Under the caption "Basis of health and immortality," on page 339 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy writes, "The basis of all health, sinlessness, and immortality is the great fact that God is the only Mind; and this Mind must be not merely believed, but it must be understood." Mind, then, is God. Mrs. Eddy constantly makes use of this synonym for Deity in her writings; and, unquestionably, it throws great light on the nature of God and His creation, giving to mankind a firm basis for assurance in immortality, as well as showing them the way into a life of sinlessness and health.

Since God is Mind, Mind must be infinite—without limit. Hence we can think of God as being everywhere. And what of Mind's creation; what of its nature? Mind's creation consists of ideas, spiritual ideas; and this creation, like its creator, infinite Mind, must also be infinite, hence everywhere. Moreover, since the real creation is made up entirely of ideas, the material sense of creation must be an unreal sense; or, in other words, the so-called objects of material sense are unreal. Thus does Christian Science distinguish between Mind's real creation of ideas and the false material sense of creation.

Now, whenever the nature of the real creation is seen, whenever it is perceived that it consists of ideas, there dawns upon thought the fact of its permanency, its eternality, for true ideas cannot be destroyed. Take the idea that twice four is eight. This simple truth has always been true, and it will ever remain true, because it is an immortal idea, an eternal truth. But how different it is with the objects of material sense: these have their little day and then cease to be—"the grass withereth, the flower fadeth." Mortal man, "whose breath is in his nostrils," comes and goes, the place where for a little while he has seemed to be ceasing to know him any more.

But mortals are not the children of God; mortals are not God's creation. God's creation, man, is Mind's idea, has ever been Mind's idea, and as such is perfect and eternal—immortal. Marvelous is the revelation of divine Science, which shows us Mind's creation of ideas—man and the universe—as perfect as God Himself, as eternal as God Himself, and which at the same time convinces us of the unreality of all that is unlike Spirit—all that is material.

Furthermore, whenever the truth comes to us that God is Mind and good, we see the unreality not only of matter but of evil also. Writing on page 469 of Science and Health our Leader says: "Mind is God. The exterminator of error is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind, and thatthe supposititious opposite of infinite Mind—called devil or evil—is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality." Was ever discovery of greater importance to mankind than that? Christian Science has revealed the truth that Mind and Mind's ideas alone are real, and that matter and evil are utterly without reality; and in doing so it has shown the immortal status of the spiritual universe and spiritual man, and at the same time has pointed out the way to the scientific overcoming of sin and the acquiring of health.

In numerous instances it has been proved that whenever those suffering from disease have seen the nature of the real creation as idea, recognizing its permanency, and also the unreal nature of a material sense of creation, they have begun to experience better health. Their thought has been lifted from the contemplation of their bodies to the understanding of their real spiritual selfhood as the idea of Mind, perfect and eternal. This understanding has destroyed their fear; and with release from fear has come the glad recognition of better health. If, in belief, sin has caused the sickness, then, also, as the understanding has come of evil's unreality, the sin in question will have ceased, and with its destruction a greater measure of health will have been experienced.

In the twelfth chapter of Romans these words of Paul occur: "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." In no other way can this transformation be scientifically brought about than through Christian Science. Men must come to know God as the only Mind; they must understand His creation as consisting of perfect spiritual ideas; they must recognize that the opposite of Mind's spiritual creation, so-called matter, is unreal; they must see that since God is infinite good, evil is unreal; for thus will they experience transformation through the renewing of the mind, proving what is "that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Duncan Sinclair