The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-12-09


as evening 10 tha Masonic Temple,
h Peter y. Ross g. $. a. q san
Tmncsco. calf. member uf the
n1lni 0f LEcturgshin OF The Mother
Chuneh. The FIRST Church of Christ,
SCigru-t In Boston Mass. Mr.
Ross lecture follows
Nhgn wt look out upon tEU world
st iagr1 and contemplate the beauty
ana order manifested On an hands
and Boz every direction. and thgu con.
siiff that what We SEQ through the
rcstr.ltti avenue OF the physical
senses s NOT The tullurs bat 40 most
only a hint 10 the perfection and
grandeur Uf tho spiritually real pho.
nomul which uil 400 space, we arc
30 ones icd 20 inquire concerning the
ouUn Ut things. We cannot COM
etitc 10 their being here by accident
or chlucc nor by virtue ot their own
power OF Nolu0n. but We are per-
suaicd. .f we think seriously upon the
subject. that they are creations OF
law and intelligence. and that under
iying them IS some grand, byucfieCat
purpose.
Naturally. different people 1t ar
ftrent periods % time have enter
talned widely varying conceptions as
20 the origin. cause or creation Of
things. The ancient Hebrews, Tor
example. conceived o. tho Greater as
an enlarged human beins-Irhoyah
b. uame-a sort OF king having tho
uneven temperament and tho locIl
jurisdiction OF a chlccain or mon
arch. But In course OF time. with
the expansion % Jewish thought. Jc-
hoyah gave place 20 Elohlm whose
presence bright an space doth occupy,
all motion guide.
One reason the Bible holds absorb
ing interest Tor thinking people "a.
that Il portmys this embodiment %
the Hebrew conception Of Dlcty from
a primitive sense OF God as corporal.
circumscribed and human. toward an
enlightened concept OF God as being
everywhere present. as having al In.
telllgence. as possessing and eXcrcls-
ing all power. unseen and unserab,o
20 the physical senses This enlarged
conception OF Deity was the priceless
contribution from the Jewish race 20
West civilization. made al q time
when paganism and mythology -four
ished even in cultured Greece and
Rome.
MODERN CONCEPT OF DEITY
But there still remained through all
the centuries the necessity for a nero
tangible concept. n more definite def
milton Of Deity. 20 meet the practical
needs OF humanity: and this came.
only fifty years or 30 ago, through
the Inspired thought Of Mary Baker
Eddy. when she disccrned. as she
writes on page 4s5 OF her great book
Science and Health. that God Is IN.
corporal. divine. supreme. infinite
Mind. Spirit, Soul, Principle. Llfe,
Truth. Love" This definition Is
abundantiy sustained BY Scriptural
authority. Thus Moses. encouraging
his followers during their struggles
IN the wilderness. reminds them that
God Is Life. Paul refers 20 God as
Mind when. In writing 70 the Philip
plans. he admonlshes them 20 have
that Mind which was In Christ Jesus.
Jesus. finding the Samaritan woman
AZ the well in an inquiring mood.
says TO her, God is a Spirit: and
they that worship Him must worship
Him In spirit and IN truth" While
John. whose association with the
Nazarene has transformed him from
the impetuous Son Of Thunder 20 the
gentle Apostle OF Peace, can say.
God is Love: and he that dwelleth
In love dwelleth in God, and God in
him"
Nor Is there any escape from the
logic Of Mrs. Eddy's definition Of
Deity. For when VIC concede. as we
do. that God IS everywhere present
and allknowlng, we arc driven 10 tho
conclusion that He must be Mind.
Nothing other than Mind can be ALL
knowing and measure up to om-
niscienoe. But Mind. ever animate
and ceasclcssly active. cannot be de.
ISOLATED from Life. Therefore we arc
led to see that God Is Life as we'll
as Mind. Mind and Life, however. in
their true sense, arc inscparable from
Love. which reminds US OF the
Apostles declaration that God In
Love. But mind. lie and love. as
humanity manifested. are lamentably
imperfect. Only as Love IS unselflsh. |
Mind unerring. Life above disease. |
can they properly be held to be Deity. !
In other words. only az they arc sus.
tained. yitalized. and impelled by (
Principle arc they worthy names for I
God. And on the other hand, only
as Principle is not abstract and mind !
less but imbued with Life. Mind and |
Love, Is It entitled to be regarded as 4
Deity. Then are they all transferred
from the realm OF the human TO the |
divine.
I, Is not denied that there appears
20 be another mind opposed 10 or at |
enmity with the divine Mind which |
is God. This baser mentality, OF |
which more will presently be said. |
seems to find expression in a material I
man and In a material universe, /
whereas divine Mind finds expression |
in n spiritual man and in n spiritual /
universe. Jesus pronounceB this so
called mind lie and the father OF lles.
while Mrs. Eddy. recognizing it's flc. |
titious character and definitely disfin- |
gushing It from the divine Mind. I
designates II mortal mind. for It's 1
supposed man and creation. being /
physical. are subject 10 disease and .
death. II II important 10 keep this /
distinction between the spiritual and I
the material, the real and tho unreal |
IN thought, and to remember that
when Christian Science insists, as IL |
docs Insist, that man 10 perfect, with. [
out sin or sickness, It refers not TO |
the mlstaken mortal Bense OF man as |
physical with finite form and.outllne. |
but to the spiritual and real man Of |
divine Minds creating; not 20 the |
counterfeit man described in the Bec-
ond chapter Of Genesis as made by |
Jehovnh out OF tho dust OF the |
ground, but to the genuine man de-
scribed In the first chaptnr Of Gnu-