Part 20 (1/2)

In national prosperity, miracles attended the successes of the Hebrews; but when they departed from the true 133:15 idea, their demoralization began. Even in captivity among foreign nations, the divine Principle wrought wonders for the people of G.o.d in the fiery furnace and 133:18 in kings' palaces.

Judaism antipathetic

Judaism was the ant.i.thesis of Christianity, because Judaism engendered the limited form of a national or 133:21 tribal religion. It was a finite and material system, carried out in special theories concern- ing G.o.d, man, sanitary methods, and a religious cultus.

133:24 That he made ”himself equal with G.o.d,” was one of the Jewish accusations against him who planted Christianity on the foundation of Spirit, who taught as he was in- 133:27 spired by the Father and would recognize no life, intelli- gence, nor substance outside of G.o.d.

Priestly learning

The Jewish conception of G.o.d, as Yawah, Jehovah, 133:30 or only a mighty hero and king, has not quite given place to the true knowledge of G.o.d.

Creeds and rituals have not cleansed their hands of 134:1 rabbinical lore. To-day the cry of bygone ages is re- peated, ”Crucify him!” At every advancing step, truth 134:3 is still opposed with sword and spear.

Testimony of martyrs

The word _martyr_, from the Greek, means _witness_; but those who testified for Truth were so often persecuted 134:6 unto death, that at length the word _martyr_ was narrowed in its significance and so has come always to mean one who suffers for his convictions.

134:9 The new faith in the Christ, Truth, so roused the hatred of the opponents of Christianity, that the followers of Christ were burned, crucified, and otherwise persecuted; 134:12 and so it came about that human rights were hallowed by the gallows and the cross.

Absence of Christ-power

Man-made doctrines are waning. They have not waxed 134:15 strong in times of trouble. Devoid of the Christ-power, how can they ill.u.s.trate the doctrines of Christ or the miracles of grace? Denial of the possi- 134:18 bility of Christian healing robs Christianity of the very element, which gave it divine force and its astonis.h.i.+ng and unequalled success in the first century.

Basis of miracles

134:21 The true Logos is demonstrably Christian Science, the natural law of harmony which overcomes discord, - not because this Science is supernatural or pre- 134:24 ternatural, nor because it is an infraction of divine law, but because it is the immutable law of G.o.d, good. Jesus said: ”I knew that Thou hearest me al- 134:27 ways;” and he raised Lazarus from the dead, stilled the tempest, healed the sick, walked on the water. There is divine authority for believing in the superiority of 134:30 spiritual power over material resistance.

Lawful wonders

A miracle fulfils G.o.d's law, but does not violate that law. This fact at present seems more mysterious than 135:1 the miracle itself. The Psalmist sang: ”What ailed thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? Thou Jordan, 135:3 that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams, and ye little hills, like lambs? Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the 135:6 Lord, at the presence of the G.o.d of Jacob.” The miracle introduces no disorder, but unfolds the primal order, establis.h.i.+ng the Science of G.o.d's unchangeable law.

135:9 Spiritual evolution alone is worthy of the exercise of divine power.

Fear and sickness identical

The same power which heals sin heals also sickness.

135:12 This is ”the beauty of holiness,” that when Truth heals the sick it casts out evils, and when Truth casts out the evil called disease, it heals the 135:15 sick. When Christ cast out the devil of dumbness, ”it came to pa.s.s, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake.” There is to-day danger of repeating 135:18 the offence of the Jews by limiting the Holy One of Israel and asking: ”Can G.o.d furnish a table in the wilderness?”

What cannot G.o.d do?

The unity of Science and Christianity 135:21 It has been said, and truly, that Christianity must be Science, and Science must be Christianity, else one or the other is false and useless; but neither is unim- 135:24 portant or untrue, and they are alike in demon- stration. This proves the one to be identical with the other. Christianity as Jesus taught it was not 135:27 a creed, nor a system of ceremonies, nor a special gift from a ritualistic Jehovah; but it was the demonstration of divine Love casting out error and healing the sick, 135:30 not merely in the _name_ of Christ, or Truth, but in demon- stration of Truth, as must be the case in the cycles of divine light.

The Christ-mission

136:1 Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught 136:3 his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning. He claimed no intelli- 136:6 gence, action, nor life separate from G.o.d. Despite the persecution this brought upon him, he used his divine power to save men both bodily and spiritually.

Ancient spiritualism

136:9 The question then as now was, How did Jesus heal the sick? His answer to this question the world rejected.

He appealed to his students: ”Whom do 136:12 men say that I, the Son of man, am?” That is: Who or what is it that is thus identified with casting out evils and healing the sick? They replied, ”Some 136:15 say that thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” These prophets were considered dead, and this reply may indicate that 136:18 some of the people believed that Jesus was a medium, controlled by the spirit of John or of Elias.

This ghostly fancy was repeated by Herod himself.

136:21 That a wicked king and debauched husband should have no high appreciation of divine Science and the great work of the Master, was not surprising; for how could such 136:24 a sinner comprehend what the disciples did not fully understand? But even Herod doubted if Jesus was con- trolled by the sainted preacher. Hence Herod's a.s.ser- 136:27 tion: ”John have I beheaded: but who is this?” No wonder Herod desired to see the new Teacher.