St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-07
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
Faith Cure.

To the Editor Of the Globe:
NORTHFIELD, Mimi, Dec. 81 recently
saw in your paper an editorial concerning
Philadelphia. Your tendency was to make
the convention people appear in ridiculous
light. Evidently this was from lack OF in
formation, for have read your able paper
enough to know that you are strong in the
defense of Christianity. A case in point
was where few weeks since young
woman in Cincinnati, failing in her am
bilious hopes, drowned herself, having left
plaintive note charging Christianity with
the blame of her failure, you very clearly
set forth the aims and claims of Christianity
in good orthodox style. So shall not have
to make any defense of it, but OF the pecu-
liar people who attend Faith conventions
Now these people do not differ materially
from other Christians except, perhaps, they
believe more OF the Bible and more in an
swer to prayer All Christians believe in
praying, but apparently do not expect to
have their prayers answered. If they are
answered they are either frightened or they
don't believe it or else it ''only happened
So"
Faith people believe in the same Script
tural texts that other Christians accept
but faith people think they mean exactly
what they say. while other Christians either
doubt or explain away these texts for the
most part. In our prayer books we have
prayers for the sick. Prayers are said in
the churches for the sick. Clergymen and
Christians pray over the sick, but somehow
we don't expect the sick to be effected in
answer to prayer. If they do recover. the
good doctor and the good nurse usually get
all the credit; the prayers are forgotten
Now, faith-cure people believe prayers for
the sick are answered. The principal
scripture for this basis is James, ", l4-15,
which says: 1.-The prayer of faith shall
save the sick and the Lord shall raise him
up" They further believe that Christ
atoned for sickness the same as for sin,
as sickness is the result of sin.
Isaiah, liii., 4, says: ''Surely he hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows"
The word griefs in the margin of the new
revision is sickness
Mathew, viii, II, reads: 'That it might
prophet, saying: Himself took our infrm-
tiles and bare our sickness" This passage
of Mathew makes Isaiah, lii, 4, plain, and
Isaiah makes James, ", 14-15, possible.
There are many other scriptures
which corroborate the above. The
numerous faith cures all over the world
which are attracting so much attention the
last few years are brought about by faith
and prayer as taught in these scriptures,
believing that God works directly as He has
promised in His Word. How God works
we cannot explain any more than we can
explain how the ordinary Christian accepts
all the rest of the Bible and rejects these
promises. The main objects OF these faith
people are to lead pure lives and induce
others to accept Christ as the healer of body
as well as of soul, according to the plain
teaching Of the Bible. When their work is
understood, should they not be considered
philanthropists rather than subjects for
ridicule? Now word about starving and
annihilating the DOCTORS" Faith cure peo-
pie have no contest with the doctors. as
SUCH The physician is needed only because
of misfortune, when the misfortune or the
cause of it is removed, no physician, if he
is a true philanthropist, makes any conf
plant because his services are not required.
The physician is grand gift from God to
suffering world. Yet, as in the eulogy of
Paul on Love, here springs from Love "a
more excellent way" every good gift
and every perfect gift is from above."-
James t., II. The physician is the good
gift''; Christ, as the Great Physician for
healer of body and soul, if fully accepted,
is the ''perfect gift" D. j. WHITING.