Every natural science seeks the truth in its own field. Errors are then recognized and discarded. And so it is in Christian Science, which reveals the truth of being and rules out falsities concerning existence.

Before the discovery of this Science, the corporeal senses were quite generally accepted as part of man; but this fallacy leads to confusion and frustration. Christian Science makes a revolutionary and scientific distinction between true elements of human consciousness and false elements. Mary Baker Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 95), "Material sense does not unfold the facts of existence; but spiritual sense lifts human consciousness into eternal Truth."

Christian Science brings untold benefit to humanity by separating from true identity that which the carnal, or mortal, mind would attempt to add to each individual —corporeal sense. This Science relentlessly points out the falsity of corporeal sense; and it frees individuals from entanglement with the carnal senses by actual proofs of their unreality. Those who do not see the distinction between spiritual sense and material sense and who spend years in searching for life and happiness in the physical senses find this entanglement a serious problem. But those who awake to know the things of Spirit through spiritual sense are mercifully freed from the evils and limitations which mortal mind claims to impose.

Christliness always brings the ability to separate the real sense from the false. John the Baptist was prophesying this office of the Christ when he said that one would come after him with a fan in his hand. This one would separate the chaff from the wheat and would "burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matt. 3:12).

The actual exercise of spiritual sense brings great advantage, for this subdues the intensity of the physical senses and frees men from their false impressions. Christ Jesus was constantly subduing the physical senses, which see man as a mortal and then superimpose upon the mortal the suggested sins and pains of material sense experience. The Way-shower was always teaching and proving that man is a spiritual being, the son of the one Father, Spirit, and that the demonstration of spiritual sense brings God-governed, real sonship to light.

It was Jesus' knowledge that man's senses are spiritual, active, indestructible, and present which made it possible for him to heal the sick and sinful. Seeing these people through the lens of Christliness, he lifted them, in a measure, to the perception of themselves as Christly.

Christian Scientists sometimes are heard to say of an unfortunate neighbor, "The senses are claiming him." It would be better for these Scientists to say that the senses are not claiming the neighbor and that spiritual sense alone can claim anyone. If aggressive mental suggestion attempts to impose sickness upon us, we can resist believing in an evil mind and can hold to the one Mind, God, as our Life and our dwelling place. We can refuse to be claimed by the mortal senses. We can realize that spiritual sense governs our lives.

Sin and sickness and all other mortal limitations remain baffling until one sees the scientific distinction between spiritual sense and corporeal sense and realizes that all errors are presentments of a mind that has no valid existence.

Mrs. Eddy explains the situation in Science and Health, where she says (p. 301), "Delusion, sin, disease, and death arise from the false testimony of material sense, which, from a supposed standpoint outside the focal distance of infinite Spirit, presents an inverted image of Mind and substance with everything turned upside down." A great lesson which one learns from Christian Science is this: that to rid oneself of the problems and sins and pains of human life, one must undermine the authority of the sinful senses that produce them by understanding their mythical nature.

More than once Christ Jesus spoke of outer darkness, in which there is weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. Was he speaking of an eternal hell from which there is no egress? Surely not! The Master gave evil no such authority or power. He devoted the years of his ministry to showing men how to destroy the illusion of a mortal sense, and he became the world's Saviour from mortality. But he knew that evil beliefs are outside of spiritual consciousness forever and that they continue to claim existence only as long as mortality is not destroyed by Truth.

The Christian Scientist needs often to examine his thought to see if he is letting the spurious senses claim him. Is he living in the senses, or is he subduing those senses on the basis of their unlawfulness, in this way proving that man lives only in the spiritual sense of life? Because his senses are purely spiritual, the real man has no consciousness of matter or evil but rejoices forever in the consciousness of Spirit and all it includes.

When one understands this distinction, he is willing to work tirelessly and prayerfully until the touch of Spirit transforms his life. This will call for periods of quiet communion with God. It will call for self-immolation, or the refusal to respond to the demands of corporeality. The scientific distinction between spiritual sense and material sense, as disclosed by Christian Science, must inevitably be made by all men.

Helen Wood Bauman