SPIRITUAL HEALING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17957, 6 December 1921, Page 9

SPIRITUAL HEALING.

ATTITUDE OF CHURCH. SYDNEY SYNOD'S DECISION. The Sydney Diocesan Synod of tho Church of England recently carried unanimously the following motion"That this synod regards the subject of spiritual healing sb one which demands the thoughtful consideration of the members of the Church, with a view to its being restored to its rightful place in the belief and practise of the Church." I In introducing the motion, tlie Rev. P. A. Micklem declared that the matter was one upon which the Church should pronounce its mind. He had evidence of the great public interest which was being evinced in the subject in hosts of letters which had been addressed to him, a numof them from cranky people who claimed the power of healing. The power of Christ to heal, he added, was still in His Church, and the Lambeth Conference had laid down how the ministry might be exercised. There was a demand for a pronouncement by tho Church on spiritual healing, because of other and false teachings upon the subject. Christian Science had stumbled upon a truth, and had then bolstered up its practices with a false theology and a false philosophy. . There was a need to beware of false prophets and emotional excitement. Spiritual healing, proceeded Mr. Micklem, must be maintained upon a high spiritual level.- There was no reason whatever to believe that Christ's power to heal had ceased to be effective. Christ had promised that those who took up His works, should do those works and even greater. He meant His commands to be taken literally, and it was so. In the New Testament there were numerous references to instances of healing powers being exercised by the apostles after His Ascension. Churchmen were whole-hearted believers in me'dical science—and in that fact lay the difference between them and the Christian Scientists. There was no doubt, however, that medical science was looking beyond the. old field of its practices by enlisting new methods of healing, sucji as psycho-therapy and psycho-analysis. Spiritual healing occupied its own sphere in the great work of healing, standing side by side with medical healing cm the pne hand and mental healing on the other. It was the bringing to bear/jf a power from without through the exercise of prayer and faith in Christ. The healing gift of Christ was not entirely in abeyance, and if it was only met by. faith it could be released as surely as if He again walked upon the earth. Spiritual healing could be exercised through specially gifted persons. But it was also hoped to restore it as a normal agency in the ministry of tho Church. It was well to ensure' that the whole thing should be only carried on in an atmosphere of faith and prayer. Because of the danger of the sensational and emotional the Church should make a definite move to pronounce its mind.