The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-02-02

Now we have evidence Of infinite
wisdom in tiSc universe, and tho evil
dcncc of infinite wisdom predicates an
infinite Mind. The infinite Mind is
filled with an infinite number of ideas
or thoughts which constitute it's wis
dom. These ideas, because they are
ideas, cannot be separated from the
Mind which contains them, and 1t il
the activity. the reflection, the mani
festation Of these ideas which consti-
tute man and the universe. AS Gods
ideas VIC exisA in Him-pcrfect. spirit
ual and inuNortal--and because we
exist in Him the Scripture declare that
I'm him we lfvo and move, and have
our being"
There is n further quality of an idea
that 1t might be we'll to consider. An
ideas has no ability to do anything
or to be anything other than just the
idea OF the mini In which it exists. 1t
cannot change itself or become more
or less or different than that Mind
intended it shd uld be- for it has no
volition Of its own. and must Of nc
cessity cxpress exactly the qualities
of the mind whose idea 1t is. Man Is
tho perfect idea. OF God. and as an idea
OF God nc has no volition of his own.
He cannot be SICK or choose to do evil.
for if he could change from being Gods
perfect idea he would be greater than
God. because he would have spoiled
the infinite design. frustrated the di-
vine purpose. Now infinite Mind is
infinite Spirit and infinite Life. In cx-
pressing the perfection of infinite
Mind. man expresses infinite Life and
infinite Spirit, and as an expression OF
infinite Life man must be eternal.
while as an expression of infinite Spirit
man must be- spiritual and not mate
rial. Man, then. as Gods idea, Gods
image and likeness, has all the quail
ties of God, and not n single quality
which is not Of God: therefore he Is
healthful and holy; spiritual, immor-
tai. perfect.
Such a conclusion as this leaves no
room for a mortal. material, sick. and
sinful man. yet we have the problem of
matcriality with its sicknesscs and
woes to deal with as n false belief to
be eradicatcd.
Nothing seems more real to the hu-
man mind than does matter, though the
most eminent physicists OF the pres
cnt day are quite atone in saying tina t
it is impossible to prove that there is
| such a thins; as matter. They say that
matter is Il function of something out =
side itself, the expression of energy:
and this is just another way of say
ing that matter is an expression of
thought. Christian Science agrees with
/ them in saying that matter Is an cX-
preston OF thought, but points out that
matter is an expression not of right
thought but OF wrong thought: that all
right thought. Gods thought, real
thought. must partake OF Gods ma
turc. and is therefore spiritual, not
material. and is expressed in spiritual
things, not material things. The whole
material universe, with all its sin.
sickness and death, is just the sense
Of the oppositc--the sense of the abb
scnce of that which God made.
Suppose n man had never had his
sight, and sight came to him while he
was In dark room. lie would not
know that he had his sight. nor would
he know that he was In the dark, for
It Is impossible for one to gain n scnsc
OF darkness without first being con-
scious Of light. But let him be taken
into the light and he would see Then
when he was returned to the darkness
he would sense it as darkncss,-the
nbsense Of light. So it is impossible
Tor there to be n sense Of darkness
except as there Is first a consc iousness
Of light. This is equally true Of
strength and weakness. It is just as
impossible for there to come a. sense
of weakness, except as there is first n
consciousness OF strength. II there
had never been a consciousness Of
strength as part Of what God created.
there would never have been a sense Of
weakness.
90 Tue moment WHcu NTOu SAD, Let
there be light" which is equivalent to
saying, let there be strength. and let
there be health, and let there be holi-
ness. was the first moment wherein
there could have come n sense of dark
ness. and weakness. and sickness, and
sin. For every good and perfect thing
which God has made. there has in like
manner come n sense OF its absence
an opposite. a lie. without reality or
substance.
When God said, Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness" SO
that man was made in His likeness,
spiritual and perfect and immortal.
there came a sense of the absence of
that spiritual and perfect and immor-
tai man: and the sense of the absenc,
of a spiritual and perfect and immor-
tai man would be a material and i'm
perfect and mortal man: that is.
mortal mind and q mortal material body
called man.
The New Testament calls fhis mate