SEEKING HEALTH

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 18084, 29 May 1923, Page 7

SEEKING HEALTH

Halt, Maimed, Suffering in Sydney.

HICKSON MISSION S BIG DAY.

SOME ARE BETTER, OTHERS NOT. [SYDNEY SUN SERVICE.] Sydney. Another huge crowd of cripples in bath chairs, of dull-eyed men and women on crutches; of imbecile girls with tangled hair, and poor, distorted children filled St. Andrew’s Cathedral to-day for the second session of the Hickson mission in Sydney. And another vast crowd of healthy people stared curiously, through the iron rails into the church grounds from George ' Street.. Again there were no immediate cures, though some patients declared that they felt better. One man of 70, who had beene paralysed for years, and could walk with difficulty, seemed to walk , with apparent ease.

TTNSIDE the cathedral, under coloured saints and the cool stone pillars, the sick were ranged in chairs and stretchers. They lay quietly and without a stir, looking up like carven images at the gold stars painted on tho rafters. By their side moved the calm whiteness of the attendant nurses. Here and there a shaft of stained light swain down from the paries and lit a still face, or the miiky veils of nurses whispering. • Soon before 10 a.m. the great organ began to sing, and a flicker of emotion drifted into thise hundreds of dead eyes. Then, preceded by his staff, Archbishop Wright entered. He was in a scarlet cape, and behind him paced a line of snrpiiced clergy. The first hymn was sung. A prayei Was read for “one who lay at the point of death.” Other prayers followed for the sick. Then Mr Hickson in a white surplice enered the pulpit. “Spiritual healing is healing through the person of Jesus Christ,” he declared, speaking simply and emphatically. “It is as old as Christianity. It was prophesied in Isaiah. Christ was not only the Redeemer of man’s soul, but also the physician of hi.-, body. TVe have forgotten that, and we have lost the vision of Him.

“There are men to-day who would criticise spiritual things who are not themselves spiritually awake. Faith is a Christian thing, it. is not an intellectual belief. May God give us simple cliild-like faith. That is what we need to-day.” ITe described his visit to India, and' the thousands he saw “seeking inspiration from God” on the Ganges. In India, even down to the lowest outcast tribe, lie had to use no preface to spiritual healing. That was because they were all spiritually awakened.

“How many of us have that faith?’’, asked Mr Hickson. “Some of those natives have more faith in Jesus, Christ than ,we Christians. Too many of us say, ‘I cannot believe in a thing that is not proved to my intellect-.’ But what is their experience of things spiritual?”

Mr Hickson related many cases in which he claimed cures had been obtained through prayer. There was nothing melodramatic in his gestures. His voice was 'almost toneless. But the lines of patients lying near the wall strained for every word. Some of the women's lips trembled a little, perhaps in prayer. "Some people talk about losing their faith if they are not healed,” he declared. But if they have real faith they can never lose it. If a man has faith he needs no sign.,

He had been asked if it meant a want of faith to go to a doctor. It was not a lack of faith to do so, foi the doctor had been created by God. It was right to ’ pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” but it was also right to eat your breakfast. Mental healing did not do away with physical healing. It supplemented it. "It is not one of a doctor’s qualifications to believe iu Christ,” lie said. "I would that it were. But if the medical profession could find tomorrow a cure for cancer, every good man would go down on his knees and thank God. Yesterday many went, from this cathedral with changed bodies and changed souls. Everywhere those who can judge will tell you of the spiritual results this mission. At Newcastle , the other dav t leie were 1000 communicants. You can t, keep the people out of the church.

The whole ministry of the Church has been incomplete, because the -full gospel of Christ has not been pleached.” Mr Hickson then descended, land began the laying.on of hands. The first patients out of the Cathedral were the whie, • sunken men and women, on sretchers. Then caine he cripples in their chairs. “How do you feel?” - , The first of them smiled faintly... , “I think I’m all right,” he said. The next was a twisted girl. “A little better,” she said. Soriie iriade rio answer at all. Others were unable to inake up their minds. “I feel the same, I think.” ; : . And so on. A few of them were actually worse. One man who was. able to walk in collapsed at the door as’ he was coming out. A woman fainted as soon as she reached the church , grounds, fend was placed on a chair. Nurses .and friends poured out brandy for herC But to offset that there were .’two definite cases of improvement.

Edgar Charters, a shell-shocked. Digger, declared after the service’ that he was “half-a-dozen times better.”

He** was still shaking as he spoke, but he said that that was nothing sto the state he was in before the laying on of hands.

Frank Clifford, ageed 70, was paralysed in the light side about four years ago. He could walk, but with great difficulty. To-day after the service he was walking with ' apparent ease, and said that he was murih better. His friends, too, said he looked better. As for the rest—well this sums up their statements:— “I think I’m a bit better.”^ “I don’t know.” “I may be better later.” But though doubtful, most of theS were hopeful. " A special healing service for. children was held m the Cathedral this - afternoon.

DOMINION MISSION THE ITINERARY. PRESS ASSOCIATION ‘ TELEGRAM ■ CHRISTCHURCH, Monday. Before the clergy attending the Church Congress dispersed a conference of New Zealand Bishops and representatives of the Diocesan Committees appointed to 1 make , the preliminary _ arrangements for the Christian healing mission of Mr James Hickson to,,New Zealand was held. • . The Archbishop presided and every diocese was represented. It was announced that Mr Hickson had generously agreed to extend his mission to two and a half months,,,from the Beginning of October till the middle of December. He will arrive in-Auck-land some time previously, intending to rest a little while after his Australian mission, which concludes m Vest Aus- . tralia in August. He will be in Queensland during June, and in South Australia in the early part of July, proceeding thence to Perth. His opening dates for New Zealand are: Auckland, October 1 to October o inclusive. In drawing up the itinerary the conference had in mind principally The obiect of Mr Hickson’s mission, which is less to heal the sick than to revive in the Clmrch the ministry of healing, through the Church as an organisation. It however, endeavours to arrange..or Mr Hickson to visit as many’ as possible to meet the needs, of tlm sick who. may desire to receive .Jus ministration.