The lecturer was introduced by Miss Janette McCracken.

Mr. Simms spoke substantially as follows:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made," so declared the beloved disciple John (John 1 : 1, 3). These statements are correlative to those of the writer of the first chapter of Genesis, where he says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . . And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:1, 31). In Christian Science these are absolute statements of absolute facts. Indeed, they are profound in their spiritual significance. Do they challenge your thought? The teachings of Christian Science make them easily understood and practical. Plainly that which is practical can be practiced, hence is demonstrable. So you can demonstrate here and now that God is the only cause and creator and that His creation is entirely good. The word "only" means "one and no other." Therefore, since the only God created only good, there is no creator or cause of evil.

Christ Jesus declared God to be Spirit. His creation, then, must be and is spiritual. It could not be otherwise, since even according to natural law like produces like. Consequently man, including the universe, is primarily and finally spiritual and good. These conclusions are logically sound!

Christian Science, its practice and demonstrations are based on these Scriptural facts. The teachings and demonstrations of our Saviour, Christ Jesus, confirm them. Jesus proved the allness and goodness of God, Spirit, and Spirit's creation. In view of this, then, should the metaphysical statement, "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 468), confuse or confound you? Obviously it should not, even though it maintains that everything that is perceived by the physical senses is devoid of life, truth, intelligence, or substance, hence is temporal and unsubstantial, Actually the foregoing facts are precisely what Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, discovered in 1866, and later stated in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 468), thus: "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, 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."

When Mrs. Eddy declared that all is infinite Mind, God, and God's manifestation or creation and denied the reality and existence of matter, some physicists and many religionists took her to task on these points. This, however, did not deter her in her unselfed efforts to free mankind from the false beliefs in the reality of matter and to thus establish God's kingdom of Life, Truth, and Love here on earth.

Is the Universe, Including Man, Evolved by Atomic Force?

Humankind has ever been faced with the question, "Is the universe, including man, evolved by atomic force?" This momentous question has become definitely acute with the discoveries that are being wrought through research in matter, such as that of the nuclear physicist in atomic energy. Obviously activities in the physical sciences have brought many useful things through research in physics, chemistry, electronics, aeronautics, and other fields. It is not the purpose or mission of Christian Science to tear down or discredit those achievements or those who achieved them. The teachings of Christian Science and its practice in healing the sick and sinning never retreat from the spiritual facts of being; they never surrender man's God-given birthright of freedom and dominion over all things; they never lose sight of the fact that All is infinite Mind, God, and its infinite manifestation, and that man and the universe reflect God. So, after studying and practising Christian Science, one is bound to conclude that its Discoverer and Founder was far in advance of the physical scientists of our day.

According to Webster, the universe is "the totality of existing or created things, including the earth (with all on or in it), hence all creation." To uninspired material sense the universe, including man, seems material, temporal, and finite, while to spiritual sense the universe, including man, is spiritual, eternal, and forever perfect. Science and Health says: "The universe reflects God" (p. 502); "In the universe of Truth, matter is unknown" (p. 503).

In its original sense of unfoldment, the word "evolve" is not unchristian or unscientific because man, finished and eternal, ever presents unfoldment. He emanates from God.

Material evolution theories would have man start from the lowest form of material life and gradually progress from one form of matter to another, namely, from one atom to two atoms, to three atoms, and on and on until the glomeration becomes a mass of matter. Finally, a mortal is developed. All this is summed up by some physicists as the story of man evolved from molecule to monkey and from monkey to man. Surely this could in no case be man made by God in His image and likeness, man to whom He gave dominion, whom He saw and declared to be very good.

One material scientist recently expressed himself thus: "The findings of nuclear physicists sound the death knell of materialism, as an explanation of the universe and as a philosophy of life." Some of our great men and women of science are gradually returning to the manger; they are turning towards the Christ, Truth, which Jesus taught, demonstrated, and exemplified.

So we must return to the humble but powerful teachings of the Bible, namely, that man, your true selfhood, is the exact and complete likeness of God, in which there is not a single element of error, matter, or electricity; that man is not evolved by atomic force, but is made and governed exclusively according to divine law; that he is neither the subjective nor objective state of matter or the carnal mind, but is ever spiritual, perfect, complete, harmonious, joyous, and free as the idea of infinite Mind. So, then, strive to understand and realize that in your real being you are this man, here and now. The Christian Science textbook says (p. 259), "The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,—perfect God and perfect man,—as the basis of thought and demonstration."

Christian Science and the Bible

Christian Science is founded on the Scriptures. Its teachings and practice scientifically coincide with the spiritual precepts and methods employed by Jesus and his followers. Concerning her discovery and founding of Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy has written (ibid., p. 110): "In following these leadings of scientific revelation, the Bible was my only textbook. The Scriptures were illumined; reason and revelation were reconciled, and afterwards the truth of Christian Science was demonstrated." The famous naturalist, Louis Agassiz, said: "Every great scientific truth goes through three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly, they say they have always believed it." At one time or another Christian Science goes through these stages in the thought of the individual.

Webster defines the word "science" in part as follows: "accumulated knowledge systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths or the operation of general laws." Science in its pure and original sense, as used in Christian Science, is precise, exact, demonstrable knowledge of God's laws and Jesus' method of employing or invoking these laws, thereby revealing the truth concerning man under God's government. Truly, Christian Science is the law of God. Its logic never deviates from the inspired teachings of the Bible. Mrs. Eddy authorized the use of the King James Version of the Bible. This Bible is used in Christian Science churches and is studied daily by all Christian Scientists in English-speaking countries.

Most of those who are known as Christian Scientists have come to this Science because of its healing ministry; others have come because in its teachings they have found most satisfying and demonstrable facts concerning God and His Christ; while those who like myself have been reared in it remain constant because they have proved it to be the way of Life which our Saviour taught and exemplified.

The Correct Concept of Science

Let us continue our discussion of Christian Science as Science. I am sure we agree that to be scientific a rule or law must unfold with a definite degree of sequence or logic. Christian Science is divinely logical. Its premises are absolute truths concerning God, the universe, including man, and the governing laws of Spirit. It is true that some but not all of the men and women of physical science have reached the conclusion, as did Mrs. Eddy, that matter is nothing, no thing, nothingness, and that all is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation; but unanimity in this respect may not be far off. Why? Because right now, through recent discoveries, physicists agree that matter—this building and that seat you are occupying — is composed almost entirely of space. Too, it is agreed that that which you call your body is almost one hundred per cent space. For example, it has been agreed that if a person's body were reduced to where all the space was eliminated, such a body would become a very small speck, invisible to the naked eye. The eminent authority, Sir Arthur Eddington, of Cambridge University, says, "If we eliminated all the unfilled space in a man's body, and collected his protons and electrons into one mass, the man's body would be reduced to a speck just visible with a magnifying glass" (The Nature of the Physical World).

Since, then, the mortal body is at once space and infinitesimal parts, which parts if collected into one mass would be a mere speck discernible only with a magnifying glass, should not we ask which is it, the space or the speck, that manifests sickness, disease, and pain? Which is it that becomes inflamed, irritated and crippled? You are definitely right. Since in reality there is no truth, life, intelligence, nor substance in matter, pain and disease are erroneous theories, false beliefs of a mortal or carnal so-called mind, which mind in truth and in fact can have no existence, power, or intelligence, since all is in-finite Mind, God, and its infinite manifestation.

The Simplicity of Christian Science

Here one may say, "Well, that is the difficulty with Christian Science; it is too transcendental, too high spiritually for me to attain and understand." Of course, this is not true! The carnal mind will ever tell you, if you listen, that you cannot gain the ear and right hand of Omnipotence, that you cannot approach God. But you can!

You may be sure that when you begin your reasoning, your prayers, with clear, positive statements of what God is, and your perfect in-destructible relationship to Him, you will feel the operation of God's law with reference to the difficulty at hand, whatever it may be. It is then that you understand what it means when it says in Science and Health (p. 93): "Divine logic and revelation coincide, If we believe otherwise, we may be sure that either our logic is at fault or that we have misinterpreted revelation."