While reading the article on "The International Sunday...

W. Archibald Wallace, Committee on Publication for the State of West Virginia,—Huntington

Herald-Dispatch,

While reading the article on "The International Sunday School Lesson" for August 2, which appeared in the Herald-Dispatch, I was particularly impressed with the following statements: "There is no merit in simply scanning the words of the Bible, without knowledge of their meaning." "There is no need for clever 'keys' to the Scripture." "It is best understood, of course, by those who know its background, and who read it in its entirety."

Thousands of Christian Scientists throughout the world, who are earnest students of the Bible, will heartily agree with the statement that simply scanning the words of the Bible, without a knowledge of their meaning, is of no particular merit. It is generally understood that the Scriptures have a spiritual as well as a literal meaning. A Bible dictionary states, "The spiritual interpretation of Scripture must rest upon both the literal and moral." To properly read and study the Bible in order to put the divine commands into practice, the student must gain the spiritual sense of the words, which, when discerned, can be demonstrated in his daily experiences. Inspired writers gave us the original text of the Bible, and through inspiration it is understood. On page 505 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy has written: "Understanding is the line of demarcation between the real and unreal. Spiritual understanding unfolds Mind,—Life, Truth, and Love,—and demonstrates the divine sense, giving the spiritual proof of the universe in Christian Science. This understanding is not intellectual, is not the result of scholarly attainments; it is the reality of all things brought to light."

Christian Scientists, however, will not agree with the implication that there is no need for a "key" to the Scriptures, for the very good reason that they have gained their knowledge of the meaning of the inspired words of the Bible through a "key" which has unlocked the door and given them a better comprehension of God as omnipresent Mind, as the divine Principle of the universe, as infinite Spirit, Soul, Love, and Life. According to Webster, a "key" is "that which serves to solve or explain;" and the "key" which has explained the hidden spiritual meaning of the Bible to them is the Christian Science textbook (which was quoted above) by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.

The Lesson-Sermons in the Christian Science Quarterly are in accordance with the statement in Article XIV, Section 2, of the Manual of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, which contains the following: "The correlative Biblical texts in the Lesson-Sermon shall extend from Genesis to Revelation." It is commonly known, however, that students of Christian Science do not confine themselves exclusively to the daily study of the Lesson-Sermon, but also devote much time to searching the Scriptures in order to gain a clearer sense of the Christ, Truth, which has come to their understanding through the light thrown upon that Book of books, the Holy Bible, with the aid of their "key" to the Scriptures.

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