Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures | Page 6

years of her life should be given to the prep- aration of the revision
of SCIENCE AND HEALTH, which xii:18 was published in 1891. She
retained her charter, and as its President, reopened the College in 1899
as auxil- iary to her church. Until June 10, 1907, she had never xii:21
read this book throughout consecutively in order to elu- cidate her
idealism. In the spirit of Christ's charity, as one who "hopeth xii:24 all
things, endureth all things," and is joyful to bear consolation to the
sorrowing and healing to the sick, she commits these pages to honest
seekers for Truth. MARY BAKER EDDY NOTE. - The author takes
no patients, and declines medical consultation.

CHAPTER I
- PRAYER For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall
not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith
shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say
unto you, What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye
receive them, and ye shall have them. Your Father knoweth what things
ye have need of, before ye ask Him. - CHRIST JESUS.
1:1 THE prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute
faith that all things are 1:3 possible to God,- a spiritual understanding
of Him, an unselfed love. Regardless of what another may say or think
on this subject, I speak from experience. 1:6 Prayer, watching, and
working, combined with self-im- molation, are God's gracious means
for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the
Christian- 1:9 ization and health of mankind. Thoughts unspoken are
not unknown to the divine Mind. Desire is prayer; and no loss can
occur from 1:12 trusting God with our desires, that they may be
moulded and exalted before they take form in words and in deeds.
Right motives
2:1 What are the motives for prayer? Do we pray to make ourselves

better or to benefit those who hear us, 2:3 to enlighten the infinite or to
be heard of men? Are we benefited by praying? Yes, the desire which
goes forth hungering after righteous- 2:6 ness is blessed of our Father,
and it does not return unto us void. Deity unchangeable
God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more 2:9 than He has
already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He
is unchang- ing wisdom and Love. We can do more for 2:12 ourselves
by humble fervent petitions, but the All-lov- ing does not grant them
simply on the ground of lip- service, for He already knows all.
2:15 Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us
into harmony with it. Goodness at- tains the demonstration of Truth. A
request that 2:18 God will save us is not all that is required. The mere
habit of pleading with the divine Mind, as one pleads with a human
being, perpetuates the belief in God as 2:21 humanly circumscribed,-
an error which impedes spirit- ual growth. God's standard
God is Love. Can we ask Him to be more? God is 2:24 intelligence.
Can we inform the infinite Mind of any- thing He does not already
comprehend? Do we expect to change perfection? Shall 2:27 we plead
for more at the open fount, which is pour- ing forth more than we
accept? The unspoken desire does bring us nearer the source of all
existence and 2:30 blessedness. Asking God to /be/ God is a vain
repetition. God is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever;" and
3:1 He who is immutably right will do right without being reminded of
His province. The wisdom of man is not 3:3 sufficient to warrant him
in advising God. The spiritual mathematics
Who would stand before a blackboard, and pray the principle of
mathematics to solve the problem? The 3:6 rule is already established,
and it is our task to work out the solution. Shall we ask the divine
Principle of all goodness to do His own 3:9 work? His work is done,
and we have only to avail ourselves of God's rule in order to receive
His bless- ing, which enables us to work out our own salvation.
3:12 The Divine Being must be reflected by man, - else man is not the
image and likeness of the patient, tender, and true, the One "altogether
lovely;" but to 3:15 understand God is the work of eternity, and
demands absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire.
Prayerful ingratitude
How empty are our conceptions of Deity! We admit 3:18 theoretically

that God is good, omnipotent, omni- present, infinite, and then we try
to give information to this