"To decide quickly as to the proper treatment of error—whether error is manifested in forms of sickness, sin, or death—is the first step towards destroying error. Our Master treated error through Mind." So writes Mary Baker Eddy on page 463 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" under the marginal heading "Unhesitating decision."

Christian Science teaches that Christ Jesus, listening always to the voice of his Father, divine Mind, detected instantly the arguments of error, which would contradict Truth. No matter in what guise evil manifested itself, he decided quickly on its proper treatment. Christ Jesus gave no credence to any mortal suggestion; he recognized a lie as a lie. Jesus said of mortal mind (John 8:44): "Ye are of your father the devil. ... When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." To others the Master's healings seemed miraculous, but they were divinely natural, because they were the result of his obedience to Mind.

The writer experienced an instantaneous healing in Christian Science when she first decided quickly to treat error through Mind. A relative had a persistent cough which no material remedies had stopped. Finally this continuous coughing disturbed the writer. She could not treat the relative, but when anything disturbed her she had the right to hold to the truths taught in Christian Science. The thought came to her, The truth is that this cough is not from God. This enabled her to eliminate the disturbance with the declaration, "Now, that's that," which meant that the suggestion of cough would not be permitted into her thinking, since such disturbance was not from God. Much to her own astonishment her relative asked shortly, "Where is my cough?" He had been instantaneously and completely healed.

A Christian Science practitioner explained to the writer that through her brief period of studying Christian Science she had learned something of God's power, of His ever-presence and continuous love for all His creation. Understanding material thinking to be erroneous and spiritual thinking to be the reflection of God, divine Mind, she had mentally disassociated His creation from the so-called mortal or carnal mind. This glimpse of God's power had equipped her with the spiritual insight to acknowledge God's presence right where error suggested the physical problem to be. Thus the writer had worked clearly and correctly about the suggestion of error, which had falsely named itself a disease. Its ignorant claims were quickly wiped out of her consciousness, therefore just as instantly out of her experience. She had done the one thing needed by exchanging a material concept for the spiritual idea of God.

In "Rudimental Divine Science" by Mrs. Eddy we read (p. 9), "The spiritual power of a scientific, right thought, without a direct effort, an audible or even a mental argument, has oftentimes healed inveterate diseases."

From the study of Christian Science one learns that the healing of even an inveterate disease is not primarily a healing of the body. It is the correcting of false, mortal thinking with the truth of God's allness. The unshaken conviction that man receives only good and true thoughts from his Father, divine Mind, silences the mental arguments, and the false pictures of error immediately lose their assumed power. Thus the student of Christian Science keeps his consciousness clear of disease, or error, which is only a lie about God and His creation.

"Evil is neither quality nor quantity: it is not intelligence, a person or a principle, a man or a woman, a place or a thing, and God never made it," Mrs. Eddy explains in her Message to The Mother Church for 1901 (pp. 12, 13). To mentally reject the foe, mortal mind, and then to watch matter in any form is not the proper treatment for error. Evil thinking cannot heal itself, and watching the material manifestation is thinking with the foe.

Where is it that this foe must be rejected? The new student of Christian Science is sometimes surprised to learn that it is in his own thinking. Mortal mind would lie to him and get him into trouble continuously; yet he considers this mind the source of true information. It is mortal mind that condemns a person, a place, or a thing. Divine Mind, God, does not know or recognize evil.

Mortal mind acts like a magician putting on an act. The magician distracts the attention of his audience while he is working the trick. In like manner this so-called mind endeavors to call attention to matter in some form while operating slyly in various disguises. Paul encouraged his followers (Rom. 13:12), "Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." The hidden foe cannot stay in the presence of the individual who with unhesitating decision adheres to the Christ-consciousness.

How does one gain the spiritual understanding which enables him to decide quickly? The truths of God and man are revealed to each student through his study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings and his reading of the authorized Christian Science literature. He must unhesitatingly decide to live continuously with these truths and to put them into practice. Thus he uses the great spiritual weapon of trust in the one power, God.

Each individual's duty is to thwart evil in its various disguises. And the student follows the warning of Christ Jesus (Mark 13:37), "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mrs. Eddy considered this admonition of the Master's so important that she placed it on the cover of the Christian Science Sentinel. Watch what? Each student of Christian Science must watch constantly what he is admitting into thought, that he may detect error and admit into consciousness only good. He must decide quickly to listen for and obey only God's commands. Thus error will be uncovered and destroyed, and Mind will reign supreme.