The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-01-09

from the dead, and the water was not
turned into wine, and the Red Sea was mot
divided, and In answer to prayer Hezeki.
abs boil did not get we'll, then the Bible Is
the worst fraud ever perpetrated in Gods
universe.
All! my friends, have we been mistaken
Does God hear and answer prayer, or does
he notf Hezekiah was sick unto death;
be prayed for his life; God heard him, and
added fifteen years to that lifetime. The
prayer saved him-the lump Of figs applied
being merely the God-appointed human
instrumentality. 'But," says some one,
II don't believe the Bible" All! then we
will have to part company for four or five
minutes, for it is useless to try to argue
with any man with whom you can not
stand upon common ground. In any ar
gument, il you would be successful, there
must be some common data to start from.
It is foolish to try to prove to man that
twice three are six, provided he does not
admit the multiplication table, or that two
and two are four, If he does not admit the
addition table. 90
My first address, therefore, is to those
who do believe in the Bible want to tell
you that prayer is the mightiest of all
remedies, and that the allopathic and ho-
meopathic and eclectic schools will yet ac-
knowledge it. Here are two cases of sick
ness precisely alike-the same kind Of
medicine is given to both of them, and in
ho an mn Ouo uis<ioc Tho nno f;ovt vo.
covers and the other does not. Why? God
blesses the one remedy and does not bless
the other. Prayer has helped many a
blum dering doctor through with case
that would have otherwise become COM
pletely manageable. There is such
thing as gospel hygiene, as Christian
pharmacy, as Divine materia medica.
That is a foolish man who, in case Of sick
ness, goes only to human resources when
we have these instances Of the Lords helr
in the sick room. Before you call the doc
tor, while he is there, and after he goes
away, look up to Him who cured Hezekiah
Let the apothecary send the poultice, but
God makes it draw. Oh! am glad tc
have q doctor who knows how to pray
God send salvation to all the doctors
Sickness would be oftener baked, deatt
would be oftener hurled back from thu
door sill. if medical men came into thu
sick room, like Isaiah Of the text, with 6
prescription in their hands, and the wore
Of the Lord in their mouths.
John Abercrombie, the most celebrated
physician Of Scotland, prayed when hi
went into the sick room, and he wrote nj
more ably about diseases of the BRAIN
than about "the philosophy Of the mora
feelings" don't know how much of thu
medical success of Sydenham, and Cooper
and Harvey, and Rush, depended upor
the fact that they knew how to pray a
we'll as prescribe. don't want physi
clan who sees no God in human anatomy
to doctor my broken bones. If God mad
us land think he did). and If the Bible Il
true (and am rather disposed to think i
is), then it is not strange that prayer doe
traverse natural cause; aye, that it intro
duces new cause. When God made tn
law, he did not make it so strong he coult
not break it. II God made our bodies
when they are broken he is the one t.
mend them; and it is reasonable that W
should call Him in to do it. II my furnac
in the cellar breaks down, there is no on
so competent to repair 1t as the manu-
facturer. II my watch stops, there is N
one SO competent to set it going as the on
who made it. If the body is disordered
call in the Maker of it. 1t is not all, a
these physicists tell us, a matter of ventil
alton or poisoned air, of cleanliness @
dirt, of nutritious diet or poor fare.
have known people to get we'll in room
where the windows have been six week
down, tight shut, and have known ther
to die right under patent ventilators.
have known children sickly who ever
day had their bath, and l have know
children robust, tho washing of who's
faces would make their features unrecog
nizable.
God did not make the law and then ru
away from it. What is law OF nature
1t is only Gods usual way of doing thing
But He has said that if His children as
Him to do thing, and He can consistent
do 1t, He will do it. Go on with your pill
and plasters, and nostrums, and elixir
and your catholicon, but remember tn,
the mightiest agency in your recovery
prayer. Prayer to God brought the king
cure, the lump of figs being the God
rected human fundamentally.
would have you also see..for 1t is ar
other lesson Of the subject that our pray
or must also be accompanied by means.
is an outrage to ask God to do thin
while we sit indolent. The prayer, to
acceptable, must come not only from II
heart, but from the hands. We must wol
while we pray, devotion and work goin
together. Luther came to Melancthon
bedside and prayed for his recovery, an
in sisted, at the same time, that he shoul
take some warm soup, the soup being ju
as important as the prayer. In the tin
of the great plague that came ITO York,
England, the priests prayed all night an
all day for the removal of the plagu
but did not think of clearing out the dea
dogs and cats that lay in the gutter
causing the sickness. We must use mea,
as we'll as duplication. If man hi
"evening prayers" asking for health, an
then sits down 20 a full! supper of indigo
tibles at II O'Clock at night, his prayer
a mockery. A farmer has no right to pre-
for the safety of his family when |
knows there is no cover on the cistern. tt
Christian man, reckless about his healt
ought not to expect the same answer
his prayer as the Christian man expec
who retires regularly at :.
O'Clock at night and takes
morning bath with the append
of Turkish towel. Paul said to the pa
sengers of the Alexan drian corn ship tn
they should get safe ashore but he to
them they must use means, and that wa