Los Angeles herald., 1906-04-29

| Christian Science in an article pub
lished in THE Westminster:
zone of the leading elders in the
| church of DR.. Coyle, a recent moder-
ator of our general assembly, told me
the most remarkable thing he has
ever had to reckon with is the rapid
growth in Denver of the Christian
| Scientists. And that is not ALL he
says. They have not only built the
most beautiful church in the middle
west, at a cost of more than 100000,
but all has been given without the least
urging on the part of anyone for 1t.
But far more than this he went on
to say, these people seem TO just live
the most beautiful upright lives; so
that you cannot help but feel that
wherever you meet them. whether So
cially or in business, they exhibit some
! thing that the rest of us have not
Surely we owe any system of truth
depth of gratitude that will bring
forth such heavenly fruitage as this"
One of the most influential attorneys
| of Cleveland told me that he dropped
into one of the Wednesday evening
meetings of the Scientists, and to his
utter amazement found more than five
hundred present. But the strangest
and most startling thing of all to him
was that he counted more than seventy
| five people there who but a few years
before were leading members in two of
| the strongest Presbyterian churches
of the city-men and women, many of
whom were the pillars. both spiritually
and financially, of the churches from
which they had gone out. He said he
asked a number of them afterward the
cause of their religious exodus. and
almost invariably the reply was that
now Tor the first time did religion
seem a real joy to their life, the Bible
book they really understood and
loved to read and God the great COM
panion" whom they knew was ever
and forever lovingly present. Surely
our hearts must be hard as stone if
there flows not forth abounding graft
tude for such a heavenly awakening
in the lives of any of his children as
this.
A few weeks ago was i'll company
with one of the leading ladies on the
American stage. Among other things
the theme of our conversation was
Christian Science. / asked her what
her experience had been with those of
this cult. Her reply was: We'll, tell
you they are the greatest wonder of
the world. Women that / used to
know in New York and elsewhere that
lived lives that were worse than worth
less-not women way down, but wo-
men way up'-these women when they
came to take up this new faith became
in year or two so transformed that
nothing less than heavenly can eX-
press the change, which is little less
than miraculous" 1t would seem as
though Christ's followers ought to send
forth shouts of joy at such a great re-
demption and thankfulness without
ceasing for any help that would work
such a work among the most hopeless
and helpless.
Only short time ago one of the
leading professors in one of our lead
ing Presbyterian institutions, to my
utter amaZement, made his little con-
fession. He was the last man in the
world from whom / should have eX-
pected it, for I had always felt he was
the most theologically hidebound man
1 had ever met. He was good to the
core, but dead set to the quick Here
are his words: Il am most thoroughly
convinced there must be something in
Christian Science the church has over
looked or lost, and which it must get
hold of again il it is ever to get a grip
as a mighty saving power on the world
that is lost" We must surely be dead
in sin or asleep in Jesus if in the pres
ence of such an honest confession from
one far outside the new cult. we do not
thank God from the depth of our hearts
that his eyes could see something in the
new message that God meant us all to
see, if our eyes are to be opened to the
full glory of sons of God. and that alone
eXalteth.
In view of such facts as have Just
been stated, which certainly are straws
telling the way the winds of heaven
are blowing and the thought-currents
of earth are flowing, does it not be-
hoove every Christian man and woman
who is a truth lover, to lay aside every
weight of prejudice which does so easily
beset them, and of religious self-satis-
faction. which does so easily possess
them, and ask themselves in the spirit
of loving candidness. what truth there
is in this message of Christian Sci
ence which has come into the kingdom,