Mrs. Eddy’s Place as
“The Woman in the Apocalypse”

For a Bible Study on “the little book” of Revelation, I turned to The Destiny of the Mother Church, by Bliss Knapp, since it was one of the few places I knew of where this topic is covered in detail by someone extensively taught by Mary Baker Eddy. His parents, Ira and Flavia Knapp, had a close relationship with Mrs. Eddy, in addition to being taught by her. Other writings also show that Mrs. Eddy had a particular interest in Bliss Knapp, even as a child. In 1904 she appointed him to the Board of Lectureship, a position he performed with the result of many healings demonstrated during his lectures. Mrs. Eddy valued his spiritual insight enough to publish one of his lectures as a pamphlet. It is no wonder that Bliss Knapp is later the one apparently chosen to write the Destiny book, containing history of the Christian Science Movement, and establishing Mrs. Eddy’s place as the woman in the Apocalypse.

Mr. and Mrs. Knapp and many of their contemporaries believed this, even though Mrs. Eddy didn’t publicly state it. There are very strong arguments supporting this in the Destiny book, from the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings. Bliss Knapp makes the point that on the walk to Emmaus with two of his disciples, Christ Jesus discovered their lack of faith in who he really was in prophecy so he “Then opened their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24) Bliss states, “So an understanding of the Scriptures is conditional upon one’s ability to see, through faith, what is recorded in Bible prophecy,” which Jesus did for himself from Genesis throughout what was then all the books of the Bible. This is very much the theme of this book, to show also from Genesis to Revelation the many instances where Mary Baker Eddy is prophesied in the Bible.

Bliss Knapp points to the teachings and parables of Christ Jesus. For example, the “woman who hid leaven in three measures of meal” and the prophecy of a future “comforter” to come. He also points to Old Testament prophesy in the Book of Daniel, that Bible expositors have taken dates and calculated a “second coming” in the years 1866 or 1867, which corresponds with our Leader’s discovery of Christian Science.

Bliss Knapp points to the prophecy of two great rulers in the heavenly kingdom, and that one is a man and the other is a woman. “The woman is the woman in travail,” which appears in Rev. 12. In Zechariah 4 are two olive trees on the right side and left side of a candlestick. When the question is asked what they are, the answer comes: “These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.”

There are pages full of citations from the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings. It is up to us to explore these and make what feels true, a part of our understanding. It is clear that to see Mrs. Eddy correctly, in her right place as the woman in the Apocalypse, would prosper healing and prosper the Cause of Christian Science.

Excerpts from Destiny of the Mother Church

Christ Jesus frequently spoke in parables, and one of his most distinctive parables is the following: “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.” The fact that this parable of the Woman was “kept secret from the foundation of the world,” implies that she was no ordinary woman and that her mission must be unique.

The first appearing of Christ came in the flesh, for Jesus said, “A spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” (Luke 24:39) Then, according to Mrs. Eddy, the second appearing of Christ in the flesh would come through this Woman whose mission has been known to God “from the foundation of the world,” even as Jesus’ mission was known. Her place, like his, being unique, it would have to be made known in creation, as recorded in the first chapter of Genesis. She would not be a type or a symbol of any other person or event; she is the original Woman, even as Mrs. Eddy refers to Jesus as the original man.

Sometime during the year 1898, Judge Septimus J. Hanna, who was then serving as First Reader of The Mother Church, and editor of the periodicals, was led to give special attention to the 53rd and 54th chapters of the book of Isaiah. It was revealed to him that the 54th chapter is as distinctly a prophecy of Mrs. Eddy as the 53rd chapter is a prophecy of Jesus. As he pondered this unfolding, he decided to write an editorial embodying his views. When the editorial was set up in galley proof, the courtesy of showing it to Mrs. Eddy before publication brought it to her attention.

She recommended its publication with this addition: “We know there is but one God, one Christ Jesus, and one mother of Jesus. But we deem it no infringement to regard the fulfilment of Scripture as indicated at the present period, and named therein, a self-evident proof thereof — not confined to personality but the works which declare the Word.”

This new Gospel is expected to convert the whole world by a leavening process, to mix leaven with the meal, or three modes of thought, which Mrs. Eddy interprets as Science, Theology, and Medicine, until the whole is irresistibly leavened or transformed. She also says that this parable foretells “the second appearing in the flesh of the Christ, Truth, hidden in sacred secrecy from the visible world.”

Then let no one flippantly remark that any one who was listening could have written “the little book,” or that it could possibly be a plagiarism of any other work.

Lessons of the Seventh Day, pages 72-73

Jesus’ coming had long and repeatedly been foretold, and the appearance of the Messiah, or Saviour, was generally expected among the Jews — the people who, more than any other, refused to receive him.

A second coming is as clearly prophesied as was the first coming. The Old Testament writers foretold it, Jesus plainly prophesied it, and the apostles reiterated these prophecies. The only question among believers in the Bible has been as to the time and manner of the coming. In respect to this, there has been, and still is, much speculation and controversy. A personal coming is generally believed in, and the general expectancy is the identical personality of Jesus as he appeared nineteen hundred years ago.

As yet, only a comparatively small part of mankind is ready to accept the larger coming, expressed today in a re-establishment of the religious regime which Jesus inaugurated. This small part of mankind are satisfied that the second coming has commenced, and is now manifesting itself in the works which Jesus taught would be the evidence that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.

By common belief of all Christians, Christ Jesus represented the spiritual type or male-hood of God. Is it not reasonable to assume that a full or complete revelation includes God’s spiritual type of female-hood? Christian Scientists believe in a full Godhead; and thus believing, they believe also in a full manifestation of that Godhead to humanity. To their understanding, the Woman of the Apocalypse stands in type for the female of God’s creation spoken of in Genesis.

May it not be consistently claimed that the second coming is here; and insofar as a single Woman has been the instrument of bringing these evidences into view, may it not be consistently claimed that she is the personal representative of that second coming?

Christian Science Journal, April 1896

Our preconceptions of Truth will not help us to gain an understanding of Christian Science, but rather the reverse.

A recent experience will serve to illustrate this point. A certain one remarked to us: "I repeat over and over again the Scientific Statement of Being, but I can't understand it." It states, "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore, man is not material; he is spiritual." We replied to him: "Do you accept this statement as God's word or simply as Mrs. Eddy's opinion?" The answer was: "I accept it as Mrs. Eddy's statement." We replied: "Then you have not accepted Christian Science as the revealed Truth, but almost unconsciously are clinging to the belief that you really had an understanding of Truth before Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was given to the world, and this is the very thought that admits a failure to understand the Scientific Statement of Being. This thought can only see Mrs. Eddy as a good woman personally, rather than in her true light as the inspired author of Science and Health, consequently you fail to discern the new idea, not having made room for it to come in."

This is an error which many professing to believe in Christian Science seem unwilling to admit, and we shall certainly see nothing beyond profession until the past is cut off and belief gives way to understanding. It may be wise for us all to examine self on this very point to see whether we understand Science and Health to be an inspired work, or simply a human mind production for us to pick to pieces and revise at leisure. If accepting it blindly, by trying to make it harmonize with any of our old misconceptions, we shall fail to make it practical, either for ourselves or for others, and shall deserve the censure of our Master, when he says: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." (Matt. 15 : 8.)

from “You Will Have to Learn to Love Me More” (quoting Mary Baker Eddy)

At one point in the early years in the Chicago area, healing work suddenly came to a halt. This was most unusual, as previously Chicago had been perhaps the finest field for healing in the country. The best healers, including those having studied with Mrs. Eddy, could not heal. The situation became so alarming that a group was delegated to see Mrs. Eddy about their difficulties in healing. She patiently listened to their problem, and when their tale of woe was told she said, “You will have to learn to love me more.” No more was said, and she left the room. They went back to Chicago and told the Christian Scientists Mrs. Eddy’s message. They took the message to heart and the healing work was successful again.

Christian Science Journal, February 1906

Some have said they do not believe that Christian Science is the truth, because there are no prophecies in the Bible concerning it. They admit its healing virtue, but consider it a human agency. Such an opinion can only be held because of an unwillingness to investigate Christian Science, for this would show it to be the fulfillment of prophecy.

Among the prophecies in Revelation which have special reference to Christian Science, that concerning the "little book" is very significant. Its meaning is made clear by Mrs. Eddy in the chapter of Science and Health called "The Apocalypse." To the Christian Scientist this revelation is crowned with the glorious promise of salvation. It is a message from God, illuminating mortal consciousness as the sun illumines the earth; consuming all error as fire consumes stubble. The revelation of Truth to this age clears up all mystery, as was promised where John says, "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets."

Can anyone doubt that Christian Science is the Comforter, revealed through the spiritual illumination and travail of woman; denying reality in aught but Spirit, God, and His reflection in spiritual ideas?

Christian Science Journal, 1887
(Excerpts from speech given at Chickering Hall, Boston)

“Beware, lest men spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of this world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians)

There had been moral darkness on this planet, when Jesus was manifested to mortal sense, to sound the keynote of universal Truth, which has come ringing down to us through all these centuries. His words were like a torch in the hands of men going through the Mammoth Cave. His life was the embodiment of the Truth he taught.

The gentle woman who had the courage of her convictions — and hurled this great book, Science and Health, in the face of error and superstition — should be heard in every part of our great land, that she may be justified. Those whom she has so kindly befriended should not forget the law of kindness in their efforts to be just. She has set this great world thinking on a great subject. She has been honored of God, in her struggle through poverty and disease, to help us into the Kingdom in such an hour as this.

Like Christianity itself, Christian Science has won a name and virtue that invites many unworthy pretenders. It will live, because born of God in the thought of a saint. It is exactly the gospel our Master taught and lived. As in his day, with his disciples, this reform came not from palace or crown, but from the cross. Let us study to understand, that we may never ignorantly traduce so rich a blessing to our race.

You stand as Christian Scientists in the same mesmeric atmosphere that existed in Paul’s days. The age is hardly ready for Christian Science in its purity, but to you belongs the duty of holding it above the dust. Think it! Live it! Preach it! Prove it! Know that God is all, and He is Good; beside Him there is none else!

From the Boston organization (Mary Baker Eddy Library): “Mary Baker Eddy (1821-1910) was an influential American author, teacher, and religious leader, noted for her groundbreaking ideas about spirituality and health, which she named Christian Science.”

From Bliss Knapp’s book, Destiny of The Mother Church, p. 242: “There may be some Christian Scientists who have seen in Mary Baker Eddy only another religious leader, and it may be difficult for them to believe that Mark Baker’s daughter could have a place in Bible prophecy. But that human estimate of her exposes one of the whisperings of desertion and disloyalty…”

Christian Science Journal, October 1927

In the Bible it is shown the necessity of rightly estimating the messenger of God. Jesus tested the disciples' estimate of himself; twice he drives it home: "Whom say ye that I am?" In other words, What is your estimate of Christ Jesus? Peter gave the right answer, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Peter's reply was indeed a divine answer.

No one can understand Mrs. Eddy's place in the chain of revelation except by reflection of divine intelligence, made available by Christian Science. Mrs. Eddy rejoiced when she saw a student understanding the place she held in Scripture and in history, because it showed that the student's revelation was from on High.

The Revelator tells of the angel that gives power "unto my two witnesses." The first witness, Christ Jesus, reveals the fatherhood of God, good, and the omnipotence of Truth. The second witness, the discovery of Mary Baker Eddy, — Christian Science, — reveals the motherhood of God and the omnipresence of divine Love, with its complete protection for the offspring of Love. The first witness testified to the spiritual idea of Truth; the second witness revealed the spiritual idea of Love, which brings the new spiritual birth, explains the law, and preserves from every attack of error.

He who sees that Christian Science bears witness to the final and complete revelation of the Science of Being, who knows also that he himself can witness to the truth Mrs. Eddy has revealed, cannot fail to form a true estimate of God's messenger.

I was listening to Mary Baker Eddy Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, on audio today. I was also doing a little reading of David Keyston’s book, The Healer: The Healing Work of Mary Baker Eddy. There is no doubt in my mind that she is the Woman in the Apocalypse. She was divinely brought into this world to save the world from sin and explain the Science of the healing works demonstrated by Christ Jesus. She was given to us by God to bring Divine Science to humanity in a practical form as Christian Science. To me, she is God’s precious gift to mankind. We are so blessed to have her writings and all she has given us.

The following are just a couple of partial quotes that show how extraordinary her conception and childhood was. She was definitely a gift from above!

Mary Baker Eddy Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, by Yvonne Cache, Robert Townsend Warneck, and Robert von Fettweis, audiobook, Chapter 1 — Gifts of Childhood 1821 - 1845: “A pregnant Abigail Baker was in the attic gathering wool to spin and yarn, suddenly she was overwhelmed with the thought that she was filled with the Holy Ghost and had dominion over the whole earth. … At that moment she felt the quickening of the babe. … And Mrs. Baker wondered what would become of this child whose conception had been unexpected?”

Adam Dickey recounted in his Memoirs on page 132 that “Mrs. Eddy told her household she felt the circumstances of her birth were similar to Isaac’s birth in the Bible, referring them to Hebrews 11:11.” (Hebrews 11:11: “Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.”) (Abigail Baker, Mary’s mother, was 37 years old when she was pregnant with Mary.) “When Mother was pregnant with me she heard voices and said to sister Gault (Abigail’s friend) … When I am about my work I am stopped and troubled with a voice; ‘What should be born of you shall be born of God.’”

The Healer: The Healing Work of Mary Baker Eddy by David L. Keyston page 6: “When about eight years old she frequently heard a voice calling Mary three times, and, supposing it was her Mother, ran to her … always to be told she had not called her, until one time when her little cousin was with her, she too heard the voice. … Her mother … read to her that night the story of little Samuel (I Sam. 3:4-11) and told her she must reply as he did. … The voice called ‘Mary’ and she replied, ‘Speak, Lord: for thy servant heareth,’ and it was as if she was gently lifted up.” “Most remarkable was that when she responded to the voice her body was lifted to a height of about a foot, then gently laid back on the bed; this was repeated three times.”

Mrs. Eddy wrote the following to two students who gave her a copy of Wyclif’s Translation of the New Testament: “Today, it is a marvel to me that God chose me for this mission; and, that my life work was the theme of ancient prophecy; and I, the scribe of His infinite way of salvation. Oh, may He keep me at the feet of Christ; cleansing the human understanding and bathing it with my tears, wiping it with the hairs of my head, the shreds of my understanding that God numbered to make men wise unto salvation.”

Painting by Luanne Tucker

A woman, called of God, has led

A multitude of those once dead

In sin and pain and false belief

Out of the depths of fear and grief.

A woman, led of God, has brought

New life through resurrected thought

And torn away the matter–veil

To show the light that cannot fail.

A woman, true to God and man,

Has shown us Love’s harmonious plan,

Which we would follow, as did she,

With step by step fidelity.

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From Mrs. Eddy

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 598

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.

Mary Baker Eddy’s Lessons of the Seventh Day, page 153

You cannot enter eternity until you have broken the law or sense of time.

All the past there is to us is our own present consciousness of it. According to your steadfastness in excluding evil from thought after you have once unmasked it, do you deal with it scientifically and according to this same steadfastness are you blessed.

No Christian Scientist can be ill this day or die this day, or any day. There is no time in which a Christian Scientist can ever be ill or die.

A Christian Scientist is not in time; he manifests eternity, and his present sense of Life is not involved in time, nor limited, nor circumscribed by any belief of time. His present sense of life is spiritual, indestructible, ever progressive, infinite, immortal, and he cannot be made to believe otherwise, or to manifest any other sense of life.

Divinity Course and General Collectanea, page 185

If the heart stays young, old age can never become anything but ennobled thereby. Years do not make one grow old if one grows in grace. Decay does not belong to matter so much as to mind. Now I believe that if we kept our mind fixed on God, Life, Truth and Love, He will advance us in our years to a higher understanding and change our hope into faith, and our faith into spiritual understanding, and our words into works, and our ultimate faith into the fruition of entering into the Kingdom.

Miscellaneous Writings, page 82

This Mind, then, is not subject to growth, change, or diminution, but is the divine intelligence, or Principle, of all real being; holding man forever in the rhythmic round of unfolding bliss, as a living witness to and perpetual idea of inexhaustible good.

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History Corner

As time goes on, Christian Scientists will naturally want to know all that is possible of the early workers who held positions of trust and responsibility.

All those who were part of the work in its early history, passed through varied trials and testing experiences, and what they accomplished under the guidance of Mrs. Eddy is remarkable.

In my father’s diary many of these varied activities are recorded. On Thursday, September 22, 1892, there is this simple entry, made at the end of a very busy day:

Friday the 23rd of September, 1892, is a day of great importance in the history of Christian Science, the date of the founding of the Mother Church.

The entry in the diary is so simple, so direct. These few lines express a deep feeling of thankfulness to God that the work of His hand which stands forever, had been done, and that speech was powerless to express the spiritual longing, loyalty, and tremendous hope for the future which he felt.

This day, and those preceding, had been so filled with devoted labor and precious care, that in weariness of thought, but firm in the consciousness of spiritual victory, words came only in this direct and simple way:

Friday, September 23, 1892. Eleven brethren and sisters met and formed the Church. In the evening, Miss Bartlett, William, and myself sent the notices to the distant members of their election.

To form this, her “First Church,” Mrs. Eddy chose twelve of her students. They were people of the simple, earnest type, without education or learning, and none of them had abundant means. They were not ambitious people, for to them faithfulness was greater than leadership, and she selected these students, because she found in them the spirit that would labor and wait for the perfect whole.

The previous Wednesday, the 21st, had been most threatening, and the 22nd broke with a roaring rain-storm, which continued all day and into the night.

That evening I was copying some letters in my father’s room up under the eaves, and the groaning of the branches of the great elm over our heads, with the surges of the rain, told how fiercely the elements were fighting.

Looking up from a letter, which had come a short time previously from Mrs. Eddy, father said,

“Listen! How like this is to the storms our Teacher and our Cause has gone through. It seems as though the hurricane would destroy the house, our refuge, that the torrents would wash everything away, yet, like all the days of poverty, of distress, and sacrifice, through which we have so far safely come, this storm, too, will pass away, and the sunlight, like Truth suddenly unveiled, will make us forget our fears in the joy of its great beauty.”

The next morning, Friday the 23rd, broke clear, calm, and beautiful, and after breakfast, as was our custom, we read verses from the Scriptures and passages from Science and Health, father having chosen those which he thought were appropriate for the day’s work, the formation of the Church. After the reading was finished, he said, “Now let’s have one hymn before we part for the day,” and we went upstairs to the piano and sang:

A glorious day is dawning

And o’er the waiting earth,

The heralds of the morning

Are springing into birth.

Thus in the glory of a morning, made so bright after days of darkness and storm, was the whole armor of faith put on, to start aright the founding of The First Church of Christ, Scientist.

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Gems

One cannot go forward if he yields to the temptation to stop to view the old pictures of the past.

We should live each day as if it were the only day, with no past and no future, since in reality God knows only now.

A man always finds what he earnestly seeks. Let us then look only for good.

Health and gratitude go hand in hand. Unceasing gratitude is truly essential if one would walk close to God.

Life is the only power and presence in the universe. It has no enemies in the form of disease or disaster or years. And this Life retains its energy, vitality, health, and endlessness when individualized as you.

In reality there is nothing to obstruct right, to delay justice, or to limit good.

Life, Truth, and Love are subject to no obstruction, adulteration, nor disintegration; and this scientific fact outshines and outlives every lie which seems to be leveled at God and His unsullied image, spiritual man.

Your line of ancestry does not trace back to mortality. You came direct from eternal Life. In fact you are that Life on exhibition in the world.

Our demonstrations in Christian Science, no matter how little they have been or how few, yet they prove to us that our names are written in heaven, and that we were actually created by a God who is real, and who is the one and only God there is.

In the degree we think Godlike thoughts, in that degree our human life becomes more harmonious, beautiful, free.

You are on parade in this world, showing forth the glories of one endless Life.

If we patiently abide in Love, the very aroma of our thought is a healing influence to all who come into our presence.

Maintain your joy! It is the very law of dominion, power, freedom, glorification. So be glad. Let Mind unfold your day and you will be rejoicing.

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From the Early Workers

Christian Science Journal, 1887

What a stupendous discovery! Here is Christian Science, urging — over and over again, till one tires of the repetition — that all is Mind; that Mind is superior to matter; that evil is a hallucination of mortal mind, as distinguished from Infinite Mind; that Mind is capable of restoring man to complete health, and banishing the very thought of disease; when suddenly a clergyman awakes from his slumber, and exclaims, “Oh, yes! I see it all — these fellows do help disease, and I’ve found out how they do it. It’s through the influence of mind over matter.”

Yes, dear boy, that is just it! Mind heals the delusions of matter; because matter, being but an unreal illusion — a creation of distorted mortal mind — the Real Mind (or Royal Mind, for the original meaning of real is royal) is superior to matter, dominates it, and subdues it to the Supreme Will and Soul.

“We have the Mind of Christ,” says Paul. “The fleshly mind” he cares not for, but rather condemns. Insofar as we have this Mind, we can do what the Lord Jesus Christ did — conquer disease, death, and dishonor therewith. Through Mind we are healed; and “that not of ourselves, for it is the gift of God.”

Christian Science Journal, 1885

Earthly thrones tremble on their bases in these days of rebellion against despotism. It would seem as if the kingdoms of the world were all being weighed in balances to determine what boasted strength is real and what pretended. No ruler is sure of his foothold in any land.

All these rumblings of discord, to the watchers on Mount Zion, come fraught with assurance of the onward march of Righteousness. Whether the people recognize the presence or not, it is here, making for their freedom. And not the dominion of acknowledged kings and princes alone is threatened — but the dominion of man over man in any form must give way to the liberty, fraternity and equality, toward which the unseen Law, spiritual and eternal, forces humanity.

Christian Science Journal, May 1906

Strive it ever so hard, the Church of Christ, Scientist, can never do for its Leader what its Leader has done for this church, but its members can so protect their own thoughts that they are not unwittingly made to deprive their Leader of her rightful place as the Revelator to this age of the immortal truths testified to by Jesus and the prophets.

Deeds, not words, are the sound test of love; and the helpfulness of consistent and constant right thinking — intelligent thinking untainted by the emotionalism which is largely self-glorification — is a reasonable service which all Christian Scientists can render their Leader.

Christian Science Sentinel, April 19, 1924

We cannot think of a house without a door. As with the material abode, so is it with the mental dwelling place. We are the doorkeepers of our mental household; and we cannot be too alert in challenging the nature and purpose of the visitors who present themselves for admission. Many strange applicants find their way to our doors. Clothed in the garments of intellectual or sensuous beauty, they may appear to be acceptable guests to entertain; but we need to be watchful lest we admit the harbingers of discord and dismay.

Is it a thought of hate, criticism, or condemnation of our brother, whom we are bidden to love as ourselves, that seeks to enter? Then close the door quickly, and wait for the welcome guest to appear, — namely, the right thought about our brother, the thought that upholds the perfection of man, made in the image and likeness of God.

Is it a thought of disease, a diagnosis or description of discordant so-called matter, a recalling of past suffering? Then let us bar the door of thought as we would that of our house against a thief of the night; for, once admitted, such a guest would attempt to rob us of peace of both mind and body.

Is it a thought of fear, fear of losing life or happiness, a thought which dishonors God, in whose keeping both life and happiness are secure and unassailable? We must shut the door and not dialog a moment with this would-be visitor.

These guests, who come clothed in the garments of tradition, worldly custom, or general belief, have no real substance, and all the life or substance they possess is what we give them by admitting them to thought as realities, entertaining them in our mental households, and sending them forth again to knock at the door of our next-door neighbor. If we persistently refuse to listen to the ghostly knockings of error in any form, such visitors will fade away into their own unreality.

In Science and Health p. 224, we read: "A higher and more practical Christianity, demonstrating justice and meeting the needs of mortals in sickness and in health, stands at the door of this age, knocking for admission. Will you open or close the door upon this angel visitant, who cometh in the quiet of meekness, as he came of old to the patriarch at noonday?"

As we open the door to this "angel visitant," we receive the blessings which accompany the knowledge of God as divine Principle, Love, and of man created and maintained by his Father-Mother. Our great gratitude is for the Christ, Truth, to be expressed by daily watchfulness over our own consciousness.

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Interesting Squibs

Volunteer's Gazette, Philadelphia Christian Science Journal, 1899

One remarkable feature connected with Bible study is this: Almost every incident recorded in its pages is continuously being enacted over and over again in every land, in every life. In every deed its every lesson is a living lesson, and though a deal of its teaching is conveyed through types, parables, and other similar means, yet so well has the Divine Wisdom chosen them, that every scene and picture there portrayed, has its story repeated today in the hearts, lives, and experiences of men and women, irrespective of race, creed, or clime.

Bible study is the metal that makes a Christian; this is the strong meat on which holy men are nourished; this is that which makes the bone and sinew of men who keep God’s way in defiance of every adversary.

He gives his angels charge over them who sleep,

But He Himself watches with those who wake.

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Current Articles

I was recently called for a work assignment in Chestnut Hill, Boston, near Longyear Museum. During my last week there, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum and also toured the last house Mrs. Eddy lived in before her passing in 1910.

The tour started with about six people, two of whom were not Christian Scientists but were interested in this great woman who did so many wonderful things in her time. The house is a grand, granite, rather imposing mansion. I was not surprised to see the very large kitchen, oversized parlors, and the faded beauty of some of the original wallpapers and carpets.

Most of us were anxious to see Mrs. Eddy’s bedroom. We toured the different rooms: the large dining room, the studies and rooms of the secretaries. Calvin Frye’s (who worked faithfully for 28 years) room and study were of particular interest to me, because I read in some of the biographies that Mrs. Eddy would at times call on some of her most spiritually minded workers to work metaphysically to support her when faced with certain challenges. Calvin Frye was often called upon to do such work; so it was interesting to see that his room was in closest proximity to Mrs. Eddy’s.

The chaise lounge she used in the evenings when she would look out and pray for the world was still in a room on the second floor, with large windows facing east. The dining room, other rooms used by Mrs. Eddy’s personal attendant, other workers and even the room where the seamstress made clothes for Mrs. Eddy and other household members, all gave a vivid insight into the daily life of this extraordinary woman.

The room of most interest and the one that had the most reaction from everyone was Mrs. Eddy’s bedroom. It was the size that got everyone talking. To see that in this huge mansion, her bedroom could only fit a bed and a dresser spoke volumes! Most of us questioned this and made our own conclusions. But what later dawned on me was the spiritual significance of the size of the room: All I could feel was that here was a truly selfless woman whose mission had never been to satisfy self. She gave up all for Christ; to the extent that even in her later years when money was abundant in her life, the size of her room summed up what her heart was after; laboring in complete obedience to God, not for self, but for the glory of God and to bless mankind.

My eyes well up thinking about her spirituality and the depth of her love for God and man. The tour brought the deepest respect, admiration, and love for Mrs. Eddy, for what she stood and fought for to bring the Comforter to mankind.

Such was her sacrifice; it makes me question what I am to do as my God-given part in this holy mission for God and mankind.

It is wonderful to discover the practical lessons taught in the Bible that enrich our lives today. The story of Abram and Lot helped me to raise my young nephew. My life experiences did not afford me the parenting skills needed to raise a child of my own. I realized early on that it would not be practical for me to do so. I left it up to God to decide when the time was right.

About seven years ago, my nephew came to live with me.

At first it was rough. He came into my home with a very destructive attitude, he refused to take any direction, and got into trouble in school. I realized I had to be very stern with him, but he needed more than constant discipline. I, myself, was angry and troubled and could not find the answers to the issues we were having.

Two years later, I came into Christian Science, through the teachings of the Plainfield Church, Independent, and everything changed for me. My practitioner worked with me, developing divine sense, and an understanding of divine Love. She helped me to overcome many problems and developed in me a higher sense of God. She pointed out to me the good that she saw in him, and taught me how to hold him in thought. In the process of my own healings and lessons, I was able to use the Science I was learning in a way that helped him to grow as well. Like Abram did for Lot, I placed him in God's hands, knowing that he had to learn the lesson of making the right choices in order to see the rewards.

Like Lot, he chose the path that appealed to him, and did not apply himself, thinking everything was going to be handed to him out of some kind of obligation. After graduating from high school, he began attending a local college and was forced to make it on his own. He soon found trouble lurking around every corner. He ran into some trouble with the law. I told him that it was his responsibility to handle it, since he had made the choice to drink and drive all on his own. He was angry at first that I did not make it easy for him; but as he went through the process of the courts, he found he was capable of managing his own affairs and realized his own accountability for his actions.

He has completed his first year of college and is working off his debts by doing landscaping and some construction work. I asked him if he knew why his behavior had changed. He said, “You never gave up on me. You held me accountable for my actions, and you made me work for what I need.” I told him that it was God who did all that for you and you need to be thankful for it.

Through Christian Science we both matured and our lives were changed for the better. We both have much more to learn, but at least now, we are on the right path.

I am deeply grateful to God, Mary Baker Eddy, and my practitioner, all of whom never gave up on me, held me accountable, and taught me the value of working for everything I have in God.

When I first came to Plainfield, I thought it was weird that Mrs. Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was referred to as "our textbook." As time went on, however, it became clear that the reason Christian Science is truly Science is because all that is taught is provable and repeatable, as long as we apply it correctly.

For many years, while trying to learn more about computers and design, I read only technical manuals and how-to books. During that time, I never read even one of those books with the mindset that this is only the opinion of the author. I always read these books with the intent of proving and repeating what was being taught — how I could make use of it in my profession.

Because of that — and all that I am learning here — I realized I needed to read Science and Health, not as Mrs. Eddy's thoughts or opinions, but more like a manual of how to live life correctly. Since making that change, the textbook has begun to open up for me so much more. I certainly have a lot left to learn, but now I feel I am making progress, instead of just preparing for a book report.

I am very grateful for the continued teaching here. It is amazing to me how little I knew, and how wrong I was about even that. Christian Science has brought me from misery to joy, from frustration to Love, and from uselessness to a life of purpose.

One thing the teachings here in Plainfield Church focus on is the importance of gratitude — that our hearts should be in a constant state of overflowing gratitude to God. After all, when understood correctly, everything we have is truly the result of God’s love and constant care.

While I previously thought I had, at least at times, a sense of gratitude, it was usually the result of something good or big happening. It was not just in humble appreciation for the daily supply, our daily bread that meets everyday needs as they arise. This supply is always provided, even when we don’t think, feel, or see that it is. Before joining this church, I also did not have much of an understanding of God. I had well learned the words, “God is All-in-all,” but I had no comprehension of what that really meant. As such, I did not see Him everywhere, as I am learning that, indeed, He is.

While my understanding still seems quite infantile to me, I can at least now attest that when I endeavor to keep my thoughts on Him, talk to Him, say thank you to Him, and acknowledge that all good comes from Him and only Him, the more I see Him. I am seeing God manifested in ways that I did not before.

Recently, this has been in the form of an unexpected resolution to a business problem. Then a thought caused me to discover that my wallet had fallen from my purse, before I even realized it was missing, and I was able to retrieve it safely. These examples, and more, may seem like small things, but they are good things, God things, that I am seeing now as evidence of God’s presence, His protection, care and active supply of good that meets our daily needs. We just need to make sure to keep that gratitude flowing!

A recent Bible Study on the True Vine helped me get a better understanding of the importance of remaining in the vine, and the need of “purging” and casting away the “old man.”

This purging may seem harsh, yet this process cannot be avoided. It is letting go of anything that inhibits our relationship with God, and it cannot be done through human effort. “No branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine.” Jesus imparted this lesson before he left his disciples, to comfort them and teach them the need of having a close relationship with God by following the precepts he taught. Jesus pointed them to the Christ which animated him. The Christ nourishes us, and the laws go into our inward parts.

In the past, I sought the fruit of the Spirit for personal profit and to make my little corner of the world more comfortable. Now I know that, if my thinking becomes inward, I am no longer abiding or attached to Him. This expanded my understanding of the need for unselfed living in order to practice Christian Science.

Our mission is to glorify our Father, and we can’t help but be blessed by the fruits of the Spirit when we freely share with all mankind. I read, “A church (or Christian) is not to be an isolated hothouse, but a garden in the midst of the world.” As was said during the class, a place should be better for your having passed by.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23)

About ten years ago, New Jersey was hit by a very severe storm. The forecast was for very heavy rain and very heavy winds. As soon as our teacher, Mrs. Evans, heard the forecast, she encouraged every member to pray for the safety of everyone; knowing that God does not send storms.

We prayed earnestly. The next day the storm came and went. There were several communities in New Jersey that lost trees and electric power for several hours, but the church and the communities that the members of the church lived in did not have any damage, nor did they suffer the loss of electricity.

I will never forget that experience; I was so grateful to God for His protection. It proved to me once again that when you are doing God’s work faithfully, He protects that work, and He protects those who are doing it.

I was so grateful to our teacher for the instruction to always turn to God for protection, to turn to God for anything and everything, and then expect it. I am grateful to Mary Baker Eddy for giving us the Science of Christianity, and for explaining that there are laws that govern our lives and the universe that we can count on when we are living in obedience to them.

The Bible is full of wonderful treasures that have been put there for a divine purpose, and for our use. When understood, made our own, and prayed with, they produce growth, guidance, and healing.

One, Jeremiah 31:33, says, “I will put my law in their inward parts.” Think of it — the law of God is in our very inward parts! So, everything within our being — our organs, bones, blood, etc. — is controlled by God’s law. And this law of God is not like human law that can be broken and disobeyed, it’s like the law of gravity; it just is.

This has helped me many times when I might wake up at night with some pain or not feeling well. Declaring that the law of God is in my inward parts, whatever the discomfort might be, brings a feeling of peace and security, and it heals. Nothing can be out of order or out of balance, because the law of God regulates every bit of our being.

When working on a project, I often remember that God’s law is working in the inward parts of that project, that every detail has to revolve around that law in perfect harmony, it has to abide by that law, and the final outcome has to operate according to the law of God.

And in government, God’s law is in the inward parts of those behind-the-scenes negotiations and dealings that few actually see — but God sees every bit of it, and every bit of it has got to be in obedience to His law, for the good of mankind.

In everything, no matter what it might be, the law of God is in the inward parts, adjusting, regulating, harmonizing, and bringing about a solution that can only bless!

In her book No and Yes, Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Ever-present Love must seem ever absent to ever-present selfishness or material sense.” I can say from my own experience, that the combination of fear and selfishness kept me from feeling ever-present Love. I am grateful for a practitioner who rebuked the selfish, inward thinking, that no one else had addressed before. At first perhaps I did not like it. My pride was hurt, but I knew I needed it and it helped me grow, as it always will when it is taken in the spirit of love in which it is given.

I often think how Mrs. Eddy set up a Bible Lesson twice a year on everlasting punishment. My definition of everlasting punishment would be, ever-present selfishness. Selfishness is not our friend. I am so grateful to this church, where we have so many avenues in which we can freely forget self in working for God, because that is truly our salvation.

Mrs. Eddy has written, “Truth is as ‘the still, small voice,’ which comes to our recognition only as our natures are changed by its silent influence.” (No & Yes) That still, small voice is only recognized as our natures are changed by its silent influence. That is the way of holiness.

Getting rid of selfishness is one of the ways we gain this, and another is to let ourselves be changed by this silent influence within us. That is God speaking quietly within us. The more we do this, the more we are enabled to hear His voice, and the more we change, and our spiritual sense of all things increases.

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How I Found Plainfield Church, and How It Has Changed My Life

Betty from California

Years ago I was going back to college to get a teaching credential when my mother gave me a copy of the Plainfield Church magazine, then called Healing Thoughts.

I am going to back up a bit here to say that I had been raised in Christian Science and went to Sunday School and felt that it, Christian Science, was true; but I also felt a lot of guilt — like I wasn’t good enough. So by the time I was in my 20s I just stopped going to church.

Anyway, back to getting the Healing Thoughts magazine. When I read it I thought, “This is how Christian Science is supposed to be!” There was lots of love and truth in it and, best of all, no guilt!

I got the Plainfield Quarterly and began studying the Plainfield Lesson Sermons. It was wonderful! Not long after, I joined the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, with no hesitation — and haven’t looked back. This church changed my life so much for the better! Thank you, Plainfield Church.

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Letters of Gratitude

Thank you for the lively, joyful Christmas Eve program. My husband and I were grateful to join in your candlelight service on YouTube. The beautiful music, inspirational readings, the little boy, Darios, raising his angelic voice, and the robust Hallelujah Chorus created a memorable Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

I was looking for a new place to live, and the house I found was perfect. But a neighbor told me that another neighbor argues, fights, and has loud parties.

Peace is very important to me, and I want to feel the peaceful presence of God all the time. I turned to God and what I’ve learned in Christian Science. I declared the neighbor is loving and kind and didn’t want to fight with anyone. I trusted God to direct my way. I went to see the house and I was told that the neighbor who had been disruptive had moved. I knew God was at work.

I moved in, and it is very peaceful. Today I heard through the wall a woman beautifully singing in the most angelic voice. I felt so loved by God! He knows all of our needs and what makes us happy and comfortable.

It is wonderful to live in a home governed by God’s love.

The other night I came from work disturbed about the attitude displayed by one of my co-workers. While reading, Mary Baker Eddy’s Six Days of Revelations compiled by Richard Oakes, I came across a statement that, in essence, said to see man as God sees him. As I thought about this, the fog lifted. The next day all the hostility was gone.

I have so much to be grateful for. When there is a problem, I can go to God for the answer.

Thank you to my practitioner for her loving and patient support and to the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent for all they have given me and the world. Most of all thank you to Mary Baker Eddy for her dedication and love for giving us Christian Science, our Comforter.

I would like to express my gratitude for the weekly Bible Lessons. It feels like having a conversation with God. The way they lead thought from one idea to another so perfectly and seamlessly, is truly inspiring and obviously a gift from God. It demonstrates how important these Lessons are for our growth.

I am continually awed by how timely these weekly Lessons are to world events and the interconnectedness they have with each other. On top of that, these priceless Lessons are offered free each week online, along with volunteers reading them.

Thank you, Plainfield, for this gift to the world.

It is with boundless gratitude that I write to you today. The ability to attend as well as participate from across the miles in the Bible Studies, Watches, Roundtables, Sunday services, Wednesday evening meetings, and website offerings of this vibrant church is truly meeting the needs of those who wish to attend a church promoting Mary Baker Eddy’s pure Christian Science, as well as hungry hearts around the world simply seeking the Truth.

It is truly wonderful and uplifting that the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent not only exists, but is truly thriving in Plainfield and “virtually.”

Please find enclosed our heartfelt contribution to help support this immensely important work and outreach.

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Testimonies of Healing

From T. D. in Iowa

A few years ago I was diagnosed with a mental illness, specifically called schizophrenia. I would hear voices in my head, and I had problems functioning normally.

Through the practitioner’s prayers, and through being able to call her frequently for help, and also getting help from this church, I no longer hear the voices. They don’t come to me anymore. I am very grateful for that, the freedom of mind, and to be free of that because it was very hard to deal with. It is not coming anymore and I was able to stop taking the medication for it.

I am grateful for the website. I have a new phone now, and I can look at the website. I have been looking at all the material on there, and it is very helpful.

From D. D. in Georgia

One Saturday recently I experienced stomach pain and nausea the whole day, which made it almost impossible for me to eat, drink, or even move around for most of the day. I was to read from Science and Health during the next day’s service; and due to the severity of the discomfort and the significant timing of it, it was clear to me that it was aggressive mental suggestion trying to stop me from doing my work for God.

Throughout the day, I mentally repeated the passage from Science and Health, which begins: “When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.”

My mother also gave me the following rules for overcoming animal magnetism, given by Mrs. Eddy, to work with:

(1) see what it is trying to do, (2) know that it cannot do it, and (3) see that it is not done.

I worked through Saturday night, with little sleep, and by Sunday morning, I was up, healed, and ready to read.

I am so grateful for the truth that we are finding in this church, and for all of the specific instructions that we are given to be able to stand up to the claims of error, with confidence, in order to claim our victory.

I'm so grateful to know that it is our right to plead “not guilty!” when being accused by the aggressive claims of mortality.

From L. L. in Ohio

Over the weekend I needed to run errands during this extremely cold weather. I was very grateful when my car started right up, so I drove off to the store.

While I was in the store shopping, I began to feel the symptoms of chest pains and nausea. I called my practitioner, who calmly claimed my unchanging perfection, assuring me that God was right there. A sense of peace and gratitude swept over me, and I finished all my shopping and got home early, completely free of pain.

I am so grateful to my practitioner for this wonderful healing, and for all the help that she has given me. My understanding is growing, thanks to practitioner help and what Plainfield offers.

From C. H. in Pennsylvania

I would like to share a healing that happened due to the loving atmosphere found at this church.

Not long ago, I experienced a headache. Another church member told me that, after praying, a headache they had experienced went away. We talked for a little while, and as I was walking away, I realized that the pain in my head had vanished! How grateful I was, and still am, for this healing! I realized that the other member was seeing me right and would not accept a lie about any of God’s perfect children.

I give thanks for the Wednesday evening testimony meetings, where we give all the credit to God, then share, love, and support one another, not just here in this holy edifice, but with all the world.

From E. S. in Georgia

I am grateful for something that has come to the surface to be healed.

Recently I noticed some alarming symptoms in my body. I immediately called a practitioner in the church, and she agreed to pray for me. I told the practitioner I was concerned because my mother had passed away from a very aggressive form of cancer. And because of this, my husband has always held that concern for me as well.

The practitioner told me that what needed to be healed was the mesmeric suggestion I had been holding that this had happened to my mother, that in reality it was a bad dream that she had awakened from and was light years ahead now in her understanding. If it wasn’t good, it didn’t happen in divine Mind. Also, that my heritage, and her heritage, can only come from God, it has not been passed down humanly. As Mrs. Eddy states in Science and Health, “In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry.”

I worked with those ideas and also that nothing can invade my being because my being, my life, is in God, always has been, and all good comes from Him. It was a difficult weekend because I was in pain, and I didn’t seem able to overcome the fear. So, with the practitioner’s continued support, an appointment was made to have it checked. It turned out to be a minor problem that could be cleared up and I was told it was nothing to be concerned about.

I am most grateful for the work of the practitioner, who helped me see the lurking error in my thought that needed to be exterminated – that this had happened to my mother and could thus happen to me – a belief of human inheritance. This suggestion is something I will be more vigilant in refuting from now on. Mrs. Eddy also says: “Heredity is a prolific subject for mortal belief to pin theories upon; but if we learn that nothing is real but the right, we shall have no dangerous inheritances, and fleshly ills will disappear.”

From W. B. in New Mexico

I called a practitioner from the Plainfield Church to ask her to treat my mother, who is 102 years of age, who suffered a broken hip. She since has had surgery and has received a clean bill of health from her doctor. We are very happy with her healing and thankful for the practitioner’s prayers.

I study the weekly Lessons that I receive in the mail, since I don’t have Internet access. Whenever I have the opportunity, I go to the Lesson Forum to read other members’ comments on the weekly Lessons. I find this interesting and helpful. I also find an abundance of reading (study) material, like Bicknell Young and others, to enhance my understanding of Christian Science and Mrs. Eddy’s writings on your website.

For the record, I am class taught and was a member of a branch church. I felt I did all the church activities I could, but stagnated. Hence I left the branch church and explored the Internet until I came across the Plainfield website. Again, thank you.

From L. R. in Massachusetts

I am very thankful for what I am learning at this Church. It is amazing.

A few weeks ago I was experiencing some limitation and pain while walking. I asked my practitioner for some help, and within two weeks this issue was healed with no trace of it ever being present. The practitioner recommended memorizing the hymn, “I Walk with Love Along the Way” whenever I go for walks, or anytime I was walking. I gladly did this. She also asked me to work with the article “Body” by Mary Baker Eddy. Several times I heard voices telling me, “O, you should get it checked out. You may be creating a worse problem by not getting it checked.” Each time I answered back with, “God is body, God is my body and God is the only body. This body is spiritual, not material.” During this time my practitioner was helping me to see that this work is not about me; it is about God.

The practitioner also instructed me that the time for gratitude is now. I was not to wait for something to happen to be grateful, but to be grateful here and now. Soon after, I was reading the morning Lesson, and I felt such gratitude well up in me and I wanted to share it, so I got on the website and expressed gratitude. Something felt different in me and in my body, and I could tell that something had shifted. From that moment the limitation became less and less until it was completely gone.

I so appreciate the love and patience of the practitioner, all the resources offered by this church, the posts by everyone on this website, and Mary Baker Eddy for her love and devotion to God and mankind.

From L. L. in New Jersey

My dentist’s office called me in December a year ago, and said that I should have a particular tooth extracted, but that I could wait until after the holidays. I said I’d wait.

Every time I prayed about it, the thought “No, don’t do it” kept coming to me. Two months later, I went for a regular 6-month checkup. Before going I got help from a practitioner. First I was reminded that my teeth are rooted and grounded in Love. Then I was given a couple of articles to study, as well as a statement from Science and Health: “Mind is the master of the corporeal senses, and can conquer sickness, sin, and death. Exercise this God-given authority. Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.”

I went for the dental exam, and at the end I was told everything was fine. There was no problem. I just couldn’t stop thanking God for his love and care. As soon as I left the dentist's office, I called the practitioner to share this wonderful news.

I thank God for bringing me to this church, and for the wonderful life I have here and for the opportunity to help other people.

From J. D. in Arizona

A while ago, I discovered a hernia while showering. It was approximately the size of a lemon. I called a practitioner from our church and asked for help. Little was said of it during the next several days.

Recently, again while showering, I discovered the hernia was completely gone! I immediately called the practitioner to tell of this rapid and complete healing. The home-aid who helps me with my showering was informed of the healing and the reply was, “I noted that it was gone on Monday.” While we are absent from the body healing is accomplished. I am most grateful for this rapid healing.

Message to The Mother Church, 1902

Six weeks I waited on God to suggest a name for the book I had been writing. Its title, Science and Health, came to me in the silence of night, when the steadfast stars watched over the world, — when slumber had fled, — and I rose and recorded the hallowed suggestion. The following day I showed it to my literary friends, who advised me to drop both the book and the title. To this, however, I gave no heed, feeling sure that God had led me to write that book, and had whispered that name to my waiting hope and prayer. It was to me the “still, small voice” that came to Elijah after the earthquake and the fire. Six months thereafter Miss Dorcas Rawson of Lynn brought to me Wyclif’s translation of the New Testament, and pointed out that identical phrase, “Science and Health,” which is rendered in the Authorized Version “knowledge of salvation.” This was my first inkling of Wyclif’s use of that combination of words, or of their rendering. To-day I am the happy possessor of a copy of Wyclif, the invaluable gift of two Christian Scientists, — Mr. W. Nicholas Miller, K.C., and Mrs. F. L. Miller, of London, England.

When first the dawn burst on his sight

He felt his being filled with light.

He looked at all before him spread

And owed that he would raise the dead,

Wrench gates of hell from off their bars

And laugh and fling them at the stars.

The years passed by; no dead were raised.

No mighty wonders, man-appraised,

Rewarded him. Hell’s gates remained,

Unshaken by hopes once entertained.

The light still shown, but with less fire

Than flamed his ardent first desire.

His thoughts turned to the little deeds,

The common tasks of meeting needs.

He lifted up a fallen child

And wiped her tears until she smiled.

He helped a tired and burdened crone,

Someone whom he had never known.

He sat beside a dying friend

And gave him courage till the end,

Then sought to soothe the aching heart

Of her who felt grief’s sting and smart—

To say a word, put forth a hand,

Or just be still and understand.

And years of living to be kind

Brought greater love and peace of mind.

He learned to serve within his place,

Growing in gentleness and grace.

And, being forgotten, the gates of hell

In their own weakness toppled and fell.

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Broadcast the Truth

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