Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1910-03-04
Gaturday DIGIT
qekc By Rev. F. f. DAWSON
y /0GssJ Rutland, VI.
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THE KING OF THE
PHYSICAL WORLD.
international Bible Lesson for Mar.
6, 'to.--(Matt. 8:2-tD.

The work of Christ at the begin
ming of His ministry is summarized in
| Matt. 4:23 under the three heads Of
teaching. preaching and healing. One
branch of the work we have now seen
in the lessons on the Sermon on the
Mount viz. teach.ng and preaching.
and Matthew now goes on to set forth
the other great branch Of His work in
two chapters of miracles, group of
marvellous works-the signs of the
kingdom.
Signs of the Kingdom.
| The gradation is natural, Christ
came into a world that needed some
thing more than counsel, rules of life,
| good advice and direction. He found
a world where the whole head was
sick and the whole heart faint Men
need not only the teachers voice, but
the Healer's touch, and it was be-
| cause of this that He who spoke as
never man spoke, proved Himself the
King of the Physical world by His
miracles of healing. The healing is
| as essential as the teaching. For
|
the court of heaven. He was the
| King of Heaven and as such he must
| have divine credentials and prove
| that "in Him was life, and the life
was the light of men" So the mira
cles were the signs of the Kingdom
of Heaven, not prodigtes, spectacu-
lar wonders to startle and dazzle the
beholders. They were never per-
formed for vulgar show, but whenever
the opportunity and occasion demand
ed were put forth naturally, easily,
without strain or sensation, in king
ly fashion by the King Himself, testi-
flying that he was by divine right King
in the physical world. He never seeks
out occasions to formally show his
power. He steadfastly refuses TO
work miracles to awe gaping crowd.
He never poses, saying. Watch me do
a startling, mysterious thing" lie is
always the natural King from Heaven
with heart of love and a hand of
power. That heart never was emptied
of it's love. that hand never failed in
| its touch of power.
Chronic Diseases.
In this lesson we have the account
| of the healing of two men, and a Wom-
| an OF the men one was a leper, the
| other a paralytic. The leper was
| healed with a touch the palsied man
| was healed at a distance. One man
| begged for healing, the other mans
| master appeared in his behalf. One
| patient was defled, the other was
| HELPLESS. Both were healed instantly,
| both were healed on account of per-
| feet faith. Leprosy and palsy were
symbolic diseases; they represented
| sin wholly possessing it's victim. the
ore, the case of those entirely detiled
by sin, the other, the condition of
those who are paralyZed in that part of
| their being which constitutes inward
life. unable apparently to do anything
for themselves in the way of salvation
They represent the extreme of the un-
converted world, whether Jew or Cen
| tile.
Acute Diseases.
Coming into Peters house at the
close of the day Christ found His dis
ciple's mother-in-law PROSTATE with a
fever, and Immediately relieved the
situation, by healing her on the spot.
This third case of healing in one day
was within the circle of the disciples.
And it suggests the spiritual diseases
to which those are liable who are the
intimate friends Of the King Healed
of chronic diseases of the past We yet
are liable to contagion, exposed to at
tacks of acute diseases, which though
temporary are dangerous, and which
need the touch of the Great Physician.
| Epidemics sometimes sweep through
churches and disciples are attacked
by all kinds of fevers, when the faces
get flushed, and the blood hot the
voice strdent, and the eye glaring,
and the tongue rafting on in delirious
speech. Peter himself took a sudden
fever several times in his career from
which he was only recovered by the
Masters prescription.
Representative Cases.
These three miracles in this lesson
are selected to show that the King Is
lord of the body. They are represent
ative cases, they are given in detail
to lead us up to the statement which
follows in the 10th verse: "When the
even was come, they brought unto
Him many that were possessed with
devils, and he cast out the spirits with
His word; and healed all that were
sick That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken by Isaiah the prophet,
Himself took our infirmities and bare
our sicknesses."
And thus Christ demonstrated that
He is King of the physical world. No
possible harm can come to these
bodies of ours that is beyond his abil-
ity In Christ's day there were no
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