Other faith cures

Introduction

" And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them." — Mark vi : 12. 15.

" Heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." — Luke x : 9.

IT seems strange to us. when the gospel has placed side by side repentance of sin and healing of sickness, that the devil should have shorn the Christian of his power by putting asunder what God had joined together; or that, when renewing this truth to the Church by the Spirit, she should find herself halting and questioning, and thus hindering the kingdom of God which is come nigh unto us.

We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen, that since God has opened our eyes to see and our hearts to understand the fulness of the gospel in this regard, that the "arm of the Lord hath been revealed." " These things said Esaias when he saw His glory and spake of them." We have seen His glory and we must speak.

They come from far and near, the sick in body, the sick in soul, often with little or no comprehension of the way or means that shall bring relief. Their need is great, they are desperate. It is just the soil in which to cast the seed of the kingdom. " Do you know of whom you ask this great boon? Do you realize that it is from One whom you have despised and rejected?" The Spirit bears in the conviction of sin. " Can I ask health from Him in whom I have

VI INTRODUCTION.

not believed? Tell, oh ! tell me, how may I find Him?" " He is here. He is nigh thee, to forgive, to cleanse, to heal." With heart broken, with tears of penitence, all is yielded, and the torrent of blessing pours into the wounded soul. Jesus is received, the body responds to His compassionate touch, sin and sickness are banished, and the once shackled slave steps forth free — free in Christ Jesus ! O Christian, O Church of God, arise and shine, for thy light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee!

" Sing, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O Israel ; be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.

"The Lord hath taken away thy judgments. He hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee ; thou shalt not see evil any more.

" In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not ; and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.

" The Lord thy God, in the midst of thee, is mighty ; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He will joy over thee with singing.

" I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the reproach of it was a burden.

" For I will make you a name and a praise among all the people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord." — Zeph. iii : 14-20.

God is turning our " captivity." Praise be to His holy Name ! Churches and church-members are being gathered into the fold of the promises.

Fifteen years have passed, while I have gone quietly on, believing and praying with the sick, claiming no power of my own, but claiming just what God has promised : —

" The prayer of faith shall save the sick." Not by man's power, not by miracle working, but by simply believing that the promises of God are true, that the promise in James is as true as any other. If it were not so, I should say, " I

INTRODUCTION. Vll

cannot believe the promise in James v : 14, 15, for this thing is among the tokens of the past ; it cannot be true at this day." Where would my faith hold ? If one promise can be left out, why not another ? And what would become of the 30,000 promises in God's Word ?

No, let us believe God at all costs, — believe that His Word is true and must be fulfilled. There is no other safety for our faith than the grand and full acceptance of all God offers to His church. I have already published two volumes upon this subject, the first called " Faith Cures," the second, " More Faith Cures " ; and now the Lord enables me to present to the world this third volume. Hundreds of cases might be added to these to prove to the church that God lives to hear and answer prayer. These that are given are not selected cases, but such as have come to me, and have returned thanks to God for His wonderful work.

To show how the truth is spreading, I would state that " Faith Cures " has been translated into other languages, and foreign tongues are spreading the glad tidings. From all parts of the world we hear that God heals the sick. In India, among our own missionaries, there have been numerous instances of the healing of the sick in answer to prayer. It will not be out of place to insert here the following account of the work in China : —

FAITH HEALING IN CHINA,

One day when our native helper, Mr. Yao, was preaching in the chapel, an old beggar-woman, of over seventy years of age, came to the door, and listened to what was said about the person and power of the Lord Jesus Christ. She returned to her home, and told Mrs. Chang, a blind neighbor, that which she had heard, and proposed, next day, to lead her round to the chapel to ask the preacher if Jesus could open her eyes. The old woman accordingly appeared at the chapel the next day, with her blind friend,

Vlll INTRODUCTION.

Mrs. Chang, and told the preacher their object in coming. After a long conversation, Mr. Yao told the blind woman that if she had faith to be healed it could be done. They accordingly kneeled down, and prayed that God would have mercy upon them, and regard their prayer.

This was repeated the next day, and again on Sunday, when Mrs. Chang's eyes were improving. She was beginning to see again. By the Sunday following, her sight — of which she had been deprived for three years — was perfectly restored, and she now wished all to join her in praising God for what He had done. Within a fortnight after the day she was first led to the chapel and asked to be cured, her eyes were opened and she could see as other people. No medicines were used, nor were any other means than those of faith and prayer employed to bring about this end. The simple woman believed implicitly that Christ had the same power to heal to-day as He had eighteen hundred years ago ; and she sought and found in Him what she desired. — China's Millions.

Surely the church of God is awakening to its privileges. That herein God shall be glorified is all my desire.

Will the reader of this book pray that the spirit of God , may more and more fill the Church, until hearts everywhere shall believe God for His "uttermost" salvation.

May the Holy Ghost fall upon the reader. May the " Word of Christ dwell in us all, richly," is my prayer as I send forth this record of God's faithfulness to His Church. " If the spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in you.

CHARLES CULLIS.

Beacon Hill Place, Boston, Mass, U.S.A.

INTRODUCTION. IX

GOD'S PROMISES FOR HEALING.

Exodus xxiii : 25. — " I will take .sickness away from the midst of thee."

Exodus xv : 26. — " For I am the Lord that healeth thee."

Deuteronomy vii : 15. — "The Lord will take away from thee all sickness."

Genesis xx : 17. — " Abraham prayed unto God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maid-servants."

Exodus xv : 26. — " 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."

Leviticus xvi : 15-16. — " If ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant : I also will do this unto you ; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart."

2 Kings xx : 5. — "Thus saith the Lord, ... I will heal thee."

2 Chronicles xxx : 20. — "The Lord hearkened to Hezekiah, and healed the people."

Psalms xxx • 2. — " O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me."

Psalms ciii : 3. — " Who forgiveth all thine iniquities ; who healeth all thy diseases."

Proverbs ix : 11. — " By me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased."

Proverbs iv : 22. — "For they (my words) are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh."

Psalm xci: 3, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15, 16. — "Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. Thou shalt not be afraid . . . for the pestilence that walketh in darkness ; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand ; but it shall not come nigh thee. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

X INTRODUCTION.

For He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. . . I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. "

Psalm cix : 20. — " He sent His word and healed them."

Psalm cv : 3J. — " There was not one feeble person among their tribes."

Jeremiah xxxiii : 6. — "I will cure them and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth."

Matthew iv : 24. — " And they brought unto Him all sick people . . . and He healed them."

Matthew viii, 16, 17 : — " 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. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."

Matthew viii : 5,8, 13. — "And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came into Him a centurion, beseeching Him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof: but speak the word only and my servant shall be healed. And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way ; and as thou hast believed so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."

Matthew ix : 35 — "And Jesus went about all the cities and villages . . . healing every sickness and every disease among the people."

Matthew xii : 15. — " And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all."

Matthew xiv: 14. — "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and He healed their sick."

Matthew xiv : 30. — " And great multitudes came unto Him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet : and He healed them."

Matthew xxi : 14. — "And the blind and lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them."

INTRODUCTION. XI

Matthew xii : 10, 13.— " And, behold, there was a man who had his hand withered. Then said He to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth ; and it was restored whole, like as the other."

Matthew viii : 2, 3. — " And behold there came a leper, and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying I will : be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed."

Matthew xii : 22. — " Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb ; and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."

Matthew ix: 20-22. — " And behold, a woman which was diseased with an issue of blood twelve years, came behind Him and touched the hem of His garment. For she said within herself, If I may but touch His garment, I shall be whole. But Jesus turned Him about, and when He saw her, He said, Daughter, be of good comfort ; thy faith hath made thee whole. And the woman was made whole from that hour."

Luke xiv : 2-4. — " And behold, there was a certain man before Him which had the dropsy. And He took him, and healed him, and let him go."

Luke iv : 33-35. — u And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, Let us alone ; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth ? art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not."

Luke vii : 21. — " And in that same hour He cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits ; and unto many that were blind He gave sight."

Luke viii: 41,42, 51-54. — "And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue ; and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought Him that He would come into his house ; for he had one only daughter about twelve years of age, and she lay a dying. And when He came into the house, He suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and

Xll INTRODUCTION.

the father and the mother of the maiden. And all wept, and bewailed her ; but He said, Weep not ; she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed Him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway ; and He commanded to give her meat."

John iv : 46, 47, 50. — " So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judea into Galilee f he went unto Him, and besought Him that He would come down, and heal his son; for he was at the point of death. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way ; thy son liveth.' ,

John v : 5, 8, 9. — " And a certain man was there, which had an

infirmity thirty and eight years. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take

up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made

whole, and took up his bed, and walked ; and on the same day

r as the Sabbath."

Luke ix : 11. — " He healed them that had need of healing. ,,

Luke ix : 1, 2. — " Then He called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."

Luke x : 9. — " Heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. "

Acts iii : 2, 6, 8, 9. — " And a certain man lame from his mother's womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them which entered into the temple ; then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee ; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God."

Acts v : 14, 16. — "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes, both of men and women. Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the street, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow

INTRODUCTION. Xlll

some of them. There came also a multitude out of "the cities round about Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits ; and they were healed every one."

Acts viii : 5, 8. — "Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them y and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city."

Acts ix : 17, 18. — "And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house ; and putting his hand on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales : and he received his sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized."

Acts xiv : 8-10. — " And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked ; the same heard Paul speak ; who, steadfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, said, with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked."

Acts xvi : 16-18. — " Arid it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned, and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour."

Acts xix : 11, 12. — "And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul ; so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them."

Acts xxviii : 3, 6. — " And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the

XIV INTRODUCTION.

heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suff ereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly ; but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god."

James v : 14, 15. — " 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."

James v : 16. — " Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer, of a righteous man availeth much."

OR,

Answers to Prayer in the Healing of the Sick.

Chapter I

BEFORE inserting the testimonies to healing, as given me by letter, I add a few brief accounts, reported by a friend, of the regular weekly meeting, held at Beacon Hill Church in the city proper every Thursday at eleven o'clock, a.m. This hour is devoted to " the prayer of faith n that " shall save the sick."

Thursday, December 28, 1882.

There were forty present. A number of requests from sufferers and friends were read. Then all bowed in prayer. For a few moments there was perfect silence. It seemed like holy ground. The Master's presence was truly with us in mighty power, moving upon every heart as earnest prayer was offered for those present and absent, that each, while being healed, might be filled with the Spirit of God. Among those to be prayed with were cases of cancer, paralysis, spinal disease, etc.

A lady said she had been ill the greater part of her life. While reading the Bible it came to her that God could heal her. Three weeks ago she came to this meeting. She could scarcely walk, but her faith laid hold of His Word, and doubt gave place to a settled conviction that God not only could but would restore her, and now with a perfect trust she could say to His praise, I am healed.

Captain — — . — I want to say to the glory of God that I believe He is not only able but willing to make all whole. I wish to speak first of my wife. For years she was in poor health. She had several surgical operations performed, and was given up by the best physicians in the State of Massachusetts. She was perfectly resigned to die. But two years ago we went to Lowell, to a Faith-Healing Meeting in connection with a Convention held there at the time by Dr. Cullis. My wife was prayed with by the Doctor. After prayer she found she could walk at quite a rapid pace, which she had not been able to do for years. Several times during the day she remarked to me, "I am better." Then she joyfully exclaimed, " I am healed." In less than five weeks her tumor entirely disappeared. She has been in good health ever since, joyfully walking by faith day by day. As for myself, praise God ! He has healed me body and soul. I was converted forty years ago. My experience was one of sinning and repenting, struggling and defeat, till two years ago. At the Convention at Lowell I made a full and complete surrender, consecrating my all to God. The joyful witness came. I felt that the blood cleansed me, that Christ was now my Elder Brother, that I was the child of a King, and that my inheritance was in and with Him. Ever since I have been walking by faith, gloriously conquering while resting alone upon His mighty arm. I, too, had been a great sufferer. I took Jesus as my Physician. I was prayed with, and in answer to prayer my pains were entirely removed. All glory to God !

A Brother. — Three weeks ago I came here suffering from kidney trouble. The doctors could not help me. I was directed to this meeting. I came and was prayed with, and have been steadily growing better ever since. I have had some severe trials of faith in giving up my medicine, but I said, " Living or dying I w r ill trust the Lord." Then I felt the healing power of Jesus go through me. To Him be all the praise and glory ! I stand here in strength and health.

A lady said, "Ten years ago I was raised from abed of death in answer to the prayer of my husband. Three years ago, I received a powerful baptism of the Holy Ghost, when in answer to prayer I was again healed. Lately I have been suffering from spinal disease. To-day I can say, by simple faith I am healed in answer to prayer."

Brother Scott said : " I rejoice to think of the privilege of coming to God for blessings of the body as well as the soul, and that the ground of our confidence is not our worthiness, but the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Dr. Cullis said : " Claim just what God has promised. Many say they want to be resigned to God's will. Now, is it His will that we should be sufferers ? He says, * Rejoice in the Lord always/ and His will is that our joy should be full. We rejoice to see our children well, how much more does He ? As to healing, it is always according to our faith. But we must not expect new lungs or a new head in a moment or that a tumor is to jump out of us. It may in some cases be days or weeks before the cure is complete. The position we are to take is this: 'Lord, I am healed.' Don't pray any more to be healed, but rest upon His word. It is not the prayer of doubt but the prayer of faith that brings the blessing. Don't be afraid to tell others about it. A brother with consumption kept telling others of his faith in the Lord, and every time he testified he received new strength. The Lord will be to you just what you confess Him for. Now use the strength He gives for His glory. Let us love Him with all our hearts, and ever take our stand resting in His mighty love."

January 4, 1883.

At the hour appointed a large number were found waiting, as at the Pool of Bethesda, for healing. When the question was asked, " Are all present Christians ?" four signified that they were not. But after conversation and direction, they all took Christ as their Saviour from sin, as well as sickness. Several requests for prayers from sufferers, together with thanksgiving for restoration on the part of others, were read. Dr. Cullis addressed those present, asking them if they knew of any sin, no matter how great or how small it might be, to confess and put it away, that their prayers be not hindered. " As we all bow in prayer, let God, by his Spirit, sweep through our hearts and cleanse His temples." After prayer the Doctor read a part of the fourth chapter of St. John's Gospel, commencing at the 43d verse, remarking that " when the Lord Jesus said to the nobleman, * Go thy way, thy son liveth,' he did not question the word of Christ, or ask Him to accompany him to the house to see if it were true. He simply believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and went his way. I receive letters every day asking for prayers, and others come saying ' Such a time, I began to recover.' So it was with the nobleman's son ; when the servants met him, saying. 'Thy son liveth,' he inquired of them the hour when he began to amend, and they said unto him, ' Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.' So the father knew that it was the same hour in the which Jesus said unto him, c Thy son liveth.' The same Jesus who walked the streets of the towns and cities of Galilee, walks the streets of Boston to-day, for He says, 'Lo, I am with you always.' He has the same power now that He had then. Our privileges are even greater to-day. Then He touched only those who came in contact with Him : now He is everywhere, — in Boston, in Xew York, in California. He is with every one of His children. But all our blessings, whether for temporal or for spiritual things, hinge upon our faith. It is to-day ; according to your faith.' Not the tremendous amount of faith, but the simple trust in Him. Xow He says, ' Is any sick among you, let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him 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.' And now let us rest upon His Word."