| Show CHRISTIAN SCIENCE chriatian scientists lately have acquired some ution unenviable viable not biety on account of their failure in numerous cases of sickness togi to give the relief expected from their peculiar mode of treatment A dispatch from los angeles the other day told of a woman who in her critical condition was denied medical aid by her husband a christian scientist and who died not the faietti exer exercised alsed in her behalf this case cage and several others brought to the attention of the i public la in likely to result in prosecution t in n the tri criminal minal courts the peculiar petular pe oular tenets of the he sect have of late years obtained numerous followers and have been much discussed in certain circles in chii city and territory as well as it in other parts of the world this to is easily explained from the fact that the christian religion as generally advocated utterly falls fails to deal efficiently with the present needs of mankind basing its claims on the events of the dim contents itself with holding out oat promises for a still more obscure future applying no remedies to the present with its sufferings suffering sickness poverty content contentions loike death christian science as it is called professes to offer wine some relief at least immediately applicable to soul and body claiming that the power of an omnipotent creator la Is as available today as it was anciently for the evi spiritual ritual and physical of his children no wonder then that many who know of no better way hould abound litten to its teachings eagerly and try to believe even when occasionally met with disappointment christian scientists have grasped the vrest principle of truth that religion to is detective defective unless applicable to the present conditions of man and productive of some relief from the consequences of sio sin but in the application of this bis principle it seems seema they fall most mig signally nally because they proceed on the presumption that the exercise of inith in itself without regard to the f foundation tun dation on which it rests Is sufficient ti to counteract all evil influences twerp are many instances and doubt jew w be many more where the sick a and nd a afflicted IR toted are healed pu purely rely through th rough the exercise of their own faith and that ot of anxious friends this result is attained on true principle through the medium of communication between man and his maker wt wk leb cannot be disturbed by a third party but which because of MOUR mena actions to ie tot not generally available to them the 01 in this respect otas as in all others othere the prayer of the righteous av ava ileth alleth much but for any organization to exercise the healing gift as a power to reach all vases cases it mutt be by authorization of that supreme being who controls the operations opera tlona of the healing art by spiritual force to this class belong wholly the healings and other miracles recorded in the Scrip scriptures turm for this ex ercile of the miraculous power includes not only healing by faith and authority but the controlling of evil spirits the quelling of the storm and the rals lug ing of the dead when in the provide providence of the almighty occasion oco aaion requires clearly faith in order to be such a power must rest in divine authority delegated to him who exercises it what does doea faith avail without puch author authority ltv all genuine 0 miracles way be said to bo b manifests tiona of divine power through the agency of man acting in obedience obedi euce to a higher command the red sea because the lord told israel to advance the walla wall of jericho tell fell be came the people obeyed sick people were healed and dead were raised in the instances recorded in the bible but the primary cause was not burnan alib laith but the divine power delegated to men placing implicit faith in and consequently acting as directed by him the apostles of our loro liori received divine authority to perform miracles the power was waa riven given t others who believed rud and these works of faith continued as s long as ag the church remained faithful to divine commando the church in this age again was commissioned to perform wig mighty lity works but when and where did christian scientists receive a commit ion from almighty god to heal beal the me sick by prayer and faith they may perhaps point to some oases cases where sick have recovered apparently as an a result of their method but even it if that to Is admitted the be truth of their science 1 1 is in not thereby established for such instances olearry come under the rule which has ban been stated here and even the egyptian magicians magio iane imitated moses in numerous um erous instances in fact anti christian miracles are aire recorded in every age when the true church has been on the earth for the benefit of mankind A correspondent of a morning paper advocating the unreality of disease according to the doctrine of the new science asks what arguments mente may be advanced taking the bible aa a mulde for the be reality of sickness if the writer to ia familiar with the texts of the scriptures hearing bearing on this subject he be is aware of the fact that the bible authors with the sublime simplicity character characteristic isdo of their conceptions conceptio ascribe all ail evil and particularly diseases to the influence of evil spirits or demons in the sam way as they acknowledge god to be the source of all that is good to them evil is just as real aa 88 its opposite there in ia a prince of darkness as well as a king and a kingdom of heaven one is not merely a negation of the other but they are two opposing forces this scripture view seems to be in perfect accord with all authentic scientific discoveries since these have undoubtedly established the fact act that many diseases are due to the presence in the human system of destructive living forms just as real as any known in the animal kingdom could penetrate still further and trace the operations of the spirit forces beyond the boundary where matter and spirit meet the probability to ia that the truth would stand forth plain as day that the primary cause of disease to is found in the spiritual world and in demoniacal influenced if this ibis fact may be taken for granted two conclusions are ginev liable first that any science that treats disease as something g unreal t a misdirected imagination is no science 1 but a delusion secondly that to neg neff lect elect the use of proper remedies inolia In olaa ing that faith which rests on divine authority is ie most decidedly wrong jt it J attempts to operate with mind alone eklon wholly ignoring the equally I 1 important important so part of matter or material existence to illustrate it one community through some evil intention on toe the part of the inhabitants of another should be overrun by wild beasts let jet loose on fin them to devastate and destroy all in their path it would be poor 11 science encell to teach the attacked parties to lo sit still slid and exercise their faitha faith 9 without works common sense would suggest to seize the arms for defense and the destruction of the pests but to make defensive operations most moat effective tive it would also be necessary for thle rulers ef cf the wronged comm community unit y to exer exercise elpe their authority and the author ity of the supreme power of the land in order to check the doings of enmity of those who had caused the calamity the simile in of course imperfect but it shows to some e extent the parts that christian faith falt b and anc medical science may play in the combat against dlease disease there are weapons to be used against the hosts bosta lov londin din the human system and causing fever fe verr and other disturbances those must be used there Is also thi the divine author ity and power to 0 be applied by faith rebuking and subduing toe the evil spirits cirita that ain in the biblical view of the often are responsible for the atti attick attacks tk ot or the diseases disna ees but to attempt to 09 u this thin authority without really having it is insanity and dangerous too onoe once I 1 j it t was tried with the result that the pretenders were overcome by thel be demons and had bad to flee BOO naked aart ud wounded acts elx 16 it would be well for the advocates of Cb christian crristian ristian science to reme remember aber that even the individual faith which heald does not exclude the use in faaea of sickness of remedies known to hi beneficial thus paul as I 1 Is 6 well known does not hesitate to advise Timo timotheus to use a mild stimulant on account of a infirmity TO denounce the use of well tried remedies to Is not an evidence of faith but of banat As long as this is cori confined fined within reasonable boun boundaries darle 8 where it can do DO material harm its existence can be tolerated but it if it be carried so far so as to result in the loss 1088 of life and the wrecking of families it IS ig properly denounced as danger olar beauy ot of the scientists are honest in their belu fand and worthy of the respect of their fellow men med these theme should reexamine examine re the grounds on which their belief la in b bared ped and seek to obtain more light 0 on a subject that is in admitted to be of great importance in practical religion iou |
