MINISTRY OF HEALING.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 251, 23 October 1922, Page 7

MINISTRY OF HEALING.

THE EFFICIENCY OF .PRAYER,

In the course of his sermon at St. Mary's Cathedral last evening. Canon Percivnl James dealt with '"tho ministry of healing." The service was attended by the president and members of the Auckland branch of tho British. Medical Association. A number of nurses were also present. The preacher said that for many Christian centuries the idea. which had its origin in pagan superstition, prevailed, that medical science must be subordinated to the supposed interests of relisrion. That idea persisted to the injury both of medicine and religion. The dootor hal a long struggle to free himself from ecclesiastical regulations, which hampered him, in the name of religion. The Clerical and Medical Committee of Inquiry into mental and spiritual healing which met in England some years ago advocated that spiritual ministration should be recognised equally with medical minstration as carrying (Jod's blessing o the sick, and as His duly appointed moans for the furtherance of their highest interests. Too often it was forgotten that health, bodily and mental, was capable of being influenced for good by spiritual means. Canon James said Christian people must regret the pretensions of some religious folk who made extravagant claims for what they called "faith healing" or spiritual and even Divine healing. These claims were often opposed to the truth and to science and to the welfare of the community. He asked. "Are they not largely symptomatic of the present post-war emotionalism and hysteria which was evident in the revival of other crude superstitions of the middle ages?" The preacher made it clear that faith healing should not be. confounded with mental or .physical healing, which, 'he said, had a recognised place in medical science. Many recorded modern miracles of healing were explained by the well known power of suggestion, masses, of the so-called evidence of spiritual healing were produced, but the cases were mostly offered by those iwt competent to furnish reliable evidence 011 the matter. In many cases there was not sufficient knowledge to justii} a verdict, but in every case in which the knowledge, was complete it was found that the' medical explanation was inadequate, and there was no need to assume the intervention of any other healing: factor th-in was known to medical science. "The quack, to-day," said Canon James, "ie finding a credulous public and making a rich harvest." He contended that it was tho duty of those who alleged these wonderful phenomena to submit to rieoroui examination hefore a competent tribunal the evidence upon which they founded (heir claims. When the orthodox Christian claimed "gifts of healing"' as the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church, that did not mean the miraculous endowment oi a few. privileged j individuals, but the patient labour of physician, surgeon and nurse, who I'brouaht the resources of modern science jto th« relief of human suffering. He I claimed that the motive that inspired ■ the growth of medical science was the j Christian doctrine that the body was a ! sacred thing, the temple of the Holy Ghost. Always the distinctive qualities of mercy, pity, love and sacrifice had powerfully aided the development of the healing art. lie therefore adi vocnted the fuller use of prayer for the ] sick and suffering.