Affirmation of truth and denial of error constitute in Christian Science the mental argument which attunes human thought, brings it into harmony with divine Mind. This is forcefully illustrated in the "scientific statement of being" as found on page 468 of the Christian Science text-book: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual." As here presented, the denial of error is actually a declaration of the truth; so, too, affirmation of the truth includes the denial of error.

No one questions the value of an intelligent affirmation of truth, when understandingly made. Such an affirmation is all-inclusive, effective, and sufficient. It is the spiritual knowing which instantaneously obliterates an erroneous thought, and leaves no trace of it. With this perfect realization always ready in consciousness, health and harmony would be assured. Would that we all had gained this perfection and poise of thought, this Christlike purity of mind, where positively no attention need be paid to evil, because all sin had actually been overcome! Moments of this clear vision and calm of thought are experienced by every Christian Scientist. During these periods great good is wrought, and this consciousness of absolute dominion should at all times be claimed as the natural and present possession of every individual.

It is because this perfect sense is not instantly realized and always maintained, that a denial of error is found to be of value and necessary; in fact, it is because there is some seemingly tenacious error to be denied and cast out that the truth is not readily realized. Mortal mind is a base deceiver, and is itself basely deceived. It loves its own, the erroneous material sense, and the trouble is that it is indisposed to face and give up this attachment; but the law of divine justice (divine Love) compels mortals finally to awaken, to repent in humility, to evidence love of good in practical reform, and to heed the command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me [Spirit]." This change of thought is a "denial" of real value, and is an indispensable preliminary to a perfect affirmation of truth. What human mind does not still contain an iota of this tenacious self-love and self-will? Then what human consciousness has risen wholly beyond the need of denials?

In the affirmation of truth and the denial of error, much care needs to be exercised. This caution applies especially to denials. The fear and disfavor regarding denials is wholly caused by erroneous procedure. Christian Science teaches that evil is false and unreal, hence nothing. But when resisting and denying evil, it is very easy to make something of it, and herein lies the danger. If the denial of evil is for the necessary purpose of unmasking, denouncing, and abolishing evil, because it is a liar from the beginning and its claims are false and powerless to deceive, surely this is not making evil real, it is understanding it to be unreal. Thus it is the power of Truth, or God's law, which uncovers sin, and not the human will, and therefore no possible suffering can result. On the other hand, if one consciously or unconsciously still loves evil, or believes in its power, and then denounces it through a sense of fear or of duty, the belief in it is only aggravated thereby. Here it is seen why aggressive newspaper criticisms, personal attacks and exposures, the emphasizing of crime and suffering, investigations into the health of children, etc., are found to be far more harmful to humanity, as a rule, than they are beneficial. Evil and disease are sure to be known by mankind, but their unreality should be scientifically recognized in order that they may be destroyed and health and righteousness established.

Recognizing the imperative need of uncovering and uprooting the myriad claims of sin in human consciousness, expressed in countless forms, why this objection on the part of mortals to the facing of error and the demonstration of its nothingness? Why this tendency to excuse and ignore error and so prolong human suffering? Is it self-righteousness, moral blindness, and an unwillingness to confess and forsake sin which opposes this honest advance? Is it a disinclination to be practical, to take the sensible, human, and indispensable footsteps leading up and through the resurrection stage of mental progress? Is it a desire to be easy-going, to progress no higher than blind faith, and to be Christian Scientists only when the sun shines? Then it were well to ponder those words of our revered Leader: "Blindness and self-righteousness cling fast to iniquity ... but if evil is uncondemned, it is undenied and nurtured. Under such circumstances, to say that there is no evil, is an evil in itself" (Science and Health, p. 448). Underlying this nature of thought, as Mrs. Eddy avers, is evil itself, subtly producing this very mental apathy or opposition to Truth, a condition of mind which thwarts better physical healing and the real progress of the student.

In the measure that mortals progress in purity of thought and spiritual understanding, argument will be less and less necessary, and the time cometh when to every human consciousness an intelligent affirmation will be an intelligent denial, when the denial of evil will simply be the affirmation of the truth about evil. But the danger lies (and here is the chief point) in assuming, talking, and acting as though one had already achieved the ultimate, thus brushing aside or ignoring the intermediate steps of sense-denial, and unconsciously nurturing evil, thereby exposing the vulnerable thought to the poisonous suggestions of ignorant or malicious wicked purposes. There is an argument which says that humanly everything is just as it should be, because everything is all for the best. Grave danger lies hidden in this supposition. It may be calling evil good, of which the prophet Isaiah has said, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil."

Evil must be seen and known as evil, not as good, before it can be destroyed. Evil once besought Christ Jesus, "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, ... art thou come to destroy us?" and again it said, "Peace, peace; when there is no peace." The way of least resistance is not the radical method of truth and harmony, unless it is taken understandingly through divine Love, when the other cheek is turned. In "Retrospection and Introspection" (p. 64) Mrs. Eddy says: "It is scientific to abide in conscious harmony, in health-giving, deathless Truth and Love. To do this, mortals must first open their eyes to all the illusive forms, methods, and subtlety of error, in order that the illusion, error, may be destroyed; if this is not done, mortals will become the victims of error."

Nothing arouses or awakens thought as does the honest and determined but loving effort to unmask and overcome evil, and evil is neither one person nor another. It is not confined to this sect or that, nor is it called by the name of any particular denomination or person; rather is it an impersonal usurper of God's power and prerogatives, and it is thus to be rebuked and denied utterly. This wise course, instead of increasing the sense of fear or exciting hatred, should wholly remove fear and prevent hatred, as it does with every honest thought. In fact, it is the only sure way of annihilating the cause of fear, and of supplanting it with a calm and peace of thought which merges into unity of interest and real love. An honest and loving rebuke of error (material sense) will separate it from truth and from spiritual sense; then conscious spiritual dominion will follow, and error will not be stirred up (chemicalized) till it be destroyed.

Coming daily in contact with mortal mind and its various suggestions of error, there is great need that one's affirmations and denials be always ready and instantly applied; more than this, it is important that one's mental work be so watchful and discerning that mental dangers are foreseen and discords forestalled. Thus the pathway of life will be made smooth and harmonious, for then one will be realizing what is so essential, namely, that the truth of being never was and never can be reversed. This watchful affirmation and denial will prevent or quickly overcome ignorance, fear, and sin,—the causes of all physical disease,—and the law of the Christ-healing will thus be established.

The affirmation of truth is the first and last declaration of awakened human thought; it is the beginning and the ultimate; but in the maturing stages of the human mind, the scientific denial of error is the indispensable correlative and safeguard which discloses and reverses subtle mental dangers, prepares thought for quicker and more lasting physical healing, and develops the true watchman in Christian Science. A true watchman is one who is conscious of his danger, meaning not one who is afraid of danger, but the very reverse, one who discerns and overcomes evil thoughts before they have had any opportunity to overcome him. Such a one grows stronger and stronger in righteousness, and makes rapid progress toward heaven, harmony.