Arthur P. Wuth, C.S.B., of
Denver, Colorado
Member of the Board of Lectureship of The
Mother Church,
The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts
There is no legitimate human need that God does not supply, Arthur P. Wuth, C.S.B., of Denver, Colo., said last night in a lecture in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.
Speaking on "Christian Science: The Answer to the Human Need," Mr. Wuth declared that man's real need is not for material things but for practical understanding of spiritual values.
Through prayer — based on a correct understanding of God and of man's spiritual relationship to Him — he said, solutions are found for problems of every kind, including disease, lack, fear, and loneliness.
On extended tour as a member of The Christian Science Board of Lectureship, he was introduced by Arnold H. Exo, C.S.B., First Reader of The Mother Church.
The lecturer spoke substantially as follows:
People everywhere have a sincere conviction that right eventually prevails over wrong, that in time the things that are good and true gain dominion over evil and falsehood. There is a reason for this: Right, or righteousness, is a divine quality. It comes from God. The Bible describes Him as "a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut. 32:4). Because right comes from God, it is real and enduring. Evil and falsehood could never come from God. That is why they are temporal, unreal. They have no genuine reality because they are not true.
This conviction, that right will prevail, is related to our subject, "Christian Science: The Answer to the Human Need," for it is this conviction which supports the opinion of mankind that there is a correct solution to every problem, a right answer to every question.
Christian Science brings to us all the comforting reassurance of Scripture that "with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26). Christian Science is the answer to the human need because it shows how to understand God, and from that understanding apply what is needful in resolving the problems which confront us. Christian Science reveals the genuine worth of man, his decency, honesty, and integrity, thus confirming the conviction that the instinctive faith in the eventual triumph of right is a realistic and natural one. Christian Science shows that every problem does have a correct solution, every question does have a right answer. And by its fruits Christian Science makes plain there is no legitimate human need that God does not supply.
In this discussion let us examine more closely these three essential points: first, what is meant by the human need? Second, if an understanding of God is essential, what does that understanding include? And third, how does one apply that understanding?
Consider now the first point, what is meant by the human need? Is it the need for material things, the things that people think they want, the conveniences and luxuries of our day? Never in the history of mankind have people been so abundantly provided with material things as they are in many parts of the world right now. But is it not apparent that things in themselves, as wonderful as they are, do not reduce the incidence of sickness, disease, and suffering, let alone remove them from human experience? Modern conveniences may speed the tempo of today's living, but they cannot heal its pressure nor reduce its casualties. Often they contribute to them. Frustration, fear, insecurity, tension, worry — these remain, and lead to sickness and disease, in spite of the material things we enjoy. Is not freedom from wrong influences the human need?
Enslaving habits and sinful temptations continue to plague mankind. Freedom from these is an essential part of the human need, and material things, even in abundance, provide no answer.
There is today an almost universal yearning for peace of mind, for love and understanding. All too common in human experience is the feeling of loneliness, of not being wanted, of being out of place or nonessential. Conflict in human relationships, maladjustments at work, at home, and in society are all too prevalent. They define the human need.
Now this does not mean that material things are wrong, and are therefore to be discarded or condemned. It does mean that they are not the avenues through which we can attain health, peace of mind, joy, and constructive living. They do not help us find our real purpose in life. When rightly used, material things may aid us in performing our tasks. They can even give us greater leisure time, if we do not allow them to complicate our way of living. But when they are perverted, when they become not only a means to an end but the end itself, they impede rather than sustain our progress. For example, one of mankind's most recent discoveries, atomic energy, can be the greatest boon in freeing humanity from many limitations, if used constructively. But if perverted, if used as a tool of aggression and domination, it assumes terrifying proportions. The safety of civilization itself would seem to be in danger.
The answer to the human need is found, then, not in material things, but in the cultivation of those values which are regarded as spiritual, values which have their source exclusively in God, and which we can comprehend only as we understand Him and apply that understanding in daily living.
Let me give you an illustration of what I mean by this. A young man had finished his second year at the university but needed a job to earn funds to continue his education. He did not give much thought to the spiritual values involved. A job was a job, important primarily for the things it could provide. He applied to a company where he thought his qualifications were needed. Days passed with no decision, and then he was asked to apply again. More time elapsed, but he was put off. He requested the aid of friends, believing that personal influence might help. Meanwhile time was drawing short, and he feared he would not be able to earn enough to return to school. So he bluntly asked for a decision and was turned down. The rejection caused him to realize what he had been doing, and in humility he turned his thought to God. He had been reared in the Christian Science Sunday School, and he had learned there that God supplies man's needs. In prayer he turned away from the job as the answer, from people with influence, and from what he had regarded as his own personal abilities, and reaffirmed the spiritual values which have their source in God. He realized the truth of Jesus' admonition (Matt. 6:33), "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Very shortly his need was met.
A position opened with another company, and he was put to work immediately. Relations with that company continued profitably throughout his university experience and for a number of years thereafter. When intent on seeking things there was no answer, but when he put God first, sought that which is right, the answer came.
This brings us to the second point in our discussion: since an understanding of God is essential to answering the human need, what does that understanding include? The Bible is most revealing in defining God for us. St. John speaks of God as love. Moses referred to Him as a God of truth. David called Him a God of righteousness. Jesus said, "God is a Spirit" (John 4:24). Elsewhere the Scriptures round out our concept of God by speaking of His mind and His soul; by declaring that He pitieth as a father and comforteth as a mother; that He is the only creator; that He made all things good, and that without Him nothing was made.
Through careful study of the Bible and through reason and revelation, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer: and Founder of Christian Science, clearly discerned the nature of God, and in defining His nature she uses seven synonymous terms. These terms all stand for God and are interchangeable, yet each term greatly aids the student in understanding God.
The seven synonymous terms are directly referred to or implied in the Scriptures. These terms are Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love.
Let us consider each of them briefly from the standpoint of the human need. Mind as a term for God obviously stands for intelligence, consciousness, the source of all true ideas. If you were suffering from sickness or disease you could turn immediately to God as Mind, realizing that there must be only one Mind for there is only one God. The divine Mind could be conscious only of its own creation, the creation which is wholly good. You would find that you couldn't have a sickly mind, a mind conscious of sickness, because God is the only Mind there is. Mrs. Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," the Christian Science textbook (p. 469), "The exterminator of error is the great truth that God, good, is the only Mind, and that the supposititious opposite of infinite Mind — called devil or evil — is not Mind, is not Truth, but error, without intelligence or reality."
Spirit as a term for God gives its own special insight into the nature of true substance, that which is lasting and enduring, that which is ever present and all-inclusive. You cannot be separated from His presence, for no matter where you are, God, Spirit, is there. Disease claims to be the absence of God, ever-present good, but God can never be absent. As we read in Psalms (139:7,8); "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there."
Love as a name for God plainly points to His tender understanding, His perfect kindness. Love is the antidote to fear. If you are fearful of disease because of its so-called effects, you can destroy the fear by understanding God as Love. Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 574), "The very circumstance, which your suffering sense deems wrathful and afflictive, Love can make an angel entertained unawares."
A friend of mine had an experience which illustrates this quotation. I would like to share it with you. A young mother, preparing a meal, opened the oven door of her gas range. The oven exploded, burning her face and hair. Shocked and frightened, she threw her apron over her head and ran into an adjoining room where her two-year-old daughter was sitting in a high chair. "God is Love," exclaimed the child, and this simple, reassuring statement of God's great love for His children to meet their every need, even in emergency, calmed the mother so that she, herself, was able to turn confidently to God for help. The child had attended a Christian Science Sunday School on two previous Sundays, and she had already learned something of the import of God's love for His children. The mother continued her prayerful work in Christian Science and was completely healed.
Soul is a word for God which represents in its own special way the warmth, light, beauty, and perfection of His nature. When sickness or disease tempts you, you can turn quickly to face the sunshine of God's presence, just as a flower turns to the sunlight, and feel the healing presence of God as Soul. Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 310): "The sun is not affected by the revolution of the earth. So Science reveals Soul as God, untouched by sin and death, — as the central Life and intelligence around which circle harmoniously all things in the systems of Mind."
Truth as a synonym for God signifies spiritual reality, all that is factual, absolutely real. There are no mistakes in Truth, no errors, no defections. Speaking of Truth, Mrs. Eddy has written (ibid., p. 495): "If sickness is true or the idea of Truth, you cannot destroy sickness, and it would be absurd to try. Then classify sickness and error as our Master did, when he spoke of the sick, 'whom Satan hath bound,' and find a sovereign antidote for error in the life-giving power of Truth acting on human belief, a power which opens the prison doors to such as are bound, and sets the captive free physically and morally."
Life, in turn, takes on a bright new meaning for us when we see it as identical with God. Life, then, in its real nature, is not limited or perishable, and this is the divine Life in which "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28), to use the words of the Apostle Paul — the life which is ours to experience and express. By recognizing their unity with Life as God, individuals who have turned to Christian Science for help have been healed of heart disease, of injuries suffered in accidents, and other distressing conditions, sometimes regarded as incurable. Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 228), "The transmission of disease or of certain idiosyncrasies of mortal mind would be impossible if this great fact of being were learned, — namely, that nothing inharmonious can enter being, for Life is God."
Principle is a synonym for God which expresses His unchangeableness. God is constant. He knows no variableness. Principle has no "shadow of turning." You can rely on it safely, confidently, anywhere, any time. Speaking of this, Mrs. Eddy has written (Science and Health, pp. 470, 471), "The relations of God and man, divine Principle and idea, are indestructible in Science; and Science knows no lapse from nor return to harmony, but holds the divine order or spiritual law, in which God and all that He creates are perfect and eternal, to have remained unchanged in its eternal history."
We have very briefly touched upon the seven synonyms for God. Even though interchangeable, you can see how each of them amplifies and enlarges one's concept of Deity. They bring to light the divine qualities. To really know God, His qualities must be understood. We must think them, understand them, and bring them into our experience. They are all indicated in the Bible, and through the Christian Science textbook, which is a key to the Scriptures, their full meaning is revealed. They hold the answer to all human need.
Now the lack and limitation responsible for the human need, including all the phases of sin, disease, and death, Christian Science defines as unreal, a term that is not always understood. They are unreal, we say, because God did not make them. They are unreal because they are not enduring, not eternal. They are but mistakes, and by that we mean mistaken concepts of man's real being as a child of God. They are corrected, and our need is supplied, as we turn to God and endeavor to understand Him. There is no reality in the simple mistake in addition that two plus two equals five. But the mistake may seem very real until we turn with understanding to the rules of arithmetic which correct it. Every human sense of lack is like that. Some such conditions are more complex than others, but all are unreal from the standpoint of God's allness. As we unite with Him, we see that no wrong can prevail against His righteousness.
Now Christian Science does not regard man as a physical mortal, for if that were the truth about man, nothing could be done to answer the human need. Instead, Christian Science declares that man is immortal, and here, again, it adheres to the truth concerning man found in the Bible. The Scriptures state that man is created in the image and likeness of God (see Gen. 1:26,27), that he is the child of God, a witness of God.
Now the image of God, Spirit, must be spiritual, mustn't he? The likeness of God, divine Love, must be the very expression of Love, not fearful, lonely, unwanted. The child of God, who is Truth, must be the very example of truthfulness, justice, righteousness. A witness of God, Mind, must be intelligent, wise, conscious of God's harmonious government. The offspring of God, Soul, must express beauty, perfection, spiritual discernment. The sons and daughters of God, divine Principle, must be known for their integrity, and dependability. The man of God's creating must express the Life that is God, Life that knows no incapacity, separation, death. This man, called in the Bible the new man, the immortal, the incorruptible, is your true selfhood and mine, and Mrs. Eddy clearly defines this man, the man that we really are, as "The compound idea of infinite Spirit; the spiritual image and likeness of God; the full representation of Mind" (Science and Health, p. 591). She explains that man is the reflection of God, the expression of His being, which means that man is the individual manifestation of the divine qualities, the qualities represented in the seven synonyms that we touched upon briefly just a few moments ago. To learn what we truly are we must know what God is, for the more we know about our heavenly Father the better we understand ourselves.
Let me tell you of a true experience which points up what we have been discussing. A young married couple had an infant son who began to suffer from an irritating skin condition before he was a year old. It grew steadily worse until most of the skin on his body was affected. They were students of Christian Science and knew that in their child's great need God would supply the answer. They engaged the help of a Christian Science practitioner because the problem seemed so real to them that they did not feel adequate to cope with it.
After a number of weeks of prayerful work the condition seemed no better. It was then that the practitioner lovingly reminded them of their own responsibility in the healing. Until their thought was corrected, and they saw more clearly man's true relationship to his Maker, they could hardly expect to see health and perfection manifested in their son. Earnestly they turned to the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings to learn more deeply of the true nature of God. Their study and their prayers brought a fuller understanding of God's qualities, of His presence, power, love, and wisdom. They also gained a purer concept of man, God's perfect expression. They saw how laws of heredity, allergy, and fear could not prevent their child from expressing the health and harmony with which God had endowed him. Gradually the condition lessened until the child was entirely free. So severe had been the affliction that the parents had been concerned lest there be scars. But the healing was so complete that years later the child frequently attracted comment because of his clear skin and fair complexion. The human need of this family was met through a correct understanding of God and man's relationship to Him.
Now the understanding of God is not difficult to gain. It is available to all who diligently seek Him. Regular study of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook makes this understanding possible. When the Bible is spiritually discerned it is a tremendous help to such understanding. It affords ample proof of the supremacy of right over wrong, of human problems resolved, of God meeting the human need. That is why the Bible, the King James Version, is studied so diligently by Christian Scientists. That is why it is used so consistently in Christian Science church services and Reading Rooms. In fact, the very first tenet of our Church reads: "As adherents of Truth, we take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life" (Science and Health, p. 497). Please note the use of the word "inspired," which means "to be divinely breathed on." The inspired Word is that recorded by those who lived close to God, who understood the divine nature so well, and bore witness to it so faithfully in their own experience, that in times of individual and national affliction they and others were sustained and healed.
Just as spiritual understanding made the inspired Word possible, spiritual understanding is required to comprehend it. Herein lies the significant contribution of Mary Baker Eddy to this age, and is one of the reasons why Christian Scientists have such deep affection for her and are so grateful for her work. Mrs. Eddy discerned that the Bible bears convincing and irrefutable evidence of the truth concerning God and man, and when that truth is understood it becomes available for human needs today. She unlocked the deeper meaning of the Bible by discovering the Science or true knowledge of man's spiritual being as a child of God, the understanding which had made possible the so-called miracles of Bible times.
Christ Jesus used that understanding in his healing work. It came as the natural result of his close walk with God, his consistent choosing of the spiritual rather than the material. His devotion to spiritual values earned the Scriptural comment that he "loved righteousness, and hated iniquity" (Heb. 1:9). Because he put God first he was able to prove within his own experience his oneness with the Father. He was tempted to believe that evil was real, but he never yielded to the temptation. This freedom from sin gave him divine authority to help others. He healed the lame, fed the multitude, cleansed the lepers, restored the sinner where there was evidence of repentance — of turning to righteousness. He enabled the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and he raised the dead. His healing ministry was in response to human needs, and proved the power of God. So closely did Jesus live to that which is right that he could say with authority, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:6). He is the perfect example of such dedication. That is why he is our Exemplar, our Wayshower.
By choosing God consistently, Jesus felt the divine presence more than anyone before him had felt it. And yet, he admitted frankly to his followers that he could of himself do nothing, that it was his heavenly Father who did the works. The godliness which Jesus expressed is the Christ, and because he was so totally dedicated to manifesting the spiritual qualities, he won the divine title, Christ Jesus. But the Christ, the divine power by which Jesus answered the human need, is always present. This divine manifestation enabled Abraham, Moses, and the prophets to accomplish the mighty works recorded in the Bible. The Christ is here today. It is always at hand for receptive hearts, and needs only to be understood and lived to meet the human need. The Christ is not a person. It is defined for us by Mrs. Eddy as "The divine manifestation of God, which comes to the flesh to destroy incarnate error" (Science and Health, p, 583).
The true knowledge or Science of the Christ, is the Comforter promised by the Master. He refers to it as the "Spirit of truth" (John 14:17). This Science, perceived in part by the great religious leaders of the Old Testament, and understood and demonstrated by Jesus, is the absolute truth concerning God and man, God the Father-Mother and sole creator of the universe, and man, His beloved son, His spiritual image and likeness. This Science, the promised Comforter, comes to this age, again answering the human need, as the religion of Christian Science, discovered and founded by Mary Baker Eddy.
Mrs. Eddy was, herself, acutely conscious of the human need, and from early childhood endeavored to meet it. As a little girl her sensitivity to the needs of others prompted her to give away her mittens, her cap, and even her warm coat to some poor, shivering child less fortunate than herself. You know, there is a Scriptural precept which reads, "It is more blessed to give than receive" (Acts 20:35). Throughout her experience, Mrs. Eddy was a living example of that precept. Wherever she saw a need, she gave unselfishly the riches of her love.
This, too, in spite of the fact that in her own personal experience the human need was great. For many years she did not enjoy normal health. The climax to her search for health and well-being came in 1866. It was winter, and on her way to a meeting one evening she slipped on an icy street and fell. A doctor was summoned, and the injuries were diagnosed as of a severe nature. But "man's extremity is God's opportunity." On the third day, when in a critical condition, Mrs. Eddy asked for her Bible. She turned to the account of Jesus' healing of the palsied man as recorded in the ninth chapter of Matthew. As she read, there came to her a gleam of the truth Jesus employed in his healing work, and in that moment she was healed. In describing the incident she later wrote, "That short experience included a glimpse of the great fact that I have since tried to make plain to others, namely, Life in and of Spirit; this Life being the sole reality of existence" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 24).
With her health better than it had ever been before, Mrs. Eddy set herself to understand and utilize the power of God, which meets men's needs. Voluntarily she withdrew herself from society, and through prayerful, consecrated study of the Bible began to search for its spiritual meaning. It was in this way that she discovered the Science underlying its teaching. She tested the truths thus revealed by applying them specifically to the needs of those who came to her for help. She was successful, and her healing ministry grew and prospered.
Meanwhile, praying for guidance to make her discovery available to mankind, she wrote down the inspirations that came to her. In 1875, nine years after her healing, she published the first edition of Science and Health. She prayed earnestly that it would be accepted by people of all denominations. But her writings were misunderstood, and as is often the case with one who presents ideas in advance of the ability of others to appreciate and understand them, Mrs. Eddy was criticized by press and pulpit. From this it was plain that if her work was to survive, if the deep spiritual meaning of the truths Jesus employed and taught was not again to be lost to mankind, she would have to establish an organization to perpetuate it. So she founded the Christian Science Church and established The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
There are now more than three thousand two hundred branches of The Mother Church throughout the world. She wrote (Science and Health, p. 583), "The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick." You see, the church must prove its usefulness in uplifting humanity to the realization that God does meet the human need. This is the function of Christian Science churches throughout the civilized world.
In many a Christian Science church edifice is to be found this quotation, used with Mrs. Eddy's permission, and taken from Science and Health (p. 494), "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." Mrs. Eddy proved that statement in her own experience and in her healing of others. There are Christian Scientists the world over who can attest to its truthfulness, who can bear witness to the fact that the human need is always met when the answer is correctly sought through God.
This brings us now to: how does one apply the understanding of God in meeting the human need? According to the Bible, God promises to men health, supply, peace of mind, courage, strength, and many other good things. Now a promise is something like a contract. It is binding upon both parties provided each fulfills the terms of the agreement. There are considerations or requirements to God's promises just as there are in the contracts we make with each other. The requirements that God imposes are not difficult. They are spelled out in very simple terms by the prophet Micah. Let me read them to you. "What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?" (Micah 6:8).
"To do justly" is to accept the standard of righteousness that Jesus had, and endeavor to live up to it. It means choosing God, infinite Truth, expressing the divine quality of justice, putting it into practice, making it one's own.
"To love mercy" is to cultivate the qualities of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, striving to adhere to what is right and persisting in it. It means turning to God, divine Love, and putting Love first.
To "walk humbly with thy God" is to experience each day the awareness of His presence, to have God rather than material things as the center of one's interest, to accept the divine power as the only power, and to strive consistently to understand Him, seek Him, turn to Him.
In the proportion that these three comprise our daily living we are fulfilling the requirement God attaches to His promises. Mrs. Eddy confirms and interprets this teaching in her book "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany." She writes: "To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science" (p. 160). Let me repeat that.
Here, Mrs. Eddy is telling us in effect, to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. This is keeping our consciousness in constant relation with Him. And she is telling us that as we do this we find infinite power, the power of God Himself individualized for us in meeting the human need.
If your need is health, begin this very moment to turn your thought to God. Fill your consciousness with the awareness of His presence, His love, strength, power, wisdom, perfection, and harmony. Fearlessly turn your thought away from the body and the evidence of discord and suffering. Affirm your spiritual heritage as the image and likeness of God, the very expression of His being. See that there is only one cause, one creator, and that His creation is good. Realize that there could not be another cause, an antagonistic power or mind separate and apart from the divine. Then adhere to these truths, confidently knowing that God's promises are fulfilled. Be grateful for this fact. As you affirm what is true, you put into practice Mrs. Eddy's instruction in Science and Health, "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts" (p. 261). My friends, the direct result of this spiritual effort is healing. You win the reward of fulfilling the Scriptural promise, "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).
Now the very fact that lack or limitation seems to exist in human experience implies an absence of the spiritual values God supplies. If we are sick, there seems to be an absence of health. If we are lonely, there seems to be an absence of love. If we are afraid, then God Himself must seem to be distant and far removed. Actually, however, neither God nor His qualities could ever be absent. What has happened, is that we, ourselves, through ignorance, or fear, or self-will, have refused to accept what God alone can supply. God always supplies the need, meets the lack, fills the vacuum by abundantly providing all we need if we will but accept it. Acceptance involves turning to God, putting Him first, understanding Him, and then living that understanding in daily life. You see, it is the condition precedent to the fulfillment of the promise, or contract, the consideration God requires.
True prayer, then, as taught in Christian Science, is accepting the good which God provides for us. First of all by turning to Him; secondly, by our willingness to listen to what He is telling us, and by obedience to His Word; thirdly, by filling our daily living with an awareness of His presence, power, and supreme authority.
Instead of imploring God to do something He has already done, prayer involves facing about, removing thought from the problem for the time being and turning thought to God — spiritually understanding Him so that we can clearly discern His nature and what we are as He has made us. In this realization of spiritual strength, walking humbly with Him, endeavoring to be aware of His infinite goodness and love, we hear the voice of Truth which always directs us aright and meets our particular need.
"To begin rightly is to end rightly," writes Mrs. Eddy (Science and Health, p. 262). By consistently beginning with God, instead of starting with all the factors which seem to make our need so real and difficult, you and I can begin rightly. Continuing steadfastly in this way, the need will be rightly met. We will hear what God is telling us, and the problem will be resolved. We will prove the truth of Mrs. Eddy's statement, "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies" (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 307).
My friends, there is no mystery to successful healing in Christian Science. Its only secret is spirituality, recognizing and exemplifying man's oneness with God, becoming so imbued with His presence and power that right thinking and right living are found to be natural for us. You and I can deal with every human need in this way, for Christian Science provides a full salvation in direct fulfillment of the command of Christ Jesus. It affords surcease from the ills of the flesh, from the pressures and fears of contemporary living, and freedom from the slavery of indulgence in sin.
Now may I say a few words to those of you who are attending your first Christian Science lecture? Mrs. Eddy was careful to supply all the assistance we need in our endeavor to spiritualize our thought and thus improve our experience, and fulfill the healing ministry of the Church of Christ, Scientist. In addition to Science and Health she wrote several other volumes amplifying and elucidating the character of God and man's relationship to Him. She introduced the Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons which Christian Scientists study daily. Great unfoldment comes in our understanding of God through systematic study of the Lesson-Sermons.
Mrs. Eddy established the Christian Science Reading Room and wherever there is a Christian Science church you will find one of these rooms. Such rooms are maintained by this, The Mother Church. Two are conveniently located in the downtown business section at 8 Milk Street, near Washington Street, and at 84 Boylston Street. A third is just a block from this edifice at 237 Huntington Avenue, adjoining the church park.
Christian Science Reading Rooms are free and open to the public for quiet study of the Bible, Mrs. Eddy's writings, and all authorized Christian Science literature. She established a weekly religious magazine, the Christian Science Sentinel, containing helpful articles designed especially to meet the human need. Each issue includes verified testimonies of healing, providing encouraging and conclusive proofs of Christian Science. She founded The Christian Science Journal, which also contains articles and testimonies to meet the human need. The Journal has a directory of Christian Science practitioners, who are dedicated to the healing ministry, and upon whom you may call for assistance if your understanding seems insufficient to meet your need. The Christian Science Monitor, an international daily newspaper founded by Mrs. Eddy and first published in 1908, holds a world-wide reputation for clean and important news. These many avenues are designed to bring us closer to God, to set in motion the very steps we have briefly attempted to describe here. And now a word to all of you: as you leave this church this evening you will be offered complimentary copies of some of the literature I have just described. Won't you please feel free to accept them?
Now let me summarize briefly. In this discussion we have endeavored, first of all, to define the human need, and we observed that it is not primarily a need for material things, but rather for a practical understanding of spiritual values with which to resolve the problems of disease, lack, fear, and loneliness which confront mankind. Second, we noted that such problems can be resolved best through an understanding of God, an awareness of what He is and how we are related to Him. And third, we considered how to apply that understanding by supplying the consideration God requires in connection with His promises, a consideration which includes turning to Him — doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with Him, a consideration which actually amounts to so living "as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal." These steps rightly applied, bring into your experience the proof of Mrs. Eddy's statement that "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." They bring evidence that right always prevails, that every problem has a satisfactory solution, that every question can be answered aright. My friends, Christian Science is God's answer to the human need, an answer which is beautifully summarized in these words from the Christian Science Hymnal (No. 327):
"The God who made both heaven and earth
And all that they contain
Will never quit His steadfast truth
Nor make His promise vain.
"The poor and all oppressed by wrong
Are saved by His decree;
He gives the hungry needful food
And sets the captive free.
"By Him the blind receive their sight,
By Him the fallen rise;
With constant care, His tender love
All human need supplies."
[Delivered April 3, 1958, in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, and published in The Christian Science Monitor, April 4, 1958, under the headline "God Supplies Every Legitimate Need to Mankind". A few overly long paragraphs were broken up for this transcript.]