N0VEMfiBRL922
The Commoher
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the Democrats and more'than, -two-thirds jof the
Republicans of both Houses laid asidf their dif
ferences on othe'rsubjects and stood together for
every dry measurer and the Supreme Court lias
sustained all that was done.
How could a triumph be more complete?
Prohibition has its probloms, but they will be
eolved.
The smuggling of liqu6r from adjoining ter
i ritory will be prevented; no friendly nation can
afford to use ' its flag to protect conspiracies
against our laws.
Some Americans haye gone abroad and, under
the protection of a foroign flag, violated their
own country's laws.
They should not be allowed to come back and
enjoy citizenship, of the country which they have
disgraced and dishonored.
OUR EXAMPLE WILL- BE FOLLOWED
Just now the three-mile limit is under' consid
eration and there is before Congress, a propo
sition to extend thp limit to eighteen miles. That
is better than' three miles and a hundred miles
' Would be better than twelve.
But why any limit?, Why should a line be fixed
in the ocean and outlaws be invited to anchor
just beyond it-and ,ply their trade?
When ships loacl with contraband and enter
upon a career of lawlessness, carrying gun's "to
defend themselves against officers of the law, it
is virtually a declaration of war and the rules of
war should govern.
Other nations will follow our example; both
moral and economic influences will compel tin's.
The spiritual forces in other lands will be awak
ened by the resultB of prohibition in this nation;
other nations will And that drinking workmen
cannot complete with the sober workmen- of this
country. jUcohol kills, efficiency prohibition
promotes industry, economy and independence.
Our nation, which has been the leader in the
cause of universal peace, will- lead also in the
cause of universal sobriety It will win a glori
ous victory when ft leads the world into the
abolition of wjir; its next victory will be the
abolition of war's, twin brother, intoxicants.
JESUS THE GREAT PHYSICIAN
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN-
BIBLE TEXTLESSON FOR NOVEMBERS
(Luke v:17-26)
. Ald it came to pass on a certain day, as he was
teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors
or the law sitting by, which were come out of
every town of Galilee, and JUdaea, and Jerusalem:
ana the power of the Lord was present to heal
them.
And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which
was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to
bring him in, and to lay Him before him.
V xA wlen they couia not And by which way they
A might bring him in because of the multitude, they
went upon the housostop, and let him (Town
through the tiling with his couch into the midst
before Jesus.
And when he saw their faith? he said unto him.
wan thy sins are forgiven ttvbe.
And the scribes and .the Pharisees began to
reason, saying Who Is this which speaketh
alSnP?em Wh0 can f01'lve sins but God
But when Jesus ,porceived their thoughts, ho an-
hea tf Unto tnem What reason .ye in your
4i,Fhetne.r ifc ,s easier, to say, Thy sins bo forgiven
QJi ? Eay J186 UP and walk?
, that ye may know that the Son of man hath
ffiXer ,uPon earth to forgive sins (he said unto tho
fm 4i tno Pals30. I say unto thee, Arise, and take
a, i ,couch and Bo into thy house. -"-tJrii
immediately he rose up before them, and
:n?K up that whereon- he-lay, and departed to his
Ani,0J8e glorifying God.
rn,,n4 they were all amazed, and they glorified
si. worQ mied Wh fear, saying, Wo have
fcn strange things today. , "
Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, began His
ministry by giving relief to the body, and the
, character of the diseases, as well as the number
or those whom He healed, won for Him the title
sine Great Physician." Both physically and
spiritually, it can be- said of Him alotoe: ,
Himself took our infirmities and bare our
sicknesses." t
Jesus used the word "physician" in the very
beginning of His ministry: "And he said. unto
p,Qm Ye- will surely say unto me this proverb,
jnysician, heal thyself." He was speaking to
"e people of Nazareth, "where he had been
bl,ougUt up:"-
m this connection He used the oft quoted
trtrMSe' "No PrPnet is accepted in his own coun
lnT , The pePle among whom He was reared,
snowing of Him as a child and a young, man,
could scarcely believe that Ho' was what H6 pro
claimed Himself to he When . He described the
hill whereon it was built nf ," ,
through the midst? ffi woS V wnT'nnd
came down to Capernaum;" and tie as Ho
taujhtpn the Sabbath days, He healed la demo-
Rlhlo CHRiST.s HEALING POWER
Bible scholars seem to differ in their opinion
as to the exact nature of tho disease described nS
' fhnm7laCa ; S?mo th,nk Jt t0 be tU same S
innia,nf?anIt? Thich' at he Present time, unbal
fmniHpaeimi?d aUd tUrns thQ ivldual'-over to
!???H atare uncontro"able. Others regard
Lon ds1tJnct ,and separato evil spirit which
HI Wit aAnd at times t00k Possession of tho
person. Whatever tho nature of the disease, it
was well recognized, and the casting out of tho
evil spirit called attention to tho extraordinary
power that Christ possessed.
A man with this "spirit of an unclean devil"
was in the synagogue. Ho interrupted Christ as
He was teaching on the Sabbath day, saying-,
Let us alone; what have we to do with thee,
thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come ta de
stroy us? I know thee who'.thou art; tho Holy
One of God."
During the same day Christ healed the mother
of Simon Peter's wife, whose disease is described
as a "great fever." Luke the physician rop'ro
sents Christ as standing over her artd rebuking
the fever.
OMNIPOTENCE KNOWS NO LIMITATIONS
As tho sun was. setting all that had any sick
with divers diseases brought them to Him and
He laid hands on every one of them and healed
them. It is worth while to notice that He dealt
with "divers diseases" and healed them all,
"every one."
Omnipotence knows no limitations. Man has
specialities; one physician treats one form of
disease, another is skilled in the treatment of an
other kirfd of disease, but Christ knew no differ
ence between those who suffered. Before the
fullness or. His power afllictions of every kind
vanished.
He frequently used this power to ease the
body, to turn attention to the graver, afllictions
that were spiritual in their nature; but it was
Jiarder for the people to understand the forgive
ness of sins than it was to comprehend the purg
ing Oif- the body of disease.
. For this reason the medical missionary is in
valuable to those who carry tho Gospel unto
heathen lands. His power to heal, even though
duo to his superior skill rather Jthan to super
natural power, has brought many a sinner to
Christ.
The relief that is felt awakens gratitude and
also suggests questions that lead directly to tho
source of sympathy. Why do these trained men
leave their homes and bury themselves among
distant pedple? How can they draw satisfac
tion from .kind acts and helpful service?.
These aref the questions that the physician's
ministrations awaken and the answer discloses
the love thatlies back of Christian effort. The
medical missionary brings converts into the king
dom because he illustrates Christian love.
So Christ's power to heal was noised abroad
and brought so many to Him that He was urged
to rema'n in Capernaum. But having restored
to health all who had been brought within His
reach He departed, saying that He must preach
the kingdom of God in other cities also.
CHRIST'S PROMISE TO SIMON PETER
At one place, as he stood by the lake of Gen
nesaret, tho people so pressed upon Him to hear
the word of God that He entered into one of
Simon's ships and, with the boat as His pulpit,
spoke to the people on the shore. This was tho
beginning of a very important incident in tho
life of Simon- Peter.
Simon and his brother Andrew, together with
-James and John, had been fishing all night and
had caught nothing. At .the conclusion of His
address to the people on the shore Christ ad
vised Simon to launch out into the deep and let
down their nets. -
While Sihion seemed to think that there was
little chance to find anything after his ill luck,
he let down the not and the draught of fishes
was so great that the net brake.He was so over
come with mortification that he should have
doubted Christ's power that in an outburst of
emotion he said to Jesus: .
? "Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, 0
LBut" Jesus, knowing what kind of jo man
," Pfit0r would become, promised that hqnee
?oX h Auld catch men. and the four "for-
"SfflS5 of tU man fuU of
leprosy, and shortly after tho famous euro of tho
man taken with a palsy..
Those who woro carrying him on a bod tried
to gain admittanco to. tho room, in which Christ
was speaking: Tho room is doscribod by Blbla
commentators as open at ono ond a sort of
court such as was common in tho houas of that
daywith a roof of tile. When thoy found It
impossible to carry him through tho crowd thoy
wont upon tho houso top and, removing thtf
tiles, lot his couch down in front of Josus.
Whon Christ saw thoir faith Ho said unto tho
man, "Thy sine nro forgiven thoe."
f This aroused tho Pharlsoos who, although
thoy might violate the spirit of H,ho law, woro
very punctilious about religious forms. Thbyat
onco accusod Christ ef blasphemy. "Who can
forgivd sins," thoy asked, "but God nlono?"
Christ rebuked them, and, having asserted His
power to forgive sins, said unto tho sick man,
"Arise, and take up thy couch, and go unto thino
house." All wero amazed at this miracle per
formed before thoir very oyes and they glorified
God. '"
CONFERRING THE POWER TO HEAL
Can the power of healing bo conferred on
others? , '
It was conforrod In tho early days; tho
apostles exercised tho powor. It is as certain
that the powor to hoal was givon to them as it is
that it was exercised by Christ. s
Can tho power to heal bo conferred today?
It has been conferred. Thoro are many woll
authenticated cases of healing by prayer.
In tho 12th verso of the 14th chapter of John,
we have Christ's . promise:- "Vorily, Verily, I '
say unto you, Ho that believoth on mo, tho worlcs
that I do shall ho do also; and greater works
than these shall he do; because I go unto my
Father." In tho 13th verse tho promiso is given
even more specifically: "And whatsoever ye ,
shall ask in my name, that will I do, that tho
Father may be glorified in tho Son.
The promise is broad enough to covor not only
spiritual gifts, but tho healing of the body also.
Another practical thought in the mlraclq of
the pals'ed man must not bo overlooked viz.,
that the palsied man was brought to Jesus by
. sympathetic friends.
We do not live alono and we can do 'ittlo of
ourselves. This is a co-operative world and we'
are all dependent upon each other. It is a hard
hearted person who will notaid tho' suffering?
Let a person be knocked down, run over, or meet
with any other accident and everyone within
hearing will rush to tho reacuo of tho person in
jured. , -
Those who carried the sick man's bed may
have been relatives or they may have been
friends or thoy may have been strangers. Tho
impulse to help is strong among almost all whero
the need is visible, as in tho case of a bodily in
jury, diseaso, or infirmity.
But there is a larger lesson to bo gathered
from this incident. Man's greatest need is spirit
ual. Comparatively few make demands upon us
for such service as was rendered by the" palsied
man's friends, but all about us are those who
need the Great Physician for the healing of their
souls.
PERTJNENT QUESTIONS
Are wo as quick to note the suffering that sin'
causes as we are to see the need of physical aid?
Have, we as great faith in Christ's power to,,
cleanse the heart as the people of Galileo had in
His power to cure the body? v
Are we as willing to conduct .to Christ sinner?
who need forgiveness as those in olden timeg
were to carry the bed-ridden into the.presence of
the Saviour? '
Those whom Christ healed were quick to tell
of tho change they had experienced; thus pho
cure led to many applications for relief. Does
the news spread as rapidly when one is born
again when the heart begins to love the things
it hated and to hate the things it loved?
-A physician's practice is widened by the testi
mony of patients whom he restores to health? so
Christ's fame must be spread abroad by those
who describing their ..experience can say:
"Whereas I was blind, now I see."
CHRIST STILL HEALS
Our churches should be crowded with v those
who come to find the "way of life; enquirers
should bo brought in multitudes by sympathetic"
friends whohave faith in the power of Christ,
for that power is manifested as clearly now as it
was nineteen hundred years ago manifested in
transformed Jives and proven by tho joy that
omes with sins forgiven.
The same Christ who walked along the shores
of Galilee makes His presence felt in every part '
of the earth:' He is 'drawing unto Himself an ever
increasing multitude. ,
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