Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-03-19
Issus left the country Of the Gerges-

Jesus left the country Of the Gerges-
snes at their request, because they
feared that o,hsr healings of obsessed
people might destroy other herds Of
swine. the chief industry OF that place.
He came oy boSt TO his own city Of
CapsrnAam. where most Of his mighty
works we're done. The people throng-
I'll about him and soon he was busy
nraac1sng 10 q houseful about the love
ana mercy Of God and the duty and
responsibility OF man. The house was
of tae ordinary type of one story, with
large tiles constituting the roof and
with outside stairs leading thereto.
Presently q paralytic borne upon
stretcher was brought by his friends
that the Lord might heal him. They
could not enter because Of the multi
ude which filed the room and extend
ed into the court In their earnest
ness they climbed the stairs. removed
the large stone thing near the center
Of the house and let the man on the
stretcher down in front Of the Saviour
1t was not necessary to explain or 10
entreat. The Great Physicians heart
went out in loving sympathy. He rec
/ ognized the prayer Of faith and answ>
cred it at once, but not as might have
been expected.
To teach a great lesson respecting
( the relationship between sin and sick
ness. and to show himself powerful to
deliver them both, he said to the sick
man, son, be of good cheer. Thy sins
lie forgiven thee." Possibly the pal
sled man and his friends may have
felt disappointed. Like many OF our
day they may have appreciated the
loavss and fishes and healings ac-
complished by our Lord more than
they were able to appreciate his work
as Redeemer, the Sin-Bearer, the one
through whom comes forgiveness .
sins.
/ But there were present some very
+ religious people learned in the Law
who understood that trangression Of
the Divine Law could not be forgiven
\ except by the satisfaction of that Law
When these in their hearts began tc
! murmur, Jesus knew It and said aloud
Which is easier-to say. Thy sins b.
forgiven thee, or 10 say, Arise and
4 walk?' The Master would have his
critics see that even they without au-
thority could say. Thy sins be forgiven
thee, and none have power to know On
the subject. But they could not heal
the man and dare not say TO him
Arise and walk. He thus convincs ed
them that what they had thought the
more difficult was really the easier and
that the one who could say the latter
could doubtless truthfully say the
former. Then, turning to the sick
man, Jesus said, Arise, take up thy
/ bed and go unto thine house"-and he
did.
\ On a very similar occasion the
4 Scripturestell US that our Lord said 70
the healed one, Go thy way and sin
no more, lest a worse thing fall upon
thee" In these words our Lord indi-
Gated a relationship existing between
sin and sickness. The more we con.
slider the subject the more we are as
sured Of this. Sickness is so much d
, death working in US toward compile
ton. Before the death sentence came
there was no sickness. After the Re.
, deemer shall, during the Millennium
nave put away sin, the time will come
We are sure, when there shall be M
more signing, no more crying. no more
! dying" Not only so, but do we not
all recognize that the dying we have
inherited from father Adam has come
) to US down through the ages along the
lines Of mental, moral and physica,
! sickness, impairment of function? And
do not all recognize that to whatever
extent sin is INDUCED in willingly, the