The Waterbury Democrat., 1935-12-16

must DC reason.
 This book which I hold in my hand is the reason. Jesus said, My words shall not pass away" and they have not. How well his early followers understood them is proved by the fact that for three hundred years after he left the earth, they healed the sick and raised the dead. The secular historian, Josephus, mentions this as fact, and it was evidently regarded as a perfectly natural and inevitable part of their religion. After a while, however, various disintegrating elements crept in, as it grew and became popular" until finally the primitive purity of those early teachings was lost. Grad ually the healing element fell into disuse. Then came that period in the worlds history rightly called the Dark Ages, and in these centuries of dense materiality the pure words of Jesus, the Christ, were largely forgotten. It would almost seem that they were gone forever, but there they lay, unseen, yet still vibrant and untouched, just waiting until human hearts should once more be ready to receive them. And then 8 woman came, and they are now in such form that they can never again be lost
 Some very good and conscien- tious persons, however, may hesitate to read this book, Science and Health, because they have been told that it denies the divinity of Christ. That is not true. We do not deny the divinity of the Christ, and we love and revere Jesus even more than do some others, for we believe in keep ing all of his commands, and not just a part. When he told those who believed on him to preach the gospel" and heal the sick" we be- lieve that he meant just what he said. The churches preach the gos- pei, yes. But when asked why they do not heal the sick the reply often is, because they feel that this com mand was intended only for his im- mediate disciples, and for the age in which he lived. If so, why did he say, These signs shall follow them that believe; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover? Them" that believe. He did not say you" who believe. He knew that anyone, at any time, in any age, who really understood his sayings could make them provable and practical, just as he did. God would not be God, were this other wise. God would not be Love, the faithful, tender, and true, were He to make relief from pain and misery possible only to a few favored ones, two thousand years ago, and then never again. That would impugn our sense of even human justice. Man is made free today, as in Jesus time, from any erroneous condition which may present itself--whether 1t be the healing of sick body, sick mind. a sick business, or 8 sin-sick, homesick, heartsick human being.
 All the works of our Master were founded upon 6 spiritual law which is as applicable now as 1t was then, for real law, Gods law, does not change with the passing of the cen turies. Let us suppose that I am holding something in my hand-let us say, pencil. If drop this pen- cil it will go down. No one expects to see it go up. That is because we all believe in something we call "gravitation." Although the views of physical scientists regarding this have undergone some changes of late, it existed as so-called law in Jesus time, and in the time of Moses, in fact, since the beginning of time, although not so generally understood. But the only law which Jesus acknowledged was true spirit ual law, Gods law. This real law was the basis of his many mighty works which he confidently promised would be repeated and even greater works than his, when this change less law of God should become more universally accepted, and utilized.
 God is no respecter of persons" and neither is the law of gravitation. If drop this pencil. 1t immediately goes down. If anyone drops Q pen- cil, 1t immediately goes down., And may I add, it requires no assistance from usl One does not have to push the pencil. He has only to release 1t. That is a point most important to remember, for the trouble with most of us is that we will not seem to "let go' of those false beliefs and theories which are SO directly re- sponsible for our difflculties. There is a law of God just as ready to operate, and just as instantly avail able as is the so-called law of gravi- tation, but if we continue to cling to our troubles, still holding them fast in clenched, frightened fingers, how can we expect this law of God to operate in our behalf?
 Perhaps we have held these trou- bles for so long now that we hardly know how to let them go. They have become so largely "a part of our- selves" as the saying is, that every one who sees us, immediately sees these troubles also, firmly attached to us, and that does not help us to shake them offl So we keep on holding them, looking at them, talk l ing about them. thinking about them, dreaming about them, worry ing about them. turning them over and over, upside and down. inside and out, backwards and forwards. round and round. until we get 60 weary and worn out that we say we simply cannot stand it any longer!
 know. I understand. used to do that, too. Most of us have, I think, but I feel sure that nobody ever held on to them any tighter than I did. The whole world has been doing it. for ages. Perhaps that may have been just what the man with the withered hand had been doing, 'as far back as Jesus time. He had evidently been hold
 ina to something so long in con- seriousness that his hand had ac- tually grown stiff. Perhaps he had |