The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-06-05
HOW PERFECTLY CHRIST
ENTERED HUMAN LIFE
Shown BY His Ministry of Healing
Says Rev DIR. Russell
Cecil.
sY,fpATHIzE WITH SUFFERING
Richmond, Pre-cmincntly n Hospital
City, Showing That sympathy In
Working for Better and Larger Hos
pital.

The Healing Ministry of Christ
was the subject of a sermon preached
yesterday by Rev. Russell Cecil, ID. D.,
pastor of the Second Presbyterian
Church His text was: That 1t might
be fulfilled which was spoken ny
Esaias, the prophet. saying, Himself
took our infirmities. and bare our
sicknesses. Matthew s: II.
The healing ministry of Christ
grips our hearts. there is nothing,
perhaps, which appeals so strongly 10
the average man and woman, SAID
DR.. Cecil 1T was the subject OF
prophecy, and yet was not one OF
the things which was selected only
to identify Him; but His healing min
istry was a part of His mission. Early
in His ministry He began to heal the
sick and He continued ii up to the
end. Whenever He came in contact
with sickness He was ready to heal
| it; and there Is not a single instance
recorded In the gospels where He re-
fused any one who sought the benefit
| of His healing touch. Vast numbers
! of sick people were cured by Him, and
! il is evident from the gospels that the
evanRelists only intend to give speci-
mems of His healing power. We fire.
quently come across such expressions
as these: He healed all that were
sick Great multitudes followed Him.
/ and He healed them all This heal
/ ing ministry of Christ shows how
perfectly He entered into human life.
/ While He was God incarnate in
the flesh, He could not have taken
upon Himself our infirmities. nor have
borne our sicknesses. unless He had
| been entirely human. He was just as
much human as any other member
/ OF the race has ever been. 1t was
because of His true manhood that
/ He was able to enter SO entirely into
h! the infirmities and scknesses of other
men. This healing ministry of Christ
also shows how much was involved
I in His work of providing salvation for
the sinful. There was first His own
sufferings for sin, the mental and
physical sufferings involved in the
sacrifice OF Himself upon Calvary.
Had Remarkable Sympathy.
This was the main thing in His
/ atoning work. But in addition TO
this throughout His whole life He
entered into sympathy with suffering
people about Him. One OF the most
common feelings attributed to Him
/ by the evangelists was compassion.
Sympathy means suffering with an
ONHSl, anu GfiAtAA That OCH0S
never came in contact with suffering
in a human being that He did not
enter sympathetically into 1t. He had
capacity for suffering unequalled by
! that of any other member of the hui
man race. Jesus not only had this
remarkable sympathy for those who
suffered. but He was willing to help
them. and He never turned away from
any who needed help and appealed
to Him for it. Himself took our in
/ tirmities, and bare our sicknesses.'
/ The results of Christ's healing min
/ istry in the world have been great.
Much more attention is given to the
! care of the sick than in the days
/ before His advent. In ancient times
| the sick were sadly neglected, and
| often left to die unattended. In some
heather countries in the present day.
| where Christ Is not known, the sick
are treated in the same way. 1t is
| In Christian lands that hospitals are
built and Christian missionaries build
them in heather countries. Expert
and accomplished physicians, trained
nurses and well equipped hospitals
| follow in the wake of the gospel.
Medical missionaries are multiplying
and they find vast field for useful
ness in heather lands. Why Is this7
1t can only be accounted for by the
| fact that the entering of Jesus Christ
| into humanity has transformed our
views OF sickness and our estimate of
the value of human life. Himself
! took our infrmities, and bare our
1 sicknesses'
| Help Raise S25O.OOO.
| Richmond is pre-eminently a hos
/ pital city. We are not only blessed
with a large number of competent
nurses and physicians. but we have
many splendid hospitals, especially
private ones: and our people appra-
| ciate the work that they are doing
not only for Richmond. but also for
the surrounding country and adjoin-
! ing States. We. however. need more
hospital accommodations. especially
/ for our negro population and for
those who are suffering from contar
gious diseases. To supply this need
! il Is proposed to enlarge Memorial
Hospital. and the movement is now
being conducted for raising $3.50 900
for that purpose.
| with this money 1t Is proposed 70
build a large six-story hospital for
negro patients; Contagious Hospital,
four stories in height. and Home for
Nurses. This Is a non-sectarian move
ment, and appeals to all OF the people
in the city. Many of our physicians
and prominent citizens have been set
ting forth the need of this enlarged
hospital accommodations. and it Is