'There is such a thing as becoming one-sided in I regard to truth of God; that is, one truth is taught and pressed to the almost utter exclusion of that which God has ordained should be held in connection with it. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Therefore, if we decline to accept truth which may make less of a doctrine than we would like to see made of it, we do so to our own hurt, and are not thoroughly furnished unto all good works. The soldier who disdains using his entire equipment, preferring one portion above another, will likely come to grief in some stage of the conflict. Even so with that Christian who takes but one side of the truth of God.

These facts are true in regard to the doctrine of "Faith Healing." That the Scriptures teach it is our privilege to go to God with all our difficulties and needs, spiritual and physical, is quite true; and many a child of God has had the answer to believing prayer in the form of renewed health or deliverance from diseases of various forms. Far be it from us to weaken in any the sense of dependence upon God for the healing of the body, for we believe that did Christians trust the Lord more and man less about such matters, it would be more honoring to God.

However true though it is that God does answer faith, we desire to present a few considerations in regard to this subject; and if we pass them over, we will become one-sided; and while seeking to retain a particular truth, we shall pour contempt upon other portions of His blessed word.

Sickness is often the result of sin. This will be plain from the reading of the following:"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." Un-judged sin was bringing weakness, sickness, and even death, upon the Corinthian Christians. It is not directly within the scope of our subject, but note in passing that God had a reason for sending death to them:it was, as the thirty-second verse tells, that they "should not be condemned with the world."

Under certain circumstances, the plan for the sick one to follow is laid down in James 5:14, 15. Read the fifteenth verse, and note that this also takes notice of the fact that it may be sins which caused the sickness. It does not state positively that such was the case, but " if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

We may safely conclude that sickness in some cases is brought on by the Lord because the subject of the chastening has been walking in unjudged sin.

But to say that all ill health and sickness is thus caused, is to go farther than Scripture takes us, and is unsafe for us. In fact, we are plainly given to understand that earnest, faithful work for the Lord Jesus Christ may be the cause of ill health which nearly terminates in death. In Philippians 2:the apostle Paul refers to Epaphroditus, and says of him in the twenty-seventh verse, '' For indeed he was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him." Then, in the twenty-ninth verse, "Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such in reputation:because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me."
In this connection it is well to turn our thoughts to the one whom the apostle calls his own son in the faith. Would that more of the Christian young men of our day were filled with the same faith and love as was Timothy ! of whom Paul says, in the same chapter in which he refers to Epaphroditus, '' For I have no man like-minded, who will naturally care for your state; for all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. But ye know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in the gospel." (vers. 21-23.) Read the first few verses of 2 Tim. 1:, and you will surely say, " Timothy must have been a real man of God."

Yet, though Timothy was faithful to the Lord, to His people in general, and to the apostle Paul in particular, he was one who had often infirmities, and stomach difficulties. Well, such being the case, should he not exercise faith, and thus be cured of his trouble ? Will the apostle not write recommending him to do so ? Let us see what he did write, through the leading of the Holy Spirit:-"Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities." So Paul really recommended Timothy to take a little medicine, in the form of wine. True, it was a little he was to use, and as a medicine; and being in the habit of taking water, had to be told to take wine.

The apostle Paul had power to heal persons of diseases. Is it not strange that he should leave one of
his helpers at Miletum sick ? In 2 Tim. 4:20, he tells us he did so:-"Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick." Neither himself nor Paul exercised faith as to the restoration to health of Trophimus. Has the Lord nothing to teach us by this fact ? Can we not learn by it that it is not always the Lord's will that His children should receive faith for the healing of disease ? and that, had it been a wrong thing for Trophimus to be sick, Paul would not have left him there, but would have counseled "faith healing," or would have exercised his own God-given power ?

Once more:in Colossians 4:14, the apostle speaks of "Luke, the beloved physician." Now, here was one of the Lord's people who was a physician ; not only so, he was a beloved one to Paul. If sickness is always a sign of unjudged sin in the one who is sick, and it is sinful to take medicine for relief, would Paul refer to one whose profession was to administer medicine as the "beloved" physician, when he knew that his was a profession whose very nature led him to prescribe a course of treatment which would then be actually sinful ? Thus we see that the word of God does not lead us to suppose that one who is a physician is following a profession which is contrary to the will of God, seeing the word "beloved" is a term of special affection.

Now, while the Scriptures do teach that the One who, while upon the earth, said, "According to your faith be it unto you," is still able to give the faith to trust Him about bodily ailments, and, in response to faith which He has given, is able to heal the disease, yet it is well to maintain an even balance of truth; and remember that, in wisdom which no man can rightly question, God teaches us that there are two sides to the question of healing.

The object in writing the foregoing is not to weaken, in any degree, a humble dependence upon God for the healing of the body, but to bring out the other side of truth from the word of God, which seems to be passed over by many. If the reader is one of these, we trust the Scriptures quoted will do the Lord's work.

Should God enable any to trust Him for healing, give God the glory, and not think of it as though it were a thing of merit to man that God healed the sick. J. G. T.