Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1887. The Mind Cure.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XX, Issue 2017, 14 January 1887, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 1887. The Mind Cure.

At Dunedin for Borne time past, the Bey Mr Dowie, of Melbourne, has been practising what be calls “ healing by faith," andone or two remarkable cures have been vouched for in telegrams, but little is known of these alleged cures in Dunedin. Last Sunday night the Rev Mr Gordon, of St Paul’s Presbyterian Church, delivered a sermon on “ Faith-healing ; what is it ? ” and be dealt with Mr Dowie in a plain-spoken manner. Mr Gordon asserted his belief that Mr Dowie's so-called healing power was simply animal magnetism ; that Mr Dowie’s arguments were blasphemous; and expressed an opinion that Mr Dowie’s so-called mission was not free from suspicion of selfishness. This brought out the Rev Mr Dowie, and at a crowded meeting he warmed his rev brother who had attacked him, and dealt out some severe rebukes to those who had begged to differ from him. One gentleman asked Mr Dowie when he was going to the hospital to heal the sick there, but this unbeliever was ordered out of the Church by Mr Dowie. Our readers will probably ask What is it all about ? This is a rather difficult question to answer. The church in early days relied a great deal on prayer and on the laying on of hands for the recovery of the sick, in accordance with the teaching of James v., 14, 15. But it is said that these powers have been lost to the Church and therefore cannot be practised. The truth is the Church never troubles about these things. It has no faith in the doctrine, and consequently the elders of the church are never called in. A drunken physician is often relied upon with far more confidence than the prayers of clergymen and elders, and it is this infidelity in the Church itself that is leading to its ruin. The Rev Mr Gordon dees not believe in “faithhealing," and so he attacked his rev brother who does. The modus operands of these faith healers is very simple. They say, “ When anointed, believe that you do now receive; that is, say I am healed now ; do not say I expect to be healed. Believe against contrary physical evidence. After having claimed the promise, be not surprised at the continuance of symptoms and physical pains. You may expect sudden and powerful returns of your sickness after anointings and prayers. But carefully note that they are only tests of your faith. You ought not to recognise any disease, believing that God has rebuked it.” Now, it is evident that this is only menial healing or what is known as the mind cure. For some years it has been carried on in America, and in some instances the cures have been wonderful. The healers have been anything but good orthodox churchmen ; they have been divided into three or four different schools, and envy and jealousy have been rife among them. This shows that theology is not the base of cure—it is simply mentality ; and when these men assert an intimacy with the Almighty to work these cures it amounts to blasphemy. There is no doubt that the mind has greater power than the body, and governs it, and there are some cases when the arousing of the mind will get a victory over the disease, and lead to a cure. But there is another phase of heal-, ing. dome individuals possess the power of imparting vitality to a sick person by the laying on of hands. A current of vital force proceeds from them by which the weak one is much benefitted. We have seen some rather striking cures effected in this way. It may be that Mr Dnwie possesses this power, and uses it in conjunction with the firm belief in the patient that he can be cured. There is no doubt that Mr Dowie has benefitted some sick persons, but he probably meets with success in the few by practising on the many.