Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-10-23

proclamation of the fact), that the
religion of Jesus is of greater value
to the world, is Of greater value to
you and to me, than everything else
that has ever been or ever can be
crowded into this universe: therefore,
whatever impiDgeS upon that, what
ever lessons the sweetness. the love
and song of that will meet with my
earnest, consistent, and persistent
opposition, and, in all conscience,
should meet with yours.
You have this Other thought of
Christian Science: that taken at its
best, as you understand If, for all
that its devoteeS claim. and still, it
is but an ephemeral thing, for an
ephemeral purpose; that it is some
thing for the physical man, the man
of clay, and nothing for the man
fashioned in the image and likneSS of
the Infinite Father; that it is some
thing for today, and today only, and
nothing for the lmmeaSurab Die
tomorrow OF God. If you are right,
then Christian Science is baseless
thing. the SIRENS song of peace,
when there is 20 peace" But you
are not right. your are wholly wrong:
| assert that there is not genius
enough in this world to frame a
statment respecting Christian Science
that would be wider the mark or more
absolutely barren or truth than just
what | have imagined your thought
of it is.
The physical benefits of Christian
Science. its medicinal virtue, it's heal
ing power are but Incidents of what
it is, of is reality, and yet these in
cidentS must not be undervalued, for
all the world knows today that the
healing which Jesus did, the SuIceaSe
he brought to human sorrow, the hope
he rekindled, were but incidents of
the Astounding redemption he. brought,
and the sweet gospel be preached of
Gods unfailng love. Yet these bene-
factions to men, though but Incidents
of d mighty mission, proclaim trum-
pet-tOngued, demons trate indeed, the
divinity of the Messenger. And just
as certainly the healing incidents Of
Christian Science indiSputably eStab-
liSh the cO-eXiStent relationship of
Christian Science and the teaching of
Jesus. Wherefore Christian Scien-
fists have the keeneSt appreciation of
the prOphylactic aud therapeutic vir-
tue of their religion, and earnestly
contend, and indeed many of us
do know, know as certainly as Paul
knew, that his Redeemer lived, that
| Christian Science does bring Surcease
to the heart-aChe and heart-break of
! men, gives roses for ashes to men,
peace for pain, love for hate, hope
for despair, health (rosy-cheeked) for
gnaWing disease, gives life for death
to men. Yet neither of these bene-
factions, nor all of chem combined, is
Christian Science in its essence, it's
infinite good. They are the results
of Christian Science; they are the
inevitable product, the unavoidable
| fruitage Of Christian Science under
stood and lived; and understood only
when lived. | assert, in this magni-
ticent presence, that their is not a
phase of the religion of Jesus Christ
represented on earth-I care not what
your phase of it may be-that is
worth the snap of your finger or mine,
unless that religion is lived. The eX-
pectant children Of men the world
around are grasping the fact that the
religion of Jesus Christ is not a re-
ligion Of words. of ceremony, of plati-
tudeS, professions, confessions, or
creeds, but religion of works, of
fruits, of demonstration. 1t may
| have been heresy yesterday, but in
| the brighter today it is not, to say
that it will do you no good to simply
confess religion, it will do you no
good to merely profess religion:
you may repeat your creedS, the creedS
Of men, from now until the very fash
| ing break OF doom, and it will do you
| Al oc,
your lives are SO ordered, that day
| by day and hour by hour you may
know, and your neighborS may know
as we'll, that you do indeed believe
what you profess to believe, and know
it by whatyou do. This is the only
way given whereby you may know
what your real concept of the Infinite
Father is, by what you do, and not
| by what you say. The great Master
laid down the rule long years ago in
| his pilgrimage among men, and it
must be equally gratifying to US all,
whatever our denominations name,
to know that Jesus never established
a rule for the government of your
conduct and mine that he did not
apply to his Own. Repeatedly he
said to his diScipleS-and when he
| spoke to them he as certainly and
directly spoke to you and me-"By
their works ye shall know them.''
And with striking fidelity and pic
| tureque force, Jesus applied this severe
| test to himself. In a crucial period
of his mission one of his own raised
| the startling and impiouS question as
| TO whether He was the Christ or a
pretender? Then your human iudg-
| ment and mine would have said, now,
now is the suspicious moment, when
| this Messenger Of God, this master of
all learning, all logic, and the master
of all minds of men, too, may easily
make an argument that will satisfy
the learned and unlearned world alike,
that he is the Christ, the son of the
| living God. 1t is the moment of all
the centuries: The world stands
aghaSt with the stupendouS issue OF it's
redemption hinged upon the answer.
| What shall it be! Listen! Men and
women hush the beating of their
| hearts to hear 1.-THE mightiest
speech Of all the ages, spoken with
the simplicity of a child, the sublime
assurance Of a God: go, tell John
that the lame do walk and the blind
do see" That was all it was not
more brief than conclusive; it touched
| the high level of the momentouS
| occasion, and huShed to silence
| through all the march of the years,
every impious questioning Of the
Christ's divinity. Have you ever
thought Of it for moment that this
is the only argument that Jesus ever
made in this world to establish His
divinity? Think of it now. He said,