Practical Illustrations          What has already been said regarding the composition and character of the Christian Science Sermon will be further elucidated by a few specific illustrations. The first subject treated was that of God, on July 3, 1898. As God may be said to include the all of Christian Science it was quite natural that the first sermon upon this subject should cover a wide field of thought. When this lesson is studied its structure or outline as contained in the various sections is seen to be as follows:          I. God is the Creator. II. God is Principle. III. God is triune, Life, Truth, Love. IV. God is Good. V. God is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. VI. God is Father. VII. God is Mother. VIII. God is Love.          This same subject again formed the sermon for January 1, 1899. Though on the same subject it is quite a different sermon than the former. The first lesson having unfolded in a broad way the thought of the Infinite One, this lesson helps us to know how He may be understood. The method of this lesson may be thus stated:          I. God is not corporeal but eternal Love. II. God is unknown by material sense. III. God is known by Spiritual Sense. IV. God as revealed by the Scriptures. V. God the only Cause and Creator. VI. God the Father and Mother.          Some earnest seeker may say: Why should we not have a sermon that would tell us more about God as Principle? This question does not imply that there is any fault to be found in the former lessons, but it does voice an eagerness to know more of an infinite theme. Those careful students of the Bible and our text-book will readily see from the above point of view that the sermon might come out this way. I. God is Principle. II. God as Principle is Good. III. God as Principle is Love. IV. God as Principle is the Saviour. V. God as Principle was manifested by Christ Jesus. VI. God as Principle is reflected by man. It is quite possible that just such a lesson may some time be found in the Quarterly.          The subject for February 26, 1899, was Man. The method of treatment here is quite as logical as the sermons above quoted, but is perhaps not as readily detected. This sermon on Man may be described as follows: I. The Immortal Man. II. The Mortal Man. III. The false testimony of the senses regarding Man. IV. The Old Man (the mortal Man, that of material sense) to be put off, and the New Man (the Immortal Man, that of Spiritual Sense) to be put on. V. Christ Jesus the perfect example of the Immortal Man. VI. The Unity between God and Man to be worked out by practice. In other words the method is this. I. God’s man. II. The human man. III. The counterfeit man accounted for. IV. The counterfeiting disappearing and the genuine appearing. V. Christ Jesus the genuine Man. VI. Faith and works needed for man’s transforming process realized through Christian Science.          Another might describe these sermons differently and better. Some one else might find a sermon which seemed devoid of any apparent structure. Let it be remembered that these illustrations are not intended to point out a rigid or fixed rule. They are hints which others may improve. Of this we all are certain, the Christian Science Sermons are given by Love, constructed by Love and made up of Love. They are the offspring of divine Intelligence, the Light from the Sun of Righteousness for the healing of the Nations.   "Practical Illustrations" Christian Science Sentinel, March 23, 1899

 

| Home | Library |

Copyright © 1996-2002 CSEC