The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1901-01-01

sus' example while he seeks 10 follow the
Masters steps in the overcoming OF sin?
Jesus said: For whether is it easier 10
saw thy sins he forgiven thee. or 10 say.
/ arise and walk
Now IS TO The denial % the existence
| Of matter. ! propose 10 prove BY the
| Masters words that ne had no more
spect for matter than the christian
Scientist. He never had p Kind thing to
saw OF the flesh. viii treat this ques-
ton N connection with Or Marshall
statement Christian Science teaches
| that everything real is mind
hence there are no stars. no trees. no
| mountains. and We have no bodies. Such
| a view IS no more acceptable 10 CHRISTIAN
| Scientists than TO our reverend divine. and
| indeed is not the teaching OF this science
| The abstract statement that everything
Ue see IS unreal does not express she ldea
| of this faith which teaches that every
thing in creation from the least 10 the
greatest is actual il being only the hu-
| man material concept OF God : creation
| which is declared an illusion We belieFe
| that in our present unspiritual condition
we have wrong sense o. the universe.
| This wrong perception is not the crea-
| ton itself but a false sense of 1t. ana II
/ is this false sense. not the creation ltsel'
| which the Christian Scientist beheVes 10
| be unreal. II should be understood mere
| that the basic statement OF this science IS
| scrinturaI: God is a spirit. 1T is the
| spirit that quickeneth: the flesh tmatter)
nrofiteth nothing" Will our friend please
! explain what Jesus meant by the state
| ment that spirit alone animates the uni
verse also this passage, In Him we live,
and move and have our being. Will be
| also note the words The flesh profteth
| nothing" How much IS nothing? And
| whence cometh this Improbable thing?
| Did God perpetrate an imposition upon
| mankind by giving him something when
! is unprotitable? Flesh, or matter, under
| the light of Christian Science is but the
| human false concept OF GODS creation
| which is in reality spiritual and all the
| discords and sins OF earth are occaSioned
| by believing in and serving the false sense
| named matter or flesh. Christian science
| does indeed teach that sin is only as real
| as we make it by our indulgence; but IL
also inculcates that the sinner will never
! be rid Of sin until he stops SHINING. for
his very Indulgence makes evil real 10
| him.
1t is stated: Her CNrs. Eddy's) teach
ings 90 further and insist that death is
| only another false notion OF the mind, and
| if the race would outgrow its belief in
| death people would cease to die Here
! again | would call upon our brother TO
interpret a bit of Scripture. Jesus said:
/ IF a man keep my saying he shall never
| taste of death" Was this statement
meaningless? Is it possible to keep the
| saying OF Jesus2 We admit that in our
| present material state we are far from
that perfection which is necessary to the
| fulfillment of Jesus demands, and that
we grow sick, suffer and die because OF
| this. Nevertheless we know the sacred
words are true: that the fulfillment of
the same is within human possibility in
| proportion as human VIII Fields to the
divine. We also insist that Johns vision
/ will be eventually seen again though cen
| turtles may pass before that time Il
saw q new heaven and new earth,
wherein dwalleth righteousness. Also
that prophecy: And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there
| shall be 10 more death. neither sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be any
more pain; for the former things are
passed away" Jesus spoke Of death as
| sleep, and Oh one occasion He said: Why
make We this ado and weep? the damsel
| is not dead but sleepeth. He also said;
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth." And after
| having used this expression to the dis
COmnIure OF MS 1OllOWeES VINO utu BOZ
understand lis significance, then said Je-
sus unto them plainly. Lazarus is dead. ;"
AS much as to say. 4 do not consider
death as anything more than q dormant
mental condition, but if you cannot under
stand my meaning | will a term
familiar to you and will say plainly, Laz-
arus is dead Should Christian Scientists
Oe criticised for taking the same view Of
death which Jesus held?
To quote further from DR.. Marshall:
Add to this the doctrine that Mrs. Eddy
| herself is the highest expression CT the
divine idea in the human form, surprising
Jesus as he surpassed Moses. and you
have n brief the doctrine Of Christian
Science" This is as far from Christian
Science as night from day. and there is
nothing in the writings Of Mrs. Eddy to
warrant such assumption. Mrs. Eddy
claims absolutely nothing for her person
ality except that she is the discoverer end
founder Of Christian Science, and this our
friend will probably not deny. She teaches
in her textbook that Jesus was the
highest human concept Of a perfect
man.; that he was the way-shower: that
we are to be saved not only in the flu
ture, but IN the present through the
practice OF mis- teachings. Never is the
claim made that her text book should
take the place of the Bible, or that Chris
tianity should be supplanted by Christian
Science. but that Science and Health
reveal the spiritual significance OF the
scriptures and make Christianity more
PRACTICAL
Our friend seems to believe that Chris
tian Scientists reject his sense OF a per-
sonal Cod OF this it is difficult TO be
sure, since he has not defined what he
means by the word personal. In Chris
tian Science prefer not to tn
word personal as applied to Deity, since
such a term is apt to perpetuate the
| pueriie conception that God is restrict
ed being with an outlined form. We be-
| lieve IN the infinite individuality Of God
that He is an all-wise, self-consc ious, "a
tiOnal Being, unlimited and everywhere
: present We cannot accept any defin-
ton Of Cod which would limit Him in
, any sense; and it should be remembered
that every : atarnont Of Christian Science