The questions are sometimes asked, Why should it be necessary to unite with both a branch church and The Mother Church? Why is not membership in either one or the other sufficient identification with the Christian Science movement? One who thus questions has not as yet perceived the proper relation of the branch churches to The Mother Church. The Mother Church is as the parent vine, the branch churches being its branches. The latter can in no sense take the place of the former; neither can they be separated from it. And the one is necessary to the completeness of the other.

Christian Science is the second coming of Christ: it is the Comforter, which Jesus promised would come again, when he said, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." When Christian Scientists realize this, their loving desire is to share it. It is then that they band themselves together in churches. Mrs. Eddy tells us in the Church Manual (p. 17) that the purpose of the Christian Science church is to "reinstate primitive Christianity and its lost element of healing." If The Mother Church could geographically cover the entire world, there would be no need for branch churches; but as this is a physical impossibility, the need of the field must be met through the formation of branch churches, which necessarily operate under local forms of government, but always in perfect consonance with the Manual of The Mother Church.

To unite with The Mother Church, then, is to ally one's self with the greatest moral force in the world to-day. But uniting with this church means vastly more than enrolling as a member and paying punctually one's per capita tax. If one unites with an army, he identifies himself not only with the army as a whole, but also with a company of that army, so that he may be a working unit in it. If one so identifies himself with The Mother Church, he should show his willingness to become at the proper time a member "in spirit and in truth" by identifying himself also with a branch church. This rule works both ways. If one begins his demonstration of church membership by uniting with a branch church, as is usually, and when possible preferably, the case, his membership would not be complete until he had united with The Mother Church. If there had been a better way of giving the truth about the second coming of Christ to the world than through the church which Mrs. Eddy established, she would have given it to us, for she was working under divine orders.

In Christian Science we find that our strength lies in our understanding of man's at-one-ment with God; and in common with our brethren we are endeavoring to demonstrate this at-one-ment. The Christian Science church, working in obedience to its divinely inspired Manual, affords us the means whereby to demonstrate man's at-one-ment or unity with God better than does any other form of activity on earth to-day. In this church we learn how to cooperate, how to rub off the rough corners of selfishness; and when we shall have so far accomplished this as to be able to shout the truth together, then shall the walls of Jericho fall down.

The subtle and erroneous argument is sometimes advanced that perhaps the time has arrived when we no longer need churches! Almost invaribly it will be found that the one who voices this argument is too apathetic mentally to make the effort to help mankind by allying himself with a church; or he is one who has failed to overcome self sufficiently to be able to work harmoniously with his fellows. The argument is nothing more or less than the whisper of the serpent, mortal mind, which would like nothing better than to see the Christian Science movement shattered.

The alert Christian Scientist knows that the material structures called churches will disappear to him only as he rises so far as to see only spiritually, instead of materially. The material structure is but a symbol of the real Church, as the so-called material body is a mistaken concept of man. Both will be laid off as mankind progresses in spiritual understanding. All material beliefs are put off only through vigorous efforts to bring every thought into accord with "the pattern shewed to thee in the mount." While it is true that we must declare the spiritual facts here and now, in order to work from the standpoint of divine Principle, yet we cannot claim the complete fruits of those facts until we have taken the necessary intermediate steps. So, to claim that the time is at hand to dispense with churches is to try to leap beyond the orderly process of spiritual unfoldment. At present, it is only through the properly organized and authorized channels of The Mother Church that we can systematically and efficaciously aid the activities of our great movement. Mrs. Eddy tells us in our textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 457), "One cannot scatter his fire, and at the same time hit the mark."

Perhaps one says, Growth means unfoldment, and I can have that through the study of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, even if I do not belong to a church or attend its services. Yes, one may have it up to a certain point; but the time arrives, in one's process of getting, when it is necessary to give. What would be thought of a master of music who never shared his sweet symphonies with others? Or what would be thought of a great poet, capable of uplifting multitudes with his magic messages, if he wrote only for his own gratification? What if our Master had never imparted his gospel of peace to his disciples and the multitudes on the shores of Galilee? Through his profound realization of the allness of God and the nothingness of matter, he might have avoided the crucifixion; but he did not! He chose to demonstrate Christian truth for those present and for those to come after him. He chose to share, not hoard, his vision of the Christ. And so must we, who are blessed in this age beyond what we have as yet perceived: we must choose to share our vision of the Christ, Truth, with our needy brother. This can best be done through a complete demonstration of church membership, and holy consecration to what that membership means.

On page 177 of "Miscellaneous Writings" Mrs. Eddy says: "Never was there a more solemn and imperious call than God makes to us all, right here, for fervent devotion and an absolute consecration to the greatest and holiest of all causes. The hour is come. The great battle of Armageddon is upon us." And she further says: "What will you do about it? Will you be equally in earnest for the truth? Will you doff your lavender-kid zeal, and become real and consecrated warriors? Will you give yourselves wholly and irrevocably to the great work of establishing the truth, the gospel, and the Science which are necessary to the salvation of the world from error, sin, disease, and death? Answer at once and practically, and answer aright!"

Copyright, 1923, by The Christian Science Publishing Society, Falmouth and St. Paul Streets, Boston, Massachusetts. Entered at Boston post office as second-class matter. Acceptance for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for in section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized on July 11, 1918.