Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1880-02-05
A MIRACULOUS CURE.
Miss Jennie Smith Telling How
She Was Restored to
Health.

I
Miss Jennie Smith Telling How
She Was Restored to
| Health.
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From the Cincinnati Gazette.
| Miss Jennie Smith, of Dayton, O.,
ad dressed the congregation of the
Mt Auburn Methodist Episcopal
Church last evening, giving a cir.
lcnmsta ntial and interesting account
of the remarkable manner IN which
she was relieved from diseases that
had afflicted her all her life, and
which prevented her walking, and
precluded even the use OF her arms,
except from the elbows down to her
fingers. She was afflicted with a
complication of disorders, and the
physicians did all they could to re.
lieve her. But finally the case was
given up by them. Miss Smith is
woman apparently of the most sim
cere and earnest piety. She thought
at first that an unusual exertion of
her own force Of will would effect
cure, and she endeavored to concen-
trate her mind in this way, but the
effect only reduced her strength.
Her mind was at this time not clear
as to Gods purpose in respect to her.
She felt often chat she was not really
submissive to the divine will, but
was too earnest in her desire to be
well. She prayed earnestly for
wisdom and more humble spirit,
and her petitions were st last grant
ed. She felt that while earnestly de-
string to be cured. she could submit
cheerfully to Whatever Providence
migSt have in store for her. She de-
scribed this submission last night in
such language as to indicate that the
act of submission was spontaneous,
her own will being, as it were, taken
possession Of She felt herself sink
ing lower and lower, she said, before
the will Of God. Finally one eve-
ming in April she became convinced
that the time had come when she
must either arise from her bed, or be
reconciled to continue a helpless in
valid. This conviction seems to have
been a definite impression, belong
ing rather to the feelings than to the
reason. She had been for some time
in an Eastern city under the care of
physicians. Her room was the place
Of frequent meetings for prayer and
social conversation. On the partic-
ular evening in question a number of
friends announced their purpose to
visit her. Some of these designed to
come for the purpose of devotion,
while others contemplated merely
conversation. Though certain that
this night was to be the decisive one
in. her history, she was distracted by
the want of agreement among her
friends. She felt that they were not
as one with her in her hope and
faith. One by one the visitors left
the room, until but few were left,
among whom was her sister and a
pious physician who had attended
her. She asked them if they were
willing to pray and wait with her
until daybreak, if need be. She
never, she remarked, understood the
phrase waiting upon the Lord" as
she understood it that night. The
time was consumed in earnest pray
er or in the reading of some fitting
quotation from Scripture. Suddenly
she saw as in picture the man with
the withered arm stretching it forth
at the command of Jesus. The pic
ture was so vivid, that she, with a
mental effort such as she could not
explain or even describe, strove to
exert a similar faith. At that in
slant she felt a new strength as sud
den as a shock of electricity, and
those about her exclaimed at the
change in her appearance. She rose
up in her reclining chair without as
sistance, and when her feet were
placed on the floor found that she
could walk without assistance, and
WIS dUlc W hHccl uOWu dlu TlSc UP |
without assistance. From that mo-
ment she steadily recovered the use
of all her senses that had been i'm
paired. In accounting for the re-
markable circumstances which she
relates, Miss Smiths experience has
led her to distinguish between the
ordinary faith of the Christian, which |
she calls the grace Of faith, and the
gift of faith, meaning by the latter
term the special reliance upon di.
vine power which must precede any |
wonderful occurrence in the Chris
tian's life. 1t is well known that
Miss Smiths narrative is distin-
guished from many other alleged
miracles by the respectable character
of the testimony by which it has
been substantiated.
n IL