Milford chronicle., 1922-10-13

has had his last chance" are declarations
of mortal mind which can have no effect
on the real man. His true selfhood, iden-
tity and individuality are as unchange-
able as God.
THE AUTHORITY
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and
Founder of Christian Science and the au-
thor of its textbook, Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures" gives on
page 595 of that volume definition of the
word time" as understood in Christian
Science. Here it is: TIME. Mortal
measurements; limits, in which are sum-
med up all human acts, thoughts, beliefs,
opinions, knowledge; matter; error; that
which begins before, and continues after,
what is termed death, until the mortal
disappears and spiritual perfection ap-
pears"
THE DEDUCTION
From this definition we learn the fol-
lowing important facts, namely: 1t is
fundamental to the truth of Christian
Science that God knows neither time nor
the so-called history of time. He inhab-
it's eternity. His name is I Am. This
word or verb or name signifies continued
existence, without beginning of years or
end of days Humanity speaking, God
knows only the present. He knows
nothing of any past or of any future. He
knows all there really is to be known.
He always has known it and He always
will know it. He dwells in eternity and
eternity is the never beginning and the
never ending NOW. And because man is
made in the image and likeness of God
he also is in eternity. Man does not have
to pass the portals of that physical epi-
sode called death in order to be in eter-
nifty. He is in eternity now because his
Father is in eternity.
Only mortal man speaks of time, and
he divides it into past, present, and fu-
ture. Through experience mortal man
has learned that nearly all his troubles,
of every nature, are brought upon him
by the fear of either the past or of the
future. Ones privilege and duty is to
live now, to
''Act, act in the living Present:
Heart within and God o'erhead."
But when man considers the matter care
fully, he realizes that most of the time
he is living, that is, he is thinking, in
either the past or the future. There is
the fear that the past is irreparable;
that it has power to reach forward and
blight the present, and that the future is
very uncertain, or, like the sword of
Damocles, is always threatening disas-
ter. Mans troubles and discords are
chiefly in retrospect or prospect; they
spring from the field of memory or from
the field of anticipation. Mortal man is
regretting what has happened in the
past; or he is regretting what has not
happened in the past. He is fearing
what may happen in the future, or he is
fearing what may not happen in the fu-
ture.
THE NEED
In this lecture it is only of the~past
we are speaking. We are striving to ell
ucidate, by reasoning and by concrete il
Illustrations, how it is that Christian
Science through it's close thinking and
reasoning and through its compassionate
and loving ministry. of healing releases
the human mind from the fear of the
past. In this way it opens the door to
health, happiness, and peace. You doubt
less see, then, how appropriate is the
phrase, Christian Science and the Rep
arabic Past" Man in Science has never
had nor can he ever have his last chance
for good and salvation. Man in Science
has never had nor can he ever have his
last opportunity for good and salvation;
for God is opportunity and God is present
everywhere all the time.
The world needs this gospel of Chris
tian Science and the Reparable Past" Tor
mortals seem to have inherited an op-
pressive, mental burden from consider
able of the thought and teaching of phil
osophy, poetry, theology, and materia
medica.
Philosophy is supposed to have to do
with lovers of wisdom. And wisdom is
concerned with mind. But much of the
teaching of philosophy is concerned more
with matter than with mind. When that !
brilliant young man, Henry Buckle, had
completed the first volume of what was
to be his History of Civilization" it
was seen that he had in that volume
made out man to be entirely the product |
of matter Thomas Carlyle, grufr' some
times rough but nearly always honest
dertded the falSe IeacnlnB VI DuShiS III q
poem beginning thus:
''This is he creed, let no man chuckle,
OF the great thinker, Henry Buckle.
And then Carlyle proceeded to show how |
that Buckles teaching not only made
man to be the product of matter, but lett |
him in the tyrannical grasp of matter
a prison from which there was no egress.
Have any of you dear people ever
heard this expression, concerning some |
men or women who were trying to be |
brave under adversity ''They are bear
ing I'D under their trouble very philosoph-
icallv?" This is another way OF saying
.oThere are some things which can new
or he cured and therefore they must ne
endured" This is the teaching of fatal
ism. It is the declaration Of plaintlve
nbilosophy which has not a trace OF nope
or moral courage in it.
Again, a general collection Oh the
worlds standard poets would reveal the
foot that much literary effort has been
ovnended by them, in emphasizing tbe
go cI,ine, of fatalisrn, and most Of them
now and then express adherence to the
craed of an irreparable past. This IS no
+obIv true as touching thousands Oh
0oovY,s collected in hymn books and sung
=, cI,,rches. Many of them give fortn
+ba doIeful teacring Of an irreparaDle
most s,Nore light" was the glorious