parted to men shall have fully and completely penetrated and transformed them. Nevertheless, it was both possible and requisite that at least the actual beginning of this perfect redemption, and the types and pledges of it, should then already be manifested.

OBS. 1. The fact that the miracles of Christ did not merely serve to demonstrate his truth to the people, but that they also possessed an essential significance in themselves, conveys many lessons. We thence learn to understand his motives in never yielding to that thirst for miracles by which those were controlled who surrounded him, and who desired to see that only which was unprecedented, striking and singular (as in Matt. 12: 38; 16: 1–4; Luke 23 : 8, &c.). We are, further, enabled to appreciate the fact that his miracles were never merely extraordinary acts occurring without any object, but were always the expression of his ardent desire to perform acts of kindness, to aid, to save and to redeem. And we can also thence explain the circumstance that in those cases in which he found no faith in the individuals before him, or in which merely external bodily relief was sought, and the corresponding spiritual relief was not desired, he would not and could not perform miracles (Matt. 13: 58; Mark 6: 5).

OBS. 2. The circumstance may surprise us that Christ frequently charged those who saw his miracles, particularly when he healed the sick, to tell no man (as in Matt. 9: 30; 12: 16; 16: 20; Mark 1: 44; 3: 12, &c.), while, on other occasions, he exhorted them to make known all that had been done (as in Mark 5: 19). The ultimate cause, however, may be traced partly to the people and partly to the individuals themselves who had been healed. In consequence of his deep insight into the character and the state of the heart of each person whom he healed, he gave that particular charge to each which was best adapted to exercise a salutary influence on his spiritual life. The one was commanded to be silent, in order that, remote from all that could distract his attention, he might without disturbance examine his heart, and cherish the seed of salvation in retirement. Another was commanded to speak, in order that he might not be unmindful of the grace which he had experienced, and of the gratitude which was due. Still, the cause may, possibly, be traced chiefly to the perverted tendencies of the people. He doubtless desired to withhold all encouragement from the foolish thirst for miracles and the carnal Messianic expectations of the people, and to afford his enemies no occasion to adopt active measures affecting his person and his life, before his hour was come.

§ 139. Christ's Miraculous Power over Nature.

We begin with those miracles which exhibit Christ's royal dominion over terrestrial nature, as the first of all the miracles which he wrought— the turning of water into wine at a marriage in Cana of Galilee (John ch. 2) - belongs to this class. This miracle was not so much the expression of a creative power (by which that which had no existence previously is brought into existence), as of an absolute omnipotent dominion over powers of nature which already existed. The power of turning water into wine already exists in nature, but is usually confined to the instrumentality of the vine. This power of nature, like all others, was subject to the control of the Redeemer. A similar case occurred when 5000 men were fed with a few loaves and fishes (Matt. 14: 13, &c.; and see 15: 32, &c.), except that the miraculous power of the Redeemer was exercised in the present instance much more extensively. The miracle on the sea of Galilee, also belongs to this class (Matt. 8: 23, &c.; Mark 4: 36, &c.; Luke 8 : 22, &c.). The Lord who was sleeping was awakened by the cries of distress of the disciples: "Lord, save us: we perish." Conscious of his dominion over nature, he rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: "Peace, be still." A great calm immediately followed, and the men exclaimed: "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"—On another occasion (Matt. 14 : 22, &c.), the disciples were in a ship in the midst of the sea, when the waters were disturbed by a contrary wind; then, too, Christ, as he walked on the sea, and approached his disciples, manifested his dominion over nature, and even imparted his miraculous power to Peter, as long as the fear of the latter did not overcome his faith. When the Lord was come into the ship, and the wind ceased, they that were in it worshipped him and said: "Of a truth thou art the Son of God."

OBS. The miracle in Cana, "manifested forth his glory;" it also displayed the contrast between the kindness and love of the most gracious of the children of men and the strictness and rigor of the law which it was requisite that John the Baptist should exemplify (see Matt. 11: 18, 19). The words which Jesus addressed to his mother: 66 Woman, what have I to do with thee?" (word for word:

"What to me and thee?") seem to be abrupt and harsh only when they are read in the German [and in the English] version. The term which he employed ("woman" instead of "mother"), was intended to remind her that a change had occurred in the relation which she formerly sustained to him (compare Matt. 12: 46-49). As soon as Jesus, after being anointed from on high as the Messiah, had commenced his ministry, his position in reference to his mother was altered. He ceased to be a son whom duty required to submit to the authority of earthly parents, and now appeared as the Redeemer of all mankind, and, consequently, of Mary also; she too was called by duty to bend her knees before him in adoration. The important distinction between the two occasions on which multitudes were miraculously fed, is indicated in Matt. 16: 9-11.

§ 140. Christ Healing the Sick.

OBS.-Man is elevated above nature in so far as he is endowed with a spirit, but when he is viewed as a being endowed with a body and a soul, he belongs to nature. ( 10. 1.) Now if an absolute dominion even over terrestrial and animal nature, which was less intimately connected with the human spirit, was nevertheless imparted to the latter, that spirit certainly received as fully dominion over the nature of its own (corporeal-psychical) organism. But in both respects sin exercised a disturbing and destructive influence; it destroyed the inward harmony of human life, perverted the true relation between body, soul and spirit, and introduced discord and disunion, sickness and death into the human organism. ( 12.) The redemption of which Christ was the author, was intended to counteract and remove entirely these results of sin, as well as all others which it produced. We see the commencement, the types and the pledges of this redemption in all those cases in which Christ healed the sick and raised the dead; for the power by which he will hereafter altogether annihilate the influence of death was at that time already exercised in subduing sickness and death.

1. The first, and indeed, the most important condition which the Redeemer proposed when he healed the sick, was the exercise of faith on the part of the latter, and of their immediate friends also, in certain cases. The healing of the body was subordinate to the higher purpose of bestowing grace upon the soul, and hence Christ seldom omitted to direct attention to the connection between faith and the bodily relief which he afforded: "My

8: 46, &c.),

He caused

medium of

son, my daughter, thy faith hath saved thee." He healed by means of a power (divas, "virtue," Luke 6: 19; which went out of him and passed over to the sick. this power to operate upon them, either through the an earthly element, or by directly touching them (often laying his hands upon them, Mark 6: 5), or, without touching them, merely through his word as the vehicle of the power. The motives of the Redeemer in adopting different modes in different cases, were not influenced by peculiarities in the diseases themselves, but by the spiritual state of those whom he healed.

tant.

2. The evangelists have described a proportionally small number only of the many cases in which Christ healed the sick, and even of these we can here refer only to a few of the most imporThe case of the restoration to sight of a man who was born blind, described in John ch. 9, is particularly worthy of attention, both on account of the explanations to which it led respecting the connection between sickness and sin, and on account of the mode of healing; "he spat on the ground-made clayanointed the eyes of the blind man, &c." The course which the Pharisees subsequently pursued in reference to the man and his parents, gives additional interest to the case. A similar mode of healing, combined with the laying on of his hands, was employed in the case of another blind man (Mark 8 : 22, &c.) and of a deaf man. (7: 33, &c.) The woman who had an issue of blood, and whose strong faith was unfolded in the most affecting manner, was healed by simply touching his garment. (Luke 8: 43, &c.) In the case of the Roman centurion's dying servant in Capernaum (in Galilee), the Saviour, without approaching and touching the sufferer, caused his healing power to operate at a distance. On this occasion the centurion's faith, which was as strong as it was humble ("Lord, trouble not thyself— I am not worthy-say in a word, and my servant shall be healed, &c."), received the noble testimony: "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." (Luke 7: 1-10.) The account of the healing of the son of a nobleman (who was in Herod's service), in Capernaum, possesses some features analogous to those of the former with respect to the mode, but also exhibits a striking contrast in the nobleman's weak faith and in the words of rebuke which the Lord uttered. (John 4: 46, &c.)

§ 141. Christ Raising the Dead.

1. Among the miracles of Jesus, three cases occurred in which he restored the dead to life. Jairus, one of the rulers of the synagogue in Capernaum, besought the Redeemer to enter his house and heal his daughter, who was of the age of twelve years; she was then lying at the point of death. While Jesus was occupied on the road with the woman who had an issue of blood, certain messengers brought the tidings to the father that his daugher had expired. Christ significantly termed her death a sleep, for in the presence of him who raised the dead, death was nothing more than a sleep. He entered the house and recalled the child to life, saying, "Talitha cumi," that is, "Damsel, arise." (Mark 5:22, &c.)-As the Lord was approaching the gate of the city of Nain, he saw the corpse of the only son of a widow carried forth. He had compassion on her, and said: "Weep not." He turned to the bier, and said to the dead man: "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. (Luke 7: 11-16.)

-

2. John ch. 11.-The last and most remarkable miracle of this class is the restoration to life of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, in Bethany. It is the most splendid of all these miracles of Christ-for Lazarus had lain in the grave four days already; the most significant for it gave to intelligent spectators the deepest views of the central point of his redeeming work; and the most momentous-for the extraordinary sensation which it produced, was the immediate cause which urged his enemies to adopt measures promptly for removing him from their midst. The sisters send to him, saying: "Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest, is sick." Conscious as he is of the result, he answers: "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby," and, holding the issue in his own hand, he abides with seeming indifference two days longer in the same place. After that, he says to his disciples: "Let us go into Judea again. ... our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep." On perceiving, however, that they misunderstand him, and refer his