"With new tongues"

RECENTLY at a Wednesday evening meeting of a branch church, very convincing testimonies of physical healing were given with a promptness, earnestness, and clearness that elicited favorable comment from a lady who was making her first visit to a Christian Science church. Coming to this service with the traditions and practices of her denomination fresh in her thought, she expressed surprise at the spontaneity of the testimonies, mingled with a regret that they should have taken on such a material aspect—the healing of the body. She thought that more should have been said about bringing the sinner to repentance.

When Jesus commanded his disciples, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature," his promise was: "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." When a stranger goes into these Wednesday evening meetings he hears the new tongue spoken and does not at once understand, but becomes very much interested. This results in earnest study of the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. With the light thus thrown upon the Bible a comprehension is rapidly gained of the new tongue, what the healing power is and from whence it comes. When one is expressing gratitude to the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, and declaring that he has been healed through her teachings, he is in effect declaring that this healing has come about because of his or some one else's awakened understanding of God and man's relation to God. This healing can only occur because of correct reasoning, the realization of spiritual existence, and is a natural consequence. As Mrs. Eddy says, "Man is the expression of God's being" (Science and Health, p. 470). To understand this statement we must know what the being of God is, and this we find fully set forth in the definition of God on page 587 of the same book and in the definition of man on page 591. Studying these we begin to see the duty or function of man, and that in proportion as we are expressing, reflecting, acting, voicing those qualities which define God, just in that proportion are we proving man.

As it seemed necessary for Thomas to examine personally the wounds in order that he might be convinced that it was the same Jesus, so do the Thomases of to-day need to have the evidence presented—the "signs following." For this purpose these testimony meetings have been established, and thousands each week gladly acknowledge that they have been relieved of their sins and their sufferings by one and the same process—the uplifting of thought, the realization of man's unity with God. Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health (p. 31) emphasizes the importance of these healings, and declares of Jesus, "First in the list of Christian duties, he taught his followers the healing power of Truth and Love." Christian Science teaches the ever presence and potency of this "healing power," an understanding of which excludes the belief in evil; that eternity is now, and that we have now this eternity in which to express and reflect God, good; to be healthy and happy.