“Mary, dear,” said Robert, “this is Brother Monteith, a minister of the church of God.  He has come to pray for you.”

“I’m so glad you have come, Brother,” said Mary.  “We need your prayers.”

“Are you all the Lord’s, sister?” inquired the minister.

“Oh, yes, all the Lord’s,” she replied.  “All given up, to go or to stay.  But I wish so much to stay.  See my little baby over here.”

The minister breathed a short prayer for guidance.  “Is it your will to heal her, Lord?” he prayed.  He felt an answer that God would raise her up.

Then he took out a small vial of olive oil, anointed the brow of Mary with it, and said: 

“In the name of Jesus Christ, we anoint you with this oil in fulfillment of James 5:14,15, ’Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.’  Now, Lord, we claim this promise in behalf of this woman.  Inspire her faith.  Send Thy healing virtue.  Destroy this disease and heal her for thy glory.  Amen.

“Now, sister, arise in the name of Jesus,” he said gently.

The mighty power of God fell upon Mary Davis in a moment of time.  She raised up in bed, lifted her hand toward heaven and said, “I am healed.”

The news spread over the community rapidly.  Several of the neighbors had been there when she was healed.  They went home telling it to all they met.  Next day several people drove up to see what had happened.  Mary was sitting up in a chair as happy as she could be and ready to tell all comers what great things the Lord had done for her.  Kate Newby said that she was very glad that she had dropped Christian Science.  “This is real divine healing,” she said.

The healing of Mary Davis made a great stir in the neighborhood.  Several preachers felt it their duty to warn people against divine healing.  It is mostly excitement, they said, when one is healed, as Mary Davis was.  Others ridiculed it.  Some said that she never had been sick, but others knew that she had been sick, and a few gave God the praise for the work done.

But this healing attracted attention to the doctrines of holiness and the church of God that Robert Davis had been talking about.  It became a topic of earnest discussion as to which church was right.  Many were asking, “I wonder if Davis is not right, after all, in claiming that there should be a better, purer, more powerful, more spiritual church than what we have here.”

As for Robert Davis, he determined to have a revival conducted by Brother Monteith.

CHAPTER TWELVE

THE REVIVAL MEETING IN BETHANY

In three weeks the church of God revival was to begin in Bethany, according to previous arrangements made between Robert Davis and Evangelist Monteith.  Meanwhile Robert Davis studied the church question assiduously.  His study of the Bible led him to accept the Bible name—­church of God—­but he knew that the right name did not necessarily make a church right that had adopted it.  The church must be in and of itself the real church and then the name would naturally apply to it.