Article September 19, 1903 Issue

Christian Science for all Mankind

JACOB S. SHIELDS.

Among the very few errors editorially expressed during the recent gathering of Christian Scientists in Boston was one which attracted my special attention. It said in part, "The esoteric dogmas of Christian Science are too subtle for materialists to understand." Similar expressions may be heard every day, such as, "I am not spiritual enough to comprehend it." "It is too deep for me," etc.

It should be understood, first of all, that Christian Science is the Science of Life,—Science of being. No one can invent a science. By this we mean that Principle exists, always has existed, and always will exist; and the utmost we can do is to discover its law of manifestation. The science of mathematics always existed, but we have not always known it. Just so has the Science of Life,—of being,—always existed, but it was not apprehended in our times until Mrs. Eddy discovered it. Jesus knew all about it, but his knowledge and teachings were rejected of men, hence the need of its re-assertion. The simple fact is, that being an earnest student of the Bible, and living a life which "approached the supreme good," Mrs. Eddy became the means by which the Science of being was revealed to this age, and she has brought a light and understanding into the world which has made tens of thousands of sufferers well and happy, and by these she is naturally honored, respected, and loved. She has brought an understanding of Life which enables sufferers to be well, and she has given that rightful and true definition of the Scriptures which enables men to understand God and man's relation to Him. She brings to light the logical possibility of the present attainment of eternal life, in which sin, sickness, and death shall be entirely eliminated. Through her teaching as contained in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the laws and requirements which enable all mankind to understand and practically apply spiritual truth, are disclosed. Its philosophy is so simple that all humble and sincere persons may understand it.

The true man has a Principle of absolute perfection. Water in its natural state is absolutely pure, mix earth with it and you have mud, a changed condition, but the water itself has not been changed, it has only been brought into apparent combination with an impurity, and when this is filtered away, the water is found unchanged. Just so with God's man. His Principle, God, is unvarying good and be therefore must ever remain perfect and harmonious. But in human consciousnes evil seems to have beclouded the infinite good, and it will continue to hide it to mortal sense until the error is filtered away. This error consists of hate, envy, dishonesty, bigotry, idolatry, covetousness, dissimulation, sensualism, selfishness, and all else that is contrary to good. This seeming mixture is the product and content of mortal of carnal mind, and in it mortals have tried to discover infinite good—God. It requires scientific means to separate impurities from pure water, and it requires a scientific method to separate the evil from the good in human consciousness.

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