The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-17
REV. DR.. MAclACHlAN
on " The new THOUGHT
THINK SYMPATHY THOUGHTS.
In the Teaching of jesus Christ There
Ia Mine OF the Exror Of the New
Thought.

Rev. DR.. III. u. c. Maciachian de-
uysred an earnest and interesting SER
mon on THE New Thought" at Sew
enth-street Christian Church last
night taxing his text from Acts if:2l.
Lat Us make no mistake" said the
preacher, there are two sides o.. lire
The one 10 suffering. the other IL Joy.
But let me tell you q better secret:
Think sympathy thoughts--tne
thoughts OF Jesus the Great sympsthtx-
err. and Joy. true. full and everlasting.
win food your being as the sun re-
turns after the rain.
The preacher said:
sTAe View TAen9ht~
In many respects the present age
rasem hies that which ushered In the
Christian era. but in mono more than
In its sest for novelty. In the chap
ter of Acts we read together You re-
member how the author fnterpoiates
this remark as explanatory OF the Gag
erness Of the Athsnians 10 listen 70
paul: Indeed all the AthsniAns ana
the foreign visitors occupied them
selves with nothing but repeating or
listening to the latest novsity III
We substitute. Americans" for "Athsn-
fans" in that sentence We set not
inaccuate picture of the rsatlsss minds
of our own day and country.
we have the new politics. the new
Psychology. the new Theology. the new
efficiency, all ciamoring Tor the sur
fraxes Of the multitude
II Ii. harsvcr, especially In reltGion
that this erase for novelty 10 most evi-
dert will not venture to tell you
how many new sacts, cults and move
ments have arisen within ete --sast
twenty years. becauss X ] did you
might accuse me OF sxAggerAtin9: out
YOU can learn the figures for rour-
self from Mr.. Carrolrs tables In the
4. 8. Census Of Religions or stu bet
ter by looking through the advertise
ments Of one Of the great Metropolitan
daiites.
thai wish to speak to you In the
.sria. az addresses that begin to-
rIrht. do % becaase II 10 my pro-
found conviction that. however erro-
neous. every religion has spirtted sig
niecance and represents an enort 10
satisfy legitimate craving OF the ha-
man spirit.
DO not believe We ought TO ciassi-
INV religions ~ true" and false All
religions have some element OF trutn
h them. or, at least. had some suen
a.r,.,s vhsn they were FIRST promul-
ssfeA they are all Cor nearly AID
"brok IN lights" Of the One True ana
ryerla sting Light. and cftentimes rep
resent 4 protest against WRONG ..
a., nereaot refractt0n OF that HIGHT ana
you'd recall the church 70 some Tor :
soften or neglected truth conosrning
4. Our aim, therefore. shail be to dis.
cevsr, f We can. the speciai mesa o.
the human hesrt which thees movs-
meats" ars dssigued oonsctcusy OF
unoon1ciously TO meet. and to show thaf
Il ~ rellaiea Of Jesus Chsfst proper.
" understood and practiced. the world
no..eeses an even fuller sattsfAstion
"a thess very needs without tbs vftiAt-
inw errors Of these Substitutes TOR the
Tarhf Of the worlA.
sWe begin with the movemsnt
rrnrn as New Thought" what
lie II?
tendency thAn . definite creed or Quit.
lit has no organisation. cnnIcno.
lformularies. Its adherents do not ai-
rs.v. teacn the same things. 1t II usi-
normstic, liberal, sympathetic toward.
other religions. II does not indeed call
iitsels ! religion at all, but simply =
nav emphaMs on certain untversai
rrircInIes common to all religions
Not New. Bat Old.
ror this reason It's Processes mot 20
~. really new. but oid--the oldest 81
All religious facts II claims ~ ~
inyrn III great Fsligions- thinker& from
Moses TO SwedenborE. and processes
"a and In their teachings the same
s.os.rtr or hidden doctrine a their
an But those who found the paAh
itr he nast were few. while today N
| she natural evolution OF things . great
Ave ~ tendency ID carrying the race
INTO more general acceptance Of the
truth, Y, that the teaching Whist was