Spiritual healing.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume V, Issue 1, 1 July 1914, Page 6

Spiritual healing.

(By J. M, Hieiksori.)

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MOVEMENT.

Most, people by this 'time are able to distinguish between the character, and aim,s of the Spiritual Healing Movement and those of other movements which at first sight appear to have the same object — movements which are often classed together as " inner health " movements, whose object generally is the creation of a truer and more healthy body of thought m regard to sickness and disease, and the use of means other than the merely physical m their cure. ' The* difference may be generally stated as follows :— The Spiritual Healing Movement has its origin strictly m Christianity. It bases all its claims upon the literal truth of Christianity as it is presented m the Gospels and Epistles ; Christianity, understood m its most literal, and therefore most spiritual sense. And, further, considered as a definite and organised practice, Spiritual Healing is supported on every side by the history of the Church during the first few. centuries of its existence. " Inner health " movements, generally speaking, owe their inception to a kind of modern apotheosis of humanity ; to a growing realisation (which has its foundation m truth) that Man, considered independently as man, is a higher and more noble being than we had been accustomed to think ; that he possesses m himself powers which exalt him almost, if not quite, to the rank of a god. Some, indeed, would seem to go farther and to claim that m some sense he is God. All the teaching of Spiritual Healing, on the contrary, is based upon the fact of man's utter and complete dependence upon God, not only for his " free gifts of grace," but for all the powers inherent m Msi nature ; and for all the right and true development of them. He is dependent, and must be consciously and voluntarily dependent upon God — God as revealed and presented m the Person of Christ— if he would realise his own true nature and develop along the right lines his God-given powers. So it is that those who believe m and practise: Spiritual Healing recognise and teach that the springs of the highest and most perfect life do not reside m man

himself (considered .as ari independent entity), bu,tVin his Creator — the origin and" Constant source of all man's life, whether on ,the mental, spiritual,. v or';. physical .planes ; for. it is "m Him that we live and move and have bur being.''' And that therefore if he would have the 11 more abundant life " which, rising ever more strongly within him, would be potent to cast out all weakness , and disease, he must seek it at the hands of his Creator and Sustainer ; and that he must seek it through those higher charinels of commjunication between himself and God which Christ established by and through His Incarnation and His life on earth. " God was m Christ reconciling the world imto Himself " ; and "m Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." That is the foundation of the creed 'of those who believe m Spiritual Healing. Long before that Advent God had been making Himself known to man, had been establishing communications between Himself and man m many ways. But none of those ways had been, none had meant to be, wholly sufficient ways. So man had never been able to apprehend the mind and character of God, or His purposes for him ; nor had there ever been established a way of communication by which he could fully receive, according to his growirig need, fresh life and impulse from the Creator. Therefore God Himself came down to man ; and taking man's body and man's nature, opened up the widest and most sufficient channels of communication between Himself and man. How is it, then, it is often asked, if this is Christianity, if all this is really claimed for it — how is it that it is able to influence so small a proportion of the nation ; how is it that the Church, the official representative of Christianity, with all its machinery and organisations of all kinds, has so little hold, comparatively speaking, upon the national life ? Many attempts have been made to answer this question, 'arid many experiments have been tried to fill up possible gaps m the Churches method and organisation. Arid;y&t the answer to the question seems ,as far from being found a& evier. There is one solution, perhaps, which has as yet hardly definitely beferi put forward, although suggestions tending m the direction of it have been 'made from time to time. Of such is the mote earnest call -to

prayer, heard more and more clearly among us, as a spiritual power of far greater force, and consequence than has been hitherto realised. We would go farther, and, suggest that the real and. effectual power of the Church lies m the use she makes of her spiritual gifts as such — of all those spiritual gifts and powers which have been surely bestowed upon her, but which m a great measure she has allowed to lapse and fall into disuse. And one of the chief among those gifts (for we know with how great power it was exercised m the early Church and with what great spiritual results) is the gift of healingone of those charismatic gifts, or free gifts of grace, making those on whom it is bestowed channels through which the Healing power of Christ may pass to those m need of healing ; renewing m them that life from God upon which the health of our whole nature depends. The renewal of our whole nature, bodily, mental and spiritual — this it is which constitutes true Spiritual Healing. And as the force given and received is spiritual, so is it spiritual m its operation and m its results. It is m this fact that the power of Spiritual Healing lies, and on which the significance of the movement for its revival depends. The question arises : Can Spiritual Healing then be given only through those who exercise the Gift of Healing ? The history of the Church shows us that it is not confined to this means, but that it is given also through prayer and sacrament — because its actuality lies m the living presence of Christ m His Church ; and wherever He is, there may His healing grace be found. Will correspondents seeking help kindly write to Mr Hickson direct, at 22, Talbot-square, London, W. ?