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In 1861, a Christian physician in the city of Boston first recorded his desire to open a private hospital, or home, for those consumptives who were excluded from the public hospital on the ground that they were incurable. His professional income was already wholly consecrated to the Lord, but it was not at all sufficient to justify such an undertaking, and his only hope was that if his desire was prompted by the Holy Spirit, God would provide the way for its fulfillment.
Nearly two years later, as his biographer tells us, "the burden of the possible and yet impossible work grew so heavy that he began to pray in that alternative manner by which. in after years he was accustomed to seek the settlement of difficult questions: 'O Lord, if this thought is from thee, give me the means to realize it; and if not, I pray thee take it out of my mind.' On the evening of that very day a trifling sum of money was given him, unsolicited, by a friend who knew of his plan for a consumptive's home." Such was the beginning of a work for God that has justly ranked Dr. Chas. Cullis among the, greatest men of faith the world has ever known.
Of the miracles of grace manifested in answer to the prayers of this devoted servant of God, we can only make a few, brief statements. In September, 1864, he opened his first consumptive's home. Within twelve months, by the purchase of a second building the capacity of the home was doubled and all bills were paid. Constant proofs had been given, both and spiritual, that this servant of God had not trusted in vain The amount of money received during the first year--$5916.28. The second year was in many respects one of trial. His faith was at times severely tested, but eighty-eight patients were cared for souls were converted and the total receipts given in answer to the prayer of faith were $8293.10. During the third year a children's orphanage was added to the work. At the end of the fifth year the work included five departments, Consumptive's Home, the Orphanage, the Deaconness' House with its training school for nurses, the Willard Tract Repository and the Willard street Chapel. This summary of the report of the home for this year Dr. Cullis wrote:
"The Lord has given in answer to prayer, in cash during the year, $13,360.45. For the Home, since the commencement of the work, $47,627.85," and adds:
"We still trust that every death has been in Christ. Regarding one case only, we cannot express ourselves with certainty; as this patient entered in a dying state, and in about thirty-six hours passed away. During this time he was too feeble to do more than to say he would ask for pardon through the blood of Jesus."
How severely at times his faith was tested, is shown in the following item early in the sixth year; "This noon I had but twenty cents in the world, belonging to myself or any branch of the work. Money was needed to purchase groceries for supper. I asked the Lord to send the amount in season. At three o'clock a messenger from the Home called for the needed money. Just at the same moment, the mail arrived; the last letter opened contained a check for ten dollars from Dover, N.H. Truly they that trust in the Lord shall not be confounded!" Yet the same year he contracted for Grove Hall, property, and agreed to pay $90,000.00 for it, in order that he might give his great household of suffering ones what the city, could not afford them, abundant liberty and light and air. Thus the work grew upon his hands and in the introduction to the report of the seventeenth year of this work, are these memorable words:
"For seventeen years I have believed! The word has been true to me. My God faileth never. The promises stand out upon the firmanent of his word as the stars in the blue above, and they shed their light as truly as the stars; but, like them, they are only seen by those who look up The promises are revealed to those who are looking unto Jesus"'
In the same year of the work, the entire amount of money received m response to simple faith in God reached and passed sum of half a million dollars; and at the end of the twentieth year, two thousand seven hundred and seven consumptives had been cared for, the grand total of receipts was $621,960.36 and the value of; real estate held in trust for the work at home and abroad, over and above the mortgages upon it, was not for from $300,000.00, and almost a thousand souls had in the Home I found pardon and peace in the Saviour. Nor have we even mentioned the millions of tracts and books circulated, the home and foreign missions established, the Cancer Home, the Spinal Home, the Boydton Institute, and other departments of this great work. How many thousand Christian hearts have been strengthened, how many of the Lord's children have been healed of disease, how many souls saved, how many believers baptized with the Spirit in our own and other lands, as a direct result of the devotion of this servant of God, only the heavenly records can show. All this an answer to prayer? And yet the record is not finished, for though Dr. Culls has gone from labor to reward, the different departments of the work which he established still prosper and his mighty influence still lives and the power of his life is still felt all over the Christian world. And when at the last great day all that has been accomplished by his life is made known, will not the answer of the redeemed, in glory be: "ALL THIS IN ANSWER TO PRAYER."
Nearly two years later, as his biographer tells us, "the burden of the possible and yet impossible work grew so heavy that he began to pray in that alternative manner by which. in after years he was accustomed to seek the settlement of difficult questions: 'O Lord, if this thought is from thee, give me the means to realize it; and if not, I pray thee take it out of my mind.' On the evening of that very day a trifling sum of money was given him, unsolicited, by a friend who knew of his plan for a consumptive's home." Such was the beginning of a work for God that has justly ranked Dr. Chas. Cullis among the, greatest men of faith the world has ever known.
Of the miracles of grace manifested in answer to the prayers of this devoted servant of God, we can only make a few, brief statements. In September, 1864, he opened his first consumptive's home. Within twelve months, by the purchase of a second building the capacity of the home was doubled and all bills were paid. Constant proofs had been given, both and spiritual, that this servant of God had not trusted in vain The amount of money received during the first year--$5916.28. The second year was in many respects one of trial. His faith was at times severely tested, but eighty-eight patients were cared for souls were converted and the total receipts given in answer to the prayer of faith were $8293.10. During the third year a children's orphanage was added to the work. At the end of the fifth year the work included five departments, Consumptive's Home, the Orphanage, the Deaconness' House with its training school for nurses, the Willard Tract Repository and the Willard street Chapel. This summary of the report of the home for this year Dr. Cullis wrote:
"The Lord has given in answer to prayer, in cash during the year, $13,360.45. For the Home, since the commencement of the work, $47,627.85," and adds:
"We still trust that every death has been in Christ. Regarding one case only, we cannot express ourselves with certainty; as this patient entered in a dying state, and in about thirty-six hours passed away. During this time he was too feeble to do more than to say he would ask for pardon through the blood of Jesus."
How severely at times his faith was tested, is shown in the following item early in the sixth year; "This noon I had but twenty cents in the world, belonging to myself or any branch of the work. Money was needed to purchase groceries for supper. I asked the Lord to send the amount in season. At three o'clock a messenger from the Home called for the needed money. Just at the same moment, the mail arrived; the last letter opened contained a check for ten dollars from Dover, N.H. Truly they that trust in the Lord shall not be confounded!" Yet the same year he contracted for Grove Hall, property, and agreed to pay $90,000.00 for it, in order that he might give his great household of suffering ones what the city, could not afford them, abundant liberty and light and air. Thus the work grew upon his hands and in the introduction to the report of the seventeenth year of this work, are these memorable words:
"For seventeen years I have believed! The word has been true to me. My God faileth never. The promises stand out upon the firmanent of his word as the stars in the blue above, and they shed their light as truly as the stars; but, like them, they are only seen by those who look up The promises are revealed to those who are looking unto Jesus"'
In the same year of the work, the entire amount of money received m response to simple faith in God reached and passed sum of half a million dollars; and at the end of the twentieth year, two thousand seven hundred and seven consumptives had been cared for, the grand total of receipts was $621,960.36 and the value of; real estate held in trust for the work at home and abroad, over and above the mortgages upon it, was not for from $300,000.00, and almost a thousand souls had in the Home I found pardon and peace in the Saviour. Nor have we even mentioned the millions of tracts and books circulated, the home and foreign missions established, the Cancer Home, the Spinal Home, the Boydton Institute, and other departments of this great work. How many thousand Christian hearts have been strengthened, how many of the Lord's children have been healed of disease, how many souls saved, how many believers baptized with the Spirit in our own and other lands, as a direct result of the devotion of this servant of God, only the heavenly records can show. All this an answer to prayer? And yet the record is not finished, for though Dr. Culls has gone from labor to reward, the different departments of the work which he established still prosper and his mighty influence still lives and the power of his life is still felt all over the Christian world. And when at the last great day all that has been accomplished by his life is made known, will not the answer of the redeemed, in glory be: "ALL THIS IN ANSWER TO PRAYER."
Wow! What a story of what God can do through one person.
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