St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-03-06
Christ's Promise to Prepare a
Place for His Beloved
Followers
Used as a Text for a Sermon
by the Talented Christian
Scientist.
Analysis Of the Effect Of Spir-
itual Association on Dark
Minds.
An Impressive Lesson Drawn
From the Resurrection Of
% the Savior.

From the Resurrection OF
~ the Savior.
de-
81 go to prepare place for you. "
Jesus spoke these words of tender love
and promise upon the last evening he
spent with his disciples before his cru
cltixion. During the three years past
he had prepared places for them, as he
should ever do in the future. When he
chose his disciples he found them each
in dark place. True. they were walk
ing In more light than the world around
them possessed; yet, compared with
his understanding, their conceptions
were so darkly material that, after
three years of patient teaching, they
did not clearly understand the import
Of his words or works. From this hui
man dimness ne had led them, step by
step, to the more spiritual apprehen'
sion of the present hour. This place,
or condition of mind, in which they now
found themselves was to prepare them
for his betrayal. The betrayal would
prepare them for the erucihXiOn, the
cruciiix0n for the resurrection, the
resurrection for the ascension, the as.
censiOn for the baptism of the
Holy Ghost, and the baptism OF
the Holy Ghost battle them in that reve-
lation of truth which should flash its
light backward, as we'll as into the fut-
ure, interpreting all the experiences OF
the past. Then. and only then, would
they fully understand Jesus and his
work and appreciate these ''places'
they had already passed through. He
knew this must be so; that He must
await the day Of PentecoSt to be really
understood. Speaking of that coming
time. He said of the spirit of truth, HE
shall testify of me, HE shall
Teach You All Things.
and bring all things to your remem-
brance. whatsoever / have said unto
YOU" Had it been possible. at this time,
to give them the light which He de-
clared they would receive upon the
PentecOstal day, He would not have
withheld it. Divinity withhOlds moth
ing man is able to receive. AS yet the
disciples could not understand that lie
must be cruciied. Yet He faltered not
but continued to go on before, alone
and through sufferings which cannot be
uttered-and they followed.
BY means of the conversation and
prayer Immediately preceding the
eighteenth chapter Of st. John, he
sought to prepare them for the betrayal
Here, in the Gethsemane, although
Jesus intimated that he might easily
deliver himself from his enemies Matt
XVI, 50. yet he yielded himself into
their hands for a purpose. This pur-
pose could be no other than the crucI-
fXion-the crnel crucfiXlOn he had sc
often described, yet which they had re.
fused to believe should ever befall him.
UncOnsciOusly to themselves, the
cruclfiXion in part prepared them fol
the resurrection. Yet they did not be-
leve Jesus would rise from the tomb
Death is not the stepping stone to life,
and the idea of life is not gained from
the sense of death. The disciples had
not yet comprehended their Masters
teaching that the Christ was wholly and
always spiritual, and hence regarded
Jesus as the Christ materialiZed. and
His death upon the cross they looked
upon as the cruclfiXiOn Of their deaI
Master, Christ. Consequently, as lie
WAS slain, apparently the helpless vic
tim Of His enemies, they could not con-
ceiVe OF Him as possessing
Power TO Live Again.
They did not understand He had lair
down His own life and could take 1T uE
again. 10 their sense He could moi
prevent His life passing away, and so
surely, could not recall it. In short,
they looked upon the body as the man
or individual, and understood that this
man of flesh possessed life which might
at any time pass from him, leaving the
man dead; instead of knowing the indi-
vidual man to be the thinker, mental
or spiritual beings and the material body
like a false garment miSrepresenting
the man in all respects. Without this
knowledge they did not realize that he
had simply allowed this garment to be
stripped from Him to prove its lifeleSS-
ness and the eternal life OF the spiritual
man. He had said: Il lay it down OF
nySelf"; Il have power to lay it down
and to take it mp again"
Who was, and is, this ''I'' who laid
down and took up the body Of flesh:
The spiritual Christ, who never did and
never could become flesh, blood and
bones. That which is spiritual, per.
feet, immutable immortal and imperish-
able cannot become material, imperfect,
mutable, mortal and perishable; else
God, could become less than God and
man be left without hope. But spirit,
God is imm Ortally changeleSS and per
feet. This was Jesus teaching not yet
fully grasped. At the time of the
crucifiXion the disciples human knOWl.
edge of Jesus and their apprehension
of the spiritual Christ were confusedly
mingled.
Therefore, after the body was laid ten.
derby in the tomb they sorrowfully turned
away, and whittier did they direct their
efforts? Did they continue preaching
the Gospel to the lost sheep? Alas. no!
As through His mission were failure,
and their commission cancelled, they re-
turned to their fishing boats! 70 their
sense the Master was buried in the
Sepulcher, and his cause buried i'll de-
feat. In this supposition
they Buried Themselves.
But, resurrected, He again appeared
10 resurrect them. What a lesson was
this! Into what a wonderful place He
had uplifted Himself! Now He had
proven Himself to be independent of the
material body, ana hence spiritual and
indestructible, never subject to DEATH
Although they now know He was not
| dependentupon the flesh, they imagined
it to be as real as spirit. and necessary
as a medium of communication between
themselves and their Lord: But through
the truths His further demonstrations
should unfold they were to unlearn
! Ties falsities.
During the forty days following the
resurrection they were undoubtedly
prepared to comprehend, in some de.
gree, the ascension; that they might
LII Ii