The Grit-advocate., 1900-07-27

thier hue, and the muscles began to
relax from their rigidity, and the spin
al column began to adjust itself, and
the cords of the neck began to be the
more supple, and the eyes that could
see only the ground before, now look
ed into the face of Christ with graft
tude and up toward heaven in trans
port. Straight! After eighteen weary
and exhausting years, straight. The
poise and gracefulness, the beauty OF
healthy womanhood reinstated. The
thirty-eight years case was man who
lay on mattress near the mineral
baths at Jerusalem. There were five
apartments where lame people were
brought, so that they could get the
advantage of these mineral baths. The
stone basin of the bath is still visible,
although the waters have disappeared
probably through some convulsion OF
nature. The bath, l20 feet long, forty
feet wide and eight feet deep. All,
poor man, if you. have been lame and
helpless thirty-eight years. that min
eral bath cannot restore you. Why,
thirty-eight years is more than the av-
erage human life. Nothing but the
grave will cure you. But Christ the
Surgeon, walks along these baths and
l have no doubt passes by some pa
tients who have been only six months
disordered or year or five years, and
comes to the mattress of the man who
had been nearly four decades helpless
and to this thirty-eight years invalid
said, wilt thou be made whole?
Chriat the Chief Surgeon.
The question asked not because the
surgeon did not understand the pro-
case but to evoke the mans pathetic
narrative wilt thou be made whole?''
Would you like to get well?" oh
yes,' says the man. That is what |
came to these mineral baths for.
have tried everything. All the sur
geons have failed. and all the pre-
scriptions have proved valueless, and
got worse and worse, and can neither
move hand nor foot nor head Oh, ii
could only be free from this pain OF
thirty-eight years." Christ the Sur
geon could not stand that. Bending
over the man on the mattress. and in a
voice tender with all sympathy, bu1
strong with all omnipotence, he says
Rise" and the invalid instantly
scrambles to his knees and then puts
out his right foot. then his left foot
and then stood upright, as though he
had never been prostrated While he
stands looking at the doctor, with a
joy too much to hold, the doctor says;
'onv,-. .ef iG-s l--;,.c. -Jt .,o.. :. Z
not only well enough to walk, but well
enough to work. and start out from
these mineral baths. Take up thy bed
and walk" Oh. what surgeon for
chronic cases then and for chronic
cases now,
This is not applicable so much to
those who are only little hurt of sin
and only for a short time, but to those
Frustrated of sin twelve years, eight
cen years, thirty-eight years. Here is
a surgeon able to give immortal health.
oh you say, Il am SO completely
oyerthrown and trampled down of sin
that | cannot rise" Are you t1atter
down than this patient at the mineral
baths? No. Then rise In the name
of Jesus of Nazareth, the surgeon who
offers you his right hand of help, l bid
thee rise. Not cases of acute sin, but
OF chronic sin-those who have not
prayed for thirty-eight years, those
who have not been to church for thir-
ty-eight years. those who have been
mDlers, or libertines. or thieves, or
OIL AWS hln ntnarS infilelS.