The Comforter is the teacher is the advocate. You can't tell where one begins and the other leaves off in applied Christianity. The teaching and the defending are one in effect—one with healing. Predominance comes to this or that aspect as needed, though the functions cannot be separated. Where there is teaching there is healing; and where healing, teaching. Teaching and healing act as advocate to plead man's innocency.

Christ Jesus promised, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." The Master explained, "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." ^{John 14:16, 26.}

The Glossary of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, in which Mrs. Eddy gives the metaphysical interpretation of Bible terms, contains this helpful definition: "Holy Ghost. Divine Science; the development of eternal Life, Truth, and Love." ^{Science and Health, p. 588.} Those who practice Divine Science find this Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to be not a mystical, obtuse religious term, but the Christly presence unfolding to them their true spiritual nature and the reality of the universe.

As the Comforter teaches, it just naturally defends from the many accusations that accompany mortality: "You're sick, you deserve to be sick, you're going to die." The healing that results from enlightened defense is actually a revealing of true being. To develop—unfold—Life, Truth, Love, always is the action of the Comforter.

Whether the teaching or the defending mission of the Comforter has priority at any particular moment depends on what we expect to be healed. Also, it depends on where we are coming from. A person brought up in the comforting assurance that he is, in his true being, the offspring of God may find his study of Divine Science mostly concerned with learning more of this reality. Another, taught to think of himself as essentially a sinner, loves the advocacy, the intercessory nature, of Christian Science. He loves the Comforter's defense of his purity.

Both seek the great reformation of character that urges them into a spiritual overcoming, not only of the sins of the flesh, but of flesh itself. Yet their approach may be very different. In fact, each may take the same scientific truth and apply it differently. There is no difference in the metaphysical statement, only in the application.

Broadening our scope, we can recognize that we are not talking only of two different people; but perhaps of different times in our own lives. Even when the situation is that of two people appearing poles apart in what they emphasize in their practice of Christian Science, this is not necessarily bad. Rather, we can rejoice in the way this Science applies to widely differing human needs. The harm would come if we were to press others to conform to our own limited approach, or insist that others ought to operate exactly the way we do.

The Comforter is not external to man's true being. Mrs. Eddy writes, "Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ is the divine idea of God—the Holy Ghost, or Comforter, revealing the divine Principle, Love, and leading into all truth." ^{Ibid., p. 332.} She also says, "Christ expresses God's spiritual, eternal nature." ^{Ibid., p. 333.} And later on in this Platform of Christian Science (Science and Health, pp. 330-340) she writes, "Immortal man was and is God's image or idea, even the infinite expression of infinite Mind, and immortal man is coexistent and coeternal with that Mind." ^{Ibid., p. 336.}

In an absolute sense, man includes the Comforter. And in our daily demonstration of this fact, each of us expresses the Comforter, or Divine Science, in his or her unique way. Yet this Science is not to be divided. It is one Comforter, teaching alike the goodness of God and His creation, and defending man's innocency. Both functions often include exposing moral errors that must be corrected in order to prove this goodness and innocency.

Recognizing Divine Science to be the Comforter that Jesus promised, we need no longer lament as did Jeremiah, "Mine eye, mine eye runneth down with water, because the comforter that should relieve my soul is far from me: my children are desolate, because the enemy prevailed." ^{Lam. 1:16.} Divine Science, unfolding the Life that is Love itself, always prevails because it is revealing Truth, the one God.

While oneness is the essential characteristic in applied Christianity—one God, one Comforter, one man expressing the Comforter—this does not imply sameness. Rather, each appearing of the Christ, Comforter, in our lives is unique and exactly tailored to fit a particular need.

Mrs. Eddy assures us, "Truth cannot be stereotyped; it unfoldeth forever." ^{No and Yes, p. 45.} In this eternal unfolding of the one Truth, we find infinite diversity. Right now, you and I include within the infinitude of our true being the exact message of the Comforter we need to defend our innocency and reveal our wholeness. Such is the substance and the action of the Comforter Jesus prayed the Father for. He asked that it might come to us. And his prayers on behalf of all mankind are answered.

BEULAH M. ROEGGE