Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-12-26

He said: "'Tis lamb!" '''Tis muttonr' She
cried,
"And good mutton, too, and naught beside"
And finally, as things grew worse,
They appealed to law and got divorce.
When seven long years had passed away
They CHANGED, in good humor, to meet one day.
And then they agreed the hatchet to bury,
Again to love and again to marry.
They were married then that very night,
With hopes of happiness full and bright.
But at breakfast she said with a sort of ieer: u
THAT was mutton. you know, my dearest
dear!' Juliet-Romeo-
FAITH AND HEALTH
Daughter, be of good comfort thy faith
hath made thee whole.-Matthew, TX, p.
The text refers to very odd Incl
dent, one which starts US on decided
ly novel train of thought.
This woman had been seriously i'll
for twelve years, and had probably
abandoned all hope of recovery. A
chronic disease is apt to hurl one into
the depths of despair, and twelve times
twelve months of constant suffering
make an aggregate of agony under
which very few of us can stand with
either cheerfulness or hope.
This poor creature had vague no
ton that Jesus was possessed of some
occult power, and she reasoned within
herself that even His garments had
some healing i.roma about them. If
she could urge her way through the
crowd and put her hand on even the
hem of His robe she would be instant
ly healed. There is certain degree of
pathos in this superstition which ap
peals very strongly to our sympathies,
and if we had been there and seen the
longing look in her eyes we should
have assisted her to draw near and ac
complIsh her wish.
The words of Jesus are somewhat
startling He dissipated the element
of superstition at once, and placed the
incident on purely scientific basis by
telling her that the healing power was
not in Him alone, but in herself also.
She was not restored by any virtue
that resided in Him, and the act of
touching the hem of His garment was
not a necessary part of the healing
agency and had nothing to do with
making her whole. On the contrary,
it was her faith that gave her back
her long lost health.
The question for us to consider, and
it is an intensely practical question, is
this: Can what is called faith exercise
an influence over the. body which is
preventive of disease, and when dis
ease has forced its way into the vital
organism can faith exercise an infiu-
ence which is remedial? Are the in
cidents which attended tile career of
Christ wholly exceptional, never again
to be repeated in the history of man
kind, walled in by the Star of Bethle
hem on the one side and the Crucifix-
ion on the other. or are they illustra-
tions-hetter still-are they revelations
of general principles which are just as
applicable in this age as they were on
the Juduan hillsides or the shores of
Galilee?
The latter supposition may be bold
ly inferred from the assurance OF
Christ, when His disciples on one oc
casion were startled, that if a man "be
lieveth on me" greater works than
these shall he do" It might be safe
inference from the general tenor of
His teachings that while death is at
some time inevitable it was intended
by the Creator that all men should be
hale and healthy, and that if we are
not SO it is because we are frequently
in state of mind which is inconsistent
with our physical well being
If the inference is correct, it is mat
ter which calls for very profound con
sideration. OF course it presents a
new side of Christianity, but does it
not make it more dear to us? Is it not
true that men have been so enveloped
in the dense fogs of theologic lore, anG
have SO firmly determined TO make
Christianity what they themselves
thought it ought to be, that they have
practically ignored the historic Chris
and made the Church a Christ in Hi.
stead? May we not believe with Ell
tire safety that God has an interest il
our bodies as well as in our souls, anC
that one of the sorrows of heaven i,
that men and women are so tired and
troubled by a multitude of ailments
which would never have existed anC
would therefore never have been in
herited if the full gospel had beer
properly interpreted?
1t cannot be gainsaid in these dayl
of scientific research, when bodies anC
souls are being explored. that a per
sons mental attitude is a very impor
tant factor of physical as well as of NOR
al health. Peace of mind, the continu
Gus consciousness that your life is be
ing lived along the right lines, that
there is high purpose in the expert
ences which have been allotted to you
and that they will all work for YOU
good if you have the knowledge and
the grace to use them as God intended
you should do-all this has a direct, a
potent, possibly an influence decisive
of health or disease.
Our learned physicians have very
DANGEROUSLY asserted to our deaf ears
that the habit of worriment, that sur
render to a querulOus tendency, that
the indulgence of uncurbed passions
not only result in permanent mental
disturbance, but react on the nervous
system with such relentless vigor as
actually to produce disease. In other
words, your health as well as your
happiness depends largely ON what
you think, on what is called your dis
position. Accept your life in gener-
Gus frame of mind, be at peace with
your soul and your environment, pre-
serve a quiet equanimity, or, in home
ly phrase, take things as they come
and make the best of them, believing
that the good God has need of you in
just the place you occupy, and you do
more to keep yourself whole or to
make yourself whole than all the drugs
that were ever discovered.
Here we have new view of Chris
tianity. The Master gave us revela-
ton and we were not prepared for it,
but in these latter days a STURDY
science comes and reveals the meaning
of the revelation. We are both won
derstruck and grateful. We haye
heretofore thought that the purpose
of religion is to prepare US for another
world, but it has just dawned upon US
that it is to prepare US for this world
as well. We must not have faith in
order to go to heaven by and by, but
in order to enter the heaven which it
is possible to enjoy here and now
At last we have an inclusive Christ,
and the secret of His revealings has
been discovered. He is interested in
the whole circumference of human ex
istenee and touches with His benig
nant finger tips the body as well as the
soul. He not only teaches us that we
must so look on Gods providence that
we shall be ready for the summons
which will usher us into the hereafter.
but must in this present time, in this