The Washington herald., 1922-10-28

| StrduSe tnuBs To-Day.
there was little chance to find any
thing after his i'll luck. he let down
the net and the draught of fishes
was SO great that the net broke
He was so overcome with morti-
fication that he should have doubted
hrist's power that in an outburst
Of emotion he said to Jesus:
Depart from me; for I am . sin
full man. o Lord"
| But Jesus. knowing what kind of
a man Simon Peter would become.
promised that henceforth he should
catch men. and the four "forsook
all and followed Him."
"Take Up Thy Bed and Walk
Then followed the healing of the
man full of leprosy. and shortly
after the famous cure of the man
taken with a palsy.
Those who were carrying him on
bed tried to gain admittance to
the room In which Christ was
speaking. The room is described
by Bible commentators as open at
| one end-a sort of court such as
was common in the houses of that
day-with a roof of tile.A When
they found 1t impossible to carry
him through the crowd they went
upon the house top and. removing
the tiles. let his couch down in
| front Of Jesus.
/ When Christ saw their faith He
said unto the man, Thy sins are
forgiven thee"
| hn hn
although they might violate the
spirit of the law, were very
punctilious about religious forms.
They at once accused Christ of
blasphemy. who can forgive
SINS" they asked, ''but God alone?'
Christ rebuked them. and having
asserted His power to forgive sins.
said unto the sick man. Arise, and
take up thy couch, and go unto
thine house." All were amazed at
this miracle performed before their
very eyes and they glorified God.
Conferring the Power to Heal.
Can the power of healing be
conferred on others?
1t was conferred in the early
days; the apostles exercised the
power to heal was given to them
as 1t is that 1t was exercised by
Christ.
Can the power to heal be con-
ferred today?
1t has been conferred. There are
many well authenticated cases of
healing by prayer.
In the 18th verse Of the 14th chap
ter of John we have Christ's prom
Use: Verify. verify. I say unto you,
He that believeth on me, the works
that I do shall he do also; and
greater works than these shall he
do; because I go unto my Father"
In the 18th verse the promise is
given even more specifically: And
whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do. that the Father may
be glorified in the Son."
The promise Is broad enough to
cover not only spiritual gifts. but
the healing Of the body also.
A Cooperative World.
Another practical thought in the
miracle Of the palsied man must not
be overlooked-viz., that the palsied
man was brought to Jesus by sympa-
thetic friends.
We do not live alone and we can
do little of ourselves. This is q CO.
operative world and we are all de-
pendent upon each other. 1t is a
hard hearted person who will not aid
the suffering Let a person be
knocked down. run over. or meet
with any other accident, and every
one within hearing will rush to the
rescue of the person injured.
Those who carried the sick mans
bed may have been relatives OF
they may have been friends oI
they mays have been strangers
The impulse to help is strong
among almost all where the need
is visible, as in the case of q
bodily injury, disease, or infirmity
But there is a larger lesson to
be gathered from this incident
Mans greatest need Is spiritual
Comparatively few make demands
upon us for such service as was
rendered by the palsied mans
who need the Great Physician for
the healing of their souls.
Pertinent Questions.
Are we as quick to note the suf-
fering that sin causes as we are
to see the need of physical aid?
Have we as great faith In
christ's power to cleanse the hear
as the people of Galilee had in Hi.
Are we as willing to conduct tc
Christ sinners who need forgive
ness as those in olden times were
to carry the bed-ridden into the
presence of the Saviour?
Those whom Christ healed were
quick to tell of the change the,
had experienced; thus one cure lee
to many applications for relief
Does the news spread as rapid,
when one Is born again-when the
heart begins to love the things Il
hated and to hate the things Il
loved?
A physicians practice Is widenet
by the testimony of patients whom
he restores to health; so Christ!
fame must be spread abroad b,
those who. describing their expert
ence, can say: Whereas wa.
blind, now l see."
Christ still Heals.
Our churches should be crowded
with those who come to find the
way of life; enquirers should be
brought in multitudes by sym.
pathetic friends who have faith in
the power Of Christ, for that power
Is manifested as clearly now as Il
was $4,000 years ago-manifeste6
in transformed lives and proven by