A Bookkeeper knows that if his books do not balance he must carefully go back over his work and find the error, and correct both it and all the subsequent computations. The size of the error has no bearing on the necessity for making the correction, for the account is out of balance if there is a discrepancy of even a penny. If he should find the error and erase it, but fail to put the correct figure in its place, or if he replaced one erroneous figure with another erroneous figure, he would not balance his books.

This line of reasoning was very helpful to a student of Christian Science who had struggled for years with a recurring illness which did not seem to yield to Christian Science treatment. Finally the realization came that she needed to be willing to retrace her steps and detect even the most insignificant erroneous thought and replace it with the spiritual fact; then to consciously maintain this truth until there was no temptation to revert to a habitually incorrect way of thinking. With this illumination came the willingness to go over her work again and again, replacing dishonesty with honesty, coldness with love, limitation with expansiveness, tight-fistedness with open-handedness, until gradually the self-imposed obstruction lifted and she found herself restored; and there has been no recurrence of this illness in her experience.

One citation in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy was particularly helpful during this period of growth. It is found on page 495: "When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious—as Life eternally is—can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not. Let Christian Science, instead of corporeal sense, support your understanding of being, and this understanding will supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony."

Comparing the admonitions in this citation to the steps which must be taken by the bookkeeper balancing his books, the student saw that just as the bookkeeper, basing his work on the laws of mathematics, has no doubt of his ultimate success, so mankind when confronted with inharmony and discord can rely with confidence on the truth of God and His creation. By utilizing his spiritual understanding, regardless of the physical manifestation, he can see it "supplant error with Truth, replace mortality with immortality, and silence discord with harmony."

One must be alert to the suggestion that enough has been done when the erroneous thought is denied. It must be replaced with the spiritual facts of God and man. To deny that man is mortal and subject to disease, sin, and death without replacing these diabolical claims with the truth that man is immortal, perfect, whole, sinless, and eternal does not accomplish the transformation which results in healing. Just as vital is the need to replace the erroneous claim with a spiritual fact and not with another erroneous claim, such as the careless statement which is sometimes made regarding an ailment, "Oh, it is just mortal mind talking." Merely to chase error from the belief of a mortal body to the belief of a mortal mind does not accomplish healing. It is obligatory that we know that mortal body and so-called mortal mind are one and the same, and that one illusion, nothingness, because God, divine Mind, is All-in-all.

There is no degree of error which may be overlooked in our pathway from the darkness of material beliefs to the light of spiritual understanding. It is not so much the uncommon or so-called incurable disease for which we keep our armor on and shining, but the subtle argument that this is a little thing which will not inconvenience us too much, so we need not give it any attention. Nor should the belief that we have repeatedly had similar claims to deal with keep us from handling each argument as an individual challenge to our understanding of the allness of God. We arrive at the understanding of God's infinite being, step by step, through consecrated endeavor to cast out the least error that presents itself along the way. No deviation or digression from spiritual law can be permitted.

On page 102 of the textbook Mrs. Eddy writes, "So secret are the present methods of animal magnetism that they ensnare the age into indolence, and produce the very apathy on the subject which the criminal desires." Apathy and indolence argue that since a cold, for instance, is a common and insignificant argument, it may be disregarded. The master Metaphysician, Christ Jesus, tells us in Luke (12:26), "If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?" and again (16:10), "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much."

John, almost two thousand years ago, gave the world a remedy which is absolutely sure and permanent. This is his prescription: "God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." The real man, or the reflection of Love, is ever enfolded in Love. Our creator, divine Love, can know nothing outside of Himself; therefore, since He fills all space, there is no room for even the least degree of error in His universe.

Let us so fill consciousness with the truths of God and man that we are ever conscious of Love's hereness and everywhereness and of man as the eternal reflection of Love, never separated from God. Divine Love is ever saying of man, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17). We hear this loving message as we recognize and acknowledge that the intelligence, spirituality, and comprehension of Truth we manifest are the evidence of our divine sonship with divine Being.