The Place of the Bible in Education
CHAPTER XVII. THE STUDY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE—HEALING
FURTHER in the medical field there can be read from the Bible the text, “The inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity,” revealing the principle that sin is a vital element in physical sickness, and that consequently the forgiveness of sin, which involves the ceasing to sin the cutting off of sin by righteousness, is a thing to be recognized and employed in the Christian treatment of disease. Proceeding upon this principle, it can confidently be declared and forever taught, as has been declared and taught by the editor of American Medicine, George M. Gould, M. D.:— PBE 176.1
“The relationship of sin and disease has been recognized by all great philosophic minds, but nowhere has it been so accurately expressed as in the trenchant words of Cotton Mather, who speaks of disease as ‘Flagellum Dei pro peccatis mundi.’ To those modern materialists, or atheists, and especially to the all-knowing agnostics, who misuse science for dogmatic purposes, this saying of Cotton Mather will seem beneath their scorn, because to their thinking there is neither sin nor God. They should go one step further, and with their allies, the unchristian scientists, make ’an end on’t’ by also denying the existence of disease and the world. It is an old trick of the mind to rid one’s self of difficulties and responsibilities by denying the existence of facts. He who silences his conscience by denying sin, only adds another sin to his individual burden, and another sinner to the burden of the world. ... Let us therefore assume as beyond discussion that atheism is unscientific, and that God lives, and that sin is opposing and not furthering His biologic work in the world... PBE 176.2
“God is a true physician, working for final normality. He may cauterize in order to cure, and prefer amputation rather than necrosis. His patient is the entire future body an soul of humanity, not the individual members now and here existing. The wise ones of the world, the philosophers and the prophets, the leaders of men to better living, have been those who saw the far and subtle lines and laws of causation running back from disease and untimely death to the sources of ignorance (which is also sin), of selfishness, and of wrong-doing. This is the text of all preaching and prophecy, the burthen of all tragedy, the plot of all literature. And it is the heart of medicine! ... As physicians we must work to cure and prevent disease. If, as we have seen, disease is always more or less dependent upon sin, we must in a scientific prophylaxis try to stop the sin that partly or entirely generates or allows the disease.... PBE 177.1
“Science, it is plain, has outrun morality; we know how to lengthen the average human life by many years, with a proportionate reduction of all the suffering and expense, but we are powerless to do it. because, simply of sin. There is no doubt that sin alone prevents a reduction of the death rate and sickness by one-half, and a lengthening of life to 50 or 60 years. And we have nearly or quite reached the limit so far as the art of therapeutics is concerned. We can never cure a much greater proportion of the sick until we have better bodies and souls in the patients. The great progress of the future in medicine will be prevention. We must lose our life to find it. There are about 1,500,000 deaths annually in the United States—at least 500,000 more than there would be if we could carry out sanitary reforms of proved efficacy.... There is no prevention of disease without stifling the causes of disease. Wherever sin exists, it works itself out finally in sickness and death. The man who says his sole duty is to cure disease, not to bother about sin or society, is a bad physician and a poor citizen. In a hundred ways he can influence his neighbors and his nation, to lessen disease and death, besides by what the text-books call therapeutics. The best therapeutics is to render therapeutics unnecessary.” PBE 177.2
This idea of the forgiveness of sins as an element in the true treatment of disease does not in any sense sanction the quackery of the so-called faith-cures. Undeniably, faith is in it: because forgiveness of sins is received and known only by means of faith. But it is the “faith which works;” not an airy, figmentary “faith” that prays and “believes” and sits around and does nothing. It is the faith which upon the Word of God and the love of God teaches the forgiveness of sins and then works most vigorously to reduce fever, to eliminate poisons, and diligently to search for the physical causes of the sickness, in order that these causes shall with the sins be forever abandoned, and the true way of true health, which is inseparable from holiness be faithfully followed in the future. PBE 178.1
Upon this principle the philosophy of the forgiveness of sins is studied in order to know how, as a matter of practical knowledge, the forgiveness of sins enters as an element into practical medical science. And in this direction there is not far to go to find at least one important truth as to how this is. Here it is: “Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it can not rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.” Isaiah 57:19-21. The peace of God which comes to man in the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of the soul to righteousness is a distinct element in recovery from sickness, and is a right of way to health. And there is not an intelligent physician in the world, even though he be an avowed atheist, who will not say that a disturbed mind, troubled heart, a perplexed life, is a positive hindrance to whatever may be done to bring a person back from sickness to health; while, on the other hand, peace of mind and quietness and rest of heart are a positive aid. And that sound medical principle, which every physician recognizes, is declared in the Bible as a medical principle; and is given by the Lord directly as a medical prescription to the sick: “Peace, peace, ... saith the Lord; and I will heal him.” PBE 179.1
And yet this is but an instance in illustration of the essential virtue and power of the word of God to heal. It is written: “He sent His word, and healed them.” Psalm 107:20. And of the medicinal virtue of His word as such, it is written: “My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health [margin, Heb., “medicine”] to all their”—spirit?—No. “To all their”—mind?—No. But “to all their flesh.” It is the flesh that disease takes hold of. But the words of God received into the heart, and treasured in the life, and allowed to be indeed the spring of the life—this is “health to all the flesh.” It is the Divine Physician’s own prescription for health, and the Divine virtue is in it for all who will take the “medicine” thus prescribed. The prescription is repeated in Exodus 15:26 and in Deuteronomy 7:12-15. PBE 180.1
And yet all this is but a part of the expression of the Lord’s supreme wish with respect to the health of mankind. For He says, “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health.” 3 John 2. Indeed, He puts His wish for the prosperity of the health of man exactly on an equality with His wish for the prosperity of the soul of man: “I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” And this is but the repetition of the mighty truth already touched upon, that, as the opposite of sin and disease as being inseparable, health and holiness are inseparable. PBE 180.2
This truth is revealed in the native English language in which we speak, and in its mother languages, as well as in the Bible. The word “health” is an abstract noun, from “whole,” not from “heal.” The real meaning of the word “whole” is “hale, sound, entire, complete.” The original sense of the word “whole” is “hale,” which signifies “in sound health.” This is confirmed by that verse of scripture, “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” PBE 181.1
The original form of the present word “hale” is “hal.” And its descent is “hal, hol, hool, hole, hwole, whole.” Thus the spelling “h-a-l-e” is only a later Scandinavian form of the word “whole.” The present Norwegian word for “whole” is “hel.” Indeed, the “w’ in the word “whole” has been in use only about four hundred years; and the English Philological Society has recommended the dropping of the “w,” so as to restore the word to its connection with its related words, “holy,” “heal,” “health,” etc. PBE 181.2
Thus the descent of our word “whole,” in that line, from the original “hal,” shows it to mean “in sound health.” PBE 181.3
This word has another line of descent, which presents an additional and very important idea. It runs thus: hal, hol, hool, hole, holy, hole-ness, holy-ness, holi-ness; for our present word “holy” is “nothing but Middle English ‘hool’ (now spelled w-h-o-l-e), with suffix ‘y’.” The Anglo-Saxon runs the same: “hal,” with suffix “ig,” forming “halig.” This suffix “ig” corresponds exactly to our modern English “y,” so that the Anglo-Saxon “halig” is precisely our modern word “holy.” Corresponding to the Anglo-Saxon “halig” is the German “heilig,” which also corresponds precisely to our present word “holy.” And that German word “heilig” is from the word “heil,” which signifies “health, happiness, safety, salvation.” The descent and family of the word in German is this:— PBE 181.4
Heil, signifying hale, whole, healthy. PBE 182.1
Heiland, signifying the Saviour, from “old present participle—the healing or saving One.” PBE 182.2
Heilig, signifying (healthful, bringing the highest welfare; hence) holy, sacred. PBE 182.3
Heiligkeit, signifying holiness. PBE 182.4
Heilsam, signifying wholesome, healing. PBE 182.5
The German of Isaiah 12:2 is, “Siehe, Gott ist mein Heil.... Gott der Herr ist meine Starke und mein Psalm, und ist mein Heil.” PBE 182.6
The Scandinavian languages—indeed, the whole Teutonic family of languages—tell the same story. And that story is that in the true conception of health both holiness and its resultant—salvation—are comprehended. PBE 182.7
Where our further-back mother tongue says “heil.” our immediate mother tongue says “salvation.” And the Bible says that health and salvation are the same thing: “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause His face to shine upon us; that Thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations.” Psalm 67:1, 2. The health which is of God is “saving health.” It means holiness, and salvation because of holiness. His “way” known on earth is His “saving health” known among all nations. PBE 182.8
Again: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.” The Hebrew words in English letters say. “For His presence is salvation.” PBE 183.1
And, “I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God.” The help of His countenance is the health of my countenance. His presence is salvation, and His presence is health. Then by the Scriptures, true salvation is health, and true health is salvation. Psalm 42:5, 11. See also Psalm 43:5. PBE 183.2
Finally: “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Corinthians 7:1. PBE 183.3
What is filthiness of the flesh?—It is tobacco using; opium eating; tea, coffee, beer, or whisky drinking; eating unclean and unwholesome food; unclean habits of living. From all such things the Christian cleanses himself. But when that is done, only half of the man is reached. He must also cleanse himself from “all filthiness of the spirit:” from all uncleanness of thought and word. The man must do both to attain to true holiness, haleness, health, salvation. PBE 183.4
Thus emphasized in the Bible and its philosophy throughout, and rooted and imbedded in the very language in which we speak, is the truth as a medical principle that health and holiness are inseparably combined. Therefore in every Christian these must also be inseparably combined: else how can we be truly and intelligently Christian? And of all things these two—health and holiness—must be inseparably combined in the physician: and only less so in the preacher. The preacher who separates them, fails to preach the principles of true holiness; and the physician who separates them, fails to practise the principles of true health. And what God has so inseparably joined together, how can any person do well in putting asunder? PBE 183.5