TRUE PREACHING

Not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 Cor. ii. 4. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matt. x. 7.

THE addresses of Jesus were not only wholly unlike any of the productions of the great orators and teachers of that age, but also unlike any effort of those who are generally considered great pulpit orators of to-day. The great difference being this, that the multitude who heard Jesus gladly went away healed, while those who gladly follow the thought of mortal teachers, are made more hopelessly the victims of sin, sickness, and death.

The official testimony of the officers sent to arrest Jesus was, that mortals never had presented the thought that he was presenting to the world. Mortals taught that sin, and sickness, could not be separated from our sense of life, and that death was the doom of all men. But Jesus publicly, and privately, ever presented the thought of Life as untouched by sin, or sickness — of immortality. And those who heard him gladly, went away with a sense of Life and immortality brought to light.

We have no doubt that hundreds who heard Jesus gladly, could not explain the things that he taught them. They could only express the thought of Jesus in the reflection of better health and better morals. And after all, can we more forcibly present to the world the thought that Jesus presented, and our Teacher has taught us, in any other way? Let us pause a moment and note that the expression through Christian Science of better health and better morals is the argument which the adversary can neither gainsay nor resist.

Also note this, the demonstrations of Jesus were not from human art and human eloquence. To mortals he was a " root out of dry ground," without form or comeliness, and no beauty to attract them. Of men " he was despised and rejected" and they " hid as it were their faces from him." Aye more! mortals said he had a devil, and his character was dangerous to the public welfare. No, not human eloquence, but the Truth he presented, about existence, about Life, about Being, about Divinity, about God, and our relations to Him — this it was that made Him a blessing to all the earth. His theme was Truth, the substance of His discourse was Life, and His method and manner, the expression of Divine Love.

In the Gospel and Christian Science, Jesus is our way in all things. When the public speaker departs from the Christ-theme, and the Christ-method, he binds those who follow him to the law of sickness and death. The Way must be followed, both publicly and privately, if we would even in a small degree bless the earth as the Master blessed it.

John the Baptist preached the baptism of a changed thought for the dismission of sins. John's preaching made men better morally. And the reason why it did not relieve physical disease is because he did not fully comprehend the whole of sin. He knew it was wrong to lie, steal, and murder; and the way to dismiss these sins, was to change your thought as to any supposed pleasure or advantage accruing from them. But he knew this was not all. John, like other Hebrew prophets had prophetic vision of healing; and he saw that the era of divine deliverance from sickness, and death, was at hand. Hence he sent out to his hearers this thought, I indeed bring you into a changed thought about things, but there cometh after me, one who will bring to you communion with God, and destruction of sickness and death. Note this, that while John himself taught purity in line with Christian Science, he also taught that when one pure enough to bring to mortals the Christ-Truth should speak, his preaching would heal the sick.

But how shall we reach the masses without human oratory? Let the Scripture answer for itself. Take the discourse on the day of Pentecost. There is nothing about it, to mortal vision, which can in any way account for the wonderful and sudden influx of light, and the addition of three thousand to the membership of the church in Judea. The demonstration is accounted for in this record and the students of Jesus " were all of one accord in one place." " Not enticing words of man's wisdom," but harmony of purpose, and of action, among the humble followers of Truth, brought the "demonstration of the Spirit and of power." The lesson of the Pentecost is this: the leaven of Truth works and spreads among men in proportion to the harmony, the unity, and the loving submission of all to the One Mind, which draws all, governs all, — is all, and in all.

Public speaking has its place in the escape of the human mind away from itself, but the demonstrations of the Gospel require that the word spoken be backed by the pure thought, "self-forgetfulness and affection" of the students, not only during public service, but daily, hourly, and all the time. Are Christian Scientists ready to give their speaker this moral support? if so, the light which they seek will suddenly come to the Temple, even the healing " messenger of the covenant whom they delight in." The light will come "with healing in its beams."

" And Jesus called his twelve disciples together. . . . And sent them to preach the Gospel, and heal the sick. . . . And they departed and went through the towns preaching the Gospel and healing everywhere." "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. . . . teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you."

Jesus would not mock you with a command which was impossible for you to meet. Then all must preach and heal. Let us assure you that in Science there is no escape from this command. When you are ready to take up the cross and meet the demands of Truth crushing out your error, you will suddenly find some of the "millions of unprejudiced minds weary and athirst in the desert sighing for rest and drink," and ready for the blessing.

Science and Health teaches that the best sermon is the demonstration of Truth which destroys sin, sickness, and death. Here Science, and Revelation, and the history of the early Christian church, coincide. Whether audible or inaudible, every impartation of Truth that heals is Christian preaching, not in "enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit, and of power."

" And as ye go preach, saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." The spiritual intent of this passage is, that we must go forth in our lives and consciousness publicly manifesting to poor, tired mortals, weary of this life, that infinite harmony is drawing near. We are to manifest this by healing the sick, and casting out evils of every sort. Who is there so blind that they cannot see the infinite distance between the preaching which only verbally declares that " the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand," and the preaching which demonstrates the reign of harmony day by day, and hour by hour.

Indeed practically, the ministry of the word in Science consists in secret and steadfast destruction of every evil thought. The sermons of Christian Science are not so much heard as seen. Daily and hourly profound sermons are preached in the benign influence of lovely lives. There are sermons in purity, sermons in self-forgetfulness, sermons in affection. These every-day sermons reaching infinitely farther than some interested in Christian Science now think, must positively be preached before the higher reflections of Truth can be reached.

Let us not forget that in Divine order, are sermons in business life. Whether we be homekeepers or merchants, artificers or craftsmen, divine Love demands of us fidelity in every performance. Jesus was not only an obedient boy, but an honest citizen and a faithful working man, before he became the marvellous physician, the wonderful preacher, and the unexampled Master. The earthly career of Jesus discloses a beautiful ministry in his social life. Have we not often wondered what was the character of the social life of primitive Christians? Jesus said, where two or three are gathered together manifesting my character, " there am I in the midst of you." And everywhere Christians ought always to realize the ever-presence of Good, and to demonstrate its Allness in their thought and conversation.

The social talks of Jesus privately with his disciples; his talks in the home of Lazarus, and Simon the pharisee; his talk on the Mount of transfiguration and his walk to Emmaus; his talk alone with his disciples at the last supper, and at that spiritual breakfast on the Gallilean shore, are our highest examples of spiritual conversing in social life and reveal that:

After Jesus had ascended, the disciples often met together secretly and at night, but not for cermony, rite or ritual, for their meetings were rather of a spiritual character. As soon as they were assembled they sat down to a banquet richly spread with the bread which cometh down from heaven, and spiritual " wine on the lees well refined." For they clearly understood if they would " change their vile bodies, and fashion them like unto " the glorified body of Jesus, their conversation must truly be in Heaven.

In the absence of great spiritual leaders the primitive Christians met, one coming with a Psalm, another with a doctrine, and another with a prophecy, all striving to make their social life occasions of spiritual purgation, ushering in a sense of the Divine Presence.

The meetings of Christian Scientists are not of a ceremonial character. And the efforts of the individual, in some way to lead the thought of all toward Truth, repeats in some degree the beautiful custom of primitive Christians. Let us hope all will gladly bear their share of the blessed burdens. It would give assurance to the timid if they understood that God's image possessed all beauty and goodness with marvellous freedom of expression. Nevertheless at this hour none can serve acceptably without great spiritual striving, and the best preparation is found in our steadfast destruction of every evil thought.

When we have achieved the lesser demonstrations of Christian Science we are but standing on the threshold of its ministry; pausing for a moment at this threshold, observing what the public ministry of Science has already done, and forecasting the future from that saying of Jesus that greater works than his should yet be done, we can only exclaim what a vision is this Evangel now coming to the apprehension of men! "There is a river the streams whereof make glad the city of God," " proceeding from the throne of God and the Lamb," it is now flowing to the ends of the earth; and every wave thereof is "far more medicinal than the stream that ran troubled of angels from the porch of Bethesda," for it bears to benighted men the " priceless sense of the dear Father's " ever presence and of His loving care.

Here let us pause for a moment, and observe that we must uncover, denounce and destroy evil as evil. In Isaiah we read: " Woe unto them that call evil good. . . . That put light for darkness. . . . That put bitter for sweet. . . . That justify the wicked. . . . Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth chaff, so their root shall be rottenness and their blossom shall go up as the dust because they have cast away the law of the Lord of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel." The law of the Lord stated negatively is, evil is not something to be loved and is not something to be feared. The law of the Lord stated positively is, a spiritual sense of things is all that is to be desired. As mortals come to see that in every possible sense spiritual sense is the all and the only, both the love and dread of matter disappears. Herein is the demand of Christian Science, our delight in every false sense must perish. Herein is the divine requirement of Christian Science, with the law of God we must destroy in ourselves our love for every false way.