2 1215 046 CHRISTIAN SCIENCE JOURNAL. Jesus who was crucified, And for sinners bled and died, Holds the keys of death's dark door, And will enter nevermore. He is risen! He is risen! Christ our King is free from prison! Over all the world He reigns D CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, A PRACTICAL RELIGION. (Continued.) C. W. CHADWICK. ID we but realize that all the knowledge of the world's schools will never enable us to judge between Good and evil, between right and wrong, and so "overcome evil with good," did we but understand that the supposed "wisdom of this world is foolishness with God," how gladly would we become childlike, and say with the Apostle: "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord." (Phil. 3: 8.) If worldly knowledge is essential to health, happiness, and success, why does Jesus say: "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"? (Matt. 6 33.) We must abandon the belief that Jesus' teachings are not practical, for it is this very belief that keeps us in seeming bondage to sin, disease and death. Jesus came that we might be blessed with understanding. It is no evidence of divine Intelligence for a man to profess belief in Jesus Christ,-"the devils believe and tremble," says the Apostle, but for him to prove by healing sickness and sin that Jesus Christ is a present Saviour from all error and evil, is an indication of Intelligence which outshines the brightest intellects of the world. Which ought to seem the most natural, the most useful, the most practical, a supposititious knowledge of evil which insists that man is sick and sinful, or a real knowledge of the living God, which understands that man is spiritual and therefore free from sickness and sin? We have our choice of the two; the one is blind belief, the other is spiritual understanding, the one a so-called knowledge of matter, the other a real knowledge of God, the one Mind. Christian Science has come to reiterate the teaching of Jesus the Christ through spiritual understanding, not to teach us any new doctrine, but rather to show us how to unlearn what we have absorbed from the tree of human knowledge. Jesus said: "Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the king. dom of Heaven." (Matt. 18: 3.) This ought to prove to us beyond all doubt that the problem of salvation is one of elimination, an emptying-out of false theories, opinions, beliefs, traditions, etc., which are foreign to the child thought. And right here is an important point for us to understand. It is this. What is termed the human intellect cannot absorb spiritual understanding. It cannot grasp the Life "hid with Christ." We cannot therefore cling to our beliefs and theories concerning the supreme Being and expect to add to these the true idea or understanding of God. The presence of either precludes the presence of the other, for light and darkness never mingle. Therefore the desire on our part to possess understanding must be the willingness to drop all false beliefs, be they in appearance good, bad, or indifferent, to turn from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, to the Tree of Life to be taught anew of God. As we have already stated, this means to unlearn all that is untrue in human consciousness when Christian Science comes to us. This may seem impracticable to "the carnal mind" or "natural man," but since he receives the Truth only by adoption being himself enmity against God, we do not look to this man for any understanding of what is practical. This man of the senses says: "Learn everything you can about evil and you will be intelligent and wise." Christian Science says: "Give up your belief in the reality of evil and so learn that God, Good, is the only Intelligence and this understanding will destroy belief in sin, sickness, and death, all the works of the flesh enumerated by the Apostle. It goes a step farther and shows us how, through denial, to cease thinking evil. Could anything be more practical? This is what the Way-shower did; he pointed out the way and then by demonstrating what he preached, he proved the practicability of Truth for all time to come, and said: "Follow me." Christian Science repeats this command, and it means this: "To watch our thinking." Looking away from matter into Mind, we shall find the remedy for every discord of earth. Looking into matter, we ignore Mind and pay the inevitable penalty for serving evil. It is purity of thinking alone that will enable us to overcome evil. "The minding of the Spirit is life and peace," says the Apostle. (Rom. 8: 6, Marg. Ref.) Error argues that there would be nothing accomplished in the world if people were to concentrate thought upon the spiritual and reject the material, but how empty this argument sounds to the Christian Scientist who has discovered that Jesus the Christ taught and demonstrated a Science, the Science of Life, the Science of God, the All-inAll of Being, who has learned that Life is a Principle to be lived and not theorized about. If our thought models are anything short of perfection, what must be the outcome? Surely anything but Heaven or Harmony. Perfection is only another term for Heaven and it always has existed, yea, it is Life itself. Our problem is not to realize perfection from imperfection, but to become conscious of spiritual existence in which is no imperfection. Since Heaven or perfection is the ultimatum of our Being, is it not rational to suppose that we have to work with undivided thought and affection to attain it? Must we not sacrifice every human belief in order to reach it? Jesus did and surely he mapped out the shortest and only way. Christian Science says: "Follow the Master," for with the understanding of Life which he revealed, we shall learn of God. If evil is included in a supposed knowledge of matter, why should the Christian doubt the unreality of matter? And yet, the moment we touch upon this subject, mortal mind is sorely troubled and bids us prophesy smoother things unto it, lest it be awakened from its dream of life, in matter. But Science will not allow the dream to continue. Its sentence of condemnation has already been pronounced upon it, and as humble followers of Truth, it becomes our sacred duty to demonstrate to the whole world that the teachings of Christian Science concerning matter are practical above all things else. This will be done only as we are willing to manifest the Christ character in our daily living, by thinking and acting according to an understood Principle. Our preconceptions of Truth, be they what they may, 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." We replied: "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 loath 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.) : It is practice and not profession that is going to reform the world, and the only practice is the exercise of understanding. "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14: 15.) Profession without understanding is but so much driftwood upon the restless sea of mortal thought. The higher the profession, the greater is the need of understanding. Then should we not cease to profess and learn to understand? "Wisdom is the principle thing; therefore get wisdom; and with all thy getting, get understanding," said Solomon. (Prov. 4 7.) The Scriptures from beginning to end place this injunction upon us, and never before in the history of the world has there been a greater need of obeying this injunction than there is to-day. Our text-book tells us that it is of the utmost importance, tells us that our need is to understand that the Universe including man is spiritual and immortal, instead of material and mortal, and to reduce to daily practice the Principle of this perfection. The Master did this, and in urging us to do the same, he comforts us with the assurance that the yoke is easy and the burden light. Speed the advent of practical Christian Science, the day of understanding, when we can say with the heart: "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 9: 15.) Appearances are deceptive. Let no one think that because the Publisher's Department of the Journal is growing larger by the increased number of cards, church notices, etc., the reading matter is becoming less. The fact is there is as much reading matter each month as there would be if there were no cards and church notices. The editors will endeavor to see to it that their department is not unduly trenched upon. Have received my Church Manual. It is good, and all members of the Mother Church should supply themselves with a copy of it. It is a spiritual guide. It fills a long felt need, and I could realize more of my need of it after I read it than before. It brings us "with one accord in one place." -B. S., Junction City, Kan. |