Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-02
USED BIBLE STORY
 TO ILLUSTRATE SERMON.
Dr. SIocum Says Christ Comes into
 Places Where Most Needed.

A Clear Case of Faith Cure was the
 topic of the sermon delivered by Rev.
 Joel B. Slocum, D. D., at the Sunday
 evening service at the Central Bap-
 well known Bible story to illustrate
 his story. In part he spoke as
 follows:
 It was autumn, and Jesus made a
 visit to Jerusalem to attend what has
 been called the unknown feast Coming
 near the pool of Hetheslda he found
 in the five porcnes that surrounded
 this pool a, great number of sick peo-
 ple-all of them waiting for nniracu-
 louS cures. It must have been a mis-
 ce1laneous collection OF human misery.
 The belief was prevalent that at cer-
 tain times an angel stepped down and
 troubled the water. causing it to boil
 up. Then only the first person who
 succeeded in stepping into the pool
 would be cured. It may easily be inn
 agined how many cries of disappoint-
 ment would go up each time from the
 many who did not succeed in stepping
 down first. Of course this was one
 of those intermittent springs many ex-
 amples of which are to be found in
 the world today.
 Tine gospel story does not say that
 the water was rniraculously troubled.
 It only says the man beueved that and
 of course all others believed it. It
 is significant that Jesus does not rec ognize the pool at all in anything
 which He said or did that day.
 The sight of so many sufferers must
 have deeply stirred the heart of
 Jesus, But He was there because it
 was His joy to help in the cure of dis
 eased bodies and His glory to mend
 broken hearts.
 Not far beyond this pool was the
 Temple. There in the temple was an- other crowd. But they had no sym pathy with these outcasts.
 And Jesus as He stood there that day among the sufferers must have been moved, not simply with the pathos of the suffering, but by the ter rible narrowness of their conception of the efficient grace or God. That only one person could be cured at a time and when under circumstances that made it so difficult.
 Imagine the excitement and the fran tic rush on the part of all who could , move of their own accord and the in tense and clanloTous rivalry on the part Of people who came in to assist their sick relatives and friends. As l Jesus looked on the scene He realized how marrow was the conception these people had of God and His mercy. And now in the midst of all this l misery stands the Son of God. What will He do for these unfortunates :? for them. So picking out the most l Wretched one Of ali He questioned him. It seems this man had spent , years of his life in hopeless suffer 1 ing. And while other sufferers had rel
 atives or friends to wait on them, he 1 had none.
 Jesus teaderly asked: Would thou | be healed? And then the man poured 1 forth the story of his hopeIessness. l There was no one to help him and as he would make the start. another would step down ahead and again as | hundreds of times berore ne would l lose his chance. Then Jesus suddenly l said to him in a tone that must have i startled him with a new life: Arise,
 take up thy bed (which was only a l mat, and walk. And immediately the | man obeyed, for a new life had come to him in the Masters word. For the | first time in his life. it occurred to him that there was hope for him outside | that pool. The word of Jesus had l created and put into action what had not been in existence before in the mans life-faith. The cure was in stantaneous and it Was que to the power of Jesus.
 But somewhere in the process there was a human responsiveness that 1 reached out and took hold of God s power. Then the man went away 1 with his burden all gone and with the Sabbath glory all about him and in l his soul.
 Afterwards Jesus completed the work as He met him in the Temple i and said. Behold thou art made
 whole; sin no more lest a worst thing l come upon thee" It was now not sim ply a physical. but also a spiritual sal 1 vation. So Jesus puts men on their i feet today.
 | He comes now. as then, into the | places of greatest need. Sc spread l the word of power and He puts forth l His power. What He requires is l faith and action~on the part of those | in need of help. Not great faith, but action to suit the faith. And He will 1 O the rest.