UNDER the caption "Motive in Teaching" in the Manual of The Mother Church, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, declares, "Teaching Christian Science shall not be a question of money, but of morals and religion, healing and uplifting the race" (Art. XXVI, Sect. 1). Similar preparation is required for the practice of Christian Science: four stages, or progressive steps, beginning with morals, or ethics, and proceeding to pure theology, or true metaphysics; then healing, or scientific application of the curative power of Christianity, and culminating in the elevation of human consciousness to spiritual reality. It is significant that Mrs. Eddy puts morals first in order in teaching and practicing Christian Science.
And it is plain that Jesus followed the same order in working out the scheme of salvation for himself and for the world. This is evidenced in his insistence that John baptize him with water, the baptism of repentance and reformation, for the remission of sins. Jesus indicated that John's baptism with water must precede the baptism with fire which comes through spiritual exaltation. And the Master assured John that he must suffer it in order to fulfill all righteousness, the entire ministry and mission of Christ Jesus. Unmistakably Jesus put a prior emphasis upon moral requirements.
The root meaning of "ethics" is character. That which characterizes a disciple of Christ is the quality of his thought and conduct. In her writings, Mrs. Eddy makes frequent use of the word "ethics." In the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," she refers to Christian Science as a scientific system of ethics; and on pages 444 and 445 she says, "The teacher must make clear to students the Science of healing, especially its ethics,—that all is Mind, and that the Scientist must conform to God's requirements." The marginal heading reads, "Conforming to explicit rules."
