drink a little wine “ for thy stomach’s sake” as Bible illustrations of the use of medicine. S U M M A R Y In summarizing his convictions with regard to divine healing, Dr. Torrey said, “ Does God heal in answer to prayer today? Does He really heal people who are be yond the skill of the physician and beyond all human help? Does He work miracles today? To all these ques tions I unhesitatingly reply, He does. Not only does the Bible teach it, but experience demonstrates it. There is, however, a great deal of religious charlatanism in con- nection with these much self-advertised divine healers, ‘miracle men’ and ‘miracle women,’ and many of the so- called cures are framed up, and many of them do not last — and many of them never occurred. “Why do I not go into the business of healing the sick? I am confident that I could soon draw tens of thousands to hear me, in the hope of obtaining physical health or of seeing some new wonder. Why do I not do it? Two reasons: first it is not scriptural, and that of itself would be decisive; secondly, I have far more im portant business to do. I would rather be used to save one lost soul than to heal a thousand sick bodies. Don’t send for me to come and pray with some sick man. I won’t go. I have not time. I would have to leave far more important work to do it. It is not the work to which God has called me. I have immeasurably more important business to attend to. Alas! There are one hundred persons who will seek healing for some sick friend for every one person who will seek salvation for some lost friend! “ One of the appalling features of our modem reli gious life is the way in which people are absorbed in the matter of physical healing. They will do anything to get healing. They will throw overboard the precious faith of years, and run frantically to various healing cults because they hope that in them they may find de liverance from some annoying physical infirmity. Human nature is just the same today as when our Lord was on the earth. “ Let us not go with the unspiritual and really im moral rabble in this matter. Let us refuse to be side tracked. Let us keep on the main line of preaching Christ.Jesus, a Saviour from sin. That was God’s prom ise through the angel concerning Him, ‘Thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins’ (Matt. 1:21, A.S.V.), not from their sicknesses, but ‘from their sins.’ Let us, then, as we have said, keep on the main line of preaching Christ Jesus once crucified and thus making full atonement for sin, Christ Jesus now risen and ‘able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God through him’ (Heb. 7:25), Christ Jesus coming again some day as the Sav iour of our bodies, to ‘fashion anew the body of his glory’ (Phil. 3:20-21, A.S.V.).” It is noteworthy in this consideration of Dr. Torrey’s views on healing that he does not refer to the “ gifts of healing.” It is obvious that he had little faith in those who claimed to have the gift. He spoke in almost em- bittered terms against “ the shameless advertising of so-called healers.” He felt there were hosts of imitators whose exaggerated lives were nauseating, distressingly painful, and “ utterly unscriptural.” He claimed that “ an astoundingly large percent of those advertised as healed do not prove to be healed at all, or do not stay healed and instances are not wanting where the alleged ‘ remarkable cure’ is found to be a ‘frame-up.’ ” Quotations in the above article were taken from "Divine Healing," by R. A. Torrey, published by Moody Press, Chicago.
A Catholic Speaks About Sainthood by Herbert Henry Ehrenstein
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R e v . M a y n a r d J. B r e n n a n , 0. S. B ., writing in the Roman Catholic weekly, Our Sunday Visitor, had a rather interesting column on sainthood. He introduced his theme by saying that Christians have two great callings to which they ought to give heed even before they begin to think of a professional career in life. The first of these vocations is to be a man or woman, freed from the childish whims of the past. Childlike—yes! Childish—no! In short, grow up! Then this priest points out that “ our second calling in life is that of sainthood. This prospect may be quite alarming to many Americans. We do not as- a rule — unfortunately — associate sainthood with manhood or manliness. Most of us, I’m afraid, in one way or an other have inherited a peculiar, twisted notion of what it means to be a saint. This is not to be wondered at, for the saint is often depicted with rosy cheeks, down cast eyes, neatly perpetually folded hands, and appropri ate halo. He represents reverence but not relevance.” Of course, what the priest fails to mention is that his church has been largely responsible for this idea with its pictures and statues of “ saints” in postures of prayer, each with a plate, disc or halo over his head. Further, the Roman Catholic program of canonization of dead people, turning them into saints to be venerated, has contributed to the notion of the unreal, other-world ly character of the saint. It is therefore interesting to read this Catholic’s re marks to the effect that one need not be very dead before becoming a saint. In fact, it is encouraging to learn that Catholic teaching allows a living person to be a saint, a reverent and relevant saint. Unfortunately, however, he goes on to confuse saint hood with saintliness — two areas which a clear under standing of the Bible shows to be totally different. For this Catholic writer cites illustrations of “ sainthood” as that of a doctor who is the best doctor he can be; a nurse who is the ideal nurse, etc. This may be saint liness — the result of sainthood; but it is not saint hood as the Scriptures define it. Biblically, a saint is a sinner who has been declared holy by God while he is still unholy. Sainthood does not depend on one’s character or works at all, although saintliness does. Sainthood depends on Jesus Christ and the holiness and perfection which He puts to the account of every believer. Thus, when we are born again, God instantly declares us to be then what we are not as yet, but ultimately will be. He who sees the end from the beginning knows that one day we shall be perfect, saintly, in Christ’s likeness. Therefore, since His knowledge of the “ future you” is perfect and in fallible, God declares you to be a saint at once, and then begins to make you saintly. This is the significance of justification. Someone has rather inelegantly defined justification as “ God seeing me, a new Christian, ‘just-as-if-I’d never sinned.’ ” This is perhaps crude but it is what it is to be declared a saint. Then sanctification takes over and in co-operation with the Holy Spirit’s indwelling ministry, we grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ and become more “ saintly” every day. Ultimately, when we enter God’s presence, the “ declared saint” and the “ saintly product” become one and the same.
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