Mrs. Eddy herself requested that the Churches of Christ, Scientist, "read at the close of services, and before benediction," the "scientific statement of being,"See Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy, p. 468. followed by "the correlative Scripture according to I John, 3:1, 2, 3."
This request by our Leader appeared in the March 21, 1901, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. The item included the specific verses from I John, with capitalization provided by Mrs. Eddy:
Behold, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us, that we
should be called the sons of God; there
fore the world knoweth us not, because it
knew him not. Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that,
when He shall appear, we shall be like
him; for we shall see him as He is. And
every man that hath this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as He is pure.
