Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1912-01-18
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Continued from page 3


Doubt asks questions, where discour-
agement only sighs. Doubt wants
reasons. encouragement drops reason
in the mud. Doubt says, 81 wonder"
encouragement says, Il don't believe
it,
Encouragement is stranger to
unselhshness No man who faith
fully trusts in the omnipotence of
God and the omniprcsence Of Love
can permit encouragement 10 talk
with him for one minute.
The Christian Scientist in his un-
ceasing warfare against evil in every
form allows encouragement no more
foothold in his consciousness than he
does 10 malice, hatred, envy or deceit
lie is freed from the bondage of all
of them by knowing the truth about
God and man.
An effective plan TO drive out dis
enlargement is 10 bring i'm a measure
Of gratitude or praise. There can
always be found something to be
grateful for if we will hunt for it,
Along every mans pathway in life
there are blooming flowers OF graft
tude, and if he will but stoop and pull
one and wear il he will find its frag-
rance a magic dispeler Of discourage
mcnt. Or if the day be cold and
dreary, and the flowers covered with
snow, he can find that warmth of soul
which always banshes discourage
mcnt. if he will but heed Jesus fav-
oritc passage from Isaiah, where we
are commanded to put on The gar
ment of praise for the spirit of heavi-
ness
1t never fails.
In considering the immortality Of
man one is confronted by the ques-
tons What OF the hereafter? How
am | to regard the change called
death? What and where is heaven"
Christian Science make direct answer
to these very natural questions That
which is called death, though always
an enemy and finally to be overcome
as the Bible declares. is no more to
be feared than is sleep. In the pres
cnt stage of our development both are
incidental to the experience Of man
kind; both interfere for the time with
man activities; and the awakening
alike in both cases will, we believe
show no substantial change in in
dividuality or advancement The
gates of heaven do not swing open
at the touch of DEATH but are to be
entered by right thinking and right
living, here and hereafter.
The work of regeneration and re-
formation left unfinished here will
have to be done hereafter. The stir
ring command, Work out your own
salvation follows us wherever we
may be and through whatever
changes we may pass. Death does
not silence it nor modify its demands
Love OF life. not fear of death is, in
Christian Science the great incentive
10 action and achievement
The Isles OF the Blest OF the
ancients, the Elysian fields of Greek
and Latin mythology. the seven heav-
ems OF Hebrew cabalism. the battle
plains OF the belligerent Norsemen
the happy hunting grounds OF the
American Indian all express belief in
place of happiness after death por-
trayed in widely differing imagery.
All of them, Pagan and Jew. Greek
and barbarian, Norseman and Indian,
Mohammedan and Hindu unite in
maintaining that heaven stands for
thlt Al
threshold is mystery. And now comes
Christian Science proclaiming in the
words of Jesus that the kingdom of
heaven is AT hands here and now
attainable 1t declares that we do
not gain heaven by dying but by right
living; that death is not the gate to
far-otf paradise, but that heaven is
within our reach today and that we
get little or much OF it as we conform
our lives. Our thoughts and deeds. to
Gods eternal laws
Christian Science puts aside the
mytholigic idea of heaven as place.
and shows il 10 be a state or condi-
ton of mind, il follows therefore
that its attainment depends upon the
mental processes of the individual.
In other words, it affirms that right
thinking leading to right living is the
| sure passport to heaven. Turning to
the life of the great exemplar. Jesus
Christ we find in him the ideal thinker
whose thoughts and ACTIONS con
formed invariably to the Laws of God
-Spirit-touching lightly upon mat
ter and things material only as toler-
ated concomitants of his dwelling on
earth among men.
But his heavenward thoughts were
not those OF the inert mystic, or the
ccll-bound monk. They ripened
quickly into action and touched his
fellow-men with the ardor OF regen-
Grafton. His thoughts were about
God, hence they brought lasting good
70 man. They were Of heavenly law.
and so brought order ont of earthly
chaos. They were OF holiness. whole
ness, and hence health attended hi.
footsteps. No surcr road 10 heaven
can be found than fbe tr,;f L., Ill. 8