X.
Healing Faith.
Much has been said and written on the subject of healing faith. God has said much on that subject for our benefit. “The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.” Many scriptures might be introduced bearing upon this subject; but the statement above so clear, and emphatic, will suffice. Genuine faith is begotten of the spirit. It is not born of simple desire. Here a great many good people have made great mistakes, they have had great desires for those that were sick, that they should recover—they have prayed to this end, and have gone so far as to make statements very positive that they knew they would recover, because God had told them so, when the facts were very clear—their supposed faith was nothing but desire. This has proved true in a great many cases, the subject of prayer passing into eternity soon after these positive statements were made. If they had had genuine faith, the sick would have recovered. In no case, have we ever discovered the Almighty arrayed against Himself, but in every operation we find it in exact harmony with a “thus saith the Lord.”
Take the case of President Garfield. The nation prayed for his recovery. Many said—“He will recover,” but he died. Why did he not recover? good people prayed for him—and thought—and said that he would be spared to the nation. To this I answer,—The prayer offered for him, was not inspired by the Holy Ghost; if it had been, God would have raised him up. The word of the Lord is—“The prayer of faith shall save the sick.” Doubtless, the inspiration of this class was purely carnal.
The word of the Lord is, “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven.” Now, a great many were united in praying for the President, and they were good people; but they put in an if in every prayer; and that if, in every case sums up a tremendous doubt, which reveals as clear as day, the lack of that faith, begotten of the “Spirit,”which brings health immediately to its possessor. Faith begotten of the spirit is very positive: it amounts to a divine assurance—and utters forth its triumphant voice, “It shall be done”—and it is done. This kind, has no ifs in it. It makes its possessor bold to move on to the aid of the sick and suffering; and has an intuitive perception, that the “power of the Lord is present to heal.” Good-will was, doubtless, the great incentive in the President’s case. The scriptures very clearly indicate that the power of the Lord is not always present to heal; likewise experience by those that have been healed by faith, and have at times had faith that has brought health immediately to the bodies of others, are not always thus blessed. St. Paul, left his co-laborer, TROPHIMUS, sick at Miletus, which he would not have done, had he been in possession of that faith, which so wonderfully characterized his labors on other occasions.
William Bramwell, a man of mighty faith in the power of God to heal, had prayed for a certain person and God had raised them up in answer to his prayers on several occasions, but the last time that he was called upon to pray for this person, he could not, and said they must die, or that in substance.
I praise God, that I was ever put in possession of that faith, which brought health to my body, when sick, and suffering. When stationed at Utica, I was taken one Sabbath evening while preaching, with the dysentery. I was very sick until Friday. I had quite frequent bloody evacuations, with tenesmus, of a very severe character. My dear companion was very much alarmed in regard to my very dangerous symptoms, and thought she had better go for the doctor. I felt all through me—I want no doctor but Jesus. In that direction I continued to look. My symptoms became more alarming. Anxiety on the part of my family increased. Conviction with me, that Jesus Christ was coming to check disease, and heal my body, seemed to grow more and more like a living reality. Friday morning dawned upon us, and to all appearances, I was rapidly yielding in my physical powers, to the destructive power of the fearful disease that was preying so rapidly upon my body. After much solicitation on the part of my very precious wife, I consented to let her go after the doctor. A moment after she left the house, Jesus came—laid His hand upon me, and made me every whit whole: Bless His holy name! The doctor did not come until Saturday. He left me two very small bottles of pills, and charged me not to go to church on the coming Sabbath. However, I went to church, preached twice at Utica, rode twelve miles and preached, making three sermons; and with such a blessing, it did seem to me that my soul would leave my body if God should let another drop of love on me. Growing out of this, I had an experience where I knew what the statement meant, “For I am sick of love.” On another occasion after this, when sick, and much worn down by overwork, I went to the Murray camp-meeting with a view of recuperation. I felt peculiarly led of the spirit to go. On arriving there I was powerfully tempted to leave the ground and return home. As it was about tea time I was invited to take tea with an old friend. After tea we had prayers. The Lord blessed me—I felt better, but did not get the healing power on my body which I so much needed. I was very much helped all through the meeting. The day the meeting closed, Brother Roberts was tying up his tent, Sister Roberts asked me if I had received the help in my body that I needed—I said no; but while in conversation with her, the blessing came with such force that disease and weakness oozed out from the very center of every bone in my body, and instantly I was covered with perspiration; and for months after this, I felt as though I was made up of iron. I could preach, visit, sing, pray and study a good share of the hours out of every twenty-four. On a good many occasions, the blessed Jesus has wonderfully blessed, and healed, both soul and body. God has at times, touched my heart, and given to me faith for others, and in answer to prayer, I have seen them raised up to health. I have not always had faith for myself, nor for others.
I have been sick, have suffered pain, but could not cause the heavens to bend, seemingly a single inch towards my deliverance—when at the same time my soul was blessed and happy in God. I will mention a few cases where God in answer to prayer healed them almost instantly.
Twenty-five years ago our conference was held at Binghamton, N. Y. A number of preachers were kept at Sister Sparks. One of them was very sick, with an intense fever. We sat down to the table for our tea. The burden came on me for this suffering brother, I could not eat, and proposed that prayer should be offered for him. In a few moments the fever was checked, and a copious perspiration followed. The brother got up, took tea, went to church, exhorted after the sermon as though he had never been sick in all his life.
At a camp meeting, a sister, one of my members, tenting with the Rose pilgrims as we had no tent on the ground, was taken sick with what seemed to be, Asiatic cholera. Her case was so alarming after a night’s suffering the Rose preacher came to me and said, Brother Osborne, that sister is so sick that you must have her taken off the ground as none can stay in the tent except those that wait on her. Instantly my faith took hold on God for her recovery. I did not know until that moment that she was sick. I went into the tent where she was. I saw she was very sick. I said to her, “you know that Jesus can make you well in a moment.” She answered, “Yes.” I said, “don’t you think that He wants to make you well now?” She replied, “I think He will if you ask him.” In less than three minutes she was on her feet praising God with all her might. She dressed herself, ate her breakfast, went about her Master’s business and enjoyed the meeting the rest of the time as though she had been on Pisgah from the beginning.
Sister Francisco of Rome, was to all appearance, nearly used up with what a number of the great doctors called cancers. One in her throat, nearly choked her to death. Another on her upper gums. The first time that I visited her, I said, “Sister, you know that Jesus Christ can make you well.” She replied, “Yes, but the doctors all say that I must die.” She became so bad off—the odor emanating from the cancer was so offensive, that it was with difficulty that anybody could be in the house with her. I thought on several occasions as I went to visit her, this will be, in all probability, the last time that I shall visit her until I go to preach her funeral sermon. The last time I called upon her before she was healed, she said to me, “Brother Osborne, the Lord Jesus is going to make me well.” I replied—“Praise the Lord, it is just like him to do so.” Two days after this the Lord touched her; the cancer left her throat—dropped off her gum—and she ran about that part of the city and reported what great things the Lord had done for her. Immediately she went at hard work, and now, more than three years have passed away, and she is still strong and healthy.