In the "Explanatory Note" preceding the Bible Lessons in the Christian Science Quarterly we read that the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, corroborates and explains "the Bible texts in their spiritual import and application to all ages, past, present, and future."

To innumerable students of Christian Science the events recorded in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are being so spiritually illuminated by the study of the Lesson-Sermons taken from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook that they are learning to apply the lessons contained therein. For instance, it is the task of every student of Christian Science to meet and heal the discouraging testimony of the mortal senses with the understanding of spiritual sense, in obedience to Mrs. Eddy's words on page 450 of Science and Health, "The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good."

As an enlightening and instructive example in the carrying out of this service, we have the figures of Joshua and Caleb. These two men were among the twelve whom Moses sent into the land of Canaan to spy out the people and the land. They brought back with them a "branch with one cluster of grapes," bearing it "between two upon a staff;" and the ten told Moses; "We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey; and this is the fruit of it. Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there." The narrative goes on to say, "And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."

Just as of old God promised all good to the children of Israel, so today He makes the same promise to all who keep His law. Spiritual sense, however, appears to be confronted by material, personal sense in the form of fear, doubt, unbelief, discouragement. In proportion as the student of Christian Science faithfully combats in his own consciousness the hostile forces which would prevent him from realizing the omnipresence of good, in that proportion will he be able to strengthen his fellow men and to awaken them to unfailing trust in God.

What a blessed privilege it is for every one of us today to conquer—as did Joshua and Caleb—doubting, faintheartedness, and fear with courageous faith and joyous certainty. In the Christian Science testimony meetings we may offer of the wonderful fruits of the promised land we have been privileged to harvest. In gratitude for God's promises so richly fulfilled, we may acknowledge that we have met Anak's children in the form of heredity, incurability, inability, lack of employment, discouragement, self-pity—a seemingly strong people, and yet powerless before the understanding of Christian Science. On page 14 of our textbook our Leader writes: "Entirely separate from the belief and dream of material living, is the Life divine, revealing spiritual understanding and the consciousness of man's dominion over the whole earth. This understanding casts out error and heals the sick, and with it you can speak 'as one having authority.'"

An officer of state exercises his authority "in the name of the law." He knows that he has the authority to carry out unswervingly, indispensable orders. He does not think fearfully and dubiously about the impressions the execution of such orders may make. He is the representative of the law, although in many cases his name is not even mentioned. The law he represents, however, should be implicitly obeyed.

As an example of this we have the traffic officer at a busy street intersection. Fearlessly he stands in the midst of surging automobile traffic. With calm assurance he points the way, and pedestrians need not fear the oncoming vehicles if they look to the representative of the law and obey his orders.

As the Christian Scientist has to meet the false laws of material beliefs through the divine law of Life, Truth, and Love, he must, in the first place, exclude from his consciousness a personal sense of responsibility. Just as the representative of human laws is familiar with and expresses the authority of traffic regulations, so must the student of Christian Science know and acknowledge the divine law as the only law. It must be engraved on his heart, his consciousness. The Bible is the Christian Scientist's spiritual code, and the Christian Science textbook is indeed the "key" which unlocks the truths of the Bible through spiritual understanding. By means of the regular study of these books and the other writings of our Leader, and the reading of the Christian Science periodicals, the student grows in the knowledge and recognition of divine law, and in the power to detect and deny all so-called material law.

"And they [Joshua and Caleb] spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. ... Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; ... their defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not."

As his foremost aim in the solving of a problem, the Christian Scientist must recognize the supremacy of spiritual law operating to the glory of God; and his spiritual vision must rest securely and unswervingly on this basis. Then he may know that he is acting with divine authority, and that he can and will be sure of a victorious solution.

Christian Scientists are profoundly grateful to their Leader, Mrs. Eddy, in that, through the establishment of the Wednesday evening testimony meetings, she has provided them with such wonderful opportunity to tell "the whole congregation" something of their experiences. Let us daily faithfully gather these fruits of spiritual experience, so that we may ever be prepared to offer something of them as the hour demands. It is a precious thing to be one of God's witnesses, a demonstrator of the life-sustaining power of divine Principle. Here, too, the figure of Caleb serves as an admirable example; for does he not relate that at the age of eighty-five, forty-five years after Moses had sent him out into the promised land, he felt as strong as on the day that Moses sent him, saying, "As my strength was then, even so is my strength now, ... both to go out, and to come in."

The opportunity to carry out the redemptive mission of Christian Science presents itself on all sides; for constantly we are confronted with the evidence of anxious, hopeless, fear-filled material sense, which is faint-hearted and skeptical with regard to the divine promises. That which, in our study of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, has become real to us through profound conviction and experience will shine through us with healing, comfort, inspiration, and encouragement. "Fear not, for I [the Lord] am with thee."