writes (Sect. 3), "The next lessons consist of such questions and answers as are adapted to a juvenile class, and may be found in the Christian Science Quarterly Lessons, read in Church services."
The error was eradicated when the teacher understood that a question which did not have an answer to be found in the lessons did not belong in the Sunday School class, because it had no authority under the Manual. The irrelevant questions ceased, and the one asking them became more humble and receptive.
The writer has found repeatedly that when she has any duty to perform that is authorized by the Manual, she has the needed inspiration and ability to meet the spiritual demand by knowing that demonstration is possible, or the provision for such activity would not be contained in the Manual. This has made church work and yearly trips to association meetings harmonious and fruitful. The Psalmist said (Ps. 119:93), "I will never forget thy precepts: for with them thou hast quickened me."
If we are engaged in an activity that seems to be outside the scope of the Manual, it is well to remember the importance Mrs. Eddy places on "A Rule for Motives and Acts" (Art. VIII, Sect. 1). This By-Law is applicable to everything that we do or think, and it is read in all Churches of Christ, Scientist, on the first Sunday of each month. The entire world is blessed as the sincere student of Christian Science obeys and uses the Manual, his unique handbook, a fact borne out by the thought in the "Daily Prayer," the last lines of which read (Art. VIII, Sect. 4), "And may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!"
As we daily study the Manual, we may be sure that the meaning of any Rule or By-Law which does not seem clear to us at present will unfold as we grow in spirituality. The light cannot fail to be ours, for we have the Biblical promise (Mark 4:22), "There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested." Let us be grateful that Mrs. Eddy was inspired to give us the Manual as a practical, spiritual guide for our daily affairs.
