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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



Apr. 15 



OUR 

 HOlviES, 



• BY A.I. ROOT. 



But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom 

 the Father will send in my name, he shall teach j'ou 

 all things, and bring all things lo > our remembrance, 

 whatsoever I have said unto you. — John 14:26. 



Quite a little remonstrance has come in 

 from the dear friends who love Gleanings 

 and God's holy word, because 1 intimated 

 in the last issue that James might not have 

 been inspired when he told us about heal- 

 ing- the sick. A few have hastily decided 

 that I meant to doubt the inspiration of 

 James. What I did say was this: 



I believe Jsmes is right: but T do not believe he had 

 divine inspiration so that he knew about these things 

 as did God the f-ather. or Jesus the Son later on. 



Now, I simply doubted James' divine in- 

 spiration in regard to the matter of healing, 

 because it was somewhat out of his line. 

 As I said in the last issue, the Bible is not 

 a doctor book, but its field is a spiritual 

 one. Paul on one or more occasions inti- 

 mated, you may remember, that he spoke of 

 certain things without authority ; or, if I un- 

 derstand it, it was his individual opinion, 

 without ihe inspiration or insight that God 

 had given him in spiritual things. Even 

 Jesus himself says. Matt. 24:36, that there 

 are certain things known only to the Father 

 — that they are not revealed even to the 

 angels in heaven. If this is true it would 

 be nothing strange if many of the writers 

 should speak occasionally in the Bible of 

 things where they had not authority, but 

 gave only their own individual opinions. 



I give below a letter from a dear brother 

 whom I visited in one of my wheel-rides in 

 Missouri. You will notice in the outset 

 that he rather takes me to task; but bef< re 

 he closes he seems to stand pretty nearly 

 where I do in regard to this matter of di- 

 vine healing. As his reasoning seems to be 

 based on a careful reading of the Scrip- 

 tures, I take pleasui e in giving it here: 



Mr. Ront. — I read your Home talk in your Mar. 15th 

 issue, and, the, ugh I am no minister. I must raise .some 

 objection to some of your teaching there; and that is, 

 in regard to James not having full authority. 1 be- 

 lieve. Hnd am fully convinced, that all the apo-tles' 

 writings are to be considered and accepted as fully in- 

 spi'ed, and to be God s word, and not man's, and that 

 Jesus wants us to accept it as si ch: and to reject their 

 teaching means lo reject Christ's teaching— in part, at 

 least. Christ said. "All power is given into me," 

 meaning he had all authority, and can give that au- 

 thoiil}i to whom oever he will. Then he said, ''Go 

 teach " all peoples etc., meaning he gave them the 

 authority. At another i lace be told them, •' Whoso- 

 ever heareth you heareth me; and whoso despiseth 

 you despi>-eth me." At another time he told them, 

 "As my Father hath sent me. so send I you." Again, 

 he says, " -Ve shall sit on twelve throms judging the 

 twelve tribes of Israel '' mtaning that they shall teach 

 forth the word of God that will be the judge of all i eo- 

 ple. Again, '' Ye shall be mv witnessis to the ulter- 

 mrsl parts of the earth." So they were to be his rep- 

 resentativ> s, and Jesus was their authority and b.-ick- 

 ing. Again. " I will send you the Comforter, who shall 

 bring all things into remembiance that I have told 

 you. and he shall It ad you into all truth " This lakes 

 in all, and no qiustion ; but all the ap istles' writings 

 are truth and nothing but truth, and perfectly in har- 

 mony with Jesus' teachings and will. 



In regard to the subject you wrote on (health), etc., 

 I will biiefly give you some of my opinion, or, better, 

 say faith in it; and if it will give yon any light on it, 

 all right; and if not I hope there can be no hai m done. 



I, too, have studied that subject coiisideraMy, and 

 am much interested in it. I believe Chii.st did not 

 teach health and health hints, mainly foi the reason 

 that his wo k was still far more impoitani than leach- 

 ing bodiK health; and he had all he could do in t< ach- 

 ing moral and spiritual principles; but he left some- 

 thing on this subject for us thiotigh hi apostles who 

 were still to carry his work further, and complete what 

 he hai begun J 



In regaid to healers, in the times of the apostles 

 there were those w ho had the gift of healing; b t that 

 this should continue to be so doubt very much; at d 

 the scripture you quote as a text proves it. If it had 

 been intended that all through the ages there should 

 be those who had the gift of healing by the Hoh Spir- 

 it, no doubt James would have said that, if any were 

 sick, they should call the healer.s to heal them. We 

 also see that Paul left a certain friend at one place 

 sick, seeming that he had either lost some of his pow- 

 er to heal or else could not heal every one. Again, 

 Paul tell Timothy not to drink too much water or not 

 just water (as the German makes it), but use a little 

 wine for his stomach's sake; showing, fi'st, that he did 

 not heal Timothy, and second that it is right and 

 need ul for man to do what he can that will be condu- 

 cive to his health. He did not say Timo hy should 

 pray for his health or call for the elde s to pray; so we 

 learn by taking ail these scriptures into considera'ion 

 that man should use what remedies and physicians he 

 thinks best for restoiing his health; and I think James 

 means, in addition to this if the sicVne^s prove stub- 

 born, and nothingseems to heli>, as is sometim- s the 

 case, then his advice and counsel is *o call for the elders 

 of the church to have them prav over him; and then, 

 if it be (U d's will, the sick will be restoied; or we 

 miyht say the elders will get faith t-^ be'ieve Go i will 

 h' al ivhfn Gcd's .ill 's to heal. This is God honoring, 

 and I believe it should not be neg,lectedas it is. 



I > ave S' en on several occasi ns — once with my 

 mother and once with my wife — where this was done, 

 and the .sick got along very well jet using remedies, 

 and in the one case using surgeons, but first asking 

 God to direct and help. 



In regard to the applying of oil, I am not so sure 

 about that Your teaching on that may be right. 

 However, I have rather thought it might be that it 

 should be applied only 'as an emblem of help from 

 God. ~ " 



I win say that all the healers I ever heard of were 

 im posters or deceivers, anfl not irue Christians; ai.d 

 that this deieiving doctrine of divine healing has taken 

 considerable hold on .some of our peop'e, and lam anx- 

 ious that it be rooted out. But this to call for eld- 

 ers to prav over the sick is entirely different, and 

 shows faith in God. 



I am glad ynur wife could be spared to yon. It 

 seems that sickness comes sometimes just for a lesson 



to us. P. HOSTETLER. 



East Ivynne, Mo., March 23.] 



Another good brother takes me to task be- 

 cause we sent for a doctor at all. He says 

 in substance that for many years God had 

 been his only physician, and he is now very 

 much healthier than when he used drugs 

 and employed doctors. I do not doubt this 

 at all. My humble opinion is that thousands 

 of people would enjoy better health by a 

 similar course. As he seems to be a very 

 candied man, I wrote back to him some- 

 thing as follows: 



Dear Brother: — It is, no doubt, vour privilege to live 

 — yes, to die — without a docti r if you choose; but if 

 ycjur dear wife were near death would you dare to car- 

 ry the responsibility of letting her die without calling 

 on the best physician you know? 



I told him that, after the kind letter he 

 had written me, I should be very glad to 

 get his opinion in the matter. Here is his 

 reply: 



In regard to sending for a doctor when those near 

 and dear to me were in danger, I don't think I would 

 unless thev in.sisted upon it. D. I, "Wagar. 



Hat Rock, Mich. 



