The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-10
CURED HIS SORE THUMB
GOD HEkE'S MY SORE THUMB;
YOU CAN CURE IT"
FAITH CURE PREVENTED SPREAD OF FIRE
He Lost Two Children Who Would Not have
Died, he Says, if he Had Asked
God to Spare Their

gencer)
The Christian Scientists, or Faith
Curists, have for some time, been Great
ing much commotion in certain sections
of the country, but not until recently was
any great amount of attention paid TO
them in these parts. Ex-Congressman
land Rev. Charles II. Martin, vi
Polkton, has been preaching the new
doctrine, in different sections of the
county, since his return from Washing
ton, and it would not surprise It's in
the least to learn that he lad made
converts to it. We have been furnished
with a report of one of these sermons,
which makes interesting reading. Here
it is:
ut is a new doctrine | will speak of
on this occasion. Not only is it new to
you, but | venture the statement that
none of you will believe it when you
hear it. But it is not peculiar to the
ignorant and superstitious. 1t was not
born of dreams nor is it the product of
fear or folly Some Of the most intel
ligent people in this country believe
and practice this doctrine. 1T is part
of their every day lives and the bless
ings of God fall upon Them like the
dew falls ON fruit and flower. | heard
the pastor of one of the leading church
es in New York preach it in the most
eloquent language, and in Washington
it's followers are to be found in the
highest classes.
God has power to heal every bruise,
every affiiction if we but ask him trust
ingly and honestly. If you deal square
~ with Him he will more than do his
part. You go to your physician for
medicine and in doing SO, do you not say
TO him, i believe you can cure me?
Do you say this to God when you pray
to him? You ought to say it with ten
thousand times-yes, ten million
trillon times the confidence you have in
your earthly physician. If you do SO
God viii heal all your sores, remove all
shadows and doubts and He viii make
all your days bright as the golden sun
shine.
II had a sore on my thumb for a long
time. 1t gave me a great deal of an
noyance. j could get no medicine that
would do me any good. | was in de-
spair. Was | to go all through life with
an old sore on my thumb? One day |
took my troubles to God God l said,
here's my sore thumb; you know it
troubles me; will you mot make it
well? | know you can. Let thy pow
'er be manifested in the cure of this
sore" The next day that sore thumb
was entirely well. 1t was cured by
the Great Physician-Go When |
was in Washington | was sorely af-
flicted with neuralgia. | could get moth
ing that would do it any good. One
night | discarded all medicine and went
to bed just telling God | left it all
with him. | knew he could cure the
disease and / felt that he would If |
trusted him. The next morning the
pain was all gone and there was no
soreness left. The pain did not bother
me till some time afterward when |
did something God did not want me TO
do, so he sent it back again as bad
as ever l said to him again, Lord,
here / am. / know | have done wrong,
but forgive me and heal my affiiction
again. Sure enough, in the twinkling
of an eye, the pain all left and has
never come back. | had occasion TO
burn of piece of new ground not long
since. AS | put fire TO the brush |
said, Now Lord, it is in your hands.
You can control this fire and keep it
from going where it should not, and
ask you to do it. So it resulted God s
power kept the flames from spreading.
If some one else had fired that new
ground as | did there is no telling how
much damage might have been done. /
asked God to take it in his hands and
he did so. My little daughter, Mary
Russell, was very sick. We were very
much alarmed Our physician did his
best, but little Mary was sinking all
the time. One night / asked God, as
/ had never asked him before, to save
her life. Oh, how / entreated and
prayed! Before | got up off my knees
| had an answer; something told me
Mary Russell was going to get well. /
slept soUndly all night and early in the
morning went out to one of my farms.
did not ask any one how the child
was. | didn't need to. God told me
she was better. AN that forenoon
was one of the happiest men in the
world. Mary Russell was better;
knew it. No one had told me but God
himself. / was in no hurry to get
Gods message said that my daughter
would get well and | knew He would
tell me no lie about it. When / got
home some one said, Mary Russell is
much better but it was NO news to
me; had known it all the morning.
81 have two children buried in the
graveyard over yonder-Eddie and
FranE-two darling boys. They would
not have died had | asked God, as I
can ask Him now, to spare their lives.
OH, how much sickness and sorrow
would be spared were we 10 ask God
in the right way about it. If we would
trust the Lord and ask him for help
we would never need a doctor The
same power that raised the dead and
healed the sick when Christ was on
earth, is still ready to help MS. The
mourning friends and sympathizing dis
ciples always asked Jesus to help and
he never refused. He will help MS now
as He helped others then if we but