From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy
Acquaintance with the original texts, and willingness to give up human beliefs (established by hierarchies, and instigated sometimes by the worst passions of men), open the way for Christian Science to be understood, and make the Bible the chart of life, where the buoys and healing currents of Truth are pointed out.
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy
Herbert Eustace and “The Great Litigation”
January 2017
From Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 228-229
Who shall be greatest? Referring to John the Baptist, of whom he said none greater had been born of women, our Master declared: “He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” That is, he that hath the kingdom of heaven, the reign of holiness, in the least in his heart, shall be greatest.
Who shall inherit the earth? The meek, who sit at the feet of Truth, bathing the human understanding with tears of repentance and washing it clean from the taints of self-righteousness, hypocrisy, envy, — they shall inherit the earth, for “wisdom is justified of her children.”
“Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”
Who shall be called to Pleasant View? … It is true that loyal Christian Scientists, called to the home of the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, can acquire in one year the Science that otherwise might cost them a half century. But this should not be the incentive for going thither. Better far that Christian Scientists go to help their helper, and thus lose all selfishness, as she has lost it, and thereby help themselves and the whole world, as she has done, according to this saying of Christ Jesus: “And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
by Gary Singleterry
Herbert Eustace was one of three Trustees of the Publishing Society that Mrs. Eddy appointed under the Deed of Trust when she set up the publishing as an independent trust — independent of the church. The church had its Board of Directors, and the Publishing Trust had its three Trustees.
It was after Mrs. Eddy passed that the Board of Directors of the church decided to take action to control the Publishing Trustees. That was when they approached the three Trustees and began the process of taking control of the Publishing Society. But, since the Trustees of the Publishing Society knew that Mrs. Eddy intended for it to continue to be independent, they did not bow down to that desire of the Board of Directors of the church. That is when the Directors began a lawsuit to take control of the publishing, and that litigation caused a huge rift within the Christian Science movement. A large number of Christian Scientists gave up their membership, and left the church as a result of that litigation, because it was so unprincipled and so wrong.
Mr. Eustace, as one of the Trustees, helped to fight for the independence, which is what Mrs. Eddy intended. When they lost, some of the Publishing Trustees resigned and others were excommunicated, and any church member who supported the independent Trust was also excommunicated, including quite a few practitioners and teachers.
As we read in the introduction of his book, instead of becoming angry or resentful, Mr. Eustace wrote that his excommunication was basically his freedom — being set free from the ecclesiastical despotism that he would have been under had he not been excommunicated. He went on to become a very popular and successful practitioner and teacher, and continued to travel around the country to give talks to groups who invited him, because he was so well respected.
Why is it important to understand the history of the church, and why that organization is as it is today? Just as the history of our country is being rewritten so that our youths are being misled, the same is true about the Christian Science movement. It would perpetuate a lie not to have the truth clearly stated.
Have only One God and one man and you have every problem solved.
Herbert Eustace
Excerpt from a copy of a letter, Herbert W. Eustace to Gilbert Carpenter, Jr.: sent by HWE to Mrs. Gertrude G. Capron, October 29, 1948
May I say here that I have always felt the board of directors in excommunicating me forever did for me the most wondrously unselfish thing they could possibly have done. They were lovingly obedient to God and went, in what they did, exactly contrary to what human wisdom would say was the wise thing to do. They obeyed the voice of God and, in spite of human reasoning and judgement, they gave me my freedom forever, so far as the Boston church was concerned, to practice and teach Christian Science as God showed me. I have always had the greatest sense of gratitude and respect for that board which so well obeyed God’s direction in ordering my freedom. I know God guided and directed every move that was made and has been doing so ever since.
The struggle of the mortal for understanding and freedom is like the butterfly’s struggle to free itself from its chrysalis. It is the fierceness of his struggle that forces the lovely coloring of the butterfly to appear. The struggles of the mortal, force beauty of character, unselfishness of purpose, and the glory of accomplishment.
Herbert W. Eustace
Excerpt from Christian Science Journal, August 1903,
by Herbert W. Eustace
The Scriptural statement, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” understood and demonstrated as taught in Science and Health, is bringing to mortals a sense of peace, rest, and harmony that the world cannot take away, neither can it understand.
“Now” is almost an unknown factor in the daily life of the world; yesterday, and especially tomorrow, occupy thought so constantly that the blessings, privileges, and joys of now are unseen, and tomorrow is the avalanche. How seldom does mortal man pause to consider that tomorrow, starting from today, and being one day beyond it, makes today the all-important moment. Today, now, is ours; tomorrow never comes; for tomorrow is always today when at hand, a present consciousness.
The worker in Christian Science sees this evil of tomorrow clearly. He sees and knows that tomorrow is one of evil’s most subtle and insidious suggestions; it robs its victims of peace, rest, and health; it causes much of the intemperance of today, and finally it leads to inevitable death.
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” That beginning is today, this moment, therefore consciousness is now conscious only of the things of good, and this is man’s consciousness; therefore evil, under whatsoever guise, cannot come as man’s consciousness and proclaim itself as such, for God, good, is his only consciousness.
This is the kingdom of heaven within, this is man’s birth right, this is being kings and priests unto God, this is the heritage of the sons of God, this is “Not my will, but thine,be done.”
Christian Scientists are soldiers of the cross, and they must fight until victory is theirs. Evil is ever urging us to cease fighting and “let God do it.” If evil can persuade you, the Christian Scientist, to relax, it will have accomplished its purpose. It will then, after all your years of work and faithfulness, when you think that you are at the point of enjoying the reward of your labors, enter in and rob you of the fruits of your effort.
Herbert Eustace
by Herbert W. Eustace
San Jose, Cal.
April 25 1906
Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy
Pleasant View
Concord N.H.
Dear Mrs. Eddy: I was instructed by the Board of Directors of First Church of Christ, Scientist, San Jose, Cal., on the evening of the day of the earthquake, after we had held our regular Wednesday evening meeting, to wire you that none of the Scientists in this community had received any bodily injury, and that our new church was practically untouched by the terrible disaster, but it has been impossible to send any satisfactory telegram, hence this letter.
We were obliged to hold our service by candle-light, for all electric and gas lines were cut off. It would indeed have gladdened your heart to have heard the testimonies given that night, and to have listened to the grateful thanks offered to our loving Father for the precious gift to mankind of Science and Health, and its loved author, you, our dear Leader, whereby peace, comfort, and assurance had been granted to each one, to sustain him throughout the trying ordeal. On Sunday no services were allowed in the city limits, and in consequence we held our service in a school-house outside the city. The Lesson-Sermon suited the occasion perfectly, and was full of helpful, uplifting passages. There was a good attendance.
It will please you to know that telegrams offering assistance have been received from Scientists in distant cities, and from Portland, Ore., a special committee of two came down, amply supplied with money to render every possible aid. We were glad to be able to say to all these loving offers, that we did not need anything; and this we understand is equally true of our brethren in San Francisco, Oakland, and the neighboring towns. Our Portland friends were disappointed that they could do nothing, but they really did everything, expressed Love. This unbounded love, manifested on all sides and with all peoples, clearly shows, as you have taught us, who the real God is, divine Love. Truly “man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”
I want to tell you of one young business man who has lately come into an understanding of Christian Science. He was buried for three hours under a mass of debris, through the collapse of a hotel; his mouth and nose were almost stopped up with mortar, and his body was crushed into a seemingly impossible space. He told me that while confined in this position, he saw more clearly than ever before the truth taught by Christian Science that the mortal concept of himself was not the real self at all, that the real self was ever free, and was so right then. He was finally rescued uninjured, and one of the physicians who were on hand to render any assistance possible, told me that he could not understand how any “living soul could have been rescued from such a place.”
I am glad to report that our church has on hand a further contribution of three thousand one hundred and fifty dollars for The Mother Church, which will be sent forward as soon as the banks resume business.
With deepest love and gratitude from us all.
Faithfully yours,
Herbert W. Eustace
from Christian Science, Its “Clear, Correct Teaching”
by Herbert Eustace
Is it not extraordinary that anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Christian Science, could believe that the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who spent many years devotedly perfecting that which has been called the Christian Science organization, could leave that work in such a position that it could be almost destroyed when she no longer held the reins?
I am now, and always have been, absolutely assured that whatever Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science — the very voice of Mind to this age — established as wisest and best for the unfoldment of Christian Science will stand and progress no matter how her language may temporarily be distorted by pride, wilfulness and human frailty.
If you will examine carefully the Church Manual, which we all as Christian Scientists accept as spiritual direction about church, you will see how carefully Mrs. Eddy estopped every by-law giving the slightest government of Christian Scientists or of churches of Christ, Scientist to The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, or to the Board of Directors — by demanding that either her written consent or her approval be obtained before the by-law could be put into operation. The Church Manual being spiritual direction, not legal direction, this estoppage could never be laid aside, showing conclusively how Mrs. Eddy meant all official relations between Boston and the churches of Christ, Scientist and Christian Scientists to end. Every by-law with an estoppel clause, no matter how slight, positively ceased to operate except as an estoppel, on what is called December the third, nineteen hundred and ten, but just as positively remains in the Manual as a perpetual guide and God-directed reminder that the estoppel is never voided. On that date The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, automatically became what it had always been, the church of “the congregation which shall worship in said church” as Mrs. Eddy designated it in her Deed of Trust of 1892.
All official appointments of practitioners, teachers, lecturers, Committee on Publication, etc., also spontaneously ceased on the above date and Boston as something to look to or be guided by, finished its work with church affairs outside of Boston. The metaphysician sees what it really means for every Christian Scientist and every church of Christ, Scientist to be compelled to look to oneness with God for enlightenment, no longer hoping for or expecting an answer to his enquiries except from his own communion with divine Principle.
When this day arrives, and it is of course, the present reality, can you not picture the churches of Christ, Scientist so over-flowing with the spirit of divine Love that spontaneously they will draw the distressed to their doors to be healed and clothed and in their right Mind?
A practitioner can never progress far in healing, who is looking to any source aside from God for power or direction.
The two Deeds of Trust inaugurating The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, and constituting The Christian Science Publishing Society are the full government of those activities and will go forward by their own perfectness to accomplish their intent. The Publishing House will be supported by the spiritual value of the product it sends forth. A deed of trust is a legal document from first to last and no one knew that better than did Mrs. Eddy.
May I summarize it once again? To my understanding the Boston church, which includes, of course, the Board of Directors, has not one word to say to any Christian Scientist or any church of Christ, Scientist. Its functions are Boston and only Boston and the fulfilment of Mrs. Eddy’s instructions. The churches of Christ, Scientist are absolutely free to work out their own salvation in their own way and prove their faith by their works. Membership in the true universal spiritual Mother Church never began and never ends and has not one thing to do with Boston, except that it embraces the Boston church in its infinite love as it does all that means church wherever found, which is spiritual oneness with God, in other words, man. As the first dawning of the truth that two times two is four constitutes the mathematician, so the first dawning of the pure spiritual sense of Christian Science as given in its textbook Science and Health constitutes the Christian Scientist and declares his forever oneness and eternal membership in the one universal spiritual Mother Church. This dawning is “the true Light, which lightest every man that cometh into the world” — the understanding that because I consciously am, Consciousness, God must first be, in other words first is, or I could not consciously be. That which is, necessarily is All that is. Being All includes all, hence all Church.
Painting by Luanne Tucker
by Max Dunaway
It is the kindness of Your care,
Dear Father, that means so much;
That something more than mere supply
Of what is needed to satisfy.
Deeper than this, we feel Your gracious touch.
That added sense that all is well
Now and for all our days,
The happy, restful consciousness
That You will never cease to bless—
It is for this we give You grateful praise.
from the Christian Science Sentinel, September 1, 1917,
by Mary Baker Eddy
(This article was written in 1910, but withheld from publication at Mrs. Eddy’s request until 1917)
“I do not believe Mrs. Eddy ever wrote anything fraught with more import to the Christian Scientist, than this article, ‘Principle and Practice.’”
Herbert W. Eustace
The nature and position of mortal mind are the opposite of immortal Mind. The so-called mortal mind is belief and not understanding. Christian Science requires understanding instead of belief; it is based on a fixed eternal and divine Principle, wholly apart from mortal conjecture; and it must be understood, otherwise it cannot be correctly accepted and demonstrated. The inclination of mortal mind is to receive Christian Science through a belief instead of the understanding, and this inclination prevails like an epidemic on the body; it inflames mortal mind and weakens the intellect, but this so-called mortal mind is wholly ignorant of this fact, and so cherishes its mere faith in Christian Science. The sick, like drowning men, catch at whatever drifts toward them. The sick are told by a faith-Scientist, “I can heal you, for God is all, and you are well, since God creates neither sin, sickness, nor death.” Such statements result in the sick either being healed by their faith in what you tell them — which heals only as a drug would heal, through belief — or in no effect whatever. If the faith-healer succeeds in securing (kindling) the belief of the patient in his own recovery, the practitioner will have performed a faith-cure which he mistakenly pronounces Christian Science. In this very manner some students of Christian Science have accepted, through faith, a divine Principle, God, as their savior, but they have not understood this Principle sufficiently well to fulfill the Scriptural command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.” “Heal the sick.”
It is the healer’s understanding of the operation of the divine Principle, and his application thereof, which heals the sick, just as it is one’s understanding of the principle of mathematics which enables him to demonstrate its rules. Christian Science is not a faith-cure, and unless human faith be distinguished from scientific healing, Christian Science will again be lost from the practice of religion as it was soon after the period of our great Master’s scientific teaching and practice. Preaching without practice of the divine Principle of man’s being has not, in nineteen hundred years, resulted in demonstrating this Principle.
Preaching without the truthful and consistent practice of your statements will destroy the success of Christian Science.
Now lift your thought to God as you go about your work.
Mary Baker Eddy, quoted in Longyear Newsletter
Do your daily protective work, because it is very important. Declare every day there are no accidents, that health is normal, and that nothing can change it, that there is no necessity to resort to material means, that man’s home is in the divine consciousness, and that all is Love, harmony, peace, protection and care, without measure or limitation.
Bicknell Young, 1937 College, page 73-4
One ought never to turn one’s back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.
Sir Winston Churchill
What appears so distressing in this present day is not crucifixion, but resurrection.
Martha Wilcox
Students of Christian Science must take their cue from their Leader and build up confidence in the power they reflect, establishing the glorious fact that their spiritual consciousness has the very power of the universe back of it; that nothing can stand before it; that it has a speed greater than that of light; that it goes wherever it is directed, acts instantaneously and does accomplish that whereunto it is sent.
Gilbert Carpenter
The “full armour of God” is to have the constant realization that God, Spirit, is All, and to have nothing else going on. Then you are less perturbed by the unexpected events of the day and more ready to take care of things as they come up.
Bicknell Young
Humility is the stepping-stone to a higher recognition of Deity, whereby we discern the healing power of Truth and Love. Pride arises from ignorance, and those assume the most who have least wisdom and experience.
Mary Baker Eddy
Let Divine Love govern with its impartial and universal plan, then we shall lose a burdened sense of things, and we shall rejoice in the irresistible operation of Love’s divine design.
John Doorly
Mortal mind argues that time is necessary to accomplish all things. Hence before any notable demonstration can be made, we must declare that with God’s help, they can be done now.
Gilbert Carpenter
You must cast the beam out of your own eye before you can see the mote in your brother’s eye, and when you have destroyed the beam, the mote will be gone.
Mary Baker Eddy
Excerpt from Helen Wright’s book titled,
Mary Baker Eddy’s Church Manual, (MBEInstitute.org)
At the time of the “Great Literature Litigation,” the Board of Directors authorized a report by the Committee on General Welfare. The Board, in authorizing this Committee, no doubt expected a report favorable to themselves. The Committee was chaired by the highly honored and influential Martha W. Wilcox, CSB, a teacher of Christian Science who had lived in Mrs. Eddy’s home, and by Richard P. Verrall, CSB. The findings and recommendations of this prestigious committee was completed March 3, 1920, and copyrighted by Richard P. Verrall and Martha W. Wilcox.
The Report was eagerly awaited. But this spiritually unique Report of the Committee on General Welfare did not support the position of the Board of Directors, and it was therefore quietly suppressed. Comfortably ensconced in their position of prestige, power, and authority, their inclination was toward more, not less, control.
The Board’s failure to accept the Committee’s recommendations eventually led to the excommunication of the foremost thinkers in the Christian Science Movement, notably such world-famous leaders as Herbert Eustace, Alice Orgain, John Doorly, Peter Ross, and Laurence Sinton. Bicknell Young somehow escaped excommunication, but his one-time secretary, Margaret Laird, who became world-famous in her own name, particularly as a healer and demonstrator of the Truth she taught, was not spared excommunication.
Here in essence are some of the findings and recommendations of this Committee:
“Science and Health makes it plain to all Christian Scientists that the manhood and womanhood of God have already been revealed in a degree through Christ Jesus and Christian Science, His two witnesses. What remains to lead on the centuries and reveal my successor, is man in the image and likeness of the Father-Mother God, man the generic term for mankind [the perfect man].”
The present Boston congregation was organized April 12, 1879, and has now over four thousand members. It is regarded as the parent organization, all others being branches, though each is entirely independent in the management of its own affairs. Truth is the sole recognized authority.
Mary Baker Eddy, Pulpit and Press, page 55
from the Christian Science Journal, November 1919,
by Marie Chiswell Hough
Interestingly, this article was published at the beginning of “The Great Litigation,” while Herbert Eustace was in the Publishing Society.
The Bible texts are not merely for times past, but illustrate states of thought that still need to be recognized today. Consider the prophecy recorded in Isaiah, “I will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.”
A study of the Scriptures as to the history of the Assyrian shows his entire dependence upon matter and material force, his craftiness and cunning, and his determination to take and hold in captivity the children of Israel. The workings of the Assyrian type of thought are pictured vividly in lI Kings, which describes the attempt of the Assyrian king to take the city ruled by Hezekiah, who “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.”
Messengers were sent to the city to undermine the people’s trust in God and in Hezekiah. They were to use the cunning and craftiness in which they were so well versed to get possession of the city by trickery. They attempted to disguise their evil nature and intent by declaring themselves messengers of God, saying they were sent by Him to take the city. Failing in this, they next tried by ridicule and scorn to shake the people’s faith in the power of God to defend the city, predicting the most dire disaster if they continued in such reliance. Then suddenly assuming the role of friendship, they proposed entering into an agreement or compromise whereby they should be given the city, and the inhabitants would be given certain coveted possessions and the gratification of material appetites and desires.
Having failed in his first efforts, the Assyrian king then sent a written message to Hezekiah, further detailing his purpose and power to annihilate the city. Upon receipt of this message, Hezekiah did not weaken in his stand for Truth, but “spread it before the Lord” in prayer.
Here follows a most wonderful scientific declaration of Truth, in which Hezekiah unfalteringly set forth the allness of God, rejecting their claim of power in their destruction of cities ruled by “other gods.” Hezekiah recognized its nothingness, declaring, “For they were no gods, but the work of men’s hands.” And the city was saved, for we are told how during the night “the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand,” and at daybreak this great army was found annihilated upon the fields before the city.
The Assyrian thought is still rampant throughout the world today, but the prophecy yet stands that it shall be trampled underfoot. Mary Baker Eddy has made clear in divine Science the way of the trampling. She warns the Christian Scientist (My., p. 211): “Animal magnetism fosters suspicious distrust where honor is due, fear where courage should be strongest, reliance where there should be avoidance, a belief in safety where there is most danger; and these miserable lies, poured constantly into his mind, fret and confuse it, spoiling that individual’s disposition, undermining his health, and sealing his doom, unless the cause of the mischief is found out and destroyed.” This tallies with the Scriptural records of the Assyrian thought; and mortal mind, whether termed animal magnetism or the Assyrian, is operating as in the days of Hezekiah, its motive ever being destruction or captivity for the unfortunate who yield to its suggestions. As of old its cunning is to hide itself, to parade in false vestments, to resist being brought out and known for what it really is.
In “Miscellaneous Writings” (p. 123), Mrs. Eddy gives us this assurance: “That man can break the forever-law of infinite Love, was, and is, the serpent’s biggest lie! and ultimates in a religion of pagan priests bloated with crime; a religion that demands human victims to be sacrificed to human passions and human gods, or tortured to appease the anger of a so-called god or a miscalled man or woman! … The Christian’s God is neither, and is too pure to behold iniquity.”
Our sure defense against every phase of error is the “forever-law of infinite Love,” the understanding of the perfect unity of God and man, divine Principle and idea. We are not responsible for the errors of others, whatever their wrong attitude toward us may be; our privilege is to use the law of Love, to know the truth about them as ideas of God, good, and to deny to the error any claim of reality. Since God does not behold iniquity, it necessarily follows that man, the reflection of God, cannot behold it. Here is where the alert student will take his stand, and will be found ready to refuse all belief in evil, and by tearing away its mask of personality, or reality, will expose its nothingness. Stripped of its claim to intelligence, reality, personality, presence, or power, error is no longer feared or desired, but is found to be nothing, no person or thing, and without time or place. Then is demonstrated the truth that God, and man in His image and likeness, do not behold iniquity.
Dear Friend,
What we have now to “run” the Christian Science organization, our Leader never established. She set up two coordinating boards with Deeds of Trust to serve as a balance. They worked together while she was here to control them, but as soon as she left, they each wanted the power, especially the Board of Directors. They appealed and resorted to the advice of human lawyers and the courts (Paul appealed to Caesar).
Nothing has gone right since 1910 when she left; it has not been carried on according to Mrs. Eddy’s intentions. Politics chiefly and financial pressure seem rampant. The only answer to all that error is that the Christ must prevail. The “Estoppel Clauses” in the Manual have not been heeded or obeyed. They are a protective measure to our cause. Some, selfishly, even tried to persuade Mrs. Eddy to remove them from the Manual, but she would not because they were divinely inspired to prevent hierarchical control and domination; also to gradually dissolve an organizational sense of church and Being. Our office and function is to live the Christ, which is the one and only power of the one Mind, Life, Love, Being. With love and deep appreciation for what you are as the oneness of Being,
Bicknell Young
Art Anker
“Dear God,” I prayed, “tell me what
I need to know.
My healing seems so slow—so slow.
Is there some old hidden fault
in me?
That, blinded, I refuse to see—
or perhaps some dim dark
past, that won’t let go?”
And then an answer came
just this way:—
“My son, don’t you know—
You are perfect, and always
have been.
Just rest in that,
there is no past.”
by Heidi Gwinn
In Christian Science, we are taught to keep our thoughts positive. If we hear others voicing something negative, wrong, or unloving, we should speak up and turn the situation around, if possible. If not, we can declare to ourselves what we know to be true. Mary Baker Eddy has instructed us that we should dismiss our wrong thinking with an “abiding conviction that it is illegitimate.”
As we grow in Science, it becomes easier and easier to stamp out error instantly, before it grows into a Goliath of a problem. David did it with one small pebble from a brook, and the conviction that God was with him. Notice now that David’s aim was perfect; he had five stones, but he used only one to kill Goliath instantly. We, too, need to kill our “giants” dead, instantly. Leaving nothing behind to grow upon our thought.
When I was a little girl, my mother took me to see the Walt Disney movie, “Pollyanna.” I loved everything about that movie and story. For months, I played at pretending I was Pollyanna. Anything anyone said that was the least bit negative, I would respond cheerfully with a positive statement. My family mostly found it amusing and would laugh or play along. It corrected a lot of negative talk, though. We all began to “catch ourselves” and others. This was a lot of fun and good practice for me, as a little girl. I wondered in my mind, if Pollyanna was a Christian Scientist too.
One day, in the school cafeteria, as I was going to my lunch table, I overheard my teacher (who was smoking a cigarette and coughing) say to another teacher, “I swear, I’m getting pneumonia or cancer, or something.” In perfect “Pollyanna style,” I said to her, “Don’t be silly, Mrs. Atwater, you’re fine. You don’t have any of those things. It’s just a little smoke from the cigarette.” She looked at me oddly and said, “Who are you? Pollyanna or somebody?” To which I smiled broadly, and with glee, said, “Yes!” Then I skipped off to my table of friends, where I could play the “Pollyanna Game” some more.
Somehow, I can see where David’s so-called, “well-wishers” might see him as having a Pollyanna attitude. Standing up against Saul and three older brothers, David might have seemed like a “Pollyanna” to them. When they laughed and scoffed at his bravery, it was because he was young, small in stature, only a shepherd boy, untrained, and not a mighty warrior like Goliath. They had plenty of negative things to say. But David held his ground. He told them he could do it! After all, he had fought and killed a bear and a lion. David was convinced that “with God all things are possible.” He knew that he didn’t need any heavy armor for protection. He didn’t need a mighty sword or chain mail. He only needed the armor of God. No Pollyanna thought or denial of the seriousness of the situation. David was going to go out with the vengeance and mighty power of God, knowing that evil has no power. He was going to kill Goliath dead, with a stone and a sling shot!
Perhaps, as David approaches the Philistine army, he hears the crowds yelling and howling all kinds of negative, nasty remarks. He looks up to see Goliath for the first time. Here is an enormous man, over 9 feet tall! Goliath must have looked even bigger, equipped with his headgear, breast plate, and other heavy armor, wielding a sword. Others may have thought, “He’s so big, how can I kill him?” But as David pulls out his little sling shot, and first, smooth, round pebble, I can hear his thought, “He’s so big, how can I miss!”
The rest is history.
The truth is, we can’t miss! “Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.” (Science and Health, by Mary Baker Eddy)
Our God will now, as ever, “make the wrath of man to praise Him,” and as surely will He make the foolishness of fools apparent.
M. W., Christian Science Journal, 1886
by Betty Simpson
Living only about 20 miles away from two recent wildfires in California, I became quite concerned about them, and about our safety and the safety of those in the path of the fires.
There was a tremendous amount of smoke, so I called a Plainfield practitioner for help on this. She spoke to me about the three Hebrew men in the fiery furnace, and how not even the smell of smoke clung to their clothes when they were taken out of the furnace. She gave me a quote from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “There is no vapid fury of mortal mind, expressed in earthquake, wind, wave, lightning, fire, bestial ferocity — and this so-called mind is self-destroyed.”
She said to see only the face of God in the smoke — like Mrs. Eddy saw the face of God in the storm clouds, and they produced only a gentle rain. Lastly, she said that Love, God, extinguishes error. Armed with these thoughts, I was able to work along with the practitioner. I was able to happily and gratefully report to the practitioner that the first fire was almost completely extinguished within the next three days!
The second fire was a different situation. It presented a much more frightening picture, with structures being burned and traveling much faster than the first. Because of the smoke, and evacuations, etc., many exaggerated and frightening claims were being made by the media. The practitioner reminded me not to “stand aghast at nothingness.” She added with emphasis that these things (fires and floods) are not always what they seem, and that I needed to pray for the nation.
I found that when I began to pray for the nation, our government, the election, knowing that God governs this nation, I began to calm down. So when I did watch the news on the second day of the fire, one could see the hand of God helping the firefighters, protecting homes by causing the wind to change direction and the fire to burn up a hill away from the homes. When I called back again two days later, the fire was well contained and the end was in sight.
I’m very grateful for all of the practitioner’s help, and to have seen the power of God in operation in what seemed to be such dire conditions.
To feel that “the heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind” has saved more souls than all the exact knowledge in the world.
Peter V. Ross
by Sharon Welsh
Mary Baker Eddy says in Watches, Prayers, Arguments, “How unspeakably blessed is the deliverance from the fiction of error that has deceived mortals.”
“The fiction of error”! Error is nothing but a fiction, a lie. But how often old habits can trick us! Recently I was working on a family situation that I had all planned out—what I should do, what the family should do, and what the outcome would be. But a practitioner pointed out that this was all human will, human planning. It shouldn’t be my will, but God’s will.
I realized how easy it was for me to fall for this fiction. Mrs. Eddy also states in Watches, Prayers, Arguments, “You have no human will. God’s will is all, and you are its reflection.” Reflecting God, I need to let Him work through me and not outline what I want to happen.
Soon a situation came up in the office and I was thinking about what I should do. A red flag went up. This was human will again. I stopped and prayed, “Thy will be done,” and soon God gave me a solution that was better than I could ever have imagined. I made a phone call, and the outcome was wonderful. Only God could have brought this about.
Realizing how error works on us — and not letting it happen — is being delivered from the fiction of error and brings us back to God.
Love not only meets every human need, but anticipates it, and long before a human need can be felt, Love has already provided for it.
Bicknell Young
by Dede De Almeida
In working with a practitioner in this church, while expecting my first child almost two years ago, I learned the value of true healing, which brings about progressive and permanent change.
I learned the value of humility, which enabled me to ask for practitioner help in the first place. At the time she was someone who didn’t know me well, though she joyfully and willingly agreed to help.
I learned the value of obedience by calling my practitioner regularly and following her instruction as best I could.
I learned the value of confidence and courage which comes from a commitment to God, in seeking and accepting His truth and verdict, over all else. This became most helpful when I was bombarded by negative opinions, possible outcomes such as birth defects and abnormalities, and unimaginable worse-case scenarios, suggested by various medical professionals during my regular doctor visits.
What was possibly most valuable was learning the importance of selflessness. As the months went on, I realized that this healing experience was not about me, it was preparing me to be a greater help to others who may be faced with similar challenges, if ever I was led to do so.
Several months after my daughter was born, there was a lady on a TV show, who expressed great fear and sadness, while explaining to a loved one that she had been told by her doctors that her unborn daughter was underweight and the child’s life was in jeopardy.
I immediately saw this as an opportunity to work in Truth, as several months prior, I had been told the very same thing. I worked with truths that had been shared by my practitioner which declared the absolute perfection of God’s idea, and our Father’s dominion over all.
I later learned that the young woman’s daughter was born in perfect health, just as mine had been.
Lastly, I learned the value of God’s provision. I wasn’t sure just how I would be able to pay my practitioner at the time, but I eventually realized that it was useless to dwell so much on the amount of money rather than focusing on the importance of expressing gratitude for this invaluable experience. I was led to give what I could monetarily, and I’m most grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to continue this expression through working for this church, in return for this life-transforming learning opportunity.
The great purposes the Lord has for you cannot be thwarted.
Peter V. Ross
by Mary Beth Singleterry
The answer to our everyday problems is in God, and His healing Christ is present everywhere, in all situations. We just have to be receptive to that presence.
I love the hymn in our hymnal, “From glory unto glory, be this our joyous song.” This is how we are to operate, from glory unto glory! I remember before understanding this, I used to go from problem to problem, and that would leave me feeling more discouraged, weaker, and maybe having more of a belief that there was a power other than God.
In Christian Science, when you have a healing, you grow stronger. You learn more of God’s power and presence. You become transformed each time, getting closer to Him. Therefore it is from glory to glory and from strength to strength. This is a wonderful blessing that we have in Science, the truth for all mankind.
A recent Bible Lesson was on the subject “God the Preserver of Man.” Years ago I looked up the definition of “preserver” in Webster’s 1828 dictionary — keeps safe, defends, upholds and sustains. This is what God does as He preserves us; He keeps us safe from injury and destruction; He defends us from evil; He upholds and sustains us; He saves us from decay and keeps us in a sound state; He defends us from any type of corruption.
These are wonderful things to think about. This is what God does, and as we think about it, we realize the angels of His presence are around us always. We can come through all kinds of things, whether it calls itself a hurricane, bad disease, or difficult family relationship. God’s presence and power is always there for us, to defend and sustain us, so we go from glory to glory, seeing His power work on our behalf in every situation.
Do not let any argument of limitation enter into your life; remember that Mind will do every good thing for you, it will move mountains for you.
Edward A. Kimball
by Florence Roberts
There was a time when I expected something to go wrong whenever some good came my way! We could be on a vacation “having fun,” and lurking in the back of my thought would be the aggressive silent arguments that something was going to go wrong.
I entertained such wrong thoughts, because I had no clue of statements like this: “God is natural good, and is represented only by the idea of goodness; while evil should be regarded as unnatural, because it is opposed to the nature of Spirit, God.” (Science and Health, p. 119.) Then, often something would go wrong upon our return home. It would be the breakdown of an appliance, some physical claim, or some upset. This became a pattern in my experience, till error/evil became my expectation. I was convinced no good feeling was permanent. What appeared permanent were the nagging feelings of fear, anxiety and worry.
Then the Truths in Christian Science awakened me to the fact that I am worthy of every good, because I am God’s own child. The understanding of what God is — that He is only good, and He is Love — made clear what it means to be a child of God. It means that all His goodness: health, abundance, peace, joy, wisdom, unselfishness, honesty, humility, love, life and contentment are inherently mine, and everyone else’s. As the Bible verse reads; “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” (Luke 15:31) I had to discard permanently the subtle undeserving sentiment which had lingered in my thought for so long.
The Bible states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) This verse affirms the origin of all the good that comes to us. Good, then, is our heritage from a loving Father-Mother, and we can know that the laws of harmony and love alone govern us all. If we claim these truths they help us live the lives that deserve the realization of our “goodly heritage.”
From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 328:4-5: “Mortals suppose that they can live without goodness, when God is good and the only real Life.” We must all claim our worth as God’s own children and live in obedience to Him. With that deep appreciation for God, as Life, Truth and Love, a change in thinking takes place. And this brings us peace that goes from day to day expectant of going from “glory unto glory!”
I ask not wealth, but power to take
And use the thing I have aright;
Not years, but wisdom that shall make
My life a profit and delight.
Phoebe Cary
“You are the light of the world.” You are that light. The understanding that you have of the allness of Mind is the light, and that is the light of the world.
Herbert Eustace
Many years ago I began a search for a deeper connection with God. I was disillusioned with the ineffective understanding of Christian Science and the ignoring of wrong I had experienced in the Boston organization. I left my branch church and started my search for purpose, meaning, and most of all, for God. Never did I imagine I would find Him in the teachings and lives of the small band of workers here in Plainfield.
I am very grateful that Plainfield readily makes available writings of the early workers of Christian Science. The book on the website titled 500 Watching Points, by Gilbert Carpenter, is how I first stumbled across this church. Once here, I began to investigate many of their other offerings. I felt like a starving person taking in as much as I could. Hearing the truth shared here, gave me feelings of peace, clarity, and relief that washed over me and kept me coming back, despite my wariness of church.
One gift of joining here was a purer sense of church and duty to Mrs. Eddy. I have grown to have a greater appreciation for her and the sacrifices she made to bring this Science to the world. Another tremendous blessing is being part of structured Bible studies.
Being here has transformed my life in so many ways, with the help of a practitioner — from health, relationships, work, daily living, and most of all, my thinking. Purpose and meaning have been restored by participating in the mission here to spread Mary Baker Eddy’s pure Science and love for the Bible.
My gratitude is boundless.
I was really in the wilderness when I found Plainfield, and things have changed so much since. I can see the light. The Truth is being demonstrated and there is healing.
I am so grateful to my practitioner at Plainfield, who has helped me every step of the way so selflessly and lovingly.
IndiaI just wanted to say thanks for the YouTube videos. Please tell everyone else that they are helping someone. I have probably listened to over 20 so far. I set up the media player on my computer so they play all night, so I can also listen while I am sleeping.
I found your website, which is very extensive. I really like the Roundtable discussions. I usually listen to two or three a day. I just want you to know that I am making good use of your website and videos.
Yours in service to Christ.
West VirginiaWe have been experiencing a wave of healings. Some of them are hard to believe. A friend of mine, who was healed years ago of stage IV cancer, developed a severe right hip joint inflammation. She, and we, prayed, knowing that God was at her side. She felt the need to contact a physician and was told that the hip joint was practically gone and in need of instant replacement. The operation was scheduled; and returning from the doctor, as she climbed the stairs, still praying, the thought came to her that she does not have to lean over and can walk straight as any normal person, which she did. The pain was gone, and her posture became straight. In a couple of days she revisited the doctor, who suggested that the x-ray results must have been switched, and apologized for the wrong diagnosis.
Yesterday I started a new study group, and we read your Lesson-Sermons. The familiar words of God came through with such power that some people had tears. There were nine people present, and all of them want to come to the next meeting. So, please, on our behalf, pass a huge thank you to whoever is in charge of Lesson-Sermons.
Thank you so much for doing what you do.
Toronto, CanadaPersistent whirlwinds of error attempt to knock us out of being at one with God. A couple of nights ago, turning to The Blue Book to settle my thoughts in the evening, I opened to the following: “The law of divine Life, Truth and Love is a law of instant and complete expulsion and elimination of all poisons and impurities from the system. Why? Because the floodtides of divine Life, Truth and Love are pouring and surging through consciousness, uplifting, purifying, nourishing, healing, elevating, sustaining and energizing mankind.” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 73 Blue Book)
The new (to me) way of applying God’s government to the situation eliminated the poisonous and impure thoughts, and gave me a peaceful sleep. I’m memorizing this to have one more weapon against animal magnetism. I am grateful for Mrs. Eddy’s great gift to mankind, and those who have sacrificed to preserve it!!
New YorkThank you for the gift of the Wednesday, December 7, testimony meeting! The readings on “The Christ, Our Way of Freedom Is Here” are so clear and powerful; and every testimony expresses the joy and gratitude of finding this freedom here. Thanks to all!
VirginiaI also agree that the Wednesday testimony meeting on December 7 was a gift to all. I am so very grateful for all the activities of the Plainfield Church. Every activity is a gift that keeps on giving. Everyone at Plainfield expresses so much love that no matter where you are during the church services, Bible Study, or Roundtable, the warmth of your love is felt. Thank you, Plainfield! I am so grateful for God guiding me here, and keeping me here.
GeorgiaI would like to say thank you for all the beautiful music we have at the Plainfield Church. Our organists, musicians, vocalists, and hymns that are sung add a spiritual dimension that is healing and joyful. The singing of “How Majestic Is Your Name,” was outstanding today and lifted us all up to God’s glory and majesty. Bravo!!
PennsylvaniaContinuing gratitude for the Roundtable, and much thanks for yesterday’s (December 11) excellent one, clarifying and emphasizing ways to practice Christian Science in daily living, with obedience and taking one’s Christ consciousness wherever one goes. These weekly sessions are enormously helpful.
MarylandThank you for the Forum. This morning I was feeling a little low. On this week’s Forum was a posting that recommended the article “I Am That I Am,” found in the book, Collected Writings, by Bicknell Young. I read the article, and as I read, I found my energy increasing and the vim and excitement for the day returning. I recommend this powerful healing article to everyone, and I am so grateful for it!
WisconsinI must offer my joy and gratitude for the Christmas Eve candlelight service. The peace and love expressed in the music and readings went out into the world as well, filling the room that special night. Thank you Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, and GLORY BE TO GOD ON HIGH!
PennsylvaniaI am very grateful to God for a healing that took place in my home, the day before Thanksgiving. Mrs. Eddy writes, on page 233 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Every day makes its demands upon us for higher proofs rather than professions of Christian power. These proofs consist solely in the destruction of sin, sickness, and death by the power of Spirit, as Jesus destroyed them. This is an element of progress, and progress is the law of God, whose law demands of us only what we can certainly fulfil.”
I had invited all of my brothers and sisters to come for dinner, the day before Thanksgiving. I wanted to open my home to them in celebration of our unity and thankfulness for the love and kindness they have shown me over the years. In the past, this has been difficult, due to my negativity; but with the renewed sense of being I have gained, with the help and support of my practitioner, all of that has been put off and old things have become new.
I began the day in prayer and held steadfast to Truth, knowing that all would be blessed this day to feel the power and presence of God. When we all sat down to the meal, my sister, who has often openly declared that there is no God, adamantly volunteered to give thanks to God for the meal, His loving-kindness, and the protection of our parents, who have passed. I could feel the power and presence of the Christ and was deeply moved. I and my family have been truly blessed by God’s presence.
I am so deeply grateful for all I have been given. I am grateful for the continual support I receive from my practitioner, which has enabled me to progress in Science, and for being taught to keep God first and foremost in all my daily living.
from L. T. in New YorkA few weeks ago my son’s soccer team played another team in a national league. Both teams are very skilled, and the game was very fast and intense. My son plays defensive, and he jumps up frequently to propel the ball with his head.
I realized that during this game I was becoming uneasy about the intensiveness of it. I was fearful every time he hit the ball with his head. Just before half time, my son and a player from the other team’s heads collided. They both fell to the ground, and it took a minute before they got up. I was very concerned because there is a lot of talk about concussions in sports, and this is a fear I realized I was harboring.
When the game was over, he said he was dizzy and he had a large scrape on the side of his head. I told him he should talk to his coach and let him know that maybe he shouldn’t play the next and final game of the season. But I also knew I had to handle my fear. So I spent the next day and-a-half quietly declaring and understanding that God was his consciousness and he couldn’t fall out of that perfect, protective consciousness. I also worked with a citation in the Bible that came to me: “The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27), and I applied it to my son — that God was his refuge and underneath were God’s everlasting arms.
My son told his coach the next day that his head hurt and he wasn’t sure if he should play. They both agreed they would evaluate how he felt before the next game. By game day, he said he felt well, and he was able to play the whole game. The entire team did very well and won the game. But the best part is the peace that I felt. I had gained dominion over the suggestion that he could be hurt.
During the game I knew my job was to declare and know that God was supporting him and all the players on both teams. I enjoyed watching this game because of the dominion I felt. The wound on his head healed very quickly, and he has had no further problem. I know that understanding God’s absolute law of harmony is something I need to do during the games, and I am very grateful for all I am learning in Christian Science.
from E. S. in GeorgiaI am grateful for a recent healing of cold symptoms. I called a Plainfield practitioner for help. One of the symptoms was hoarseness, and she reminded me that my voice was to be used for praising God. This really was meaningful to me because in the past I have been pretty careless about what I say, sometimes later regretting not being more thoughtful.
I appreciate the understanding I am gaining at Plainfield on how to praise God, and I see it begins with a better understanding of God. Due to the limited use of my voice, I became more conscious of why I was talking and appreciating even more the importance of all that I was doing to be for the glory of God. Two prayers I turn to often attributed to Mary Baker Eddy are, “Divine Mind, God, unfolds to me each day all I should know, do, or say,” and “Give me grace to remain silent when not necessary to speak.” (Watches, Prayers, and Arguments by Gilbert Carpenter)
I was also helped by testimonies shared during our healing service that week especially one about being healed of seasonal colds. I followed the instruction of the practitioner and read Mary Baker Eddy’s articles called, “Contagion” and “I’ve Got Cold.” Two days later the cold symptoms became worse. I was fearful because there was a very contagious disease in the room I work in. I took time that day to be quiet with God rather than push myself because of pressure to be at work. Through the prayers of the practitioner the symptoms cleared up in a few hours! I am very grateful for practitioner support.
from L. S. in PennsylvaniaWhenever you don’t know what to do, God does know. I was out, but my wife was home and called to tell me that something was upstairs. A squirrel had come downstairs, saw her, and ran back upstairs again.
I did not know how to remove it, so I prayed, knowing that God had a way to remove it. I remembered Mrs. Eddy’s hymn 208. The last verse says, “No snare, no fowler, pestilence or pain.” That gave me peace, that no pestilence could enter my home. I trusted God and went back to work in my home office. After some time, the squirrel came to my office doorway and looked at me. I told it that it didn’t belong here, it belonged outside. I peacefully walked out of my office, opened the back door, encouraged it to leave, and it happily trotted out.
This was such a beautiful illustration of God’s care and protection. He removed properly what didn’t belong there. I am so grateful to have learned here in this church to have the humility to ask God what to do, and then see Him work it out in the most wonderful way.
from C. T. in New JerseyMy daughter recently started attending preschool, and this made me realize how frightening and unnerving the experience can be for little children and their parents. The thought came to me one morning that any progressive step or experience comes from God, is God-directed and God-protected, so there is no need to fear when moving forward with His guidance. I am grateful that my peace returned quickly.
I’m so grateful for what I’m learning in Christian Science, through this church. My thought is constantly changing as I’m blessed by Truth, with new, right thoughts to work with under every circumstance. I know now that I don’t have to tolerate the suggestion of fear in progress, for myself or anyone, and I’m so thankful to God for this great comfort.
from D. D. in Georgiaby Martha Wilcox
Let us consider “time.” One often feels that next week or next year he will have more good than he has today. It is an easy thing to think that an abundance of good might come in the future, but it is rather hard to understand the fact that good is at hand now. But if I can receive a certain good next week or next year, I have been receiving the same good for a thousand years.
Eternity is here and at hand, “the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” What is called a day, a month, a year, is merely the human concept of indivisible eternity. To the material senses we have “time,” but we should be losing the sense of “time” through our higher understanding of eternity.
From Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy
Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon the improvement of moments more than upon any other one thing. A great amount of time is consumed in talking nothing, doing nothing, and indecision as to what one should do. If one would be successful in the future, let him make the most of the present.
Three ways of wasting time, one of which is contemptible, are gossiping mischief, making lingering calls, and mere motion when at work, thinking of nothing or planning for some amusement, — travel of limb more than mind. Rushing around smartly is no proof of accomplishing much.
All successful individuals have become such by hard work; by improving moments before they pass into hours, and hours that other people may occupy in the pursuit of pleasure. They spend no time in sheer idleness, in talking when they have nothing to say, in building air-castles or floating off on the wings of sense: all of which drop human life into the ditch of nonsense, and worse than waste its years.
“Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.”
from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,
by Mary Baker Eddy, page 598-599
YEAR. A solar measurement of time; mortality; space for repentance.
“One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.” (II Peter iii. 8.)
One moment of divine consciousness, or the spiritual understanding of Life and Love, is a foretaste of eternity. This exalted view, obtained and retained when the Science of being is understood, would bridge over with life discerned spiritually the interval of death, and man would be in the full consciousness of his immortality and eternal harmony, where sin, sickness, and death are unknown. Time is a mortal thought, the divisor of which is the solar year. Eternity is God’s measurement of Soul-filled years.
