The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-23
A LECTURE ON
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
By Bliss Knapp. Member Of Christian
Science Board of Lectureship Of
Tho First Church Of Christ,
Scientist, Boston. Mass.

The subject 81 Christian Science aud u
healing ministry j. worthy Of the prsyeriu
L confederation Of every man, woman and enid
and In presenting this subject u IA with IN
Lsmble purpose 81 calling your attention 7
the way which the Master taught a. the onl
way given under heaven whereby men cal
be saved from sin. sickness aud death. CHRIS
tendon generally believes in the moral an.
spiritual progress Of mankind, but IN a mul
iitudr Of ways and means 10 that end, IL q
not yet generally believed that human prog
ress out Of the self destructive elements %
sin and disease n wholly due TO right ap
prehension or understanding OF God wh'
l. absolute Truth, Life and Love. II follow
therefore that this appeal Is TO mans highes
MORAL and spiritual nature.
II Christian Science were simply an intel
lcctual pasiime, touching only the cmotion'
aud sentiments of men. " could never emulate
III. mercy Of primitive Christian healing II
IN generally admitted that u heals the sick
bringing peace and comfort from the nstur'
Of It's curative power. Indeed " has ehsl
| lenged attention not because of any failure
but because Of its success in good works
| Far from being an ethical philosophy TINS
is a life TO be lived,--a truth TO be proved
Possibly the larger part Of song and OF
| verse has been inspired by the tragedy OF
| life. The mystery Of suffering has com
PEELED even the most frivolous 10 seek the
meaning Of life. and II is the theology OF
| Christian Science that not only clears thus
| mystery but removes the suffering. IL the
healing seems to be Of more consequence
| than the religion In its appeal TO the stran.
| ger, IL is because he has not looked beyond
the cure 10 its spiritual cause. for ~ IL the
| theology Of Christian Science that heals the
! sick and reforms the sinner.
| In looking over the entire range OF re.
ligious beliefs. whether handed down by ira
| dition or recorded in the sacred books II IL
/ interesting TO note that they all claim TO be
the PRONUNCIATION Of revealed truth; but
| whatever that may be. the revelation Of
Christ Jesus is the only one in the entire
group that teaches a healing Truth, that
which restores life and heal tn, for II am
come" said Jesus, that they might have
life, and that they might have II more
abundantly Moreover that truth which
heals and reforms manifests the only religion
that is susceptible OF proof; for the MAS
,er's healing resurrection and final ascen
sion demonstrated this lifegving element
in Christianity.
The works OF healing that Jesus accom-,
plished have been preached for centuries; but
for one to relate the simple story Of how he
went to the mother of Peters wife and heal
ed her of a fever, does not set forth IN any
adequate manner the explanation of how It
was done Suppose one does repeat the
simple words of Jesus and initiate his man
ner of addressing disease, the mere form
can never reveal the exquisite power which
he employed. nor does IL give the process so
that another might repeat the operation. Al
least we might infer this from the fact that
these works have not been more commonly
done for many centuries. Now that which
has made Christian Science eminently prac
teal is its ability TO set forth not only what
the power is which Christ Jesus employed
but what the rule is by which another may
repeat those works; and this withal in SO
simple a manner that even child can un'
derstnnd and enjoy its protection, indeed It's
understanding is a panacea for everybody and
at all times, whether the difficulty be a sick
body or sick mind, for He that belieyeth
on me- said Jesus the works that ! do
these shall he do because l go unto my
Father
Footsteps in Spiritual Discovery.
When Jesus healed the centurion's servant |
and the Syrophenican $ daughter without SO
much as going near them, it should be clear |
that the power employed must be mental, as
mental indeed as any Christian prayer. An
English poet has propounded the query, For |
to say truly, what else is man but his |
mind r. Indeed we might ask, What else
to conceive. of an all.wise all-in-
telligent God apart from Mind Moreover,
how can an everpresent God be everywhere
present, except that presence is Mind ! The
is death; but to be spiritually minded
is life and peace express the fact that the
healing power is in the divine or spiritual
How it is that the mind of God should
become available for our needs may seem
rs impossible of attainment as to determine
The character of the distant stars. But as
/
rom former generations pointing the way
I may be interesting to contemplate the
manner by which these early prophets came
o understand for themselves this healing
'ower Of God. that we may emulate their
rood works.
The first of the old patriarchs although
cared in the school of idolatry, was touched
~ divine impulse and began to contem-
o recognize divine Mind whose power {
ave him living faith in God the same
ower in fact which later, divided the waters
t the Red Sea and closed the lions mouths.
uidng and saving power inspired an abso- /
ute faith in its omnipotence. He called this t
over the Almighty, and from that time God S
as been known as the Almighty. Although t
ad absolute faith in its promises, his con- |
ept of it must have been limited; for the o
dice Of God said unto Moses, II appeared I
nto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Jacob, S
anne Jehovah was l not known to them. - Z
ldicating that there was more to learn o
bout the application of this Mind to human Il
eeds Il
Moses was taught from his youth to be- il
eve in God, but when he began to com t.
rehend what he once believed he discovered r,
the outset the same power that inspired c.
lded to Moses in we'll defined laws, which t.
ID healing and saving effect Indeed this G
,wer as manifested through law. brought ii
e actual proofs of deliverence from the T
agnes, from the Red Sea and the terrors of
the wilderness until its reliability and ii
nth were absolutely established. There | in
re, the Scriptures have added to Abra-
ms definition of Almighty, the Mosaic S.
fnition that God is Truth; for thy law pl
the truth added the psalmist. Surely sy
a God of truth, manifesting His power ma
rough well defined laws awakens in us a | tie
ofounder sense of His unchanging purpose re
save,-a purpose which the earlier eli
ophets predicted would be verified. Never di
eless when these people had the law and ca
ed by the law, and were delivered by the
", there was yet one thing needn't they do
,ked. The final revelation which fulflls TO
8 law was not yet completely understood, no
they were continually looking for I'M W
,nuel or "God with us Gil
The Jews had been looking for Emmanuel Nj
ey needed a final revelation, and expected sh
e. This final Interpretation was TO bring eli
very presence of God to their understand ND
:; and when Christ Jesus took ND the fr<