The times., 1901-05-20
THE MIRACLES OF CHRIST
All Modern Alleged Miracles Arc
Frauds, Says DIR. BRISTOL

Frauds, Says DIR. Bristol.
The Rev Frank NJ. Bristol, at the Met
rcpolitan Methodist Episcopal Church
yesterday morning, spoke on the miracles
Of Christ, explaining them as having been
a necessity among ignorant people, who
demanded a sign. They were, he said the
groundwork upon which our more spiri-
tual conception of religion is founded.
The pastor. at the close of his address.
alluded 10 the illness of the first lady of
the land. and paid a high tribute to the
great influence she had welded through
her pure Christian life, her fortitude, her
sacrifice. and unyielding devotion. He
spoke Of the great hope swelling in the
hearts of all that she might yet continue
for many years her noble life. The
speaker struck a note of comfort by
pointing to the life hereafter. where ALL
however grief stricken. can again have
comfort in the companionship of their
loved ones.
The text of the address was taken from
luke. vii:16 God hath visited his peo-
pie"
THE logic of the people," said the
speaker "is unerring. for the logic of the
people is the logic of common sense. Jesus
had to raise people from the dead. to
persuade the common people. When they
saw his supernatural acts they conS:.ded
that he was assisted by God, for no man
could do such things. they reasoned, un-
less he was assisted by the Deity. They
hailed him as a prophet. and cried out
that God hath visited his people The
people were logical and consistent, even
more consistent than the many scholars
of the time who, after hailing Jesus as
prophet, would not take the next logical
hat -n1 In
people demanded that Gods presence
should be exhibited by works beyond the
power of the human kind.
Christ stopped to human weakness and
ignorance. and indulged the desire for
miracles He did what was best, for there
was nothing in them that would respond
TO the words he spoke. 1t was necessary
that the people should be argued with by
tangible things The people now accept
Jesus for the power of his word. and all
so-calIed modern miracles are frauds and
deceptions. Were they true they would be
a denial of the power of spirituality 1t
would mean that the nineteen centuries
have not been sufficient TO open the eyes
of man to the power that Hes in what is
spiritual 1t would mean that man still,
as the primitive man, demands signs.
But there are great miracles today In
the spiritual life. The transformation of
souls is greater than the changing of wa
ter into wine, and every hospital, every
library. every work of charity, is an abid-
ing miracle much greater than the ma
teriaI signs demanded 10y the logic of the
first Christians. These miracles take hold
of mems souls today with even greater
force than did the old material demon
strations of godIy power, because this
60, 2 I,a of inf nd
sees its beauty. Jesus says, I am the
truth and the light and the world sees,
more and more, that, in a spiritual way.
that is true, and that through Christ
God has visited his people.
Christ never did a miracle except that
it was for the furtheranee of his great
cause. His motives ali through life now
seem to US far greater miracles than any
raising from the dead that he did. This |
Bible. our book of faith. is itself a spirit
ual miracle, and without the divine char
1t could never have been written.
NO star shines forth in all the galaxy |
of intellectual constellations during the
past ages as shines forth the star of
Bethlehem Could Matthew, Luke, or |
John have created with their poor powers
such a character as that of Christ? 1t Is |
easier to believe that Christ existed. and |
that they drew from a model. than that |
he never existed and that they created |
him from their own imaginatiOns. 1t is !
easier to suppose that the seas were made |
by some forgotten DeLesseps. the noun |
tains carved by some long-dead Michael !
Angelo, or that the rainbow was fixed |
by the brush of a prehistoric Raphael. |
than to believe that the lowly fishermen |
created him. He must have lived and |
God must have been among his people In !
Christ, the greatest miracle of all.
How God could have manifested him |
self in his Son is another miracle. 1t is |
the same miracle that you see every day, |
acts, but the mystery of it is the same |
in both cases. The question Is not how |
God could manifest himself in Christ, |
but why he did So
Christ manifested God that ne might |
be a revelation of the divine character of /
God, and of the morality of God. The |
flower in its beauty shows intellect and |
power. but not morality or spirituality.
Christ we get our only complete |
idea of the divine and sympathetic |
Jesus has made Deity lovable to the |
heart of man. There was such sympathy |
and pity in him that all the world through |
centuries has been looking into his calm |
eyes and taking comfort from them. God |
50 loved the world that he gave his only |
begotten Son to be a finite evidence of the |
Creators infinite attributes Man sees the |
divine Fatherhood, when that Fatherhood |
shines forth in the life of Christ. and our |
recognition of Christs holy mission is |
shown in our effort to live more and more /
i'm