"The Prayer of Faith shall Save the Sick."
By R. F. C.
To the praise of God, and for the encouragement of his saints, I would record what the Lord has done for us at Mill Grove. Our beloved sister Davis, "whom Satan hath bound" for more than six months is set at liberty. Jesus, who is stronger than the strong man armed, has given her strength to rise up and walk. Faith in his name still imparts strength to the impotent. As sister Davis states in her letter, she had been confined to her bed since early in August last. On the first day of November she called the elders of the church. At that time she was very low, apparently near to death, having constant night sweats. We followed the teaching of the apostle James, and the Lord wrought a sensible and immediate change. Her night sweats ceased, and, for a short time, she gained strength rapidly. But still our hopes were frustrated. She lingered, and at times grew worse, till it seemed that she must go down into the grave. Thus she remained, unable to help herself or to sit up more than to have her bed made, till Sabbath, Feb. 27th. She then sent a request to our meeting that we should come again and pray with her. She thought she had learned better how to believe than before. After meeting we went, and having anointed her with oil in the name of the Lord, we prayed the Lord to raise her up. After prayer I proposed that she should try her strength to arise in the name of the Lord. She had often tried to help herself, but in vain. Even that morning, after being placed in her chair, she could not raise her head without help, to place a pillow behind it. It was necessary also to lift her feet to place them on a footstool. But in the name of Jesus she arose without help and walked to her chair; and after standing and praising God for some time, sat down, still calling upon all to praise God for what he had done for her. Said she, "Only see what the Lord has done for me. This morning I was perfectly helpless. Now I have walked to my chair, leaning on none but the Lord!" Her widowed mother was at this time in another room. She sent for her to come in, and called upon her to praise God. Said she, "The God that you have served so many years has raised me up. What god is like our God?" Soon she called for something to eat. Said she was hungry. She had been without appetite, and was reduced almost to a skeleton. We were soon obliged to leave, sooner than we would but for other duties. Next morning she arose and walked out into the kitchen to breakfast with the family, and was about house through the week, to the astonishment of friends who came to see her. The next Sabbath, March 6th, though a very cold day, she rode about two miles to meeting, and the church were cheered by her presence, and strengthened and encouraged by her exhortations. One beloved, aged brother, who from former teaching had been sceptical about the prayer of faith saving the sick in these days, arose and remarked that he, like the people that beheld the impotent man that was healed at the Beautiful gate of the temple, "could say nothing against it." He has since confessed his faith that the gifts of the Spirit would again be developed in the church. After sitting through two lengthy meetings, with but a short intermission, sister Davis rode home again, and, instead of being weary, she felt stronger than when she left home in the morning. I went with them to their home, where I remained till near sunset; and, instead of seeing her lie down to rest, as I expected, she was still sitting up when I left. Her appetite is good, and she is rapidly gaining flesh. To God be all the praise! Mill Grove, March 9th, 1858.