Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-03-18


content itself with saying, "Legends,
myths. " While the word miracle origi.
nally had the meaning of marvel or
sign, in common usage it has come to
mean an act setting aside or breaking
law of. nature. With this view OF
Jesus works, it is not to be wondered
at that good Christians look with hor
ror on any attempt to essay such works,
and that others, looking upon such acts
as never having been performed, con
slider them impossible.
Jesus gave signs or evidences of his
Messianic mission. and these signs were
and are marvellous to the human sense
of things. He came, however, to fulfil
law, and he was not a law-breaker. His
acts were contrary to what was and
still is looked upon as law, but they
were veritable illustrations of law, the
law of nature 3 God; and far from look.
ing upon the repetition of his works AZ
saerilege, the command he gave to all
his followers to repeat them was i'm
perative.
Jesus Works the Result of His Chris
tian Science
1t has been shown that the ancient
prophets had given evidences of some
knowledge of God, that a complete dem.
onstratiOn of such knowledge was look
ed for by them, and that Jesus fulfill,
this expectation.
Science is defined US the knowledge
of principles and causes" Now, if
Jesus did the works which have been
cited,-and that he did them is attested
by those who have been looked upon as
the best and most honest of men, meI
who witnessed them,-did he do them
through ignorance or mere belief in
something, or did he do them because o
a specific, accurate, and demonstrable
knowledge of their underlying Principle
or cause} No rational Defng would for a
moment claim that they were done
through anything but such knowledge;
and if they were thus wrought through
an exact knowledge or science, applied
by Jesus Christ. then were they not
wrought through Christian Science?
That Jesus looked upon his work as
the result of this Science, is indicated
by that immortal utterance: "He tha
believeth on me. the works that / d
shall he do also, "a definite demand
upon his followers for like proofs that
| they understand and practice his teach.
ings; and his immediate followers, and
their followers for three hundred years
after them, did as he commanded. The
proof of this is historical.
Jesus commanded his first twelve stu
dents, or followers, to preach the gospel
and to heal the sick. When he sent out
the seventy he repeated the command.
and at the end of his own ministry he
commanded his followers to teach all
nations to do whatsoever he had com
manded them. These were the first ordi-
nation articles of the first Christian
ministers; and although the second of
these articles, the command to heal. has
ceased to be observed by the older de.
nominations, it still remains a part of
| the ordination articles of the bishops of
some of the orthodox churches. an ad.
mission that it rs stiG binding.
1t has been indicated that Jesus did
his marvellous works because of his
| knowledge of their underlying Princi.
! pie or cause. 1t will be admitted that
this knowledge was the knowledge of
God, the knowledge of the reign or the
kingdom Of God, the knowledge of man
and of man s relationship to God, which
he came to teach mankind The question
that occurs very naturally at this point
is, What is God?
Prevalent Idea of God
All of us when visiting curio shops
or museums have seen grotesque images
that probably at some time served as
objects of heather worship. All of us
too, have probably viewed these idols
with a mingling of curiosity, pity foi
those who prayed to such things, and
incredulity that people who had the
skill to carve such images should be SC
blinded and superstititOus as to worship
them. But have we differed from then
very much after all?
While visiting the art museum il
New York some years ago my attention
was attracted to a picture, apparently
by an old master. 1t was the figure Of
a venerable man with flowing white
beard; he was clad in robe and seateC
above the clouds. This picture portray
ed not only the artist IS but the popular
idea Of God in heaven Heaven wa'
above the clouds and God was an ole
man. This in the main is the picture
which the older religious teachings hav'
painted not only on canvas but also il
the thoughts of their adherents. TIL,
picture was but a reproduction of ;
worldwide misconception of God; anC
the Christian world, which scorns tht
heather s idols, accepts and worships {
misconception of God which exists onl,
as a Pigment of the imagination, i'm
plores it for life and health and al
things, and then wonders why thes
prayers do not avail. Is not the reasoi
plain9 Recognizing this do we no
again have to ask. "What is God ~
True idea of God
In the tongues in which the Bibl
was originally written, two terms an'
their variants are mainly used to des
ignate God. One means "strength' 0
power. and the other "the existing
one, " or plainly, the one and only exis
tence. Other terms are usedTbut chiefl'
to avoid the use of the name Of God il
vain.
It is generally admitted that God !
supremelv good. Applying this sense 0
God to the Bible designations. it be
comes clear that God is the one an,
only power. that this power is supreme
" good that He is the one and onl
existence or presence that is likewis
good It is this God that made all tina
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