The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1893-05-24
HEALED BY A TOUCH.
Theme Of a Discourse by Rev. T,
Dewitt Talmage, d. d.
A Lesson Drawn From One OF Christi
Miracles = No Addition Of Help to
Others without Subtraction Of
Power From Ourselves
~. A New Prescription.

~ SAAe fSoNAOoA w ehOoC WbO AONhNNN
Him when the invalid woman, having
touched His garment, He asked, "Who
Touched Me?" Mark ", 81.
A great crowd of excited people ell.
bowing each other this way and that,
and Christ in the midst of the commo-
ton. They were on the way to see
Him restore to complete health dying
person. Some thought He could effect
the cure, others that He could not. At
any rate, 1t would be an interesting ex-
pertinent A very sick woman Of twelve
years invalidism Is in the crowd. Some
say her name was Martha, others say
1T was Veronica. do not know what
her name was; but this is certain she
had tried all styles of cure. Every
shelf of her humble home had medi-
cines on 1t. She had employed many Of
the doctors o. that time when medical
science was more rude and rough and
ignorant than we can imagine in this
time, when the word physician or sur
;geon stands for potent and educated
skill. Professor Lightfoot gives list
of what he supposes may have been the
remedies she had applied. suppose
she had been blistered from head to
foot, and had tried the compress, and
had used all styles of astringent herbs,
,and she had been hacked and cut and
iacerated until life to her was plague.
Besides that the Bible indicates her
doctors bills had run up frightfully,
and she paid money for medicines and
for surgical attendance and for hygenis
apparatus until her purse was as ex.
hausted as her body.
What, poor woman, are you doing In
that jostling crowd? Better go home
and to bed and nurse your disorders
mol Wan end wasted and faint she
stands there, her face distorted with
suffering and ever and anon biting her
lips with some acute pain, and sobbing
until her tears fall from the hollow
eyes upon the faded dress; only able to
stand because the crowd is SO close TO
her, pushing her this way and that.
Stand backl Why do you crowd that
poor body? Have you no consideration
for dying woman9 But Just at that
time the crowd parts and this invalid
comes almost up to Christ; but she Is
behind Him, and His human eye does
not take her In. She has heard somuch
about His kindness to the sick, and she
does feel SO wretched, she thinks
II she can only just touch Him once II
will do her good. She win not touch
Him on the sacred head, for that might
he irreverent. She will not touch Hin
on the hand for that might seem toe
familiar. She says: IL will, think
touch Him ON His coat, not on the toI
of IL or on the bottom of the main fab
ric, but on the border, the blue border
the long threads of the fringe O
that blue border; there can b,
no harm in that. l don't thinl
think He will hurt me, have heard Sc
much about Him. Beside that, cor
stand this no longer. Twelve years o
suffering have worn me out. This i
my last hope" And she presse
through the crowd still further ant
reaches for Christ, but cannot quit
touch Him. She pushes still furthe
through the crowd and kneels and put
her finger TO the edge of the blu
fringe Of the border. She just touche
IL. Quick as an electric shock ther
thrilled back into her shattered nerve
and shrunlen veins and exhausted al
teries and painting lungs and withere
muscles, health, beautiful health, rub
cund health. The twelve years marc
of pain and pang and suffering owe
suspension bridge ofnerve and throug
tunnel of bone instantly halted.
Christ recognizes somehow that maj
netic and healthful influence throug
the medium Of the blue fringe OF HI
garment had shot out. lie turns an
looks upon that excited crowd, an
startles them with the interrogatory {
my text: "Who touched me?" tn
insolent crowd in substance repliet
"How do we know2 You get in crow
like this and you must expect TO |
jostled. You ask us a question yo
know we cannot answer" But tl
roseate and rejuvenated woman can
up and knelt in front OF Christ an
told OF the touch, and told of the resto
alton, and Jesus said: Daughter, II
faith hath made thee whole Go
peace" So Mark gives us dramatic
ton OF the Gospel. o, what doctt
Christ Isl In every one Of our hous
holds may He be the family physical
Notice that there is no addition
help 10 others without substraction
power from ourselves. The conte.
snys that as soon as this woman w
healed, Jesus felt that virtue q,
strength had gone out Of him. No a
dition Of help to others without su
straction OF strength from ourselve
Did you never get tired for other
Have you never risked your health 4
others? Have you never preached sc
mon, or delivered an exhortation, orc
fered a burning prayer and then &c
afterward that strength had gone o.
Of your Then you have never imitat'
Christ. rk 40 "
Are you curious TO know how th
garment Of Christ should have wrong
such cure for this suppliant invalil
] suppose that Christ was surcharg'
with vitality. You know that disea
NAV be conveyed from city 70 city ]
garments, as in case Of epidemic, a
30 suppose that garments may be 81
charged with health. I suppose th
Christ had such physical magnets
that Il permeated all his robe down
the last thread on the border Of y
blue fringe. But In addition TO th
there was . divine thrill, there was
miraculous potency, there was an o.