Another case at Rome, Sister Conrad had been very sick for about two months, with fever and other difficulties. Her right lung had lost its power of action; her left arm had become paralyzed. The neighbors thought she could not live but a short time; the doctors considered her case hopeless. Wife and I thought that we ought to visit her that Wednesday. On that day she looked more like a corpse, than a living being. We sang, and prayed—The Lord was present to heal. Such a display of God’s power to heal I never saw before. First she was made clear in the blessing of perfect love. This was glorious. After this, came a mighty wave of liquid love and fire—and health. When it touched the withered lung, how she did shout forth the praises of our God. This aroused the people in that region who came around to see what the matter was. Then the power struck the palsied arm, and that began to move about to the tune of “Glory Hallelujah,” and this she continued for more than two hours. She got up, dressed herself, went to supper, ate a hearty meal, and slept the soundest, the sweetest, that night, that she had done for a long while before. She rose early the next morning, mended her husband’s pants, ate her breakfast, and moved about as well as ever.
I must mention one more occasion when the good Lord wrought seemingly a miracle on my body, when very sick. I had just finished my fourth camp-meeting. At the last one I had taken the worst cold I think that I ever had. A severe rain the first night of the meeting had moistened all the bedding in the tent where I made it my home. The bed that I occupied, was wet from head to foot; I suppose that was the secret of my cold; it covered me from head to foot—and all through my being. The next morning after my arrival at home, and during the morning’s hour of prayer and worship, the Lord touched the heart of my wife for me, and showers of blessings came down on my soul and body—and such an operation! My cold broke up like the breaking up of a river after a severe winter. It oozed out from every pore. If I had been put through one of Dr. Strong’s Turkish baths, the operation could not have been any more marvelous.
The promises of God are for the comfort, and special benefit of the saints. The theory already advanced of faith healing, we believe is the doctrine of the Bible. We might introduce many more important experiences bearing upon the correct theory of faith healing, but what we have already said, may be sufficient.
There are other theories of faith healing, that contain some truth, and much error. For instance, the theory that in the atonement, a perfect state of health was secured for the body, the same as perfection for the soul. Some scriptures are introduced to substantiate this theory.
The following are some of them. “The prayer of faith shall save the sick;” and, “Who, healeth all thy diseases;” “Ask and ye shall receive;” and many others are quoted to prove their doctrine. I cannot see that they prove the theory. The experience of the saints in all ages prove the contrary. Job was a representative saint. God endorsed him as being correct according to His standard of righteousness. I maintain that sickness, is a part of God’s plan for disciplinary purposes, just as much as changing seasons are necessary for the growth and development of vegetation. Suppose that perpetual sunshine was to cover the earth; it would soon become sterile, barren and desolate. For the well-being of the human family, and the production of earth’s blessings to sustain the same, the changing seasons, sunshine and cloud, stormy wind fulfilling His word, are all necessary. We are so made up, that a great strain of prosperity, very much endangers our remaining meek, and humble, like our divine Lord and Master. Perhaps one scripture will be sufficient to prove this theory. “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” Sickness, is a tremendous scourge, and some people have a great deal more of that kind of discipline than they would have, if they were more studious, and tried to learn the lesson God designed.
The mind cure, falsely so called, is perhaps, the most subtile humbug of the day. While it contains some truth in small homeopathic doses, its heavy coating is profound deception. Its assumptions in the main, are false. Without going into a thorough analysis of this science, falsely so called, we proceed to notice what little truth it contains. It is a well-known fact to the learned, that the mind, has a marvelous power over all of our physical nature. Many have been made sick, by simple imagination. In times of pestilence, doubtless, one of the greatest means of spreading the disease, has been, the imagination. History tells us that men condemned to death have been given over to physicians in order to test the power of the mind over matter; and in many cases death was the result, where the patient was not harmed in any way, but simply made to believe that a vein had been opened in their arm, and that they were slowly, but surely bleeding to death.
Thirty years since, I was living in western N. Y. In the place Spiritualism was running high. A canal boat stopped, a man on board they thought had the cholera, they sent for a doctor. A spirit-medium near by heard the request, and without being asked, stepped aboard the boat, and went into the cabin where lay the sick man. The medium commenced about this kind of talk, “What are you laying here for you lazy fellow? get up, and go out on deck, or you will die sure,” assuring him there was nothing the matter of him. He continued this kind of talk—would pull and haul the fellow, and finally succeeded in getting him on deck; and in a little while, he was declared well—and the boat moved on. The next morning, a neighbor of mine, strong in the faith of this humbug philosophy, came into my house just as we had finished our morning meal. The following dialogue ensued. “Now, Mr. Osborne, what have you got to say when spirits come right into this place and cure a man, sick, nigh unto death with the cholera?” I replied, “it was simply the power of mind over matter; and I can illustrate my meaning, and all there was of that. Here is my little boy, seven years old, perfectly healthy, he has just finished a hearty meal. Now, by the same process, I can make him vomit up his hearty breakfast.” I commenced by telling him that he was sick! I repeated it. I made sickening faces, groaned and said, “Lester, you are sick!” Inside of three minutes, he vomited as heartily as though he had taken an emetic. This was accomplished without the aid of departed spirits.
The Wesleys were quick to discover the good there was in the surroundings of life, and utilize it for the Glory of God. The wicked in their Bacchanalian sports, used some grand tunes, for their songs of mirth. Charles Wesley said, “Music alas! too long has been pressed to obey the devil;” and many of these tunes he rescued from their perilous associations, clothed them in the garb of saintly purity, and sent them forth to bless the saints of all ages; and thus, men and women have learned something of the God given law that mind has over matter, and have connected to this power, the illegitimate monstrosity, born of delusion, and speculations, and named it “CHRISTIAN SCIENCE, or MIND CURE.”
Now, about how far, and in what way may we be benefited by this knowledge?
1—It is a well-known fact, that good nature, hopefulness, and cheerfulness, are great preventives to sickness. I believe that many are made sick by simple anticipation; and to disabuse their minds of such an idea, often works wonders.