Throughout human history men have expected salvation from sin, disease, and death at some future time. All the discord of the ages has been due to ignorance of what constitutes life, as the reflection of Life, God.

To the materialist, life is an enigma, involving a short span of existence wholly contingent on matter, with its concomitants of sin, sorrow, sickness, and death. In the illusion of life that is temporal, mortal mind claims that man is wholly material, subject to birth, growth, maturity, old age, and decay. How true of this false concept of man are the words of Job, "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble"! But the mortal dream of life in matter is of material, not divine, origin, for, as the Bible reveals, God is Spirit, and man and the universe are spiritual.

The full significance of this profound truth did not dawn upon mankind until Mary Baker Eddy discovered Christian Science, and in her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," clearly elucidated the deep spiritual import and practical availability of Biblical truths. Moreover, she gave conclusive proofs of her revelation by healing sickness, sin, and lack as Jesus did, that is, by spiritual means alone, thereby proving that this Christianly scientific method supersedes all other means in healing.

On page 475 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy, in answerto the question, "What is man?" writes in part: "Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements. The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God." Since this is provable, we can, here and now, successfully overcome the thralldom of material sense; for Christian Science has revealed the allness of God and the nothingness of matter, and shown us how to rise above the false testimony of the five physical senses to the true concept of immortal being.

Our great Exemplar, Christ Jesus, said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." What is this abundant life? How can we attain it? Is it gained through a right understanding of God? Yes; it is simply the spiritual unfolding in our consciousness of the true knowledge of God. Our Master clearly defined it when he said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

The remark, "I am tired of life," is sometimes made. But let us analyze this statement. It may be that the one who voices it is tired of sin, sickness, poverty, lack, or disease, all of which are unreal and untrue. So, strictly speaking, this one is not tired of life, but of those experiences which pertain to a false sense of existence. In his letter to the Ephesians, in speaking of Christ, Paul says, "You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

Now, Christian Science comes to comfort and awaken us with the loving assurance that the way of life, with its health, holiness, happiness, joy, freedom, and abundance, is attainable here and now through a right understanding of God, omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence.

The writer knew a man in a public institution who was said to be dying of cancer, and believed himself to be tired of life. The doctors were expecting him to pass on. However, a friend who knew that this man had once been interested in Christian Science and had read its textbook, asked him if he would care to have Christian Science treatment. He consented, and a Christian Scientist was summoned to go to him, posthaste. But the Scientist replied: "There is no need to make haste. Nothing untoward can happen to man, for he lives, moves, and has his being in God, Life, now. There is no death." The Scientist recognized the omnipresence of God, and knew that man is the reflection of God, Life; and with this clear recognition he demanded the evidence of that which he knew to be true, the evidence of Life, with the result that the man arose immediately, and came out of the institution within five days.

Our true selfhood is the reflection of Life, God. Let us suppose that there is a lighted candle in a room. Can darkness extinguish its light? Manifestly not! Moreover, darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. So we may rejoice in the fact that evil beliefs, however real and aggressive they may seem to be, do not touch man, the image and likeness of God, for man is not material but spiritual, and therefore he is untouched by any phase of error.

The nature of our experience is determined to a great extent by the kind of thoughts we entertain. How important it is, then, to watch every statement we make and every statement we accept! Let us welcome into our mental home the thoughts which express Life, holiness, joy, peace, and love. These will enable us to dwell in the spiritual realm of Life, God.

When we are thinking negative thoughts, that is, when we are accepting the erroneous suggestions of sin, sickness, and death, we cannot be conscious of the joyous activity of Life, Truth, and Love. But when our thinking is conformed to heavenly harmony, we experience that life to which Paul referred when he said (Romans 8:6), "To be spiritually minded is life and peace."

We cannot accept the suggestion that death is inevitable. Did not Jesus say, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death"? He did not say that death had to be submitted to; he said it "shall be destroyed"; and he gave conclusive proof of this by his own resurrection. Our Leader says (ibid., pp. 427, 428): "The dream of death must be mastered by Mind here or hereafter. Thought will waken from its own material declaration, 'I am dead,' to catch this trumpet-word of Truth, "There is no death, no inaction, diseased action, overaction, nor reaction.'"

Evil beliefs cannot prevent the dawn of the spiritual radiance which dispels the darkness of materialism and as one relinquishes mortal beliefs—the garments of mortality—he rises in the consciousness of resurrection, and finds himself clothed upon with immortality. And he proportionably experiences health, freedom, happiness, and joyous activity.

Mrs. Eddy writes (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 189), "For man to know Life as it is, namely God, the eternal good, gives him not merely a sense of existence, but an accompanying consciousness of spiritual power that subordinates matter and destroys sin, disease, and death."