The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-04-24
AN ANCIENT WISE SAYING.
DIR. BIsnchsrd's Sermon Mt Congress
Square Church.

yesterday morning on IAN Ancient
Wise Saying Concerning Medicines aud
Physicians"
The text was aiken from the 3Sth chap
ter of Esclesiasticus, verses, 4, D, 10, IL,
10 and IA, and was us follows: 1.-The
Lord created medicines out Of the earth;
and be that is wise will not abhor them.
My son, In thy sickness, be not negligent;
but pray unto the Lord and He Will
make thee whole. Leave oil from SIN,
and order thine hands Alright and
cleanse thy heart from all wickedness'
Then give place to the physician. for
the Lori hath created him; let him not
go from thee. for thou hast need OF him.
There is time when In their hands
there is good success. For they shall also
pray unto the Lord that the world pros
per that which they give for ease and
to prolong life"
DIR. Blanchard began his SERMON by
SAYING that certain circumstances last
summer had prevented him from hav-
ing his usual vacation. The days of the
week were spent In the city; the Sundays
were passed elsewhere. Two of these
Sundays he devoted to the study of the
great meetings of the Christian Alliance
at Old Orchard. He had listened to Rev.
DIR. Simpson with great interest. The
sermons were able and persuasive While
he could not accept the chief tenets-
viz, that Jesus was to return to earth in
bodily presence, and that prayer was the
main cure for sickness, he was impressed
by the simplicity, the sincerity, the con-
secration and the eloquence of DIR. Simp-
son. Friends in New York had told him
OF the great work in the Christian ALI
ance tabernacle. He was glad therefore
to acknowledge the conservation of this
lsader of believers In faith cure. Vari-
Gus forms of belief are ali united in one
thing-the putting away of medicine aud
the antagonism to physicians. DIR.
Blanchard believed that all this result
ed from false science, false philosophy
and false theology. His dissent from
and disapprobation of these views were
profound He felt IL his duty to speak
against them. The motive of his sermon,
then, was to point out the dangers OF
this false science, false philosophy and
false theology.
The first danger is the turning away
from the splendid achievements OF
science; the second is the loss OF life
through rejection of physicians assis
lance; the third Is the danger of epidem-
ic when people assert there is no sick
ness; the fourth is the putting away of
Al ~ To. n n gr va
Heavenly Father. Great are the discoV-
cries of the scientists today. They are
studying the forces Of the universe They
are finding new remedies for disease.
To turn away from these is to endanger
progress in the healing of men. There
are people who will lose children because
they will not employ physicians. In
St. Louis certain people refused to report
cases of malignant disease to the board
of health The more consistent one Is
who says there is no sickness, it is illu-
sion, the more dangerous is he TO the
community. There are those who say
God knows not of the sorrow OF sins OF
the world. Jesus teaches that the Father
knows of these, sympathizes with sor-
row. wishes to overcome the sin. Against
all this false science, false philosophy,
the false theology, the wise words OF
Ecclesiasticus stand forth. file teaches
that God creates medicines. He bids men
pray in sickness and that Cod, helping
through medicine, will also help through
prayer. He urges men to cleanse their
hearts from all wicsedness he wisely
saw that sin leads to disease. We can
see how eluttony, intemperancs. icen-
tiousness bring disease. We can know
how envy. pride, anger, greed will create
sickness. Wise was the teacher who
taught that. God uses physical and psychi
cal means to make one whole. The ply
siclan is indeed created by God. Nari-
Gus likings nd aptitudes must be referred
chiefly to Him. Artist, preacher, disco'-
erer, ply stefan are made by Him. Great
need do we have of the physician. We
want theologians to instruct lawyers to
plead. teachers to teach, architects 10
build. So must there be "A class of men
who devote themselves to healing. Sacred
in their profession. Their relationship
to their patients is a solemn one. There
may be ilippant young physicians. One
can hardly conceive of lack of ccnsecra-
ton among these who have practiced
long. How many physicians become
trusted counsellors-fathers and brothers
and sons to those they serve. Well may
they pray also to the Lord that he would
prosper that which they give for ease ard
to prolong life.
Let us then have the common sense OF
this ancient writer of Ecelesiasticus. He
secs the need OF dependence on the ply
steal and the psychical. He Wake in
the middle way. He will build upon that
which has been already gained. lie
will have men use the power of thought.
That is the way of the true physician
of today. He sees the need of help from
mind as we'll as medicine. He know the