E C W Boulton, teaching on divine healing.

The passage of time may have
marred this picture of
E C W Boulton at work, but it
has done nothing to cloud his
teaching on divine healing
Divine healing of ten stirs up controversy both inside and outside the
Church – and brings its exponents varied degrees of hostility.
But in the early days of Pentecostalism, before religious tolerance
was widely encouraged, Pastor E C W Boulton stepped out in public
with what he believed to be the full gospel.
we publish an extract from an article
he first wrote for the Elim Evangel of the time.
Jesus’ atonement brought
healing as well as salvation
Lay hold of the whole truth, put your life completely
in the Great Physician’s hands, and trust for a miracle
Sadly, where light on divine
healing has been given in some
quarters, it has been rejected or
suppressed – because such
truth is unpopular and would
incur persecution and opposition.
So now I call believers’
attention to the rich legacy that
the Lord has bequeathed to his
Church, and urge them to enter
into its possession immediately.
Firstly, for the encouragement of
faith, I will show the authority
for divine healing from the Word
of God. Secondly, the purpose
of divine healing. And thirdly, I
will point out briefly some of the
hindrances to divine healing.

1
The authority
for divine healing
The Scriptures clearly teach
divine healing:
Our first and final appeal must
be to the Word of God, and
whatever is not found in it should
immediately be rejected. Surely,
the testimony of God is more
trustworthy than that of man.
It is said of Abram that he
“believed God”, and this is
always the ground of victory. Do
not attempt to interpret the
Word of God by your experience
or the experience of those
around you, but bring your experience
to the light of his truth
and see whether it harmonises
with the revelation contained
therein. If not, seek the cause
and have it remedied without
delay.
As early as Genesis 20:7, we
are introduced to the healing
power of Jehovah, and careful
reading of Jewish history will give
us the picture of a whole nation
kept in divine health through
simple reliance upon the unfailing
and unchanging promises of
God.
Health was included in the
Old Covenant, and God guaranteed
– upon the fulfilment of
certain conditions – to be their
healer. And from Genesis to
Revelation, divine healing is
disclosed as the will of God.
Jesus preached divine healing
when he went to the cross:
The Lord’s precious blood
was the purchase price and his
atoning work was twofold – to
Jesus dealt with the
root of sickness and that
enabled him to deal so
effectively with it in every
form of its manifestation.

redeem from both sin and
sickness. The whole man was
involved in the fall and so, in the
atonement, there is perfect
provision made for spirit, soul,
and body. Divine healing is part
of the atonement and only
unbelief attempts to divorce
that which God has joined
together.
In Isaiah 53:5 we read, “But
he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for
our iniquities; the punishment
that brought us peace was upon
him, and by his wounds we are
healed.”
Here we have the twofold
triumph of the cross – salvation
and healing – obtained by the
outpoured blood of Jesus and
applied by the Holy Spirit, the
Administrator of the New
Covenant.
In Matthew 8:17, we find a
New Testament reference to
the Scripture, and in Isaiah 53
the wording is even more definite
and expressive – “He took
our infirmities and carried our
diseases.”
Now it is obvious that what
happened to sin also happened
to sickness. And there can be no
possible mistake here, because
the two manifestations of the
same power – both Satanic –
were dealt with in the same
way, at the same time, by the
same person, and with the same
result. Hallelujah!
But if Jesus bore my sickness
(and the Word distinctly
declares that he did) what has
become of it? Quite simply, it
has been carried to the grave
and left there, and so I bear it
no more. So why seek to cling
to that from which he will
deliver?
The Lord Jesus preached
divine healing:

Luke 4:18 reads: “The Spirit
of the Lord is upon me, because
he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim freedom for
the prisoners, and recovery of
sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year
of the Lord’s favour.”
And Jesus not only preached
a gospel of divine health himself,
but also made it part of the apostolic
commission (Luke 9:1-6). It
was an offer of health for the
body as well as life for the soul.
The Lord Jesus practised
divine healing:
No one should be so foolish
as to dispute this because it
is an established fact. His was a
minister of healing and it is
unnecessary to list Scriptures to
substantiate this because the
four gospels abound with examples
of his life-giving power. But
one may suffice – just to remove
any lingering doubts.
From Mark 5:26, we gather
that our Lord did not exert his
healing power owing to the lack
of medical men. Where their
skill failed, his ministry was sufficient.
He dealt with the root of
sickness and that enabled him to
deal so effectively with it in every
form of its manifestation. And
having obtained complete victory
over the author of sickness,
he is therefore able to conquer
his works.

The Holy Spirit demonstrates
divine healing:
Acts 10:38 and Romans
8:11 show us that it is the work
of the Holy Ghost to make
actual in the believer’s experience
all that the Lord Jesus
purchased on Calvary. Just as he
makes salvation and sanctification
experiential by faith, so he
works out the healing aspect of
the cross.

In John 14:26 Jesus said:
“But the Counsellor… whom
the Father will send in my name,
will teach you all things and will
remind you of everything I have
said to you.”
Divine healing is one of the
“all” things that the Holy Ghost
teaches and demonstrates in
those who are willing to believe.
So James 5:14-16 is the Lord’s
recipe for all his people who
are attacked by Satan in their
bodies.

Jesus not only preached
a gospel of divine health
himself, but also
made it part of the
apostolic commission.

2
The purpose
of divine healing
That God might be glorified:
However, some may ask the
question, “Is God always glorified
in those who are healed?”
Personally, I have never
known a case of healing which
has not been the means of magnifying
the name of the Lord,
and God is glorified both in
those healed and in those who
witness the healing (Acts 4:21,
Matthew 9:8, Mark 2:12 and
Luke 5:26). Who can behold
the miraculous manifestation of
divine power without being
stirred to magnify the Lord and
give him the glory? So if more
of the supernatural were to
be displayed in the Church
today there would be far less
infidelity.
Still, others may ask, “Does
not sickness patiently borne
glorify God?” Yes, undoubtedly
it does. But how much more
does the deliverance of the
sufferer by the power of God
glorify him?
That the Word of God may
be fulfilled:
In Matthew 8:17 we read:
“This was to fulfil what was
spoken through the prophet
Isaiah.”
Surely, the realised Word of
God should become one of the
greatest of Christian evidences
– proving the validity of the claim
of the Word of God to be
inspired.
That the presence of a living
Christ may be demonstrated
in the midst of a believing
people.
That the works of the devil
may be destroyed:
“The reason the Son of God
appeared was to destroy the
devil’s work” (1 John 3:8).
Here we see Satan and his
Conqueror. Wherever Satan’s
power abounds, the divine
power abounds much more.
Bless the Lord! In John 10:10,
we find the character of the devil
given – that of the destroyer. But
praise God for the One who has
broken the destroyer’s power,
and that is Jesus in whom all
power in heaven and earth is
entrusted, the Son of God in
whom dwells all God’s fullness.
Hallelujah!

3
Hindrances
to divine healing

Sin in the heart:
See Psalm 66:18. There
must be heart-purity, and without
it the Lord will not deliver
from sickness.

Idols in the heart:
See Ezekiel 14:3.
Unbelief:
See Mark 11:23.

Any impurity of motive:
See James 4:3.
Any of these hindrances will
prevent the flow of divine life
and render faith impossible. So
place yourself in the hands of the
Great Physician and quickly you
shall discover that he is able to
do exceedingly abundantly
above all that you have asked
or thought.

Reproduced from an early edition
of Direction’s predecessor,
the Elim Evangel
I have never known
a case of healing
which has not been
the means of magnifying
the name of the Lord.


Ernest Boulton (1884-1959) came to faith
on 10 August 1901, and settled at first
under the ministry of E J Poole-Connor.
Ernest was later befriended by Smith
Wigglesworth who found a place for him in
a mission in Hull where he settled with
his wife and two daughters. He helped
with the Elim Evangel, becoming Editor for
several years, although he is mainly
remembered as a devotional writer, and
his best works are preserved in his hymns.
Ernest retired in 1952 and died peacefully
on 23 December 1959.