When one first reads the Christian Science textbook Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, particularly the chapter entitled "Fruitage," there comes a point when the reader says to himself, "If this Christian system of healing has worked for all these people, it ought to work for me." Whether he then tries to apply what he has learned, or whether he calls on a practitioner for aid, his sincere desire is the beginning of his practice of Christian Science. He has named the name of Christ and opened his thought to the truths that change things, that heal.
No doubt he has seen the design of the Cross and Crown seal on the front covers of Mrs. Eddy's books, and read the inscription, "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons" Matt. 10:8 (Am. Stand. Ver.);—a strong demand! Perhaps he has felt as if these words were spoken directly to him.
When the writer was still a member of an orthodox faith, one of Jesus' statements most confusing to her was, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." 5:48; Her theological training had led her to believe that instructions like "Heal the sick" and "Be ye therefore perfect" had been given to disciples who were especially gifted and saintly men. Then she read Mrs. Eddy's words in Science and Health referring to Christ Jesus: "The purpose of his great life-work extends through time and includes universal humanity. Its Principle is infinite, reaching beyond the pale of a single period or of a limited following." Science and Health, pp. 328, 329;
