The Newtown bee., 1900-02-02
alone without the intervention of medi-

alone without the intervention of medi- |
cine or physician.
Now, If all this be true, multitudes of
Christians to-day, and among them some
of the purest spirits that ever lived,
THOSE WHO WALK CLOSEST TO CHRIST
and who know what it is to stand in the
secret OF Gods presence, are wholly
wrong in their conception of what their
religion can mean to them. Then these
noble men and women, though they pray
earnestly that they may live the Spirit
filled life, are not taking Christ at His
word; they are beggars standing without
the door, shivering in The rags Of their
suffering and distress, when as children
they might be admitted within the palace
and sit at the table Of the King. These
earnest souls are misguided. They are
not standing on the Promises; they are
getting but small satisfaction out of re-
gion which might mean to them a per-
petual feast and gladness and song.
Anu Cu1 I6blduB III OH hkSS hhNO DCGu
treading the path Of delusion that the
mul:itudes are walking in to-day. Some
Of the men whose shoes' latchet, l can
confidently say, many of the advocates
of Divine Healing would not have been
worthy to unloose, the glory of whose
character would have made the glory Of
other mems character as darkness in con-
trast, have been great suff, r3rs. 1t is a
great chapter In the history of the Chris
tiau Church that tells how much great
suff erers and great invslids have accom-
plished for God. Calvin, whose irfluence
in the Church is pillar that never can
be broken down, was lifelong invalid.
Richard Baxter, while he was writing OF
1.-The Saints Rest in Heaven" was a
great suff!r3r. Robert Hall, whose
mRtchless descriptions of the New Jeru-
sal 9m would I'll the ears of his hearers
with the sounds of the celestial harmo-
MES, often, before he went into his pulpit
to preach, would III upon the floor In
excruciating agony. David Brainerd was
so frail in body that he died quite young.
Henry Martin was ii most a walking
corpse. II the advocates of Divine Heal
ing are right, then the missionary Of
Bishop Taylor In Africa was right, too,
who said to the physician who entreated
him to take some quinine as he lay very
sick with the African fever: mo, have
trusted my body to the Lord to be healed :;
and IL BE wishes me to continue my work
in Africa, He will heal me-" But" re-
piled the physician, "God has revealed
to you that quinine is good for fever, and
He would have His blessing come to you
through that channel" "No, will not
detract from Gods glory" came the sick
mans reply. "Well, 1 have to tell you"
was the last word of the attending ply.
sician, "lhat you are on the point of dy-
ing, ard unless you take this quinire,
can give you no hope"-and the mis-
sionary died, II the advocates of Divine
Healing are right in their conception of
sickness and their view of Christ's work,
then David Brainerd and Richard Baxter
and Henry Martin were needless suffer-
ers, then many Christian men and women
to-day Of pure lifeiand unsullied charac-
acter are needless sufferers, then this
missionary in Africa was right in refus-
ing the quinine, then we are wrong, our
Congregational body and all other bodies
OF Christians, in planting medical mis-
sions in foreign lands; there is higher,
BITTER AND MORE soRIPTURAL WAY
to heal the body than thr Juga the appli-
cation Of medicinal means and the skill
OF physician, and we ought to teach
the heather that way.
IL Divine Healing true? II it has
truth in 1t, is 1t the whole truthP The
whole subject is difficult one and one
upon which many clashing opinions ex.
ist. L have long wished to speak upon It
but have hesitated hitherto for fear was
not ready to speak, nor am / yet quite
sure that / shall speak with as much
wisdom as / could wish. In matter Of
this kind one can at least live up to the
most light that he has at the time, ever
holding his mind open for the entrance
OF more light as it may come. Let as
state again what Divine Healing lie, that
our starting-point may be clear. Divine
Healing Is the doctrine that teaches that
all sickness may be cured By prayer
alone without the help of medicine or
IL rests upon the conception
Of sickness which ssys that all sickness
is the result OF Gin; it looks upon the
mission Of Jesus Christ as being as well
for the healing OF the body as FIR the
saving of the soul.
In the first place, such teaching does
not appear to me as reasonable; somehow |
1t does not strike one as that which APP