St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1909-10-27

B., of Brooklyn, N. Y, on Christian Sci
ence. The speaker was gracefully iutro-
duced by Rev. B. F. Butler, pastor Of the
Church of the Messiah. People from
Newport, Lvndonville, Burke, Lisbon,
Littleton, Lancaster, Bradford and Wat
erville, Can, were present to hear the
lecture. Mr.. Leonard is a very interest
ing speaker and was given close atten-
tion throughout the evening. He spoke
in part as follows:
The Lecture.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:
There is nothing in the world today
which is so occupying the thought OF the
people as Christian Science, and there is
a vital reason why, regardless of all the
misunderstanding and Misrepresentation
relative to the subject, people should
still insist on knowing the truth about
it.
Until within few years, to the aver
age person religion was something
which required no thought, no investi-
cation; it was to be accepted simply be-
cause this was believed to be the right
thing to do, without ones having any
wel-formed idea as to what it taught;
but today, as a result of the increased
mental activity that is now apparent IN
all directions, people are no longer con-
tent to accept any teaching as true
| simply because some one has said that 1t
| is true in tact, more and more the
| demand is being made that proof shall
be given of the truth of every statement
made.
SALVATION
People are awakening to the fact that
the one great problem in life is that OF
individual salvation, and the more they
think about salvation, the more they
are convinced that they want it now,
and the less willing they are to wait for
it until after they have passed through
the valley of the shadow" with all the
mystery and fear and doubt surrounding
that passage. Heretofore people have
read the Bible; today they are studying
| it; and the result is an awakening which
carries with it the conviction that many
I things formerly believed to be real, es-
sential, God-created and God-given, are
now seen to be but misconceptions
relative to God and what He Creates
misconceptions which need to be correct
ed so that freedom may be obtained from
that bondage wherein mistaken belief
has held mankind
People want to live, they do not want
to die, and vet their whole teaching has
been that the first breath drawn by an
infant is the first step toward death and
the grave. The teaching has been uni
versal that life is brief span Of existence
given man, wherein he may prepare
himself to die so saved from sin that he
may find God on the other side of " the
valley of the shadow" and dwell with
Him eternally in the kingdom of heaven.
The cemetery, in this connection and for
this reason, has frequently been referred
to as "God's acre." thus indicating that
+ God is responsible for death, that it is
part of His plan of salvation, an avenue
provided by His infinite wisdom through
which man must go in order to reach
heaven. This teaching has been almost
universal, and has been accepted by all
as the truth, in spite of the fact that
CHRIST Jesus said in so many words, "If
man keep my saying, he shall never
see death" When one is brought face
to face with this statement, it does not
take an instant to realize that a serious
mistake has been made in placing the
responsibility for death upon God, for
we all know that to follow the teachings
of the Wayshower brings us to God, and
in no way whatever shuts us out from
participating in any of those good and
perfect gifts which our Bible tells us come
down from above.
THE HEALING Work
Unless these same works are being
accomplished today, we are Christians
in name only. To be Christian means
to be follower of Christ; to be follow
er of Christ one must be doer of the
/ Word, and must bring out all the fruits
which Jesus said should be brought out
by those who followed him "in spirit and
| in truth"
1t is taught that the healing of the
sick without medical agency, as Jesus
healed, is miraculous and that the time
for miracles has gone by. We are told
that today Gods word is destroying sin
and saving the sinner just as it did in
the early days OF the Christian era, and
that the only reason Jesus healed the
sick as he did when on earth was to
convince the Jews, who were a stiff.
necked people, that he was the Messiah
fpromise and the fulfment of prophecy
Do we not know that never in the
history of the world were there sc
many who need to be convinced thai
Christ is the Messiah, as at the present
time? Shall it be urged that all of th
stif.necked people were Jews who dice
two thousand years ago? Shall it b.
urged that we no longer need proof tina
Christ is the Messiah? Or shall w
recognize the error of our former ways
and in humility study the life and teach
ing OF Christ Jesus on earth. so that w
may be able to fulfil his promise an
show to the doubter and unbeliever {
today that he was "the Son OF the livin
God"-the absolute ful6lment of a
: prophecy and every promise which II
/ Bible holds out to mankind?
{ There is no way whereby we ca
r demonstrate that God is true, other thf
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