The Mission of Healing.

Waiapu Church Gazette, Volume XIII, Issue 10, 2 April 1923, Page 459

The Mission of Healing.

THE CALL TO PENITENCE

This, year the call to penitence comes with, an increased power. Mr Hickson 's visit is enlightening our understanding of the everlasting Good News of the Gospel. God wants to "cleanse men's souls and to heal their

bodies. ,TbVe relationship between the two is. vital, The most superficial thought shows this/Take away the sickness which cannot be attributed to man's, sinfulness, and little remains. Not that the sufferer is necessarily the sinner ; he is only like the rest of mankind, a sinner; the innocent victim of man's carelessness, and ignorance. And ignorance is sin, or due to sin. We believe that; m the spiritual sphere God desires to wipe out the consequences of sin. I believe. . .'. m the forgiveness of sin." That m Christ it is forgiven is of the essence of our faith, and this is not a future promise, but a. present benefit. At any moment after penitence, with prayer and faith, we may begin as though it had not been. The power of Christ is sufficient to conquer the weakness caused by. sin. All this is commonplace of our teaching. Hence the vital necessity of penitence. If I am to be filled with Christ, I must be empty of self; if I am to receive the pure one into my heart all that is impure must be thrown out. A Christian without penitence is a housewife without the broom, the inward recesses are choked with the dust and dirt of years.— "Church Messenger." HEALING MISSION NOTES; Extracts from the notes issued by the Executive Committee of the Mission:—Some folk speak as if prayer were a sort of sentimental extra m regard to this mission. It is its very life. Unless it is centred on the person of our Blessed Lord and supported by real prayer and faith, many of the unfair criticisms which are levelled at it— sUch as "It is hysteria," "mere suggestion," etc. — might well be true. Those who believe mit most whole-heartedly are also those who are most nervous of it unless prayer and faith keep it all very close to Christ. Mr Hickspn tells m "The Healer" how, among the thousands that attended one of the Mission services m South Africa was a woman who had brought her child blind from birth. She had come very unwillingly, doubting -the willingness of God to heal and only as the result of strong persuasion by her friends. As the service progressed she became very impatient, got up and began to walk down the aisle to leave the church. To an attendant who spoke to her she said: "I have wasted an hour and ahalf already and I'm not going to stay any longer." Meanwhile the child was trying m vain to attract her attention. At last he succeeded and cried out, "Mother! I can see!" The mother almost fainted at finding that the child's eyesight was restored, and said, "Why doesn't God strike me dead for mv wicked want of faith?" . ■"'■'" ' The Deari of Hobart, describing

Mr Hickson 's mission at Lauriceston, .says: — " The Mission last«d two daysj ; dur- 1 ing which several hundreds of people, sick spiritually; or •p%si^klly, or botfy received healingVthrdugli the laying dn of hands. (T'hiEi Mission took plaiie^ at St. John's Church). 4 . ; .There was. ifo confusion while the hUridredf preset came up. to the altar Vto ; re- : ; ceive the laying; pri of hands, and • af terwards l^f t ■ ,the ~ building. When the sick folk 1 w'ei'e all the work-' ers came lip m order to kneel ;at'"-the altar, and this brought the seryiceywhich had,\lasted something over tlftee; hours, to an end. .7 '"' Launceston was full of reports of persons healed during the Mission, but until these are verified, it .would; be perhaps misleading to quoteYtheiii. However, there are one or two which may be mentioned with confidence, A young lady who had been wheeled to church was lying m agony on the ground. Tke : missioher ministered to her, and she instantaneously fell asleep and later on walked into the church, and on the second day was among the helpers. A lady who was crippled with rheumatism, her legs and hands twisted through the 7 disease, received a private visit . from Mr Hickson. ; After the short service she said she had felt a tingHngV sensation running from her feet to frev. head when receiving the laying on of hands. That night she was obliged to get her, feet rubbed .becjause , of the tingling , pain. Next morning ,bhe, walked to the church. THE MISSIONER. - He is m many ways a ; remarkable preacher; simple to a; degree, clear and outspoken; he holds his congregation from start to. finish. He ha^ an/uii-" shaken conviction of the presence: of Christ, and he makes his heaths share, that belief . There, I. WlleyS, lies his power. He seems td; throw new meaning into terms which are m common use (e.g., children of God, etc.); He is a remarkably bright and cheery man at. all times, and. is equally humble. His definite point is.spiritual healing, physical healing accompanying it as a. natural consequence. He made no reference to. cures .which, occurred at his missions, but. he dwelt naturally, on. the healing power of* Christ, spiritual and physical. AT A SERVICE. Mr Hickson spoke to the - r patients and others from the chancel steps for a little over an hour, but it did not seem, so long. Af teir his address, /.'the sick folk came up. to the altai* 'rails m single file. The Precentor before Mr Hickson reading the sickness "of the sufferer to the healerV "TheVfitshop followed and was assisted 'by three' priests m giving' the Church's blessing. MtfHickflbri is' very rapid m : his

mpyetiients, and consequently it topk very little over ah hour to V deal with all -the sick (over 60,0-) , including the cot cases.. The following cablegram was pub-' lisheii m the "Sydney Morning Herald' '.' of February 22nd :— Mr Hickson concluded his faith-healing fission. at St. David's Cathedral to-day (Wednesday, February 21st). Large crowds have attended the services, arid a number of cases have been ! reported as having been . cured. A woman, who had been bedridden) for six. years, and who received Mr;' Hick ministrations, walked to the Cathedral to-day. A boy who had--been dumb for four years can now speak. A. woman who had been helpJess, with anthritis is now walking, and a boy who had. been bedridden for seven months with spine trouble is now able to sit. up. . The "Rand Daily Mail" for September. 12th contains an . account of the opening of Mr Hickson 's Mission m the Anglican Cathedral. . The fol- . lowing are some brief extracts : — ' ' At an early hour it was practically impossible to reach the barrier which closed. the road to traffic, since eager ticket-holders waited m crowds for 'the opening of the main doors, surging irorward at intervals.. ." . . Inside ; the Cathedral an enormous crucifix was suspended over the heads of thousands of sufferers, who hade made a pilgrimage of faith. Every seat was occupied. Perfect silence reigned. The Bishop of Johannesburg opened the service with prayer from the altar. . . . Mr Hickson, m cassock and surplice, "then came forward and ■in. a clear, even voice delivered an inspiring address on the subject of preparation by prayer for healing gifts. ... He stopped speaking and descended into the body of the church, and laid his hands upon the sick. . . . The Bishop followed him and gave the Benediction before the sufferers left. Cripples of all kinds came yesterday, and more are coming to-day. . . . . A girl of about 20 years of age, weeping for joy, walked with her crutches under her arm to the. tram: " I can walk, I can walk,", she repeated .oyer and oyer again to the crowd everywhere about her. She is the daughter of a well-known Johannesburg physician — and was. thrown from -her horse five years ago.^ . . . "I can hear again ! I can speak V '. The crowd turned to see an old man whp: had been deaf and dumb for years; . . . A' little girl blinked m the ' sunlight. "She -was born blind," said: the: happy father to the crowd. . . The son of a well-known cricketer, who fell m a swimming bath* some yeai^s ago, and was nearly drowned as deltas "being so seriously injured that - his pxi^tver of speech and hearing vrere affected, /told the; crowd. with his own voice that he, was cured/

The Rev. H. S. Chignell, Rector of Sty Aid^n's, Yeb.ville, Johannesburg, writes to the Tasmanian "Church New;sf :— "Make up your minds straight away that you must have a Healing Mission, and for these reasons: First, the Mission will produce a very unusual religious revival. We found here that people came m their thousands to the services of preparation ; and that many non-churchgoers and others who had drifted away from faith and worship, came m crowds to he prepared for the healing Mission. Day after day the churches were filled with those who wanted to be taught. to pray and how to believe. The spiritual consequences of the Mission are. far greater than the physical gain. . This latter is without. doubt quite considerable, and this fact cannot be denied that there are hundreds of people m South Africa to-day who have regained hearing and seeing, and the power to walk, who would otherwise have been incurable. South Africa has been stirred m a spiritual way as never be- ' fore, and I am certain that Australia will be equally moved." At an informal gathering of persons interested m the approaching Healing Mission to be conducted m Tasmania by Mr Hicksdn, Miss Reid, • a visitor from Japan, gave her impressions of the result of Mr Hickson's Mission m that country. Although Miss Reid, who is Bishop Lea's (of' Kyu-shu) sister-in-law, did not actually see Mr Hickson at work, she said she saw many of those who had received benefit at- his hands, - and was, therefore, .better able to judge of the permanency of the cures. . - . . . Miss Reid described Mr Hickson as ,a big, burly man, of bright and cheerful manner, who is a very pleasant companion. "He was 'evidently tremendously, psychic, and m a land where devil possession was not uncommon, he had brought before him cases of "possession" m which he had to exorcise; the devils. In one case, it was stated, he felt the power 'of evil' so keenly m a native house m which he and the Bishop were staying that none of them could rest or sleep. He therefore exorcised the powers of evil, with the result that their remaining stay m the place was normaL Miss Reid insisted that though all cases submitted to the laying on of hands were not cured, they one and all received some benefit, so that there was never any feeling of disappointment.; Miss Reid mentioned the ease of a man who was so violent that the officials would not let him be brought to the meeting-place " unless accompanied by the police. He gradually calmed' down, and at each successive laying on of hands became' more sane, so that* on the fourth- day he was abl to speak ra-

tionally, and did not : require to be guarded. His case was permanently cured. A casein Korea, which could not be brought to Japan, was, cured by prayer. As many as 900 patients were trated m One centre. Miss Reid described Mr Hickson as a man of "visions," and said he felt the strain of his work very greatly, so that he would expect that all necessary arrangements would be made for his visit to Tasmania, m orderthat there may be no hitch or difficulty at the time.—' 'Mercury. ' '