People tend to reason or act on the basis of outward physical evidence until it is contradicted or seen to be unreliable. Within our own consciousness God, Truth, furnishes us with absolute evidence on which we can rightly base our lives. Jesus demonstrated this fact when he beheld the perfect man, God's image, and thus overcame incurable diseases and the finality of death.

Speaking of Jesus' healing of the man with the withered hand, Mrs. Eddy writes: "He demanded a change of consciousness and evidence, and effected this change through the higher laws of God. The palsied hand moved, despite the boastful sense of physical law and order. Jesus stooped not to human consciousness, nor to the evidence of the senses. He heeded not the taunt, 'That withered hand looks very real and feels very real;' but he cut off this vain boasting and destroyed human pride by taking away the material evidence." ^{Unity of Good, p. 11;} To harmonize our affairs, we must follow the Master and refuse to accept false evidence as real.

Christian Science refutes the material evidence presented to the world by the physical sciences, for it teaches the unsubstantial nature of matter and reveals real substance as Spirit. Its application heals, exalts, and blesses mankind. In physical experimentation and material science, founded on the study of matter, men mistake effect for cause. They think of matter as cause, when in fact matter is only the phenomenon of the mortal consciousness which observes it. Matter is mortal mind's pretense that it can create evidence.

Christian Science is based upon absolute, invariable Truth. Thus we can unhesitatingly depend upon Truth's strong evidence to lead us, sustain us, and heal us. The certainty that substance is spiritual and harmonious is verified and upheld by invisible forces of omnipotent Mind. One who understands these truths can demonstrate unseen spiritual energies at any time and in any place. For instance, love, a quality of God, can be expressed anywhere and at any moment. One with a sincere desire to be loving reaches out in thought and finds he can love, for the impulsion of God, Love, is omnipresent.

A more complete demonstration of omnipotent Love awaits the time when all men will constantly utilize spiritual evidence and thus put off every form of erroneous thinking, such as hate, lust, and disease. Mrs. Eddy writes: "How can a Christian, having the stronger evidence of Truth which contradicts the evidence of error, think of the latter as real or true, either in the form of sickness or of sin? All must admit that Christ is 'the way, the truth, and the life,' and that omnipotent Truth certainly does destroy error." ^{Science and Health, p. 353;}

It is recorded that some of the early Christians who had come out of Judaism were discouraged because they had been persecuted and felt no compensation for having given up Judaic worship. They had not yet learned to recognize the divine evidence at hand. To encourage them, the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews named some of the leaders of the Old Testament who had succeeded because of their faith in God. These included Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. He also told them, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ^{Hebr. 11:1;}

Faith is that transitional stage of human thought in which immortal evidence begins to appear and leads on to spiritual understanding. It includes assurance of and trust in Truth, both of which are essential to feeling and demonstrating God's presence. Faith is that state of thought in which we begin to reject material sense testimony and with expectancy deepen and strengthen the spirituality which comes to us, knowing that righteousness multiplies and grows into pure spiritual consciousness. Joy, intelligence, and life are "things not seen," but known to the enlightened individual.

The dual state of human consciousness, which accepts both spiritual and material evidence, confuses many. The student of Christian Science, "having the stronger evidence of Truth," sees that mortal mind suggestions are spurious and unreal, and he denies the aggressive suggestions of the physical senses. As Paul said, "We walk by faith, not by sight." ^{II Cor. 5:7;}

Divine Mind, the source of man's being, impels us to accept "the evidence of things not seen," to discern that which is incorporeal and eternal. Material sight relies on the function of organized matter. Spiritual sight is the mental discernment of goodness and is the manifestation of godly intelligence, having nothing to do with the visual organism. Physical touch records feeling as matter touching matter, when in fact the liar, material sense, is recording a lie. Mortal taste reports so-called qualities of matter which are so variable that they change if mortal mind calls what is sweet, sour. Who could believe such flimsy evidence?

As Christian Scientists we are watchful that material events and persons do not deceive us nor do we react with retaliation, indulgence, or discouragement. These negative attitudes delay our spiritual progress. There is no advantage in letting off steam, that is, giving vent to emotions and expecting relief thereby. This kind of reasoning is dense blindness. One troubled by depictions of human events may well recall the example of needless suffering given in Science and Health, when Mrs. Eddy says, "A blundering despatch, mistakenly announcing the death of a friend, occasions the same grief that the friend's real death would bring." ^{Science and Health, p. 386;}

Christ Jesus did not become emotionally upset even though taunts and cruelty were thrust at him during the crucifixion. Instead he was forgiving and ever conscious of the evidence of the unseen things of Spirit. His resurrection and ascension proved that he never lost his consciousness of continuous eternal life, following our Way-shower, we discern spiritual man, our real selfhood, as ever reflecting the glorified perfection of our Father. This spiritual evidence of harmonious being carries us through every untoward experience into joy and dominion.

Men undeniably glimpse unseen spiritual evidence every day in such qualities as freedom, justice, and goodwill. This scientific evidence will gather clarity and force in human thought until enough spiritual evidence to dispose of all worldliness is seen and understood.

Christian Science continues to multiply the divine evidence provided by our loving Father as it heals and harmonizes individual and national affairs. It leads us to act in accordance with Paul's words to the Corinthians, "Look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." ^{II Cor. 4:18.}