Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-27


ing to the life of John Wesley, the
founder of Methodism, he for many
years was a firm believer in the direct
power of God to heal the sick. through
the efficacy of prayer, and praeticed
1t not only for himself, but for others.
Bishops Instructed to Heal
| An instance is related where he re-
stored himself to health almost imme-
diately from a severe fever Whleh hau
/ hung on him for several days by ask
| ing Gods direct help, and by reVolV-
ing in his mind and contemplating
some of the very scriptural passages
TO which l have called your attention.
IL Is also matter of record in eonec-
ton with the Methodist Episcopal
church that when the bishops of that
denomination are ordained they are IA,
structed among other things, to heal
the sick, not as educated physicians,
nor with drugs and medicines, but
by virtue Of their office.
Does this plain Biblical authority,
with its corroborative history, both
sacred and secular, count for nothing
now? Has it no meaning for use to-
day? Had it no meaning for those pre-
cedlng us? Have we right to wipe 1t
all out, or to declare it obsolete? Let
us think a moment. If the contention
to which l have referred was true,
namely that a part of Jesus great
commandment has become obsolete,
then 1t is mere dead letter and each OF
us would have right at pleasure TO
take pen and ink and blot it out we
surely have the same right to blot 1t
out physically that we have to blot 1t
out mentally. Christian Scientists do
not admit this right nor seek to eXer-
else it.
A few words as to Jesus healing of
the sick. Often when he healed sick
person he said to him in substance:
go and sin no more, lest worse thing
come unto YOU" When he healed the
man sick of the palsy he said to him:
my son, be of good cheer, thy sins be
forgiven thee" He evidently recog-
nized a connection between some kind
of sin this man had been committing
and the sickness which was upon him,
but he did not 'denounce the poor fell
low because he was sick as the result
of his sins; he made no threats of eter-
nal punishment toward him, nor did he
pronounce upon him a verdict of in
durability or of death He did nothing
to frighten, but everything to encour
age him. He bade him be of good
cheer and at the same time he pro-
nounced his sins forgiven, he declared
his sickness healed, and told him to
arise, take up his bed and go into his
house, which he did. In recognizing the
fact that sin was the cause of much of
the sickness of his time. to say the
least, Jesus was only recognizing that
of which we are bound to take notice
today, if we take notice of anything.
Causes of Disease
Had we the power now, and did we
exercise 1t, to remove from the world
all the sickness and disease, the sorrow,
grief. woe, suffering and death result
ing from some kind of sinful, or wrong
full or foolish living, we would thereby
almost literally have verified the possi-
bility of doing the works that Jesus
said must be done by those who be-
lieve on him. Take the great sin, the
stupendous folly, of intemperance, the
excessive use of intoxicating liquors;
had we the power this moment to re-
move from the world all the sickness,
disease. sorrow, grief, woe, suffering,
poverty and death resulting from this
one form of sinful or foolish living we
would thereby almost have trans
formed this earth into a paradise.
refer to these because they stand out
spicuously. We know them to be
prolific sources of many kinds of sick
ness and all the consequences thereof
There are other causes of a mental
character such as mental worry or
stress, anxiety, discouragement and
melancholla, with their long train of
physical disorders which our human
wisdom is pleased to call physical dis
eases. Take the business world; how
many men and women become sick,
and how many die as the result of
business worry and disappointment and
disbursement and defeat, and how
many seek to escape from their suffer-
lngs through suicide.
The Christian Scientist in his analy-
sis of the causes of sickness, goes fur |
ther and tells you that there are yet
other causes, mental in origin, such as
anger and malice and hatred and jeal- |
ousy, and the spirit of revenge and
kindred mental qualities. We know
that people sometimes get sick and |
sometimes die in fits of passion, These |
other qualities harbored are not less
harmful and If they be not overcome
sooner or later manifest themselves in /,
the form of so-called physical disease |
Futiity Of Surgery
Having thus briefly referred to the |
causes OF sickness and its conse- |
quences, what shall we say of the real
remedy therefor? Can we hope for
final and radical healing of sickness
and disease resulting directly or indi- |
rectly from the causes referred to- |
through any power or efficacy con-
taAAeu III Illuminate drugs! Can the |
drug enter human thought and regu-
late wrong conditions there? Can it |
destroy wrong mental appetites and |
desires? If it could do this it would |
be both powerful and intelligent. If 1t
could really heal under such circum-
stances 1t would be the very god that |
some honest people believe 1t to be. |
And what shall we say of surgery? |
Can the surgeons knife cut out wrong |
mental conditions or remove wrong |
appetites and passions? The utmost |
that Is claimed for 1t is that it may in !
some cases remove the physical eff |
fects OF these. In saying this, l wish |
to cast no reflections upon the pro-
fessions Of medicine and surgery.
From their standpoint they are doing |
the best they can. Their purpose is !
right, for it is to alleviate human suf
fering and stay the ravages of dis.
eases; but allowing to these profess
sions all the credit to which they can
possibly be entitled, the question re-
ours, and to those who are at all |
awakened to this great question, keeps |
recurring, and like Banquo's ghost. |
will not down at their bidding, can |
inert drugs and medicines or the sur
geon's knife really heal diseases which
are the result of wrong thoughts, |
wrong mental conditions, or wrong |
habits of thinking?
In speaking of sin and its conse-
quences, we do not wish to be under
stood as saying that all who get sick
are sick as the result of any conscious
or willful wrong-doing on their part,
for some of the best people in the |
world seem to suffer most, some of the
most refined and sensitive natures !