A TESTIMONY OF HEALING by Henrietta Reams

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, Cal. · May 31, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 22.

A TESTIMONY OF HEALING.

By Henrietta Reams

CHRIST'S special warning command to His church is, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits. . . . Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." And never in the history of the Christian era has this charge been so significant as now.

Speaking of the last days, Christ says: "Take heed that ye be not deceived; for many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near; go ye not therefore after them." Luke 21:8. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before." Matt. 24:24, 25.

The same warning was given by the Spirit to Timothy concerning the great deceptions of the last days: "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron." 1 Tim. 4:1, 2.

Are not these warnings sufficient to cause every one of us to "take heed"? Never has a time been known since the days of the apostles, when so many and so great signs and wonders have been done in the name of Christ as are being done now. And many people are saying, as was said of Simon the sorcerer, "This man is the great power of God;" and thousands, yes millions, are going after them.

But "be not ye deceived." The world must have a sign before it will believe God; but God requires that His children shall believe His Word without a sign. Said the Lord, "A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas." God will not give a sign to convince the unbelieving heart of His rightful authority and power; but He does give the faithful heart abundant manifestations of His saving love and power.

What is the test, then, that we may know the Shepherd's voice, and not be decoyed by any counterfeit call of the "stranger"? Here it is, "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God."

It matters little what they profess; unless they confess the efficacy of Christ's incarnation and sacrifice to save you and me, they are not of God. Unless we confess that Christ is come in our flesh to save us from the powers of evil, and to work out in our flesh His own righteous life (Rom. 3:22; 8:3, 4); unless they acknowledge the mystery of godliness—"Christ in you, the hope of glory"—they can not be of Christ, tho they confess His name in hypocrisy to deceive those who are not thoroughly grounded in the truth. We dare not believe any doctrine that is not fully substantiated by the Word, tho a prophet should declare it. Note Paul's charge in the first of Galatians: "Tho we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." And John says, "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine [the doctrine of Christ], receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed."

High standing, social prestige, popular success, and a large following, are no signal of a true shepherd or a faithful watchman. Prophecies, gifts of healing, miracles—none of these are tests of true discipleship or apostleship. Matt. 7:21-23; 1 Kings 13 (notice verses 11 and 18); 1 Cor. 13:1-3; Rev. 13:13, 14; 16:13, 14.

I know of no more forcible proof of the faithfulness of these warnings than a temptation that I experienced concerning the power of a certain healer, now of Chicago, and I will give it for the benefit of those that may be similarly tried.

When my baby was quite small, he was afflicted with an incurable eczema, and was in such torment that he required almost constant care night and day. At this time a paper, published in the interests of faith-healing, came in my way, and my sister and I read with great interest the testimonies of those who had been wonderfully healed. My heart began to throb with a great hope that baby also might be healed; for surely this was the power of God come down among men. While I was trembling, on the verge of believing, a warning voice in my soul said, "Take heed; prove the doctrine." My sister corresponded with the healer, and was actually healed of a life-long infirmity. This added certainty to the written testimonies; but in reading the published sermons of this healer, I discerned the vital errors of Spiritualism, Universalism, and the Church-and-State doctrine. I have the extracts from these sermons, volume and page. These, together with the sarcasm and ridicule with which he attacked all his enemies, convinced me that the Spirit of God was not the source of either his power or his doctrine, and I determined that I would never ask for help or healing at his hands.

As if to put me to the proof, my baby was stricken in a most unaccountable manner in lungs, kidneys, and bowels. All the springs of his little life seemed to be stopped, while his breath came in panting gasps. The usual remedies seemed to have no effect to relieve him. He was smitten with death, and his wailing cry seemed to wring my heart with an agony of temptation.

The tempter walked beside me, urging me to accept the certainty, taunting me with my inconsistency and unbelief, and bringing to my heart strange misgivings, lest I might have committed the unpardonable sin in thus ascribing to the wicked one the seeming power of God as shown in the mighty deeds of this man.

If the shame and humiliation that the tempter heaped on me in that hour could have been voiced in words, they would have been on this wise: "You, a professing Christian, and claiming such a great faith, are afraid to ask your God to save your child; and yet this, as you believe, agent of the devil—tho perhaps unconsciously—would heal him freely in a moment if you would ask him. Is the devil more willing to heal than your kind and beneficent Lord?" My heart cried out, "No," but I was not able to lift up my heart to claim the sure promise of God. While temporal aid seemed near and sure, a sense of distance and darkness seemed to shut out my heavenly Father from me. I did not then realize the source of this. But tho my heart was bleeding for my dying little one, I resolved that I would see him perish, yes, and I would perish too, before I would apply to the enemy for his physical restoration.

Then God gave me the faith. I resolved to place my stricken lamb in the arms of Jesus; and, calling all the family to prayer, we kneeled down. I had not had time to frame three words of my petition, when the baby gave a cry, as if he had received a mortal hurt, and began to sob in a heart-breaking way. At that cry we all sprang to our feet to comfort him, and I soon realized that he was crying in a natural voice, and in his own natural way. He was healed from that moment, and played all the afternoon, while I praised God from a full heart. He was not at that time fully healed of the eczema, but I besought the Lord until he was. Since that time I have never felt prompted to ask for healing for small ailments, but have always administered the simple, healing remedies that the Lord has provided. But if I ever get in those sore straits again, I know my Helper and Healer.

Dear reader of the SIGNS, whoever you are, be prepared for the "wrath of the dragon," if you refuse, in the light of God's Word, to be deceived or led into any compromise with the enemy of your soul. All the powers of hell will be hurled against you to wrest you from your sure hold upon the Rock of your salvation; but Jesus has commanded us, "Fear not them which kill the body, . . . but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell;" and in His conquering name you may always be a victor.

HENRIETTA REAMS.