Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-10-08
Christian Science Healing
Spiritual and Scientific
A Lecture by Prof. Hermann S. Herring

all of truth is always with us, and he
came TO show us how to make it
available. This is the way of saliva
ton, and if this way cannot be found
and followed today, then his mission
was surely failure. Think you that
Christ Jesus, the great EXemplar, the
worlds Wayshower, would have
taught, demonstrated and enioined
upon mankind healing and saving
method which was efficient and suffi-
cient in the first century, but imprac-
| ticable or impossible in the twenti-
eth?
1t is not possible to separate Jesus
word from his work. The one is the
proof of the other; hence the heal
ing work must be recognized as an
essential element of primitive Chris
tianity. The healing recorded in the
Bible was no more readily believed
when 1t occurred than it is now, save
by the relatively few who were i'm
pressed by the evidence presented or
who experienced spiritual transfor-
nation. The Scriptures record the
intense hatred and persecution which
the early Christians endured because
of their belief in the efficacy of spirit
ual power. This is corroborated in
secular history, and it is noteworthy
that the hatred was most intense
when spiritual power was most in evil
dence, especially so at the moment
the healing was done.
Judging by its fruits, and by the
fact that it certainly stimulates a
higher order of thought and living,
all must admit that this spiritual
healing is far better methed than
the use CT material means. This
being true, we can but ask, Why is
it not in general use among Chris
tian people? Evidently because it
is not understood, for there exists
today very general disbelief in it's
possibility, a stubborn tendency to
doubt it, in spite of the many authen-
tic records of such healing in the past
and through Christian Science now
Causes of Unbelief.
Let us then, if we may, examine
into some of the causes of this dsbe-
lief in Scriptural or Christian heal
ing. What a"e they? First: 1t is
difficult for most of us to see how
physical results can be realized
through spiritual means. The teach
ture of matter and material existence
produces such a materially biased
consciousness that it is very difficult
to apprehend spiritual existence and
spiritual power. Second: The pop
ular teaching regarding the nature of
God and of His relation to all being,
together with the belief in the reality
of material existence and its asserted
laws, is at variance with the Scrip
ture teaching. Third: The inertia
of the human mind resists belief in
anything which differs from what it
has been accustomed to; it is innately
opposed to all things spiritual or di-
vine, and it is to this mental attitude
that st. Paul referred when he said,
The carnal mind is enmity against
God" We thus see that it is ma
terial sense which hinders the attain
ment of an understanding of the spir-
itual healing of the Bible; this is the
fertile soil from which springs the
doubt, agnosticism and infidelity of
our times.
Mental Causation.
One of the most puZzling questions
to the lay thinker respecting spirit
ual healing is this: How can a mere
mental effort bring about a physical
change; how can 1t restore health
and harmony? This difficulty is
largely due to the failure to under
stand the nature of Mind and the re-
lationship between the inner world
of thought and the outer world of
Phenomena. Let us consider this
question briefly, first from human
or material standpoint, then from the
Christian Science standpoint.
All are familiar with the effect of |
fear, grief and anger upon bodily |
conditions. Tears flow the circula-
tion of the blood is altered as shown |
by pallor; the secretions are affected, |
as shown by cold perspirations. etc. |
These effects prove that physical |
changes follow mental disturbances. |
An eminent physician has made |
series of experiments showing the |
effect of the emotions upon the secre- |
tions, and has found that under the |
influence of love and hate, serenity |
and anger, pleasure and pain, the |
secretions present marked chemical |
differences; all of which give evil |
dence that mental conditions are the |
real causes of disease. Many ply
sicians will even admit that malig- |
nant diseases have been caused by !
grief, worry and sin; indeed, It is |
now becoming more and more evil |
dent that the cause of all disease is |
mental. Even what are termed he |
reditary diseases and conditions are |
now believed by many to be of mem
tai origin, as there is no other way
to account for them.
Again, we are all familiar with the |
fact that diseases and distressing
symptoms are alleviated when fear
and worry cease and the harmonious
effects of peace, happiness and salts
faction prevail. Take a rubber ball,
grasp 1t tightly in the hand. thereby
destroying its normal outline; then
remove the pressure of the fingers.
and when the strain is gone the ball
resumes its natural shape In a sim
liar way mental disturbances clamp
the body, put 1t under strain, dis
tort IL; but when these disturbances
are removed, the body becomes nor
NAL. natural.
This effect of thought on the body
is readily admitted even by pro-
nounced materialists. Cheerfulness,
the habit of looking on the bright
side OF things, Is general acknowl-
edged to be an aid In preserving and