"BLESS the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Ps. ciii, 1—3.
The Psalmist, in common with all the faithful of old, looked to the Lord for the healing of diseases as well as the forgiveness of sins. In this, they rested on the promise of God. When the children of Israel had passed through the Red Sea, the Lord said to them, "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Ex. xv, 26.
Again, he told them, that if they would serve the Lord, "I will take away sickness from the midst of thee." Ex. xxiii, 25. Also Deut. vii, 15; xxviii, 27, 60. When Ahaziah, king of Israel, was sick, he sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, and the angel of the Lord directed Elijah to say unto them, "Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?" And declared that for this offence, he should surely die. 2 Kings, i, 2—4, 16.
When king Asa was diseased, it is recorded that "he sought not to the Lord, but to the physicians." 2 Chron. xvi. 12. The prophet Isaiah, speaking of the sufferings of the Saviour, said, "The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." Accordingly, when he commenced his ministry, "he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people." Matt. iv, 23, 24.
Immediately after the sermon on the mount, there are recorded three cases of healing. Chap. viii, 1—13. And "when the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils; and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick." Verses 16, 28—32. One was brought to him [Chap. ix, 2—6,] sick of the palsy, to whom he said, "Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." Upon the complaint of the scribes, he told him to arise and go to his house. After this, a ruler came and besought him to come and lay his hand upon his daughter. Jesus and his disciples arose to follow him, and a woman came behind him, having been diseased twelve years, and merely touched his garment, and she was told, "thy faith hath made thee whole." Verses 18—22. In the same chapter it is recorded that he gave sight to two blind men, and healed the dumb, and "went about all the cities, and villages, and healing every sickness, and every disease among the people." Verses 27—35.
When he commissioned his twelve apostles, "he gave them power over unclean spirits to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease." x, 1. He next healed the man on the Sabbath-day, that had the withered hand, and while the Pharisees held a council to destroy him, "he withdrew himself from thence, and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all." xii, 10—15, 22. When he came into the land of Gennesaret, they "brought unto him all that were diseased, and besought him, that they might only touch the hem of his garment; and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." xiv, 35, 36. He healed the daughter of the "woman of Canaan," and applauded her faith. xv, 21—28. A man brought his son to him, having previously brought him to his disciples, but they could not cast out the devil with which he was possessed. This, the Saviour told them, was on account of their unbelief—"this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." xvii, 14—21. Thus we see that their "power over unclean spirits," was only manifested through the exercise of prayer and faith.
Before his ascension, he told them to go into all the world and preach the gospel; "and these signs shall follow [not you only but] them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."
Still farther down, when James wrote "to the twelve tribes scattered abroad," he directed them as follows: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." He also exhorts them to confess to, and pray for one another, that they might be healed; and to give assurance, he cites to the case of Elijah, whose prayers for both drought and rain, were answered, although he "was a man subject to like passions as we are." Jas. v, 14—17.
By these and parallel scriptures, we see that. (1.) Christ healed all manner of diseases, of all who came, or were brought to him. (2.) He commissioned his disciples to preach his gospel, and heal diseases, &c. (3.) These signs were to follow them that believed through their preaching. (4.) The rule was laid down for the church to pray for the sick.
This is a blessing peculiar to the gospel, or, rather, we may say it is a part of the gospel. In Jesus we find a full remedy for our ills, moral and physical, and thus it is recorded in the scriptures: "And he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying: Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses." Matt. viii, 16, 17.
It would be absurd for the Christian to patiently bear his load of sin, or seek to any earthly help for relief therefore, because Christ "bare our sins, in his own body, on the tree." If he also "bare our sicknesses," have we any need to bear them ourselves, or any right to seek to the physicians? If this was a part of Christ's mission, do we not dishonor him, and virtually deny his power, and the truth of God's promises, by turning away from him, to seek for human help? He has told us, "If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you." John xv, 7. O, how much we need to pray, Lord, increase our faith!
Dear brethren and sisters, awake to righteousness, and sin not. Some say, we are to use the means placed by Providence within our reach, looking to God for his blessing on them. But look again at the testimony. The means enjoined in Mark vi, 13; James v, 13—18, are anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, and praying the prayer of faith. I cannot ask God to bless my disobedience to his word, or expect to enjoy his favor, unless I keep his commandments, and receive the gospel.