1'r ef a c e

A recen t se rie s of stu d ie s o f the Ch risti an

doctrin e o f praye r i ncl ud e d th es e spec i a l
th e m es
The Pra y er H e arer
-
.

U nanswered Prayer .

The Prayin g S on an d th e Mode l Pra y er .

P rayer and th e H e al in g o f D ise ase .

The Triu mphs of Prayer .

The f o ll o wing pa g es con tain the f ourth o f

t he se stud ies. I t is sub mitted to the Christi an
public be cause o f th e d ee p sol icitude awak
e ne d i n many o f o ur ch urches an d c o m m u
ni ti e s by the lou d c l aims to su pernatura l power
pu t forth by m en wh o cas t the msel v es athw art
the faith o f the Chu rch U n iv ersa l . H ow d eep
th at sol i citud e is wil l b e appreciate d i n e v ery
circl e i n which o ne of th ese cl ai mants has s u c
c e e de d i n attractin g atte n tion t o hi mse l f ; how

grou ndl ess it is I h a v e en de a v ore d i n th e se

,

a
p g es to sho w .
 P R E F A CE

S o me o f th e most pa lp ab l e omz s s a are d ea l t

’

with i n the u n published stu d i e s ; b ut s o me are

left u n t ou ch e d al to g eth e r The sa cri fice o f
.

completen ess h as be e n m ade u po n t h e a l tar of

concisen ess The re ad er m ust j udge w het h er
.

the altar j usti fi es th e sacri fice .

7718 C/z u rc /z of th e Cov e na nt,

C/z z c a go ,
'
 C ON T E N T S .

PA GE .

T H E CU R E OF HE 'E K I A H
M O D E R N CLAI M A N T S O F H E A L I N G P O W E R

P O I N T S O F L I K E N E S S A M O N G T H E S E CLAI M A N T S

T H E E 'P LA N A T I O N O F T H E I R C U R E S

R E ALL Y M I R A C U LO U S CU R E S

T H E E F F E CT O F F A L S E CL A I M S
 I nth os e days wa s Hez ek i a h s i c k u nto de a th . A nd th e
ro h e t Is a i a h , th e s on of A m oz , c a m e to h i m , nd sa i d
p p a

u nto h i m, Th u s sa i th th e L ord , S e t t h i ne h o u s e i n orde r;

f or th ou sha lt di e a nd no t li v e . T h e n h e tu rne d h i s f ace

to th e w a ll ,
a nd p raye d u nto th e L ord , s ayi ng' 1 he
s ee c h T h ee , 0 L ord ,
re m e m b e r no w h ow 1 h a ve wa lked
b ef ore T h ee i n tr u th a nd w i th a p rf e ec t h e a rt, a nd h a v e
done th a t wh i c h i s good i n T hy si
gh t . A nd Hez e ki a h
wep t s ore . m
A nd i t c a e to pa s s , a
f o re Is a i a h w a s gone
ou t i nto th e m i ddle c o u rt ,
th a t th e w ord of th e Lo rd c a me
to h i m , sa i
y gn ' T u rn a ga i n, a nd te ll e z e k i a h , th e H
ca p ta i n o
f fl ly p e op le , T h u s s a i th th e o rd, th e G od of L
D a vi d, thy
f I h a ve h
a rd thy p rayer I h a v e s e e n
th e r, ea ,

thy te a rs ' b e h old I w i ll h e a l th e e ' on th e th i rd day th ou

s h a lt go up i nto th e h o u s e of th e L ord A nd 1 w i ll a dd .

u nto thy days fif te e nye rs ; a nd I w i ll de li ver th ee a nd

a

th i s c i ty ou t of th e h a nd of th e k i ng of A s syri a ; a nd 1
w i ll def e nd th i s c i ty f or m i ne own s ke a nd f or my a ,

s e rv a nt D a v i d s s a ke A nd Is a i h s a i d' T a ke a lu mp
’
. a

A nd th ey took nd la i d i t on th e boi l, nd h e
f fig
o s . a a

rec ove re d . I I . KIN G S, xx ' 1 -

7.
 p ra yer a nb the h ea li ng o f
D i s ea s e .

H ezeki ah the king o f J ud ah i n the t i mes

, ,

o f Isaiah the prophet was a man o f praye r

, ,

an d h is prayers were n ot for h i mself alon e ,

but f o r the peopl e over who m he ru le d .

H e was also a m an of acti o n with a se rious

view of l ife an d it wa s t he great desire o f h is
,

h ear t to carry ou t ce rtain pl ans fo r the reli e f

of his peopl e a nd for the honor o f G od .B ut
h e was also a m an s ubj ect t o physical i nfi rm
ity. A t t h e a g e of t h irty wh e n h e had n o
,

he ir to l ea v e u p o n his thr o n e an d his work of

re form was scarcely begu n he was take n ,

sick . A carbu n cl e or i mpos t h um e began to

form an d wi t h it cam e a m essage f ro m Go d
through Isaiah ,
S et thine house i n ord er f or ,

th o u shalt d ie an d not l i v e .

We who live i n t h e bri g ht light o f Chr i sti an

i m mortal ity would be depressed by su ch a warn
ing com ing at such a ti m e an d we can u nder
,

s t and why H ezeki ah tu rne d his face to the ,

10 PRA YER

wal l an d w ept sore pray i ng th at h i s lif e b e

,

spare d . H is prayer re ached the e ar o f G od

an d Isai ah brought hi m the answer ' I h ave
he ard thy praye r ; I h a v e se e n thy tears ; b e
'
h ol d I wil l add u nto th y days fi f t ee n ye ars
,
.

’
A t Isai ah s co mm and th e atte nd ants took a
,

cake o f fi g s an d l ai d it u pon t h e boil and

,

H ezekiah recovered ; an d his psal m o f th an ks

giving is rec o rde d at len g th i n these pro
p h e c i e s of Isai
. ah
 'he Cu r e f Q
o ez eki a b
.

Th i s i s bu t on e i nstance a mong m an y re
porte d i n S cri ptu re o f t h e e f ficacy o f prayer in
the he al in g o f d isease ; an d i t ill u strates the
well n i gh u n i vers al fai t h o f Christian pe o ple
-

upon th i s s ubj e ct I n that fa i th th e y hold '

.

F i rst th at Go d h ears pra y ers f or h e al i ng as

,

f or o ther b l essings O n e of his n am es is j eho

.

v ah R o p h i the Lord ou r H ea l er an d the h e al

- '

ing i s not me rely spiritu a l bu t incl u des th e body ,

wh i ch i s the te mpl e o f th e H o l y Ghost Th e .

Prayer H e arer l i ste ns to e v er y ite m i n th at l ong

-

catal ogu e o f w ants wh i ch H i s peop l e pou r co n

t i nu a lly i nto H is ear That e ar catches th e
.

petit i on f or d eli v eran ce f ro m pai n as q u i ck ly a s

th e pet i t i on f or de l iv erance from s i n When .

'
the Praying S on taught us to pra y G iv e u s
this d ay our daily bread H e m ust have
,

i nte nde d u s to i nc l ud e th e b ody i nto wh i ch th at

12 PRA YER

bre ad i s to b e received for wh at g o od wou l d

,

bread do to on e wh o s e physical condi t ion was

s uch t hat h e coul d no t e a t ' We o u g h t there
fore t o pray G iv e u s o u r h eal t h d ay by d ay
, .

H e who gives u s the bread gives also the

he al t h e ach in i ts own m easure an d accord ing
,

to H is holy will . H e who h as power ove r the

ear t h t hat it m ay brin g f o r t h se e d t o th e sowe r
and bread t o th e e ater h as p o wer also o ver th e
,

b o dy an d its ail me n ts and i nfi rm i t i e s E very

.

age of t h e Chu rch b o t h be fore t h e t im e o f

,

H ezekiah and af ter bo t h i n t h e d ays of Chris t

,

an d u p to t h e pres e nt d ay has be e n ful l o f

,

instan ces i n wh ich G o d h as heard praye r an d

has raised u p H is ch ild re n fro m t h e v e rge o f t h e
g rave . Thousand s are l iving to d ay i n answer
-

t o pra y er an d t h o usands m o re are ful l o f g rati

,

tude t o t h e prayer hearin g G o d wh o has heard

-

their pray e rs f o r t h e l ife and he al t h o f t h ose

d ear t o t h e m . To all such i t is passing stran g e
that o ne can doubt t his precious tru th and they ,

are filled wi t h amaze m en t wh e n t hey are

the mse l ves re proached wi t h u nbel ie f i n it ,

because th ey refuse credence t o some passing

cl aim ant o f di vin e au t hority an d su pern atu ral
power .Y e t f o r the sake of o t hers it is nee d
 TH E CURE O F HE'EK IAH I3

f u l th at we con fess o u r faith anew i n th i s

fund am ental truth an d ex am i n e soberly i n th e
li g ht o f S cripture the clai ms o f these who fro m ,

their diff eren t standpo i n ts ass ail th e f ai t h of

,

the Chu rch .

’
S eco nd that God s answers to pra y ers for
,

he al ing ordi n arily co me as H is answers f o r

,

other blessings ord in arily do throu g h th e n at

,

u ral orde r. H e is no t boun d d own t o m e ans .

H e cou ld hav e h eal ed H ezekiah by a word

without the m ed ici na l a g e ncy of th e l u mp o f
fi gs even a s H e h as he al ed m any o thers by the
,

n ake d ex e rcise of d ivin e p o wer B ut wh at

.

G o d can do is som e t im es a di f feren t q u es t ion

fro m what H e does . I n th e case o f H ezeki ah ,

G od p u t H is bl essing u po n th e establish e d
re m edi al agen cy o f t h e ti me a l u m p of figs
, ,

wh ich h asten e d the risin g o f th e swell ing a n d

thus brou g h t t h e process of m attering to its
’
conclusi o n .U n d e r G o d s blessing u pon th is
rem e dy the royal pa t ien t recovered This .

’
remedy s o e f fec t i ve i n H eze kiah s case was
, ,

reco g n ized b y med ical auth o rities i n th e ti mes

14 PE A YE R

o f D ioscorides Pl i ny and S t Jerom e an d i t is

, .
,

highly estee med by m ed ical authori t ies to d a y -

.

The d ivi ne method i n the case o f H eze ki ah

showed not o nly t h at G od works th rough
m eans but al so t hat H e u ses t h e m e an s which
,

are at h and i n th e pro v isions of nature an d as ,

t h e re sul t of h u man experi m e nt N aam an th e

.

S yri an an d th e m an born blin d i n the d ays o f

,

’
Christ are both i nstances o f God s blessi n g
,

u pon m ean s N aam an was only h ealed of h i s

.

l e prosy wh e n a t th e com m an d of E l isha he

, ,

w ash e d i n th e river J ordan se ve n time s The .

m an b o rn bli nd on ly be g an to s e e afte r his eye s

h ad bee n anointed by J e sus with c l ay m ade o f
spitt l e an d h e h ad washe d i n the Pool o f S i
loam . B ut i n n e i the r o f th ese cases was a rec
o gni z e d rem edial agenc y used s o that the cure
,

o f H ezeki ah st an ds f o r t h as reflect i ng th e d i
v in e bl essing u pon those m edicin al pre para
tio ns which expe ri ence has shown to be e f fective .

It i s n ot d isbel ie f there fore to u se th ese prepa

, ,

rat i ons .I t is rather sin fu l presu m p t ion to re

f us e o r to n e gl ect the m O n e mi g ht as wel l re
.

f use to e at e xpectin g that G o d woul d mi ra c u

,

lo u s ly sustai n his li fe ; or to stud y e x pecting that

,

God w ou l d m i racu l ou s ly e n dow him w i th l e arn

 TH E C URE OF H E'EK IA H 15

i ng ; or to work and to save e x pecting that Go d,

wo ul d m iraculously e n d o w h i m wi t h weal th ,

as re fuse th e m e ans appointed for the m ain

t e na nc e an d reco v ery o f health expe cting th a t ,

G o d wil l honor ou r d aring presu mptio n i n

de fyin g that order of n atu re which H is o wn
wisdo m has appointed .

’
Third th at H ezeki ah s reco v ery shows that
,

h ealth is not th e hi g hest blessing which m an

can h ave . I n his case rec o very wa s most
,

u n fortu n ate ; f o r the m oral catastr o ph e o f

h i s l i fe occurred af t er it an d l argely in co n
se q uen ce o f i t H ad h e die d whe n t h e s u m
.

m ons was s en t him fi rs t h is record a s a sin

,

cere an d consisten t ser v an t of Go d s o far

as we h ave it wou l d h ave be e n u nb le m
i s h e d; bu t du ring th e fi f t een years which ,

i n answer t o prayer G o d h ad add ed to his

,

li f e his h ear t was l ifted u p i n prid e an d

,

sel f glory
-
. H e e n tere d i n t o al lian ce wi t h
Mer o d ach bal adan king of B abylon an d re
-
, ,

c e i ve d hi s prese nts an d rend e re d not u n t o G o d

f or th e benefits wh ich God h ad done h im H is .

16 P R A YE R

si n bro ug ht its doo m i n the capti vi t y o f h is

peop l e an d there was wrath u po n h i m an d
,

u po n J ud ah an d u p o n Jerusal em Though th e
.

capt i vity was postponed u n til a fter his d eath ,

ye t death to h i m m ust h av e been bi t ter indeed ,

for i t was c l o u de d with the c o nsc i o usness that

h is own pr i d e h ad brou g h t ru in u po n the peo
p l e who m h e lo v ed an d who m h e sought to
ser v e .

S i ckness and death in the Ch rist i an vi ew are

not th e g re atest ev ils o ne ca n u nd ergo Out .

’
o f th e m h av e c o m e som e of G od s richest
b l essin g s .The m an t hat was born b l ind ,

through n o s i n o f h is own nor t hr o u g h any s i n

o f h i s pare nts cou l d l oo k back a f ter h e had
, ,

bee n h ea l ed u po n his ye ars of d arkn ess wi t h

,

rej oicing an d see whe rei n by his d arkn ess

,

G od h ad bee n g lorifie d Th e m an who h ad

.

an i nfi rmi ty for t hir ty ei g ht years an d wh o year

-
,

after y e ar l ay at the pool o f Bethesd a hopin g i n ,

vain th at he m i g ht re ach t h e p o ol co uld look ,

back u pon thos e t hir ty ei g ht we ary ye ars with

-

o u t regre t afte r he h ad be e n give n sight b y the

Lord Jesu s Lazarus whe n dy i ng do ubtless
.
, ,

f elt grie v e d as his sisters certainl y did th at

, ,

his F rie nd an d Lord h ad not co me t o sa v e

 Tf f E CURE O F HE'EK IAH 17

hi m f ro m the b i tterness o f d eath A nd y et .

whe n after f o ur days that Lord raise d hi m

from t h e de ad h o w g l ad they were th at
,

He an d n o t they h ad ordere d th e issu e o f the

sickness ' Th ey saw then th at th e glory o f

’
God shines e ve n through d e ath Pau l s thorn.

in th e flesh which probably was so me physic a l

,

in firm it y calle d f orth fro m hi m th ree e arn est

,

pra y ers f or reli e f n one of which we re a n

,

s we re d; but that thorn becam e a blessin g ,

even while it ran k l ed i n th at it brought with

,

i t th e pr o m ise My grace is su f ficient for th ee

, ,

'
for my strength is m ad e pe rfect i n we akn ess .

A nd the re veren t repl y o f the sorely a ffli c t e d -

apostl e separates h i m fro m th e mo dern c l ai m

ants to supern atural powe r i n th e healing o f
disease for i nste ad of m aking a cl amorou s d e
, ,

m an d th at t h e t horn be re m oved h e patiently

m
,

sub itted t o t he d i v in e will an d sai d '

Most ,

‘
g l adly therefo re wil l I ra t her g lory in my
, ,

i nfi rm i t ie s that the power o f Christ m ay res t

u pon me .The powe r of Christ 'th is was
his great desire an d the thorn th at brought it
was a blessin g in disgu ise .

The Christian l i f e is so m eth i ng more th an

phy s i ca l h ea l th P ra y er h as a h i gher an d
.
 E R /l Y ER

n ob l er purpose th an m e re f reedo m f ro m pa i n .

S om e o f the brightest l ights in the kin g do m o f

G od h ave for ye ars bee n n e v er fre e fro m pain .

'
Their prayers f o r h e al t h l ike Paul s h ave n ot
, ,

b e e n answe red ; but G o d h as giv e n t h e m so me

thing b e tter than physical he al t h and they ,

h av e be e n willin g pati e n tly to subm i t to H is

will . S ickness is no t a m ark o f the d ivin e
d ispleasu re . De a t h t o t h e Chris t ian is not a
bu g bear The g rave has bee n entered by O n e
.

wh o as H e l ay i n i t sp o ile d i ts vict o ry He.

h as m ad e i t t h e en t rance way to t h e hea v enly

-

h o me an d th e e t ern al g l o ry The se com f ort

.

ing t ru th s are i n m arke d contrast w i th the

t e achin g s o f some who assu me t o spe ak by di

vin e authori ty an d the y show how f ar astray

,

th e s e t e ach e rs are. To t h e s ick an d th e dying

and t h e b e reave d t h e S crip t ure co m es sooth
i ngly . T h e an g u ish an d h o rr o r o cc asioned by
t hese claiman t s to divi n e au t hori ty pro v e th at

t hey are not se n t b y H i m who d oe s n ot break

th e bru ise d reed n or q ue nch the smoking fl ax .

T hese f eatures o f the cure o f H eze ki ah

illu strate t h e Christ i an doctri n e o f p ra y er in i ts
 C he Cl a i m a n ts to S u p er n a tu r a l Dower .

‘
Th e c u re o f H ezekiah is very u nsati s facto ry
'
to d i f ferent cl asses o f m e n . The re are those
wh o d o n o t beli e ve i n a pe rson al God or i n ,

th e powe r o f praye r ; an d f o r these re as o ns

they rej ect t h e cu re . The re a re others who
believe i n prayer for so m e t h in gs bu t not f o r
,

such a d e fi n ite thing as he al t h ; and th ey also

rej ect the cu re .There are o thers who be
l iev e that G od can d o som e t h in gs b u t th at ,

the miraculous S ign g ive n fro m he a v en to con

fi rm th is cure is t o o h e avy a strain u po n the i r
f aith ; an d they also rej ect the cu re .

O u r concern is with non e o f these bu t with

,

a nothe r cl ass m any o f wh om bel ie ve in God

,

and i n H i s power an d i n th e H oly S cr i pture ;

y et wh o fi n d th e cu re o f H ezeki ah by the l u m p
o f figs a fact v e ry d ama g ing to t he ir fa v orite
t heories . Th is c l ass h as v ery seriou s in tern a l
d i f f ere nces but i t is a cl ass n e v erthe less
,
.

The v ar i ous t y pes a ll hold th e bel ief t hat

 CL A IM S O F S UP E R N A T URA L P O WER 21

physical health is always an d e v erywhere

God s wil l f o r u s and th at i t i s to be procured
'

and m aintain ed n ot by th e u se o f re m e
d ial a g e n cies bu t by v ari o us de vices A s to
.

what these devices are they are i n v iol ent a n

,

t a go ni s m am o n g t h e msel v es ; but th ey all al ike

e ndeavo r t o perf o r m cu res by flo uting th e

natural re medie s and clai m i ng a powe r an d a u
t h o ri ty more o r l ess supern atu ra l .

This cl ass is n ot con fine d to any o n e s e c

ti o n nor ye t to any on e religion o f the wo rl d .

I t appears howev er t o thrive u nder the am p l e

, ,

f o lds o f the n ame o f Christi an ity an d i n

Christian cou ntries its representati ves cl ai m
the san ctio n of th e rel i g ion o f J esus f o r their
prac t ices . The M o rmons who call th e mse l ves
t h e La tter D ay S ai nts i n the se ve nth o f their
-

art i c l e s o f faith cl ai m the g ift o f heal in g an d ,

th eir success i n g ath e ring co nv erts is i n part

du e t o t h e exercise o f th i s g i ft A m ong the
.

R o man Cath o lics h o ly persons an d holy pl aces

are supposed t o be abl e to work wond erfu l
cures . Prince H oh e nloh e bishop o f S ar
,

dica wh o was born i n I 794 be g an at the

, ,
22 PRA YER

a
ge o f twenty S i x years to h ea l the s i ck
-
.

A nd F ather M athew wa s so successfu l i n re

l ie v i ng pa i n th at a f ter his death mu l titu des vi s
i t e d h is gra v e m any o f who m were hel pe d an d
,

le ft the ir cru tch es there E ve ry o ne h as h e ard

.

o f the cures wh ich were e f f ected at th e ch a el o f

p
K nock i n Irel and an d at Lo urdes i n F ran ce
, , , ,

where the V irgin Mary is bel ieve d to h a v e re

v ea l ed he rsel f to a pe as ant girl i n 1 8 5 8 a nd o f ,

recen t ye ars i n a chape l at M ontreal Ca n ad a , .

A t all of these p l ace s th e in e vi tab l e p il e o f

crutch es a ttests the faith o f the p i lgr i m s .

W i th i n the l ast twent y y ears the re has bee n

a n other type I t is a body or rather a ser i es
.
,

o f bod ies known by the n ame o f Chr i st i an

,

’
S c i e n ce . These bodi es d o n ot dwell i n peace
w i th o ne anothe r and it is n ot j ust to attribute
,

the vi ews o f on e school to the m e m b ers o f an

other scho o l ; bu t th e f o llowi ng state m en t o f
o ne o f their teache rs m ay be t ak e n as s u b s t a n

'
t i a lly t ru e of al l the sch ools Go d is s u .
~

pre me ; is m ind ; is pri nci pl e not personal ; ,

inc l udes all an d is refl ected by al l that is

,

e tern al ; is s pirit a nd s p ir i
,
t i s i nfi ni te ; is th e
 CL A I I II S O F S UP E R /VA T URA L PO WE R 23

only substance ; is the only l ife ; m an was

and is the i dea o f G od There fore min d.
,

can n ever be in m an ; d iv in e science shows

th at m atter an d m o rtal body are t h e illu
si o ns o f h um an bel ie f which se e m to appe ar
,

an d disapp e ar t o mortal sense al o n e Wh e n .

this bel ie f chan g es as i n dreams th e m a

, ,

t e ri a l body changes with i t going wherever ,

we wish and beco ming wh atever we m ay

d ecre e . A n at o my physi o logy , ,

tre atises o n health sustain e d by wh at is te rm ed

,

’
mat e rial l aw are the h usban d m e n of sickn ess
,

an d dise ase . B e caus e t h e muscles

’
o f th e bl acksmith s arm are str o n g ly d eveloped ,

it d o es no t follo w th at exe r c ise d id i t or that ,

an arm less used m ust be fragil e If .

y o u bel ie ved i n infl a med or weak n erves y o u ,

are l iable to an attack from that sou rce Y ou .

cal l it n eural g ia ; b ut I call it ill usion .

When treating the s ick fi rst m ake your pl e a ,

i n be h al f o f h armony . The n real ize

the absence o f dise ase U se such
.

powerful l angu ag e a s a congressm an wou l d

e mploy to de fe at the passage o f an i n h u m an
law .
H

Th is s tate m e nt i s n ot tr u e o f al l t y pes o f
24 PRA YER

Christian S cience O ne holds th at i t i s not

.

ne cessary to deny e ith er th e person a l it y or th e

'
persiste nt individ uality o f the h u m an spirit .

This a l so adds very sens ibly b ut i n appare nt

, ,

viol at ion of the d octrin e o f Christian S cie nce ,

'
I t is not n ecessary to tel l a m an dyi ng of
consu mption th at h e i s n ot sick for th at is not ,

A n oth e r type of
the se cl aim ants to su per
n at ura l p o we r is for the d ay re presented i n
th at myste riou s i nd ivid u al S chlatter wh o se
, ,

cures i n the s t at e o f C o l o rad o h ave bee n so

wid ely publ ished A c o u si n o f h i s is a t th is
.

ti m e o pe ra t in g i n an adj ace nt s t a te while i n , ,

Chicago a y o u n g m a n n amed G re go ri wi ts c h
,

h as b e e n g iving exhibitions o f his cu rati v e

powers .

The l ast type to be m en t i one d i s m ade u p

F o r th e s e q u o ta ti ons , a s we ll a s f o r ma n i ns ta nc e s
c i te d h e re a f te r, I a m i nde b te d to D r ' . . B u c k le y,
o f N e w Y o rk , wh o s e c a re f u l t re a ti s e o n F a i th H e a l
i ng, Ch ri s ti a n S c i e nc e a nd K i ndre d P h e no m e na , de a ls
'

wi th th e s e va ri o u s c la i m a nts t o s u p e rna t u ra l we r o n
ro u nds wh i c h a re a t o nc e s c i e nti fi c , p h i I O S O p i c a l a nd
c ri p tu ra l .
 CL AIM S OF S UP E R N A T URA L PO WER 25

o f me n wh o h ave be g un th eir care ers as min is

ters of the G o spel h old ing the evan g el ical
,

faith. Their vi e ws u po n God an d Christ and

t h e ato n em ent do no t v ary g re atly fr o m t hose

held i n th e Ch urch U n iversal bu t as soon as

,

they pass bey o n d these fu ndam ental themes ,

an d u nd e rtake to d eal w ith d isease th ey show

,

that for practical purposes the y m ust be

classed al ong with those I h ave described
abov e rathe r th a n with th e great body of the
Christian Church ; an d that a wal l o f partition
d i v ides the m o ff fro m th e Ch risti an Church ,

which i s higher and br o ad er tha n any of th e

walls which d ivid e th e v ar i o us branch es o f th e
Church o f Christ f ro m o n e an other .

A ll th e gre at centers of E ngl ish an d A m eri

can l i fe h a v e represen tati v es o f this t y pe of
cl aim ants . I n Lon don an institutio n known
,

as B ethsh an reported wond e r f u l cures a

'
few ye ars ago ; Ol d O rch ard M aine has ac
, ,

q u ire d a reputat io n secon d only to Lourdes or

the ch ape l o f K n ock by reaso n o f th e resu lts
,

of th e e f forts o f a Boston represe ntati v e o f this

type ; i n N e w Y ork City rem arkab l e resu l ts
,

are cl ai med in th e H om es o f th e Chris

tian A lliance while Chica g o h as three or fou r
26 P R A YE R
.

establ ish me nts u n d er o ne control all of whi ch

are called 'ion s Tabernacl es
’
Th i s type is
.

very c arefu l about t h e ti t l e g ive n t o it bu t ,

its d i f ferent represe ntatives wou ld perh a p s al l

agre e to be cl assed as practising d i vin e h eal
ing . A recen t issu e o f on e of the n u m erou s
pu blica t ions o f t h is type con tai ns a state men t
’ '
o f G o d s way o f h eal ing i n wh ich i t is sai d
,

t h at th is is a pe rso n and not a thing ; th at the

Lord J esu s Christ i s stil l th e h e al er ; an d that
‘ ’ ’
d ivin e h eal ing res ts o n Ch rist s atone me n t .

U n d erstood i n t hei r h is toric se nse these ,

prin ciples wil l be read ily agre ed to through

o u t t h e Ch ristian w o rld The state me nt how
.
,

e ve r proceed s to t h e v e r y d angero us position

,

‘
th at d isease c an n ev e r be G od s wil l th at ’
,

th e g if ts o f h e al ing are pe rman ent an d th at ,

'
th e f o u r meth ods o f d ivi n e healing are th e ,

d ire ct praye r of fai t h t h e interces so r y praye r

,

of two or m o re the anoi nting o f eld ers wi th t h e

,

praye r of fai t h a n d the l a y ing on o f hands o f

,

th o s e who believe an d who m G o d h a s pre

’
p ared and call ed to that min i stry .

Th ese v arious types are all i n the m ost vi o

l e nt antag o n ism Th e
. d ivine healer j ust
28 PRA YER
'
performed his works h e said , O h n o ; the
, ,

di ff e re nc e b e t we e n a gen u in e h e aler and a

\

q u ack,
l ike B i
. s as
,
wid e as th e poles .
'

Th is sam e N w as obliged t o con fess wi t h re

.

gard to h is d au g hter wh om h e h ad take n to

,

H avana hopin g the climate woul d be n e fi t h e r

, ,

I t s eems as i f we can n ot alwa y s a ff ect ou r

'
o w n k i ndred .
 p in
o ts o f E i kenes s a m on g C bes e E gp es .

I n spite of al l th e ir di ff ere nces ho wever , ,

and th eir dissensi o ns i t is q u ite possible to

,

u n ify th ese di f fere n t type s i nt o o ne cl ass with

wel l de fi ne d characteristics
-
Th is h as no t
.

bee n d o n e t o any l ar g e extent f o r the reas o n

t h at it h as bee n fe l t n e e d fu l to dea l with eac h

typ e by its e l f A nd i f t h e purp o se i n view

.
,

were to reclai m t o san e v i e ws o f h e al th an d

r e l igi o n th e b e li e ve rs i n any o n e o f these
th e ories I t wo ul d b e n ecessary patie n tly to
,

d e al wi th i ts p e cul iari t i es S u ch a pu rpose

.
,

h o we ver w o r thy is sec o nd ary t o th e l arge r

,

purp o s e o f pr o tecting Christian pe o ple fr o m

t h e in fl uence o f th ese views o ne an d all ,
Wi t h .

this i n v i e w th e i n d ivid u al pe culiarities m ay

,

be passed by and atten tion fi xe d up o n those

p o ints i n whi c h t hese various cl ai ms o f super
n a tural power are at o n e A mong these are
.
30 PRA YER

T h ei r jR e ec t i o
f n o R e me di a l A ge nc i es .

They all con fessedly stan d t o g ether o n this

basis . H ad an y o ne o f th e m bee n charged
with th e cu re of H ezekiah h e wo ul d have ,

wa v e d away the l u m p o f figs an d procl aimed

h i s abilit y to e f fect a cu re by h is own private
m ethod wh ich m i g ht be a prayer al on e or a
, ,

m an ipul ation o f a h and kerchie f he had b l essed ,

or a sole m n gaze in to em pty space .

I n th is th ey al l ali ke array themse l ves

,

agai nst th e d ivi nely appoin t e d ord e r o f the

world . They m ake t h e heal ing o f d isease a
pr o cess en t irely o u t o f harmony wi th o ther
proce sses of n a t u re They wr e nch i t o ut of
.

r e l a ti o n to t h e ord inary m e th ods o f d ail y l ife .

F o r eve r y oth e r en d wh ich these he alers o f

d ise ase m ay have i n v iew they are v ery ready ,

to e mpl oy th e m eans sanctio ned by e x perience ;

but wh en su f fe rin g is to be re l ieved and d isease
is to be cu red th e y tu rn fro m th e teachings of
,

experie n ce an d fr o m t h e re med ial ag e ncies

wh ich God h as always blessed I n the i r con .

te m pt f o r these agencies th ey te ar away wi th ,

g re at dram atic e f fect t h e band ag e s which m ed

,

i cal skil l has wrapped aro u n d O pe n w ou nds ;

th e y t ake the cru tc he s o f t h e crippl e to hang
 P OINT S OF LIK ENESS A M ONG T YPES 31

th e m as trophies u po n their walls ; a n d th ey

exci t e t h e vic t i m o f sore d isease u ntil i n his
ima g in a t i o n h e th i n ks h ims e l f well . These
th ey p o in t to as evidences th at rem ed ial agen
’
cies are val uel ess . God s l aw th ey asse rt is
, ,

agains t hu m an sickness an d sickn ess can be

,

cu red by bringing th e p a t ie n t i nto harmony

wi th th a t l aw . Y e t th ey d eal i n th e rati o nal
way wi t h h u m an h u nge r an d h u m an pov e rty ,

' ’
which are as m u ch a g ainst G o d s l aws as
h u m an si c kne ss . They do n o t re fuse t o
e a t the bre ad which God h as graciou sly pro

vide d as t h e m e ans o f relieving hu n g er no r

,

do th e y d e cl in e the warm cl o th ing wh ich

G o d has also provide d as the m ean s o f pro
t e c t i o n against su f fe ring The use o f mean s
.

f o r the cu re o f d isease i nvolves no m o re u n

fai th i n G o d t h an the u s e o f m eans t o p ro
m o te t h e o th er end s o f d aily l i fe an d n o n e
,

are m o re q u ick t o em pl o y al l th e se m eans

t h an t h e se vari o us c l ai m an t s o f su p e rn atural

po w e r. Th ey use means to adver t ise them

s e lves such as b o o ks p eriod icals an d pam
,

p h le ,
t s which they circu l ate by bu sin ess m e t h
o ds, an d wi th th e m o st persis t en t e n erg y .

The y use m e a ns to c on fir m the ms elv e s i n t heir

32 PRA YER

powers by pi l ing u p their collections of cr u tches

a n d b and a g es an d S pli n t s accu m ula t in g photo
,

graphs o f person s cu red with g l o wing testi ,

m o ni als as t o th e e ffi cacy o f t h e cu re They

u se t h e m eans o f w o rl d ly supp o rt also ,

whe the r the se co me i n th e way o f fi xed fees ,

or o f wha t s o me o f t h e m c all free wil l o f fer

in g s f o r t h e L o rd s work '
an d t hese fu nd s
t h e y i nves t i n r e al e s t a t e an d o t her substan t ial

forms o f se cu ri ty . I n al l o f t hese particul ars

th e y a re a s sh rewd a nd w o rldly wise as t h e -

ven d o r o f a ny p ate n t m ed icin e o r the me r ,

ch an t i n any l in e o f bu sin e ss Their d istrust

.

o f physici a ns ,
t h e i r c o n te m p t o f n ursing a nd ,

t h e i r d e fian ce o f t h e l aws o f m ed icati o n co n

s ti t u te a s o li tary e xce p t i o n t o the ir use o f

m e an s in t h e pr o se cu tion o f the ir work .

T h e i de nt i t y of th e i r Their cures are

c u re s .

o f t e n re a l. I t is a was t e o f t i m e an d a sacri
fi c e o f s e n s e to d e ny t his Th e s e cu r e s i ncl ude
.

such d ise a s e s as pa ralysis c o n v ulsi o ns t u m o rs

, , ,

spinal d is e ase rhe um a t ism an d n e ural g ia wi th

, ,

occasi o n al in s t an ces o f l o s t heari ng or

si ght . E ach t y pe o f c o urse cl aims th at its
, ,
 P OIN T S OF LIK ENESS A M ON G T YPES 33

cu res are peculiar an d d isti nc ti ve ; bu t an e x

amin a ti o n o f t hese will S h o w t h a t o ne type
possesses no advanta g e o v e r any o th e r Th e y .

cover th e s am e range o f dis e ases and th e y ,

a c complish abou t th e same g en eral r e su lt .

The infl u e nce wh ich a ny o n e o f these

methods o f he al ing ac q u ir e s arises ou t o f its
s uccess i n fi xin g attenti o n u pon i ts o wn l in e o f
results t o th e excl usion o f the results o f its
ri va ls
. E ach m eth o d dev e lops i n its d isciples
a very pronounce d partizanship wh ich l e ads
the m t o discre di t eve ry o t her m e th o d an d to ,

bel iev e th at it h as abou t it so methin g m i ra c u

lous and hi th er t o u nhe ard of B ut i f on e will
.

pass u n der revi e w in successio n t h e lin e o f re

s u lts presen ted by each of these methods he ,

wi l l be stru ck by t he l iken ess they sustain to

o ne anoth e r an d a co m mo n origin for the m a l l

w ill be suggested t o h i m .

The c h a ra c te r
f o th e i r te s t i moni a ls
Th e .

discip l es l ike the heal ers are i n mos t cases

, ,

since re m en an d wo m e n who v erily bel i e v e

,

that th e ir cures are d ue to m iraculous agen ci es .

Their testi m on ials accord i ngly e x press t he

34 PRA YE R

deep co n vi ctions of re l ie f an d gratitude wh i c h

th ey f e el that these a g e ncies h ave been in v oke d
in th e ir beh alf . I t wou l d b e n ot on l y a
w aste o f ti m e b u t a m ost u n g racious task to
,

q u estion the sinceri t y wi t h which t hese test i

mo ni als are wri t te n E ach type o f course
.
, ,

cl ai ms th a t its d is t in ctive testim on i als are i n

v incibl e an d o ught to produ ce conv i c tion in
,

t he minds of al l candid investigat o rs The

.

d i f ficulty wi th th e testi mony howe v e r i s not

, ,

th at i t fails to prove but t ha t it proves entire l y

,

too m uch . Ch ris t ian scie ntists prove th eir

cl aims by t heir t es t imon ials and d ivin e he alers
prov es t heir cl aims by th e ir testimonial s an d ,

S chl a t t e r pr o ves h is cl ai ms by h is testi mon ials .

The tes t imony i n any on e case is q u ite as g o od

as i n any o th e r ; and whe n we h ave it al l be fore
us we are j us t as far fro m knowing which i s
th e tru e an d th e o nly me thod o f he alin g as we
wer e a t the b e g in n ing . F u r therm o re this ,

testim ony si mply pu t s t h e se m e th o d s o f he a l

in g o n th e same level wi th t h e vari o us patent
med icines o f which t h e wo rld is s o full N o n e .

of the m can pr o d uce a riche r o r m ore v aried

or more w o n de rfu l series o f testi m o n ials th an
some of the ti me h o n ore d pa te n t m edici nes
- -
.
 E xp la n a ti on
' o f K he i r C u r e s .

Th at th ese cu res are re al o ugh t t o be f re ely

conced ed ; th at t he e x pl an ati o ns wh ic h th e
h e a l ers give o f th e cu res are correct m ust be
e mph atically den ied . I t is a principl e o f sou nd
ph ilosophy as wel l as o f tru e reli g i o n that
wh il e God i s presen t i n al l H is works an d H i s ,

personal agency is i n t h e w o rl d the p re s u m p

,

tio n is al ways th a t G o d acts in accordance with

the l aws wh ich H e has established This pre.

su m ption i s over thrown o nly wh en those l aws

fail t o accou n t for t h e facts I t is a mark o f
.

barbaric su pers ti t i o n to i nv o ke t h e d i vi n e
age n c y at every p o in t a n d to invei g h against
,

th ose wh o se e k t o i n q u ire can d idly and rever

e n tly int o t h e t ru t h o f any cl ai m to d i v in e
p o wer U p o n t his princip l e t h e cu re s wrou g ht
.
,

by these healers m ust be care fully e x am in ed ;

an d when so exa mi ned it w i l l be f o u n d th at
,

they are accou n te d fo r by

 E'PL ANA T ION OF T HEIR C URES 37

T h e h e a li ng p owe r f te
o na t u re
chn ically ,

call e d vi s me di c a t r i x na t u ra e A ll c an did
physicians con fess t h at t h e y rely m o re u p o n t his
‘
th an th e y do u p o n th e ir own wisd o m o r t h e ir
medicines ; an d they ad m in iste r t h e ir m e d ic in es
v ery o f te n no t t o h eal but t o le t n at u re heal .

Th is he al ing p o we r o f n a t u re is fr e q ue ntly ex
h ib i t e d i n t h at d r e ad d ise ase consu mption , .

Th e l ate Pr o f A usti n F lin t of N e w Y o rk i n

.
, ,

his clin ical r e p o r t o n c o nsu m pti on d e scribes ,

si x ty two cas e s in which a n arrest of th e d is

-

e ase t o ok pl ace I n sev en o f th e se cases t h e

.

arrest to o k place witho u t any special m ed ical

or hygi en ic tr e at ment ; an d i n f o u r o f t h e
se v en reco very was c o m pl ete
,
Pr o f B e n . .

n ett o f th e R o yal I n fir m ary at E d inbu rg h

, , ,

says th at m orbi d an a t o my h as d e m onstrate d

th at tubercu losis or consu mp t ion i n th e
early state de g e nerat e s an d b e co mes ab o rtive ,

w ith extrem e fre q u en cy i n t h e pr o p o rti o n o f

,

one third t o o ne h al f o f all t h e in curables wh o

- -

die o ver f orty an d t h e L ondon L a nc e t e n

,

d orses th is concl usion .

B efore th e cl ai m t o m iracul ou s power i n the

cure o f disease can be c o nced ed to any or all
of these h e a l e rs the y m ust b e abl e to show
,
38 PRA YER

th at th is h ea l i ng powe r o f nat ure h as n ot

b ee n a t work This is ill us trate d i n the case
.

of a l ad sadly a f flicted with curvature o f th e

spin e H e was pl aced i n a pl aste r c ast and
.

th e he al ing process wa s by t h e tes ti mony of ,

h is physician practically co m plete d

,
O ut of .

abu nd ant cau t io n the pl as t er cast was n ot t e

mo v e d a t on ce ; and t h e l ad becom ing i mpa
,

tient h is frien d s placed h i m u nde r th e care o f

,

on e o f th ese heale rs who at o nce broke th e ,

cast ord e re d t h e l ad t o s t an d u p and pro

,

no u nc e d h i m c ure d by m iracu lous power A nd .

the l ad with many o f h is friends was fi rm ly

, ,

convi nced t hat h e was cured n ot b y the hea l ,

ing power o f n ature but by th e age nc y o f th e

.

d ivin e heal er This healing power o f n ature

.

is s o entirely u nknown to m an y cred ul ous per

so ns th at i f they com e u nd er the i n fl ue nce of
, ,

any on e o f t hese m ethods o f he al ing a nd are ,

be n efi ted at all d uring th at pe riod the y are ,

al mos t f orced t o co n cede i ts c l aims to m i ra

c u lo us power .

T h e p owe r of co nc e nt ra te d a t te nt i on ,
w hether
it be ca ll e d f a i t h or will power .
 E'PL A N A T ION OF THEIR CURES 39

Th i s i s recogn ize d i n a l l m e d i ca l pract i ce .

'

A t the sei g e of B red a i n 1 6 2 5 scu rvy pre

, ,

vailed to such an exte n t th at th e Prince o f

O range was about to capitul ate Thre e s m al l
.

b o ttl es of m edicine were g ive n t o each physi

c i a n wh ich d id no t contain e nough for the re
,

c o ve ry o f two patients ; an d i t was oracu larly

annou n ce d that thre e or fou r drops fro m on e

o f t hese vials was su ff i cie nt to i mpart a healing
virtu e to a gal l o n o f l i q uor Th e e f fect was
.

aston ishing M a ny recovered q u ickly an d

.

perfectly ; an d me n wh o h ad n ot move d the ir

l imbs for a m onth wal ke d th e streets i n perfe c t
health .

The e f ficacy o f the to uch o f a kin g to cu re

scrofula is authenticate d beyo n d q u estion s ays ,

D r B uck l ey
. Charles I I to uched ne arly a
. .

hu n d red thousand pe opl e Jam es i n o n e o f

.
,

his j ourn eys to uche d eight hu n dred perso ns

,
.

A nd wh en Wil liam I I I re f use d to e x ercise this

.

powe r i t brou g h t u pon h i m an av al anch e o f

,

te ars f ro m pare nts o f ch il dren who were su f f er

i ng fro m this d ise ase .

A n e min en t practitio ne r i n th is c o u n try re

ported s e v e ral years a g o his e xperi m ents i n this
direct i on H e w as approached b y a l ady a
.
,
40 PRA YER

d e vout Catho l ic who n eeded treatment an d

,

d esired to try th e waters o f Lo urd es i n

F ran ce wh ich h as bee n me n t i o ned as one o f
,

th e h o ly places at wh ich cu res were wro ught .

The physici an tol d her wh at was tru e th at

' '

h e h ad a vial o f th a t water an d t hat he was

,

perfe ctly will ing to give he r so m e of it But .

h e asked her a s a favor i f s h e wou l d try a n

other water wh ich he h ad fou nd e f ficacio us for
vari o us ail me nts an d wh ich he c al l ed A q u a
,

Cro to u i s I n N ew Y ork t his m e ans com m on

.

hyd ran t water N o t being v erse d i n m edica l

.

terms or i n t h e s o urc es o f the water su pply o f

th e ci ty t h e lad y con sen ted to tr y th e f am ous
,

A q u a Cr otou i s Th e practi t ioner too k a b o t

.

tle labeled i t A q u a Croto u i s p u t i n t o it

, .

s o m e o f t h e wate r of L o u rd es a nd tol d ,

the l ady to use i t fo r a wee k and re port

t h e r e sul ts t o h i m S h e fai th fu lly f o l lowed
.

th e dire c ti o ns no t knowing t h a t it was th e

,

wa ter o f L o u rd es s h e was u sin g an d at the ,

en d o f t h e w e ek she reported to t h e d o cto r

that t h e A q u a Crotoni s h ad done he r n o
good . The physician then l abeled a bottl e
Wa te r of L o u rdes put into it so me co m
,

mon h y dran t water and ga v e i t to his very

 E'PL ANA T ION OF TH EIR CURES 41

de vou t patie nt I n a wee k s h e return e d e u .

t i re ly restore d by the e f ficacy of th is wonderfu l

water an d con firm e d i n her faith i n the hea l in g

power o f t h e vir g i n o f Lourdes .

D r D ixon of B ro o klyn rel ates a case for

.
, , ,

which howe v er h e d o es n ot v o u ch i n wh ich

, , ,

this will p o wer or imagin atio n prod u ced not

li fe but death
, A cri m in al was u n d e r s e n .

tence o f death and so me physicians obtaine d ,

perm issio n to try t h e e f fect of m in d u pon body .

They in forme d the crim in al th a t they were o r

de red to bleed hi m to death in his cell and ,

save hi m fr o m th e d isgrace of a public e x e c u

tio n . H e re ad ily c o nsen t ed an d was blind
f o lde d The physicia n pierced his arm wi th
.

a l ance and poured warm water over i t fro m

,

a basin s o th at th e prison er cou ld distinctly hear

the water drip b u t coul d n ot s e e th e n a tu re ,

o f th e wou nd H e rece ived t h e i m pressi o n

.

t hat the d rippin g wate r was h is l ife bl o o d

p o u ring o u t A fter awhil e o ne o f the physi

.

'
e ia u s said H e wil l l iv e fi ve m in utes
,
fo u r ,

' ' ' ' '

m in utes three m in utes
,
two m in utes , ,

' '
o ne m i n u te h al f a m in ute ,
fi fteen s e c ,

o nds an d whe n the ti m e expired th e man wa s

,
'

dead .
42 PRA YER

I f physicians were on l y wi l ling to s pe ak out

t hey coul d tell of m any prescriptions of rose

water an d bre ad pills which are ad ministered

,

wi th a v iew n ot o f a f fec t ing th e physical con

d ition bu t si mply the faith or wil l powe r o f
,

th e patie nt I t i s a pe rfectly l egi t i m ate

.

m e thod of t rea t ment A nd i f t hes e vario us

.

types o f heal ers were only will ing to put th e m

selves o n a leve l wi t h o u r physi c i ans i n their
use o f t hese d evice s th ey would fre e th e m
,

se l ves f r o m the c h arge o f i mpos t ure in their ,

u s e o f powers wh ich me dical pract ice has a l

ways rec o g nized and a t th e same ti me rend e r

,

i m mense service to hu m an i ty .

E xa
gge ra t i o ns
f o h u ma n tes t i mon
Th ere y
.

i s no m o re u n rel iable wi t ness th an h e wh o

attem pts t o describe h is own physical c o n
d i ti o n.H is t e sti m o ny is al m o s t irresistibly
i n t he l in e o f his favori te bel ie f A nd .

wh e n a c o ld bl o o d e d an d d isin terested o u t
-

side r pass e s u p o n t his testim o ny he i s forced .

withou t any d iscredit t o t h e sin c e ri ty o f

th e witn ess t o rej ec t t h e larger p o rtio n of it
,
.

T h is is e v e n tru e of p h ysic i a ns t h ems e lv es .

 T h e S i le nc e as to F a This is one
i lu re s .

of the sad dest aspe cts of th e work o f these

h e alers . Th ey verge u po n he art l ess n ess as
they v ainly e nd e avor to expl ain away their
f ail ures an d the re l apses o f t h e ir patients for ,

they v isit th e failu re of t heir m e thod upon the

u n f o r t un ate victi m o f t h at m e th o d .

Lord G a rde ns to ne a le arn e d E ngl ish man

, ,

spen t a great d eal o f t i m e in q uiri ng for those

pe rson s wh o h ad actual ly a tteste d marvelous
c u res an d f o un d th at m ore than two thirds of
,
-

the n u mber d ie d ve ry shortly a fte r th ey had

been c ured . I f t h e h e alers we re as fran k in
their prac tice as o ur phys icians are we wou l d ,

be be t te r abl e t o es ti m ate t heir re sults ; but ,

w i th the ir avoid ance o f all re fere nce to de aths ,

rel apses a n d fail ures i t i s im possibl e to g i v e

,

any o pin i o n fav o rable t o t heir m e thods wh ile ,

t h e train o f d ark e ne d h o me s an d broke n l i ves

poin ts t o th e i r g r o ss inc o m petenc y an d to th e ,

b ase l e ssn e s s o f t heir claims .

 E lj e D i ff er en c e B etween E bes e C u r es
an b mi ra c u l ou s Cu r es .

The f act o f these cures h as bee n ad m itted

an d a n ad e q u ate e x plan atio n u p o n n atural
grou nds h as been advanced I t re mains how .
,

ever to point out wh ere i n th e cl ai m o f S pe ci al

,

su pern atural power m ade o n th e gro u n d of

,

these cu res m ust be den i ed

, .

F i rs t .I f these healers e x e rcise s u p e rna tu

ra l power o u r physicians are end o we d wit h
,

the sam e I t is o f cou rse easy f or a he al er to

.
, ,

say th a t h e d o es his works by t h e power o f God ,

an d th at h is o pponents w o rk by th e power
of th e d evil B u t a s e ach h eal er m akes the
.

same c lai m f o r himsel f we are j ust a s far fro m

,

d e termin ing wh ich is th e w o rk o f G o d and

wh ich i s the work o f the de v i l as bef o re we
l i sten e d to the i r c l ai ms Th e m ost e ffecti v e
.

i
ex os e o f S p i r i tua l i s m i s th at g ive n by p re s t idigi
p
ta te u rs like Hermann wh o i s abl e t o d u pl icate
,

the cur i o us t ri c k s o f s pi r i tu alists by s l e i ght o f

,
-
46 PRA YER

h an d an d witho u t ai d f ro m the spirits So.

wh e n o ur ph y sici ans m any o f them irre li g ious

,

men are ab l e to p arallel th e cures wrought by

,

the h e a l e rs i t goes to sh ow th at th e healer

,

s i mp l y used th e sam e n atu ral forces which

the p h ys i c a n used Th e d i f ference i s that
the ph y sician con fesse s th at i t is but a n atu ral
force wh il e th e he aler cl aims som e m arve l ou s
,

agenc y beh in d it S obe r m i nd ed m e n who

.
-

’
re ve re ntly re cogn ize God s su pernatura l power
i n h u m an l i fe are no t to be d ete rred f rom e x
posing sham s by t he f e ar o f th e ch arg e o f
A th e ism Th ey rec al l th e ad mon i t i o n o f t h e
.

l o vi n g y e t d iscr i m in ating J ohn Be l oved b e

, ,

l ie v e not every spirit b u t try th e s pirits whe ther

,

th e y are o f G od ' becau se m any f a l se prophets

are go n e ou t in to the wor l d .

S ec o nd
The se m ethods fai l to acco mp l ish
.

c ures wh ich wo u l d re q u ire a supern a t u ra l or

m iracu l ous agen cy There is n ot on e i n
.

stance upon record i n wh ich the se h ealers

ga v e sigh t to a m an born bl in d n or on e i n
w h i ch they h a v e restore d a li mb which has
b een am p utat ed n or o ne in w hich the y ha v e
,
 TH E D IF F ERENCE B E T WEEN CURES 47

g i v e n an idi o t h is senses or res t ore d a l un atic

,

to san ity no r o ne i n which they have raised

,

th e dead to life a g ai n I f they stood upo n the

.

bas i s o f o ur ord in ary m ed ical practice this

‘

woul d be no discredit to the m E v ery can d id

.

phys i ci an is fre e to con fess the fai lure o f h is

m ethods an d th e l im itations which e n v ir on his
processes . B u t i t is d i f fe re n t with on e who
cl ai ms supern atu ral power There is no l im it
.

to d i v in e p o wer The re is n o thing whi ch th e

.

arm o f G o d can n o t d o A nd therefore i f these

.

h eal ers b e i nveste d wi th d i v i n e power they ,

m ust acc o m pl is h res ults wh ich can n o t be

expl aine d upo n natural gro u n ds ; and their f ail
u re to d o s o c o n v icts the m either o f a wilfu l
i g norance or els e of the d eepest insin cerit y .

There is n o escap e fr o m this d ile m m a .

T h i rd . The m iracles o f Christ an d th e

apostles as m an i festations o f d ivin e power ,

st an d out i n cle ar contrast wit h t h e works o f

th ese h eale rs These m iracl es co nsiste d i n
.

raising th e dead such as Lazarus an d th e so n

o f th e wid ow o f N ain i n r estori ng sight to
,

m en born bl in d a nd he arin g to the deaf

, .
48

The l ast m iracl e wh i ch our Lord wrought

before his de ath was wh en Pete r h ad d rawn h is
sword an d cut o ff the e ar o f t he serv an t of the
H i g h Priest T h e g re at Physician s i mpl y
touched th e e ar an d it was made wh ol e as th e
,

other . We lo o k i n v ai n among m odern he a l e rs

f o r any paral l el to th ese m iracl es .

’
F u r t h er i n Ch rist s m iracles there was n o
, ,

pu rp o s e of d is pl ay n o collection o f troph ies

, ,

n o an g ry d e n u nciatio n o f r i vals n o j ealous y , ,

n o bitterness no rancor,
H is miracles we re
.

wrough t f o r t h e pu rp o se o f establish ing H is

clai ms i n co n nectio n w i th the spiritu al en ds
which H e h ad i n view The g rati ficatio n
.

of c uri o si ty or eve n th e rel ief o f su ff er i ng

,

we re no t i n t he msel ves su ffici e n t t o i nd uce

H i m to ex e r t th is p o we r A nd besid es all the
.

m i rac l es o f Ch rist and H is apos t l e s were

fre e fr o m t h e suspici o n o f m o ney getting '
.

When S i m o n M a g us c a me t o t h e ap o s tles to
p urchase the gi ft o f t h e H oly Ghost t hey were ,

horri fied and tu rn e d fro m h im saying

, ,
'
Thy ,

mo n ey perish with the e U n fo rt un ate ly th e

.

o dor o f m o n ey l in g e rs strong ar o un d th es e
mod ern healings With the e x ception o f the
.

Co l orad o he al e r S c h l a tte r I k n ow of n o o ne
,
 TH E D IF F ER EN CE B E T WEEN CURES 49

o f the m who refuses m on ey an d non e w ill t el l

,

the amou nts wh i ch pass into their treasuries as

s o call ed
-
free wil l o f ferings . What a con
trast t o the m iracles o f th e M aster ' Wh at a
contrast a l so to the m ethods o f th e Christia n
Chu rc h wh ich whi l e it lays u pon its m e mbers
,

’
th e d uty o f maintain ing God s ordin an ce s ,

accou nts f or e v er y ce n t rece iv ed an d e x pl ains

every disbu rse ment m ad e '
 E ff ec t
' oE
f bes e C la im s .

The s a d resul ts which attend these v arious

c l ai ms to he aling are only t oo wel l kn own .

E rr o r i ni ts e lf is m isch ievous an d i f I h a v e
,

corre ctly state d the case these v ari o u s m ethods

o f h e al ing are pe rm e ated wi t h error .N e ither
a sound philosophy n or an es t abl ishe d sc i ence
no r a spiritu al reli g ion c an t o lerate any on e of
the m . Christi an science with i ts d octrin e th at
t hat the re is no such t h ing as d iseas e and the ,

d ivin e heal e r wi t h h is d octrin e that d ise ase

’
c an n ever b e G o d s will s e t t hemsel v es n ot
,

on ly against t h e app o inted forces o f the i nte l

lige nt an d civil ized wo rld but also a g ainst h i s
,

toric Christian ity A s far as t he ir v iews spread

.
,

j ust so far th e y d o da m age to t h e cause of civil

i z a t i o n and Christian ity . Phrases an d praye rs
can not con ce al t h e d angerous h e resies o f these
h ea l ers . They separate th emse lves alike fro m
a l l branches of the Christian Church an d fro m
a ll the f o rces o f our modern c iv i l i zed l i fe ,
52 P R A YE R

F or s ix t y years or m o re th ere ha s l i v e d n ot
f ar away a wom an whose l ife was f u l l o f the
j oy an d su n sh in e o f the Ch risti an hop e as th at
hope is e x pressed i n th e f aith o f th e Method ist
ch urch . Jesus was h e r S aviou r an d her Lord ,

an d h er hope i n H i m led he r to a cons i ste nt

and usefu l l i f e i n he r ch u rch Wi thi n a f e w
.

years s h e becam e a f flic t ed wi t h a d ropsica l a f

f e c t i o n wh ich m ed ical S kil l fou n d to be i ncur
,

abl e . \V ith that d espera tion wh ich i s willin g

t o t ry anything she pu t herse l f u nde r th e i n
,

fl ue nc e o f a d iv in e he ale r an d wen t to his

,

establ ish m ent for tre atm e nt The u sual c reed

.

was an nou nced t o her that d i sea s e can not b e

’
G o d s w ill an d t h a t G od is wil l ing t o hea l
,

every o n e who h as fai t h e n ough t hat t ru e ,

prayer leave s ou t i f i t be an d e x
p e c t s i m m ed i a t e res toration an d th at
,
i f S he

was n ot restored it was proo f th at sh e had not

T h e re h a s a ri s e n o f la te a p ro f e s se d te a c h e r o f
'

di vi ne h e a li ng, wh o i s s a i d to u rge h
t h a t t ru e p ra ye r le a ve s o u t t h e
'
if s It
'
.

t o c re di t t h e s ta te me nt

th e
M y F a th e r i f i t b e oss i hle le t th i s c u p
, ,

ne v e rt h e le s s no t,y w i ll b
, u t T h i ne b e
th e Stu dy on Una ns were d Praye r .
 EF F E CT OF TH ESE CLAIM S 53

f aith e nough The su f fering d iscipl e entered

.

upon this f e arfu l test D ay by d ay sh e praye d

.

and watche d an d as h er d iseas e grew

,

worse he r fe ars arose n ot f or he r physica l

, ,

health bu t fo r h er spiritual safety

,
S he had
.

n ever be fore doubted he r accep tan ce i n th e

Lord bu t i f he r physical co nditi o n was an i n
,

d e x to he r spiri tu a l state wh at m ust h e r state

,

be ' Th e su nsh i n e wen t ou t o f her soul an d

she wand ered i n spiritual d arkness while d a y ,

by d a y th e cru el test wa s he l d ove r h e r head ,

'
Y ou can be hea l ed i f yo u have faith en o u g h .

H er m in d be g an to give way an d her f riends

insisted o n remo v ing he r to her h o m e Wi th i n .

a few d ay afte r s h e was stricken w ith apopl exy ,

an d to d ay sh e l in g ers i n great pai n f ro m her

d ise ase an d with a m in d enfe eble d by the
awfu l stra i n throu g h wh ich s h e p assed H er .

s u n is g oing down i n darkness yet whe n the

,

gracious M aste r who m sh e serve d f o r s o m any

y e ars gathers hi s distresse d d iscipl e to H i msel f
H e will S how h er t hat fai t h i n H i m is n ot
’
to be teste d by on e s physica l co nd ition bu t ,

by the l ove an d j oy an d re v e rence we f ee l f or

H i m an d by ou r re adiness to su f fer H i s right
c ous wi l l .
54 PRA YE R

The d aily papers are ful l o f cases i n which

pare nts h ave re f used tre a t ment t o t heir ch ild
re n f or d iphtheri a and scarl et fe v er an d br o ke n
l i mbs o n the i d ea th at th e y would be cure d
,

eithe r by Christi an S cience or d ivin e heal in g or

som e oth er m iracu lou s m eth o d Who can
tel l the l en g t h an d de p t h o f t h e m ise ry cause d
by th is d e fi anc e of t h e es t abl ishe d l aws of
health

These v iews m ak e sh ip w reck o f ho me o f ,

fortu n e an d o f reli g ion .O nce possessed b y

any o ne o f t he m t h e cl ai ms o f husband w i fe
, , ,

child re n f ather m other see m as n aught ; an d

, ,

th e e arthly t i e established by G od is broken

up . Cases are fre q u en t i n which men an d
wom en l iteral ly h ave i m po v e r i she d themsel v es
i n obed ience to th e ir te ache rs O n e of t he m
.

not long a go reported with great j oy a co l le e

tion taken u p at a m eeting i n M ain e amou nt ,

in g to a hu nd red thou sand do ll a rs f or what

,

was called f ore ign m iss ions w he n m e n an d

,

wo m en fel l o ver on e an other i n the i r e ager

n ess to gi v e the i r m on e y an d j ewe l s an d e v en
d eeds con v e yi ng th e i r re a l prope rt y The
.
 EF F E CT OF TH ESE CL AIM S 55

k o f fore i g n m I S S I O nS m ust su rely s u f fer

s uch perverte d cl aims as these B ut.

worst shipwrecks are those which are

g h t i n the faith an d i n th e reli g ious l i fe .

The del usion can not l ast always an d t h e ,

awaken ing is s o m eti m es peril o us G od an d

.

Christ h ave be en s o cl osely i nterwove n wi t h

the c l ai ms o f the he ale r th at whe n t h e h e ale r
is repudiated the re is i m m in e nt dange r th at
,

God an d Christ wil l i n l i ke m an ner h e l ost to

t hat soul .F ro m t h is c atastroph e Christian
teachers woul d sa v e t h e d e l u ded .

O ur attitu d e towards th ese m i sg ui de d me n

an d wome n S houl d be on e o f kin dness an d o f
patience . M any o f them h a v e been gre at
su ff erers re ady to l ay h ol d o f anything th at
,

prom i se d rel ie f More o f th e m stil l are i gno r

.

ant m e n an d wo m en u ntrain ed i n the

,

m eth ods o f re a l cu re I t i s i mposs ibl e to

.

argue with them f o r the b el ie fs w hich they

,

hold are beyo n d a n i ntel ligent state m ent .

A nd i t is ge n eral l y i m p oss i b l e to break by

reason ing th e i n f atu ation i n w h i ch the y are
 P R A YE R

h eld
. We can only wait u nti l t h e y wake
strive as far as we m ay to sh i eld t h e n Hro in
i

th e f o rce o f t hat awaken in g an d to save the m

fr o m m akin g sh ipwreck o f h o m e o f f ort u ne
,

an d o f re l igio n as we ll as o f h e a l th
.