When Mary Baker Eddy was asked how one should undertake to heal the sick, she said (Rudimental Divine Science, p. 8): "As I have given you only an epitome of the Principle, so I can give you here nothing but an outline of the practice. Be honest, be true to thyself, and true to others; then it follows thou wilt be strong in God, the eternal good. Heal through Truth and Love; there is no other healer." While her reply may seem to be only an outline, it is nevertheless a concise statement of spiritually mental healing, and honesty is an indispensable part of the work. Christ Jesus, who healed the sick, redeemed the sinner, raised the dead, and fed the hungry, told his disciples in the parable of the sower and the seed that there, would be a harvest of works only as the seed was sown in "an honest and good heart."

Christian Science declares that God is Spirit, Mind, Principle, Life, Truth, Love, incorporeal and infinite, and it identifies man as the image and likeness of God, wholly spiritual, reflecting in qualities all of God's goodness. To apprehend these truths and utilize them in healing, the Christian Scientist knows that his thought must be spiritualized; that he must be morally clean and mentally honest. And he begins with himself in the ennobling work of purifying thought and action.

Honesty, humanly conceived, is a transitional quality. It is a moral state which is expressed in the minutiae of one's daily experience, in business, social, and home relationships. An employer considering a prospective employee often gives first consideration to the honesty of the applicant, both for the protection of his company's assets and for the preservation of his business reputation. Honesty, when recognized as a God-derived quality, is natural to one consistently striving to serve Spirit, Truth, by expressing infinite, ever-present Love.

If we are honest in acknowledging God as the only creator, it follows that we shall be honest in acknowledging our true selfhood, the perfect, spiritual man of His creating. If we claim only that which is true for ourself, we must in all honesty claim that which is true for our fellow man. Is it possible to claim the health, happiness, harmony, which are man's divine birthright, for ourself and see our neighbor as sick and sinning? To have the Mind of Christ, which heals, we must at all times and in all conditions acknowledge the allness of God and cast out any thought of any power opposed to the infinite One.

A lonely young woman, a student of Christian Science, took a lake cruise, thinking she would find the fun and companionship she was seeking. She soon learned that the cocktail lounge was the center of all social activities, and since she did not drink, she was not included. The carnal mind whispered: "Yon don't drink, but why not indulge just this once and have some fun? You are away from home and no one will know." She turned away from the suggestion and reasoned that she could not afford to he anything less than her highest sense of man, God's perfect reflection, at all times in all ways.

Soon after her decision a terrific storm arose, tossing the boat back and forth. Fear reigned, and most of the passengers were seasick. As the student sat far back on the second deck, watching the waves dash over it, she recalled that Noah had gone into the ark, the consciousness of Truth and Love, when the waters had risen. She remembered that the Master had been in a storm on a lake with his disciples, and that he had "rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm" (Luke 8:24). She recalled the verse from the Psalm (93:4), "The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of main waters, yea. than the mighty waves of the sea." She knew that God governs, controls, protects, His universe of spiritual ideas.

Toward dawn the storm was over, the boat and passengers were safe, and the lake was quiet. The Scientist had not been seasick, and her loneliness was gone, for she had been conscious of being very close to God. Had she yielded to the suggestion of the tempter and indulged in drinking, she would not have been honest with herself and therefore not morally free and spiritually ready to reflect Truth and Love.

By the year 1907 Mrs. Eddy, then eighty-six years of age, was known throughout the world. Her church, built solely on spiritual healing, was well established. Her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and her other writings were widely read, and she had achieved some material affluence. It was at this stage of her experience that the editor of The Evening Press, Grand Rapids, Michigan, addressed this question to her: "What is nearest and dearest to your heart to-day?" Mrs. Eddy's answer is of interest to all her followers. She said, in part (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 271, 272): "To your courtesy and to your question permit me to say that, insomuch as I know myself, what is 'nearest and dearest' to my heart is an honest man or woman—one who steadfastly and actively strives for perfection, one who leavens the loaf of life with justice, mercy, truth, and love."