Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1885-11-14
A PULPIT CHALLENGE.
Rev. J. d. Barbee Throws Down the Gaunt-
let Before Believers in Faith
Cures.
Nashville American.

/ uuulCAICdiiy, Is 0Q llal W tiitI Vi Hldny
congregations in this city. Its believ-
ers are chiefly ladies who, as rule,
occupy very high positions in the so
cial world, and, consequently, are gen.
orally possessed of considerable influ-
ence. They meet weekly at the home
OF young lady of this city, and there
60 through regular services, in which
the young lady herself leads and the
other participants take active part.
The young leader, especially, and
several others, notably, are said to ac-
complish most wonderful cures of dis
eases that have baffied the skill of rep
utable physicians, and instances OF
such cures are freely pointed out.
Several months ago the practices of
these faith doctors was the sensation
of the town and received its full share
of discussion by nearly every family
/ in Nashville. 1t was Il matter OF re-
mark that the various pastors of the
city churches did not indorse the
movement, but none, until last night,
saw fit to announce from the pulpit
their views upon the ability of abso-
lutte faith to produce absolute cures.
DIR. Barbee in a bold and defiant
manner threw down the gauntlet for
free discussion and fair test of the
power of faith to accomplish miracles
He read as his text the 18th, 18th and
10th verses of the 9Th chapter of the
Epistle of James:
IA. Is any sick among you? Let him call
for the elders of the church; and let them
pray over him, amounting him with oil in
the name of the Lord.
l5 And the prayer of faith shall save the
sick, ana the Lord shall raise him up and IL
given him.
l6 Confess your faults one to another, and
pray for one another, that ye may be healed.
The effectual, fervenl prayer of d righteous
man availeth much.
The pastor launched out by asking
whether the words OF the text sustained
the believers in faith cure in their
claims, and Immediately answered the
question by asserting that they did not.
God always employs natural means to
accomplish his purposes, whenever he
can make them available. In support
of this, several verses were read from
the Goth chapter OF Second Kings. 1t
was the custom of the Jews, at the
time of Christ, to make much use of a
certain oil as preventive and curative
of many ailments The wonderful
cures of this oil were witnessed by
many of the disciples, where wounds
were healed and hurts made well by
proper application. But in the anoint-
ment with oil and wine referred to in
the Bible, the oil was used strictly for
medicinal purposes, and not as a relig
ious rite and as an instance of faith.
The preacher asserted that extreme
coz hnr
lied by the Bible The text does not
sustain this practice of faith, which is
no new thing, but has long been in
vogue.
The preacher remembered as far
back as his childhood, when men who
had no more religion than COW were
successful faith doctors.
God is able to sustain health and
vigOr in person. This was illustrated
in three notable instances where per-
sons lived forty days without food
He could as well have sustained man
for forty years without food.
There is no spontaneous sustenance
through God. The man must be nour-
ished by food and God does not even
supply directly the food. God acts
through instrumentalities. Now, do
these instrumentalities act dependent
" or independently of God? Jesus
says: "Man shall notl live by bread alone,
but by every word in this book"
Therefore, we believe that bread de-
ponds for its sustaining power upon
some inscrutable presence of the di-
vine agency. For this reason, Chris
itans are right in not eating unblessed
food.
He spoke in favor, therefore, of
prayers at every table and at every
bedside. Professors of faith cures be-
lieve that their faith acts absolutely
and independently, and all that is nee
essary is to put yourself in the hands |
of 4 spiritual adviser and you'll be |
cured.
This asserts that all medicine and |
scientific investigation are frauds and |
that their own cures are miracles. |
Now, does God work miracles to salts
fy the whims and sentimentalities of |
In oiden days there was
always a special, adequate reason for
the accomplishment of miracles.
These faith cures don't claim any di-
vine commission to work miracles, or
TO establish new religion in the
world. No man to-day has that pow
er. The day for such things is past.
There are some who do say that they
know cures to have been accomplished
BY faith, and instances are furnished.
The pastor here drew line OF dis
,inction between the effect of prayer,
which Is the result of imagination upon
he mind, and the answer to prayer,
which is cure by God himself.
These cures are nothing but the eff
ect Of prayer upon the fevered imag-
nation.
There is no accounting for the con-
,eits OF insanity. There are, however,
,onceits of the imagination in the
minds of sound and otherwise sensible
men, who imagine themselves the vic
inns of disease. Then, too, many dis .
,ases act through the nervous system
which may be cured, not by the an
wer to prayer, but by the soothing in
luence of prayer upon the imagina-
ion. The faith curer, with the ex- s
,ectation of the result, produces cures !
My by the effect of the Imagination
IpOn a credulous mind.
God has nothing in the world to do I
I'M lllio SANCpb W NilitG VI I
lis people should be so foolish as to +
'elieve in it.
DR. Barbee, at this point, thought
hat he could show most forcibly the
ollowness of the claims of faith cures, {
nd at the same time prove the effect I
{ "conceits of the Imagination" upon /
hysical ailments, by telling little ex-
erience.
Quite number OF years ago there
'as man whom he knew quite well,
'ho imagined that he had swallowed
lizard. Nobody could convince him 4
} the contrary, and he was rapidly r
asting away in health. His friends
/ last sent for a learned physician, II
no had made quite a reputation, and a
lrned over to him their patient The t;
octor felt the mans stomach and
therwise examined him, but only to
e convinced that he was laboring n
nder one of these conceits of the i'm \.
yination. At that time, the people ~
Idn't know much about Seidlitz pow IL
ers and their effect So the physi- ei
an humored the patient and gave
inn dose of the powders. In short
lille, as the contents of the stomach
to pour out of the man, IL
lie doctor exclaimed that there it was, ri
lie lizard was out at last OF course hi
ere was no lizard, but the patient in
rs satisfied of his deliverance, the :,