The Portland daily press., 1896-12-14
JESUS AND HIS CRITICS.
DR.. Blanchard's Sermon at Congress
Square Church Yesterday.

square Cnurch yesterday.
Rev. DR.. Blanchard preached sermon
yesterday morning at Congress Square
church on "Jesus and Some of His Mod
ern Reyisers-the Christian Scientist, the
Theosophist and the Mental Healnr.''
The texts were "For In Him we live
and move and have our icing. ACTS,
XVI. 2S, and "For there shall arise
false Christs. and false prophets. and
shall show great signs and wonders; in
asmuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect"
In the calendar of the church, the
preacher said, today is the third Sunday
in Advent. 1t is good time, therefore
as We draw nigh to Christmas, to study
the words of our beloved Master and see
If some of those who are revising His
teachings today are wiser guides than
he. He should speak on Jesus and
come Of His Modern ReviseTs-the Chris
tian Scientists, the Theophist and the
Mental Healer" The purpose of the SER
mon was to bring men and women to
Jesus. It's spirit was that of love which
uses great plainness of speech. He re-
garded all earnest religious thought Win
great respect. He believed that even
those from whom he dissented most, are
helping to make men see that they live
and move and have their being in Cod
| that the seen is temporal and the unseen
eternal. But great as may be the good.
he believed, andshe believed profounded'
ly, that great harm was also being done
| by the advocacy of certain doctrines.
First Of all then, he would compare
the Christian Scientist with Jesus. Jesus
said: "Our Father who art in heaven.
God is spirit. The Christian Scientist
says, following science and health,
pages AGO and 57s: "God is divine prinl
ciple, supreme incorporal being, mind.
spirit. soul, life truth, 1--we. The Great
Law, the all knowing, all seeing. all
acting. all wise, oil loving and eternal;
principle, mind, soul, spirit, truth, love,
substance, intelligence. He preferred
Jesus's simpler definition. Jesus said
there was sickness, and sin and death.
The Christian Scientist says there ia no
Sickness, not sin, nor need there be
death. Great harm comes from these
positions. Many lives are lost because
physicians are not called in. The first
two leading Christian Scientists in this
city were his parishioners. He had
buried the bodies of both. The wife Of
brother Clergyman refused medical aid
and therefore died. Christian Scientists
would out themselves of from the great
scientific teachers of the day. They turn
to the preposterous look OF IN ignorant
woman to learn of the Bible Instead of
to the great masters Of biblical inter-
probation. There il great danger of lessen
ing the awfulness of sin. As he con-
templated this turning away from the
great teachers and these declarations
that there are no sickness and sin, he
W as filled with horror.
DR.. Blanchard then compared the The
osophist with Jesus. In this connection
ha quoted from Rev. DR.. George. W.
Shinn's book, Come Modern Substitutes
for Christianity. lie had not seen the
book till he had decided upon ana be-
gun the preparation of his sermon. He
commended it and wished hundred
Thousand copies might be read. DR..
Shinn is rector of the Episcopal church.
Newton, Mass. He says, page 80: Here
then, are the three leading principles
of Theusophy: ], A Deity who Is simp-
~ the seen OF all things without person
atty; 2, Everything governed by un-
changing force. Karma is fatalism;
8, Man. a complex being passing through
various changes, being often reincar-
natcd and finally reaching Nirvana or
nothingness.
DR.. Blanchard contrasted these with
Jesus's statements.
Last of all the Mental Healer was con-
sidersl. With one of the leaders of this
school, Mr.. Henry Wood, he was in
such sympathy that he disliked to ex-
press dissent. But rs Disciple Of
jesus, he must. Mr.. Wood, SO it seemed.
to the speaker. made too little OF the
pastoral, historical Jesus. Jesus Ia the
Christ, the anointed. The Christ princi-
pie of love 60 God and man needs an
illustrator. Jesus is the greatest. He
tho man, rather than the principle,
helps men. But with all Mr.. Wood
teaches in his admirable books-'God's
Image in Man," and "Ideal Sugges-
tious. - save this minimizing the man
Jesus, he was in hearty, joyous accord.
DR.. Blanchard then dwelt earnestly
upon certain conclusions. He pleaded
that men should seek the highest inter-
prefers of Jesus. Not every mum or
woman who attempted to teach was
we'll prepared. There ale tco many sec
ond and third rate teachers abroad. II
he-could persuade, he would draw stu
dents to the study of Martinehu and
Emerson. He would gladly also have
them study Mr.. Henry Wood.
He besought men also to study the
teachings of the great physicists and
heed their pupils, the physicians. These
latter are honorable and earnest men.
Tbav want tn save from disease. They