Page:The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany.djvu/328

300 “of purer eyes than to behold evil.” On this basis they endeavor to cast out the belief in sin or in aught besides God, thus enabling the sinner to overcome sin according to the Scripture, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Does he who believes in sickness know or declare that there is no sickness or disease, and thus heal disease? Christian Scientists, who do not believe in the reality of disease, heal disease, for the reason that the divine Principle of Christian Science, demonstrated, heals the most inveterate diseases. Does he who believes in death understand or aver that there is no death, and proceed to overcome “the last enemy” and raise the dying to health? Christian Scientists raise the dying to health in Christ's name, and are striving to reach the summit of Jesus' words, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.”

If, as this kind priest claims, these things, inseparable from Christian Science, are common to his church, we propose that he make known his doctrine to the world, that he teach the Christianity which heals, and send out students according to Christ's command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils.”

The tree is known by its fruit. If, as he implies, Christian Science is not a departure from the first century churches, — as surely it is not, — why persecute it? Are the churches opening fire on their own religious ranks, or are they attacking a peaceable party quite