OUTSIDE ST. MATTHEWS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18520, 3 October 1923, Page 11

OUTSIDE ST. MATTHEWS

RESULTS OF THE SERVICE.

DEFINITE •* SPIRITUAL GAIN.

TESTIMONIES OF BENEFIT.

• Ihe scene during the arrival ' of the patients was very much the same as on n^f?;f mng day of The tootpath outs.de ,-} St. Matthew's' Church was thronged by; a crowd of onlookers, &omo there, no doubt, because of personal interest in cases about to be treated, .others. in the hope that something mirac-dtf£il-suOOur^ ur service conwas in at T t h % Sfc - John motor ambulance tad & attendanc<? ' , nd as the stretcher offiW' /" to «», : arrived, the uniformed officers stepped forward and with skilled into th fT cd t. or ? hcelcd the Patents into the church. • As before, everything ftas done with absolute precision, and in E»&. ° rdor ; • Even if the ushers/ attendants, and nurses had gone through ffc nw n? 7?°! COUrS ° J ° f Preparatory drill, Ibey could, have done no better: they went about their duties with .an air of quiet efficiency'and confidence that re"octs greatest credit upon workers and organisation alike. ■ As the , sufferers filed out again; from the church, there was keen expectancy in tbo races of the onlookers, but if thov had expected to see anything sensational, they were disappointed. The work of the spirit is not thus mado manifest an the Hicisou mission. The real work i s in the souls of the men and women unto whom it ministers, and although bodily healing frequently follows,'and in several notable instances already has followed during th& present mission, the real spiritual gain will lie deep in the souls of the people. . Looking upon the faces of the patients as they leave the church, one is impressed with the realisation that here are men and women .who are experiencing an exaltation of the sou] which can only come through true spiritual uplift. "it is something very different from the hysteria ,of so-called religious revival meetings. Nothing is more evident than that their Jives have been touched by a strong reviving influence, but- an influence which works through the soul and not the senses; henco the absence of unbalanced emotion.

Many of those who were treated yesterday afterwards entered the Sunday School beside the church, where members of the Girls' Diocesan Association again dispensed refreshments. Some of those seated in the hail looked tired, but there was peace and happiness On almost every face. One, or two of them literally shone with joyous thanksgiving for a blessing already made manifest.

Healing of Children. ■'_ Surrounded by a little group of friends in one corner stood a happy mother. hardly able as yet to believe that her prayers had been answered, yet full of humble thanksgiving. Sho was Mrs. Titchens. of Islington Avenue, New Lynn, and she held; by the hand a little lad of nine years, stricken sevon years ago by the deadly scourge of infantile paralysis. " He has never been able to run or walk like other children," she said, " and up to a short time ago, his legs were so twisted that he could not stand straight. '.; .' . Look at them now !" And the • child proudly' straightened the pitiful little tegs, and looked down with a beaming smile at his two feet, not turned inward as before, but straight out, as children's feet should be. He walked slowly, but confidently down the room, hardly able to take his eyes from those miraculouslystraightened feet, and the mother told how- strength and healing had come gradually since the beginning of the mission; the straightening having come after the laying on of hands that morning.. Near by sat a man with a happy smile. "Itis quite true," he said. "I have - known' the little boy for a long time, and ha' has never stood so straight before." ■ >•.'•

Another member of the group was a relative of Mrs. Titchens. a resident of Takapuna, whose little daughter, ; four years old, lay in a pram. The child was stated to have been attacked by rheumatoid arthritis about six- . months : ago, and -well-known local medical men had stated that she would never walk again. After the opening of the intercessory services, during which not only her parents, but several p others, prayed for the little child, a- gradual improvement was noted. She began to move hands and feet which had long been still; \ and after the service yesterday, was able to sit up and move with more freedom than at any time since stricken. " I cannot honestly say that the healing has been completed," said her .mother, " but she has certainly improved very . greatly, and I have full confidence that with God's; blessing, the strength will gradually come. I am most truly and deeply thankful for this token of His mercy." '•' .. ' : Restoration, of Sight. One of the helpers told of a case of healing of which more will probably be heard later, that of a lady whose name and address : were not ascertained. She was led into the hall by a friend, and appearing to be rather exhausted was taken into, a quiet room. A little while later, when one of the helpers took her a cup of tea, she suddenly exclaimed, "I can see! There are chairs, and you have blue on your dress!" She said she had been - almost blind for eight years, and was filled with rejoicing that her sight had been restored. , , ,' , a ■ Yet another case vouched for by the helpers was that of a young man who came into the hall carrying his crutches. "They took me into the church," 1 he said, ""and now I have carried them out!" The healing had begun. It. seemed as though faith and trust: were going to complete their perfect work. : ■ 1 •