The Manual is our lawbook;
it is our guidebook to an orderly, gracious church organization
and our instruction in consistent self-discipline.
It is our handbook of brotherly love,
our guide to courteous church behavior.
When we stick to the Manual,
it is our armor as Christian warriors,
our day-by-day deliverer from false prophecy,
our alpenstock for scaling pinnacles of spiritual growth.
For beholding ourselves—especially our motives—it is our mirror.
Adhering to the Manual protects us against willfulness
and defends us from all kinds of mortal-mindedness.
This small book prohibits mental laziness, irreverence, and un-Principled
action.
It is our defense against indulging in or being victimized by mental
malpractice,
our insurance against personal domination.
The Manual is our blueprint for the building of Christly character,
our ethical guide in the practice of Christian Science Mind-healing.
