The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-07-19

the book with which the Bible is stud
led. and 1t has rent the veil of mystery
surrounding the letter of the Word
from top to bottom. revealing the spiri-
tual import of the Scriptures, disclos-
ing to us holy OF holies," wherein
God is revealed to us as no longer an
unknown God, no longer a God to be
ignorantly worshipped. but 4 God who
is Love.-a God who never turns from
His children. Father more tender,
more considerable, more compassion
ate, more loving than human con-
seriousness can conceive.
Christ Acknowledged In Christian
Science.
It is frequently alleged that Chris
tian Science denies God and the
Christ; in refutation of this state
ment, desire to say that God is re-
ferred to over twelve hundred times
in the Christian Science textbook, an
average of over three times to every
page thereof, and every reference to
either God or Christ brings out a more
exalted thought than the world has
heretofore known. If one will procure
copy of Science and Health with
Key to the Scriptures" written by
| Mrs. Eddy. and read her definition of
God (p. $50 and of Christ (p. $500, he
will never question the reverence ac-
corded them in the teachings of Chris
tian Science.
Universal Belief Cannot Alter Facts.
What about this belief of sin, dis
ease, and death being real? A uni
versal belief is not any more a foun-
dation for fact than is the belief of a
single person. To illustrate, let me
call your attention to the time Of Co
lumbus. You remember that he was
| treated with scorn and contempt and
cast into prison because he stood up
before the wise men of his time and
said that every one of their scientific
deductions, all of their scientific
theses, all their scientific experiments
to prove that this earth is flat were
| worthless. because the earth is a
sphere. Who was right? Columbus
was right, of course, and the wise
men were all wrong. What effect did
| the universal false belief have on the
| shape of the earth? None whatever!
| The earth continued to be a sphere
just the same. What effect did the
| false belief have on the people who
believed it to be true? So long as the
people believed the false belief to be
true, they were held within the mar
row confines of that belief, and stayed
on that little speck of the earth's sur
face because they feared that If they
sailed beyond a certain point they
would fall off the edge of the earth
on to that something or nothing on
which Atlas did or did not stand when
he did or did not hold up the earth.
Temptation Never From God.
In order that there may be sin there
must be temptation, and in order that
there may be temptation there must
be sin. and they both must proceed
! from the same source. Is this source
God or mankind? II it be God, we
are lost! II it be mankind, we are
saved. Let this question be answered
for us by James and John. James
| writes, Let no man say when he is
tempted. I am tempted of God; for
God cannot be tempted with evil,
neither tempteth he any man; but ev-
cry man is tempted. when he is drawn
away of his own lust. and enticed.
Then when lust hath conceived. 1t
bringeth forth sin; and sin, when it is
finished, bringeth forth DEATH" John
writes. whatsoever is born Of God
land as God is the only creator, none
is truly born nor may be unless he is
born of Cod doth not commit sin; for
his seed remaineth in him: and he
cannot sin, because he is born of God"
Dare we in the face of James state
ment that lust is the origin of sin, and
Johns statement that whatsoever is
born of God cannot sin, because
he is born of God" ever again asso-
ciate the name or nature of God with
sin?
Scientific Prayer.
Mankind says God is immutable and
changeless. but hundreds and millions
of times every day men are beseech-
ing the immutable and changeless God
to change, change. change; until man.
kind conceive Of God as the very CEN
ter and circumference of eternal
| change. So long as we believe God to
be responsible for all things, and yet
kneel and pray that He may forget His
immutabafty and take away what we
do not want and give us what we
think We do want. Is 1t not true that IL
our prayer were suddenly granted we
would be frightened beyond measure?
Is 1t logically possible for us to have
very much faith in prayer. so long as
we are held in the bondage of this be-
lief in changeable God? II we would
take into our consciousness that
changeless love. that changeless relig-
ion which Jesus the Christ preached.
there would be no doubt. no fear; and
we would go to God in prayer with the