The St. Joseph observer., 1922-12-23

down for men and women the curtain
or veil of mystery, misundcrStdndlng, !
superstition, and fear that has shut
them out from the right concept OF
God, and has revealed God to be God
who is understandable and loydblc.
This is why men and women are
grateful TO Mrs Eddy.
THE MOTHER CHURCH AND ITS
GONERNMENT.
When Mrs. Eddy saw the great task
facing her of furnishing some avenue
through which would flow with au-
thority during the unfolding ccnturi,
this revelation of Truth that haa
come to her inspired vision, that lt
might go forth TO the waiting world
with all of its virility and strength un-
adUlteratcd ana unCouta minated, she
founded The Mother Church, Tho
First Church of Christ. Scientist, IN
Boston, Mass This as she says, Wu-
designed TO commemorate the word
and works Of our Master, which
should reinstatc primitive Christian
ity and its lost element OF healing
manual, p. 10. To sincere thinker
however orthodox there is nothing in
these foundatiCu-stuncs Of the Chris
tian Science movement which can Of
fend.
Mrs. Eddy saw that the early Chris
tian Church had been split into con-
flicting sects through following after
mere human opinions, Hnu Silt NtSlIth
that this movement should go forth
undivided Accordingly as there ap-
pcared the need, she wrote rules OF
government or bylaws, now compiled
in a volume known as the Manual oil
the Mother Church, to serve as lEts
along the way. to lead and guide i'm
personally this movement through
the centuries.
She understood that these bylaws
were applicable to all men under all
conditions, and wrote: 'Of this | am
sure, that each Rule and Bylaw in
this Manual will increase the spiritu-
ality of him who obeys it, invigorate
his capacity to heal the sick, to COM
fort such as mourn, and to awaken
the sinner" (Miscellany, p. 230).
She foresaw that the time would
never come in human experience when
the Church and its adherents would
not need this inspired guidance, so
she wrote of the Manual; "Notwith-
standing the sacrilegious moth Of
time, eternity awaits our Church
Manual which will maintain its rank
as in the past, amid ministries ag-
gressive and active, and will stand
when those have passed to rest
miscellany, p. 230).
Loyal Christian Scientists every
where. are grateful for this further
revelation of their Leader, and are
conscious that they are finding in the
these Bylaws, together with the BIZ
BILE, the Christian SCIENCE textbook
and the other writings of their Leader,
that God is indeed revealed to he
Life, Love. Truth. Soul Mind, Spirit,
Principle.
GOD.
Perhaps the term Principle as used
for God in Christian Science has
more than any other word aroused an
unusual inquiry in the average ortho-
dox thought. for men have thought OF
God generally as just a great super
man, a power to be feared rather
than understood and loved, sitting
upon throne. waiting to Judge men,
and sending both good and evil. The
world needs TO get away from this
view OF God. 1t needs a larger con-
cept of God. which is'embraced in the
use of the term Principle.
In an eastern city after a lecture a
woman came to me in seeming mental
distress and said: Il want to know
how your God can be everywhere al
the same time" / was grateful then
for the thought of God being Prin-
ciple, as 1t afforded a ready answer
to her inquiry In considering the
principle of mathematics manifest in
addition, subtraction, multiplication
1t is easy to see that this principle
can be everywhere at the same time
The millions of Europe. Asia. Africa
or America, can all have the multipli.
cation table at the same time with al
of its power and facility, wshout in
e terfering in the slightest particular
with It's use anywhere else in the uni
verse, always with one proViso-tha'
they do understand the multiplication
table and apply it.
In a far larger sense God being a.
vine Principle, infinite, unfailinF, is
everywhere present, able to solv,
mans every problem provided mar
understands Him and the availability
and application Of His power.
Was not this the thought of tn,
Psalmist when he sang: IF l ascent
up into heaven, thou art there: If
make my bed in hen, behold thol
art there. If / take the wings of thu
morning, and dwell in the uttermos
parts of the sea; Even there shall thy
hand lead me, and thy right hanC
shall hold me" (Psalms 1890.
There is no problem, no condition
that can come to us but Gods powe
is ever available for its satisfactor!
solution.
Continuing this same thought of tht
multiplication table, ask schoolbo,
how long he thinks eight times eigh
have been sixty-four and ten time
ten one hundred. Doubtless his an
swer will be always. How long n
thinks II will remain so? Answer
always" And that is correct. a
1dea OF fflnclple uOSS not tHdlBe' -
the multiplication table, as idea o
the principle of mathematics can neV
er change Principle does not chang
nor does its idea or image. Likewis
divine Principle is eternal, inviolablC
unchanging, always operating. Prin
\ ciple Is not moved by the breath o
praise or flattery, or by entreaty o
threat. In the thought of God bein
Principle, Christian Scientists hav
gotten away from the old belief tina
God interferes in the affairs of me
because they are asking Him to d
this, that, or some other thing, o
that God causes the unnatural o
supernatural to be happening in tn
lives and affairs of men. II teache
that Gods work is already jnrfec
and complete. Indeed the Biz say
that "God saw everything that he ha
made, and, behold, II was very good.
The mission OF scientific Christian
ity Is to reveal the perfectness an
completeness of Gods work, to enabl
us TO overcome In our own lives an
experiences everything and ever
thought that is unlike God and Hi
creation. Does not this though
bring us back to that rule OF conduC
which JesuS gave that we should d