I here present to my readers an allegory illustrative
of the law of divine Mind and of the supposed laws of mat‐
15ter and hygiene, an allegory in which the plea of Christian
Science heals the sick.

Suppose a mental case to be on trial, as cases are tried
18in court. A man is charged with having committed liver‐
A mental
court case complaint. The patient feels ill, ruminates,
and the trial commences. Personal Sense is
21the plaintiff. Mortal Man is the defendant. False Belief
is the attorney for Personal Sense. Mortal Minds, Ma‐
teria Medica, Anatomy, Physiology, Hypnotism, Envy,
24Greed and Ingratitude, constitute the jury. The court‐
room is filled with interested spectators, and Judge
Medicine is on the bench.

27The evidence for the prosecution being called for, a
witness testifies thus: —

I represent Health-laws. I was present on certain nights
30when the prisoner, or patient, watched with a sick friend.
Although I have the superintendence of human affairs, I
was personally abused on those occasions. I was told that
431:1I must remain silent until called for at this trial, when I
would be allowed to testify in the case. Notwithstanding
3my rules to the contrary, the prisoner watched with the sick
every night in the week.

At last he committed liver-complaint,
9which I considered criminal, inasmuch as this offence is
deemed punishable with death. Therefore I arrested Mor‐
tal Man in behalf of the state (namely, the body) and cast
12him into prison.

At the time of the arrest the prisoner summoned Physi‐
ology, Materia Medica, and Hypnotism to prevent his pun‐
15ishment. The struggle on their part was long. Materia
Medica held out the longest, but at length all these assist‐
ants resigned to me, Health-laws, and I succeeded in get‐
18ting Mortal Man into close confinement until I should
release him.

The cause of all so-called disease is mental, a mortal
27fear, a mistaken belief or conviction of the necessity and
power of ill-health; also a fear that Mind is helpless to
defend the life of man and incompetent to control it. With‐
30out this ignorant human belief, any circumstance is of it‐
self powerless to produce suffering. It is latent belief in
disease, as well as the fear of disease, which associates sick‐
378:1ness with certain circumstances and causes the two to
appear conjoined, even as poetry and music are repro‐
3duced in union by human memory. Disease has no in‐
telligence. Unwittingly you sentence yourself to suffer.
The understanding of this will enable you to commute this
6self-sentence, and meet every circumstance with truth.

Another witness takes the stand and testifies: —

9Another witness is called for by the Court of Error
and says: —

I am Mortality, Governor of the Province of Body, in
12which Mortal Man resides. In this province there is a stat‐
ute regarding disease, — namely, that he upon whose per‐
son disease is found shall be treated as a criminal and
15punished with death.

The Judge asks if by doing good to his neighbor, it is
possible for man to become diseased, transgress the laws,
18and merit punishment, and Governor Mortality replies in
the affirmative.

The sick
395:1unconsciously argue for suffering, instead of against it.
They admit its reality, whereas they should deny it.
3They should plead in opposition to the testimony of the
deceitful senses, and maintain man's immortality and
eternal likeness to God.

Contending for the evidence or indulging the demands
9of sin, disease, or death, we virtually contend against
Misdirected
contention the control of Mind over body, and deny the
power of Mind to heal. This false method
12is as though the defendant should argue for the plaintiff
in favor of a decision which the defendant knows will
be turned against himself.

Mortal mind judges by the testimony
27of the material senses, until Science obliterates this false
testimony. An improved belief is one step out of error,
and aids in taking the next step and in understanding
30the situation in Christian Science.

433:1The testimony for the plaintiff, Personal Sense, being
closed, Judge Medicine arises, and with great solemnity
Judge
Medicine
charges
the jury 3addresses the jury of Mortal Minds. He an‐
alyzes the offence, reviews the testimony, and
explains the law relating to liver-complaint.
6 His conclusion is, that laws of nature render disease
homicidal.

15 The case is given to the jury. A
brief consultation ensues, and the jury returns a verdict
of "Guilty of liver-complaint in the first degree."

434:1 Swift on the wings of divine
Love, there comes a despatch: "Delay the execution;
Appeal to
a higher
tribunal 3the prisoner is not guilty." Consternation fills
the prison-yard. Some exclaim, "It is con‐
trary to law and justice." Others say,
6"The law of Christ supersedes our laws; let us follow
Christ."

After much debate and opposition, permission is ob‐
9tained for a trial in the Court of Spirit, where Christian
Counsel for
defence Science is allowed to appear as counsel for
the unfortunate prisoner.

15When the case for Mortal Man versus Personal Sense
is opened, Mortal Man's counsel regards the prisoner
with the utmost tenderness. The counsel's earnest,
18solemn eyes, kindling with hope and triumph, look up‐
ward. Then Christian Science turns suddenly to the
supreme tribunal, and opens the argument for the
21defence: —

The prisoner at the bar has been unjustly sentenced.
His trial was a tragedy, and is morally illegal. Mortal
24Man has had no proper counsel in the case. All the testi‐
mony has been on the side of Personal Sense, and we shall
unearth this foul conspiracy against the liberty and life of
27Man. The only valid testimony in the case shows the
alleged crime never to have been committed. The pris‐
oner is not proved "worthy of death, or of bonds."

30Your Honor, the lower court has sentenced Mortal Man
to die, but God made Man immortal and amenable to
Spirit only.

The law of our Supreme Court decrees that whosoever
12sinneth shall die; but good deeds are immortal, bringing
joy instead of grief, pleasure instead of pain, and life
instead of death. If liver-complaint was committed by
15trampling on Laws of Health, this was a good deed, for the
agent of those laws is an outlaw, a destroyer of Mortal
Man's liberty and rights. Laws of Health should be sen‐
18tenced to die.

Watching beside the couch of pain in the exercise of a
love that "is the fulfilling of the law," — doing "unto
21others as ye would that they should do unto you," — this
is no infringement of law, for no demand, human or divine,
renders it just to punish a man for acting justly.

436:1The principal witness (the officer of the Health-laws)
deposed that he was an eye-witness to the good deeds for
3which Mortal Man is under sentence of death. After be‐
traying him into the hands of your law, the Health-agent
disappeared, to reappear however at the trial as a witness
6against Mortal Man and in the interest of Personal Sense,
a murderer. Your Supreme Court must find the pris‐
oner on the night of the alleged offence to have been acting
9within the limits of the divine law, and in obedience
thereto. Upon this statute hangs all the law and testimony.
Giving a cup of cold water in Christ's name, is a Christian
12service. Laying down his life for a good deed, Mortal Man
should find it again. Such acts bear their own justifica‐
tion, and are under the protection of the Most High.

Man self-destroyed; the testimony of matter respected;
15Spirit not allowed a hearing; Soul a criminal though
recommended to mercy; the helpless innocent body tor‐
tured, — these are the terrible records of your Court of
18Error, and I ask that the Supreme Court of Spirit reverse
this decision.

Here the opposing counsel, False Belief, called Chris‐
21tian Science to order for contempt of court. Various
notables — Materia Medica, Anatomy, Physiology, Scho‐
lastic Theology, and Jurisprudence — rose to the ques‐
24tion of expelling Christian Science from the bar, for such
high-handed illegality. They declared that Christian Sci‐
ence was overthrowing the judicial proceedings of a regu‐
27larly constituted court.

But Judge Justice of the Supreme Court of Spirit over‐
ruled their motions on the ground that unjust usages
30were not allowed at the bar of Truth, which ranks above
the lower Court of Error.

The attorney, Christian Science, then read from the
33supreme statute-book, the Bible, certain extracts on the
438:1Rights of Man, remarking that the Bible was better au‐
thority than Blackstone: —

3Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and
let them have dominion.

Behold, I give unto you power . . . over all the power
6of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

15Christian Science turned from the abashed witnesses,
his words flashing as lightning in the perturbed faces
of these worthies, Scholastic Theology, Materia Medica,
18Physiology, the blind Hypnotism, and the masked Per‐
sonal Sense, and said: —

Mortal Minds were deceived by your attorney, False Be‐
9lief, and were influenced to give a verdict delivering Mortal
Man to Death. Good deeds are transformed into crimes,
to which you attach penalties; but no warping of justice
12can render disobedience to the so-called laws of Matter
disobedience to God, or an act of homicide.

In the presence of the Supreme Lawgiver, stand‐
ing at the bar of Truth, and in accordance with the divine
27statutes, I repudiate the false testimony of Personal Sense.
I ask that he be forbidden to enter against Mortal Man
any more suits to be tried at the Court of Material Error.
30I appeal to the just and equitable decisions of divine Spirit
to restore to Mortal Man the rights of which he has been
deprived.

33Here the counsel for the defence closed, and the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, with benign and imposing
441:1presence, comprehending and defining all law and evi‐
Charge of the
Chief Justice dence, explained from his statute-book, the
3Bible, that any so-called law, which under‐
takes to punish aught but sin, is null and void.

He also decided that the plaintiff, Personal Sense, be
6not permitted to enter any suits at the bar of Soul, but
be enjoined to keep perpetual silence, and in case of
temptation, to give heavy bonds for good behavior. He
9concluded his charge thus: —

The plea of False Belief we deem unworthy of a hearing.
Let what False Belief utters, now and forever, fall into
12oblivion, "unknelled, uncoffined, and unknown."

The Supreme Bench decides in favor of intelligence, that
no law outside of divine Mind can punish or reward Mortal
27Man. Your personal jurors in the Court of Error are
myths. Your attorney, False Belief, is an impostor, per‐
suading Mortal Minds to return a verdict contrary to law
30and gospel. The plaintiff, Personal Sense, is recorded in
our Book of books as a liar. Our great Teacher of mental
jurisprudence speaks of him also as "a murderer from the
33beginning." We have no trials for sickness before the tri‐
442:1bunal of divine Spirit. There, Man is adjudged innocent
of transgressing physical laws, because there are no such
3laws. Our statute is spiritual, our Government is divine.
"Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?"

The Jury of Spiritual Senses agreed at once upon a
6verdict, and there resounded throughout the vast audience
Divine
verdict chamber of Spirit the cry, Not guilty. Then
the prisoner rose up regenerated, strong, free.
9We noticed, as he shook hands with his counsel, Chris‐
tian Science, that all sallowness and debility had dis‐
appeared. His form was erect and commanding, his
12countenance beaming with health and happiness. Divine
Love had cast out fear. Mortal Man, no longer sick
and in prison, walked forth, his feet "beautiful upon the
15mountains," as of one "that bringeth good tidings."