Part 3
to vigorous work and length of days; and that one will accept his appointment with thanksgiving and use all that is given him to the glory of God (Eph. 2:1-13). What a glorious title of Christ it is for needy saints to keep in mind and depend upon - "The vitalizing Spirit." This our Lord is and is ready to be, to the degree of our need and the measure of His ever blessed will concerning us.
There are two words which would bring to me the assurance that God, from time to time, will give healing to His children, even if there was not another word in the Bible concerning the matter. I refer to the Lord's prayer and the words, "Our Father" (Matt. 6:9). I have a son who is a physician. His young daughter, not long since, was seriously sick. The doctor-father at the time had many professional cares upon him and was very busy. I noticed, however, that he did not give himself to his outside duties without reference to his child. On the contrary, he turned from these to her, and with brooding care brought all his skill to bear in seeking for her recovery until she was past all danger and was well. And do we imagine that an earthly physician who is a father will show such solicitude concerning his child and the heavenly Father remain indifferent concerning His? "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how 'much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him" (Matt. 7:11). And surely, when a saint is sick and health and strength are needed for the maintaining of his service and the obtaining of the glory of God, healing, and possibly miraculous healing, is a very good thing. About all, therefore, that a child of God needs to do in a time of sickness, is to lie quite still and breathe into God's ear the words, "My Father!" After this, he may surely expect "good gifts," and oftentimes may look for great and even miraculous ones.
Chapter XI; GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
IN this chapter I desire to present the conclusions which I have reached, on the basis of the thoughts presented in the foregoing chapters, in reference to the Christian's privilege in respect to miraculous healing and strengthening. In doing this, in view of the difficulty of the subject, I shall not dogmatize. I shall abstain, therefore, from seeking to lay down rules for any person. The most
that I shall do will be to state the spiritual principles, in reference to the body, which have governed and do govern my own life. As to whether or not these represent the teaching of God's inspired Word and thus are to be adopted and followed, the reader must be the judge. The following, then, are my personal views:
Christ's atoning work, His resurrection, His ascension and His pouring forth of the Holy Spirit brought to the church on earth great and wonderful privileges.
One of the results of Christ's redemption and intercession is to bring the saint into intimate relationship with Himself, which may include, so far as the saint's consciousness is concerned, a life of constant obedience and uninterrupted communion.
As a consequence of this intimate relationship and fellowship, the Lord is to be recognized as having the right-of-way over the life of the saint, so that He may do what He wills with him - as in the cases of the apostles - whether this be for physical weal or woe.
Christ will always remain sovereign in His dealings with His saint, not ruthlessly but lovingly and tenderly, with His glory and the fulfillment of His purposes in view, and also, the best interests of His child, and this for time and eternity.
Christ will choose health, strength and length of days for some of His saints; He will choose the opposite for others of them. Also, He may choose opposite experiences for the same saint at different times.
When a saint is well, it is his bounden duty, being a bond-slave of Christ, to use all of his physical, mental and spiritual powers for the praise and glory of his Saviour and Lord.
When a saint is sick, the same obligation, within the limit of his strength, is upon him; and he has the additional obligation, in order to test and discover God's will concerning him, of seeking to re-obtain the health which he has lost.
The saint, in doing this last, has three possible courses divinely set before him; first, he may seek healing through a physician and his treatment; or second, without a physician and his ministry, but through rest and change of scene and occupation; or third, without a
physician and without rest and change, and through God alone.
It is to be recognized that all of the three kinds of healing referred to are divine healings, God alone being the creator, maintainer and healer of the body. It is to be further recognized that the last named kind of healing - which is properly miraculous healing - is no more divine than the two healings first named, all being of God and all manifesting Him, the only difference between miraculous healing and healing through means being this, that miraculous healing more fully demonstrates the divine presence and power.
Miraculous healing may be tested and discovered by applying to each supposed case the New Testament conditions of such, where the healings were always immediate, complete and final. If these conditions do not pertain to a given case of healing, then it is divine healing, but it is not miraculous healing.
In seeking for healing the saint is to have regard to the nature of the disease with which he is afflicted. If this is entirely within the scope of man's ability to give aid, it - apart from special guidance to the contrary - would be unlawful to set aside what God has graciously provided, and hence, recourse is to be had to a physician. If it does not call for medical assistance, and rest and change will be sufficient, then again it would be unlawful to set aside these divinely appointed means, and restoration is to be sought by rest at home, exercise outside, going to the mountains or seaside, etc. If it is of such a nature that means of any sort and all sorts are valueless, then God may be appealed to in the hope and confidence that He may do what man and natural processes have failed to do and cannot do. In all three of these methods, prayer and faith are to be exercised, as, whether means are or are not used, it is God alone who heals.
In the case of a saint meeting with accident and needing immediate physical attention, it is right that friends at hand should give first-aid treatment and that a surgeon should be sent for, since God has given to friends and surgeons the skill to use in such emergencies. But in case the treatment given fails, again appeal may be made to God to do what man cannot do.
God, judging from the Scripture and experience, may possibly put
forth miraculous power and heal apart from means under the following circumstances:
first, when, from the beginning, the disease is of such a nature as to make all known means valueless;
second, when it is impossible - as sometimes occurs upon the mission field - to secure medical aid;
third, when medical men have attempted to bring healing to pass and have failed to do so;
fourth, where a servant of God has a divinely appointed task set before him which some ailment hinders his fulfilling, where this task must immediately be performed and where there is neither time nor opportunity to have recourse to usual means;
fifth, where a missionary is labouring in unevangelized parts and the Bible, because uncirculated and unknown, cannot be appealed to, and where a miracle is needed to prove God's existence and the missionary's divine appointment; and
lastly, where God indicates, whether at home or abroad, that there is need of giving a new demonstration of His presence and power in proof that He is the living and loving Father in heaven.
The saint is to remember, in all the foregoing conditions, that God is the judge as to whether or not He will display Himself and His power by a miraculous act, and also when, where, how, and with whom this will be done; and he is to keep constantly in mind that God is just as faithful and loving when He does not so display Himself as when He does.
The saint is ever to remain submissive to God's will, whatever this may mean. But also, he is to be assured that he has a Father in heaven, that He is very pitiful and of tender mercy, that He will not willingly afflict, and that He is more willing to give good gifts to His children than earthly parents are to theirs.
The Christian, for these reasons, may understand that God, at times, will be pleased to respond to faith and prayer, to put forth His miraculous power, and to heal disease, especially such as is otherwise incurable.
It is, therefore, the Christian's right, particularly if human help has failed and a physical crisis has come, to offer prayer and exercise faith, and thus to give God the opportunity to prove Himself to be the faithful Creator and the Lord of the body.
It is sometimes God's choice, when He has called one to a special service, to keep that one, in general, from sickness and maintain him in health and strength, and hence, it is the privilege of such a saint, until his task has been accomplished, to look to God for the continual renewing of his physical life. But even such a saint as this is to look forward - the Lord tarrying - to the inevitable end of sickness and death, and be prepared, at last, to welcome such without misunderstanding his heavenly Father and hence in a spirit of faith, joy and praise.
Chapter XII; A CLOSING TESTIMONY
IN confirmation of what I have before said that God, when His time has come, can and often does grant miraculous healing, I would subjoin the following experience out of our family life
In the year 1908, our family consisted of Mrs. Frost, seven children and myself. We lived in Germantown, Philadelphia, in the Home of the China Inland Mission, at 235 School Lane. God had richly favoured us as a family, our children, with us, being Christians and all of us having the best of health. Separately and unitedly our hearts were full of thanksgiving to Him, for we were enjoying His daily blessing in all things.
In the early part of August of that year, the members of the family were somewhat separated from one another. The two older boys, the three girls and I were at Attica, in western New York, and our next to the youngest son was visiting friends nearer home. This left Mrs. Frost and our youngest child alone at Germantown. I had gone away to obtain change and rest, for the heavy work of the Mission and the excessive summer heat at Germantown had brought me into a low physical condition and there was need of recuperation.
In spite of our separation and my indisposition, our family affairs were going on smoothly and happily enough. This remained true until
we reached the middle of the month. Then on the 18th, a sad calamity befell us. Our youngest child F., a boy of five years, met with a severe accident. He was playing in the dining-room of the Germantown Home, passed through a swinging door into the adjoining butler's pantry, climbed up a number of shelves of the china pantry to get a cup on the top shelf, lost his hold as he reached for it, pitched backward, fell down about seven feet and struck the back and right side of his head on the hard, wooden floor below. The maid, at the time, was setting the table in the dining-room for luncheon. She heard the fall, ran into the pantry, found the boy lying unconscious, picked him up, carried him upstairs and laid him in his mother's arms, he having revived as he was borne up the stairs. Mrs. Frost laid him on the bed of a back bedroom and telephoned for Dr. R., our Christian physician. This friend was away from home, as was the case with other physicians whom she called. Dr. R. returned after four days, found F. in fair condition - though he had been very sick - advised quiet and rest, and expressed the conviction that all would be well.
Mrs. Frost sent the above report to me at Attica. It was, of course, a startling tale and my instinct was to return at once to Germantown. But Dr. Ellinwood, Mrs. Frost's father, in whose medical care I was, practically forbade my going back to the heat of that place in the physical state in which I was, and besides, Mrs. Frost soon assured me that I was to have no anxiety concerning F. I stayed on, therefore, at Attica, and Mrs. Frost had the care of her child. I came to know afterwards that she finally, not wishing to call me home, held back from me the news that certain serious symptoms had developed. The result was that I remained away two weeks longer. Dr. R. then, as F.'s condition had become serious, insisted upon her telegraphing for me. I started at once for Germantown, arriving there on September 5th. I found on arrival that our child could take little food, was having chills, was running high temperatures, had to be kept, for the most part, in a deeply darkened room, and was suffering from severe pain in the head, which generally lasted, with short intervals between, as long as ten hours. It was evident that Dr. R. was not only much concerned, but also greatly perplexed. He thought that F. was suffering from meningitis. But there were complications which he did not
understand.
Matters having reached this crisis, Dr. R. told us that he had decided to call in for consultation Dr. B. and Dr. S., who were two of Philadelphia's most notable physicians. Dr. S. came once and Dr. B twice, and they and Dr. R. spent hours examining F., in the endeavour to discover what special form of disease was afflicting him. After the second examination by Dr. R. and Dr. B. they asked to see me privately. Dr. B. then spoke as follows:
"Mr. Frost, Dr. R. and I are agreed that F. is suffering from meningitis. We have also concluded that it is probable that an abscess on the brain has formed, beneath the place where he struck. We have concluded, therefore, to advise an operation being performed, namely, trephining the skull. It is for you to decide whether or not this shall be done."
I felt, before I could reach a conclusion, that I needed information, and so I said:
"Dr. B., what chance is there of F. getting well as he is now?"
Dr. B. replied, "None whatever."
"What," I exclaimed, "is the boy dying?"
"Well," said the doctor, "he may last some days; but be will not recover."
"Then," said I, "what chance is there of his getting well if an operation is performed?"
The doctor thought a moment or two and then answered, "I am, of course, not sure, but I should say about one in ten."
This word was staggering. No chance as F. was, and only one in ten if he were to be operated on! What should I decide? I silently thought and prayed. At last I said,
"Thank you, Dr. B., for your frankness; I'll take the one chance in ten."
The interview with the physicians had taken place on Saturday morning, September 19th, and on the evening of that day we took F. in a comfortable carriage to the Germantown Hospital. There I left him, Mrs. Frost remaining with him, with the understanding that he would be operated on by Dr. S. the next noon. Dr. R. and Dr. B. promised to be
present.
Our two older boys had returned to Germantown and they accompanied me, the next morning, to the Hospital. Both boys were a comfort to us. This was particularly true of our second son, who, at the time, was studying medicine. He was a comfort to F. also, and, when the time for the operation came, carried the little fellow from the private room, down the long corridor, into the operating room, where he left him with the three doctors and the nurses. The operation began at 12 and ended at 12.50. Following this, Dr. R. and Dr. B. came to the outside veranda, where Mrs. Frost, the two boys and I were waiting, with the kind purpose of reporting to us the result. Dr. R. took the lead in speaking. He said,
"Mr. Frost, the operation is over and it has been successful; but we have found no abscess and we are just where we were before."
I did then, in the strain of the moment, an impetuous and somewhat rude thing. I exclaimed,
"Thank God! Now we know exactly where we are; it is God or no one!"
"Yes," said good Dr. R., "you are quite right; it is God or no one."
F. was taken back to his room. We later saw him there, his eyes closed, his face ashy white and his head enveloped with a bandage which left to view only the oval of his face. It was a pathetic sight, and also a hopeless one.
Following this, there began a long fight for life. The boy could take no solid food, or, if he did, could not retain it, and thus what little strength and flesh were left were wasting away. The burden of nursing fell on Mrs. Frost, for F. cried piteously for her if she left his side. One day his mother said to him,
"F., isn't there anything you would like to eat?"
"Yes," the boy feebly answered, "corn flakes."
I turned to the house doctor standing by and asked, "Shall we try them?"
The doctor did not reply, but simply shrugged his shoulders, meaning, "You can try them if you will, but they will do no good." We did try them, and to our surprise the lad enjoyed the food and, retained it.
This led to some improvement and gave us slight hope, and, on October 3rd, it was possible for the Hospital ambulance to take us, with our dear boy, to our home on School Lane. We had been greatly touched, during the long sickness, by the sympathy which had been expressed by persons who knew or did not know us, the whole community being moved by our son's sufferings. Among those who inquired were many physicians in Philadelphia who, largely because of professional interest in the case, telephoned to ask how the boy was. We were specially touched, about this time, to learn that, on the Sunday morning of the operation, F. had been publicly prayed for in six of the Germantown churches. So our son was laid in his bed at home, and we resumed our anxious watch at his side.
The days which followed were terrible ones. Formerly, the chills, fever and headache had occurred every day. Now, they occurred every other day. But the temperature would rise as high as 103 degrees, and once it stood at 105. (The physicians found that it was not a case of malaria.) This meant that the severity of the attacks had greatly increased. When they came on, F. would soon be in paroxysms of pain, crying out over and over again, "Oh mother, my head hurts, my head hurts!" At such times, all that Dr. R. could do was to give him opiates; all that the mother could do was to keep cold compresses upon the aching head and hold the fevered hand; and all that I could do was to take my turn in watching or stand aside and pray. A hundred, a thousand times, now that the doctors had failed and a spirit of hopelessness was prevailing, we pleaded with God to come to our help and heal. But no answer was given. The poor boy grew steadily worse and he seemed doomed to die. One Sunday about the middle of November F. seemed a little better. It was an off day when the fever was not likely to recur, so Mrs., Frost dressed her boy and carried him out to the sitting-room that he might have a change of environment. Then, as Mrs. Frost and I had not been at church for many weeks, we ventured out to the morning service at Westside Church, which was only a block and a half away. As we had left our son in the care of his eldest brother, who by his tender ways had a wonderfully soothing that all would be well. But as we were returning along School Lane we heard the dreaded cries. We ran into the house and up the stairs and
there we found F. undressed and back in bed and in a terrible spasm of pain. Thereupon Mrs. Frost took her place at her child's side, and for eighteen long dreadful hours we watched over that pain-racked form. At last, at six o'clock in the morning, the poor lad, from sheer exhaustion, fell into a deep sleep. We ourselves then lay down on our bed, and we too fell asleep. We slept till about nine o'clock, when we rose and dressed. Later, our son wakened and wanted to get up. Mrs. Frost dressed him and took him into the sitting-room.
It was now four months since F. had received his injury. As many as twelve physicians had seen him, and all, including the specialists, had confessed that the disease was beyond their understanding and power to heal. This had led to much prayer on the part of our friends and ourselves. Many of our friends were praying earnestly that God Himself would heal our son; but all of these were left in a state of doubt. Mrs. Frost and I renewed our prayers for divine interposition; but we received no assurance that God would heal. As I look back on those days and call to remembrance our spiritual experiences, I can bear witness to the fact that we did not once doubt God's love and compassion and His ability to give miraculous healing. At the same time, I have to confess that mentally and physically we were utterly exhausted. This last was the case even with courageous Mrs. Frost, for she had been seriously strained by long watching at the sick bed. She had been awake night after night. Also, she had sat beside our son, stroking his head or holding his hand, through many a long, weary day, and this in a darkened room, where the outer shutters were closed and the inner shades drawn, since the least ray of light pierced the boy's eyes and brain as red-hot needles might have done. And here, at the end of these months, there was no improvement and the doctors had, as It were, been forced to abandon our son and ourselves. Our state, therefore, was one of helplessness and it bordered on hopelessness. It was Just then a wonderful thing took Mrs. Frost on the day to which we had come had hope of a short respite, for, the temperature having risen the day before, she concluded, according to the remittent form of the disease, that it would not rise on that day. But at eleven o'clock in the morning she saw that F. was in one of his preliminary chills, that his face was white and drawn and that the
fever was beginning to recur. This was almost beyond my wife's physical endurance. She stood, therefore, looking at her boy in a sort of daze. Suddenly, a divine impulse seized her. She took F. by the hand, said to him, "Come with me," led him to her darkened bedroom, closed the door, knelt with her beloved child beside the bed and cried,
"O dear Father in heaven, I can never go through this again! Please don't let him ever have another headache!"
And he never did. The sovereign and compassionate Lord, having brought us to an end of all human resources, had, at last, chosen to heal. Instantly, the chills, fever and headache passed away. From thence onward, he was able to take and retain food in a perfectly normal way. He put on flesh and weight and increased in strength. He was dressed day by day and was soon playing indoors and out as a well child might do. From that time to this there has never been a suspicion of his old trouble. In 1922, when he was nineteen years of age, he was a freshman at Princeton University, at which time he was examined by the Physical Director of the University and rated as in class A, which meant that he was in excellent physical condition. In the next years, he was a member of the tennis squad and one of the pitchers on the Varsity baseball nine. He is now in business, alert in mind, vigorous in action and physically fit and strong. In other words, his recovery bore all of the marks of a New Testament healing, that is, it was instantaneous, complete and permanent. It was, therefore, miraculous. When I next saw Dr. R., I told him of F.'s recovery, and added,
"I guess, doctor, we may conclude that God did it."
"Yes," replied the Christian doctor, "there is no doubt of it; God did it!"
And all the community at Germantown agreed with us, for those who were Christians and those who were not were constrained to acknowledge that a great and notable miracle had been wrought in their midst.
Our son's healing demonstrates the fact that God's choices are wisest, His times best, His ways perfect and His love and compassion infinite. Also, it proclaims the fact that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God and that He still has power on earth, not only to forgive sin, but also to
heal disease. I would state it then, as my closing testimony in this book, that it is my conviction that God will readily answer our prayers for bodily healing; and I would add that it also is my conviction that if He defers answering or gives no answer at all, it is not because He does not love or care or desire to heal, but only because He has some better thing in store for us which time or eternity will reveal. Thus I would affirm that I am ever increasingly persuaded that, whether in health or sickness, life or death, we may trust our heavenly Father with an utter abandonment of confidence, being assured of the fact that -
"They who trust Him wholly Find Him wholly true!"