Milford chronicle., 1922-05-12

Nfember of the Board of Lectureship Oh
The Mother Church, The First Church
of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Mass.
What Jesus came to do, what he
taught did, and lived, may well be taken
as his mission, as the ideal of the
nrophets.-the ideal Judaism.-and most
certainly as absolute Christianity. What
was this mission?
An ancient custom, still followed among
the Jews, is that Of honoring distinguish
Cd visitors by calling upon them to read
from the Scriptures at services in the
svnagogue. This honor was conferred on
Jesus, when at the beginning of his min
istrv he visited his home in Nazareth.
In responding to it. he turned to the
hook of Esaias and read: 1.-The Spirit OF
the Lord is upon me, because he hath
a5ointed me to preach the gospel (good
news) to the poor; he hath sent me to
heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliV-
erance to the captives, and recovering OF
sight to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised, to preach the acceptable
wear of the Lord" At another time he
announced that he came to fulfill the law
and Sthe prophets; and again that he
came "to bear witness unto the truth
He also said, IT have come that they
might have life, and that they might
have it more abundantly;" and defining
life he said, "And this is life eternal
that they might know thee the only true
God. and Jesus Christ whom thou hast
sent" This may be said to be summary
of Jesus mission, given in his own words
The statement is plain, simple, direct
and definite There is not a word in II
that could in any way mislead, be mis-
understood or twisted to mean anything
else.
Jesus came to preach the gospel or
eood news to the poor. Did this mean
that they should remain poor? He came
tn heal to liberate, to destroy the oper-
atoms of evil of every kind in human
experience, to confer abundant life as
a result of the knowledge of God which
he came to teach mankind, to usher IN
an era acceptable to God in which Goa
should be accorded all power and reign
over all absolutely and completely. Dlu
he fulfill this mission?
Jesus preched very little. but did
great deal The gospels show this. FROM
bovhood he was about his Fathers Dusl-
ness hut he preached only one sermon
of which any record has come down 10
us This business consisted OF teachlhs
nv example as well as by precept whaC
Cod is. what God does, and how Goo
does what He does. In providing the WINE
at the marriage feast in Cana, the tax
money in the draft of fishes, in teeoins
the multitudes, he showed that God pro-
xides for the most simple and common
needs In healing a few sick people IN
Nazareth. the nobleman's son of fever
the case of dropsy recorded in Luke ne
showed that spiritual means should De
sought and applied not only in extreme
cases but in minor ailments. In restoring
sight to the blind, speech to the dumb
hearing to the deaf, in healing leprosy'
epilepsy. the withered hands, paralysis
and dementia of various kinds, he show
ed that God "healeth all thy diseases,
and that none are incurable to Him. In
loosing the woman from the evil which
had bound her many years, and the null
titudes from sins of all kinds, he showed
the emancfpating power of God. In dis
appearing in the midst of multitudes, en-
tering through closed doors, stilling the
storm, and walking upon the water, he
showed the unreality of matter and OF
material forces; in raising the rulers
daughter the widows son, and Lazarus
from the grave, he showed that God does
give life, and that He gives it abundant
ly
JESUS WORKS THE RESULT OF
HIS CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Science is defined as 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, men who wit
messed them,-did he do them through
ignorance or mere belief in something, or
did he do them because of a specific, ac-
curate, and demonstrable knowledge OF
their underlying Principle or cause? NO
rational being would for moment claim
that they were done through anything
but such knowledge; and if they were
thus wrought through an exact know
ledge or science applied by Jesus Christ,
then were they not wrought through him.
that is through the Christian, or
Christian Science?
Jesus did his marvellous works because
of his knowledge of their under lying
Principle. or cause. 1t will be admitted
that this knowledge was the knowledge
of God, the knowledge of man and of
mans relation to God. which Jesus came
to teach mankind. The question that oc-
ours 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 OBJ
iects of heather worship. All of us too'
have probably viewed these idols with
mingling of curiosity, pity for those who
prayed to such things, and incredulity
that people who had the skill to carve
such images should be so blinded and su-
perstitious as to worship them But have
we differed from these people so very
much after all?
While visiting an art museum some
time ago, my attention was attracted to
a picture, apparently by an old master.
1t was the figure of venerable man with
flowing white beard; he was clad in
robe and seated above the clouds. This
picture portrayed not only the artists
but the popular idea of God in heaven.
Heaven was above the clouds and Coo
yyas an old man. This in the main is the
bicture which the older religious teach
ings have painted, not only on canvas
but also in the thoughts of their adher-
ents. The picture was but reproduction
of a worldwide misconception of God;
and the Christian world, which scorns
tba IooAE,avSs idoIs acceDfs and WOrShipS