The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-09
What the Church
Doing.
THE RELIGION OF THE HELPING
HAND.
The International Sunday School les
SON for March ii is, "Eneas and
DOrclS.'' Acts 8: 31-43.
BY WILLIAM f. ELLIS.

BY WILLIAM f. ELLIS.
Here we have a story without a
villain. Everybody acts handsomely
and helpfully. The Background is
peace and progress: in the forefront
are men and women seer at their best
There has been turmoil and excite
ment IN most Of the past ten lessons:
dramatic incidents have at no time
been lacking. Now the quarter closes
with 81 peaceful, quiet, constructive,
lesson, comprising the two incidents OF
the healing OF Eneas, who had been
palsied FOR eight years, and the rails
ing to life. also by Peter. Of Dorcas,
the Wo1nan who was full OF good
works and almsdeeds which she did
The lesson OF the lesson is twofold.
and it lies on the surface: The
Gospel OF Jesus is attested by it's power
70 transform feebleness into strength
and death into life: and the religion OF
the helping hand is the immernoria]
result of accepting Christ as Lord,
These Two teachings are for today.
IN othar fashion. but none the less
truly, the Gospel is at the present
time lifting up the broken in body
and spirit, and sending them, erect
and rejoicing, as witnesses to the
supernatural power which still resides
in Christianity.
When Cities Are Stirred.
The cities of Richmond and Boston
have lately been stirred to THEN depths
by the Chapman evangelistic meetings.
Especially in the conservative old
New England city has the impression
been profound. Thousands of per-
sons clamored in vain for admi,tance
10 Gospel meetings already overcroWd-
ed. Men and women in all walks OF
life pQrlicly confessed that they had
I1Zyo ~1nlo- o,r a~a :, ~ n.y. tIiS old
fashioned Gospel. To them, and to
their friends, it seemed as if they had
passed from death unto life.
How the city's many tongues Wag
ged over these wonders of conversion
Even so the talk ran at LYDIA, where
Peter healed the paralytic, and a
Joppa, where he restored life to Dor
cas-. These events were signs
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of the divine
power which inheres in Christianity
Made-over men and women are the
final and irr~efutable argument for tn
Gospel. The devil is less concerned
over the books of Christian apologize:
than he is over the converted sinners
who testify to the W. that madt
them whole again. This is the sor
Of thing that sets a community by tht
ears and turns mems hearts to theil
maker. The company of Witnesse:
of which EneaS and Dorcas were earl,
members has been a steadily increas
ing one ever since.
The Healing. Church.
DR.. Robert A. Hume. OF India. call:
himself q "Maker and nfender OF mer
and boys, by the power Of the Lore
Jesus" In otner words. he is q mis-
sionary. AS one day rode in {
tonga through the city of Ahmedna
gar with him, being greeted on ever.
4 ~ 1.n0 i
ized that his great work has beer
done, not by the books he has written
or by the sermons he has preached il
MS Oriental church but by his bein,
a friendly, helpful ne1ghbor in the or
binary relationship of life. He i
touching his little speck OF India witt
the helping, healing touch of Jesus
| am satisfied to accept him, and tel
thousand men and worren like: him, a
being in the apostolic succession be
cause he displays an apostolic char
acter and does apostolic deeds. Simon
Peter, on his missionary tour, woul'
have found nan a modern mission
airy q congenial companion,
The conception of ministry which
the carly church held 50 strongly
again taking strong hold OF the min
manuel Movement, and various mOdl
locations thereof, is permeating al
denominations and all sections Of tn
country. The ministry is stresslni
Wilderness as we'll a. holiness. Jesu
the healer, is looming large in tn
Christian thought Of our day. Q
course this fascinating theme ofte1
evokes Unbalanced views, and it j
1raught with peril to the merely emo
tionaI and superficial. None the less
through the science of medicine am
the practice of faith, the church ma
do for the afflicted what Peter did 70
Eneas. The medical missions Whicl
are cerlters Of light and healing al
over the non-Chrfstian world are a.
measurable expression of the Cos