World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook 003

              #003 World Parliament of Religions Scrapbook, p. 204

The ages have had their prophets who foresaw
and foretold. The world has had its revelators and
discoverers. Through these gleams of light that
have extended and broadened have entered the
dark places of earth. Hope that has been a
trembler and well nigh overcome by long de-
ferred expectations has been strengthened.
The heart that has become cold and with
feeble beating has been warmed into new life
and activity.
If at this four hundredth anniversary of the
discovery of this Western continent we can re-
count such wonderful progress, what will be said
400 years hence? The answer depends wholly
upon whether our country follows the im-
pulse of the God who is love, principle,
mind, or the Mammon of unrighteousness
"which always leads astray." As of old
the small twinkling starlight appeared in the
east and led the wise men to where the "Son of
Righteousness" was revealed to them, so again
the lesser light led westward until it stood over
The land destined to be free,
The gem of all gems,
God's country.
Surely our beloved America is the "city set
on a hill." In it has sprung up the "great
light" again conceived and brought forth by
woman, who has made it possible for all men to
come to it and be freed from sin, disease, death,
enslavement of personal material sense, and be
renewed in the image and likeness of spirit,
God. This greater light is scientifically Chris-
tian, or Christian Science. The wise ones
are being guided to it, and when found it is seen,
though in its infancy, to be of heavenly origin,
begotten of the Father, his voice of love to men.
That it is of God is proven by the thousands of
hopeless invalids raised to health by its saving
principle, and by the many who were in dark-
ness, without the knowledge of God in a sinful
world, but who are now rejoicing in an everpresent,
all-wise, all-powerful and one Father,
Mother, God.
Then why should not the peoples from all the
world be drawn to this glowing country made
radiant by the light of truth? And why should
not one prince come from each tribe or sect and
put his rod "into the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion before the testimony," the parlia-
ment of the World's Religious Congresses?
Truly one rod must blossom, one that
is not put forth in ignorance, envy, jealousy,
bigotry, hate, but by the understanding and
demonstration of divine love. One that shall
take root in mind, be nourished by spirit, and
produce leaves which shall be for the
spiritual and physical healing of all nations.
It must prove its fitness, its mis-
sion, by its healthful influence upon the sick as
much as its reforming effects upon the sinner.
Its methods must be after the manner of Jesus
and its executors must bear the seal of Christ
and the imprint of heaven.
Brethren, this is an epoch in the history of
Christian science. The year has been a marked
one to us. The chaff has been separated from
the wheat in a marvelous way. The line of
demarkation has been made so plain between
the true and the false that the world can no
more be described by the emissaries of "the one
evil" who go about seeking whom they may
devour. Our beloved cause and leader have
been given a more proper and deserving place in
history, and we have been received with greater
honor among men. People are generally hunger-
ing more for the truth. They are looking to
Christian science as a savior, feeling that when,
all old props have failed they have
one more resort in this that will
afford them help. Some of the medical
profession have seen the great superiority
of Christian science over their own efforts, ac-
knowledged it, called for its help for themselves,
their wives, their children, and their patients as
a dernier resort, and their call has not been in
vain. This has also been more or less true of
the clerical profession. Last but not least we
have been invited to take part in this most
eventful undertaking in all history in the com-
bined effort of the religions of the world.
      REV. D. A. EASTON.
  He Discusses the Significance of the
      Resurrection.
A paper on "The Resurrection" was read
by Rev. D. A. Easton, pastor of the First
Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston. It con-
tained a brief statement of Christian
science doctrine in regard to the great
event and its meaning for humanity. The
writer said the central thought and effi-
ciency of the resurrection was not the mere
using of a material body from a material
grave. The Bible recorded other instances
of physical resurrection, but as factors in
the Christian life they were not to be
compared with the life of Jesus. Those
who would know the secret of the trans-
forming power of the doctrine of
Jesus' resurrection, must look elsewhere 
than at its physical and' material
aspects. Peter's cowardice after the res-
urrection was replaced by courage, his
presumption by humility. John's fiery
temper has so entirely disappeared that he
may now be thought of as the embodiment
of gentleness and love. Philip did
not ask to see the Father,
for at last he had learned that he
that had seen the Son had seen the Father.
All this was attributed to the resurrection.
Mr. Easton said the idea of the resurrec-
tion had been changed since the middle
ages, when the crucifixion and sufferings
of Christ were set forth as the heart of the
gospel. It was a strange perversion of
healing works which He did. He con-
cluded :
        Agrees with All Truth.
It is claimed also, that this agrees with all
truth and knowledge of God which has been re-
vealed to human consciousness, though not yet
generally or fully understood. Notwithstanding
that the literal interpretation of the scripture,
Jewish and Christian doctrine alike, ascribes to
diety omniscience, omnipotence and omnipres-
ence, beliefs not consistent with this are enter-
tained regarding the corporeal person of God, and
a "universe divided against itself" in perpetual
question as to the supremacy of good and evil.
In Christian Science the ascription to spirit of
all good in quantity and quality necessarily im-
plies that finite mind and matter are evil. The
declaration of all presence, power, and intelli-
gence of God leaves no room for finite error,
evil, and matter in the realm of truth and reality.
This is the whole of Christian Science, and under-
standing which separates clearly, distinctly, and
entirely between spirit and matter, divine mind
and carnal mind, truth and all evil, and affirms
that the first named are synonymous terms for
one God, the real and eternal. Christian Science
is presented before the world to-day
the happy suppliant for recognition of
its claims to be what its name implies, both
Christian and scientific; it voices an imperitative
demand that these two be made henceforth
one in faith and practice. To be scientific and
Christian, based upon the law and gospel of God,
Christian Science must needs embrace the state-
ment of all truth to the exclusion of all error.
We in this age, like Paul in his day, are ad-
vancing in the light of a new era to a most im-
portant epoch in the world's history.
        SPIRIT AND MATTER.
  Miss Ruth B. Ewing Delivers an Interesting
        Paper on the Subject.
Miss Ruth B. Ewing, Chicago, gave an
interesting paper on "Spirit and Matter,"
from which the following points are
quoted:
"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh pro-
fiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you
are spirit and life."
This subject is one the discussion of which be-
longs in a very special manner—and, indeed, in
the sense of absolute finality, wholly—within the
sphere of instruction in Christian science.
It is in the discernment of the real nature and
infinity of spirit and its absolute non-relation-
ship to matter that the originality, truth, and
efficacy of Christian science consist and this
which confers upon it the distinction
of a great discovery. Not that truth in-
cluded in the scientific statement is new. Its
presentation is the way of discovery, not of cre-
ation; a fresh discernment and apprehension
in the human consciousness of things which are
eternal. And this is the greatest joy, wonder-
ment, and glory that can ever by any possible
means appear unto us the revelation and true
knowledge of God.
Jesus demonstrated the entire nullification of
all material law through understanding of the
higher law of God in spirit and in truth, even in
the life of love. Do we follow in his footsteps
through professing religion in his name without
performing the world's history? Science
dispels mystery by removing ignorance
regarding that which was always true. In Chris-
tian science the veil of mystery in rent from top
to bottom in the scientific statement of being,
which declared, "There is no life substance or
intelligence in matter. All is mind; there
is no matter. Spirit is immortal truth;
matter is mortal error. Spirit is the
real and eternal; matter is the unreal and tem-
poral. Spirit is God and man is his image and
likeness; hence man is spiritual and not mate-
rial. The Christian scientist has plucked his
flower from the crannied wall of material knowl-
edge, when he takes but the smallest seedling
of thought and refutes, the sense testimony
about it, and he can tell what God and man is.
        General E. N. Bates.
General E. N. Bates, Cleveland, pre-
sented a paper on "God Incorporeal," in
substance as follows :
Probably the majority of religious people
would say that God is personal, without any
definite opinion as to what personality as ap-
plied to God means. The great want of the
world to-day is as it has ever been, to know
him "whom to know aright is life
eternal." Without this, knowledge we know
nothing aright: Without this knowledge we
walk in darkness, and see no light. Without
this knowledge the whole head is sick, and the
whole heart is faint. Man knows nothing of
himself without this knowledge, for he is made
in the image and likeness of God, and if he does
not know him how can he know his image and
likeness?
The material senses tell us nothing of natural
science, so-called, except the material phenom-
ena. If we are confined to these senses we are
as ignorant of true science as we are of God.
Matter is dead, lifeless, senseless, inert.
There can be no law of nature without intelli-
gence. Every law is the expression or mani-
festation of mind, which is the Creator or God.
Thus we learn of God, not by any material
sense, but by spiritual sense, which is a
conscious, constant capacity to understand God.
Spiritual sense alone is and must be our guide.
Human intellect and the philosophy of mortal
man have exhausted themselves in vain and 
futile attempts to fathom the mysteries of the
infinite. Christian Science, as the words imply,
means the knowledge of Christ or the knowledge
of what Christ taught. Spiritual Christian science
strongly taught that God is incorporeal; that is,
bodiless. Mortals are corporeal, but God is
incorporeal. "If the term personality as ap-
plied to God means infinite personality then God
is personal being in this sense, but not in its
lower sense." God, he must be uncreated, self-
existent. Our deepest intuitions demand this
and will be satisfied with nothing less. If he
was created and not self-existent there must
have been a creator before him. He must be the
only creator else he could not be supreme, as he
must be to be God.
God in order to be God must be omnipotent;
in order to be omnipotent he must be omnis-
cient, for if there was anything anywhere which
he did not know there must have been another
power, another creator, of which he knows noth-
ing and which he could not control.
Wherever there is a human being longing for
truth and love, there must God be found.
Were he excluded from some little nook, you, my
brother, or you, my sister, might be found plead-
ing in vain for help. The Bible says
that God is a spirit. This passage
literally translated would read "Spirit is God,"
or "Spirit is the God." We might just as we'll
say "God is God" as to say "God is spirit," un-
less we know what spirit means. What, then, is
spirit? To us spirit may mean activity, power,
energy.
Scripture says that life was in him, that life
was the light of men. This can only mean that
it was the intelligence, the mind of men, and
that it lighteth every man which eometh into
the world. So the life of every man comes from
God. Life is not man-made. It is immaterial.
It is self-extent. It is intelligence: it is mind; it
is God, and God is the only life, the only mind.
In vain has mortal man labored long and taxed
his highest ingenuity to discover the secret
place of life. He has traced it, as he thought, in
his research from cell to cell, and as he sup-
posed that he was just ready to solve the
mystery it has eluded his skill, and he was no
wiser than before.
Nothing short of intelligent, infinite person-
ality could conceive of, much less form and
operate, this system. Not all the mortal mind
musicians that ever lived, combined into one,
could have originated the principle of harmony.
All the mathematicians of earth could never
have formed the law of mathematics.
Principle is the infinite active intelligence of
the one infinite personality. Principle is love,
love all-embracing, all-inclusive, in which no
child of the father is unknown, and no child is
forgotten. For God knows his own ideas.
           Mrs. A. M. Knott.
"Immortals and Mortals" was the sub-
ject of a paper by Mrs. A. M. Knott; of De-
troit, who spoke substantially as follows:
In that book which is held by millions to con-
tain the oracles of God, the question is asked,
"What is man that thou art mindful of him?"
The answer is given in the ascending
scale, as beginning with man as "a
little lower than the angels," finally
points to him in triumph as the representative
of divine power and authority. It needs not to
be argued that this question ranks first in im-
portance of all that can be asked, for while art,
science, and philosophy are of interest to some,
there is but one study of universal interest, and
that is man.
Looking down through the vista of the ages, as
seen in Revelation, we catch glimpses of these
immortal beings walking the earth in power.
Enoch, Moses, Elias, then Jesus, and
the glorious company of the apos-
tles. The seeming forces of nature
bend in obedience to their word. In their au-
gust presence sin hides or is dispelled forever;
sickness gives place to health, bondage to free-
dom, and death itself vanishes at the revelation