The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-06-03

| Laying on of Hands,"
| Jesus said:-And these signs shall follow:
| them that believe; in My name they:
| shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall:
| .recOver.-Wak xvi, It, II.
AT eight o'clock the little hall was full and
Moody and Sankey hymn books had been dis.
trbuted as freely as the hand bills, so that all
was ready tor the service excepting that the
reverend doctor had not appeared. The con-
gregaton was not, apparently, one of curiosity
seekers nor Of ignorant or fanatlcal people.
They we're mostly OF people who seemed of
more than average intelligence and who look.
ed as if they had come to worshIp-Certalnly
not to scofT. Here and there was one who was
evidently sick. To one of these the usher
said; He can cure you and III prove 1t to
you tonight He took all the muscular rheu.
matism out Of my back last February and
havn't had a sign Of it since" Presently a
boy with face swoolen to the size OF two
faces came in and a dlsbellever IN a back seat
said, well If he cures him I'll be satisfied"
The boy was taken to front seat.
BY the time DR.. Monck appeared the hall
was crowded. He is stout, rather dark com.
pleXioned man OF early middle age. with an
English face and strong English accent, a
broad, intellectual brow and full beard. He
read a passage from one of the gospels with
cOpious remarks on the power of faith, dwell.
ing on the symbolic significance of words
and quoting from Yesterdays Herald to EN-.
phasize his remarks. How little faith there
is, said he. When people have seen the sick
healed here and have gone away and told 1t
their friends have SAID another good man
gone mad" How much evidence is neces-
sary to establish a fact that is unexpected !?
He claimed that the promise to the disciples
that they should work miracles was given to
believers of all times, and that miracles can
be wrought to-day as well as in the OldenI
times.
TIE CREED OF HEALING EXPOUNDED.
After the singing of hymns and a prayer DR..
Monck preached from the text on his hand.
bill Col. lngersoll, he said, denies that the
miracles of the New Testament ever occurred,
and held that they could not, because if they
happened then they would now. But, said the
preacher, there is such thing now. The very
advertisements in the papers show that therel
is such a thing as healing by the laying on of
hands Some OF those who advertise may bel
humbugs, but the fact that they advertise
shows there is such thing. President Gar.
field believed in it and was cured of one or
two diseases by the laying on of hands before
he fell into the hands of the doctors Shakes.
peare said, Throw physlc to the dogs" but
that was before there was any society for the
prevention of cruelty to animals. Any eccle-
siastlcal history shows that the power of heal
ing the sick by the laying on of hands was
exercised by believers in the church for three
hundred years after Christ. All faith in
human testimony must be given up If one
does not believe the saints performed wonders
of healing. But to the present day the same
power Is possessed by thousands of people,
and the object of this church is to teach you
that it belongs to all who will believe. Men
ask If | believe this. | will not answer toI
them, but to Thee, Oh God, | say as Thou
Invest, do believe it and know it, But the
most practical way to show this is by curing
the sick, as | have done and many others havel
done. But only those who have faith can bel
healed A mother brought child here al
little time ago which was born totally blind
The mother had faith and we took the child
in our arms and prayed and left 1t to God.
That night it perceived the light and the next
day it COulu see bright color. The mother
Is here. Is this true, madam
Yes sir" said u lady in the congregation.
PRACTICAL ILLUSTRATIONS.
Then, after another hymn had been sung,
Dr. Monck asked all those in the congrega.
ton who were suffering pain to hold up their
hands. Several did so. "ln the name of the
Lord serve dismiss your palms," shouting
out the word dismiss" "lll ask you in al
few minutes how you are
Then he went from one to another of those
who were waiting, beginning with the blind
babe, and praying from one to another. OneI
young girl he declared was very deaf HeI
touched her and prayed and the girl at once
declared that she heard him when he wins.
pered to her.
Then the boy with swollen face declared
that he hau slept eoundIy All .Ight for the
trpt tt,,Na five. IN. G~ntl
touched" and ielt better every time he was
touched.
One after another more than dozen persons
were touched and some were at once, SO they de
Clared, relieved. Some others, DIR. MoncK said
would be better, for the cures were sometimes
gradual. One case was, he said perfectly
hopeless, as the patient said the doctors had
declared that his optic nerve was severed.
However, he prayed over the totally blind
man who declared that he had faith. MOI
immediate relief seemed to be obtained, but
Dr. Monck asked him to come again. Then
a woman, who said she was very deaf, was
prayed over and afterwards repeated questions
Dr. Monck asked her in whisper. A child
was cured, apparently, and according to her
own declaration, OF very severe headache.
Other wonders, too, were, To all seeming,
performed, until the congregation was IN a.
turmoil OF excitement and very few heard the
benenictlon
DR.. Monck had apparently forgotten that he
was going to ask those who had held up their
hands concerning the result, but the reporter
sought out one of these, a fine looking old
gentleman, and questioned him.
81 certainly felt shock when he said dis.
MISS" said the gentleman, but don't know
If I'm cured. | have sore feet, but certainly
have no paid IN them now"
The reporter them asked DR. Monck why
the case Of the man with a severed optic nerve
was an impossible one. II don't know why
1t Is So he replied, "but find such cases
cannot be cured"
But why dOsn't the promise hold In such a
case as well as any other:" asked the reporter.
IL don't know" said DR.. Monck.
Joy low TO the World.