Article March 13, 1909 Issue

In the course of the most masterful sermon ever...

R. Stanhope Easterday

Anderson (Ind.) Herald

In the course of the most masterful sermon ever preached, the greatest Teacher that ever lived left the following clear and unmistakable words with his hearers, words which have been preserved to us during the intervening ages, a fact which attests their truth and practicability: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."

Now while I am unable to say just what construction our critic puts on these words, I am in a position to declare that Christian Scientists interpret them to mean that if the "kingdom of heaven," the fruits whereof are "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost," can be proven to be "within you," i.e., within the consciousness of every individual follower of the Master, then every follower must begin at once ("now is the day of salvation") a reasonable approximation to the desired end, else he will never achieve the goal. To claim, however, the ultimate before every preliminary step of overcoming has been faithfully taken, would be to brand one's self a "liar," and Christian Scientists do not presume so much, merely arguing that while they may not be better than others, nor even as good as they might, still they are better than they were.

To quote Scripture again, our Lord, when accused by the Pharisees of being engaged in "devilish" work, quietly cited his works, in the very words of our brother's own text, "If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? ... But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you." If Christian Science does nothing worse than inspire people to "keep getting better and better" by holding up for emulation the divine nature, would it not be the better part of wisdom for our critics to cease speaking evil against it? Our Master urged, "Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit."

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