SPIRITUAL CURES by Editor

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 23, 1856

SPIRITUAL CURES.

By Editor

We have of late seen nothing especially remarkable in the history of spiritualism, and have learned of but few, if any, "manifestations" in advance of what have been frequently reported. The following instances of spirit-cures may however be worthy of notice, considering the impression they must make, if the statements may be credited, in the community where they occurred, and considering the specious arguments that are urged in their favor, by attributing them to the same power by which miracles were wrought in primitive times by Christ and his apostles. The danger lies in the fact that people are ready to forget that any supernatural occurrence, especially if its tendency be apparently good, can be produced by anything but the power of God. We copy from the experience of U. Clark, as reported in the Spiritual Telegraph.

"Why not expect as wonderful cures under spiritual influence now, as eighteen centuries since? Instead of detracting from the facts of sacred history, they confirm those facts, and fulfill the prophecy of Christ and the apostles. Instances are constantly occurring in my experience to demonstrate the glorious reality of spiritual powers able to cope with the most formidable diseases of body and mind; and in view of the gifts being manifest of late, the most sacred and solemn responsibility is enforced on the minds of those who are used as healing mediums. Thousands are looking to and through them with forlorn hopes of life and health and to tamper with these hopes were an enormity, deserving the severest reprobation."

The writer then gives an account of a "strange power over disease," which he found himself possessed of over twelve years ago, and continues,

"I now understand this gift to see and feel disease, and to command it to depart by a look, a touch, or by manipulations, to be solely under the control of spirit-intelligences acting in co-operation with the elements of nature and mind in the form.

"I offer a few recent cases in illustration of this healing mediumistic power, for the encouragement of the afflicted, and in confirmation of the testimony which many others are giving in behalf of the practical benefits of Spiritualism.

"While in New York, July 12th, Mr. W. H. Crosson, of 339 Grand street, called, with violent symptoms of the cholera. After fifteen minutes' manipulation, he was relieved; and several days after he reported himself as having suffered no more from that hour. Several similar cases I have on record, with names and dates.

"At the house of Mr. Munson Crook, Auburn, Sept. 25th, Mrs. Ostrander called, with a chronic spinal disease, in great pain. She was entirely relieved in three minutes, and at the last account, remained so.

"At Mr. F. Goodrich's, Auburn, a lady with various chronic aches and pains, was thrown into profuse perspiration and declared herself whole within ten minutes.

"At the house of Mr. Thomas Dickinson, Chittenango, Sept. 13th, Miss B. of Lake Port, seated herself for an examination, and I had gone only about one minute, when she burst into tears, and protested the revelations were too startlingly true for her to bear more at that time.

"In the same place, Sept. 12th, Mr. Orin Richards, with an arm which had been disabled for several weeks, called on me for relief, in the afternoon. I was impressed to tell him to attend my public meeting that evening, and assured him of a cure. I called him up before the audience, and after operating on him as directed by the invisibles, in fifteen minutes I made him testify to the company that his arm was restored.

"Mr. L. Loverage of Waterloo, came to me at F. Goodrich's, Auburn, in August with a thumb disabled for more than three months, and after five minutes' operation, he protested in the presence of Mr. and Mrs. G., J. H. Allen, and several others that it was all right.

"All these cases are peculiarly striking, though they are taken somewhat at random out of a list of about one hundred applications."