The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-11-06
SPIRITUALITY ESSENTIAL AND
 REVEALED IN THE BIBLE

grandest thing in the world. The mind which was also in Christ Jesus consisted and must ever consist of spiritual thoughts. He declared that the ideas
 which he taught were eternal by saying, My words shall not pass away" In the measure that a human being has them and makes them practical he is Chris tian.
 Studying the Bible in the light which Christian Science throws upon it one understands both the Savior and salva- ton. Many have been in such physical and mental torment that they were vir- tually in he'll Crying out for deliverance and seeking it sincerely, many have found this deliverance, because in Christian Sci
 ence the divine Christ the truth which Jesus constantly exalted and relied upon and proved to be the very omnipotence of good, is ever ready to save. It is not mysterious personality. It is the di- vine presence. It comes where we are thinking. just as it has always come. The Bible is full of references to that fact. Indeed, the metaphysical or spirit
 ual teaching of the Bible constitutes its great value to humanity. The ancient prophets, as well as Christ Jesus himself carefully considered thoughts and weighed 1 them we'll There is an exemplifcation l of this in the book of Genesis It relates to Abraham's discernment of the impend- ing destruction of certain wicked city. Now. in the old way of reading the Bible, this whole matter was personal. Indeed, generally speaking. people were led to believe that they must read the Bible in different way than they would read any other book. They must read it literally. The supposition often was that when one opened the Bible it was reverent to cease thinking, and consequently they carefully shut off their intelligence whenever they began to read it. Now, as matter of fact, there Is no book that requires so
 much intelligence in the proper reading of 1t as does the Bible. In the old way
 of reading 1t. story like that mentioned
 would convey a fantastic impression. Ii would involve the imagination rather than the understanding of the reader. It would signify that God. a personality a long way off, and presumably in an inaccessible place, called heaven. and capable of all the passions associated with the human mind, was holding q conversation with a man upon earth far distant and separated from both God and heaven. Now, what really was talk ing place is quite easy to be seen. for l it is clear when one reads the Bible in- l telligently, that upon the occasion men, 1 tioned Abraham was doing just what we are doing: he was thinking and drawing | conclusions. In the realm of his owr l thought or intelligence he began to per | ceive that any measure of good, being | like God, tends to preserve man. and does preserve him if it be faithfully ad hered to. while evil is self-destructive. PROGRESSIVE EXPERIENCE
 I We are thinking in some way all oi 1 the time, and vet while we recognize tha l fact, 1t is well for us to remember also I that much of our thinking is hardly worthy of the name. It is too ofter l without foundation. without intention
 often almost without intelligence. IL
 paraphrase one of the most beautiful sayings of the Bible, our thinking i l often like the wind that ''bloweth wher, it listeth : - but thou canst not tel
 whence 1t cometh and whither 1t goeth. 1 Now the wonderful thing to be recog nized is that Christian Science not onl, admonishes to think correctly. but show
 how to do it, and furnishes immedat, and abundant proof of the value of suci | thinking A certain great philosophe once said that. generally speaking. peopl
 do not think. They merely think abou