THE KING’S BUSINESS
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their work, and the' people rapidly recover health, but at the same time they are getting deeper and deeper into Christian Science and they attribute the cure, which was really due to the climate and to the more health ful mode of living, to “Mother Eddy.” . A very large proportion, for example, of the alleged cures in Los Angeles, are due to the climate and to the simpler mode of living that people adopt when they move to Los Angeles from some more rugged climate. MENTAL INFLUENCE 5. The mind has a tremendous influence over the body. A cheerful mind is the best medicine in the world. ■ Christian Science produces this cheerful mind in regard to one’s physical condition. The cheerful mind might 'belter have been produced by a sane and wholesome and radiant Bible Christian ity, but Christian Science produces it to a certain extent, and thus the Christian Sci entist gains physical health and loses his soul. 6. Many who think they are Christian Scientists really are not. They do not know what Christian Science really is. If they di they would be horror-struck and renounce it at once. They do not know how Chris tian Science denies atonement for sin through the literal shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. They do not know how it denies the true Deity of Jesus Christ. They do not know how it denies the real Christ, come in the flesh, altogether. When they talk about Christ they do not mean at all the actual Jesus of Nazareth, but the Christ idea or principle. They dp not know how Christian Science even denies the personal ity of God Himself; how it denies the power of prayer in the sense in which that power of prayer is taught in the Bible; how it sub stitutes meditation for prayer; how in the ultimate' analysis it really makes, self God, and the supposed worship of God is real worship of self—the most appalling and de grading form of idolatry. These people who, while they think they have become Christian Scientists really have not, do really pray to God for healing through Jesus Christ, and
obtain healing'by prayer: They imagine that they have obtained their healing through Christian Science, until some day their eyes are opened as to the real char acter of Christian Science. In the mean time, before their eyes are opened, they have testified to their cure which is real, and have attributed it to Christian Science, and from this fact arises many of the alleged cures of Christian Science. EVEN DOWIE HEALED Let it be said finally, that the fact that undeniable healings are made by any sys tem does not prove that system to be from God. Many unquestionable healings were wrought in the meetings of Alexander Dowie, but nevertheless Dowie was finally found out to be in nfeny respects a rank impostor, and some of the doctrines taught by him were thoroughly false and perni cious. There ha^e been many unquestion able healings wrought at Roman Catholic shrines by alleged old relics. These heal ings, of course, did not prove that the wor ship of relics was right. Dowie denounced Christian Science. Christian Science bit terly opposed Dowie. If one system was right, the other must have been wrong, and yet there were healings in both systems: Dowie was very bitter in his attacks upon Roman Catholicism, arid the Roman Cath olics: were bitter in their denunciation of Dowie. Both could not have been right, and yet there were healings in both. This proves conclusively that the fact that any system can point to healings which have been accomplished, does not prove that sys tem is true, and unfortunate is the man who accepts, a false system because of the heal ings that can be pointed to as connected with it. Better far be sick and be saved than to be healed and be damned. Better be sick for a few years on earth than to be lost for all eternity in Hell. If healing can only be obtained by the adoption of some false system, one better go without it and have the joy of everlasting life and a part in the wonderful redemption that is found through the crucified Son of God.
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