Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-10-16

be did to their spiritual faculties; to
tasr natural tenderness and spirit
uaI aspirations. He recognized that
one who has never enjoyed the ad-
vantages of an education may have
spiritual faculties as well developed,
if not outshining those OF a student.
This is evidenced in a little child.
He has not had time to develop his
intellect. Nevertheless he has well
developed spiritual faculties By ad-
dressing himself to ones spiritual
faculties, that gentle Nazarene was
able to impart to humble fishermen
the actual understanding of divine
Iaw-an understanding that endowed
them with the power of divinity to
heal sickness and sin. Herein do We
observe an understanding that is
wholly apart from the human intel
lect-an understanding to which
Job referred, when he said, There
is a spirit in man; and the inspira-
IN of the Almighty giveth them
understanding. It is the spiritual
understanding which we gain through
the exercise Of the spiritual facul-
lies i'm prayer that acquaints US
with the nature Of God, and endows
us with the power Of peace unto
healing and salvation.
RIGHT DESIRES
If an individual is made to be
lieve that he has no facalty for ap-
pretending spiritual law, he is
cheered in Christian Science by the
sweet. assurance that men are ma
lively and inherently spiritual. They
are SO as children. Indeed it is
impossible for one, by the process of
education o Ieatd himself entirely
away from that native spiritual
sense. Even the supposedly wicked
man may know God and be saved
from his evil ways This is not
mere high sounding theory, for it
is a familiar saying that no one is
wholly bad, for there must be a
spark Of goodness in him Suppose,
then. that you address yourself to
some very wicked man and ask him
if he has ever experienced the de
sire to be better and to do better;
has he really desired to be good?
Few win deny that there have been
periods when they have entertained
such desires. Where do these desires
TO be good come from? What is
their origin? Do they originate with
the individual? No. They must have
their origin in the infinety of good,
and that to US means God-even as
Jesus declared. None is good save
one, that is God. Infinite good
lis the source and activity of all right
desires that inspire the individual
consciousness such as honesty, ten
derness, loving kindness and so on.
As one experiences those right de-
sires. Yields his obedience to them,
and looks in their direction, he is
looking towards God; but that is not
so much a bodily movement as it is
state Of consciousness; indeed. a
state OF spiritual consciousness.
If. on the other hand, the individual
believes himself to be the originator
of his goodness-that it is a mere
personal possession humanity cir
cumscribed,-it could not be of God,
and would not therefore be good but
evil. Some there are who really be
Heve their goodness to be a per-
sonaI possession, humanity circum-
scTibad. and that is usually what is
the matter with them; for they are
invariably characterized by ire
.mendous degree Of seIf-righteous-
ness; and self-righteousness is the
most tenacious evil known to the hu-
man consciousness. Such a sense
of ownership or control over a di-
vine quality gives rise to the belief
that man can be separate from Cod
that he can lose his goodness and
fan and suffer the direful conse
quence thereof; but the entire stu
alton is the result Of mistaken or
false belief.