The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-10-11

One of the most urgent questions throughout all Christendom today is: What must we do to refute the insidious and misleading sugges- tions, so widely prevalent, that Christianity may yet prove unavail- ing to meet the great human need, or indeed has already failed?
 In the first place, Christians them selves must be fully convinced that Christianity as Jesus taught and practiced it is the Science of Mind, because it is the complete and exact knowledge of God. Therefore it has never failed--it cannot fail. The main purpose of this lecture is to show that, by its very nature and law, there can be no possibility that Christianity in its primitive purity and practice can ever fail to fulfill its God ordained mission. The cer- tainty of this, the great prophet Isaiah foretoldf centuries ago, in these symbolic words: "As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto sent it."
 Christian Science has come to this age in fulfillment of this promise. The truth which is to enlighten, feed, and sustain mankind has gone forth from infinite Mind and can- not return void. Many years ago, Mary Baker Eddy foresaw and cou- rage0lsly declared in her textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 342), The hour has struck when proof and demon Stration, instead of opinion and dogma, are summoned to the sup port of Christianity"
 This is the obvious demand upon all Christendom today, namely, proof and demonstration. Christian Science teaches (Science and Health D. 323) that good is not understood until demonstrated" It therefore demands of it's students practical proofs of Gods ever-preSence and allness. Through the application of His spiritual law as revealed in this Science its students are learning how practically to overcome the limitations and discordant condi- tions of mortal existence.
 In the earliest years of her great discovery Mrs. Eddy drafted con- stitution for the first Christian Scientists Association. In that con- stitution she gave this carefully formulated statement of scientific Christianity, which is found in the Historical and Biographical Papers, compiled by Clifford P. Smith, Series (p. I'D: "A Divine prin- ciple and given rule applicable to every condition of man, and con- Stituting the Divine plan of his salvation from sin. sickness. and death, exist in the order of Eternal life, Truth, and love, Jesus demonstrated for mans example and his redemption, this holy prin- ciple of Divine Science; clearly showing by this Divine understand ing and proof. the individuality of Science and Christianity"
 It is this divine 'indiviSibilty, this oneness of Science and Chris tianity, that must be the revtaliz- ing element of religious faith in this hour of atheistic and materialistic challenge to the Christ ideal. For centuries it was the general convic- tion in public thought that religion and Science were wholly incompati- ble. The acceptance of one pre- cluded the possibility of the accept ance and teaching of the other. It was believed, and taught in some instances, that religion was an emo- tional experience in which faith was based largely upon an unknown God. Many who reasoned logically upon all other subjects seemed unable to go beyond blind faith in God, and accepted as real all that claimed to be unlike God, namely, sin, sick ness. and death. These errors were