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March 3, 1909. THE PRESBYTER:
tion, that that death was the sentence of a civil court
for crimes against the state and public good, and that
it was approved by the Reformed Churches and their
leaders, and Calvin was not alone responsible for it.
It will prove a profitable celebration to many lands,
if there be a return to these great truths of the Bible,
taught by Paul and Augustine and Calvin, and their
life and energy be revived in the Church of Christ.
It will be a pood result if the freat Reformed Church
es be drawn nearer together in mutual esteem and
hearty co-operation.
It will be most happy if, among the Churches not
called Reformed and Calvinistic, there be some awakening
to the fact that as to the great and vital principles
of the sovereignty of God, the absolute need by all men
of the grace of God, and the final and eternal safety
of all believers in Christ, there is now a great unity of
faith. Vital and active religion is essentially the same
in times of revival and great evangelistic meetings,
Christians of various names and creeds come very near
together.
The Presbyterian with all his-heart proclaims a full
and free salvation to every one that thirsts, and the
Methodist mother prays with a prostrate dependence
upon the God of all grace. In our great evangelistic
meetings in Richmond, vast assemblies from all the
Churches with deepest fervor sang over and over again:
"For my Savior loves me so
He will rold me fast." J. P. S.
FAITH AND HEALTH.
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of spiritual and physical laws. Certain scientific men,
with an air of condescension, arc recognizing the realm
of the spiritual and defining 'its boundaries as related
to the domain of the physical, or material. Much more
numerous are the expounders of spiritual laws who attempt
to define the relation of psychical causes to physical
phenomena. Prominent among these latter are
the leaders of the Emmanuel Movement, Drs. Elwood
Worcester and Samuel McComb, and others who adopt
their theories either in their entirety or in modified
forms.
n is a distinct gain to true religion, and theretore to
the well-being of mankind, that there is a breaking
away from the grossness and consequent moral degeneracy
of modern materialism, and a corresponding tendency
to stress the higher, nobler part of our humanity,
the mental and spiritual. Even irreverent thinkers
and adventurers in the field of philopsophic speculation
are favorably disposed toward Christian conceptions of
the nature of mind as distinguished from all phenomena
of matter.
The Emmanuel Movement proposes the treatment
and cure of certain classes of physical disorder through
the use of psychical or spiritual means. It assigns a
large degree of efficacy to the power of mental suggestion,
by which mental activity is directed or restrained,
producing a corresponding effect on the nervous sys-t
tern. But it goes further, and insists upon the efficacy
of prayer, meditation, and obedience to revealed law,
IAN OF THE SOUTH. 5
in securing the divine blessing upon the diseased physical
system and its consequent restoration to health.
To what extent can we accept the teachings of the Emmanuel
Movement and apply them in our practical,
sane Christian living?
There can be no question that an intimate relation
exists between right moral principle and bodily health.
It does not require expert testimony to verify a proposition
so abundantly proven to the eye of the most casual
observer. "Whatsoever a man soweth that shall
he also reap," "tjie wages of sin is death," are laws
that are written on the whole history of humanity and
are Deing vermea in our every-day observation. We
do not need a specialist to convince us that a clear conscience
is promotive of sound sleep and good digestion,
and that a life of sobriety and virtue is preparatory to
an old age of honor and peace.
As ^in instance of the relation of moral conduct to
physical health, a pathetic and even tragic picture is
drawn of the fate of the men who were convicted of
conspiracy to defraud the state of Pennsylvania in the
notorious case of building and furnishing the state capitol.
The state treasurer, having been sentenced to prison,
died soon afterward at his home. The chief contractor
is reported to be ill with an organic disease An
associate of his is ill at his home and may never recover.
Another defendant is in bad health and in mental
distress. Another conspirator was only saved from
becoming a complete nervous wreck, by his doctors.
The clerk, who knew most of the dishonest proceedings,
died suddenly at his lodging house, as the result
of worry. The traveling auditor, who was involved,
became insane while on trial for false measurements.
The contractor for the building after being indicted
died of a lingering illness. Truly the way of the transgressor
is hard, whether we consider his position in
society, his peace of mind, or his bodily strength.
While declining to approve suggestions of the friends
of the Emmanuel Movement, that the miraculous element
that appeared so clearly and constantly in our
Lord's ministry may be expected in his blessing upon
the sick in our own time, we must believe that he does
bestow his direct, efficacious blessing in answer to
prayer?a blessing which is in addition to the regular
and constant orderings of his providence. We are entitled
to expect the direct personal bestowment of his
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puwcr, atcoruing 10 ms win, upon inose wno arc sick.
What else can be the meaning of our earnest supplication
when a loved one is ill and we resort to the
throne of heavenly grace? As we plead for his healing
touch do we not hope that he will be merciful and will
hear our cry? And do we not expect more than that
the ordinary laws that affect bodily health shall be administered?
We long for and plead for personal and
extraordinary intervention. We do not dictate the way.
We do not profess even to know the process. We are
ready to say "speak the word only and my loved one
shall be healed."
Such prayers are not merely the promptings of the
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tural. We' need not quote exclusively those words of
James, "The prayer of faith shall save the sick, and