Article September 5, 1925 Issue

The Letter and the Spirit of Loving

JESSIE LOUISE SALLS

Every once in a while there arises one with greater spiritual understanding than his contemporaries. The spirit of Christ Jesus is manifested in a greater measure by such a one, and he is inspired to do the Master's work, to follow in his footsteps. Healing of sin and sickness has followed this understanding; but it remained for Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, to discover and establish, through divine inspiration and revelation, a system of rules by which the art of spiritual healing as exemplified by Jesus and his disciples could be given to a whole world and made effectual for all mankind. These rules for scientific divine healing are set down in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and in the other works from her pen.

This set of rules, this scientific system, is thus the practical gift of Mrs. Eddy to the world. It was inspired by her great love for mankind, and is spoken of reverently as the letter of Christian Science. Through the reading and study of it we are better able to manifest in the world the great love of Christ Jesus, who healed sickness and sin, but found the world unable fully to understand the import of his divine mission as a spiritual healer and teacher. Mrs. Eddy derived her system from the teachings of the Bible, including those of Christ Jesus, whom she designates the Way-shower; in other words, the letter and the spirit of Christian Science were inspired by these teachings. We study the letter that we may more fully understand the mission of Jesus and of his follower, Mrs. Eddy, in order to manifest that greater, more spiritual, and healing love to mankind in the healing of sickness and sin; that we may obey Jesus' injunction to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils." By studying the letter and manifesting the Christ-spirit, the world is taught the effective results of the healing love of God.

Mrs. Eddy tells us in Science and Health (pp. 476, 477): "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." Many an earnest philanthropist longs to help the sick and the sinning, and would give all he possesses to destroy suffering with that authority and assurance Jesus showed; but he does not know how. It is this power that is revealed, and may be demonstrated, through Christian Science. Those who have studied Christian Science appreciate that greater love must come in just the way expressed in the words of Mrs. Eddy,—"who appeared to him." However earnest our desire to behold man as perfect, we cannot through any will-power of our own force our eyes to behold man as perfect. It would be a futile as well as a destructive task to try to hypnotize ourselves into a form of belief that was not honestly felt. We can, however, by studying the letter of Christian Science, benefit by that revelation already given us, and grow in the knowledge of the real man. This increasing and clearer knowledge will make it easier to receive the truth about man and discard the lie. We prepare the ground of consciousness for the seed by study of the letter. Even as the plant will appear when the ground has been prepared and the seed planted faithfully, so the spiritual idea of man, the idea that corrects and heals, will appear in the consciousness that is prepared to receive it.

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