The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1919-02-12

Dunn, c. s., Member of the Board
of Lectureship of The Mother
Church, The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, Mass.
The widespread interest in the sub
ject of Christian Science, in this and
other lands, is traceable directly to
the fact that enslaved mortals are
finding in its spiritual teaching that
liberator graphically pictured by
Isaiah as sent "to preach good tidings
unto the meek; !. to bind up the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
the captives, and the opening of the
prison to them that are bound" The,
attempts of some misinformed critics
TO prove that Christian Science is not
this liberator. that the sick are not
healed, the SHINING reformed, nor the
sorrowing comforted through its min
istrations, are of course of little
moment in the presence of an ever in
creasing host of witnesses testifying
TO the fact that whereas they wers
bound physically, mentally, or moral
ly, now they are experiencing through
the teachings of Christian Science a
greater measure of health, freedom,
and happiness than they have ever
known.
Now the Christian Scientist knows
that the prayer which heals a sick man
or sick nation cannot be a mere peti-
ton or supplication, nor can it be a
prayer of blind faith. 1t must be a
prayer of joyous confidence in the GER
tain triumph of right, a realization of
the all-power and protection Of God,
good-such a prayer as Jesus prayed
at the tomb of Lazarus, when he said:
Father, / thank thee that thou hast
heard me. And / knew that thou
nearest me alwaysp Against the
power of such a mighty realization
the gates of hell cannot prevail, and
at this critical hour Christian Science
warns us not to lean too much on
''horses and chariots." but to look to
Him and be saved, all the ends Of the
earth"
Certainly it must be recognized by
every thinking person that the sign
ing of a treaty of peace. favorable to
human interests as it may be, will
not alone usher in the millennium. To
be sure, the yielding of autocracy to
democracy, the ordaining of humanity
good governments, and the establish
ment of equal rights and privileges
men are absolutely necessary
steps toward the ultimate liberation
of the race. But the great battle Of
is not ended, for this
battle is the conflict between the flesh
and Spirit, between Truth and error;
the struggle whereby mortals finally
shall be freed from the bondage OF
material sense. from sickness. hate,
limitation. imperfectiori,
old age, death. Down through the CEN
turtles enslaved mortals have echoed
Jeremiah's plant: "Is there no balm
in Gilead; is there no physician there?
Why then is not the health of the
daughter of my people recovered? ?"
Christian Scientists know that Mrs.
Eddy did not originate Christian
Science; she discovered it, brought it
to light. The balm of Gilead which she
has revealed for the healing of the
nations is not of her creating, nor is
it restatement of ancient or modern
material philosophy. 1t is the simple,
spiritual teaching of
Jesus and the prophets who preceded
him. To this assertion some may say,
"But I believe, and have been endeav-
oring to follow, the teachings of Jesus
all my life" Yes. this is unfortunately
tie remarkable predicament of Chris
tian peoples today; hundreds of differ
ing sects acknowledge Jesus as their
guide and their king, and then proceed
to place their human Interpretation
upon his words and works. This leads
tc endless diversity of opinion and the
sad differences among Christians,
causing one to say. 81 believe this"
another. any belief is that" Yet the
plain fact of the matter is this: 1t
matters not what any man or set OF
men believes about Jesus teaching.
The all-important point is, What was
Jesus actual teaching? What did he
believe and teach? Is there TO be
found in his word practical present
day salvation for you and me?
Let us examine the instructions
given by Jesus to his students, as re-
corded in the tenth chapter OF
Matthew: $50 -. to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. And as We go,
preach, saying. The kingdom of heaven
is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead. cast our devils:
freely We have received, freely give
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor
brass in your purses, ;. for the work
man is worthy of his meat"
''The kingdom of heaven is at
handl" In the Christian Science text
book we read that heaven is harmony.
Therefore the message of the Savior,
which indeed is good tidings of great
Joy to the bound and afflicted of earth,
is that harmony, deliverance, saliva
ton, are at hand, and are to be realiz-
ed in the proportion that we lift our
thought from the material and lay
hold on the spiritual facts of being.
90 % $500 0-o afho Chr1CfTQn