Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-02-12

being in any sense in harmony with Gods will or plan. If ones interpre- tation of life were based entirely on what Jesus said and did, he could
 hardly reach the conclusion that in- harmony, of any kind or character, | ia the work of God or has the divine sanction.
 Jesus made no distinction between | the healing of sickness and the de- struction of sin If the ono who came | to teach mortals the way to harmony l rejected the prevailing belief regard l ing disease, would it not be well fer all men to accept his interpretation of divine law, especially when by so | doing 1t becomes possible to exper,- ence the good results of the best heal | ing system the world has ever known? !? DESIRE TO KNOW GOD. Ignorance of God and mans rela- ! ton to Him, is responsible for the human misconceptions of tie divine will and purpose. On overy hand
 there is evidence of reaching out
 for something more spiritual, and at
 the same time more practical, than
 has hitherto engaged the attention of
 thinking multtudes. Men are no
 longer satisfied with that belief in
 God which gives merely reasonable
 assurance of hca:cn beyond the
 arave; they desire ta know God as a
 present help at all tines. They ere asking for present proof that they
 are solving life's problems aright and have not labored in vain.
 The erroneous be'lef ihat God is q respecter of persons limits the eXer- else of faith in eve y direction. if one believes in the omnipotence Of God. it is not difficult for him to ac. cept the scriptural cord of the good deeds done to the believers in other years. But when tho question IS raised as to whether sim,Iar works can be accomplished today, t becomes
 apparent how firmly rooted in human consciousness Is the belief that God may be unwilling to give the neeoed
 help
 Surely there is as great accd of physical healing today as thero ever was in the history If the world Never
 were there so many systems of heal ing in vogue. and never was there a
 greater demand for tha. which vii.
 cure disease and alleviate physical
 suffering.
 THE WORLDS GREATEST 8ENE.
 FACTOR.
 Throughout Christendom. the hill-
 side preacher of Galilee is justly re-
 garded as the worlds greatest bene-
 factor. The present appreciation of
 his life is but tithe of what it should
 be, for he brought to human recogni-
 tion that which is of greatest prac-
 tical worth. If the Masters teach lngs were more generally understood
 and the character and purpose of his
 works more clearly Icomprehended. so that men could emulate his life more
 completely. humanity would be more
 concerned about the present possibili-
 ties of the Christian religion and less
 about the promulgation of doctrinal
 beliefs.
 Healing the sick was an essential,
 part of Jesus work and it was to these demonstrations of divine power
 that he called attention when he was
 questioned concerning his teachings or inquiry was made as to whether his coming into the world was in fulfill
 meat of prophecy. Notwithstanding the fact that the account of the Mas ter's healing works is the major DOT ton of the biblical record of his life, and in all ages Christians have pinned their faith to the veracity of this rec ord, there are many who believe it is
 not possible to heal the sick today as was the practice during the early cen turieS of the Christian era
 It is a theory. quite generally ad- hered to. that the early Christians
 were able to heal the sick through the exercise of miraculous power. It is believed by many that this Lower was bestowed upon few. chosen Tor the specific purpose of proving to the
 world that the long looked for Messiah had come. and since that fact was es- tahlished beyond question, such hea,- ing works are no longer necessary With all due respect to the honest con victions of others, it can be seriously questioned whether there is to be found in the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation. one single statement that would seem to justify such con clusion. On the other hand there are numerous definite declarations which are susceptible of no other interpreta- ton than that the method of healing practiced by Jesus and his followers. was intended to remain as a perma- nent dispensation,
 ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. The brief record of the good works
 accomplished during the years imme- diately following the ascension. shows that the disciples were obedient to the command of Jesus. Go ye there fore aud teach all nations. teach ing them to observe all things what soever l have commanded you." The
 apostles continued to do the same
 works as when the Master was with them. thus demonstrating that the
 power to heal was not dependent upon the presence of the personal Jesus. Others taught by them were able to
 heal the sick, and this is conclusive evidence that the power to heal was
 due to right apprehension of the Masters teachings and not to any
 personal influence.
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