The Miracles of the Holy Ghost

We are so accustomed to connect the word “miracles” exclusively with the name of Jesus Christ that it may startle us to associate it with the name of the Holy Ghost, especially if we do so for the purpose of showing that the word is only partially and temporarily applicable to any ministry but His own. The miracles of Jesus Christ were well called “signs” by Himself and by others. That is precisely what they were, and nothing more, — outward and visible signs of great spiritual realities. If we reverently regard them in this light we may talk freely about them, and come to a just understanding of their import and value. No man showed so clearly the worthlessness of miracles as Jesus Christ showed it. Beyond a very limited line He made no account of them, and how properly so is evident enough. Jesus Christ healed a lame man, but what of it? Is it a great thing to mend a bone whether by much surgery or by one quick word? Is it not mockinof a man to raise him from the dead, when he must needs die again in a war from which there is no discharge? We say that Jesus Christ suspended the laws of nature, but we forget to add that nature showed herself greater than all her laws by resuming everything that had momentarily been taken from her dominion. The lame man was restored, but in the long run nature smote him with a deadlier infirmity. The dead body was reanimated, but nature waited and won. Let this be thoughtfully observed, as not only explaining the cessation of what is called the “age of miracles,” but as showing the worthlessness of the physical wonders which once made men wild with much astonishment. Jesus Christ did no physical miracle which remains until this day: lameness, blindness, deafness, are still at hand, and the sea is as noisy as if He had never spoken to it. In effect, Jesus said about His own mighty signs and wonders, “You see that these things do not satisfy you. I no sooner do one miracle than you ask Me to do another, and the more miracles I do the greater is your bewilderment, and not a whit the less is your scepticism. Now let Me tell you the meaning of what I do, and so lead you away from the outward to the inward — from the sign to the thing signified. I have healed, for a while, your lameness, blindness, and dumbness, but all your physical disadvantages will recur with aggravation in the hour and article of death. The thing I aim. at is spiritual restoration, spiritual completeness, spiritual immortality. I have come to give you life, and to give it more abundantly; and if you miss this meaning of My miracles, your vague and tumultuous wonder will do nothing for you. I gave you bread in the desert, but you must eat Myself if you would hunger no more. My Father giveth you the true uread from heaven. I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger. I have found water for you in dry places, but you must drink the water that I shall give you if you would never thirst again.” In this way Jesus led the observers from the mere sign to the eternal erace that was siofnified. In the same manner He taught the inner circle of His apostles the true value of astounding deeds: “the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name:” Jesus answered, “Rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” If miracles, as that term is generally understood, could have answered other than temporary and intermediate purposes, they would have been permanently established amongst the ministries of the church. In their place they had a high use, but beyond it they were of no value. Jesus provided for the development of true and abiding miracles by the promise,” Greater works shall ye do because I

go unto My Father.” And in drawing the attention of the disciples and others from the outward miracle to the inward truth, He did exactly what He attempted when He taught the disciples to see in all outward things some hint of spiritual meaning or care; as, for example, in the lilies of the field, the fowls of the air, and the impartial benediction of the sun and the rain. He referred to these as points from which spiritual reasoning might start, and suggested that if the

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spiritual truth of these symbols escaped the observer, the g-reat purpose of the type was lost If God care for the grass of the field, how much more will He care for men? If He feed the fowls of the air, will He neolect His children? It Is nothingf to admit that He gives the young lion his prey, you must go further, and allow that in doing so He is proving that “no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” All these outward instances of beauty, patience, care, and government, are but so many superscriptions on the envelope; the seal must be broken by man, and the inward writinof must instruct and sladden his heart. We are not to be letter carriers but letter readers.

Bearing upon the point which indicates the spiritual uses of the outward and visible, there are some remarkable scriptural expressions. The appostle Paul teaches that “the invisible things” are to be understood from “the things thai are made;” and the author of the epistle to the Hebrews — an anonymous writer of great power in spiritual interpretation, as shown in his reading of the Levitical ritual — says that “things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” The meaning would seem to be that what we call the universe is only a symbolical expression of a spiritual power which cannot otherwise make itself known to us under present conditions, — but a foothold, indeed, from which we may see only that there is yet everything to be seen. Were either of those writers to accompany us in our physical studies he would probably address us to this effect: What you call Nature is only a mode of the Divine Personality; not, indeed, that the Divine existence is either limited by it or synonymous with it, but it is God’s first manifestation of Himself to you, — His pictorial alphabet, large enough and vivid enough to make you wonder, and to get you to ask questions. You cannot see God Himself (neither, indeed, can you see your own self; but you can see this symbol of His brightness and power, as you can see your own figure and identify your physical indiiduality. See how wonderful all nature is, how calm, how vast, how rhythmic; “day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.” If you could get one glance behind the veil you would be blinded by the essential light. What is required of you is that you walk by faith, that you live as if you saw the invisible, that you wait patiently for the fuller revelation. When He who is your life shall appear, you shall be like Him, for you shall see Him as He is. Now you see what you call light; it is God’s garment; you are amazed by the pj’oftision which is characteristic of Nature; not merely a star here and there, but millions beyond all conceivable number; not flowers enough for one year only, but for all ages, yet so economised that each flower is the garner of its successor; not one or two varieties of living form, but endless types and degrees: all this profusion is but a hint of God’s unsearchable riches. Look at Nature in this way, and you will not err. You know in part, and you can therefore only teach in part; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. This would seem to be the teachingf of the writers of the epistles to the Romans and the Hebrews, and it clearly commends itself as wise and modest. Sir William Hamilton tells us that a concept would fall back again into the confusion and infinitude from which it has been called out, were it not rendered permanent for consciousness by being fixed and ratified in a verbal sign. It is so with our highest idea, the idea of God; we should lose ityor walk for ever in confusion and vexation, but for this alphabetic sign, the gross and palpable universe.

It is interestinor to notice how In some instances spiritual miracles were done by Jesus Christ, and in others physical miracles were done by the Holy Ghost. Yet in a marvellous manner the functions of the -Son and Spirit were kept from mutual encroachment. Look at the case attentively in order to prove this. It appears that the Spirit wrought miracles which were distinctively physical, eis when’ Ezekiel says, “The Spirit lifted me up and took me away;” and as implied in the words which Obadiah addressed to Elijah, “The Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not.” This same manifestation of power was seen in the case of Philip, recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles: “The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more.” These ) were the physical miracles of the Holy Ghost; on the other hand, there are spiritual miracles by Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus saw Nathanael under the fig-tree, — a circumstance which so impressed Nathanael himself that he yielded homage to the Messianic character of Christ. Jesus also revealed so minutely His knowledge of the history of the woman of Samaria that she exclaimed, “Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet.” There is a yet more notable instance of spiritual power: Jesus had forgiven the sins of a man sick of the palsy, whereupon “certain of the scribes reasoned In their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? “The reasoning was not audible. Not a word was uttered, nor was any sign made, yel” Immediately when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned within themselves. He said unto them. Why reason ye these things in your hearts? “A r-piritual miracle truly, and far more exciting than the cure of blindness or palsy. It should be further observed that though the miracles of Christ were almost wholly physical, yet He always magnified what may be called their spiritual aspect, and so trained the observers from curiosity to worship. It is well worth Ayhile to look at the proofs of this. When Jesus was called upon to interpose in the storm lest the disciples should perish. He rebuked the wind and the sea, and instantly there was a great calm. But what was the meaning of thj act which Jesus intended to convey? Evidently this. —” The sea was not disorderly; not a wave was out of its place; but your fears were excited, and so much excited that only what you call a miracle could allay them. I have therefore only quietec the wind that I might quiet your hearts, — objectively the miracle is wrought upon the sea, but subjectively it is wrought in your spiritual nature, — all things are for your sakes.” A orreat thino- to rebuke the sea because of a man, instead of sacrificing a man to the “laws of nature”! And if one sea, all seas; and if all seas, all nature: for “heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass; “all things must give way before spiritual claims and moral necessities. In this fashion did Jesus Christ “press upon men’s attention the true meaning of the mighty signs and wonders which He wrought. He went even further still in this spiritual direction, and spoke words which may well amaze and confound mankind. When He restored sight to the blind man, or recovered the woman of her plague, how did He account for the result? Did He sound a trumpet, and say to the astonished observers, “Behold My power! Look upon Me with awe! Fall down that I may trample upon you”? He actually made no reference to Him-* self, but said to each of His beneficiaries: “Thy faith hath made thee whole”! As if they had done the miracle themselves, He being but the medium through which they found access to omnipotence. So, then, the physical result came through a spiritual process, and was intended to convey

spiritual meanings. Miracles were not ascribed to faith in a merely isolated instance, but continually; that is to say, not by accident but on principle: “Thy faith hath made thee whole; “” Be it unto thee according to thy faith;” “He could not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief;” “How is it that ye have no faith? “” If )-e had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye would say unto this mountain, be thou cast into the midst of the sea, and it would be done;” “All things are possible to him that believeth.” In the face of testimony so direct and positive there is no escape from the conclusion that through every miracle Jesus Christ intended to educate the spiritual nature of mankind, and specially to reward and” strengthen the faith without which it is impossible to please God. But what faith? Faith in destiny? What? ‘’By faith that is in Me I’ — faith in Christ, — “Without Me ye can do nothing:” so when Jesus Christ credits a believing man with having made himself “whole” by his faith, He is careful to explain that He Himself is at once the inspirer and rewarder of that wonder-working belief. “Lord, increase our faith.” *

* “When our Lord said to His disciples, ‘If ye lzlt fai/h, and doubt not, ye shall not “jnly do this which is done to the fig-tree,’ but also, if ye shall say unto this mountain, ‘Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, it shall be done,’ it is plain that the faith, which in this and in several oilier passages, I Ic was inculcating on ihcm, is not to be understood of mere

In His self- resurrection our Lord repeated all His miracles in one inclusive act. So in the ministry of the Holy Ghost, regeneration is the spiritual grace of which physical resurrection is the outward sign. Reg“eneration sums up all the miracles of the Holy Ghost. The minor miracles are intellectual stimulus, prevision, the upward movement of the will, interpretations, tongues, groanings that cannot be uttered, manifold solaces and helps for which there are no corresponding words; but the supreme miracle is the new man! “If any man be in Christ Jesus he is a new creature, old things have passed away and all things have become new.” This result has been vividly stated by St. Paul in another passage — “Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners;”

belief in Jesus as the Messiah, or in the doctrines of His religion, or of trust generally in divine power and goodness. It evidently has reference to miraculous powers, such as are not bestowed on all Christians; though faith, in another sense, is required of all. But in this and other declarations of like import, there can be little doubt that our Saviour had in view confidaice in those admonitions and injunctions which His disciples and many others of the early Christians from time to time received, authorising and empowering them to work certain miracles. Their extraordinary gifts were not (as those .of Christ Himself were) at their own command. Even Paul, who performed so many mighty works, and, among others, possessed the gift of healing in a high degree, yet was not always permitted to exert this gift, even in favour of his dearest friends (2 Tim. iv. 20). A special commission seems to have been requisite to enable them to exercise their delegated powers. And this was conveyed to them, — their commission and call to perform miracles was announced to them, — in various ways.” — Archbishop Whately.

what can be made of such a list? put in a parallel column the kind of difficulty with which Jesus Christ had to deal — halt, blind, withered, maimed, deaf, dumb, leprous, palsied, dead, — look at the two lists together in one view, and say which is the one upon which 11071 posswnits may be most distinctly written! We know how Jesus Christ succeeded in the latter case; now we have to ask as to the success of the Spirit in the former Recall it: “fornicators, idolaters, thieves, drunkards, revilers, extortioners,” — “Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” This is the supreme miracle, and the proper rendering and completion of all the miracles of Jesus Christ. This, too, is the enduring mlr2s. We have reminded ourselves that all the wondrous works of Jesus Christ were redemanded by Nature; but in the instance of the Spirit’s miracles we find continuance and immortality. Observe how appropriate is the distribution of the service. The human Saviour does the outward and visible work; the Eternal Spirit sets up the inward and spiritual kingdom; the man heals the body, the Spirit renews the soul. This is not only the logic of history, it is the music of vital and indivisible consistency. A healed leper may appear to be a greater miracle than a renewed soul, but in reality, in comparison, he is hardly a miracle at all! Which is greater, to quiet the storm or to give peace to “a mind diseased “? The inquiry answers itself in favour of the work of the Holy

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Ghost. It is remarkable, too, as showing the ever- dwindling importance of merely outward and physical miracles, even as wrought by Jesus Christ Himself, that they are scarcely so much as referred to in the apostolic writings. A fact this which is full of meaning, and helpfulness in the way of interpretation, if we lay hold of it properly. Nothing made of the miracles even by the apostle Peter who had seen them all! Here and there just a pregnant reference (as notably on the day of Pentecost — “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs “), but soon ‘away again to spiritual intorpretation and spiritual comfort! In the epistles of Peter there is probably not a single reference to the mere 7niracles of Christ. Yet how full are these epistles of spiritual exposition and application! It is Peter who speaks of “obeying the truth through the Spirit,” and of “being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever,” — a sentence fit for the pen of John. It is Peter, also, who tells us that “the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets,” and who insists that “the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” As for Paul, on whom a miracle had been wrought, the whole of his argument is intensely spiritual, so much so that he expounds the Christian doctrine as if no miracle had ever attested the claims of Jesus. But the miracle of regeneration was the central fact in his ministry, as thus — “We ourselves also were somfe time foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hatino- one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” If Paul had been asked for miracles in proof of his apostleship, he would have pointed to those who had believed his testimony and become temples of the Holy Ghost, — to dead men born again, to aliens enfranchised in the Jerusalem from above. The best miracles, surely! Jesus does not want to see the repetition of His signs. He waits to be satisfied with the travail of His soul — the sons which He will bring to glory. Yet Paul’s case is remarkable for the fact that he never loses sight of himself, as the one great miracle wrought by Jesus Christ. He could never forget that a blasphemer and a persecutor had been put into the ministry. And if for a moment the merest shadow of a doubt fell upon his faith, he instantly chased it away by reminding himself of his journey to Damascus, “with authority and commission from the chief priests.” Paul had the witness in himself, so much so that to have destroyed his Christianity would have been to obliterate his consciousness; even if his logic could have been answered his life would have remained. Christianity repeats this same work to-day in supreme and undecaying power. Why deny the spring when buds and blossoms are bursting forth on every hand? Why doubt the authority of Christian doctrine when the proofs are so abundant of Christian lifef

So, then, the age of miracles, supposed to be gone, is now in the very zenith of its glory. There is indeed no more natural sign, but there is the actual thing which was signified. Is it a miracle to give a man new physical power, and but a commonplace act to give him new dispositions and desires? Is it a great thing to open his eyes, and nothing to renew his life? The miracle of miracles is this — “A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” When the proud Brahmin has received the truth as it is in Jesus, and extended the right hand of Christian fellowship to the meanest member of the lowest caste whom he has met at the Cross, a greater miracle has been wrought than in the healing of the lame or the raising of the dead. To put the law “in the inward parts” and to “write it in the heart,” is more than to fill the firmament with stars.