St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1914-10-14


the eternal source of all being, of
health, of growth, of activity, Of de-
Velopment and embodiment, that
touches a responsive chord in the
consciousness of the man who is
seeking a better knowledge of God.
If so, let him sound it deeply and it
will swell into a diapason of gran
deur and harmony and inspiration.
Or perhaps he may best cOmpre-
bend the Christian Science idea of
God as Principle, the divine First
Cause and Creator, the sustaining,
actuating, and underlying Princi-
pie of the universe who operates
through unchanging laws, always
benefcent and always comprehend
BILE.
A man can no more work out the
problems of living without know
ledge of God, the Principle of be-
ing, than he can work out a prob
lem in mathematics without some
knowledge of it's underlying laws.
What would be thought of the man
who tries to solve some intricate cal
culation in mathematics who does
not know enough of its essentials to
be altogether sure that two and two
make four? Yet everywhere men
are trying to work out the problems
of existence without knowing enough
of God, the Principle of all being, to
get the right results out of the very
simplest problems of everyday life.
Is it to be wondered then that on
all sides are to be seen so much of
failure and sickness and sin? The
text book of Christian Science tells
us, "To reach heaven, the harmony
of being, we must understand the
divine Principle of being" GLAD
In another of her writings called
Christian Healing" Mrs. Eddy is
even more direct and conclusive in
pointing out how essential it is to
know somewhat of God as Principle.
Here she says, Because God is the
Principle of Christian healing we
must understand in part this divine
Principle, or we cannot demonstrate
it in part"
There are many who readily grasp
the Idea of God as Truth, the Truth
which makes men free from every
lie of sickness, want, woe, misery,
deficiency or tribulation. The man
to whom this larger thought of God
appears may add to it day by day
and thereby grow into a new free
dom, growing away from his sense
of limitation or lack of confidence,
or restricted opportunity. Not only
does it bring to him liberty, but abil-
ity to do those things that make for
individual progress, growth, and true
success in commercial, professional,
industrial and domestic life.
Perhaps the beginner in Christian
Science may more readily compre-
bend God as omniscient Mind, pos
sessing all knowledge, all science, all
intelligence, all understanding, the
Creator of man and the universe, of
all that really exists. The man of
Gods creation, the real man, reflect
ing these qualities of infinite Mind,
does not lack wisdom, acumen, per
ception, tact, judgment, nor perspi-
cacity. He need never be in doubt,
nor conjecture nor wonder He has
no occasion to court luck nor chance
nor fortuitous circumstance. No
problem can be too profound, no sit
uation too complex, no research too
vast for the man who habitually
turns to infinite Mind, the fountain
head of all knowIedwge, for his
guidance and direction.
We are sometimes asked by the
man who is considering the claims of
Christian Science with an open mind,
''Is there any great difference upon
essential points between Christian
Science and other Christian denomi-
nations. So far as 1 can see, Chris
tian Scientists believe much the
same as we do. We have the same
Bible and believe the same truths
and 1 can see no reason why 1 should
go outside my own church to get
Christian Science. Tell me one fun
damental truth wherein they differ.
Are they not Identical in all essen
tials?"
There are a number of points of
divergence and a fundamental one is
the Christian Science belief in the
of God. The Christian
Science church not only teaches that
God is the only power, as other
churches teach, but it also insists
that its followers put that teaching
into practice. This means that they
are expected to deny by thought and
deed that evil, the opposite of God,
has any power or actually. With
them this is not a mere doctrinal
theory or an empty assertion, but an
actuating, animating truth. To de-
clare that God is omnipotent and at
the same time admit that evil has
power to confer pleasure or to cause
pain is to say one thing while be-
lieving another. 1t is in effect say
ing that God is the only power while
believing that He is not.
1t is sometimes wrongly alleged
that in thus denying the reality of
evil, Christian Science confers a
license to sin. Never was there a
greater mistake When a man gains