The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-23


! pal Church preached yesterday morning on
the subject Of miracles taking for his text
the following words. Rabbi. we know that
thou art teacher sent from God; FOR 70
/ man can do these miracles that thou doest
except God be with him" John iii:2
In his sermon DR.. Bristol said. in part
The disposition OF ratiouaIism. so called.
/ to eliminate the supernatural elemcn;
/ from religion is menace to our faith.
/ Il is the privilege OF every believer in the
I teachings Of Christ. 90 be able to give a
I reason for his faith. and those reasons are
] something more substantial than mere
/ Credulity. We are saved by faith and
/ lost by credulity. We viii. therefore con
/ slider what may he termed the nationality
/ Of the supernatural element in the teach
/ ings Of Christ, and in his working OF
I miracles.
/ Jesus declared that the witness to his
/ divinity was to be found in his works.
! Il was the things which be did that at
! tracted the attention Of NicOdemUs. a man
! OF influence and one Of the teachers Of the
/ Jews. But Nicodemus saw deeper than
/ the mere works of Christ and. coming
! 10 him by night, made earnest enquiry
Z about the doctrines of his teaching Nico-
T demus. in the first place was no coward.
/ He did not seek out Jesus by night be-
cause he was afraid to go to him BIZ dav.
II was this same NicOdemus who spoke out
in the Jewish council asking if by their
law they could condemn man unheard
No, Nicodemus went to Jesus by night
simply because It was then only that he
was free from the multitude. When Jesus
/ was taken from the cross there were two
men who paid him honor-JOseph OF Ari-
mathea who gave a tomb to the broken
and wounded body of the Christ. and Nico-
demus. who brought costly speces to en-
| balm IT,
The Teachings of Jesus.
The text is capable of being reduced
to a logical syllogism. teacher who does
miracles is a teacher sent from God Thou
art a teacher who does miracles There
fore. thou are teacher sent from God. Ths
teachings OF Jesus were linked with the
miracles which he did, and the miracles
were proofs OF his divinity. II Jesus per
formed a miracle. that fact substantiates
his divinity. The miracles give to his
teachings divine authority, and there is no
separation between them To force a
separation is TO give TO the teachings a
low and mean method. If they were not
Of divine origin they were based upon the
vilest Of pretences and lies. Jesus said,
and always claimed. that he was sent from
heaven; that he was the son and heir OF
God; that he was equal with the Father
and that when his work should be done
on earth he would go again to the Father
and assume again his regal position at
his right hand. II Jesus was not divine
then he was the vilest imposter Of the ages.
and his method Of teaching was a farce and
unworthy Of confidence or belief
Jesus taught great things; greater than
those OF Socrates OF of .Blsto-the best
things ever taught The truth which he
CXpounded embraced a better code OF
morals than the teachings Of Zoroaster. of
Confucius and Socrates combined. Il is
impossible TO suppose that the Apostles
could have invented the miracles. the ser
mon on the mount, or the other marvellous
teachings which fell from the Masters
lips. They could not have reported the
teachings and at the same time have in
vented the miracles. How could men have
sacrificed their lives for their tenacious
faith in the teachings which at the same
time they had invested with a lot Of lies.
There was no money motive. for the Apos-
Ties made more money fishing than they
ever did preaching the gospel There was
no motive for them TO deceive anybody
Lies could not advance the cause Of truth
and no trick could give the sermon on the
mount any greater power than Il possesses
They had no motive to adopt corrupt
methods; they were not dreamers or The !
inventors Of philosophical vagaries. but
were plain. common-sense men, fishermen
OF Galilee, farmers, tentmakers custom /
house officers. and hard headed men. and
their testimony is not only rational. but /
has stood Unimpeachable for eighteen cen |
turtles
1t is quite remarkable how much rea- |
son is required to believe a thing some /
times. and how little one can get along
with in disbelieving the sans thing. The |
agnostics philosophy is summed up in the
words, I don't know. You ask him for
the reason why he doesn't KNOW and he an
swers: I don't know. He has no reason
for his doubts He doesn't know. and
knows not why he doesn't know With the
Gospel il is entirely different. for no man
j. asked 10 believe these great truths with
out reason. But how will you answer /
man who does not want 10 believe We I
know that the world is round. but he says
he does not believe il. and how shall we
answer him. We know that Milton wrote
Paradise Lost but he saws ne does not
believe it, and how shall we answer him2
Men believe things Of this kind on the
testimony OF others. and on the same
ground we believe the miracles OF Christ
But the objector brings in the question
u probability. He says il is quite possible
hat Alexander conquered Asia, or that
here is such a country in-the world "a
.hlua, but that the miracles are improba- |
BILE II not wholly impossible How does
be know such objection should be based
1n knowledge and not a mere philosophical !
bubble. In human power miracles are
impossible. but not TO the divine power
Il would be no greater exercise o.
cover for God 10 calm the tempest than |
Tor him 10 create the winds and the clouds
He could as easily cause the sick to re- |
over as he could al first breathe life into /
he human body. and he could bid the dead |
% rise. animate with life, as easily as he
'Ould people the earth with men in the be |
ginning. He created the eye. and shall he
lot bid il see? He that created life. shall |
be not command il TO revitalize the body
II the dead? What is law but the ,
bought OF God, and is be a wooden deity
hat he cannot think another thought Is
iOd so hampered by the material world /
hat he cannot perform a miracle TO save
lan2 Has he bound his hands so tight
with natural law. so called that he cannot 5
uts,retch them 10 the cries Of humanity :
las he made nature such a dungeon that Z
10 light from the throne Of the Creator ,
an ever penetrate il? Is God the slave
Z matter which he created or Of the laws {
T nature which are but his thonght2 d
Control of Nature.
MANY suppose that In bringing a sick
ian 10 recovery some Law Of nature must
e broken, or that in turning the water
ITO wine the exercise OF creative POKER
iust be cXerted But is this so? Man
ir,,rsff .orfrolg -,ofttro aud 30 50 dim !