Weekly Arizona journal-miner. [volume] (Prescott, Ariz.) 1903-1908, 1904-01-27

ific attitude. Let us then meet the {
important question: els it Christ s
an?" If it is not, it is not only open k
% your antagonism, but invites and
should receive it. | propose to test its q
Christian character from your pro-
'essed estimate of the Christian Telig- J
ION, and if it reaches your standard,
some one else and not you, must con- {
-inue the antagonism. | make the as
serIion that there is not a single
that any intelligent man for
five hundred years has regarded as an
essential of the religion of Jesus
Christ, that any conscientious person
of average intellect, in the old
would have to surrender in
accepting all that is claimed for
Christian Science. If this is true, it
places us at once upon a common
plane of belief, and necessarily eX-
cludes antagonism, ends discussion.
Now what are the essentials of the
religion of Jesus Christ. Evidently
prime essential of that religion is
belief in God, the one only, living
and true God, all powerful and every
where present, "WhO made all that |
was made and pronounced all that he
made good. infinite in wisdom, |
power, justice, mercy, truth and love
"a Spirit to be 'Worshipful in spirit |
and in truth" Christian Scientists |
believe in worship and adore such a
God. Do you? Another essential of
the religion of Jesus requires belief
in the Christ, belief too, in the sense
which Jesus used the wOTd-tTust,
faith, reliance; belief in and reliance
upon his Messiahship, his redemption
and the salvation he brought. We &C
cept this wholly, absolutely. Do you?
Another essential of the religion OF
Jesus requires the acceptance of the
Word of God, contained in the Old
and New Testament, as Gods revela-
ton of Himself to man for mans
guidance to eternal life. Christian
Scientists do this. Do you? Another
essential of the religion of Jesus com
mauds the acceptance of the Ten Com
mandments as Gods laws of require
ment and restriction, to be resolutely
and absolutely kept, one not less than
another. We do this. Do you? An
other essential of the religion of Jesus
is that you shall believe in the efficacy
and duty of prayer. We do this. Do
you? Still another essential of this
religion is that you shall love God
with all your heart and mind and
strength, and your neighbOr as your
self. To the keeping of this great
Commandment we bend the energy Of
our lives. Do you?
| have stated the essential require
ments of the religion of Jesus, every
one of which is an integral of our re-
ligious belief, and which combined,
form the rock upon which Christian
Science tests mistaken. the impreg-
nable fortress behind which Christian
Science is secure. 1t would be I'M
kind, possibly impertinent, not to as
sumo, accept without saying, your
professed belief in these essentials OF
the Christian religion; and if your
belief is real, trustful, reliant, when
tested by your works, then relentless
logic will drive you, either to change
your own religious belief, or to cease
your assaults upon ours; and If your
belief is not real not proven by your
works, might there not be a sugges-
tion of safety to you in the caution to
Jewellers in glass houses?'
, 1t may be said that / have given you
, some of the points of doctrine upon
which the old churches and Christian
Scientists agree, but that L have not
told you anything about the many
points upon which they do not agree.
/ The failure to do this was not an
oversight. 1t is part of the ethics
; of my profession, that lawyer shall
willingly, smilingly, even gleetuIly
lose his case, rather than deliberately
slaughter his own logic. | have made
the effort for a few moments at least,
, to satify you that upon the essentials
! 4 e Il. saaaa
J 1t is apparent to us all that if you
have the essentials of that religion,
J and we have the essentials of that re-
/ ligion, then we each have all the
gospel supplies, and it is just as ap-
: parent to your logic as to mine that
| if we are in accord respecting the es-
! sentials of the religion of Jesus, then
there is not anything essential for US
: TO disagree about, and there never Il
an opportune time to discuss non es
3 sentials.
Again you might ask eff we are il
: harmony respecting the essentials OF
= the religion OF Jesus, what is the ne
/ cessity for a new church, why do you,
as nine tenths of the Christian Scient
= lists have, go out of the old churches?'
= If We really believe alike respecting
i
T the question, there would be no reason
r for a new church, or rather all the
= old churches would be new, "trans
formed by the renewal of your mind, ,
/ laIl one; for when all the people thinl
= alike and think Alright of the one only
: living and true God, there will be anC
/ can be but one church, the heavens
A; its dome. the Lord God Almighty anC
, e fou no a.
! nations shall walk in it, and the glory
! of God shall light it.
You will observe, however, that il
t my comparison of the old churches
, belief and ours, speak of declaration:
of belief; and there is vast difference
] between what one says he believes anC
T. what he really believes. Religion:
t belief, belief in God, cannot be ascer
= tanned from human speech. What you
l do, not what you say, determines the
} status of your real belief in God, your
( concept of God. A declaration OF be
D lief in the Infinite is but futile at
D tempt to express in finite Language
r the creatures obedience to God, trusi
= in God, and reliance upon God. There
is no human language, tongue, OF
speech, image, sign or character, thai
can express IL. OOu Is q spirit AM
= they that worship Him must worship
/ Him in spirit and in truth" You
3 worship of God is the infallible test
of your belief in God. | venture tC
I illustrate my position. Suppose some
) gentleman should arise and say to thi:
] splendid audience, my friends, be-
r lieve that alcohol has brought more
sorrow into this world, more heart
ache and heart break, has desOlateC
{ more homes, wrecked more lives,
4 drawn more tears than all other thing;
/ combined. l believe in my very SOU
? that every place where Intoxicating
4 liquor is sold as beverage is but &
{ ticket office to hell, and that the face
5 of every honest man and woman
{ should be turned as flint against this
horrible, CHASTITY practice" and bav.
, ing said this, should go out of the
- house and stop at the nearest ticket
r office of this character, and buy few
r tickets for himself and some for few
> dear friends, from whom he does not
J wish to be separated wherever the
. TRANSFORMATION might carry them.
| Would you not know, every one OF
YOU. every child in the house know,
= that that man did not state his real
3 belief, or if he did, that he was amaZ-
3 ingly attracted to the lurid terminus
! of the transportation purchased. The
> illustration l have employed Is not
far fetched. Few of us indeed have
escaped furnishing examples of the
{ same inconsistency. Apply the test
to yourselves: As the years have come