Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1941-07-25
A Lecture on
Christian Science
DIR. Hendrix ]. de LANCE, C.S.B.
of New York City

DIR. Hendrix J. de LANCE, C.S.B.
of New York City
Member of the Board of Lectureship OF
The Mother Church. The First Church OF
Christ, Scientist, In Boston, MASSACHUSETTS
A lecture on Christian Science, en-
titled "Christian Science: The Science
of Christ" was delivered in Baltimore,
under the auspices of First Church OF
Christ, Scientist in this city. DR.. Hen
dirk ]. de LANCE, C.S.B., was the lee
turer. DR.. de LANCE is a member OF the
Board of Lectureship of The Mother
Church, The First Church of Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Here follow a number of points the
lecturer made:
Pauls reference to "the mystery Of
goodness" and "the mystery Of Christ"
has caused many to suppose that the
knowledge Of God must be hidden, or,
at least, of a phenomenal nature.
However, we need not doubt that for
God, divine intelligence itself, there
cannot be any mystery about supreme
Being. Intelligence, to be worthy Of
the name, must be directly, continu-
ously, and intelligently conscious OF it.
self, and thereby self explanatory.
Then, Christ and goodness can only
be mystery to something wholly for
eign to Gods own nature. Goodness
and Christ must be mystery to the
material sense testimony, "the carnal
mind" to which the Mars Hill orator
refers as "enmity against God" Con-
sequently, that which is opposing the
divine nature is not in a position to
explain the divine nature! When it
attempts to do it, the results must
necessarily be both confused and con-
fusing.
This accounts for much Of the mis-
apprehension with which the concept
Of Christ in the Christian religion has
been surrounded. It has led to scho-
lastic theology with its widespread
opinion that Christ is a synonym for
the personal Jesus. Supposing Jesus
to be Christ and Christ to be God, has
made many cling to the belief that
Jesus is God. Finally, the opinion
seems prevalent that the Masters
works were miracles-phenomenal
exhibitions of extraordinary power.
Christian Science may be defined as
the Science, or knowledge, Of Christ,
Truth. It is not based upon any mate
rial sense testimony, but upon the fact
that divine intelligence must be in
evitably self-explanatory, and that
this knowledge must be inevitably
available as divine manifestation.
Herefrom the deduction may be made
that the more correctly one lives
Christian Science, the better one be-
comes conscious of existence as it
divinely is; and conversely, the less
one is subject to the distorting medium
of the material sense through which
80 many have vainly attempted to find
the explanation of existence. In fact,
one Of the synonymous terms used for
Christian Science by its Discoverer
and Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, is
Divinity, God. The knowledge of God,
ideally, is Gods knowledge. This
ideal is attained in Christian Science
in the measure one permits a human,
personal, mediatory sense of trying to
know the Divine to be exchanged for
divine intelligence expressing itself
and identifying itself as its own ex-
preston.
For this reason, Christian Science
is bound to present a correct knowl-
edge and analysis of Christ-the cor
nerstone of Christianity. The Science
of Christ shows forth Christ's differ
ent aspects or offices which, neverthe-
less, constitute one harmonious whole,
being indivisibly one though multi
farious in function.
Mary Baker Eddy distinguishes be-
tween Christ and Jesus, thereby pre-
venting the confusion of mixing the
human with the divine. 1t is done by
the way Of definition in Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures"
pages 583 and $50: Christ. The di-
vine manifestation Of God, which
comes to the flesh to destroy incar-
nate error" "Jesus. The highest hui
man corporal concept of the divine
idea, rebuking and destroying error
and bringing to light mans immor-
tality."
In other words, yesus showed forth
in q hitherto unprecedented way, the
spiritual understanding or divince
idea which constitutes the Christ
In describing Jesus as "the highest
human corporeal concept Of the di-
vine idea," Mrs. Eddy discerned that
his biography, as portrayed in the
four Gospels, was the impression that
the Christ, or the divine manifestation
which identified Jesus, made upon
contemporary human thought. In hel
book "No and Yes" (p. 36) she states:
"Mankind's concept Of Jesus was a
babe born in a manger, even while
the divine and ideal Christ was the
Son Of God, spiritual and eternal. In
human conception Gods off spring had
to grow, develop; but in Science his
divine nature and manhood were for.
ever complete, and dwelt forever in