Article July 28, 1906 Issue

Alive to God's Promises

CLARENCE W. CHADWICK.

THE professing Christian is supposed to have faith in God, but unless this faith be living and active, unless it be accompanied by works, it may ignore the healing power of divine Mind and pay homage to an inanimate drug. That state of consciousness which substitutes drugs for Christ, has, so far as any practical results are concerned, relinquished a vital faith in God, having lost sight of His promises of salvation through spiritual knowledge and regeneration. The Bible promises health and salvation through the Mind that dwelt with Christ Jesus. Can it be said that the professing Christian is alive to this promise if he cannot trust God to bring about its fulfilment? Is he conscious of the activity of good if he turns away from the Principle of all harmony and perfection and resorts to matter for the cure of disease?

The knowledge God's promises as being true and practically available for every-day needs, suggests activity, alertness, and aggressiveness rather than inertia, lethargy, and indifference. One of the first effects of reading the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, is a quickening of thought to grasp the practical import of Scriptural precepts and promises, which shine forth in the light of a new and higher understanding of the divine Word. The inspiration thus gained to study the Bible and to bring its teaching into one's daily life ought to be sufficient proof to any thinking person that Christian Science is "from above," not "from beneath." In the light of Christian Science it becomes a pleasure to study the Scriptures, because we have awakened to the fact that their sacred promises are for all mankind, and that they are capable of present fulfilment. We no longer apathetically relegate them to a dead past, as being void of all practicality, but we rejoice to find them the living expression of the unchangeable and ever-operative law of God; and through constant striving to live up to their requirements, we find ourselves in conscious possession of that peace that passeth human understanding. Our reverence for the Bible is necessarily enhanced an hundredfold, and instead of resting upon a mere profession of belief in its sacred truths, we are intent upon realizing their fulfilment in individual consciousness. It thus becomes a veritable book of Life, one that can be relied upon for wholesome and practical counsel in every hour of need.

What is the secret of such a marked transformation? Is it not the demonstration of the omnipotence of good as manifested in the healing of sin and disease? This is the opening wedge of Christianly scientific activity as taught and exemplified by Jesus the Christ, and it has come to this age in an hour of great need to lead human thought back to the essentials of primitive Christianity, back to the Christhealing, which alone can point the way to heaven on earth and instill into the hearts of men a desire to partake of the bread of Life, to live nearer to God in this present world, and to have less and less faith in an uncertain future. The healing of one single case of disease through the application of Christian Science proves the divinity of its teaching, and should silence all unkind criticism of a subject which all the wisdom of the world can neither intelligently discuss nor disprove. Once having proved the omnipotence of God in the healing of sin and disease, we know that we have caught a glimpse of the divine Principle of all real existence, which to understand aright means Life eternal, here and now. The sense of peace, happiness, and security that this brings, cannot be appreciated by those who do not believe in the present-day activity of the Christ and who do not love Christian Science. Until they test Christian Science up to the point of actual demonstration, they cannot possibly apprehend the view-point of Truth's disciples; and they would do well to withhold condemnation, lest they "be found even to fight against God." The one sole aim of Christian Science is to tear "down the middle wall of partition" supposed to exist between man and his Maker, and all Christians must admit that this will bring men closer to God, good, and cause them to be more alive to His sacred promises. Christian Science does not rob men of one righteous thought. It does not inculcate ignorance, selfishness, uncharitableness, or dishonesty. None of these can find a resting-place in true Christian activity. Their only seeming foothold is in the divided consciousness that believes in two powers, and denies the present fulfilment of God's promises in the affairs of every-day life. The consciousness that heals and saves mankind is founded upon the Rock, Christ, and is constantly active in the practical application of everything that makes for peace, health, happiness, holiness, and good-will among men. The Christian Scientist agrees with Emerson's statement that "activity is contagious." It is the activity of good deeds, healing the sick and sinful, that is proving to be contagious among thinking people everywhere, and it is this Christian activity that attracts suffering humanity, and encourages them to investigate the claims of Christian Science. If they approach the subject honestly, the day-star of a new hope will arise in their hearts, and they will soon begin to realize that the Bible is full of living promises, only awaiting "a willing mind" in which to find their natural and legitimate adaptation and fulfilment.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

Alive to God's Promises

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access