We are of the opinion that the best way for a clergyman...

Alfred Farlow

Shreveport (La.) Journal

We are of the opinion that the best way for a clergyman to prevent his flock from migrating is to make his own gospel so practical and desirable as to forestall any desire to look for "greener pastures." Whether or not it may be in good taste for a minister of the gospel to spend his time in an effort to discredit the religion of others instead of faithfully preaching his own sense of the gospel, we think all will agree that he should at least avoid any statements that are likely to give a wrong impression of religion which he attacks.

Christ is the divine idea appearing in consciousness, which governed the human personality of Jesus and by means of which he did his wonderful works. We may illustrate the first and second coming of Christ in the following manner. A mathematician demonstrates a proposition on the board and thus proves that he is a mathematician, that he understands mathematics; but this is not sufficient to make a mathematician of the pupil. Nevertheless this may be considered the first coming of the mathematician, and it is an essential feature in the process of making mathematics practical. By and by the pupil learns what the mathematician knows. He acquires the mentality of the mathematician and is thereafter able to take up the book and demonstrate the proposition as it has been done by the teacher; and thus he, too, becomes a mathematician. This latter experience may be thought of as the second coming of the knowledge which constituted the mathematician.

Similarly, the first coming of Christ was in the person of Jesus, who understood and demonstrated the truth in all its perfection. The second coming is the realization of what he understood, by means of which the disciple is able to do what he did, in confirmation of his promise, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." The difficulty with our critic is that he does not follow the Scriptural injunction to compare spiritual things with spiritual in his discussion of what Mrs. Eddy teaches. He admits that Christian Science is founded upon the premise, "God is a Spirit;" that Spirit made all that was made and made it spiritually, and therefore that the universe, including man, is spiritual and not material. The gentleman also knows, if he has read the Christian Science text-book at all, that Christian Science recognizes the false belief of life, substance, and intelligence in matter, which must be overcome by spiritual growth.

If he will turn to Scriptural teaching, he will find that Jesus and his apostles taught exactly the same thing: Paul declared : "They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God;" which means that God made man spiritually, and that the material sense of man is a false sense which must be overcome by putting off the old man with his deeds, and putting on the new man, "which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Jesus said: "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." Spirit alone gives life and existence to creation. In other words, there is nothing real in existence which is not the product of Spirit. Flesh, matter, material sense, is altogether unprofitable, that is, it does not add to nor take from the creation of God, Spirit. It is not included in the divine economy and has no signification.

Again, the Master said. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit;" which means, that which is of God, Spirit, is spiritual and not material. Materiality is not of God, and since God is the only creator, it does not exist at all, and is only real to material sense. It was necessary that the Christ should appear, and Christ did appear, not because of any material origin but in spite of the fleshly, false, material sense. Christ appeared in the flesh just as light appears in the midst of darkness. Darkness has nothing to do with the manifestation of light, neither can it withstand the light. Light appears in the midst of darkness and dispels it.

So, Christ Jesus appeared first as a child ; he "waxed strong in spirit" as he grew in stature. Step by step he advanced, until he overcame the "world, the flesh, and the devil;" triumphed over death, and finally overcame matter altogether and was translated— became spiritually perfect and rose above material sense altogether. Although he had said, "Lo I am with you alway," he was not thereafter perceptible to human sense. The critics who do not understand this teaching of Christian Science would do well not to attempt to explain it.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit