Milford chronicle., 1922-10-13


seek to practice the precepts which that
law presents.
Mary Baker Eddy, on page 80 Of
Science and Health, writes: "'Now,
cried the apostle, is the accepted time;
behold, now is the day of salvation,'-
meaning not that now men must pre-
pare for a future-world salvation. or safe
ty, but that now is the time in which
to experience that salvation in spirit and
in life"
OLD AGE
Permit us now to cite an illustration as
to the reparable past. There is an al
most universal belief. on the part of
mankind that because of this thing
called the past, that is, because of the
lapse of time, all people must eventually
suffer from the disease known as old age;
that is, the past years cripple the pres
ent. So universal is this belief that the
disease called old age can neither be pre-
vented nor destroyed, that men and wO-
men do not live very long on this plane,
before they begin to get ready for that
disease. They begin to prepare for it and
make a place for it. And soon they be-
gin to look forward with fear and tremb
ling to oncoming years, increasing infirm
tiles, loss of memory, and the gradual
weakening of all so-called physical and
mental powers.
Soon the conviction takes possession of
them that the disease with all its infirm-
tiles has arrived and that the only pos
sible way of escape is to die. Now death
is not a therapeutic agent. 1t is itself
error and has no healing power. This
cruel creed that the disease of old age
can neither be prevented nor overcome is
untrue. God never ordained a law that
man, in Science, should become infirm
and helpless. Tht carnal, human, mortal
mind made this so-called law. So long as
men accept it, believe it, look forward to
it, and declare it to be true, they will
fear it and they will experience the cruel
effects of it.
Outside of Christian Science there have
been and are some thinkers who have
much better beliefs about old age than
others. Robert Browning, who without
consciously knowing it, yet caught and
expressed many glimpses of Christian
Science truth, has written these virile
and inspiring words for those who are
afraid of old age:
Grow old along with me!
The best is yet to be,
The last of life,- for which the first was
made:
Our times are in His hand
Who SAITH "A whole I planned
Youth shows but half; trust God: see all,
nor be afraid" "
This is an encouraging thought, but it is
not Christian Science. It is simply bet-
ter belief about aid age than some other
mortal minds express Mary Baker Eddy
states the fundamental fact clearly and
boldly, on pages 244 and 245 of the text
book: MAN in Science is neither young
nor old. He has neither birth nor death
-"Decrepitude is not according to law,
nor is it a necessity of nature, but an il
lusion.'' 1t is good to have an under
standing of this wonderful truth in Chris
tian Science that everything which is un-
like God is an illusion, and can be de-
stroyed by knowing the truth. This un-
derstanding will enable men and women
to forestall old age and to renew and re-
invigorate themselves. AS the alert
player on the chessboard sees the enemy
approaching an unprotected point, and
moves his king or queen or castle before
the oncoming foe. and says, Check and
SAYS it effectively and effectually, even
so, men and women may superimpose
their understanding of the truth hefore
the approaching disease named old age
and say, Check" They may not only
check it, but turn it back. Christian
of this disease in thousands of cases
throughout the world
AS Christian Scientists and as aspir-
ants for victory, we must look TO nothing
less than the perfect model, which means
the destruction of inharmony of every
nature.
"a mans reach should exceed his Srasp, !
Or what's a heaven for?''
We must aim at something higher than
that to which we have already attained. |
The elimination of old age from thought |
is mans God-given right. AS one over
comes the old age thought, he is destroy
ing the death thought. If through the
of Christian Science we
are enabled to add ten or fifteen or twen-
ty years of active, joyous, loving service
to mankind, we will have made a large
contribution towards overcoming the dis
ease Of old age and we shall not have so
much to overcome hereafter.
By way of practical suggestion: We
should endeavor to cease malpracticing
on ourselves. We malpractice on our
selves through thinking, believing, and
that old age with its infirmities
is inevitable and incurable. We should
also cease malpracticing on other people.
It is cruel to think and declare that men
and women are becoming old and touch
ed with the so-called inf1rnities Of age;
It is always somebody's wrong thinking