ALL men want to get to heaven, but the trouble is with the great majority that they want to get there in their own way.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.3

THE Tower of Babel approached as near to heaven as heathenism approaches the righteousness of God.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.4

THE Tower of Babel came through human pride; the Ladder of Jacob’s dream through divine humility.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.5

KEEP your conscience not on a gold basis, but a truth basis.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.6

IF man could ascend to heaven by his own works, he would but convert heaven into an earth by going there.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.7

THE worst fall a man ever gets is from the pinnacle of his pride; and the loftier men carry their tower of babel, the worse will be the ruin in which it will finally involve them.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.8

[Inset.] GOD’S WAY OF REACHING HEAVEN VS. MAN’S WAY. GOD’s way is by the Ladder of Jacob’s dream; man’s way is by the Tower of Babel. The structure reared in the plains of Shinar was symbolical of heathenism in all ages, which seeks to gain heaven by works. Multitudes to-day are striving to mount upwards by a tower of babel. Some rest upon their respectability, as did the Pharisees. Others think to approach God through penance. Millions are calling for legislation to make righteousness easy and sin hard; and all over the world is sounded the call for federation, to unite the good people of the earth in religious and political leagues, which shall sweep away earth’s wrongs and usher in the millennium. But there is only one true way of mounting to the throne of God, and that is by the divine Ladder upon which Jacob saw the angels ascending and descending,—that Ladder which is the Lord Jesus Christ.AMS August 25, 1898, page 517.9

“Faith and the Cure of Disease” American Sentinel 13, 33, p. 518.

ATJ

IN a little village on Long Island, a young girl lies dangerously ill of typhoid fever. When she was prostrated by the disease, her parents, who were firm believers in what is called “faith cure,” refused to call a physician, saying that the proper means for the curing of the sick were prayer and the laying on of hands. The child grew steadily worse until finally, by order of the chairman of the village Board of Health, a doctor took the case in his charge and administered remedies which appear to have resulted in staying the further progress of the disease.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.1

The parents submitted to the authority under which the doctor proceeded with the case, but regarded his efforts in combating the disease as being altogether uncalled-for, useless, and contrary to faith in God as the healer of disease.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.2

The case has attracted some notice, and it will no doubt be thought of by many as representing a contest between two methods of healing, which differ from each other on the point of faith in the power of God, and that healing through faith has been shown to be a delusion. As a matter of fact there is nothing of this kind in it.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.3

The trouble is with those inclined to this view, and indeed with people generally, that they are so blind to spiritual truth that they are not able to see God in the many “common” things in which he has revealed himself to them. They think of the power of God as something that must be manifested in some supernatural way, and unless they can see a miracle of some kind they will not think they have seen any manifestation of God at all.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.4

Real faith in God sees vastly more than this. Real faith sees God in the things that he has made. The remedies that are used by the physician to combat disease in the regular practice of his profession are from the hand of God. The Creator has placed many such things in the earth at the disposal of man, and has given him the ability to discover many ways in which disease can be checked by operations based upon the principles of “natural law,” which is the law of God. All this is from the Lord as truly as is the power that heals in a “miraculous” manner, and faith in God views it as such. It sees the miraculous power of God, testifying to God’s love for the human family, in the “common” things of every-day experience. It sees God not far off from every one of us, and that “in him we live, and move, and have our being.”AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.5

Is it to be expected that God will always pass over the common remedies which he has provided against disease, known and used by the ordinary physician, to make use of some extraordinary way of restoring the sick to health? That he sometimes does this there can be no doubt. But having placed many remedies in the hands of man for such emergencies, it is only reasonable that man should use them, and should thus coöperate with God in the work for physical salvation. Coöperation is a principle of prime importance in the economy of God.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.6

And when man does thus use the natural remedies God has provided against disease, let him not fail to recognize the power of God in it the same as if God had seen fit to interpose in his behalf by some miraculous manifestation.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.7

CHRISTIAN enthusiasm cannot be preserved on ice, even in hot weather.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.8

“Unlimited Power” American Sentinel 13, 33, pp. 518, 519.

ATJ

WE know from the Word of inspiration that power “belongeth unto God;” that indeed, “there is no power but of God.” Psalm 62:11; Romans 13:1.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.1

God upholds all things by “the word of his power.” Hebrews 1:3. “He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things,” and “in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:25, 28.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.2

Earthly power is the power of God, perverted by sin. The Creator so respects man’s free will, that he gives him power to do that which is contrary to the divine will. This power however is limited; but God gives man unlimited power to do that which is according to his will.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.3

The unlimited power of God is manifested through the Holy Spirit. And therefore it is written of the work of God, “not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord.”AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.4

The Holy Spirit is the embodiment of unlimited power, and unlimited power is the natural heritage of beings created in the image of God. But unlimited power can safely be entrusted only to one whose will is in perfect harmony with the will of God. An unsanctified will joined with unlimited power would be a worse combination than is represented by the prince of evil.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.5

But God, having unlimited power himself, does not selfishly withhold that power from all others, or from all save a favored few, but wills that all shall receive this power. Whether it is received or not, is a matter determinded wholly by the will of the individual. And therefore there is no reason why the life of every person should not be full of the manifestation of unlimited power, save that the individual wills not to receive it, by willing not to walk in the way of righteousness and life. There is no reason why any individual should not possess unlimited power, by seeking to the right Source for it, upon the right conditions. And especially is there no reason why the church, set in the world expressly to accomplish the purposes of God, should seek to legislatures and political bodies for the power of which it feels in need.AMS August 25, 1898, page 518.6

So desirous is God that his creatures of the human family should be endued with this power, that he has poured out his Spirit upon all flesh; for thus was it prophesied of the last days. Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:17. It is poured out, and is waiting only to be received by such as will receive it. And only such can receive it in its refreshing fullness as are fully sanctified to the will of God. For to bestow unlimited power upon one not thus sanctified, would be to set the seal of God—his full approval—upon something that is unlike him, and cause him to deny himself. It is because the Holy Spirit is the embodiment of unlimited power that it sets the seal of God upon him who receives it.AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.1

God bids his church to be filled with power; not from the legislatures of earth, not from any political source, but “from on high,” from his own throne. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” “The heavens declare the glory of God,” and all the works of God proclaim his power, which is the same power that is “unto salvation” to them that believe, which is unlimited power—the Holy Spirit. All the handiwork of God joins in the invitation to man, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” Without this no man can fight the battle that is not with flesh and blood, but with “spiritual wickedness.” And in these “last days,” in the climax of the long conflict between good and evil, crises are to be met in which only unlimited power can suffice to guard the soul from destruction.AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.2

Then let the church, and every individual for himself, remember now “the promise of the Father,” and seek for power from on high. “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.3

“‘Science’ on the Immortality of the Soul” American Sentinel 13, 33, pp. 519, 520.

ATJ

IT is quite well known that for years certain bodies of scientific men have been investigating the phenomena of modern spiritualism, with the object of subjecting to the test of science the claim made and apparently substantiated by spiritualism, that the dead are conscious and capable of communicating with the living.AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.1

The first reports from these scientific commissions were adverse to this claim of consciousness after death, the various phenomena shown in proof of it being ascribed to trickery. It was stated that science afforded no proof in support of the popular belief in the immortality of the soul. But the belief still remained, and spiritualism continued to claim as its due that its phenomena be recognized as of genuine character. And now, this long-sought confirmation from “science” seems about to be gained. While no positive confirmation has yet come from a scientific source, the question is asked, and in a way which implies an affirmative answer, “Has the immortality of the soul received a scientific demonstration?”AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.2

In the Literary Digest, of August 13, this question forms the basis of a lengthy discussion, in which is quoted the testimony of two men of high scientific attainments, one a professor in Harvard University, and the other a prominent member of the London Society of Psychical Research. Introductory to the statement of their testimony the Digest says:—AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.3

“The reading public has heard more or less of ‘The Strange Case of Mrs. Piper,’ a Boston Spiritualistic medium and mind-reader. This woman, under the tests of such able psychologists as Professor James, of Harvard University, and Dr. Hodgson, of the London Society of Psychical Research, has furnished psychic phenomena which, so far as they are accepted as genuine, tend to demonstrate scientifically the immortality of the soul.AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.4

“The Society of Psychic Research was established for the purpose of examining, without bias, the alleged phenomena of Spiritualism. Among the mass of evidence it has collected in its sixteen years of life it has found nothing, up to this latest examination of Mrs. Piper, that was deemed to have established the future existence of the soul, although in the tenth report (1894) of the society the statement is made that ‘between deaths and apparitions of the dying persons a connection exists which is not due to chance alone.’”AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.5

Of the experiments conducted through the mediumship of this woman, it is not necessary to speak at length. The impressive feature of them was the apparent proof that an unseen intelligence existed who spoke through the medium and revealed facts which could not have been known to the public nor by any possibility have come to the knowledge of the medium through what is known as “mind-reading.” The conclusion was, naturally, that an invisible intelligence did exist which was the disembodied soul of the dead person from whom the communication purported to come. The London Society for Psychical Research challenges any one to show that there was in these manifestations any possible room for fraud.AMS August 25, 1898, page 519.6

Such statements coming from a source of recognized authority in the scientific world, warrant the conclusion that the time is not far distant when the voice of “science” will speak distinctly in confirmation of the claim that the soul of man is immortal. “Science” will join with theology in proclaiming this dogma as the truth. Then whoever does not accept it as such will be under the ban not only of theology, but of “science” itself. He will be set down as an ignorant and unreasonable person.AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.1

The point especially to be noted in all this is that “science” is incapable of correctly solving the problem presented by spiritual manifestations. Such problems do not lie beyond the range of true science, but true science extends far beyond the range of the powers of the human mind. Science, as defined by the human mind, and by that only, confirms the theological dogma of the immortality of the soul; but as defined by the higher Mind it teaches exactly the contrary. When science, as known to man apart from the Word of God, has fully investigated the phenomena which Spiritualism presents, when it has proceeded as far as it can go, it is obliged to pronounce the claims of Spiritualism to be true. And in this it leads man into a most positive and dangerous untruth; for the claim of natural immortality is an untruth, and is plainly pointed out as such in the Text Book of the highest science of which man can have any knowledge. And that is a science which deals with spiritual problems and with interests the highest that can pertain to man’s existence.AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.2

That Text Book plainly states that “The dead know not anything:” that “The dead praise not the Lord;” that the thoughts of man perish at his death. Ecclesiastes 9:5; Psalm 146:4, etc. It declares that God only “hath immortality.”AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.3

The highest science is the science of salvation, set forth in the Word of Omniscience. That which is opposed to the science of salvation is “science falsely so called;” and such is the “science” which would teach the dogma of soul immortality. It is high time that people everywhere should recognize that salvation is science; that the statements of the Word of God are true science, and that true science has spoken unequivocally against the widespread but pagan doctrine of the soul’s consciousness after death.AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.4

“‘Christian Science’ in Its Home” American Sentinel 13, 33, pp. 520, 521.

ATJ

THERE is a good deal in a name, in spite of Shakespeare’s question, especially when it is used to designate a thing with which we are not familiar. An assumed name is usually deemed a necessary part of a criminal’s disguise. “Christian science” would no doubt have less attraction for minds in this country were it known as Hindu philosophy, which according to the well-known lecturer and authority on Hinduism, Pundita Ramabai, it really is. In a recent lecture she spoke of “Christian science” and of its fruits as she knew them in India, and what she said of it ought to be read and pondered by every person who is at all inclined to be drawn away in the line of its teachings. It is this:—AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.1

“I can tell you I have sounded the depths of that philosophy, and what did I find? I will give you an idea in my own language. It means just this:—AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.2

“You are to take the whole universe as nothing but falsehood. You are to think that it does not exist. You do not exist. I do not exist. When you realize that, that is philosophy. Can you realize it? There was once upon a time a great being called Brahma, and that person was no person at all, but something like air, full of joy and knowledge? I cannot understand it, but philosophy tells you that you have to believe that this being, full of joy and knowledge, without any personality, existed once upon a time. That being had no mind. It did not want to say anything or have anything near it, and therefore, of course, it did not understand anything. Then there came another being just like himself, and that being was nothing but darkness. It was all falsehood. Now this air united with that darkness and assumed personality. It became male and female, and as that person has formed all things, the logical inference is that everything is falsehood. The birds and beasts that you see do not exist. You do not exist. When you realize that you have no personality whatever, you have no life, no knowledge, nothing, then you have attained the highest perfection of what is called ‘yoga,’ and that gives you liberation and you are liberated from your body, and you become like him, without any personality. You draw on the blackboard zero, plus zero, minus zero, multiplied by zero, divided by zero, and its equals zero. It is just that and nothing more.AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.3

“And what has that philosophy done for the people of India? A tree is judged by its fruits. An apple tree cannot bring forth a pear, but it will bring forth its own kind. The grandeur and beauty of that philosophy must be judged by its fruit. You are a people of some feeling. Everything is real. You feel that when other people are starving, you ought to give them something to eat, but out in India they do not feel that. Men do not feel any sympathy for others. They do no feel for people who are starving or being killed in war. In our late famine our philosophers felt no compassion for sufferers and did not help the needy. For why should they help when they claimed the suffering was not real, neither were the dying children real. The first result then of the philosophy is the basest cruelty and selfishness; no compassion for sufferers, and supreme egoism.AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.4

“To study Hindu philosophy it is best to visit India and experience it. Plenty of opportunities are afforded even if you go only to Bombay. That city is very large and it is very hot there; but that will make no difference to philosophers who never experience heat at all. The people of India and the philosophers who have studied with the learned men ought to feel alike toward all people and all beings; but they never show a particle of kindness to the women, and their lives are made so unbearable that they want to kill themselves. These philosophers have shown mercy toward all lower animals. They have established hospitals for animals, but they have never established hospitals for women. The preachers who have come over here to preach Buddhism to the American people have established a hospital for animals in Bombay. In that hospital there is a ward devoted to bugs, and a man is hired to feed those bugs on his blood every night. They never take any thought of the women who are dying under the weight of this philosophy, but they just show their charity toward the bugs. I recommend that hospital for the edification of American students of Buddhism. Let them stay one night in that bug ward. That will pay them for all their labors in studying that philosophy.”AMS August 25, 1898, page 520.5

August 18, 1898

September 1, 1898