The compassionate appeal of Christian Science lies in the fact that it brings to the human consciousness the realization of the presence of but one creation, the spiritual, and of its completely perfect and harmonious nature, devoid of sin, sickness, or death. Christian Science also brings the realization that the so-called material creation, with all its woes, is not real, though seeming to be real to the unillumined thought. It is the purpose of this Science to disabuse human consciousness of illusory beliefs, based on the assumption that matter is real, beliefs that seem to manifest themselves as sin, sickness, and death. It is its purpose to bring to humanity the understanding that man reflects or expresses God now, reflects Him in all the beauty, harmony, and completeness of Soul. Human thought is thereby clarified and enlightened until error is progressively destroyed, leaving only the consciousness of reality—the consciousness of the one Mind, knowing only its own perfection and harmony.

While one is still laboring under the mesmeric influence of inharmonious beliefs, it is sometimes difficult for him to grasp the fact that man is perfect because God is perfect, until this fact has been demonstrated in his own experience. After his consciousness has been lifted out of the shadows of material belief into the light of Truth, and this Truth has appeared to him humanly in the healing of sickness or the disappearance of other inharmonious conditions, he may more readily grasp Christ, Truth, simply because the works have proved what the words have said.

The words of Love will have greater value to him because they have been translated into a language that he can understand in his present experience or state of thought; they have appeared to him humanly as an improved state of existence. Therefore, when a suffering mortal comes to a student of Christian Science for help, it may not always be the time for long explanations or wordy exhortations; it is, however, the time for tender words of compassion and for healing. It is the time for understanding, patience, and demonstration. Mary Baker Eddy lovingly sets this forth on page 367 of her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures": "The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love."

When Jesus stood before the tomb of Lazarus, he could have explained the eternality of Life in much detail and with great fervor, but the explanation would have had little value to the sorrowing Mary and Martha unless Lazarus had come forth, the living proof of the Master's words. Jesus could have explained the abundance of supply as furnished by the Father in glowing terms and unparalleled oratory, but it would have made little impression on the hungering thousands until the facts he propounded met their human need. Mrs. Eddy's writings on the Science of Christianity would all have been abstract discussions of little value to mankind unless her words had brought healing, happiness, and harmony to the human consciousness.

Healings are always essential to the success and permanence of Christian Science, for healings are the works that verify the words. When John the Baptist sent his disciples to learn if Jesus was the Messiah, the Way-shower did not answer with long dissertations, explanations, or claims, but pointed to the results, or works. Hear his words, as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew (11:4,5), "Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them."

How are these healings brought about? By more consecrated work and prayer on the part of the student, by a surer conviction on his part that all is Love. This work on the student's part includes the denial of the material illusion and the declaration and realization of the omnipresence of Truth. As the student's sense of the allness of Love becomes more certain and complete, all sense of disease, sin, and inharmony will disappear from his consciousness, and his patients will be healed.

Thus demonstration comes, not because man or anything real has been changed or healed, but simply because a clearer sense of reality— perfect God and perfect creation— has become established in human consciousness. Improved human conditions mean that the individual has become conscious of that which is and always was real—perfection —and this consciousness, or sure conviction, has become externalized or objectified in human life as healing.

Reality always has been and always will be. It is only our false sense of being that has kept us from experiencing reality. Being a mortal concept, time has no place in reality. It therefore should not, and does not, take time for the realization of perfection and its appearing. As soon as human consciousness is firmly convinced that the goodness of God's creation is a fact, the erroneous condition no longer seems real. We see that demonstration is possible now.

These facts are forcefully illustrated in an experience known to the writer. An expectant mother was about to be delivered of her first child. At about eight o'clock in the evening she was told that the child could not be born before five o'clock the next morning. The practitioner was called and given the message. As he pondered the truth that in reality the birth of a child is but the appearing in human consciousness of an idea of Mind, whatever the material process seems to be, he became convinced that this appearing does not take time; that time is but a part of the mortal belief of things. He was not surprised, then, to receive a telephone call at about nine o'clock that same evening telling him that the child had been born with ease and joy on the part of the mother.

Thus Paul's statement was again proved true (II Cor. 6:2): "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." Mrs. Eddy's statement on page 368 of our textbook was again exemplified: "When we come to have more faith in the truth of being than we have in error, more faith in Spirit than in matter, more faith in living than in dying, more faith in God than in man, then no material suppositions can prevent us from healing the sick and destroying error."