The Frankish church was reared upon the spot where,
in pagan times, one bitter winter day, a Roman soldier parted his mantle
with his sword and gave half of the garment to a naked beggar; and so was
memorialized in art and stone what was called the divine spirit of giving,
whose unbelieving exemplar afterward became a saint. The Boston church
similarly expresses the faith of those who believe in what they term the
divine art of healing, which, to their minds, exists as much to-day as it
did when Christ healed the sick.
The first church organization of this faith was founded fifteen years ago
with a membership of only twenty-six, and since then the number of
believers has grown with remarkable rapidity, until now there are societies
in every part of the country. This growth, it is said, proceeds more from
the graveyards than from conversions from other churches, for most of those
who embrace the faith claim to have been rescued from death miraculously
under the injunction to "heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead,
cast out demons." They hold with strict fidelity to what they conceive to
be the literal teachings of the Bible as expressed in its poetical and
highly figurative language.
Altogether the belief and service are well suited to satisfy a taste for
the mystical which, along many lines, has shown an uncommon development in
this country during the last decade, and which is largely Oriental in its
choice.
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