The Healing Mission

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 269, 30 October 1923, Page 5

The Healing Mission

Mr. Hickson’s Address NAPIER CATHEDRAL CROWDED. AN IMPRESSIVE SERVICE. Craiunitd between door and door anu pußt aau post, Kouu peupic Hbcvneo lo uu inspiring uuUiebs uy -ur. «j umes ALooiu niuKson in lliu -Napier latliearal last evening in eoiuiecuon with Uie healing mission wibcn commenced tins morning. Iwu hours be Lore the service commenced, queues had formed outside the uoois oi the Cathedral, which was XiracucaUy mil by 6.30 p.m. Old and young, the sick and ilie healthy, struggled to get insiue the bunuing, and the efforts of officials to stop them were oi no avail. However, once inside the crowd settled down in the midst of the tense expectancy, despite the sultry, heavy atmosphere. Impressive is the only word which can adequately describe the service. On every face could be seen eagerness lor the appearance of Mr. Hickson. Mr. Hickson can speak well and clearly, and forceful as big men are forceful, in an overpowering kind of way, but there is nothing about him to suggest his faith-healing qualities. THE ADDRESS. “I want you to feel and know’ that this is your mission,” said Mr, Hickson. “It is not mine. It is our Lord’s mission, and it means our united prayers, our faith, our hopes and our expectancy, so that He may work His will in and through all of us. I want you fully to realise how sacred this mission is. and that oujr Lord is with us. Our belief is in the living presence of the person of Jesus Christ. We al believe that, as Christians, we must believe it. But I think that, to a great extent, we have Jost our vision of that Divine Presence, and we have not the faith that we ought to have. There are so many who have doubts and fears of questionings. Onoe a man has a vision of the living presence of His person in his heart he has no more doubts, no more fears, and no more questionings. Christ alone is the healer; whatever good comes to any of you from this mission, you know that it comes from Him who alone can heal you. MINISTRY OF HEALING. “There is nothing new in the ministry which I have tor you. It is as olg as Christianity. What we are doing is simply to revive that part of the church’s ministry which has been in abeyance for so long. When you think of spiritual healing, you naturally think of Jesus Christ. In the works that Jesus did, He was only fulfilling the prophecy of himself as the Messiah, and He gave it also to the disciples of John the Baptist when they came and asked if He were the Messiah or if they should look for another. We know that our Lord went about doing good xii a very simple way. up and down those roads in Palestine, healing the sick and helping those who were in trouble. . Ano, if I can say so reverently, He went about His business in a busitaesslike way. He drew round Himself certain men, His disciples—men whom we would never have chosen, but they were men who could be trusted and taught. They were working men, and He kept them with Him while He was working so that they might understand His mission. “He gave them power and authority, and He gave a command to preach the gospel and heal the sick, to go on with the work that He had been doing. The Church to-day has no authority for not obeying that definite command of Christ to heal the sick as well as to preach the gospel. The earliest church, we are told, was a healing church; they accepted that command and went out in the name of Jesus Christ, and there were many acts of physical dealing as well as conversion. Then we are told that for several centuries the church was a healing church, until it became unworthy, and then healing became exceptional. The day when the Church of Christ as a body lost its faith in Jesus Christ was a day of great calamity. Look round the world to-day and you see misery and pain; hundreds of people have been pronounced incurable by medical science. It is a sad day when 7 a doctor finds in a certain case that science can go no further. “A GREAT MISTAKE.” ‘ “Why are we limiting the power of the Almighty? That is where we have made a great mistake. When a doctor says that he can do no more, shall we take it as final Many doctors have taken a step in the right direction in acknowledging the power of mind over matter. We know how the mind can be influenced; but is that all that there is ? “It is not a necessary qualification that a- doctor should be a Christian, but when you come to spiritual healing the first essential is faith, not in the doctor, not in the medicine, not in suggestion, but faith in God. In healing a man in his body, the Lord was healing a man in his soul. Mental healing can help you to understand the power of mind over matter. It is your spirit that gives you life, that animates you; it is not your nerves or your muscles. There must lie a spiritual evil behind disease, and the power of Christ’s spirit destroyed that disease. WORK OF CHRIST. “There ay# many people who cannot understand now organic tusease can be healed by prayer and life of ail things. It is because they are looking from tue material standpoint and not the spiritual. Prayer is a. very material thing to you. It was not the suggestion of the disciples that raised lame men; behind it was the power of the Master. Behind the work we are going to do in this church is the power of the spirit of,God, who will work in the soul and the' bodies of the people. It is to Him alone that we are locking for help and salvation.,. Christ healed man in every plane of His being; He was the great physician of the body and the saviour of the soul, and He healed a man’s body by the power of His spirit. He game men freedom and help. WHAT IS THE MOTIVE? “Physical health will not give you the peace of God. What is the use of a man having a healthy body if he has a diseased soul? Christ gave perfect soundness to men, and that is what He wants to give to us. It was His ideal that we should become. perfect, and He wanted a healthy mind in a healthy body. “Many people havq- come to this mission to be healed. Have they come simply to get rid of rheumatism, sciatica or paralysis, or whatever it is? What is your motive? Is it only that you are to get rid of your sickness because it causes you pain? Are you ready and willing to be stripped of everything that you know is. sin? have got to make up onr minds about this Are we trying to he what Jesus Christ, wants hr to be in onr soul as well as our body? There are manv things that are making life ugte todav. Ihat are breaking ns down. There is hatred, malice, of others and there is fear and C->n jitiv on<> of ns stand nn and snv. ‘T am not selfish’? We eannof take th"*** things mtn Heaven. Wp must sh*d them sooner or later. And even death

does not change your character; you are going to be after death exactly what you were before. If we want to go to Heaven, we have to prepare ourselves for salvation. What are we doing? Ask yourself. Am I fit to live with Christ ? We cannot go to Heaven until we are fit to go, and this life is given us as a means of preparation. Are we using this life as God intended it to be used—as the stepping stone to the fuller and higher lite with Christ ? TRIMMING OF LAMPS. “Many people go tluough life as if they had only a body to be fed and comforted, and as if we did not have a soul to save. It is time that we woke from our slumbers and realised that we can feed our bodies and enjoy the comforts of life and all the time be wasting ourselves. In this life we arc weaving the garment that we have to wear in the next. This is not sentiment; it is fact. Let us begin the change with this mission, arid seek, not only health of the body, but also health of the soul. I have often thought that the time is drawing near when we should turn our lamps- hjaiij,. things are happening to show us that a great wave of the spirit of God is passing over the world. Ask God to open our eyes; then let us remember that He will give us that true desire for spiritual healing, which is the healing and cleansing of the whole man. This is going to help us to stand before God and enter into His kingdom when He calls us. . “What is the use of physical healme if th© man’s soul is not to be healed too? Christ will make life worth living. We want the kingdom of God to come. Do we want Him on earth? Wo do. but by keeping Christ out of our life we are keeping back the coming of the Kingdom of Christ. Let ns pray to God, so that if there is any. thin a hindering that coming He will banish it, CHURCH UNION “There is nothing that makes me reinice so much as to see how Christians of various communions are meeting here as one. That is one of the things the T«ord prayed for. How can <he will nf Cod ne if we are cenaratod? Not until fh° church i° nnmhined can wo nut up a fight against devil. Tlinnk God wo are coming hack- Bo strong: remember that wo mav be filled with the nnwor of His spirit; 'that His will shall he done in nnd through us all. T want you to carrv on with this work of healing Tt will be a sacred trust. We. must have a greater revival of the spirit of nrayer. How manv homes are -them Hint have family prayers every morn ing? Wa have been neglecting, too. many things. Nothing ran stand unUss prayer is its foundation. Prayer keeps us in touch with our God. I hope I have made it clear that this work is centred upon the presence of Christ, and that we are to look to Him for help. “You must carry on this work. You must not say: ‘Now we will see how many people have been cured.’ You cannot see into the soul of a man. Then, many people want to be cured suddenly; I would, like them to be converted suddenly. Jesus Christ does very little where there is no faith. Many people who have not received physical healing have heon blessed in their souls.”

THE MISSION OPENED. NO SENSATIONS. A TOUCHING PROCESSION. WOMAN’S SIGHT RESTORED. There were no sensational cures at the opening of the Hickson Healing Mission in the Napier Cathedral this morning. Many sufferers came out hopeful of relief later. Some were despondent. One woman has been cured of blindness in one eye. Then there was a case in which a paralysed girl was able to lift her arm. People were loth to talk; in fact they frequently refused to say anything definite. Long before 9 o’clock this morning cars began to draw up outside the Cathedral, unloading their freight of human suffering. The laying on of hands had come to Napier; Hickson was here and faith would bring relief. Old and young, in all stages of suffering—some crippled, some wheeled in chairs, some with sticks, some apparently in good health—all had come to be healed. A few minutes after 10, Mr. Hickson entered by the west door. Then the people rose as the organ pealed out the first bars of a hymn. The Lord’s Prayer came next, and special prayers were read by the Bishop. Then Mr. Hickson began by way of preparation. “Most of you,” he said, “have been prepared, but others might not. You all must understand and remember that spiritual healing is healing through Jesus Christ, We believe as ministers that Christ is present here this morning with us. I have no power to help you. No man has. Our faith is not in man but in Christ. If our eyes could be opened we could see our Lord with us. Let us enter into the service in the right spirit.” One woman, with her head bent in two frail hands, was sobbing. “Angels cannot heal you, the Disciples cannot heal you, but Christ can heal you ” Mr. Hickson was speaking again. Why is it that all is coming back again?” he asked. “Why is it that we are now looking up to Christ after all these ages of unbelief. It is an answer to the cry of suffering. God is pointing us again to His Son. It is all written in the Book. He promised that if we would only have faith not only healing but greater things would be done. If religion is a fact in our life, then there is nothing wonderful in this healing. This is only natural. We have been taught to pray prayers of doubt and fear, instead of prayers of hope and faith and expectancy. It is God’s will that we should be healed, but He is not asking for our opinions to-day, He is asking for our obedience.

“Get a vision of Christ,” the missioner commanded. “God wants a Heaven on earth, but do not think of this mission as a mission of physical healing. Many people may think so, but remember that physical healing was not first with Christ. This is only a revival of what was done by the early church. There is a grave responsibility resting upon us to-day. God wants to break this spiritual paralysis. He wants you to have faith; faith is behind everying. Some people say: ‘Give us the signs and then we will believe.’ No, friends, all things are possible to those who believe.” Before concluding, Mr. Hickson exhorted the intersessors to pray for the sick ones, to love them with sympathy and faith. “Let there be no worldly thoughts; let there he no restlessness here to-day,” he said. “I want you to be in prayer all the time.” Then Mr. Hickson read a list of those for whom he asked his listeners to pray. There was blindness to be healed, internal troubles, dropsy, mental trouble, nervous disorders and paralysis. Hushed by the silence inside the beautiful Cathedral, where the shadows lay on post and rail in weird array, people bent their heads in earnest prayer. No word passed between the lips of the gathered throng. They prayed in silence. The nurses, white in the brisk red light that was reflected from the walls, stood like statues round the chancel rails. Mothers with babies, whitehaired old men, fathers and sons and sisters—what were they expecting? Was the Great Faith in their minds, their hearts? Would they believe without seeing? They had come to

get faith, to pray for the relief of the sufferings of little children, crippled and paralysed. THE SCENE OUTSIDE. As the Post Office clock struck ten a hush camo over the crowd in the street and those inside the Cathedral. The big oak doors suddenly closed. The Mission had started. In some places were cripples in their chairs—some staring expectantly, others lying listlessly with a flicker of tho eyelids now and then. The silence was weird. The procession of the sick and suffering was heartrending. Sympathetic nurses helped them along as they moved slowly up to the altar. There they knelt during tho laying on of hands. Mr. Hickson placed his hands on the head or tho eyes as the case might he, at the same time repeating a short formula in a quiet, scarcely audible voice. Tho laying on of hands took a long time. Relatives and friends and spectators waited at the door, closely scrutinising each case as it came out. Little boys with paralysed legs smiled faintly, while elderly people tried to bear up under the strain of the service. For it was a strain even on the intercessors, who knelt in prayer—silent but impressive. There was no rushing, the organisation was splendid. Friends took charge of the sufferers as they emerged, and there were plenty of cars to take them home to rest. Some were excited and animated by the service; some were flushed, their eyes brightened by their hopes and faith. Nearly all of them looked better, and they seemed satisfied. Whether they had expected to be cured instantly or not they hoped and would keep on hoping for the best. No crutches were thrown away and none of the sufferers got up from chairs and walked. Despite this, there was something in their faces which meant hope and faith in the future. One woman came out hobbling along with a stick. She was well over 70. “She is better than she was when she went in. A partial cure, perhaps,” commented one bystander. Then emerged a little boy. pale and listless. “How do you feel now?” he was asked. Smiling faintly he replied: “Oh! a little better, but .” He did not finish; his mother hurried him away to a waiting car. By 12.30 the laying on of hands had finished. Then the intercessors, clergy, stewards and nurses moved up to the altar in single file to receive the spiritual blessing from Mr. Hickson and the Bishop. The service concluded with the singing of the Doxology. ALLEVIATION OF SUFFERINGS. EIGHT RESTORED. “One of the most important cures reported this morning was the case of a lady from Whetakura, near Ormondville, who was practically blind in one eye. She had had to wear glasses. Immediately after the laying on of hands her eye cleared and she said, .“I don’t need my glasses now; I can see quite alright.” She had been cured after being blind in one eye for years. Another case of importance was also verified by inquiry. That was the case of a seven-year-old girl, who had been (‘rippled by infantile paralysis for many years. She had had 14 months’ treat-

ment at Rotorua but it did her no good. After the laying on of hands, she was able to lift her left arm. “This is the first time she has done that,” said a brother of the girl. Her name is Brown, and she lives in Napier. “It has been a. hig strain and I am mute upset,” said an elderly lady of Napier who is suffering from internal trouble. How do I feel? Tt is hard to say at present. T feel better, of course, and T shall continue to hope.” MUSCULAR. PARALYSIS. The father of a baby two and a-half years old, who had had muscular paralysis since birth, said that his child certainly seemed a lot bteter. “I believe that this will cure her,” he said. Sometime ago a nurse in a Napier hospital'injured her ankle, and she had been in bed ever since. (Nothing seemed to be able to take £fie pain away. Then on Friday last the Bishop of Waiapu said special prayers for her at the Hospital. On Saturday she felt much better; on Sunday there was no pain at all. and she was able to get up and walk about. This morning she was assisting at the mission. One young woman came out of tho Cathedral carrying a baby which was suffering from weakness internally and in her leg. Asked if she noticed any improvement in her child, the mother replied. “No, T can’t say that I do. but I think that, she looks better. Time will tell.” Like many others she took the position philosophically and seemed, content to wait.

In view of the great strain on both patients and attendants, refreshments w T ere provided in the Sunday school room.