Article September 8, 1917 Issue

Simplicity of the Word

CLARENCE W. CHADWICK

Would-be critics of Bible teaching must not overlook the fact that spiritual things can only be spiritually discerned. If this basic fact is ignored, one is as incapable of intelligently commenting upon the teaching of the Scriptures as he would be of talking about something of which he knows absolutely nothing. We are told in I Corinthians that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." This statement of Holy Writ should and does make its appeal to the humble and sincere seeker after Truth. With such a one it immediately puts a stop to any unwitting attempt to interpret spiritual truth through the medium of mortal mind or material sense. What an atmosphere of Christian charity, consideration, and kindly feeling would prevail in the world if all would allow themselves to be instructed by this simple but profound statement of Scripture!

If "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost," is it at all unreasonable to assume that these same men wrote from the same standpoint of inspiration? People who think deeply upon spiritual things do not question this assumption, even though they may not fully grasp the inspired or metaphysical meaning of the Bible. They have experienced enough of the peace and joy of the Spirit so that to doubt for one moment its inspired origin would be impossible; nor would they hastily yield to the temptation to place a material or sense construction upon its spiritual teaching. In the same manner must seekers for Truth approach the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, if they would arrive at an intelligent understanding of its teachings and be able to impart them to others. It is the simplicity of spiritual teaching which confounds the worldly-wise, and even many professing Christians seem not to grasp the thought that material sense testimony is in open conflict with spiritual testimony, and that the exercise of faith in an unseen higher power demands the subjugation of the so-called physical senses.

To say that one has faith in God, while claiming the right to think and to act in accord with the evidence before the material senses, would mean that one can serve two masters. This is the very thing which millions of people are vainly endeavoring to do. They seem to think that faith is something which can operate without their questioning material sense testimony, but such thinking on their part leaves them slaves to a false sense which has no intelligent estimate of spiritual things and knows not how to discern them. Without knowing it they are trying to have faith in Spirit without questioning the validity of that which denies the presence and reality of Spirit, that is, belief in matter. Here Christian Science comes to the rescue of benighted mortals and awakens thought to the opposite natures of Spirit and matter. It tells them that to have faith in Spirit is to deny the power, presence, and reality of matter or material sense. The moment this point is grasped understandingly the simplicity and practicability of Christian Science become self-evident.

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