Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-27
AYERS CHRISTIAN
SCIENCE SPRINGS
FROM THE BIBLE
GIVES SCRlPTURAL AUTHOR
ITY FOR THE BELIEF
POINTS OUT JESUS COMMANDED
DISCIPLES TO HEAL
Lecturer Declares Words of Savior
Apply to Modern Followers
as Well as to Twelve
Apostles

Christian Science before large au-
dienee at the Shrine auditorium.
Judge Hanna Is a member of the
Christian Science board of lectureship,
an old personal friend and one Of the
earliest followers of Mrs, Eddy. lie
said:
The subject of my lecture indicates
fairly well its scope and purpose,
christian Science, the Religion of the
Bibie..> We do not mean by this that
Christian Science is the only religion
which claims Biblical authority, but
are aware that 1t is one thing to claim
scriptural authority in a general way
and another thing to prove such au-
thority from the Scriptures.
Before proceeding to this branch of
my remarks, however, and acting on
an assumption on which l am in the
habit of acting, namely, that there are
more or less present who are not or
our faith-some, maybe, who are In
vestigating, but not thoroughly con-
vinced, some who are skeptical as to
whether Christian Science is what it
purports to be, yet others who have
come for the first time to hear the
subject publicly presented, l will say
that Christian Science has text book
1t is a treatise on healing through the
POHCI VI INOQ VI AAAS ASAN AAAI -fAAAANs ~
as we claim, it is a thorough exegesis
of the scriptural method of healing all
manner of disease, and of curing all
manner of sin through the under
standing of God as all-present, all-pow-
erful, all-wise In short, it is spir-
itual Interpretation Of the Bible.
The author of a book of note and of
value is a person of whom people de-
sire to know, therefore 1 shall refer
briefly to the life and character of Mrs.
Eddy. It may not be amiss for me to
say that for nearly ten years, as for
mer First Reader In the Mother
church in Boston and editor of the Off
cial periodicals, I have had opportuni-
ties which enable me to speak intel
ligently of her life and character as
well as of her labors and literary at
tainments.
Speaking from this vantage ground
I can truthfully say that, intellectual
ly, she is one of the most alert persons
1 have ever known; that she labors
necessarily and unselfshly for the
cause to which she has devoted her
life, and that, Notwithstanding her
years, she performs an amount of Ia
Dor each day which, if known, would
seem incredible, even if done by one
yet in the adolescence of life. AS to
her religious character, I speak my
profoundest conviction when 1 say I
believe 1t to be in accord with the
highest standard of Christian living.
Vet, Notwithstanding her highly spir-
itual nature, she is withal an intense
ly practical person. She keeps close
watch of current affairs and acquaints
herself with the worlds doings. She
is. moreover, a patriotic citizen. Mrs.
Eddy, like all great religious and NOR
al haG haaf for
Misrepresentation and sometimes ma
licious attack. The animus of these
attacks is so apparent that they have
fallen harmless.
More Than Thousand Branches
There is in Boston a Mother Church
having a membership composed of
persons residing in almost every part
of this country and of other countries.
The Mother Church has branch
churches and societies to the number
of more than one thousand, also sit
uated in nearly every part of this
country and of other countries. Some
years since the Mother Church adopt
ed a set of church tenets. These be-
came also the tenets Of all of her
branches. They acknowledge the
Scriptures to be the inspired word of
God. They acknowledge the suprem-
acy and infinity of God They ac
knowledge Christ and his divinity, and
declare there is but one Christ. They
inculcate the omnipotence, omnipres-
ence and omniseience Of God.
The last of these tenets enjoins on
all who subscribe to them the neces-
sity Of watching and praying to have
in themselves the same mind that was
also in Christ Jesus, to do unto others
as we would have them do unto US, and
to be mercifui, just and pure.
The early records Of this church con-
tain the following interesting and sig
nificant item: "At a meeting of the
Christian Science association, April
49, 1879. on motion Of Mrs. Eddy, it
was voted to organize a church de-
signed to commemorate the word and
works of our Master. which should re-
instate primitive Christianity and its
lost element Of healing"
We point to the thirty years
intervening history in witness Of the
correctness Of that early declaration.
During those many years thousands
have been brought out of conditions of
sin, sorrow, grief, woe, distress, dis
ease and sickness, who, without the
aid Of this scientific Christianity.
would have remained in abandoned
and hopeless conditions. We do not
hesitate to say, therefore, as a matter
of current history, that to a most
wonderful and gratifying extent primi-
tive Christianity has been reinstated
and its lost element Of healing re-estab-
lished.
God Is Almighty
Christian Science teaches that God
is in truth Almighty. If He is AL
mighty then surely He is correctly de-
fined by the other terms, Omnipotent,
Omnipresent, Omniscient, Supreme and
Infinite. He who is all powerful is al
ways all powerful. He who is omni-
present is never absent. He who is all
wise is never less than that. could not
be by the very necessity of His all
wisdom.
Objection Is sometimes made that
Christian Science is heterdox because
as the objectors claim 1t declares
against Gods personality.
The Christian Science definition Of
God does not describe a more imper-
sonal God, as that term is commonly
used and understood, than does the a.
thodox definition as contained in the
Westminster Confession of Faith This
definition is substantially accepted by
all churches calling themselves Evan
gelical. / quote II almost In full
"There is one living and true God,
who is infinite in being and perfection
most pure spirit invisible. without
immense, eternal incomprehensible
almighty, most wise. most holy most
free. most absolute, most loving. gra-
cious, long-suffering. abundant in good
ness and truth, forgiying iniquity