Article August 13, 1910 Issue

The gentleman quotes at length from various distinguished...

Alfred Farlow

Stamford (Conn.) Advocate

The gentleman quotes at length from various distinguished men and authors who refer to death as inevitable. If I may do so politely, I would like to call his attention to the fact that he might have quoted the following from the most distinguished author the world has ever known: "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." His beloved disciple, St. John, prophesied that "there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away." Death is described as an "enemy," and since it is mentioned as an enemy to be "overcome," though the last one, it is none the less expected that it shall eventually cease to occur. How? The Scriptures teach us that through righteousness, through spiritual growth and development, mortals are to put off mortality and put on immortality. They are to attain to the full stature of manhood in Christ. We do not hold that this exalted state may be attained in this generation nor in any near generation. Centuries may pass meanwhile. We only contend that such is the ultimate of Christianity as taught by Jesus Christ and his apostles, and not a more whim of Christian Scientists.

We have not boasted regarding the ability of Christian Scientists, although we acknowledge with gratitude what has already been accomplished through Mrs. Eddy's teaching. If it be true, as it surely is, that Christian Scientists are not able to heal as successfully as the Master did, such failure is due to the same want that occasions the failure of other Christians, that is, to the limited degree of their faith or understanding. Christian Science is "founded" upon the teaching of our Lord. It plants itself unreservedly upon the Master's declaration, "God is a Spirit," and faithfully adheres to this premise in all its conclusions. Jesus said: "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."

While we believe that one may be a Christian in a degree, without being able to do all that the Master accomplished, we believe that one is not a Christian, in the full and sufficient sense of the word, until he at least desires to do all that the Master performed. One would not hold that mathematics is incorrect because a neophyte is not able to demonstrate its most difficult propositions. In such a case the difficulty lies not with mathematics, but with the pupil's limited understanding thereof. Jesus' apostles were not as successful as the Master, although they relied upon the same God, and no one then or since has made an assertion that they were not Christian in their method. Upon one occasion they failed utterly to heal a patient and brought him to the Master, inquiring the reason of their ill success. Jesus answered them in a manner to indicate that their "prayer and fasting" was insufficient. He seemed to admit that they were on the right road, but intimated that they had not proceeded far enough.

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