The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-05

health is the God of life. Faith is normal;
unfaith is abnormal. Our elementary life
Is dependence on God.
The preacher fails to show-does not even
follow with any attempt to show-any rea-
son why we should not apply all that he
says to the sick we'll the sorrowing
and SHINING. The preacher was engaged in
intoxicating great truth as to the sorrow
ing and SHINING and in opening a shining
road to their vision. He was not then think
ing of the limitation he had put upon Gods
dealings with the sick in the first part of
his sermon. Now, let US take what he says
as TO the sorrowing, and see If there be any
reason why Ii does not apply TO the sick
in body. Is God less kind to His own chill
dren than to the torn plant or dropping
rebels against the medical healer no mat
ter though you treat 1t very deliberately
and use long names while you prop the poor
branch, and wishes to trust itself solely
to Gods beneficence, is man, who is in the
spiritual image and likeness of God who
is Gods child. so inferior to the plant, or
so less under Gods care, that he, in his
sickness, unlike the sick plant shall be told
that he must depend upon the medical
healer, who is human and makes mistakes,
but must not put his dependence upon his
all-wise, ever-present, omnipotent and low
ing God, who makes no mistakes? No.
THE natural restorer of all moral life is the
God of life" and why not so of physical
life for the man as we'll as for 1.-The torn
plant dropping flower?" Is the love of
God towards US to be limited by the preach
er so that it reaches us only when our
moral life is affected-that is to say,
when we sin. but does not reach us when
we are suffering with sickness? No; for
then we are in worse plight when we get
farther off from God if we have pulmo-
nary trouble than if we steal or murder.
Faith is normal; unfaith is abnormal"
True; but where does the preacher get his
authority for admonishing us to have faith
in God If we sin or sorrow, and for reviling
us if we have faith in God when we suffer
from physical ills? Does he get it from his
Bible, or, instead, from the teachings of
medical practitioners, to whose whole sys-
tenn of drug modification God is utterly I'M
known? Thy faith hath made thee whole!'
said Jesus to the sick woman. Whole of
what? OF sin? OF sorrow? Or of physical
sickness? The Scripture tells us it was
physical sickness Have faith in God
was the command of Jesus. Did He limit
His command, the preacher would limit
it? No. On the contrary, He told us, IF
We abide in me and my words abide in you
We shall ask what we will. and it shall be
done unto YOU" And He told us, "Ye shall
know the truth, and the truth shall make
| you free" Does Jesus limit that which
| truth shall free us from, as the preacher
seeks to do? No. Truth makes free from
everything that error brings upon us. And
Jesus commanded His followers, not limit
| ing the command to any country or genera
| ton, to Heal the SICK as we'll as Preach
| the Gospel" Heal the sick of what? OF
moral sickness merely? His own practice
| about doing good shows what He meant.
Healing them with drugs? No. He healed
| them through spiritual means. 1t is puerile
| to say that He depended on clay-and-spittle
| because he used 1T on a blind man. And
| He said, HE that believeth on me the
works that 1 do shall he do Also What
| works? He made use of the works of heal
| ing the physically sick to prove the truth
| of His teachings, and He expected His fol-
lowers to do the same when He enjoined
| upon them in the same command to heal
the sick as we'll as preach the gospel (good
| news) And James tells us, 1.-The prayer of
faith shall save the sick" But the preach
| er says that it cannot do it, and derides
those who believe what James promises,
| basing his promises on what he had repeat
| eddy seen. The preacher becomes brilliantly
eloquent in behalf of the right of the torn
| plant or dropping flower" to have faith In
| Gods beneficent care rather than the ''med-
| ical healer" but when it comes to opposing
the materialistic profession Of drug medi-
| his pulpit to limit our faith in Gods love to
| those cases where we sorrow or are moral
| ly sick. History is against his limitation
| upon Gods loving care and His children
and modern experience is against him. The
Bible promises physical health as the result
| of trust In God, and 1T gives us many in
| stances which prove the truth of its prom
Use. They are many, and a few must suf-
| flee. In Exodus the Lord promises to take
| sickness from His people. He healed Hez-
| ekiah of sickness in direct answer to prayer
| all thine iniquities, who healeth all thy dis
eases" And he says rejoicingly, 20 Lord
my God, ! cried unto thee and thou hast
| healed me-" The Bible calls God 1.-The great
physician and tells us that ii is in God
that 1--WE live, and move. and have our be-
ing" From Genesis to Revelations the
| Bible abounds with similar passages.
| Throughout the United States, in the Can.
adas. in Europe, in Asia. in Africa. in many
| of the islands, multitudes are turning Il
| God to deliver them after medical aid has
proved Intellectual; turning from fortunes
| greater than those from which the preach.
| er's 'wilted leaf" cried out, and God is
| answering their prayers, and history is re.
| peating itself in this. in many other
| things. and showing that James was RICH,
| about the prayer of faith Men turn to Goo
| just naturally when they are sick as
when they are SHINING or sorrowing, anC
| their faith is normal"
| CLARENCE A. BUSKIRK
lOf the Christian Science Publication Com
mittee for Indiana.
Indianapolis, June 2.