The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-28

Slu. They SlInply call upon us 10 posses ourselves of more and more of this living spirit, to let it flow into our souls. to let it take possession of our thoughts, thereby becoming spiritual ly-minded. In this way we shall make the things of darkness as naught, we shall largely conquer the limitations of the flesh, we shall renew our youth. and go on from strength to strength. To my way of thinking 1t is a heauti- full faith, and as true as beautiful-the faith by which we conceive of our selves as actually spirits, by which we fix our minds upon eternal rather than temporal realities, by which we view all physical things, our bodies and this world upon which they exist, from spiritual rather than from a material standpoint.
 I feel sure that have said enough concerning the philosophical aspect of Christian Science. That their denials are not necessary to their work of healing and comforting ministry would seem evident from the fact that the new thought people, free as they are from these denials, attain the same religious results And it is my fervent hope that the Christian Scientists will some day recognize that the denial of | sin and disease is unphilos0phical, un- necessary and unscriptural. That it is unphilosophical I think I have shown; that it is unnecessary Is proved by the fact that the new thought people accomplish the same results without such denials: and that it is unscrip- | tural appears from either a careless or a careful reading of any page in the gospel record. Jesus claimed 2ower l over sin and disease, but He never de- nied their relaity. "Go.' He exclaimed ! to the man who had been healed, and sin no more. lest worse thing hafall you"
 Turning now to the affirmative as- peet of Christian Science let us ask ourselves wherein lies it's living DOW CT? Many answer, Tn it's healing" " I It is freely charged that Christian ' Science is not spiritual movement; that it cares only for the loaves and fishes of physical health. So fair minded man as President Hyde of Bowdoin college socms to fall into this view of Christian Science. In a recent discussion of this subject he writes; Healing is not like love, joy, peace, modesty, fidelity, sacrifice, an essen tial manifestation of the Christian spirit" This may be true. But does he mean to imply that Christian Scientists confne themselves to the healing aspect of their ministry, while they disregard these fine graces of the spirit? If that is the implication I think it wholly unjust. Where is the evidence that they are lacking in the Christian Spirit of love? Do they not keep the peace? Are they not law abiding citizens? Do we find them lacking in fidelity and In patience? To be sure they cling tenaciously to their beliefs, but since when has it become a crime to believe as a man chooses to believe? To be sure they are enthu- siastic almost to the point of fanati- cism, in allegiance to their church. and
 
 Congregational fellowship, would not be glad to have OUT membership fired with this same intense spirit of loyalty If I am capable of any fair judgment Christian Scientists magnify firsI of all, the graces of the spirit They love one another. They are creators of joy. They keep the peace Over-modest we may not call them, but their assertive- ness has this redeeming quality, it springs out of a deep faith. As to fidelity in all family and social rela- tionship, I cannot see that they fall below the standard set up by other Christian bodies. Doubtless there is much to desire in their complication of the virtue of self-sacrifice, but that is as true of US as of them A "pe- .culiar people" they most certainly are, but so were the early Christians, and so are any people who undertake, in a crooked world, to walk according to some deep principle of faith.
 And this brings me straight to the thing I desire most of all to say. What is this deep principle of faith? What  is the one great truth that we may speak of as the religious handle of Christian Science? What is it that they emphasize aboJe everything else; far more, as it seems to me whc would be just, than they emphasize their work of healing? As I speak hum dred minds are answering the ques- tion It is their teaching of the great truth of the immanence of God? No! f 1t is not that; it is something infinite ly more vital than that; 1t is what the J Scripture calls the presence of God the living presence of God. The teach ing of the immanence of God is pro- found philosophical truth, but it is not truth that gets hold of the hearts and lives of men. It is the presence of God, made known to us in the re- deeming, healing, uplifting, loving and sanctifying power of the Chrlst-it is this, and this alone, that sways and