Article March 27, 1909 Issue

Through the study of Christian Science we soon learn...

Algernon Hervey Bathurst—Greenwich.

Kentish Mercury

Through the study of Christian Science we soon learn that the body of itself can do nothing, but, as the wise man said, that as a man "thinketh in his heart, so is he." And further, we learn that just to the extent that we let that Mind be in us which was also in Christ Jesus, do we lose the consciousness of evil, sin, or sickness, with the result that we are healed. The Master, who said distinctly that he had not come to destroy but to fulfil God's immutable law, healed the sick through the understanding that good never did produce evil, and that, consequently, evil has no legitimate existence even as a physical trouble. Christian Scientists have had so much positive proof of the health and harmony that comes into the lives of those who meekly endeavor to put into practice the teachings of the Master, that no room is left for doubt as to the truth of the teachings of Christian Science given to us by Mrs. Eddy; and we maintain that, as it is the aim of every Christian to practise what Jesus of Nazareth taught, so it is our privilege and duty to preach the gospel and heal the sick, not separating the command which Jesus gave as one. With regard to faith, no better definition could well be had than that given by the Master when he said, "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." St. Paul again referred to faith as "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen," and this is the faith for which Christian Scientists are striving. It is through this faith alone, faith in the power of God, good, not seen by the physical senses and not needing any assistance from material means, that the sick are healed and the sinner reformed in Christian Science today.

Our critic refers to sin as a "transgression, violation, or disobedience of God's law." The question at once occurs, What is sin, and what are God's laws? There is one great cause and creator, the infinite Spirit, God, or good expressed in His perfect spiritual creation; and since Spirit, God, can be discerned only through spiritual sense, we must assume that just so long as we are unable to see beyond the material, but continue to accept the testimony of the carnal mind and the physical senses which St. Paul described as "enmity against God," we shall fail to recognize God's law. This must result in discord, suffering of some sort, and it is only through the recognition of God's perfect law of harmony that we are freed from this belief of evil or suffering. Were it possible to do evil without suffering we might believe evil to be good. The evil or punishment is not, however, doled out by Deity, and ceases the moment we perceive that the "Lord our God is one Lord," omnipotent and omnipresent good, and that therefore "evil," as Mrs. Eddy says on page 192 of Science and Health, "is not power." In regard to prayer, Christian Scientists are learning that there is no need to ask God to do what He has already done, but that they need a clearer perception of what God is, a better understanding of Him without whom "was not any thing made that was made." As we begin to change our conception of God and His creation we learn what the apostle meant when he said, "Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."

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