St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1906-10-31

llaC was also IN Christ Jesus If that
was true standard of Christianity in
Pauls time, and in it's early history,
it ought to be a true standard now.
Therefore, the Christian Science posi-
ton is that it is not an impossible
standard, but that it does impose upon
those who subscribe to these tenets a
solemn obligation to strive, watch and
pray for the attainment Of that high
| Christian goal. l know not what it is
fully to possess the same Mind that
was also in Christ Jesus. We can, at
present, have only faint glimpse of
such mighty fact; but this we know,
that it is possible for all of us to be-
| gin an earnest effort in that direction.
We can commence at the lower rung
of that ladder whose top marks the
full measure of the stature Of manhood
in Christ Jesus, and step by step we
may make the ascent If we will.
Every good thought you entertain,
| which is unselfsh and helpful to
yourself, to your neighbor and to the
world is, to that extent, having in you
the same Mind that was in Christ Jesus.
| Every good act and deed which Is the
| outflow of such good thought Is, in due
measure, an expression of the Mind of
Christ; and notwithstanding all the
sin in the world we can brush aside the
mists and see much of the Christ Mind
manifested. Every time see man, I
care not how rough in exterior, at the
risk of his own life going to the rescue
of the lives of his fellow beings, see
there a beautiful manifestation of the
Christ Mind or the Christ spirit, and
every day we witness or hear of such
things. We have been too much wont
to magnify the evil of human nature
and to minimize its good. We have SO
long looked upon it's wrong side that we
have well nigh lost sight of it's best
side We should see more the true
man, and less the SHINING, dying, and
diseased mortal who bears not the
image of the eternal God.
The SCRIPTURAL BASIS.
The foregoing indicates, in general
terms. the Christianity of our faith.
No unbiased mind will say that, in
statement and theory, it does not en-
brace all the essentials of Bible teach
ing but let us be more specific. All
who believe in God at all agree that
He is all-powerful, all-present, all-wise.
All who believe in the Bible accept the
statement of the first chapter of Gene
sis that God made man in His own
image and likeness. We should en-
deavor to give these Bible truths their
full weight, their deep significance. Ii
we do so, we must believe that with
God all things are possible. We must
believe that If God is whole, His image
and likeness reflects Wilderness. We
must believe that If God is pure, His
image and likeness reflects purity. We
must believe that If God is good, His
image and likeness reflects goodness.
We must believe that If God is Love,
His image and likeness reflects love.
We must believe that If God is Life,
His image and likeness reflects life.
We must believe that If God, in His
Wilderness, is free from sin, sickness
and death, His image and likeness is
likewise free. Otherwise the words
simage and likeness" were false and
meaningless-a misnomer. full be-
lief in the first chapter of Genesis,
which is the record of the true, spirit
ual creation, puts upon us the neces-
sity of recognizing God as the only
creator of man, and man as the image
and likeness OF his creator forever and
forever.
Paul expressed a clear discernment
of the distinction between the real
man and the false when, as recorded
in Col. 8, he said: "But now We also
put off all these anger, wrath, malice,
blasphemy, filthy communication out OF
your mouth. Lie not to one another,
seeing We have put off the old man
with his Deeds and have put ON the
new man which is renewed in knowl-
edge after the image of him that Great
ed him. Put on therefore, as the
elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels
of mercies, kindness and humbleness Of
mind, meekness, long-suffering,
and above all these things put on char
ity which is the bond of perfectness. y
Here is distinctly shown the differ
ence between the true man and the
false, the immortal and the mortal,
the perfect and the imperfect. Jesus
referred to this difference when he
said: "Ye must be born again." or "ye
must be born anew" as it is in the re-
yised version He also referred to the
true man when he said: BE We perfect,
even as your Father which is in heav-
en- is perfect" That is, we must be
borne out of sin and imperfection into
sinlessness and perfection, for this is
the necessity of your birthright as the
image and likeness of God.
If this Scripture is to be taken at
its plain meaning, we have laid the
foundation for further Scripture which
! shows Gods power and purpose to
transform the false into the true, by
the destruction of the false. This Is
the only real transformation. =.
) Hear the "sweet singer of lsraer
in the 103 Psalm:
"Bless the Lord, o my soul, and for,
: get not all his benefits: Who forgiven
, all thine iniquities; who healeth all
: the diseases; who redeemeth thy life
from destruction; who crowneth thee
with loving kindness and tender mer
cies; who satisfeth thy mouth will
good things, so that thy youth is renew
ed like the eagles" And listen to the
7 prophet jeremiah (33) Call unto me
and will answer thee, and show thet
{ great and mighty things which thot
9 knowest not; Behold / will bring i
{ health and cure and l will cure them
and will reveal unto them the abun
dance of peace and truth
| n