The close relation between accurate, that is, scientific thought and demonstration of the truth calls for continual recognition. Inexact, imperfect, and confused thought is incapable of enlightening and edifying expression, and moreover it indicates blurred vision, and blurred vision is mental and spiritual darkness, wherein it is impossible to see clearly or to reason logically. The clarity of spiritual thought, evidenced as it is in felicitous expression in all our Leader's writings, not only is one of their most charming features, but attests her remarkable grasp of spiritual truth. Were it otherwise she would have failed to reach those mental heights where she perceived the infinitude of Mind and its manifestation, and would never have proved in her own experience the validity of those fundamental postulates and scientific deductions that are the very alpha and omega of Christian Science.

It is quite evident that in an early stage of her search for a scientific basis of divine healing, Mrs. Eddy was animated by a profound conviction that God is always bearing witness of Himself to His children, and that His appeal to them is the unchanging and constant outgoing of His love and grace. What that meant to our Leader is precisely what it means to us when rightly understood. It is that the gracious influence of divine Truth and Love, operating in a consciousness which is hungering to be released from the bondage of sinful sense, cleanses and purifies the mentality, sweeping away the cobwebs of traditional and inherited sense illusions and false theology, thus leading to that path of true progress where each one is engaged continuously in the fruitful service of "bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

This great fact of the never ceasing stream of good flowing toward us should be a perpetual incentive to the highest order of thinking. Now this is not gained by a miraculous interposition of divine power. It is concurrent with a life of devotion and scientific healing prayer, prayer in its highest and most comprehensive sense. It is a growth from the seed of Truth, a growth accelerated just in the ratio that we can recognize the nexus between man and God. Obviously, if we have caught but a glimpse of the sacred objective of Christian Science we shall see that all religious achievement must be the destruction of evil thought and desire, simply because it is only good thought which can be translated into harmonious activity. A life work, some one may say! What else should it be? Heaven is not gained by a step. Error is not destroyed with one blow. The human consciousness is not transformed in a day. The life which reflects Life is constant, heroic service for God and humanity, beginning first of all in ourselves and then becoming a beacon light to others. It is by thus welcoming the inspiration of divine Truth that we perceive the substance of Spirit, which is undiscerned by material sense and is the true foundation of spiritual building.

It is well to remember that the aids to purified thought and for increasing the capacity to explain Christian Science in language which can be understood, are abundant; indeed, they have never been surpassed. Mrs. Eddy did not find it easy, as she frankly admits, to express metaphysics in physical terms, but she gave the world an exposition of Scriptural truth that has no equal; and there is no religious literature which excels in high spiritual teaching and power that which is the outcome of her prophetic insight and foresight. The systematic study of Christian Science is therefore an education in classified, strengthened, and fruitful thought and its expression, giving a clear consciousness of unity with God, accompanied by power over every error of mortal sense. The blessing thus received, by its very nature must radiate the healing power of Love to others. We shall have studied to little effect if, with the momentum of Spirit, we are not actuated more and more by desire to conform to the standard of Principle, and thus do our part in the redemption of mankind. And the inquirer or the sufferer who comes with mental or physical trouble has a right to expect from the professed Christian Scientist something like an intelligible, lucid, and reliable explanation of this revival of Christianity, and especially of the proofs which can be adduced to sustain its claim to heal both sickness and sin.

A clear, demonstrable knowledge of Christian Science must of course include more than a passing acquaintance with its vocabulary. But who has not fallen into the temptation of professing a knowledge of divine metaphysics that was not possessed? Have we not learned how little we know by trying to expound what we very imperfectly grasped? And do we not call to mind the painful result,—a plunge into the quicksands of mental confusion that left our listener in precisely the same condition? Does that account for some, at least, of the absurd statements about Christian Science which we meet with sometimes in print and sometimes in private conversation?

These statements unfortunately sometimes bear such a close resemblance to the truth that it requires an intelligent familiarity with the theology of Christian Science to detect where the error lies. Mrs. Eddy fully understood how extremely detrimental this was to growth in spiritual understanding. For instance, on page 200 of the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," she warns us that "whoever is incompetent to explain Soul would be wise not to undertake the explanation of body." Soul being one of the synonyms for God, this means that if our concept of God is wrong, obviously anything we think or say about Him and His creation may be erroneous. That, indeed, is the basic error of humanity's sorrows. Whatever excuse there may have been for ignorance in this respect in the ages past, there is none to-day, especially on the part of those who have been led to accept the Science of Christianity as a revelation of Truth and Truth's spiritual idea.

Spiritual thinking is within the capacity of all, from the very fact that it is a divine endowment, not an intellectual acquirement. In other words, it is a vital part of man's heritage as a spiritual being, and all who perceive God as Principle can have no doubt that man, as the spiritual idea of Principle, possesses the power to think rightly and to express himself clearly. To awaken to this requires, of course, persistent mental activity. The inertia of mortal mind is such that any concession made to it invites the possibility that we are more considerate for error than we are loyal to Truth. It is quite true that the requirements of Christian Science are high and insistent, but we must be thankful that we do not fall into hopeless condemnation because we fail in demonstration even many times. It is well to remember how much we are encouraged to press on. Are we not reminded on page 265 of "Miscellaneous Writings" that "whosoever understands a single rule in Science, and demonstrates its Principle according to rule, is master of the situation"? We may be sure that the "single rule" includes a scrupulous regard for a scientific, loving, and gracious utterance that betokens a spiritual thought value, allied to all that is holy and pure. If our rule of life is the rule of the divine order, and we are impressed with our responsibility as coworkers with God, then there can be no more joyous training than that which leads us so to voice the divine message of Science that it will accomplish that whereunto it has been revealed.

Copyright, 1919, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.