Washington sentinel., 1899-01-14
Enlth Healing Stories.

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--a-Ss-----
FaIth Healing Stories.
am anxious to tell you about
my own experience of faith healing
Tsays a writer in the Church
Gazette. A Scotch fellow student
and myself had been to Bavaria,
and were told that in Wurtemberg
there was an establishment where
"taithcures" were being worked by
a Lutheran minister. We went,
stayed for a week, and were greatly
impressed by what we saw and
heard. The place was Bad Boil in
central Swabia. The name OF the
good pastor Professor Blumhardt.
He was a stout, comfortable look
ing person with a kind face genial
manner, and singularly free fr om
the usual clerical cant and aftec-
tation. The living was plain and
good. Pastor Blu nhardt did not
disparage physicians or ordinary
remedies, but he believed that
prayer and faith were more ettica-
cious than drugs. He held that
the maj ority ol maladies were OF
a mental and spiritual kind, and
that prayer and faith would there
fore prove more effectual than
physical agencies. He thoroughly
believed in demoniacal possession.
The first time he exercised his
marvellous gift Of healing was
during his pastorate at MottlinPen,
One OF his female parishioners had
been suffering or long time from
cOnVulsions and other nervous
symptoms, which completely bat
fled the skill of her physicians.
The house in which she lay i'll was
likewise the scene OF strange man
ifeStations, violent rappings, un-
earthly forms, and unfamiliar
sounds, which de6ed all efforts
made to defeat their author. One
day, as the patient was apparently
at the point Of death, Blumhardt
approached the bed, and touching
| her convulsed hands, said: 1--WE
have seen long enough what the
| devil is able to do; it is time we
should see the power OF Jesus.
Immediately the sick woman
quieted down, and a few minutes
after she was able to JOIN in prayer.
The requests Tor help received by
Blumhardt were numerous in one
year he had 1900 kilograms in ad-
dition 10 thousands OF letters-and
came from far and wide. A per-
sonal visit was unnecessary, The
power of prayer and faith is, Of
course, independent OF material
conditions. There are hundreds
Of we'll authenticated cases OF cure.
Another faith healer, less dis
tinguished but equally remarkable
in her way, was Dorothea Tyndal,
who lived in a remote village in
Switzerland Her theory was that
every statement in the bible must
be taken an pied ae Ia kettye, and
that what held true for the first cen
tury applies TO all subsequent time.
So she believed that the laying on
Of han,ls and the amounting with
oil, accompanied by prayer, would
be as eftectual now in the curing
OF dis ase as it was supposed to
have been in the early days Of
Christianity. Numbers Of people
from all lands hocked to her es-
tabishment. She believed that
no disease was, in itself, incurable.
Many marvellous instances are re-
corded Of her healing powers.
One day young man came to her
who had been suffering tor six
months from a disease in his bones,
and had been dismissed from the
hospital as incurable. Alter
week, he vas much better, and
shortly after he left, having COM
pletely recovered. At another
time, young artisan arrived in
the first stage OF cancer. Dorothea
prayed with him, and treated his
case in her usual waV. He felt
slightly better, but his progress
was slow. One Sunday, however,
he made a iull confession OF mis-
sins, which he had hitherto refused
to do. From that time he speedily
regained his bodily health, and be-
fore long he joyfully left the insti-
tuition, restored to bodily and
spiritual health.