THE MIRACLE OF HEALING
The Stranger was seated, conversing with His two disciples. When the
trio entered He was still. From the street came the noise of the
Salvation Army band and the voices of the people. There was in the
air the hum of a great multitude.
Something of his assurance had gone from Mr. Treadman. His tongue was
not so ready, his bearing more uncertain. When he spoke, it was with
emotion which was almost tearful, at first, in gentler tones than he
was wont to use.
'Lord, we Thy servants, sinners though we are, and conscious of our
infirmities, come to Thee to offer up our supplications. We come in
the name of Thy people. For though, like children, they have erred
and strayed, and lacked the wisdom of the Father, yet they are Thy
children, Lord, and hold Thy name in reverence. And they are many. In
all the far places of the world they are to be found. And in this
great city they are for numbers as the sands of the sea. Not all of
one pattern--not all wise or strong. Associated with the various
branches of the universal Church, differing in little things, they
are all of one mind upon one point, their love for Thee. We pray Thee
to make Thyself known to the great host which is Thy family, assuring
Thee that Thou hast only to do so to find that it fills all the
world. The exigencies of modern civilisation render it difficult for
a mortal monarch to meet his subjects as he would desire; nor, with
all respect be it urged, is the difficulty made less in the case of
the King of Kings. Therefore we have ventured, subject to Thy
approval, to make arrangements for the hire of a large building,
called the Albert Hall, which is capable of holding several thousand
persons. And we pray that Thou wilt deign to there meet detachments
of Thy people in such numbers as the structure will accommodate, as a
preliminary to the commencement of Thy reign over all the earth.
Since the people are so anxious to see Thy face that already the
police find it difficult to keep their eagerness within due bounds,
we would entreat Thee to delay as little as possible, and to hold Thy
first reception in the Albert Hall this afternoon. This prayer we lay
at Thy feet in the hope and trust that Thou wilt not be unwilling to
avail Thyself of the experience and organising powers of such of Thy
servants as have spent their lives in the highways and byways of this
great city, working for Thy Holy Name.'
When Mr. Treadman had finished, the Stranger asked of Mr. Jebb:
'What is it that you would say to Me?'
Mr. Jebb replied:
'I have not Mr. Treadman's command of a particular sort of language,
but in a general way I would endorse all that he has said, adding a
postscript for which I am alone responsible. I do not know what is
the purpose of your presence here, and--with all respect to certain
of my friends--I do not think that anyone else knows either. I trust
that you are here for the good of the world at large, and not as the
representative of this or that system of theology. Should that be the
case, I would observe that sound religion is synonymous with a sound
body, and that no soldier is at his best as a fighting man who is
under-fed. I ask your attention to the poor of London--the materially
poor. You have, I am told, demonstrated your capacity to perform
miracles. If ever there was a place in which a miracle was required,
it is the city of London. Cleanse the streets, purify the dwellings,
clothe the poor, put food into their bellies, make it possible for
them to live like decent men and women, and you will raise an
enduring monument to the honour and glory of God. The human family
has shown itself incapable of providing adequately for its various
members. Make good that incapacity, and you will at once establish
the kingdom of heaven here on earth. I ask to be allowed to place
before you certain details which will illustrate some of the worst of
the evils which require attention, in the belief that they have only
to be brought home to you with sufficient force to be at once swept
out of existence.'
The Stranger turned to the Rev. Martin Philipps.
'What is it that you would say?'
Mr. Philipps began to stammer.
'I--I had put together the heads of a few remarks which I had
intended to make on this occasion, but they have all gone from me.'
He stretched out his arms with a sudden cry: 'Forgive me, Lord, if in
Thy presence I am dumb.'
'You have done better than these others. Is there not one who waits
outside? Let him come in.'
The 'General' entered, and fell on the floor at His feet, crying,
'Lord, Lord!'
He said: 'What would you have of Me?'
'Nothing, Lord, nothing, except that You would hide from me the anger
which is on Your face!'
'You also are of the company of those who would administer the
kingdom of heaven as if it were their own. So that God must learn of
men, not men of God! You call yourselves His children, yet seek not
to know what is in the Father's heart, but exclaim of the great
things which are in yours, forgetting that the wisdom of God is not
as the wisdom of men. So came sin and death into the world, and still
prevail. Rise. Call not so often on My Name, nor proclaim it so
loudly in the market-place. Seek yourself to know Me. Take no heed to
speak of Me foolishly to others, for God is sufficient unto each man
for his own salvation.'
He arose, and the 'General' also. He said to Mr. Treadman and to Mr.
Jebb:
'You foolish fellows! To think that God needs to be advised of men!
Consider what God is; then consider what is man.' He turned to the
lame man and to the charcoal-burner. 'Come! For there is that to do
which must be done.'
When He had left the room the 'General' stole after Him. Mr. Jebb
spoke to Mr. Treadman.
'You and I are a pair of fools!'
'Why do you say that?'
'To suppose that anything that we could say would have the slightest
weight with Him. It's clearly a case of His will, not ours, be done.
If tradition is to be trusted, His will was not the popular will in
the days of old. He'll find that it is still less so now. Millions of
men, conscious of crying grievances, are not to be treated as
automata. There's trouble brooding.'
'Oh, if He only would be guided, so easily He might avoid a
repetition of the former tragedy, and hold undisputed sway in the
hearts of all men and women which the world contains.'
'I doubt the very easily; and anyhow, He won't be guided. I for one
shall make no further attempt. I don't know what it is He proposes to
Himself (I never could clearly understand what was the intention of
the Christ of tradition), but I'm sure that it was something very
different to what is in your mind. I am equally certain that the
world has never seen, and will never suffer, such an autocrat as He
suggests.'
'Jebb, I know you mean well, I know how you have devoted your whole
life to the good of others, but I wish I could make you understand
how every word you utter is a shock to my whole sense of decency and
reverence.'
'Your sense of decency and reverence! You haven't any. You and
Philipps and Robins, and all men of your kidney, have less of that
sort of thing than I have. You are too familiar ever to be reverent.'
'Jebb, what noise is that?'
'He has gone out into the street. At sight of Him the people have
started shouting. The police will have their hands full if they don't
look out. Something very like the spirit of riot is abroad.'
'I must follow Him; I must try to keep close to Him, wherever He may
go. Perhaps my assiduity may at last prevail. As it is, it all
threatens to turn out so differently to what I had hoped.'
'Yes, you had hoped to be a prominent figure in the proceedings, but
you are going to take no part in them at all; that's where the shoe
pinches with you, Treadman.'
Mr. Treadman had not stayed to listen. He was already down the stairs
and at the street door, to find that the Stranger had just passed
through it, to be greeted by a chorus of exclamations from those who
saw Him come.
The spacious roadway was filled with people from end to end--an
eager, curious, excitable crowd. There were men, women, and children;
but though it contained a sprinkling of persons of higher social
rank, it was recruited mostly from that class which sees nothing
objectionable in a crowd as such. Vehicular traffic was stopped. The
police kept sufficient open space upon the pavement to permit of
pedestrians passing to and fro. In front of the house was a
surprising spectacle. Invalids of all sorts and kinds were there
gathered together in heterogeneous assemblage. The officials, finding
it impossible without using violence to prevent their appearance on
the scene, had cleared a portion of the roadway for their
accommodation, so that when He appeared, He found Himself confronted
by all manner of sick. There were blind, lame, and dumb; idiots and
misshapen folk; sufferers from all sorts of disease, in all stages of
their maladies. Some were on the bed from which they were unable to
raise themselves, some were on chairs, some on the bare ground. They
had been brought from all parts of the city--young and old, male and
female. There were those among them who had been there throughout the
night.
When they saw Him come out of the door, those who could move at all
began to press forward so that they might be able to reach Him,
crying:
'Heal us! heal us!'
In their eagerness they bade fair to tread each other under foot;
seeing which the officer who stood at the gate turned to Him, saying:
'Is it you these poor wretches have come to see? If you have
encouraged them in their madness you have incurred a frightful
responsibility; the deaths of many of them will be upon your head.'
He replied:
'Speak of that of which you have some understanding.' To the
struggling, stricken crowd in front of Him He said: 'Go in peace and
sin no more.'
Straightway they all were healed of their diseases. The sick sprang
out of their beds and from off the ground, cripples threw away their
crutches, the crooked were made straight, the blind could see, the
dumb could talk. When they found that it was so they were beside
themselves with joy. They laughed and sang, ran this way and that,
giving vent to their feelings in divers strange fashions.
And all they that saw it were amazed, and presently they raised a
great shout:
'It is Christ the King!'
They pressed forward to where He stood upon the step. Stretching out
His hand, He held them back.
'Why do you call me king? Of what am I the king? Of your hearts and
lives? Of your thoughts at your rising up and lying down? No. You
know Me not. But because of this which you have seen you exclaim with
your voice; your hearts are still. Who among you doeth My
commandments? Is there one who has lived for Me? My name is on your
tongues; your bodies you defile with all manner of evil. You esteem
yourselves as gods. There are devils in hell who are nearer heaven
than some of you. As was said to those of old, Except you be born
again you know Me not. I know not you; call not upon My name. For
service which is of the lips only is a thing hateful unto God.'
When He ceased to speak the people drew farther from Him and closer
to each other, murmuring among themselves:
'Who is he? What are these things which he says? What have we done to
him that he should speak to us like this?'
A great stillness came over the crowd; for, although they knew not
why, they were ashamed.
When He came down into the street they made way for Him to pass, no
one speaking as He went.