OF THK UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. Received Accession No . CLus No. v NOT TO BE TAKEN FROM THIS OFFICE ft THE PRAYER OF FAITH BY UNIVERSITY DD MONTGOMERY OR OF FROM THE VALE OF THOUGHT" ANI> "ZAIDA EVERSEY OR LIFE Two- FOLD." '' Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." JAMES V: 14, 15. OFFICE OF "TRIUMPHS OF FAITH" BEULAH MILLS COLLEGE, P. O , ALAMEDA COUNTY, CAL. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1880, BY CARRIE F. JUDD, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, I). C. PR3SS OF THE HICKS- JUDD CO., SAN FRANCISCO. or T TVEF THE SUFFERING ONES WHO ARE TOILING ox WITH SCARCE STRENGTH TO LIFT THEIR BURDENS; AND TO THOSE WHOSE WORK HAS LONG BEEN LAID ASIDE, WHO LIE ON BEDS OF SICKNESS IN NOISELESS, DARKENED ROOMS; TO THE LOVED ONES EVERYWHERE, WHO ARE WORN WITH WEARI- NESS AND PAIN, K HBetricate t f) 1 2L 1 1 1 1 e Volume, WITH A PRAYER THAT IT MAY BRING TO EACH AND ALL WHO READ IT, THE FAITH AND HOPE WHICH WILL INSPIRE THEM TO SEEK FOR HEALTH OF BODY, AND GREATER STRENGTH OF SOUL, FROM CHRIST, THE GREAT Trv-e ER: CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. MARVELOUS HEALING IN ANSWER TO PRAYER 9 CHAPTER II. THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME 22 CHAPTER III. THE NATURE OF FAITH 37 CHAPTER IV. GOD'S BLESSED WILL FOR His CHILDREN.. 54 CHAPTER V. ANOINTING AND CONSECRATION 70 CHAPTER VI. THE USE OF MEDICINE 79 CHAPTER VII. BELIEVING GOD'S WORD 93 VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. PAGE GLORIFYING GOD 105 CHAPTER IX. VICTORY THROUGH CHRIST 112 CHAPTER X. PRAYER AND FASTING 126 CHAPTER XI. SERVICE FOR THE MASTER 143 CHAPTER XII. THE TRUE CHURCH MILITANT. 160 ii>ljp "JPragFP of ADDED NOTES OF PRAISE. PREFACE TO EDITION OF 1894. In publishing a new edition of this little book, I find it in my heart to add a few notes of grateful praise for God's wondrous keeping power in my life since He first restored me to health in answer to the prayer of faith. I can scarcely find words expressive enough to describe the remarkable degree of strength which has been vouchsafed to me by my blessed Healer during all these years. My exceedingly delicate constitution has seemed to be changed to one of iron, so that I have en~ dured the most arduous and continuous labors without exhaustion. Especially has this won- drous strength been noticeable in the severe test which has been brought to bear upon my nerves in the constant pressure of brain work which has been necessitated by my immense correspondence with the sick, my editorial duties in connection with publishing my monthly Journal, Triumphs of Faith, and the X THE PRAYER OF FAITH. very great call for sympathy in all the cases of sickness and suffering which are continually brought to my notice. I have been entirely relieved from the slightest tendency to the awful headaches with which I constantly suf- fered before and during my prolonged illness so that after a hard day of intellectual labor I have not even experienced the slightest brain weariness. All this has been the effect, I am fully persuaded, of the blessed indwelling of the Spirit of Life, who has quickened rny. mortal body, and made it His temple. (Rom. Sometimes, when there has been a little turning aside, a little failure to hearken and obey the dear Holy Spirit, there has been a temporary failure of this marvelous strength, but the quick confession and restoration of perfect communion through the blood of Jesus, has brought again the flow of His healing life. Since writing this little book, many changes have come into my life, chief among these my marriage with my dear husband, and removal of my work from Buffalo, N. Y., to his home ADDED NOTES OF PRAISE. XF in California. My dear husband is perfectly- one with me in all my work for the blessed Master, and together we have proved the truth of the text, that though "one chase a thousand," "two shall put ten thousand to flight." I add to this testimony a little account which my husband has written of his conver- sion, and marvelous healing of Diabetes, in answer to the prayer of faith. God has given us a little daughter, Faith Judd Montgomery, who was also suddenly healed by the Great Physician when apparently at the point of death. We cannot find words to praise God for His bountiful goodness and mercy. My Home of Peace, a continuation of my Faith Rest, which I had for several years in Buffalo, N. Y., is now located at Beulah, Alameda County, Cal. Beulah is not yet to be found on the map, as it is a little temper- ance town which my husband and I are start- ing on consecrated ground, and so far it is composed wholly of Christians. It is situated among the beautiful hills of Laundry Farm, XII THE PRAYER OF FAITH. not far from Mills College, and five miles from Oakland, and can be reached by the California Railway which connects at Fruit- vale with Oakland local trains. We are al- ways glad to have friends visit the work on Friday, which is my day at home. Since this book \vas written, we have seen God's power manifested in the healing of hun- dreds who have been past all human aid, and we have seen these restored lives laid joyfully upon the altar, and used wondrously in God's service. How full of blessing are our lives when we do not limit the Holy One of Israel by our unbelief. In closing, we would also praise God for the great good which He has been pleased to accomplish through this little book, not only here in America, but also in its English, Ger- man, French, Swedish, and Dutch editions. As we send out this new American edition, making it lower in price than ever before, in order to reach the greater number, will not our friends join us in the prayer that our Sav- iour's blessing may continue to rest upon it, ADDED NOTES OF PRAISE. XIII and that a great multitude may find health of soul and health of body through its humble little messages ? Yours " All for Jesus," CARRIE JUDD MONTGOMERY, Beulah, Mills College P. O., Alameda Co., Cal. WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT! BY GEO. S. MONTGOMERY. Nearly four years ago I left San Francisco to go to Japan on a pleasure trip and for the sake of my health. Previous to this time my life had been one continued round of worldly business and pleasure. I lived for self alone, with but one aim, which was to enjoy myself as thoroughly as possible. It causes me great pain, even now, to review those wasted years. God often spoke to me by His Spirit, but in order to drown His pleading voice, I plunged still deeper into folly and sin. Finally, while on my voyage to Japan, alone in my state- room, separated from all my worldly com- panions, the Spirit of God came to me once again. It was made very clear to me that God was calling for the last time; that He was saying, " My Spirit shall not always strive with man. If you do not yield now, I shall never come again.' I fell down upon my knees in my state-room, confessing my sins and my THE PRAYER OF FAITH. XV need of a Saviour's pardoning love. He brought to my mind, John iii: 16, a verse which I must have learned as a boy at my mother's knee: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." The word whosoever was illumined by God's Spirit, and I realized that it meant me. The word be- lieveth also stood out with sweet, new mean- ing, and I saw that I had nothing to do but to believe on Him who had wrought out my redemption on the Cross of Calvary. I be- lieved then and there that God gave me the gift of everlasting life through Jesus Christ His Son. I realized the terrible danger which my soul had been in, and when I reflected that I might have been lost forever, had I not yielded to the Spirit's final call, I trembled and great drops of perspiration stood upon my brow. From that day I have had perfect peace in my soul, and my one aim has been to live to the glory of God, and to win pre- cious souls for Him. XVI WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT! For several years I had suffered greatly from ill-health, and had continually traveled and consulted with physicians hoping to find some remedy. My constitution had been com- pletely broken through fevers contracted in Mexico, and my life of fashionable dissipation had added to my physical troubles, until at last I was beyond all human hope with Dia- betes. I tried all kinds of remedies but to no avail. I felt a little benefited during my trip to Japan, but after my return grew worse, and the doctors told me I had but a short time to live. I was quite resigned to die, because I was resting in the finished work of Christ. I did not know anything about Divine Healing until one of my physicians in San Francisco came to me and related some marvelous cures which had taken place among some of his patients, in answer to prayer. This physician was a Christian, and he was convinced that it must be the hand of God which had healed these people, because they were past all human power. Among others, his wife and sister had been healed. I did not believe very THE PRAYER OF FAITH. XVII much, for I thought that the days of miracles were past. But he came again, and brought many passages of Scripture which bore upon the subject, and asked me to look them up and read them for myself. I had thought that the Doctor was being carried away with some "strange doctrine," like Christian Science or. Spiritualism (which, I am convinced, are both of the Devil) but when he gave me these Scripture texts, I saw for myself that God has promised to be the Physician of His people, if they will trust Him. I read such texts as, Ex. xv: 26; Ex. xxiii: 25; Deut. vii: 15; Jas. v: 14, 15; Mark xi: 24, and many others, dili- gently comparing Scripture with Scripture, asking the Holy Spirit to be my Teacher and show me what these texts meant. The light began to dawn upon me, and I saw that I had no more foundation in God's Word for the salva- tion of my soul, than I had for the healing of my body. I saw that it was unbelief which kept God's children from accepting this bless- ing which He was so willing to bestow upon them. I knew that " Faith cometh by hear- XVIII WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT 1 . ing, and hearing by the Word of God," so I studied God's Word more and more and faith increased accordingly. I also attended some meetings on this subject, which were then being held by Rev. J. A. Dowie in Oakland, and I heard remarkable testimonies from many who had been healed of incurable diseases in answer to prayer. My faith continued to in- crease and I realized that Jesus Christ is "the same yesterday and to-day and forever.' 3 Finally, prayer was offered for and with me, and, as we are commanded to do in Mark xi: 24, I believed then and there that I did re- ceive. I had no special manifestation at the time, but believed that I was made "every whit whole " by the power of God. The next morning I realized the new life which had been imparted, and felt as though I could run like a boy, although before this I had been scarcely able to walk up the stairs. I had been living on diet recommended by my physicians, which contained no starch or sugar, but now I began to eat everything, taking God's blessing upon it, and knowing that it made no differ- THE PRAYER OF FAITH. XIX ence what I ate, because I was every whit made whole. Health and {strength returned, and I was not only healed of Diabetes, but also of chronic rheumatism, which had troubled me for many years and had greatly crippled me at times. My nervous system which had been completely shattered was restored. My life is now one continued psalm of praise. " I have learned the wondrous secret, Of abiding in the Lord: I have found the strength and sweetness Of confiding in His word; I have tasted Life's pure fountain, I am drinking of His blood, I have lost myself in Jesus, I am sinking into God. " All my sicknesses I bring Him, And He bears them all away; All my fears and griefs I tell Him, All my cares from day to day, All my strength I draw from Jesus, By His breath I live and move; E'en His very mind He gives me, And His faith, and life, and love. XX WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT! " For my words I take His wisdom, For my works His Spirit's power, For my ways His ceaseless Presence, Guards and guides me every hour, Of my heart He is the portion, Of my joy the boundless spring, Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, Glorious Lord and coming King. n THE PRAYER OF FAITH. CHAPTER I. MARVELOUS HEALING IN ANSWER TO PRAYER. No, 260 CONNECTICUT STREET. BUFFALO, N. Y., July fth, 1880. ON .he sixth of January, 1877, after a grad- ual decline in health, I was prostrated with an attack of fever, proceeding from my spine, the result, probably, of a severe fall on a stone sidewalk several months before. The fever was soon subdued, but my disease grew into settled spinal difficulty, and from the inflammation of the spinal nerves proceeded a most distressing hyper-acuteness, called hyperaesthesia. This extended to all my large joints ; and my hips, knees and ankles could not be touched even by myself, on account of their sensitiveness. The disease increased until the nerves in the joints were so unnaturally alive that it was as if they had been laid bare, and it seemed to me as though nothing less than spasms would 10 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. be the immediate result were they touched. The vibrating of these sensitive nerves, occa- sioned by the tiniest jar or noise in the room, was something indescribably dreadful. For all but the first two months of my ill- ness, extreme helplessness as well as suffering made my lot almost unendurable. For more than two years, turning over alone or moving myself a particle in bed was simply an im- possibility. Every move was made for me with the greatest care. I suffered intensely with my head ; the violent, tearing pain, the terrible sense of weight, and the extreme sen- sitiveness made a soft, small pillow feel like a block of stone, the pressure of which was crushing my brain to atoms. Much of the time we were obliged to exclude from the room all excepting those who had the care of me. For eleven months I could not sit up at all, but in the spring of 1878 improved slowly, and could be lifted into a chair for a little while each day. I was more comfortable until July, but I could not by my greatest exertions get able to help myself at all. The INTRODUCTORY. I i only way in which I could be moved from the bed to the chair, was by being lifted un- der my arms, as I could endure no pressure on my spine. The very warm weather at that time, and my making attempts to help myself when in such a weak condition, caused a sudden and violent relapse, and, in spite of everything that could be done for me, I continued to fail. I rallied a little in the autumn, but only temporarily. In January, 1879, my mother's mother, who had lived with us for years and who was very dear to me, died at our house, after a short illness. I was so low at the time, that there could be no public notice of her death, and only a few intimate friends were admitted into our silent house. By the middle of February, my weakness was so great that most of the time I could scarcely speak in a whisper, and sometimes could only move my lips. Often the exertion of whispering one word would cause the per- spiration to start profusely; and I would lie for hours needing something rather than ask 12 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. for it. I could take no solid food, whatever, and it exhausted me greatly to swallow even liquid food. My disease had grown into blood consump- tion ; I was emaciated to a shadow, and my largest veins looked like mere threads. Noth- ing could keep me warm, and the chill of death seemed upon me. A great part of the time I lay gasping faintly for breath, and I suffered excruciatingly. Even the weight of my arms and limbs seemed to be almost un- endurable, and this terrible strain was con- stant. My pulse could scarcely be found, and I was not expected to live from one day to the next. Everything that the most skillful physicians could do for me, had been done ; only the "Great Physician" could restore me by His almighty power. I have no doubt that it was ordered by Providence, that, just at this time, there should appear in the daily paper a short account of the wonderful cures per- formed in answer to the prayers of Mrs. Ed- ward Mix, a colored lady, of Wolcottville, Conn. The article represented her as an earnest, humble Christian, who simply pro- INTRODUCTORY. 13 t'essed to be doing God's work. She had, her- self, been cured after years of ill health, by the prayers and laying on of hands of a Rev. Mr. Allen, of Springfield. Mother mentioned these facts to me, and the more I thought on the subject, the more I felt that a letter must be written her in regard to my own case. I had often heard of faith-cures before this, and there had been read to me some portions of W. W, Patton's book, " Remarkable Answers to Prayer," but, although not discrediting them, none had ever produced so great an impression on my mind as this short account of Mrs. Mix. I waited a few hours, then requested my sister to write her that I be- lieved her great faith might avail for me, if she would pray for my recovery, even if she were not present to lay her hands upon me. On Tuesday, February 25th, her answer came as follows : WOLCOTTVILLE, CONN., February 241/1, 1879. Miss CARRIE JUDD: I received a line from your sister Eva, stating your case, your disease and your faith. 14, THE PRAYER OF FAITH. I can encourage you, by the Word of God. that "according to your faith" so be it unto you; and besides you have this promise, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up." Whether the per- son is present or absent, if it is a "prayer of faith" it is all the same, and God has promised to raise up the sick ones, and if they have committed sins to forgive them. Now this promise is to you, as if you were the only per- son living. Now if you can claim that prom- ise, I have not the least doubt but what you will be healed. You will first have to lav j aside all medicine of every description. Use no remedies of any kind for anything. Lay aside trusting in the "arm of flesh," and lean wholly upon God and His promises. When you receive this letter I want you to begin to pray for faith, and Wednesday afternoon the female prayer-meeting is at our house. We will make you a subject of prayer, between the hours of three and four. I want you to pray for yourself, and pray believing and then act faith. It makes no difference how you feel, but get right out of bed and begin to INTRODUCTORY. 1.5 walk by faith. Strength will come, disease will depart and you will be made whole. We read in the Gospel, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." Write soon. Yours in faith, MRS. EDWARD Mix. Is it: any wonder that in my titter weakness^ my confirmed helplessness, and, above all, my lack of faith, that I was tempted to smile unbelievingly at the words " get right out of bed and begin to walk by faith"? My con- science reproved me for my unbelief, and I began to pray for an increase of faith. I left off all medicine at once, though I confess it was with a struggle, for I was very dependent upon it for temporary alleviation of my ex- treme suffering. At the hour appointed by Mrs. Mix, members of our own family also offered up prayer, though not in my room. Just before this, I seemed to have no power, whatever, to grasp the promise. Terrible, darkness and powerful temptations from Satan rose to obscure even the little faith I had, but, suddenly, my soul was filled with a child- like peace and confidence, different from any- thing I had ever before experienced. l6 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. There was no excitement, but, without the least fear or hesitation, I turned over and raised up alone, for the first time in over two years. My nurse, Mrs. H., who had taken care of me for nearly a year, was greatly affected, and began praising God for His wonderful power and mercy. Directly after, with a little support from my nurse, I walked a few steps to my chair. During that same hour, a decided change was perceptible in my color, circulation and pulse, and I could talk aloud with ease. Referring to my diary, which was kept by Mrs. H., I find under February 27th, which was the day after my restoration : " Carrie moved herself in bed several times during the night. This after- noon she walked from her chair to the bed, a distance of about eight feet, by taking hold of my arms. The Lord strengthens her every hour, both physically and in faith. Blessed be His holy Name ! ' Then, under February 28th: "Carrie grows stronger, moves herself more easily, rests better nights, has a good appetite. I gave her a sponge-bath this after- noon, and I could not but notice the change INTRODUCTORY. 17 in the color of her flesh ; instead of the yellow, dead look, it is pink and full of life." Under March ist: 'This morning she drew on her stockings." March 2d : "Her chest and lungs have been strong; she has talked aloud a great deal. Appetite good; color fresh and clear." In about three weeks I could walk around the room without even having any one near me ; in four weeks I walked down stairs with a little assistance ; I walked very steadily from the first, and my joints, which had been so weakened by the hyperassthesia, grew strong and firm at once. My muscles filled out very rapidly, but I suffered nothing from aching or lameness, even after I commenced going up and down stairs. The first pleasant day in April I went out of doors and into a neighbor's. It seemed as though it was almost too much joy to compre- hend, to really be out in the air and sunshine once more. I looked up at the windows of my room with a vague idea that there must be imprisoned there still, a prostrate, suffering creature, of whom I had once been a part, l8 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. but now was freed from by some mysterious process. The thought of my long and terrible suffering, and of my sudden and joyful deliver- ance, almost overwhelms me now as I review it all so minutely. I will mention here, that it was especially noticeable, during my healing, that whenever I made any extra exertion of my own, sud- denly, and without the least apparent cause, my strength would fail me. It was soon revealed to me, that I was simply to look to the Lord for improvement ; that as He had begun the work, He would carry it on without any strivings on my part. The more fully I cast myself upon Him, the more I was supported, and often I felt borne up as if by some buoyancy in the air, while there was little or no effort of my own. Even more wonderful, and infinitely more precious, than being brought from death unto life, phy- sically, is the renewed life which the soul experiences at the same time under the heal- ing influence of the Holy Spirit. A deep, intense love for God is implanted in the heart, worldly desires and ambitions sink into INTRODUCTORY. 19 nothingness, the one absorbing thought is to be conformed more and more to the image of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins promised with the healing in James v: 14, 15, is ex- perienced as never before. My gain in flesh and strength was rapid, and my friends say that I am now looking better than ever before. The trouble in my head, which was almost constant for a long time before my prostration, entirely disap- peared when I was cured, and I can do a vast amount of studying and writing without even a slight headache. I can also take very long walks and enjoy them. I wish to add that Dr. Charles Cullis, of Boston, Mass., whose faith-works and faith- cures are so widely known, kindly added his prayers for my complete recovery. All glory be to our merciful and loving Redeemer ! and that I may ever abide in Him, and bring forth the "fruit of the Spirit," is the daily prayer of my life. CARRIE F. JUDD. 20 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. With my kind pastor's permission I publish the following letter ; his reply to one which I received from a stranger : No. 790 SEVENTH STREET, BUFFALO, N. Y., March ijth, 1880. DEAR SIR: Miss Judd has shown me your favor of the nth inst., and requests me to vouch for her entire credibility. I do this with great pleasure, the more so that I have known her so long, and have been entirely conversant with all the facts in the case, from the beginning. I can assure you of her long and painful illness, of her utter and complete prostration, of the immediate expectation of death by herself and all her friends ; during all those months I ministered at her bedside, and saw her draw nearer and nearer to the end. But suddenly, and, of course, by the inter- position of God, and doubtless in answer to the prayers of the Church, and of the faithful, she was, so to speak, in a day restored, and is now in perfect health. Of these facts I assure you. They are well known to all here, and you have only to ask any resident of Buffalo INTRODUCTORY. 21 to be satisfied of the truthfulness of all that she may tell you. Why should it be accounted strange that God should raise one of His children from the bed of death ? I confess I see no reason. His promise was for all time, " unto you, and to your children," and if we gain less now, it is because we are less faithful, and not because His promise is less sure. I shall be glad to give you any further information in my power, if you desire it. Very truly, C. F. A. BIELBY, Rector St. Mary's-Church-on-the-Hill (Episcopal). NOTE Rev. Mr. Bielby is not at present Rector of St. Mary's Church. 22 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. CHAPTER II. THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME. I BELIEVE that the command comes to me, as it came to that restored and rejoicing man so many hundred years ago : " Go home to thy friends and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had com- passion on thee." -St. Mark v: 19. A pre- cious thought it is to me, that, in the strong bond of fellowship and love which exists be- tween Christ's disciples, I may know you all as friends. So home to each one of you I would come, with the peculiar tenderness and sympathy which suffering draws forth from those who have suffered likewise, and I long to speak words of comfort, which will assure you that there is "balm in Gilead," and a " Physician there." It is with this end in view that I have re- lated, in the foregoing chapter, my experience of the Divine healing power, which has given me renewed life, spiritual and physical. THE POWER OF JESUS NAME. 2j How strange and sad it is that when the Bible abounds in such rich promises for sup- plying the need both of soul and body, that we should be languishing in either. Let us together, earnestly and prayerfully, search God's Word, and by its light dispel the mists of unbelief, which prevent our seeing clearly the blessings which are only awaiting our grasp of faith. We are not apt to accept the Bible as liter- ally as v/e ought. We get into a dangerous habit of considering its exhortations as in a great degree figurative or sacredly poetic, or as relating to past generations and not to our own. It is no wonder, therefore, if we read our Guide of Life in a way so erroneous, that we get into very loose notions respecting our duties in obeying it. If we would accept every command con- tained in the Bible, as a direct command to us from our Lord, and obey them all as literally as they are intended to be obeyed, we should find inestimable blessings attending such a course. Having had light and grace given me to determine to do this, I have found that 14 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. it is only needful for me to make the effort co obey, and the strength to do so comes im- mediately from a higher source. None of the Lord's injunctions are too difficult to obey, if we make the effort trusting in His strength, and who of us, that have kept the Lord's commandments, have not found that " in keeping of them there is great re- ward " ? Psa. xix : 1 1. Let us look at the literal command which the inspired apostle gives concerning the sick. He says, " Is any sick among you ? let him call for the elders of the church ; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord : And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise htm up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." James v: 14, 15. This is certainly not a grievous command, and yet how willing we are to go to every trouble and expense before following these simple and plain directions. Have they seemed to some of us, as seemed the instruc- tions of Elisha to Naaman, the leper, too simple and easy to think of obeying? If so, THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME. 25 let us remember the words of Naaman's ser- vants, who "came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean ?" In St. Mark i: 32, occur these words: "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto Him all that were diseased;" and again in St. Luke iv : 40, we read : " Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him ; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them." Both St. Mark and St. Luke allude in these passages to the fact of its being evening and the time of the setting sun, and this seems to figura- tively illustrate the fact that only in the even- ing of human hope were they willing to go to Christ for peace and healing. And why do we wait until the glare of disappointing earthly suns has passed away, before we are ready to perceive the soothing, lovely light of the " Sun of Righteousness," which unto those who fear God's name, shall " arise with heal- ing in His wings." 26 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. With the promise in James so plain before us, it is strange and sad that we should lan- guish so long on beds of suffering, making no effort to claim this promised healing; and why ? let us consider some of the difficulties which are shutting out so many of us from a full enjoyment of our privileges. A great obstacle which meets us at the out- set, is the sad unbelief of the world, and, sadder still, of many professed Christians. When the fainting hope of some suffering one is revived by a prayerful reading of the gra- cious promises in the Bible, that hope is often shattered by some friend who says rebuk- ingly : " O, you cannot be healed in that way. Miracles long ago ceased." What matters it to our readily deceived hearts, that we can find nothing in the Bible to support this assertion ? we suppose that the world must be right about it, and so we believe the word of our fellow-creatures, and make " the Word of God of none effect" through these traditions. St. Mark vii : 13. A great and good man, who is widely known all over the United States, wrote to a THE POWER OF JESUS NAME. 27 friend, concerning the subject of faith-healing : ' With the open Book before me, I do not see why these things cannot be." It is because we do not keep our eyes closely enough fixed on our open Bibles that we fail to "behold wondrous things out of God's law." Can we say with David : " O, how I love Thy law! it is my meditation all the day"? It is written in Acts ii : 39, " For the prom- ise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off." St. Peter is speaking of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and none who have felt the wonderful power, which, in an- swer to the "prayer of faith," gives healing to soul and body, can doubt that it is the power of the Holy Spirit, promised to all ages and generations. There are many who refuse to give credence to faith-cures, because, as they strenuously assert, " the age of miracles is past." What authority they can give for this statement, remarkable as it is when so many miracles, spiritual and physical, are be- ing performed by the power of the Holy Spirit, every day, we leave them to tell ; but we would press the inquiry upon them if 28 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. these marvelous cures are not wrought by God, by what power are they performed ? Some would attribute them to " physical phe- nomena," ' influence of mind over mind," " faith co-operating with the faculties of volition," etc., but when we present for their investigation, well-authenticated cases where cancers, tumors, consumption, and other fatal diseases are cured in a wonderfully short time in answer to the "prayer of faith," when as in a case which Dr. Cullis relates in his introduction to the book " Dorothea Trudel ' broken bones unite in less than twenty-four hours because of a little child's faith, then their reasons cannot seem plausible to the most prejudiced minds. They must either stubbornly refuse to be- lieve in these cases of healing without giv- ing any reasons for their unbelief; or else rightfully ascribe them to Divine power; or (and I shudder at the thought of any one's committing such blasphemy) attribute them to diabolical agency. There were those who attributed to Satan, even the miracles which Christ performed THE POWER OF JESUS NAME. 29 while on the earth. The Pharisees said : ''This fellow doth not cast out devils but by Beelze- bub, the prince of devils." Let us remember Christ's answer, and beware lest we make any approach to that terrible and unpardonable sin, which shall not be forgiven men " neither in this world, neither in the world to come." " Wherefore I say unto you that all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men : but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." -St. Matt, xii: 31. Immediately after this rebuke our Saviour adds : " Either make the tree good and his fruit good ; or else make the tree corrupt and his fruit corrupt : for the tree is known by his fruit." Let us pause a moment to ask what fruit is brought forth in the lives of those who have experienced these "miracles of healing." Do we see these restored people rushing into vanity and sin, using their renewed health and strength in the service of the devil ? Far from it ! We see them consecrating every power of soul and body to loving, joyful ser- vice for their Lord and Master ; we see them 30 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. a "peculiar people, zealous of good works," desirous of following as closely as possible the footsteps of their Saviour. The man whose sight had been restored, said to the Pharisees when speaking of Jesus : " Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence He is, and yet He hath opened mine eyes. Now we know that God heareth not sinners : but if any man be a worshiper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth," and we may say likewise that it would indeed be a " marvelous thing " if de- voted Christians, who give their lives entirely to the Lord, are servants of the devil Dr. Charles Cullis, through whose " prayer of faith " so many sufferers have been healed, says : u I have noticed in every case of heal- ing by prayer, as great a blessing has come to the soul as to the body. This has been in- variable." And why should it not be so, when we are told that if the sick person has " committed sins they shall be forgiven him " ? Whoever takes it upon himself to rebuke those who perform miracles in the name of Jesus Christ, will do well to read our Saviour's THE POWER OF JESUS NAME. 31 own words on this subject: "And John an- swered Him, saying, Master, we saw one cast- ing out devils in Thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him, because he fol- loweth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not, for there is no man which shall do a mir- acle in My name, that can lightly speak evil of Me. For he that is not against us is on our part." St. Mark ix : 38-40. /;/ My name, Christ says, and that is the vast difference between the miracles wrought by the powe-r of the Holy Spirit, and those false wonders per- formed in the name of the Virgin or at the shrines of other saints. St. Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto the " rulers of the people, and elders of Israel," " If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; be it known unto you all * that by the name of Jesus Christ Q{ Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole. Neither is there salvation in any other : for there is none other name under Heaven given among 32 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. men whereby we must be saved." Acts iv : 9, 10, 12. 'Thatfa/se miracles could not be performed in the name of Christ was proven by the ter- rible experience of the unconverted Jews, related in Acts xix : 13, 15, 16. " Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exor- cists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits, the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye ? And the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house, naked and wounded." In Christ's parting commission to His dis- ciples He mentions, among other signs that shall follow those who believe, " they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover," but notice that all of these wonderful things were to be done in Christ's name: "/;/ My name. shall they cast out devils." O, let us not refuse to recognize the power of our Redeemer's name, and when we cry THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME. 33 for mercy to that blessed Saviour, let us, like blind Bartimeus, persist until our calls reach His gracious ear. There are many sweet and comforting lessons in this account of the heal- ing of Bartimeus, if we read it with under- standing. "And it came to pass, that as He was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the wayside begging." Ho\v in our spiritual blindness we all sit " by the wayside begging" asking paltry alms of those who are unwilling, and, again, of those who are unable, of their own poverty, to give when if we would but seek Jesus, we should receive with Him the fullness of all blessing. " He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things ? " This man heard the tread of the multitude, and he asked what it meant, " And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by." Happy are we if we are not spiritually deaf as well as blind ; for many there be who will not listen to the sound of the footsteps of those who follow Christ, " lest/' as the Lord 34 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. says, " they should be converted and I should heal them." But if we are ready and willing to ask what these things mean, we shall not fail of receiving the answer, "Jesus of Naza- reth passeth by." Then our cry, like that of blind Bartimeus, will arise above all other tumult, " Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." And they which went before, rebuked him, that he should hold his peace; just as many who go before, or occupy the first place in Christian churches nowadays, take it upon themselves to rebuke those who seek for Christ's healing mercy. If many of the ministers or "elders' 1 of the present day had lived at that time and heard the blind man's cries, they would doubtless have represented to him the exceeding sinful- ness of seeking to be delivered from an in- firmity which he ought simply to bear with resignation. O, how we limit the power and mercy of the Great Shepherd! How unwilling we are to accept what God, of His exceeding good- ness, is so willing to give ! But Bartimeus' faith in Christ's mercy was THE POWER OF JESUS NAME. 35 much greater than his fear of those who re- buked him, and " he cried so much the more, Thou Son of David have mercy on me." If he had only listened to the reproving voices of those who went before, and had not per- sisted in turning from them to Jesus Himself, how great the blessing he must have forfeited. Did Jesus pass by that blind man with a rebuking word and a command to submit patiently to his affliction? Ah, no! for was not that merciful Saviour Himself willing to bear, in his own body, the sins and sorrows of the blind man, and of all those who will by faith cast their burden upon the cross ? We hear His voice in kindness and power, ''What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee ? " Think what these words would mean coming even from an earthly monarch ; how much more do they convey spoken by Him to whom " all power has been given in heaven and in earth." ' What wilt thou ? " we may each one of us hear this question from our Lord, and as many of His promises as we choose to accep' by faith, will be made real to us. 36 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. The blind man's request was that he might receive his sight. He was then capable of understanding only the blessing of having the darkness removed from his physical vision, but with Jesus' words, " Receive thy sight, thy faith hath saved thee," his soul also received new powers of vision, and he joyfully beheld the "True Light" Who hath said, "I am the light of the world : he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." "And immediately he received his sight, and followed Him glorifying God : and all the people when they saw it gave praise unto God." It is recorded of this man, as of so many others who were healed by Christ, that his first act, after being made whole, was to glorify God. Adoration is the essential out- pouring of the heart which recognizes its Redeemer, who " Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." St. Matt, viii : 17. And, like David, we may sing with joyful lips, "Bless the Lord, O! my soul, and forget not all His benefits : who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." THE NATURE OF FAITH. 37 CHAPTER III. THE NATURE OF FAITH. I TRUST that there are many of you, my dear friends, who, clinging closely to the word of God instead of to the traditions of men, are already beginning to realize the blessed privilege which may be yours that of accept- ing your Saviour as the " Great Physician " of your soul and body. You may answer that you long ago accepted Him as the Physician of your soul ; but do you really feel satisfied that you have expe- rienced a complete spiritual healing ? Are you fully assured that your sins are forgiven, and that your soul has been born anew ? Do you feel that you have been brought to the full salvation, which Christ meant should be ours, when He suffered on Calvary ? I doubt not that there are many hearts that will give sad answers to these questions, knowing, as they do, that they have not been " filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost." Acts xiii : 52. THE PRAYER OF FATTH I beg of you then to trust God for a more complete healing of soul than you have ever known before, and trust Him, also, for the healing of your weak, suffering body. I think I can tell, from my own experience, one of the first temptations which you will encounter in your attempt to do this. You are probably saying : " Other people may claim the prom- ise in Jas. v : 14, 15, but I am not good enough. God would not thus favor any but those who had led very holy lives." We are so apt to lose sight of the all-im- portant fact that we have no righteousness of our own, that "there is none righteous; no, not one," but we may, and must, put on Christ, as our righteousness. We all know this; but do we all realize it? Considering our own unworthiness, we have none of us a right to present a single petition to God. ' For there is no difference ; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -Rom. iii : 22, 23. It is one of Satan's delusions, that even while we are thus holding back, from a sense of our sinfulness, we are consoled for our lack of faith by a half-conscious acknowl- edgment of what we think is our humility. THE NATURE OF FAITH. 39 The right kind of humility is indeed very necessary; but we must look entirely away from self, to our Saviour, and thus realize what we may receive through His merits. We may "come boldly to the throne of grace' through " the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe." Clad in the robe of His righteousness, we may then claim all the wonderful blessings extended to the righteous. We read: "Thou Lord wilt bless the right- eous, with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield ; >; " The Lord loveth the right- eous ;' "His secret is with the righteous;' " The desire of the righteous shall be granted ; " " The righteous is delivered out of trouble ; ' ! ''The way of the righteous is made plain;' 1 and many more such precious texts, which, when we realize that they may be ours through Christ, make our hearts sing for joy. In the examples of great faith, given us in the Gospels, we see how persistently and fear- lessly the most humble sinners approached their holy Lord, when losing sight of them- selves in Him. 4O THE PRAYER OF FAITH. Notice the difference between the conduct of the ten lepers who "stood afar off," and that of the other poor leper we read of, who came to Jesus, "beseeching Him and kneeling down to Him." The former dared not ap- proach Christ, because of the law respecting their terrible disease, but the latter had, it seems, in his importunity and faith, dared to approach so near the Saviour, that He could touch him by putting forth His hand. So we, viewing ourselves in the light of the law, see our souls so vile and loathsome that we dare not approach the Holy One ; but when, with the eye of faith, we behold our- selves as already cleansed by the blood of Jesus, we feel no longer our pollution, but are ready to approach Him, and receive " accord- ing to our faith." When we begin to realize that " God is no respecter of persons," and that all who go to Him in the name of Jesus Christ, are accepted alike ; when we have given up the idea that any one can have righteousness of his own, then a very great barrier is broken down be- tween God's good gifts and ourselves. But THE NATURE OF FAITH. 4! Satan is always ready to set up new barriers, and he comes to us with difficulties concerning our faith. We are apt to regard faith as something high and mysterious, which no one can attain unless born with an unusual degree of it. Some of us are deceived by thinking that great and repeated struggles of mind are necessary in order to secure it, and this idea is pretty strongly rooted, until we really un- derstand the nature of faith. I could not express this erroneous notion better than by repeating the very remark which a lady made to me not long ago. After questioning me about my cure, she exclaimed: "Well, I'm sure / never could muster up enough faith ! ' Faith is belief, and the question is not how much we must believe God's word, but whether we accept it as true or not true ; whether we deem it reliable or not reliable. There is no neutral ground between faith and unbelief. Of all Satan's delusions, none, per- haps, are more delusive than the errors he puts into our minds regarding faith. Let us take the Bible definition of the word : " Faith 42 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. is the substance (margin, confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Heb. xi : i. We know that in human transactions if we have the confidence that we shall have what we are hoping for, we make the same calculations, mentally, at least, that we should if we already had it, and when we place that con- fidence in One who cannot fail, we really have the substance, itself, of our hopes. Again, if we commission a reliable friend to perform some errand for us, we believe that he will do it, and therefore that belief or faith is the evidence in our mind of things as yet unseen. Before we have the evidence of our senses in regard to the matter, we accept the evidence of faith. Having faith in God is believing His word without looking at probabilities or possibil- ities, as humanly viewed ; without regarding natural circumstances; without considering any apparent obstacles in the way of His keeping His promises. If every avenue of hope seems closed to our human vision, God can open new ones, and we must trust His THE NATURE OF FAITH. 43 word through everything. It is not faith sim- ply to believe when we can see all the work- ings of Providence ; it is faith not to be staggered at any complication of adverse circumstances. " And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He heareth us : and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." i John v: 14, 15. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it." St. John xiv: 13, 14. We get some valuable knowledge, in regard to faith, from the touching and eloquent recital of the healing of the poor woman, in St. Mark v: 25-34. She had been afflicted with her disease for twelve years, "and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that' she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse." How exactly the language of this verse de- scribes the experience of many poor sufferers nowadays, who having sought relief by every 44 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. means possible, find themselves in a worse condition than when they first sought their physicians, and who are left without money to pay more doctors' bills, even were they not aware that no human skill could remove or alleviate their sufferings. Just at the time of her utter discourage- ment, this woman " heard of Jesus." Perhaps she had heard of His wonderful works before this, but until she had tried every means, and they had failed, she was probably not ready or willing to hear of Him with faith, and this is apt to be the case with us. This poor woman " when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched His garments. For she said, If I may touch but His clothes, I shall be whole." O, that we might thus press through the crowd of doubts and fears, and let nothing stay us until we have touched the hem of Christ's garment! What, in this poor sufferer's case, was the inevitable result of that touch of faith ? " She felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." A marked lesson is conveyed in the Saviour's inquiry, "Who touched my clothes?" and the THE NATURE OF FAITH. 45 answer which He intended this question to bring forth: "And His disciples said unto Him, Thou seest the multitude thronging Thee, and sayest Thou, who touched Me?" How significant is this of the multitudes who throng Jesus every day, who draw near to Him in prayer, and yet, like this multitude who " followed Him and thronged Him," draw not near in faith. Some who were in that throng were undoubtedly there out of curiosity ; some may have passed near and touched Him as an experiment, or test of His power ; and some, even, with prayers on their lips, may have been uttering mockeries which they did not expect, and perhaps did not wish, to have regarded. The disciples marveled that Christ should say, "Who touched me?" when they knew that each moment His contact with some one was unavoidable ; but He alone could discern between the touch of faith and the touch of unbelief. " And He looked round about to see her that had done this thing." Is it not comfort- ing to know that our blessed Lord, in His 46 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. tender solicitude for us, will thus take such particular notice of every one who dares reach out the hand of faith to touch His sacred robe ? And what does the sequel teach ? That we must not keep silent about the great things which Christ does for us. For His glory we must confess them " before all the people," and then to us, as it did to her, will sound His reassuring voice : '' Go in peace." The physical healing seems to have been given first in this instance, and it was only when she confessed the wondrous work wrought in her, that He gave the ' peace which passeth all understanding " to her soul, It may be that we shall be called upon to confess Christ, "with fearing and trembling," as did she; but just as surely He will bid us be of good comfort, and say : Thy faith hath made thee whole." Sometimes we cherish the idea that faith is in itself so meritorious that it entitles us to proportionate blessings ; but we must keep in mind, that it would make no difference how strong was our belief in God's power, had He THE NATURE OF FAITH. 47 not given His Son to die for us, that we might be accepted in Him. ' Thou believest that there is one God ; thou doest well ; the devils also believe and tremble." Jas. ii : 19. But \ve must also be- lieve that it is not for our faith's sake, but for Christ's sake alone that we may have all the blessings promised us in His name. Instead of thinking of the merits of faith, we must try to understand how great a sin is unbelief. We may realize how much we lose by it, but not how criminal it is in the sight of God. If we would look at our unbelieving conduct with the thought that we are representing the faithful God a liar, we should put new force upon the saying: ''For whatsoever is not of faith is sin." -Rom. xiv : 2. "Whatsoever" this gives us new ideas concerning the sinful- ness which we must ask God to forgive ; for how much, how very much, there is in all of us, which is "not of faith." Faith is not meritorious, but it is essential. We must believe fully in God's power, and in His mercy through Christ, in order to put ourselves in a position to receive the desired 48 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. blessing. Every doubt removes us just so far from claiming the promises; for since faith is laying hold of a blessing, doubt is just the opposite letting go of it. If we take hold by faith of something we desire, then let go be- cause of doubt, and continue our indecision, doubt generally conquers, and we let go alto- gether. Having once laid hold of a promise, by faith, we must keep hold of it. We all have the germ of faith in the power to believe intellectually, but it requires the quickening of the Holy Spirit to change a mere intellectual belief into that living faith by which the promises are made real to us. We must first use the God-given powers of our mind and determine to believe, praying at the same time for the Spirit to enable us to do so. We are told in Gal. v: 22, that faith is the "fruit of the Spirit." A lady who was cured of a nine-years' blindness, in answer to prayer, wrote to a friend : " I now understand the mystery of the miracles." She had experienced the light and power which had given her new vision, spiritual as well as physical, and could now THE JNATURE OF FAITH. 49 understand how the faith, "without works and dead," could be renewed and bring forth fruit when quickened by the Spirit. If we plead in Christ's name for the Com- forter, we have full assurance that we shall be answered, for Jesus left us these precious words: "If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him." We have only to desire and then to ask. I remember when the wings of faith, my carrier-dove, were so heavy laden with the pollution of my sinful and discouraged soul, that my messages could not arise to Heaven. But were they not, therefore, received of God ? Yes, though I knew it not then, He mercifully bent to hear my petitions, though my faith could not arise to Him. The feeblest flutterings of our faith will arouse His tender love, and He will revive and strengthen until it soars trustfully upward. I will take an extract from Rev. Theo. Monod's writings : " Do you think it would be a great thing do you think it would be a 50 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. happy thing for you to give that poor body of yours, that poor heart of yours, to God to live in? Do you think God would accept it? Hear this one word. Jesus Christ says that even as a father will not give a stone for bread to his hungering child, even so no, He does not say that He says, ''how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit '- to them that deserve Him ? No ! To them that merely keep wishing, for Him ? No ! To them that ASK for Him. * A*k and ye shall receive.' " The Shepherd does not ask of thee Faith in thy faith, but only faith in Him ; And this He meant in saying, ' Come to Me.' In light or darkness seek to do His will, And leave the work of faith to Jesus still." While most of us limit God's mercy, there are others who limit His power. It is strange that any who acknowledge God's omnipotence, can be so inconsistent as to suppose that His power cannot extend to one disease as well as to another, and yet I have heard people spec- ify certain cases, and ask, incredulously, " But do you think that they could be cured in that way ? THE NATURE OF FAITH. 51 The prophet says: "Ah, Lord God! be- hold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth, by Thy great power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee." Many who seek this healing as a last resort, have very little faith that their cases are within reach of the "Great Physician's" power, and to them a wonderful lesson is presented in the account of healing given in Mark ix : 17-30. The father of the afflicted child had taken him to the disciples to be healed by them, but he found that they were unable to cast out the devil. What little faith the man had pos- sessed, was evidently weakened by their fail- ure, and it was almost in despair that he spoke these words to Jesus, " But if Thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Do not many of us go with this feeling in our hearts, " Lord, if Thou canst do any- thing, have compassion on us "? But Jesus gently rebukes this lack of faith, and proceeds to instruct him in what spirit he must approach Him, if he would have his child cured. 52 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. " Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." Let us stop a moment to consider the two glorious possibilities, " with God all things are possible," and " all things are possible to Kim that believeth." How many of us, judging from our own faithless conduct, would have replied that we did not know how to believe, that we could not believe, that we were not born with faith and were, therefore, incapable of believing. Did that troubled, sorrowing father answer in this way? Ah, no! he knew the urgency of his son's case; he knew that the only con- dition was believing, and, without searching his heart to see if he found there some mys- terious emotion, such as many people now understand faith to be, he at once signified his willingness to fulfil the necessary condition by making the effort to believe. " And straightway the father of the child cried out and said, with tears, Lord, I believe, help Thou mine unbelief." Straightway, with- out waiting a moment, even while with tears he was bemoaning his lack of faith and ask- THE NATURE OF FAITH. 53 ing Christ to help his unbelief, he made the effort of intellect and will, and said, " Lord, I believe." Not " Lord I will believe when Thou dost help mine unbelief," but " I will believe, I do believe this moment." He had acted upon the determination to believe in spite of himself, in spite of his un- belief, and as he made the effort the power was given him. 54 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. CHAPTER IV. * GOD'S BLESSED WILL FOR HIS CHILDREN. THERE are some dear suffering ones who think they may not claim this promised heal- ing, because it might not be the Lord's will for them to be cured. That God has a wise purpose in allowing sickness to come upon us, we may be certain. He doubtless uses it as one means of the loving chastening, with which he afflicts His children ; and to under- stand better why God chastens us, let us look at Heb. xii : i r. " Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward, it yieldeth the peace- able fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." In every providence it is the design of our loving Father to bring us nearer to Himself; to melt our stubborn wills until they may blend with His will, which is all love for us, and to cause us to yield ourselves, souls and bodies, " a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto the Lord." GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 55 . Some may harbor the idea that God is very reluctant to remove suffering from us that He is a hard Master who will only relieve us when we have wearied Him with our impor- tunity ; but it is often because we have strayed from our tender Shepherd, that He in mercy afflicts us, and it is because we are so unwill- ing to return, that the trial must needs con- tinue so long with some of us. There are other souls who are already near their Saviour, but whose very nearness causes them to catch such precious glimpses of the bliss of being still nearer their loved Re- deemer, that they plead with increasing ear- nestness for this privilege. And these, too, He purifies by suffering, until they are freed from the dross which prevents the gold from reflecting His image clearly. If these suffering ones would yield at once to the Refiner, their unbelief, which represents 1 the baser metal they had wished destroyed, the trial would quickly end, because no longer needful. And this can be done by faith by accepting Christ fully and putting all our dependence on Him. We read that the chas- 56 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. tening brings forth the "fruit of righteous- ness," but if we believe fully on Christ we may have His righteousness and a-deliverance from our trial, for "the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed." A dear, Christian sister, who was long edu- cated in suffering, wrote me awhile ago, "I was honest in my desire to be ivholly the Lord's, and nothing so reveals the Divine faithfulness as the very trials which were so deliberate, so protracted, and so thorough. It is strange how much we can endure before we are willing to stop and trust ! " " Stop and trust! ' this is just what we must be brought to, sooner or later, and, as soon as we will, we may obtain deliverance by this means. I doubt not that our Saviour's loving heart yearns to grant our petitions the moment they are presented, but with what infinite patience and wisdom He waits, that we may be pre- pared to receive what we have asked of Him, and that will be when we are willing to stop our own endeavors and trust to the work which He has accomplished for us. As much, GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 57 or as little, as we do this, we receive propor- tionate blessings, and Jesus has Himself said: " According to your faith be it unto you." This surely means that just as many of the benefits of His atonement as we choose to accept by faith (or belief in Him) may be ours. Would there be any good of soul and body which this would fail to comprehend, if we could grasp His wonderful words in all their fullness? The Psalmist says: " No good thing will He withhold from them who walk uprightly," and when we are walking in Christ, trusting to His full salvation, we are walking uprightly. While it is a wonderfully blessed truth, that He will not yield to our entreaties before the end so essential to our eternal good is accom- plished, it is also just as blessed and true that we may obtain a speedy deliverance out of every trouble, by giving our souls and bodies unreservedly to Him, and resting upon His ;< full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice ' for the sins of the whole world. I do not mean that no trial will come to us when we have entered upon this life of faith; 58 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. for, if that were so, how could we understand the blessedness of having such a mighty and conquering Saviour ? Just as we must first be convicted of sin to be able to rejoice in being freed from sin, so trials must often come to us that we may taste the joy of knowing that " God is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble." It is pre- cious to behold what wonderful deliverances He will work for us, even when we seem com- pletely hedged in, if we put our trust in Him. '* O, taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that trusteth in Him. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." Psalm xxxiv: 8, 10, 19. What wonderful, helpful words, and to think that all the blessedness the Bible tells about, may be- long to each and all of us who will claim it through Christ ! O, if we would all at this moment " taste and see that the Lord is good." We would only need one taste to make us desire to eat of His goodness evermore, but GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 59 the trouble is, we will not accept the invitation to even taste. Jehovah said to Israel, " Open thy mouth wide and I will nil it," but they did not heed; and just so we are crying because of our hunger and will not open our mouths. Hear the loving, grieving words, " O, that my peo- ple had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have sub- dued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries." Does that sound as if our Lord rejoiced to see us groaning in affliction ? Then He tells with what He would have filled their mouths, " He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat, and with honey out of the Rock should I have satisfied thee." The prophet exhorts to repentance in these words, '' Come and let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn and He will heal us; He hath smitten and He will bind us up." Hoseavi: i. And we read in Lamentations iii : 32, 33, "But though He cause grief, yet vill He have compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He doth not 60 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.' And would this tender, loving Father, so much more merciful and loving than it is pos- sible for an earthly parent to be, refuse to deliver us from affliction, when His purpose is accomplished, and we are ready to trust fully to Him ? How plainly are we shown throughout the Bible that it is not the Lord's will to put sick- ness upon us, if we will only obey His com- mands and have faith in His promises. We read, " But if thou shalt indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy unto thy enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries; and ye shall serve the Lord your God * * * and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee." Ex. xxiii : 22, 25. ' Wherefore, it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments and keep and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which He sware unto thy fathers, and the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none GOD'S BLESSED WILL. OX of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee." Deut. vii : 12, 15. If we trust fully in Christ's finished work, sin cannot hold us captive, for He "bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteous- ness." i Peter ii : 24. If. we trust fully to His finished work, sick- ness shall not be able to hold us captive, for Christ " Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." St. Matt, viii : 17. And if we trust fully in that finished work, even the grave shall not hold us captive long, for " now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept." t Cor. xv : 20. Sin, sickness and corruption are upon all humanity because of the first Adam's sin ; but we may be delivered from sin, sickness and corruption because of the atonement of Christ, "the last Adam." "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." i Cor. xv : 22. O, dear, suffering friends, take the comfort of this, and believe that in Christ you may have every need of soul and body supplied. 62 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. It is His will that we shall ask Him for both spiritual and physical healing, and, therefore, He has told us by His inspired apostle that " the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins they shall be forgiven him." In the account of the healing of the leper, in St. Matt, viii : 2-4, we see one who had implicit faith in God's power, but who was seeking to know His will. "And behold there came a leper and worshiped Him, say- ing, Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst make me clean." If Jesus had, before this, openly proclaimed, as we have since had proclaimed to us through His written Word, that any sick person who asked, believing, would be healed and have his sins forgiven, the man would have gone to Him with different words ; for Christ's will in the matter would have been already known to him. He would sim- ply have gone to Him claiming the promise, in words like these: "Lord, I believe that Thou hast power to make me clean, and Thou hast signified Thy willingness to do it." We think we have a perfect right to take our earthly friends at their word, and to ac- GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 63 cept promises made by them, and yet we are continually rejecting God's revealed word, and trying to gain for ourselves a peculiar and different revelation. We must act on our Lord's revealed will, and if we need any further revelation, par- ticularly designed for ourselves, we shall have it clearly and distinctly given us. Was the Lord's will for that poor leper any different from that which we may know from His written Word, He now wills for us ? No, the prayer of faith would save the sick then, and it will now. " And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, I will ; be thou clean, and immediately his leprosy was cleansed." Now, what is the difference between the case of the poor leper and that of our sick and suffering ones nowadays ? The need is the same healing for the sin-sick soul and body. Then, too, thank God ! we have the same " Great Physician ' to call to our aid. He is as near us, now, as then He was near the leper; yes, even near enough for His blessed hand to touch us as it. did him. The 64 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. same tender heart, of which we read so often that it was " moved with compassion," is ready, now, to feel for us. " For we have not a High Priest which can- not be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- ties. * * * * Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." The only existing difference between the poor leper's case and our own is, that when he first went to the Saviour he was confident only of His power to heal him, while we, relying on his revealed Word, may have the certainty beforehand, not only of His power but also of His willingness to heal us. While we must be ready to bow with sub- mission to another revelation if it is made to our souls, we need not be waiting for it; we need not expect it. We may base our confi- dence on the word He has already given us, and we, too, shall be made "clean." Our flesh shall come again " like unto the flesh of a little child " (2 Kings v : 14), and our hearts shall be cleansed with the blood of Jesus. GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 65 We read in St. Matt, iv : 23: "And Jesus went about all Galilee * * * preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people." While the tender Physician ministered to the body, taking away pain and disease, and imparting new life to the wasted frame, He was, at the same time, conferring that much more marvelous and precious gift, healing to the sinful, prostrate soul. Those who went to Jesus would not have thought of asking Him to restore their souls, and leave their bodies full of disease. Even those of them who realized, as we so fully realize, that the soul-healing is vastly above anything else in importance, would not have thought of pleading for the greater boon without the less. Why should they, why should we when Christ is able and willing to give us both ? How surprised and dismayed any of us would be were we to read in the Bible that the leper importuned Christ to heal his sinful soul, and yet added that he could not ask for his leprosy to be cleansed, as that would be too much to ask of Christ. We cannot con- 66 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. ceive of the leper's making such a request when within reach of the Saviour's healing touch ; and if such a desire were granted him, can we help thinking that, in some respects, the spiritual healing must, of necessity, be imperfect ? And yet we see people whose conduct is precisely like this ; who give their hearts into Christ's keeping, but think the healing and keeping of their bodies would be too much to ask of Him, and that they can manage to attend to that, themselves! That the plague spots on the body, as well as on the heirt, were both the effects of the sin from which. Christ came to save us, our sinless Saviour knew, and He would not, and did not, extend complete healing to the one and leave the other in bondage. O, that as many as "have knowledge" of our loving Physician, may do, as did those men in the land of Gennesaret, long ago, who, we read, "sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto Him all that were diseased, and besought Him that they mighf only touch the hem of His garment, GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 67 and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." Let us notice the words which Christ spoke to the poor woman of Canaan, when she pleaded with such humble persistency, for the restoration of her daughter : " Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O, woman, great is thy faith ! be it unto thee even as thoti wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour." Whenever, by faith, we approach very near our Lord, we may indeed hear His voice say- ing, u Be it unto thee even as thou wilt;" for, in that comforting nearness to Him, we are taught His will for our souls .and bodies, and, from its very blessedness, we can desire no other. " If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." St. John xv: 7. And looking at the verse following this, we learn what is Christ's will for us. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." My friends, judge for yourselves : is it bearing much fruit to continue to be bound 68 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. by sickness, when, if we would accept the healing so freely offered us, we might work with renewed strength in His vineyard. May we all strive to understand how beautiful and blessed God's will is for His children, and thus clear away the unbelief with which Satan binds us, in body and soul. Not until we are freed from his chains and "loosed from our infirmity," can we really know what it is to exclaim : " O, the glorious liberty of the children of God!" Are there not many of us who have tried to raise that shout, and have felt like the fettered slave, to whom freedom is but a name? But the lib- erty triumphantly proclaimed in these words, may be to us a living reality, and Christ has said : " If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free, indeed." St. John viii : 36. He of Whom it is written, " Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses," has made us free from spiritual and physical sickness if we will but accept that healing. Would any one say that that does not mean our infirmities, and our sicknesses, just as much as the infirmities of those people whom GOD'S BLESSED WILL. 69 Christ healed, when He was on the earth? Did He suffer agony and death any more for them than for us? Hundreds and thousands of years can make no difference in Him, Who is the "same yesterday, to-day, and forever," and all the benefits of His loving kindness and tender mercy may be ours to-day. 70 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. CHAPTER V. ANOINTING AND CONSECRATION. WE complain that our faith is weak, and that our prayers are lifeless, but it is no wonder that we cannot expect answers to our prayers, when we have no idea of fulfilling God's conditions. Can you conceive what the glorious result would be, if each one of us, from this moment, strove to obey every command of our King? O, we are satisfied with such a heedless, half-hearted obedience, such as we would not render even an earthly parent; then we mur- mur and are inclined to think secretly that we have been faithful, and God has not ! We think if we partly fulfil God's com- mands, that we have done our duty. Most of us are willing, probably, to pray for our restoration to health, as far as that is con- cerned, and some of us are willing to call for the ministers or " elders of the church" (the word " elder " was originally presbyter, from ANOINTING AND CONSECRATION. 71 which our word priest is a corruption) to pray with us, but the instructions given in regard to anointing the sick person with oil, we consider quite superfluous and do not think of heeding them. Just here we must bear in mind, that it is not for us to mark out our path of duty, but to follow that which the Lord has marked out for us ; and since He enjoins the use of the oil, we may be sure that He has a wise purpose in so doing. How glad we are to heed the slightest wish of a dear earthly friend, whether or not we deem it of impor- tance, and how much more ought we to feel thus toward o-ur Heavenly Father, whose will, in its minutest details, is always important. Some may believe that the anointing spoken of in connection with healing the sick, was merely in conformance with some unimportant Jewish custom, but its significance, if we in- quire into it, will be found deep and pecu- liarly sacred. It is not simply anointing the sick person with oil, but " anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord" Profane, indeed, would that man be, who dared perform an 72 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. idle or meaningless ceremony, in the name of the Lord of Hosts; and if we search the Scriptures for light on this subject of sacred anointing, we shall attach a deeper meaning to the command in James than ever before. Turning to the book of Leviticus, and reading the laws, "which were a shadow of good things to come," we find that oil was greatly used for sacred purposes, especially for anointing the priests and for offering it with the sacrifices. " And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shaH be of fine flour, and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon." This is only one of the many texts which refer to the mingling of o.l with the sacrifices. Commenting upon the frequent use of oil in olden times, a learned bishop writes: ''Oil was anciently in very high esteem among the eastern nations on various accounts, and as they were wont to express almost every matter of importance by actions as well as words, one way of setting anything apart and appropri- ating it to an honorable use, was by anointing ANOINTING AND CONSECRATION. 73 it with oil. Therefore we find Jotham, in his parable, makes the olive tree speak of its fatness as that ' wherewith they honor God and man.' Judges ix : 9. Accordingly the tabernacle and temple and their furniture were consecrated by anointing them. And almost every sacrifice had oil mixed with flour added to it when it was offered up." Both the sacrifices and the priests were, of course, typical of Christ's atonement and Priesthood, and the significance of the typical anointing is made clear to us in passages like the following : St. Peter says : That word, I say, ye know * * * how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. Who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with Him." The wonderful and blessed anointing of the Holy Spirit, first poured upon Jesus Christ, and then through His mediatorial office, shed forth on His faith- ful followers, was the precious fulfilling of the Levitical foreshadowing. We read in the prophecy of Isaiah : '* And it shall come to pass, in that day, that his 74 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed, because of the anointing ." Deliverance was to come, because of this anointing of the Holy One, and Christ him- self, quoting from this same prophet, says: " The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, He hath sent me to heal the broken- hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised." -St. Luke iv: 1 8. Since Christ's righteousness may be ours, so this anointing of the Holy Spirit may be ours, by faith in Him ; as we read : "Now He which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us is God." And again: " But the anointing which ye have received of Him, abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in Him." ANOINTING AND CONSECRATING. 75 And this brings us to the precious signifi- cance of the anointing of the sick with oil, when prayer is offered for their recovery ; it is the outward sign of the inward anointing which is to heal and renew the soul and body. It is the setting apart to a holy use of the new life and strength imparted by the Holy Spirit. As in those olden times the tabernacle and the temple and their furniture were con- secrated by anointing them with oil, so we may consider that the " earthly house of this tabernacle" which is the temple of the Holy Spirit, is likewise consecrated as " holy unto the Lord." While the one important and essential anointing is that of the Holy Ghost, it is also important and very comforting, to obey God's command concerning the anointing with oil. We read that the disciples, when they were preaching the gospel of repentance, " anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them." Dr. Cullis, of Boston, fulfils the literal com- mand and anoints the forehead of the sick person with oil, when he can be present with ? THE PRAYER OF FAITH. the one for whom he is praying. Mr. and Mrs. Mix, Rev. Mr. Allen and Mr. Zeller, all of whom have been very successful in plead- ing for the restoration of the sick, also anoint with oil in the name of the Lord. Then, if the renewing of the Holy Spirit is to be thoroughly accomplished, we must definitely and solemnly consecrate every power of soul and body to the Lord, and it is indeed a glorious privilege to belong so entirely to Him, that there will be no hindrance to His using us in His blessed service. What indescribable joy it is, to be used in this way, none can know until they have re- ceived God's anointing for the work; but if we are wholly consecrated, nothing can hinder the anointing of the Spirit, for He will seal us with the "earnest of our inheritance." " Oh, whac a life is theirs who live in Christ ; How vast the mystery, Reaching in height to Heaven, and in its depth, The unfatkomed sea." When Aaron and his sons were ordained to the priesthood, God instructed Moses to "anoint them and consecrate them and sane- AN-OINTING AND CONSECRATION. 77 tify them," that they might minister unto Him (Ex. xxviii : 41), and we shall find that sanc- tification may be made ours, as well as the anointing and consecration. Following the footsteps of our blessed Master, we are to present ourselves "a living sacrifice;" and St. Peter says, "Ye, also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." After once making an entire consecration of our souls and bodies, there is one truth to be borne in mind, which, though a solemn one, is full of the sweetest comfort. We are hence- forth and forever the Lord's, and under no pretext, whatever, shall we have a right to take back the gift which we have voluntarily laid upon the Altar. Satan will try to persuade us that the Lord has not accepted us, or that we have not really given ourselves, but we must give all such dangerous suggestions to our Lord, and ask Him to conquer them for us. " Every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord * * * he shall not search whether it be "8 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. good or bad, neither shall he change it. " Lev. xxvii : 33. We need not search our hearts to see whether they are worthy or unworthy of God's acceptance, for only through our Saviour are we " justified by faith," and only by His Spirit can we be made holy. Once presented unto Him we are his for- ever, and " the Altar sanctifieth the gift." " The Lord, the everlasting God, Is our defence and Rock ; The saving health, the saving strength, Of His anointed flock." THE USE OF MEDICINE. 79 CHAPTER VI. THE USE OF MEDICINE. A DEAR friend who is beginning to recog- nize her precious privilege of trusting the Lord for all her needs, wrote me not long-- ago: "It is a great thing to trust God for everything, and still I am growing more and more to feel that not to trust Him is presump- tion." In this light it must appear to every fully consecrated child of God, who has learned by faith, His blessed will for us. But how different are the opinions of those who are not yet acquainted with their Lord's sweet will, and who think it is almost pre- sumption to claim His promises, especially this promised healing of the body. They feel and say that they would not dare ask to be healed in answer to prayer, because they must be submissive and bear their sickness patiently. Still these same persons would doubtless have no scruples in seeking for remedies with &0 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. which to prolong life or even effect a cure, and if raised from their beds of sickness, would have no question about its having been best for them to recover. Doubtless, all of us have been as inconsistent as this at some time in our lives, even if we have since been shown our errors, and brought beyond such a narrow range of vision. If we have not thought it wrong to seek for medicines to deliver us from the bondage of sickness, why should we fear to be cured by the " prayer of faith," that more perfect healing institution made ours by Christ's atonement ? But some will ask, " Ho\v do I know that it is not my time to die ? ' To these I would say, would you fear to take medicine lest it might be your time to die ? You would not be afraid of the medicine's curing you, if God willed you to die, neither need you fear that you will not die at the right time if you obey God's instructions and have the " prayer of faith " offered for you. With the prayer, the anointing, and the consecration, would come upon your soul greater power of the Spirit than you had ever known before, and He THE USE OF MEDJCINE. 81 would reveal to you if God's will concerning your body was any different from that in His revealed word. " Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh inter- cession for the saints according to the will of God." Our duty is to obey God's commands, and then trustfully leave the result with Him. We most of us know, from a sad experience, that medicine has been as inadequate to meet the needs of our suffering bodies, as the moral law has been insufficient to heal and cleanse our souls. Medicine is a most imperfect in- stitution, as all remedial influences outside of Christ, are, of necessity, imperfect, because belonging to this sin-stricken world. " Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Under the new dispensation, Christ, the 82 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. ' Great Physician of the soul, has promised to be the Physician of the body also, upon the same condition, that of faith. As there is a vast difference between the child of God and tlie unbeliever, so I cannot but think that our loving Father would have all of us who have consecrated ourselves as " holy unto the Lord," n.id our physical, as well as spiritual, healing by faith in Christ. The lessons by which we are withdrawn further and further from the world, and from dependence on human help, teach us to rely more on our Saviour; and is it not a very precious thought, that by the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, we may be healed, renewed and energized in body as in soul ? We are to be a separate and peculiar people, " a holy people unto the Lord," and as God instituted for Israel of old, laws and privileges which other nations did not enjoy, so it is with His consecrated children now. When- ever the children of Israel despised, and failed to avail themselves of their peculiar privileges, they were brought into affliction. Let us ex- amine ourselves, lest we, through unbelief, THE USE OF MEDICINE. reject our special blessings, and so grieve our Heavenly Father. " There is life for a look at the crucified One." We have only to look at Him to have the bite of the fiery serpent healed, whether the effect of its venom sin, is in our hearts, or on our bodies. But as little as medicine has been able to benefit us, it is strange how some of us cling to it, unwilling to give it up even after the "prayer of faith' has been offered for us. While it may not be a sin of itself to use medicine when we are looking to the Lord for healing, it often encourages the sin of unbelief, and is, in most cases, a decided hindrance to the complete cure which our Physician would perform, were we willing to trust Him fully. Holding on to the medicine certainly im- plies a lack of faith, and by a careful and truthful examination of the motives which lead any one to use it, after prayer has been offered, we shall see that most of them pro- ceed from the sin of unbelief. Are there not 84 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. many who are dimly conscious of a feeling that if they gave up the medicine, the Lord might fail to keep His promise ? It is indeed a sad thing if we are afraid that He, Who notes each tiny sparrow, will fail to take note of us! Do they not, in their unbelief, desire to use at least some simple medicine, that they may not be very much worse off if God's word should fail? If Jehovah's faithfulness could fail, in whom can we trust ? We are all apt .to invent names and excuses for our unbelief, but if we delude ourselves, we cannot deceive God. We must overcome these subtle temptations by declaring that our Strong Helper cannot fail, and that, if He does, we are ready to let all else fail with Him ! Satan flees before a conquering trust like that. In 2 Chron. xvi : 12, we read: "And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was ex- ceeding great : yet in his disease he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians. And Asa slept with his fathers." This is a THE USE OF MEDICINE. 85 remarkable passage, and shows that the Lord makes a great distinction between our trust- ing in Himself, and in man whom He has created. There is danger in putting too much con- fidence in our fellow-beings, for by so doing we look away from God, and forget to rely on Him. With sad ignorance and foolish- ness, we attribute to earthly helpers much of the power which belongs alone to our Creator, and especially do we see this true when we notice the homage paid to skill in the med- ical profession. I believe that some of our most painful lessons are necessary, because we stubbornly refuse to recognize God's over- ruling providence in our daily lives. " Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord." Jer. xvii : 5. But what could be more comforting and assuring than the passages following: 'Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters and that 86 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green, and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." Jer. xvii : 7, 8. Do you think it could be possible for us to trust in the Lord too much"? Trusting in Him, all our needs shall be supplied from an inex- haustible source, even the "fountain of living waters." Others fail because they trust only to natural resources, but if we trust in the one Source of all resources, we " shall not be care- ful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit." "My God shall supply all your need, according to His riches in glory, by Christ Jesus." As I was reading the seventh chapter of Judges, I noticed a marked lesson conveyed in the second verse : ; ' And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, mine own hand hath saved me." The folly and pride of human nature is still in danger of vaunting itself against God, THE USE OF MEDICINE. 87 and we often forget to say with sincere hearts, "Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory." Our Lord would have us depend so entirely on Himself, that all who witness His mighty works, cannot fail of ascribing our deliverance to Him, Who alone is able to fight our battles for us. When we give up all else, and look only to His power, our Physician can cure us speedily because we do not hinder His work by dependence on the " wisdom of this world," which is "foolishness with God." i Cor. iii : 19. The Lord refused to give Israel the victory over the Midianites until He had deprived them of occasion to glory, except in the power of the Lord. " There returned of the people twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand," and, even then, "the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many." Of those ten thousand remaining, only three hundred were chosen, into whose hands the Lord would deliver the Midianites. And so we who are trusting to God to gain for us a victory, which we are assured. 88 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. from repeated failures, no human power could gain for us, shall find that He will not con- quer our enemies for us, until we have relin- quished our hold on every earthly prop, which might cause us to " vaunt ' ourselves against the Lord. Those who have become so accustomed to aking medicine, and especially to the use of opiates, that it seems impossible, humanly speaking, to live without them, and who are sighing under the bondage, will read the following accounts of healing in this chapter, with renewed hopes of deliverance. NORWICH, CONN., November sjd, 1879. DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIENDS: I want to tell you what the Lord has done for my household. For over twenty years my wife was addicted to the use of laudanum, that had been prescribed by a physician, and ^he thought she could not do without it. I taxed my own ingenuity, to its utmost extent, to contrive how the habit might be broken ; but all to no avail. The doctors tried sub- 'itutes with the same result. In 1873, in THE USE OF MEDICINE. 89 the month of July, I went to a camp-meet- ing at Sea Cliff, L. I. On Tuesday, the president of the meeting, Rev. J. S. Inskip, said : " This morning we will have a faith meeting." A large number spoke of special answers to prayer ; the presi- dent then said: "Now, we want to see if this God, Whom we worship here to-day, does answer prayer. All of you who have petitions you would like to have granted, write them, and sign your names and places of residence, and send them up to the stand. We will rea-d them, withholding the name. We will base these petitions on the promises that have been read." I, with some four hundred others, sent up our petitions. I wrote : " For a wife who is addicted to the use of opiates ; that the habit may be broken, and she soundly converted." I sent the petition to the stand, pledging my- self to pray every day of my life for these petitions. The next February my wife was taken sick. She had been using opiates a great deal. We called our family doctor and he prescribed for her. On this day, as we THE PRAYER OF FAITH. came out of the room where she was ill, the bottle of laudanum was on the table by the door. The doctor took the bottle in his hand and brought it out, saying, " I hope to God she will never ask for that again." And she never has, nor has she ever seen it, to my knowledge, for I have it locked up. The doctors say they cannot account for it, and I do not attempt to, otherwise than as God has answered prayer. 1 am very truly yours in faith, TITUS CARRIER. HINSDALE, MASS., July 4th, 1880. Miss JUDD : You wished me to make a statement of my long "Uness, and of my wonderful cure. I was taken sick in 1875. I had not been well all winter, but kept around the house until March, when a doctor was called. Two days after he came to see me I was unable to sit up any, on account of the pain in my back. I had used a number of blisters which gave me some relief. I grew worse, and three weeks after the doctor was first called, he wished to THE USE OF MEDICINE. 91 consult with another physician. The disease was pronounced inflammation of the kidneys. All kinds of medicine were tried. I soon got so I could keep nothing on my stomach, and would have spells of vomiting, every few mo- ments, for days. All I could take was ice. My head pained me fearfully; was obliged to keep a bag of ice on it day and night. Leeches were tried on my head and they gave some relief. Doctors from other towns were called ; they all said our physician was doing all that could be done. I was in such pain, and could take no medicine in my stomach, so the doctor began to inject morphine into my veins. I seemed to gain some then ; still my back was very bad and I could not sit up any. 1 he doctor carried me from one bed to another. I had used over fifty blisters. Some of the time I would be more comfortable, and the doctor would think I would be able to sit up a little. A reclining chair was bought and he put me in it a few times, but it made me worse. Mr. and Mrs. Mix came to see me the twenty-sixth of November, 1879. I was then 92 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. very helpless, could eat but very little, was using morphine all the time. After prayer fur my healing I was enabled to rise up in bed, and, with a little assistance from Mrs. Mix, walked a. few feet to a chair; in about half an hour I walked back to the bed alone. I had been in the habit of having morphine injected five or six times in twenty-four hours, and the doctor said it would kill me to leave it off. But in answer to the " prayer of faith ' I was enabled to do without it entirely. I am quite strong, now; can walk half a mile to church and back. I feel that I cannot thank the Lord enough for what He has done for me. Yours in faith, MARY E. MACK, BELIEVING GOD S WORD. 93 CHAPTE R VII. BELIEVING GOD'S WORD. WHEN we have fulfilled, as far as possible, the command given in the fourteenth verse of the fifth chapter of James, we must believe that, according to the Lord's promise, our disease is rebuked, and we are being made whole. The great point to remember just here is that God's word is true and we must believe it in spite of every apparent contradiction. These contradictions, if they occur, can be only seeming ones, for God is always faithful ; but the devil, who is the father of lies, often deceives us into believing feelings and cir- cumstances instead of God's word. We have a lesson about this in Christ's healing of the nobleman's son. When this nobleman " heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee, he went unto Him and besought Him that He would come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. O4 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. " Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye seesigtis andwond'ts ye will not believe." This is apt to be the case with us. When prayer is offered for our healing we are un- willing to believe, unless we feel some wonder- ful power, or extraordinary sensation. That such sensations are often experienced in con- nection with faith-healing we admit, but many times they are not, and we are required .to believe God's word before we see "signs and wonders." There are diversities of operations , but it is the same God which worketh all in all." i Cor. xii: 6. It is for us to believe God's word, without deeming it needful to look to anything else for confirmation of that word. God's word confirms itself. This nobleman, feeling the urgency of the case, and realizing that his son was near death, immediately renewed his pleading : "Sir, come down ere my child die." The faith which dared to press its cause so earn- estly and yet so humbly, was rewarded by the answer, "Go thy way; thy son liveth." The father had now simply to believe Christ's BELIEVING GOD S WORD word ; there was nothing else to which he could cling, for he could not immediately see his son, to remark whether his condition was really bettered or not; no visible means had been employed for his restoration ; the father must believe that his son was recovering be- cause Jesus had spoken ; and His word was true. What a lesson is this to us ! We must be- lieve that Christ fulfils His promises just as soon as we claim them in His name, even before we can see any earthly circumstances to warrant us in our belief. So many of us have yet to learn, how different is faith from sight. We read, " And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way." Would not some of us have doubted the cure, until we met the servant who bore the glad tidings of his recovery ? So sad, but true, it is, that we would receive the witness of our fellow-beings, and not that of our Creator. One great step toward gaining the victory is to believe that we have the blessing for 96 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. which we pray ; not that we shall have if at some indefinite, future time, but that it belongs to us just as soon as we have fulfilled the con- dition, and asked for it in Jesus' name. Christ said : " What things soever ye desire o j when ye pray, believe tJiat ye receive them, and ye shall have them." St. Mark xi : 24. What would be the state of our mind if we believed that the things we asked for were really ours ? We should not certainly think it necessary to ask for them over and over again ; but we should immediately drop all anxiety about the matter, and be filled with thanksgiving. Our attitude of pleading would be changed to one of sure expectation, and we would wait joyfully for the gift which we knew had already been bestowed upon us. We can vanquish Satan by saying, " What I desire is mine according to God's promise, even if I do not yet see that I have it. I be- lieve God's word, not circumstances, and I shall soon see that the blessing is mine, by having it really in possession." If an earthly friend told us we might have some object just for Ike asking, we should BELIEVING GOD'S WORD. 97 have no doubt that it was ours, even before we had finished making the request. Whether or not it was immediately placed in our hands, we should believe it to be ours, and should make our calculations the same as if it were within our grasp. If we set out with the idea that we cannot believe God's word is fulfilled in us, unless our feelings immediately confirm it, we shall be "like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed," and the apostle says, "let not that man think that he shall receive any- thing of the Lord." Jas. i : 6, 7. I was talking to an invalid about this, not long ago, and she saw instantly how Satan had been deceiving her. "I see ! " she exclaimed ; " I did not wait for my feelings to believe that Jesus saved me from my sins, but I have been waiting for my feelings before I would believe that He answered my prayers, and was curing me of sickness. When people have asked how I was, I would tell them I was no better, and so I have been making God a liar. I thank Him for this light ! " We are not, of course, to say that we fee/: 98 THE PRAYER OF FAITH, better, unless we do, but we may state the fact that we are being made whole, on the author- ity of God's word. His word is sure, and if we determine to rely on that, and that alone, our position is secure, and no wind of adverse circumstance can cause us to waver. Another wonderful help to this life of faith, is to believe that every petition we offej in Christ's name will be heard and answered. Trust to God's time and God's way of answer- ing, but believe that we already have the answer to the faintest prayer uttered in that dear name. Consider each as an important document, because bearing that name of power, and lay them all, by an act of faith, in God's keeping, with the surety that He will not forget them, if we, with our short memo- ries, do ; and He will bring to our mind each prayer, with its fulfilment, at the right time. This is such a blessed way ; then we shall have no anxiety about any of our prayers, for we shall know that every one is regarded and remembered by the Father, because He will not pass by the name of His dearly loved Son. BELIEVING GOD'S WORD. 99 I remember once making a remark to a dear friend, which, because it involved some- thing of a compliment to herself, she laugh- ingly refused to credit. Upon my asking, half reproachfully, if she could not trust my word, she gave me an answer which has since taught me a lesson in regard to faith. 'Yes," she said, "I do believe you, and whenever ^ say anything, I will believe every word of it, even if it isn't so ! ' Our faith in God must be so steadfast that even if the evidence of all our senses should deny His word, we must consider them as deceiving us, and still continue to uphold His faithfulness. Such faith as that never fails to remove, sooner or later, the mountain of difficulty or doubt. It is too true that we often place such confidence in our poor, weak fellow-creatures, and yet refuse to have faith in God. When we have faith in dear earthly friends, we will believe nothing contrary to their word, even if there are many circum- stances against them. Beloved, there is only One whose word never fails ; let us repose such trust in Him, and "nothing shall be imporsible" unto us. 10O THE PRAYER OF FAITH. There is a simple test which, in many cases, we may apply to our conduct, which will speedily convince us whether or not we are really believing that our prayers are answered, and that is, to act out our faith. Whatever we really believe, we are ready to act in accordance with. I have heard, through good authority, of a lady who was obliged for many years to use crutches, because one foot was so disabled that she could not step upon it. One Sunday morning, as she was going slowly and painfully to church, the promises came forcibly to her mind, and she was impressed to pray for the healing of her foot. Imme- diately the thought came to her, " If I really believe that God has answered my prayer, my foot is well, and I can walk upon it as upon the other." She pressed it firmly to the ground, in spite of the most crushing pain, and tried to walk rapidly along without the aid of her crutches. Paying no regard to the pain, which, for a few moments, was intense, she said constantly, " I am healed, according to God's promise." Before she reached the church, her foot ceased paining her, and she realized that it was as whole as the other. BELIEVING GOD S WORD. IO1 This principle of faith-healing is shown in the account of the cleansing of the ten lepers. Think of the faith they were required to exercise in order to obey Christ's command, "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." This, they knew, it would be of no use to do unless they were cleansed before the searching ex- amination of the priests took place, but relying on Christ's power and mercy, they went as He had commanded. Unbelief would have pre- vented them from even starting until they saw that the cleansing had been accomplished, but they accepted the blessing in faith, acting faith, and it was soon given them in reality. ' For it came to pass that as they went they were cleansed." I will relate an instance which a corres- pondent of mine wrote me not long ago. She says: 'Last Sunday morning I was asked whether I were going to church. Not feeling, as I thought, able, I answered, "No." Then one who is not a Christian, said, " Is it not the Christian's duty to sacrifice his feelings ? " I simply said " Yes/' and made up my mind to go. I knew I could not in my own strength. 102 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. As the church is a long distance from our home, I usually went in a buggy with a high back to it, but this time was compelled to ride in one without any back, and the road was very rough. As I went down the front steps I felt so weak that I feared I should have to go back, but I asked the Lord continually to help me. While at church I felt that I was resting ; returned home, and felt much better for having gone. I made the effort and left the result with God. All glory be to His name for the strength He gave me ! ' Should increased suffering come to us, after prayer has been offered for our healing, we must believe that it is because of the healing power which is making us whole. It will give us comfort to consider the experience of the lunatic whom Christ healed. Immediately after Jesus commanded the devil to come out of the r.hild, we read that ''the spirit cried and rent him sore, and came cut of him, and he was as one dead, insomuch that many said, he is dead. >! ' This shows, that in some cases, the healing in answer to prayer may not be apparent at BELIEVING GOD S WORD. 103 once. The spirit of disease may, in its exit from our tormented bodies, u rend us sore," and prostrate us more than ever for a time. But shall this make us believe for a moment that God is failing to keep His word ? as if that word which upholds the universe could fail ! Let us be ready even to rejoice if increased pain and weakness are ours after prayer has been offered, feeling sure that it is the departing struggle of the disease which Jesus has rebuked. There is one point which it is necessary to have positively settled when we first seek our Great Physician for healing, and that is how long we intend to trust Him. If we go ex- perimentally, thinking to confide ourselves to His care for a limited time, or until we see whether or not we receive the desired blessing, we are encouraging unbelief, and placing our- selves in a position to receive constant assaults from the enemy. But if we give our souls and bodies into Christ's loving keeping, and decide once for all to leave them there; if we deter- mine that by His grace nothing shall shake our confidence in Him, who is our Strong 104 THE PRAYER OF FAITH. Tower, then our faith will be steady and victorious. We shall then have no anxiety as to the result, for knowing that our all-wise Physician cannot make mistakes, our conquering belief in Him will justify all His providences, how- ever mysterious, Satan may, at times, make them appear to us. We must be willing to stake our own reputation for truth, upon God's faithfulness, even willing to be found a liar to prove His truth. " Yea, let God be true and every man a liar, as it is written, That Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mip-htest overcome when Thou art judged." Romans iii : 3 But, oh, remember ! that no one ever trusted in Him and was confounded. The Lord says, " They shall not be ashamed that wait for me." Isaiah xlix : 23. " Faith's beacon light, Like star at night, Pours forth its Heavenly rays ; Bids darkness flee, Illumes life's sea, And justifies God's ways."