Law is a key element in all science. Through Christian Science we learn that the allness of God constitutes the highest law of man. This law is the true and ultimate fundamental, the one Principle and source of all being.
"The Science of God must be, is, divine, predicated of Principle and demonstrated as divine Love; and Christianity is divine Science, else there is no Science and no Christianity," Message to The Mother Church for 1901, p. 4; reasons Mrs. Eddy.
Knowing that his followers could never be deprived of the truths he had taught them just because he was not physically present, Christ Jesus assured them, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13; This is the Comforter, showing the Christ to be ever present. Many have recognized this Comforter in the teachings of Christian Science.
The Master tenderly directed his disciples' thoughts away from his person to the Christ, Truth, he was teaching them. He knew they could never be separated from God's law. After Jesus left them, they too accomplished much healing.
These sacred truths, revealed through Jesus' explanations and proofs of spiritual cause, law, and identity, are the foundation of the Science of Christianity. This Science utilizes declaration and demonstration. Demonstrations of healing follow understanding declarations of the truth in this coincidence of Science and Christianity. Mrs. Eddy writes, "Science will declare God aright, and Christianity will demonstrate this declaration and its divine Principle, making mankind better physically, morally, and spiritually." Science and Health, p. 466;
The very word "declare" rings with strength. In fact, a valuable way to overcome any threatening discord might be Concordance study of references to "declare" in the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings. Science declares Truth, and Christianity demonstrates the living of that truth. One is incomplete without the other. Science sets forth provable, practical facts, and Christianity tenderly reveals them in loving action and healing.
When we, through prayer and spiritually based reasoning, discern Truth, declare it, and prove it in practice, this insight into its nature becomes substance to us, and we have it forevermore. We are actually seeing more clearly what has always been the substance of our true being rather than adding something that has been absent. We witness the Word being made flesh, Truth manifesting itself.
As we square everything in our experience with the understanding that stems from our study and prayer, our demonstrations of Truth's power will grow. And grow! We might think of the declarations as Principle speaking, and of the demonstrations as Love acting. What ample and full-time employment this gives us—to declare the truths and apply them to everything in our lives, whether we face limitations of age or youth, difficulties with human relationships, or harsh weather. Any need, whether simple or complex, can be filled if we rely wholeheartedly—and scientifically—on God's law.
An old canard leveled at Christian Science is that it is neither scientific nor Christian. And this despite the evidence of thousands of dedicated Christian Scientists who, for over a hundred years, have proved that spiritual healing is more than a happenstance of blind faith or an occasional unexplained victory.
Jesus faced this same incredulity and unbelief when the Pharisees, seeking to belittle his healing power, said, "This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." They failed to recognize that he had "cast out devils by the Spirit of God" and that the kingdom of God was available to them right then if they had been willing to accept it.See Matt. 12:24-28;
Spiritualization is a requisite to heal or be healed. We must drop off outlining, impatience, self-will, fear that cramps, and criticism that blinds. We must persist in declaring what we know is true—God's allness and man's inseparability from Him. Such firmness, based on eternal fact, will have its reward.
Standing fast in this manner, even before any outward signs of improvement appear, is the mark of an intrepid Scientist—one who knows his facts, knows they are provable,and applies them with confident expectation of results. The scientific knowing, wedded to the gentle persistence of self-purification through prayer, invokes law so potent, so supreme, that materiality in whatever specific form gives way before it.
A healing in our family is an example of how such firm declaration leads to its inevitable demonstration. My young brother jumped from a tree, landing on his knees and outstretched hands. A piece of broken glass was driven deep into his palm. The wound was cleansed and wrapped, and my mother began to pray for him. The pain ceased almost immediately. For the next several days he used the bandaged hand as freely as the other, but the swollen appearance remained. At one time it even appeared to grow worse, and the situation seemed alarming, although this was soon reversed by staunch and faithful prayer.
My mother's prayers were persevering declarations of the unchanging facts governing my brother's identity. We knew that prayer would produce tangible results. And it did.
One day, as the hand was being washed, the wounded skin came away, leaving the hand completely free, and the skin newly formed and pink as a baby's.
This healing taught me an unforgettable lesson about not surrendering to discouragement, particularly when the problem seems to persist. Why should we accept this facade of error? In my brother's case, all the while we thought no healing was going on, the healing was actually taking place. This faithful perseverance, even though we did not see results at once, had its reward. Jesus commended such faith when he said, "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20:29.
The declaration and demonstration of spiritually scientific truths constitute potent prayer, and this is Christian Science—available to everyone.
