SPIRITUAL HEALING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20338, 20 August 1929, Page 11

SPIRITUAL HEALING.

JMR.; HICKS ON. DEFENDER

INTERPRETATION OF] MESSAGE.

USE OF HUMAN AGENTS.

[B\* TELEGRAM. —OWN COHREPrONTiENT.] WELLINGTON. Monday. Tho controversy over spiritual or divine healing was deprecated by tho vicar of St. Mark's Church, Tie v. IT. E. K. Fry, when defending tho recent Ilickson mission in tho course of a sermon yesterday. " There were," said Mr. Fry, " many in tho days of Our Lord who could accept neither Him nor His teaching, but that did not pjtovo that Ho was an impostor or that His teaching was falso. Now we must bo very careful to bo clear fn our minds as to what wo mean by divine or spiritual healing.

i' Wo bclievo that God's _will for us is perfection, and that man, as God originally created him, was perfect. With tho advent of sin into the world camo imperfection, not only in spirit, but of mind and body. Man has a threefold nature. Ho is mado up of spirit, mind and body, and theso threo natures act and react, tho ono upon tho other. One cannot bo divorced from tho other.- Tho threo together mako tho wholo man. Work on Three Planes. i' Christ is tho great healer, tho whole man—body, mind and spirit. Christ uses human agents through whom the power of His healing spirit works in each of thoso spheres. Tho physicians, surgeons and nurses aro at work on tho physical plane; tho mind doctor and psycho-therapeutist is at work on tho mental plane; God-ordained ministers and all who pray for tho sick aro at work on tho spiritual plane. But tho point is that no ono of theso has tho monopoly of being tiio agent of God's healing power. Each should bo working ono with the other.

" Now what dirl Mr. Hickson lend tlioso peoplo wlio c.imo to his mission services to expect? Ho preached that God's v.-ill for man was health. Ho said that tlioso who sought release from bodily ailments must come to God in penitence and faith. They must belicvo in tho lovo of God, that God wanted them to bo well, and that God would help them through His prescribed means—doctors, medicines and other God-given remedies. They wcro to uso thesa means. They wero to keep utterly in contact with God, .Whoso power could heal them.

"Mr. Hickson taught that if they were really in touch with God they could expect healing, but, and ho was very. insistent on this point, wo should not dictate to God how that healing was to come. Tho point ho insisted upon was that we should never leave go our hold upon God. Gospel of Jesus Christ. "Wo in this parish who, six years after tho mission, aro still carrying on on tho samo lines, know that it was nothing more or less than tho Gospel of Jesus Christ which Mr. Hickson preached. I hopo that al! hero would do as I would do when a dear one is stricken with sickness. I would send for the doctor and act upon his advice. I would carry out his instructions in every way.

"At the same time I would pray earnestly and I would get. my friends who believe in prayer to pray, not only that my dear one might recover, but that the sufferer may bo in such vital and con scions contact with Iho Great Physician, Christ, and may be so drawing upon His health and His strength that he or she may be able to fight against the powers of evil and win through.

"This, I believe, was the burden of Sir. Hickson's messago, and I for one thank God for his visit among us."