Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-14

a belief in a material life basis, and to
begin to work toward the possibilities
of a spiritual life basis.
This human throng that we are con-
sidering stands for a race OF people
who soon or late, cry and complain OF
heavy hearts and heavy burdens; soon
or late they murmur and lament be-
cause misery of humanity Is what COM
prises its long continued problem. Soon
or late, everyone asks the most impor-
tant question Of history, What must l
do to be saved?" Can do anything to
be saved or am 1 under an irresistible
DOOM" Mankind has been trying for
centuries to solve the problem, and
after all the centuries confesses itself
as being without a solution. There are
the same tears, the same lamentation,
the same reproach. A poor, suffering
humanity Is taught that 1t cannot be
saved on earth, or while alive; that the
only way to get rid Of 1t all, the only
way out, is to die out.
And now comes Christian Science, tol
declare that you can get out, and II
there were nothing else in Christian
Science to attract the attention of men,
1t would be done by this one incompar-
able promise which surpasses every
other promise for the veal Of men that
has been made in the name of religion,
philosophy and science. There Is moth
ing known in the history of men or the
range of human belief that promises SO
much to the man that is In trouble as
does Christian Science. There is moth
ing equivocal about the promise. The
only open question is as to whether or
not these promises are being fulfilled.
I am reminded, at this point, that
many Of you are Bible students. Per-
NIT me to remind you that all through
the Bible runs the thought that God is
the healer of disease. We are exhorted
over and over again to have faith in
God. There are many words to the eff
feet that to be spiritually minded Is life
and peace. Again and again. are we
solicited to turn to God or to Christ for
betterment, for salvation for regenera-
ton, but most men are just as was.
I found it utterly impossible to have
faith in something that did not know
anything about. 1t was impossible to
have a substantive and available faith
In that which was absolutely invisible,
imponderable and without apparent
available utility. I, like most other
people, was fascinated by the ap-
parent1y substantive nature of material
things. 1 had no capacity, above the
senses, to comprehend the things OF SUI
persensible existence. know how easy
It Is for people to put the whole ques-
ton away, just as / did. by declaring,
"Christian Science teaches the Allness
of Spirit, but there is nothing visible.
nothing in sight, as Spirit" / COM
planned because my senses did not
cognize and could not observe the basis
or modus thereof That which appeals
! to the materialist is something that can
be touched and examined, and for this
reason, we are divided as before, into
those people who believe in a material
basis and those who declare that spir-
| itual basis and modus operandi are pal
pablo and of everlasting advantage
to mankind.
Referring again to the course of mem
tai development, l remind you that to
the question. what is the creative
cause or impulsion of the universe?"
there have been many answers. Those
which have had the most approval are,
first the one that declares 1.-THE cause
of the universe is a blind, non-intelli-
gent material substance and energy"
and second, the one that declares that
1.-THE first cause and origin is COD; he
made everything.
There came a time, in the course of
human discernment. when men per-
ceived that every object in the universe
existed at the standpoint of effect. 1t
is fact that everything that the per-
sonal senses observe has, already, been
made; 1t already has been created, or
manufactured and exists in conse-
quence of some inducement or animus.
Now then, what is the inducement,
what Is the basis or cause of what is
called man and the universe?"
To q large extent the answer to this
question has been after this fashion:
whereas all visible, material things
already are organized, that is to say,
have been composed or created, and
whereas anything that can be dis
cerned. already has been made. the
conclusion is that the primary induce
ment of material things, including
man, is atomic dust or substance"
This has been called the atomic the
ory Of a life basis and instantly 1
ask you to observe that it is, as a
basis, utterly nof1-discernible. Every
one admits that as, an assumed basic
substance 1t is intangible and always
will be.
Nothing but theory and sheer sup
position lies in the atomic hypothesis.
The world of thought includes nothing
more intangible as basis and nothing
more incapable of proof. The purely
materialistic theory concerning the ini-
tiative and impulsion of man. offers as
such a basis, nothing at all-nothing
that can be known or discovered or
can be appreciated by the senses called
personal
The man who objects to a spiritual
life basis on the ground that 1t is
transcendental can find nothing but
vacuity as a material basis, which
vacuity despairing human speculation
has sought to fill up by means of a
conjectural hypothesis which 1t admits
is utterly unprovable.
Now Christian Science teaches,
among other things, that there is no
such thing as atomic substances or an
atomic life basis, and 1t teaches that
man and the universe are not >the
phenomena of any such noumenon. If
it were true, however, that man has
his origin in atomic substance as the
primary basis of his existence, then he
would be annihilated at death; his ex-
istence would be forever extinguished
in oblivion. Why? Because 1t Is i'm
possible for a phenomenon to outclass,
or rise superior to it's noumenon. 1t is
impossible for any effect to outfoot or
Guido or excel it's cause. If the pri-
mary, cause of man were dust. then
without fail his ultimate would be in
dust.
AT this moment am reminded of
one of Robert Stevenson's stories. He
tells of two men who were out fishing
when a storm came on at nightfall.
The men became bewildered and knew
not their course because of the shift
ing wind. After while the storm be-
came very severe and one of the men
said, SANDY, can We pray?" IT don't
know" said the other. II never tried
It but I will try" "Well, Sandy, pray
as hard and fast as we cam" SO Sandy
got into the stern of the boat and
prayed. The other man continued to
look out for land, After little he felk
the keel touch the sand and he im-