St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-26
DIVINE HEALING.
Pastors DISAGREE as To it's Efficacy
Some of the Opinions EXpressed.

There was larger attendance than usual
at the meeting of the city pastors yesterday
morning. Rev. Lyman Palmer reported
that successful revival meetings are now in
progress in the northeast part of the city.
Rev. G. w. Merrill was elected president.
Rev. L. S. Williams, secretary, to serve
during the year. DIR. Wagner, DIR. STRIKER
and Rev. Lyman Palmer were appointed
to prepare an appropriate expression OF re-
greet at the expected departure of Rev. DR..
Hutchins. 1t was announced that Rev. c.
II. Tate would read a paper at next Mon
days meeting and it was decided to request
President NOrthrup of the State university
to read paper at the following meeting.
DIR. Marshall. II. c. HOvey, J. l.. Pitner.
IL. n. Bell. e. Z. Wells were appointed to
read papers in the order named at subse-
quent meetings.
Rev. Lyman Palmer then read lengthy
paper upon
DIVINE HEALING.
The idea which the reverend gentleman
evidently desired to express was that heal
ing OF bodily ailments was as much an in
StitutiOn of the church as the care of the
spiritual welfare. In support of this he
cited numerous quotations from the teach
ings of Christ and his disciples to the effect
that healing by faith was prescribed and
that prayer will be answered. He thought
that limiting the application of the atone
ment by faith 10 the soul and leaving the
body to the tender mercies of the devil was
dishonOring the Lord.
When he concluded a half hour was de-
voted to discussion of the paper. Rev.
e. G. TabeT said he attended the faith cure
convention at Chicago. and thought that
divine healing could be lifted out of its
realm of fanaticism, although there was
danger of fanaticism in the doctrine. DIR.
S. NJ. Campbell said:
The fact that some of our choicest spiritual
people are believers in divine healing is no
proof to me. | hear the same Old arguments
continually brought forward in its support
and know how to answer them all. It's no
use for the advocates of this doctrine to
WASTE THEIR POWDER
on me. Give me facts. / don't want to be
obliged to offer to the world any du blous evil
dence- Some weak, nervous women NAV
think they have been cured by prayer but /
should have suspicion that their sickness
If it really existed, had first originated from
their imaginatons. Give me some tangible
proof Take a man who has only one leg and
put another leg on him. Then 1 will have the
means to refute unbelievers. Without this
think it is dangerous to urge the doctrine; il
10 HllSCuleNouS III cuafacIer ana very I'M
satisfactory.
Rev. J. L. Pitner regarded Dr. Camp
bells test as an unfair one. Giving man
a new leg is not healing a disease. He re.
garded it as unsafe to take any other posi-
ton. The fact that the Lord put certain
medicinal power into roots and herbs did
not indicate that He had exhausted His
healing power. Each church should have
its hospital.
Dr. Wagner held that it is question of
the investigation of evidence. If we can
prove that Gods word secures to Us the
preparation of divine healing, we must be-
lieve in this doctrine, and we ministers
must prepare for greater things than our
eyes have yet beheld.
DR.. A. G. Williams of Mortified said
that his personal investigations did not war
rant his support of the doctrine. He found
that two-thirds of the neighbOrs and friends
of a gentleman of the highest Christian
character who claimed to have been healed
by faith regarded him as mistaken. We
are told that death, as well as suffering.
results from sin. If suffering can be ale
waited by prayer does it not follow logically
that men can be saved from death by the
same means?
Rev. Lyman Palmer. in reply to these ad-
verse expressions, said that he was not sur
prlsed to find that some should refuse to
accept the doctrine. No one understood
religion until they once experienced it, and
IL was the same way with divine healing.