Article February 15, 1919 Issue

Christian Science Church Services

FRANK L. ROBINSON

The services of the Christian Science church are not only unique as religious worship, but they also afford all who attend these services an opportunity to participate therein if they wish to do so. Departing from the idea of personal preaching commonly found in the various denominations, Mrs. Eddy, exemplifying the wisdom which guided her in her work as a great teacher, promulgated a rule making "the Bible and the Christian Science textbook" the only preachers in Christian Science churches, as we read in the "Explanatory Note" on page 2 of the Quarterly. But some one may ask, "Why designate the Christian Science textbook as one of the preachers, or a source of preaching?"

In reply to such an inquiry it may be pointed out that the Bible, when understood spiritually, from Genesis to Revelation sets forth the rule of salvation, not only from sin but from physical suffering and other phases of discord as well. To grasp this fact in its far-reaching significance naturally inspires a desire on the part of the honest seeker after salvation to get at and understand the spiritual meaning of the Bible. When this is apprehended the searcher discovers that he has not only found the pathway of salvation from sin, but he also begins to see that the marvelous things accomplished by Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and above all by Christ Jesus were accomplished through some understanding of spiritual reality. The divine Principle of their work having been revealed to Mrs. Eddy, and the explication of Principle being set forth by her in the Christian Science textbook, is it to be wondered at that the spiritual and scientific interpretation of the Bible should be used in conjunction therewith as the only preachers in Christian Science churches?

It may be further explained that any preaching from the Bible, or any religious system founded thereon, which does not result in salvation from sin and include the healing works which Christ Jesus declared would be done by those who continued in his word, does not obey the command recorded in the last chapter of Mark, namely, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." In close connection with this command is the promise, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." In the fourteenth chapter of John is an equally clear and even more far-reaching declaration: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." Furthermore, Jesus here removes all excuse for attributing his healing work to his personality or to his personal preaching, for he put these entirely outside of the proposition, when he said: "The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." On another occasion, as recorded by John, he made this unanswerable declaration: "If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not."

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