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

proportion that man gains and ap-
plies a right understanding of God,
the divine Truth which denies the
reality of all things evil, in that pro-
portion does he break the hold of
sickness and sim
Or in the language of our text
book (p. 178), 1--WE disarm sin of
it's imaginary power in proportion to
our spiritual understanding of the
status of immortal being"
Should this fundamental truth of
Christian Science impress the begin
ner as strange, if not incredible, let
me say to him, that it is being at
tested today in the lives of multi
tudes of people who pattern their
thoughts and deeds after the teach
ings of Christian Science.
The enemies of Truth, even those
in high places, would dogmatically
deny that this presence of God
goods today among men, destroy
ing all belief in the power of evil,
healing the sick and reforming the
sinner, but no man is qualified to
deny this who has not tested it per-
sistently, sincerely, reverently; and
those who have so tested it know
that it is Emmanuel or God with us. :"
If any of the foregoing Christian
ly scientific concepts of God find a
welcome in the secret places of your
thought, dwell upon them, that you
may abide under the shelter of a
higher, holier life. Each one of
them is more precious than pearls or
rubies. If you will invite them all
into your consciousness, you will
have for your own that which you
will soon prize above wealth or po-
sition or power or any of the things
the world can give you and for which
you have worked and hoped and
planned all the days of your life.
l have been able to present them to
you but crudely and incompletely.
In the Bible and in the text book of
Christian Science you will find them
clearly and admirably set forth in
their completeness. These two books
will aid the Investigator in search
of a knowledge of God as no other
auxiliary can do. The wise man will
not only read them, but will study
them, ponder over their teachings,
compare one with the other, and
above all will put their precepts in
to daily use.
If a man sincerely and honestly de-
sires to progress in the understand
ing of. Christian Science, there is
nothing that can stop him. Gods
kingdom is come on earth and in his
kingdom progress is law, a law which
expects of us all we can do but moth
ing we cannot.
Mental Laziness
The beginner is not expected to
gorge himself by reading page after
page without mentally digesting or
assimilating it. Reading a given
number of pages each day without
applying the knowledge thus gained
will never make a Christian Scien-
fist. Science and Health places
powerful tools in our hands and
shows us how to use them, but after
that if we would have God help us,
we must help ourselves. Mental laz-
mess may not interfere with our
reading, but it uses every trick and
artifice to prevent our working.
There are times in the experience
of every student of Christian Science
when he seems to be gaining but lit
tie understanding of what he reads,
and frequently he wonders why.
Mental Incidence is a common cause.
The remedy is named on Page 1913
of Science and Health which says:
"In order to apprehend more, we
must put into practice what we al
ready know" an admonition that
should be hung on the walls of the
consciousness of every student in
the school of scientific Mind-healing.
Industry is essential to advance
ment in the spiritual world as well as
in the material. We must not only
know what to do, but do what we
know. Nor is it enough to merely re-
frain from doing evil, we must also
be active in doing good. 1t is not
enough that we no longer hate, we
must learn to love. Christian Sci
ence is not negative religion. It is
forceful, positive, progressive. 1t is
to be judged not only by what it pre-
vents but also by what it produces.
1t not only destroys weeds, but pro-
duces crops.
The pages of Science and Health
are bright with simple statements of
Truth that any intelligent man may
practically apply if he will. Let us
take by way of example that simple
on page 261: "Hold
thought steadfastly to the enduring,
the good, and the true, and you will
bring these into your experience pro-
portionably to their occupancy of
your thought"
Let us assume that the beginner
in Christian Science is starting the
day with this resolve uppermost, and
is determined to allow nothing but
helpful, salutary thoughts to enter
his consciousness from morning to
night Let us further assume that
before the day has advanced very far
he is taken with a severe headache
This, he concludes, would not have