Lord recounted in the Gospels, no fewer than 24 were works of healing. Why s0 many, since one or two would have sufficed if these were merely examples to show forth the love of God, and why the constant outpouring of Himself on. the crowds of sick the details of whose healing has not been recorded? Was it not that the divine love, constantly seeking a way to express itself, could in so many cases only dio so through the physical side first and this stream of love ever flowing from the heart of Christ must in some way find a way for its expression? How can we show Jove to the many around us who, in any other way, are almost unreachable by any means so full, so understandable? as by helping on this work of Christ with the gifts that we dedicate to Him to-night?
Were this all, that were surely enough, but in that old-time chance to the' religieux and staff in St. Bartholomew's Hospital we sce a true realization of a privilege even higher than that of merely. follow. ing the Master. We love to think of these men and women out on the dark and narrow and even danger-fous. streets of the old city of London looking not for patients and istressed to help but for the Lord himself, not for any poor fallen sufferer, dirty and diseased, but for the Christ Himself in each' afflicted manor woman; not doing their distressing work from any mere se of duty, however noble, but, hearts lied with love Christ and with His words:—"Ye did it unto Me," for ever ringing in their ears, i's Need *So, when I plead to-night for your help for the sick and suffering of this, your great city, I ask you to see the Lord Himself in every weak and distressed man and woman and to give your gift to Him The need here in this city of Shanghai is so great. We all of us in our vai are proud of this mighty metropoli built up on the mud flats of. our river, and T suppose rightly so, but there are aspects of life in Shang hai of which none of us can be Proud, and the saddest of all is that. in the hurry and scurry and bustle of life, these afflicted ones who should be to us as Christ Himself are so largely neglected.
There is probably no proaching Shanghai in certainly none anything like it in wealth where the provision for the Sok And zifferipe 58, £9, hopelessly inadequate. In the United States of America' there are some seven hospital beds for every 1,000 of the population, including all the accommodation in hospitals great and small. Two-thirds of these are supported by the: Government. I have not got the figures: for Great Britain, but I do not stippose that they are much less. 'In Shanghai, on the other hand, there are pro-ably not a tenth of that number of beds for' the classes that need that help most. Take the northern and eastern districts, for Instance. Including all places, however small, where such casts are admitted, there are certainly not 300 beds to 2 population" of nearly a half. million, say cix for every 10,000. people. For the sick and injured among the women and children of the poorer classes, there are practically no beds at all in this huge population, The other districts are perhaps slightly better off, but in all the facilities for treatment of the sick can only be described as hopelessly inadequate, T know that you, as a congreation, are known for your liberality to causes equally deserving at Home and T am all the more emboldened to plead for the needy sick in your own midst. It would be easy to ive scriptural warrant for the aims of those most near to you i distance, but this is quite unneces sary, for no liberal loving heart can withstand the plea for the Christ Himself suffering at your very doors,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.