The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-02-13

! - COnpully MIN 10
Peters house, and
see him cure Peters aged mother of
fever, and there spend the afternoon
! In quiet and rest. Towards sunset
we see the people OF the village bring.
Ing TO him a great number OF sick
| heals.
The word and teaching OF Jesus. not
conscience. is the ultimate rule OF
! life, the final arbiter in the questions
of the soul. While we recognize that
the conscience is the vicegerent OF
God In the soul, the religious instinct
IN man. yet we must admit that II is
a faculty that can be warped. rugged.
misguided and silenced. Therefore. IL
cannot be depended upon as an abso.
lutely correct criterion OF truth and
conduct.
A man may say that he needs no
other revelation than his own reason.
or that he will accept nothing in tho
Bible saving what accords with his
reason, thereby making his reason,
and not the revelation OF God the cri-
terion Of right and wrong Inasmuch.
however. as different men have differ.
ent reasons" for doing, believing and
judging things. we become at once in
volved I'm a maze OF conflicting stand.
ards OF truth and are left hopelessly
In the dark. Reason, therefore. can
not be the ultimate authority in mat
ters OF faith and practice.
When Jesus Christ has spoken.
there is nothing more TO be said
When Christ has passed his Judgment.
there is no appeal from IT, His words
are final and authoritative. Jesus
said: He that rejecteth me, and re-
ceiveth not my words. hath one that
tudgeth him: the word that I have
spoken, the same shall Judge him in
the last day" Thus we see that the
word OF God is not only TO be the
standard of our conduct here and
now, but the standard by which we
shall be judged hereafter
Miracles were not the principal part
OF Christ's work. They were always
subordinate. More than once Christ
expressed the fear that men might be
tempted 10 make miracles the most
prominent part OF his work, and thus
advertise him az a healer OF mems
bodies rather than the savior OF their
souls. That was the reason why
again he forbade those whom he had
healed 10 advertise the healing.
Jesus wrought miracles merely 10
prove TO the people that he was the
Messiah. Indeed. the challenge TO
cast himself down from the pinnacle
OF the temple was a temptation OF the
devil 10 make Christ miraculously
prove TO the waiting people I'm the
courts below that he was the Mes.
siah This he resolutely refused 20
do. Nor were his miracles performed
for the mere purpose OF persuading
men. They were tokens OF Christ's
willingness TO relieve the distresses OF
men. In so far as Jesus was able
thus 20 help and relieve he felt him.
self called upon so TO do
Christ's mission is ours likewise
As he was sent into the world by the
father, so are we sent by the son.
Our fellows are bowed down with
spiritual ailments far more serious
than the physical diseases OF Christ's
day. The soul has its diseases iust
as yell as the body. The spiritually
blind. the moral leper. the man dead
20 the things OF God. all these need
the healing touch OF the Christ II r.
the duty OF the church TO see 10 n
that people thus afflicted are brough,
into contact with the great physician.
Demoniacal possession was common
IN the day OF Christ. Whether n is
still In existence. whether or no men
are still possessed OF demons, NAV be
an open question. Returned mission
aries from China. India. and other for
eign countries are very emphatic IN
the declaration OF their belief In De
mon possession today. Possibly some
forms OF insanity may be attributed
20 this source. II may be said tha,
there is nothing contrary TO our pres
ent knowledge in the statement that
evil spirits may and sometimes dc
gain control over man. and 20 grea,
or or lesser extent govern their ac |
tions. There is no certainty that
such cases do not occur az the present
time. and there is much 20 sugge1 |
that active agents OF evil do beset the
human spirit and this IS the most
way OF interpreting the
tragedies OF human sin and the 'un
explained remainders' OF human life
Modern science f. not in a position .,
deny the existence today OF denonia
cal possession. 1lltemper. vice. lust