Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-06
aollrnxI xuS 0ouriss.
Monday. August 6, 1888.
The Continuing Miracle.

An Exeellent Discourse by the Rev. Mr.
 Park at the Howard Avenue Church.
 Rev. Chas. W. Park preached an able dis course yesterday morning st the Howard Avenue Congregational church. He took his text from Ephesians, the 2nd chapter and 1st verse: "You hath he quickened who were of the sermon was as follows:
 Every religion claims to be of divine ori- gin, and substantiates that claim by an ap- peal to miracles, wrought in connection with 1t. Christians are in the habit of appealing to the miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, as a proof of the divine origin of his religion. These miracles occurred on the other side of the globe more than eighteen centuries ago, and, in the case of the Individuals who wit effect, and established at once in their minds the divine origin of Christ. But wS must remember that dis tance is fatal to intensity of impression. We are not affected by fearful calamity which occurred at 8 distance from us as we would be by the same event occurring under our very eyes. The earthquake in Ischia, de stroying thousands of lives, caused scarcely 6 ripple of excitement here. But if this had been the scene of such 8 catastrophe we could have thought of nothing else for Q month but of it's horrors. So of events oc- curing at great distance of time from us. The events connected with the outbreak of the rebellion in 1861 caused an excitement throughout the North which no one alive at that time can ever forget, but very little excitement is produced now when VIC read the narrative of those events. The
 miracles of Jesus Christ, therefore, occurring more than eighteen centuries ago, and thou sands of miles away from us, cannot now flash conviction into our minds as if we our had han hQWA Vnat their evidential power. We believe that these miracles actually took place and that they are the basis of the historical develop ment of Christianity, and yet, practically, for the masses of men to day they are not the evidence of the divinity of Christianity miracle. continually repeated, that shall be witnessed by men of the present time in attestation of the truth of Christianity. Such an abiding miracle is delineated in this text. Men who were dead in sin are to-day made alive unto God by the working in them of the power of Jesus Christ. This is greater miracle than healing the sick or raising the dead for those were works done upon these bodies of flesh and blood, but this is work wrought in the soul of mana change in his heart and character. And men see this change going on around them in the regenerated characters of those who are affected by the gospel of Jesus Christ, and acknowledge the continued power which still works among men as a proof of the divinity of Christianity. It matters not how good or how poor preaching may be on Sunday it matters not with what care learned arguments may be elaborated in defence of Christianity, if the lives of protesting Christians do not bear witness to the power of God in their own e1- perience. Purity and holiness of Christian character constitute an argument in defence of Christianity which no infidelity can upset, and no opposition can break down. This is the continual miracle. ever wrought in the history of the church, which sets upon the religion of Jesus the stamp of divinity.