Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (universal ebook reader .TXT) 📖

>form comprehensible by and adapted to the thought of 147:1 the age in which we live. This system enables the

learner to demonstrate the divine Principle, 147:3 upon which Jesus’ healing was based, and

the sacred rules for its present application to the cure of

disease.

147:6 Late in the nineteenth century I demonstrated the divine

rules of Christian Science. They were submitted to the

broadest practical test, and everywhere, when honestly ap-147:9 plied under circumstances where demonstration was humanly possible, this Science showed that Truth had lost

none of its divine and healing efficacy, even though cen-147:12 turies had passed away since Jesus practised these rules

on the hills of Judaea and in the valleys of Galilee.

 

Perusal and practice

 

Although this volume contains the complete Science of 147:15 Mind-healing, never believe that you can absorb the whole

meaning of the Science by a simple perusal

of this book. The book needs to be studied, 147:18 and the demonstration of the rules of scientific healing

will plant you firmly on the spiritual groundwork of

Christian Science. This proof lifts you high above the 147:21 perishing fossils of theories already antiquated, and enables you to grasp the spiritual facts of being hitherto

unattained and seemingly dim.

 

A definite rule discovered

147:24 Our Master healed the sick, practised Christian healing, and taught the generalities of its divine Principle to

his students; but he left no definite rule for 147:27 demonstrating this Principle of healing and

preventing disease. This rule remained to be discovered

in Christian Science. A pure affection takes form in good-147:30 ness, but Science alone reveals the divine Principle of

goodness and demonstrates its rules.

 

Jesus’ own practice

 

Jesus never spoke of disease as dangerous or as difficult 148:1 to heal. When his students brought to him a case they

had failed to heal, he said to them, “O faithless gen-148:3 eration,” implying that the requisite power

to heal was in Mind. He prescribed no drugs,

urged no obedience to material laws, but acted in direct 148:6 disobedience to them.

 

The man of anatomy and of theology

 

Neither anatomy nor theology has ever described man

as created by Spirit, - as God’s man. The former ex-148:9 plains the men of men, or the “children of

men,” as created corporeally instead of spiritually and as emerging from the lowest, in-148:12 stead of from the highest, conception of being. Both

anatomy and theology define man as both physical and

mental, and place mind at the mercy of matter for every 148:15 function, formation, and manifestation. Anatomy takes

up man at all points materially. It loses Spirit, drops the

true tone, and accepts the discord. Anatomy and the-148:18 ology reject the divine Principle which produces harmonious man, and deal - the one wholly, the other primarily

- with matter, calling that man which is not the counter-148:21 part, but the counterfeit, of God’s man. Then theology

tries to explain how to make this man a Christian, - how

from this basis of division and discord to produce the con-148:24 cord and unity of Spirit and His likeness.

 

Physiology deficient

 

Physiology exalts matter, dethrones Mind, and claims

to rule man by material law, instead of spiritual. When 148:27 physiology fails to give health or life by this

process, it ignores the divine Spirit as unable

or unwilling to render help in time of physical need. 148:30 When mortals sin, this ruling of the schools leaves them

to the guidance of a theology which admits God to be

the healer of sin but not of sickness, although our great 149:1 Master demonstrated that Truth could save from sickness

as well as from sin.

 

Blunders and blunderers

149:3 Mind as far outweighs drugs in the cure of disease as

in the cure of sin. The more excellent way is divine

Science in every case. Is materia medica a 149:6 science or a bundle of speculative human

theories? The prescription which succeeds in one instance fails in another, and this is owing to the different 149:9 mental states of the patient. These states are not comprehended and they are left without explanation except

in Christian Science. The rule and its perfection of opera-149:12 tion never vary in Science. If you fail to succeed in any

case, it is because you have not demonstrated the life of

Christ, Truth, more in your own life, - because you have 149:15 not obeyed the rule and proved the Principle of divine

Science.

 

Old-school physician

 

A physician of the old school remarked with great 149:18 gravity: “We know that mind affects the body somewhat, and advise our patients to be hopeful

and cheerful and to take as little medicine as 149:21 possible; but mind can never cure organic difficulties.”

The logic is lame, and facts contradict it. The author

has cured what is termed organic disease as readily as she 149:24 has cured purely functional disease, and with no power

but the divine Mind.

 

Tests in our day

 

Since God, divine Mind, governs all, not partially but 149:27 supremely, predicting disease does not dignify therapeutics.

Whatever guides thought spiritually benefits

mind and body. We need to understand the 149:30 affirmations of divine Science, dismiss superstition, and

demonstrate truth according to Christ. To-day there

is hardly a city, village, or hamlet, in which are not to 150:1 be found living witnesses and monuments to the virtue

and power of Truth, as applied through this Christian 150:3 system of healing disease.

 

The main purpose

 

To-day the healing power of Truth is widely demonstrated as an immanent, eternal Science, instead of a 150:6 phenomenal exhibition. Its appearing is the

coming anew of the gospel of “on earth peace,

good-will toward men.” This coming, as was promised 150:9 by the Master, is for its establishment as a permanent

dispensation among men; but the mission of Christian

Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, 150:12 is not primarily one of physical healing. Now, as then,

signs and wonders are wrought in the metaphysical healing of physical disease; but these signs are only to demon-150:15 strate its divine origin, - to attest the reality of the higher

mission of the Christ-power to take away the sins of the

world.

 

Exploded doctrine

150:18 The science (so-called) of physics would have one believe that both matter and mind are subject to disease,

and that, too, in spite of the individual’s pro-150:21 test and contrary to the law of divine Mind.

This human view infringes man’s free moral agency; and

it is as evidently erroneous to the author, and will be to 150:24 all others at some future day, as the practically rejected

doctrine of the predestination of souls to damnation or

salvation. The doctrine that man’s harmony is gov-150:27 erned by physical conditions all his earthly days, and that

he is then thrust out of his own body by the operation of

matter, - even the doctrine of the superiority of matter 150:30 over Mind, - is fading out.

 

Disease mental

 

The hosts of AEsculapius are flooding the world with

diseases, because they are ignorant that the human mind 151:1 and body are myths. To be sure, they sometimes treat

the sick as if there was but one factor in the case; but 151:3 this one factor they represent to be body, not

mind. Infinite Mind could not possibly create

a remedy outside of itself, but erring, finite, human mind 151:6 has an absolute need of something beyond itself for its

redemption and healing.

 

Intentions respected

 

Great respect is due the motives and philanthropy of 151:9 the higher class of physicians. We know that if they understood the Science of Mind-healing, and were

in possession of the enlarged power it confers 151:12 to benefit the race physically and spiritually, they would

rejoice with us. Even this one reform in medicine would

ultimately deliver mankind from the awful and oppres-151:15 sive bondage now enforced by false theories, from which

multitudes would gladly escape.

 

Man governed by Mind

 

Mortal belief says that death has been occasioned by 151:18 fright. Fear never stopped being and its action. The

blood, heart, lungs, brain, etc., have nothing

to do with Life, God. Every function of the 151:21 real man is governed by the divine Mind. The human

mind has no power to kill or to cure, and it has no com—

trol over God’s man. The divine Mind that made man 151:24 maintain His own image and likeness. The human

mind is opposed to God and must be put off, as St. Paul

declares. All that really exists is the divine Mind and 151:27 its idea, and in this Mind the entire being is found harmonious and eternal. The straight and narrow way is to

see and acknowledge this fact, yield to this power, and 151:30 follow the leadings of truth.

 

Mortal mind dethroned

 

That mortal mind claims to govern every organ of the

mortal body, we have overwhelming proof. But this so-152:1 called mind is a myth, and must by its own consent yield

to Truth. It would wield the sceptre of a monarch, but 152:3 it is powerless. The immortal divine Mind

takes away all its supposed sovereignty, and

saves mortal mind from itself. The author has endeavored 152:6 to make this book the AEsculapius of mind as well as of

body, that it may give hope to the sick and heal them,

although they know not how the work is done. Truth 152:9 has a healing effect, even when not fully understood.

 

All activity from thought

 

Anatomy describes muscular action as produced by

mind in one instance and not in another. Such errors 152:12 beset every material theory, in which one

statement contradicts another over and over

again. It is related that Sir Humphry Davy once ap-152:15 parently cured a case of paralysis simply by introducing

a thermometer into the patient’s mouth. This he did

merely to ascertain the temperature of the patient’s body; 152:18 but the sick man supposed this ceremony was intended

to heal him, and he recovered accordingly. Such a fact

illustrates our theories.

 

The author’s experiments in medicine

152:21 The author’s medical researches and experiments had

prepared her thought for the metaphysics of Christian

Science. Every material dependence had 152:24 failed her in her search for truth; and she can

now understand why, and can see the means

by which mortals are divinely driven to a spiritual source 152:27 for health and happiness.

 

Homoeopathic attenuations

 

Her experiments in homoeopathy had made her skeptical as to material curative methods. Jahr, from 152:30 Aconitum to Zincum oxydatum, enumerates

the general symptoms, the characteristic

signs, which demand different remedies; but the drug 153:1 is frequently attenuated to such a degree that not a vestige of it remains. Thus we learn that it is not the drug 153:3 which expels the disease or changes one of the symptoms

of disease.

 

Only salt and water

 

The author has attenuated Natrum muriaticum (com-153:6 mon table-salt) until there was not a single saline property

left. The salt had “lost his savour;” and yet,

with one drop of that attenuation in a goblet of 153:9 water, and a teaspoonful of the water administered at intervals of three hours, she has cured a patient sinking in

the last stage of typhoid fever. The highest attenuation 153:12 of homoeopathy and the most potent rises above matter into

mind. This discovery leads to more light. From it may

be learned that either human faith or the divine Mind is 153:15 the healer and that there is no efficacy in a drug.

 

Origin of pain

 

You say a boil is painful; but that is impossible, for

matter without mind is not painful. The boil simply 153:18 manifests, through inflammation and swelling, a belief