SPIRITUAL HEALING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3611, 29 May 1923, Page 47

SPIRITUAL HEALING.

THE HICKSON MISSION. BISHOP OF GOULBURN’S OPINION. CHRISTCHURCH, May 22. The Church Congress was continued this afternoon, when the subject of spiritual healing was dealt with. Dr Felkin, of Havelock North, in opening the discussion, said that the Church had asked Mr Hickson to conduct the mission. Unless the Church held the meetings prior to the mission, it would be better not to hold the mission at all. The mission, he believed, would result in the uplift of the nation and many individual cures. In his faith he could see a greater union of the Churches after the Hickson Mission. New Zealand was far away from Europe, and if there was no State Church here we were not influenced by the traditional barriers of older countries, and this dominion might have the joy and satisfaction of setting an example io the whole world. The Bishop of Goulburu said that the result of the mission held in Australia was too wonderful for words. There were two groups of criticism, which were poles apart, and it was doubtful which was the more harmful. lie thought, that the more respectable form of criticism was more harmful. The type of medical criticism, which refused to accept the words of the psychologists 40 years ago, was the type -which refused to listen to the Word of God to-day. He advised them to waste no time in answering criticism. They had no time to waste upon a criticism which was now dying down m Australia. “Read ail the things upon the subject by all means,” said the speaker, “but do riot waste time upon replying to criticism of something which has proved itself up to the hilt. The same things were being said in certain sections of the press and in drawing rooms as were said in the streets of Gallilee in the days of Christ, but Christ was still carrying on in spite of all. Thc-re were people who said that or ganic diseases were functional, and not amenable to faith or spiritual healing.” He denounced that view emphatically, and said that if Christ Himself came to Christchurch lie could not cure disease in face of such antagonistic belief. There were some who were lielpiul to the sick because they had the power of relieving pain by their touch, i and they were free to gain an honest live!!- J hood by practising as a masseuse. Of the | masseurs James Hickson was one who had that power and had consecrated it to Christ. The Hickson mission had taught them to recognise the reality of the Presence, said Ihe Bishop, and he went on to show how strikingly this realisation had been brought home to many. That was the all-important thing rather than the cures. He himself had been so struck by it that he had forgotten for days to ask about the cures. He had felt the Presence, and he considered it- would ho an insult to go back and ask if “the Lord had brought off a scoop.” In Australia the people had attended the cathedral to pray for their sick relatives and friends weeks before the mission had opened, and they had been praying instead of mevelv saying prayers. He cited cases in which “incurables” had been benefited by the power of the prayers of the community without the aid of the mission at all, and no one had been more gratified than Air Hickson. The discussion was then adjourned til! to-morrow. May 23. The Church Congress resumed the discussion on spiritual healing. The Bishop of Auckland said they were very grateful to Air J. M. Hickson for what lie had done, and what he would do; but they must remember that the work was for the Church to carry on. He himself had anointed the sick with prayer, and the laying on of hands. He was quite sure Air Hickson’s mission was Godordained. The question he wished to ask the Bishop of Goulburu was: What was your experience iq the mission with regard to the attitude of so-called Christian Science? The mission, he considered, was a thing that, was going- to knock the bottom out of Christian Science. It was the time for putting the truth before the people. The Bishop of Goulburn said ho was certain the outstanding feature of the mission would he the thanksgiving of the people, rather than the counting of cures. One thing which he would promise them was that they would have tile time of their lives. As primitive Christians, they were going to tend the sick, and the people who never put themselves out before were going to do so on that occasion.