shed blood you just mentioned as your hope for heaven?” She had an idea what I was driving at, and im mediately she declared, “ Oh, Chris tian Science doesn’t deny that.” She reached over to a bedside table and handed me a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. As I turned the pages, I noted that the portion that dealt with health was well marked, but that the section having to do with atonement was as untouched as if it had just come from the printing press. I turned to page 330, lines 6-9, and read the passage that I have quoted elsewhere in this article: “ The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree’ than when it was flowing in his veins, as he went daily about his Father’s business.” You should have seen the look on the face of that woman! Finally she murmured, “ This is a strange thing. I have been a Christian Scientist for 17 years, and I never knew it taught that.” She died shortly after my visit and left a strange provision in her will, that the funeral was to be in charge of the Christian Science readers, lectur ers, ushers, etc., but that I was to preach the funeral sermon. So I did, on the text of Hebrews 9:22: “ . . . without shedding of blood is no re mission.” Her brothers, who were promi nent Christian Scientists in Boston, came to the funeral, but they would not come into the room where I was preaching, but remained in the kitchen for that part of the service. However, by some mistake of the funeral director, I was put into the same car going to the cemetery. You can imagine the kind of “ fellowship” we had! They were cold to me, but nevertheless I put before them the way of salvation and the hope of heaven to which their sister had testi fied before her death. I said, “You must have had the same mother. What are you going to do with your mother’s Christ, and His atoning work on the cross?” But they turned a deaf ear to the voice of the Lord. The main point of my story is that there are hundreds in Christian Science and other cults who do not know what these religions actually teach. They support them and lend their influence to the spread of these terrible heresies without acquainting themselves with their doctrines.
Nothing should be accepted until it is brought under the light of the Bible. Christian Science has substituted for prayer a kind of chant called “ The scientific statement of being.” A friend of mine, reared a Christian Scientist, and afterwards saved by the grace of God, said she never cross ed a crowded street, boarded a plane, train or bus, without reciting it. It appears on Page 468 of Science and Health : “ Question: What is the scientific statement of being?” “ An swer: There is no life, truth, intelli gence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite man ifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.” For my safety I prefer something from the Word of God like “ The eternal God is thy refuge, and under neath are the everlasting arms” (Deut. 33:27). Surely Christian Science is one of those religions which shall be found in the Babylon of Revelation; is part of the scarlet woman now in process of formation; and will be among1the followers of the Antichrist when he is manifested. We know this because of Jesus’ predictions upon the Mount of Olives with which we began. For as Dr. Haldeman so well stated it: “ Christian Science comes in sheep’s clothing. It comes in the name of Christ, talks Christ, invites the sons ■of men to Christ, and calls itself Christian; but inwardly — that is, really and truly, in its essential char acter — it is a ravening wolf and not a sheep of Christ. It is a wolf, concealing its teeth until the de ceived soul is within its grasp. It is the wolf that would enter the fold of the Good Shepherd, tear His sheep and devour them.” * God bless you, keep you from this heresy, and enable you to win other straying ones back to the Good Shep herd, who gave His life for the sheep. END. * Used by permission of Fleming H. Revell, Publishers, Westwood, N.J., from “ Christian Science in the Light of Holy S c r ip tu r e b y I. M. Haldeman.
the right to become a mother; but if the wife esteems not this a privilege, by mutual consent, exalted and in creased affections, she may win a higher” (ital. mine). What higher calling on earth is there for a woman than to be a mother, and to see that her children walk in the truth? We have direct command from the Lord in this matter: “ I will there fore that the young women marry, bear children . . . give none occasion to the adversary” (1 Tim. 5:14). What would our land be like if marriage did not hold together hu man hearts and lives and homes? The awful divorce evil has wrought wide spread havoc, but still there are thou sands who love and live together in happiness and rear their children for the Lord. Next to salvation itself, there is no greater blessing that can come into any life than that of find ing a “ helpmeet” with the same pur pose in life— to glorify God, and to establish a home. Mission boards want married missionaries that they may set before the heathen the example of Christian homes. Mrs. Eddy is a million miles from the plan of God in her ideas of marriage. Christion Science and You I want to relate a personal ex perience of mine some years ago. At the request of one of my members, I made a pastoral call upon her sister who was dying of tuberculosis, and who had been a Christian Scientist for many years. I said, “Your sister says you are very ill and you may not live.” She answered, “Yes, I know that.” “ Do you know, my sister, where you will go if you die?” “ Oh, yes,” she said with a smile, “I will go to heaven.” I was surprised. “Well, you say that with a degree of assurance. Upon what do you base your hope of heaven?” I then enquired. She re plied firmly, “Well, Jesus shed His blood for me, and He has washed away all of my sins.” I asked her, “Who taught you that?” and she answered, “My mother.” Then I knew right away that in her heart she was no more a Christian Scientist than I was. But I wanted to draw out this dear woman, so I asked her what church she attended, and she said, “ The Christian Scientist.” Then I ques tioned her further: “Would you be long to any church that denied this
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