"Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage," writes Mary Baker Eddy on page 18 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." This statement evidently indicates that our Leader considered of primary importance the recognition of, and steadfast adherence to, the spiritual fact of man's indissoluble oneness with God, of which the Master gave full evidence. Christian Science includes the Christlike teaching of perfect God and perfect man. The perception of this truth by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, and its subsequent proof by her in healing all manner of disease and sin, enabled her to give to the world the Christ Science, which is reinstating "primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing" (Church Manual, p. 17).

Human theories mainly identify men with materiality and mortality, thus contradicting the demonstrable Science of spiritual being which Jesus and his followers taught and practiced. These theories assume that the mortal body possesses the prerogative to produce and induce physical conditions both good and evil, helpful and baneful, over which the individual is supposed to have little or no control. However, Christian Science practice proves that the mortal body cannot and does not form its own conditions; for when, under the guidance of Life, Truth, and Love, individual consciousness submits to spiritual law, it is empowered with authority to control the body harmoniously, and to steer it into purity, health, strength, and normal activity. The foregoing facts may be verified by anyone who lovingly and patiently conforms to the following spiritual command: "Exercise this God-given authority. Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man" (Science and Health, p. 393).

God is Spirit, divine Mind; and man being the reflection of God is spiritual or divinely mental. At all times, Jesus identified man with Mind, God, but never with matter and mortality. He said, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." From Spirit emanate all life, substance, intelligence, action, and their harmonious manifestations; while matter, so called, contributes nothing to the true existence, sustenance, health, or happiness of mankind; nor has it power to withhold or destroy them. Individual man's identity is spiritual, perfect, and indestructible; it is composed of spiritual ideas which originate in God, Spirit, and reflect His eternal nature. Man cannot express anything inferior to his creator; hence Jesus' words, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Christian Scientists are grateful that their religion is based on divine Principle and affords demonstrable rules whereby any sincere student may prove himself master of the body, its functions and conditions, not subservient thereto. As individual human consciousness is uplifted to behold divine Mind expressing in man strength, harmony, health, and perpetuity, inharmonies in human thought imaged on the body are rendered void. In brief, when Truth and Love reign in thought, more harmonious conditions are bound to ensue. The salutary effect of spiritual law operating in human consciousness not only heals bodily disease, but likewise removes from individual experience other would-be destructive forces of the carnal mind and their deleterious effects on health and morals.

To those who love God and their fellow men sufficiently to engage in the joyous service of helping to redeem sin-sick humanity, a promise by Jesus gives assurance of Love's protecting care. "These signs shall follow them that believe: . . . they shall," he said, "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." Likewise, Christian Science provides protection from the would-be baneful action of animal magnetism, expressed in hatred, resentment, misjudgment, dishonesty, pretense, craftiness, and fear. The consciousness filled with and controlled by unselfed love is thereby clad in impervious armor, and consequently protected from harmful conditions which error falsely claims to be capable of producing on the body. Alert Christian Scientists daily seek the sheltering wings of divine Love and thereunder, by themselves reflecting love, find protection for themselves and for those upon whom their thoughts rest, and for their religion against the malice of mortal thought.

By advocates of some material systems it is considered that many diseases are caused by certain so-called poisons. In reality there is neither animal, vegetable, nor mineral poison. When seen through the lens of divine Science, all the varied manifestations of Life are found to be harmless ideas of Love's creating. The false and would-be destructive elements of the carnal mind produce, in belief, evil effects. The Mind of Christ, reflected in thought and deed by any humble and enlightened follower of the Master, nullifies such seeming effects

"Consciousness constructs a better body when faith in matter has been conquered" (Science and Health, p. 425). The applicability of this wonderful spiritual rule in Christian Science is not confined exclusively to constructing better bodily conditions. It is equally applicable to and effective in constructing better business, political, economic, domestic, social, and religious conditions. "Faith in matter," in all false beliefs of mortal mind, is conquered proportionately as human consciousness prayerfully and trustingly seeks that sublime spiritual state where all things needful to existence, such as health, happiness, and progress are found in God, good. With her characteristic deep spiritual insight our revered Leader, Mrs. Eddy, has written the following statement (ibid., p. 264), "When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-completeness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness."