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"quired, must have had opportunities of being fully affured "of our Lord's fupernatural power and gracious mercy in ex"erting it." This requires particular proof. The first inftance in which we find faith at all required, before our Lord performed the miracle implored of him, occurs in John, 4th chapter, 48th verfe, when he returned from the feaft of the paffover, at which "many believed on his name, beholding "the miracles which he did," to Cana of Galilee, which had been the scene of his first miracle, and the inhabitants of which "received him, having feen all things which he had done in "Jerufalem at the feaft." Here a nobleman, whofe fon lay fick at Capernaum, applied to him "to come down and "heal his fon, for he was at the point of death." Our Lord anfwers, " exeept ye see signs and wonders ye will not believe." And the nobleman's reply proves that his application proceeded rather from an anxious hope that he, by whom he had seen or heard fuch miracles were wrought, might perhaps have power to rescue the object of his affections from impending death, than from fuch firm confidence as the experience of past miracles ought to have excited in a candid mind. His words are remarkable; he neither afferts the firmnefs of his faith, nor confeffes or deplores his want of it, but repeats his request with increafing urgency, "Lord come down ere my child die," fearing, as it seems, that to recall him from death our Lord's power extended not. Jefus chooses that mode of performing the miracle which should most decidedly fhew thefe doubts were not incorrigible. Instead of accompanying him to see his fon, as he had defired, he fays, "go thy way, thy fon "liveth; and the man believed and went his way, and that 66 very hour the fever left his fon." Do not thefe circumstances clearly point out the propriety of our Lord's noticing, with fome degree of cenfure, his previous weakness of faith?

An inftance in which the want of faith was cenfured, was in the apoftles themselves, when our Lord was * afleep in the ship with them, and a storm filled them with exceffive terror. Now, furely they who had been a great length of time witneffes of his miracles (for this was after the fecond paffover

* Vid. Matt. viii. 24. Mark iv. 38.

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in our Lord's ministry) ought not to have entertained any fuch fears.

Another inftance of our Lord's requiring faith was in Jairus, one of the rulers of the fynagogue at Capernaum, who applied to him to heal his daughter who was dying. He must have seen many instances of our Lord's power in Capernaum, the frequent refidence of our Lord; and at that very hour, when our Lord was going to his house, he healed a woman of an inveterate iffue of blood; and it is remarkable, that a message had been fent to Jairus, implying a diftruft of our Lord's power, for one came from the ruler of the fynagogue's house, faying to him "*thy daughter is dead, why troublest thou "the Mafter ?" On this meffage it was that Jefus answered the ruler, faying, "fear not, only believe, and the fhall be "made whole." This was a gracious encouragement, not an unreasonable requifition. Very foon after this refurrection was noised abroad, † two blind men applied to be healed, and of them alfo our Lord demands, " believe ye that I am able to "do this." They also had previous opportunities of being convinced of the divine power of Jefus.

Another inftance occurs in the ‡ Syro-Phoenician woman, who, though a Gentile, applied to him on hearing of his miraraculous power. Our Lord put her faith to the severest test, but the defign of this was evidently to convince the prejudiced Jews that the Heathens might be much more worthy of enjoying the benefits of his favour than themselves.

Another instance was, when his difciples failed in curing a child, whofe father had implored their interference. The afflicted parent, almost in despair, applied to our Lord, "if "thou canst do any thing, have compaffion on us, and help us." Jefus faid unto him, " if thou canft believe, all things are pof"fible unto him that believeth; and straightway the father of "the child cried out and faid, with tears, Lord, I believe, "help thou mine unbelief." This furely was as gracious as it was dignified, on the part of our Lord.

* Mark v. 22, to the end.
Vid. Matt. ix. 27-31.
Matt. xv. 22-28.
§ Vid. Matt. xvii. 24.

Newcome's Harmony, fect. 52.
Newcome's Harmony, fect. 53.

Mark vii. 24-30.
Mark ix. 14. Luke ix. 37.

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Finally,

Finally, in all inftances when faith was required, it was from those who deliberately and voluntarily applied to our Lord. Now, if fuch applications proceeded from idle curiofity, or infincere hearts, ought they to have been complied with? was not therefore an avowal of their fincere faith natural and reafonable, before our Lord would exert his divine power in their behalf.

The real motive of our Lord in withholding his miracles, we shall be instructed in, by observing, that the inhabitants of Nazareth, amongst whom our Lord did not perform many miracles, were of difpofitions so selfish, proud and malignant, that on his appealing to the practice of the prophets, to justify his exercifing his power for the benefit of those who were not of his own country, they were "filled with wrath," and made an attempt on his life, to efcape from which he exercised a fupernatural power; "for they led him to the brow of the hill, on "which their city was built, to caft him down headlong, but he "paffing through the midft of them, went his way :"doubtless by rendering himself invifible. Thus they received a proof of his power in fuch a way as they merited, not by his indulging their curiofity or their pride, bnt by expofing and defeating their obftinate selfishness, and base malignity,

The priests and Pharifees, to whom our Lord refused the fign they fought, were of fuch difpofitions, that they had immediately before imputed his miracles to the operation of Satan, and long after, when they were informed of the awful refurrection of Lazarus, and the multitude who believed on our Lord in confequence, far from being convinced, they were only the more enraged, "they took counsel to put him to "death," and not only our Lord, but Lazarus himself, “be"cause, that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, "and believed upon Jefus." Herod alfo, who was glad to fee our Lord at his last trial, "hoping to see some miracle done "by him," was that fame Herod, who had murdered John the Baptift, and who continued to live in that state of incestand adultery, by rebuking him for which the Baptift had incurred his refentment. Such were the characters in whom our Lord did not

* Luke iv. 29.

Vid. Matt. xii. and John xi 47.

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find fuch difpofitions, as induced him to work miracles for their particular advantage or conviction; and is this wonderful?

For a full account of the reafons for our Lord's concealing his miracles, confult Primate Newcome's Obfervations on his Conduct and Character, part 1, chap. iii. fect. 3. Whence it appears he concealed them only from the Jews, and from them only, when urged by the most weighty motives, when they had immediately before attempted his life, or when they had attempted to take him by force and make him a king; or imputed his miracles to Satan; or that the reality of the miracle might be judicially afcertained by an impartial examination of it, as in the cafe of the lepers; or when it was neceffary to avoid giving occafion for tumults, or to prevent individuals from being perfecuted in confequence of receiving his miraculous aid. -Vide also Randolph's Chriftian's Faith a Rational Affent. p. 166 to 172.

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For the principal cause why the country about this fea became fo much the scene of our Lord's refidence, fee Matt. iv. 13.-In proof that the miracles and conduct of our Lord were fubmitted to a full and public fcrutiny, from the extreme populousness of the country, and the number of large towns and villages it contained, vid. Dr. Macknight's Harmony of the Gofpels, vol. 2, p. 100, of the 2d edit. in his comment on the above paffage of Matthew.-Vid. Jofephus de Bello Judaico, lib. 3, chap. iii. fect. 2. in attestation of the great populousness of the country.

P. 27. Remarks on the cure of the man born "blind, and fome other miracles."

In the cure of the man born blind it is related, that Jefus "fpat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he "anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said "unto him, go wash in the pool of Siloam (which is by in"terpretation fent); he went his way therefore and washed, "and came feeing." On this unbelievers object that this

* Vid. Luke v. 12, 14.

↑ John ix. 1-7.

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procefs, if it was neceffary to the cure, looks like the application of fome hidden means of art. If unneceffary, they arraign it as in the mode improper, and even ridiculous.

In proof that no hidden means of art could have effected this cure, fince no fuch means could have wrought a miracle on the mind, fo as inftantaneously to infufe that power of ufing the organs of fight, and judging by them of external objects-a power which experience only can fupply, and which a man born blind could not poffefs, confult Dr. Elrington's Sermons on Miracles, from p. 115 to 128-and Dr. Drought's Comment on the Account of the gradual Cure related by St. Mark, in the Appendix to the fame work, p. 263. It remains to examine whether we can discover any propriety in this mode of performing the miracle. To judge of this we may observe, that the only instances befides this, in which our Lord is represented as using any external application whatsoever, or curing by any means except a word, or the touch of his finger, or his garment, are the following

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* Another blind man, near Bethfaida, whom they brought "unto him, and befought him to touch him; and he took the "blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town, and "when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, "he asked him, if he faw ought? and he looked up and faid, "I see men as trees walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up, and he was re"ftored, and he faw every man clearly; and he sent him away "to his own house, faying, neither go into the town, nor tell "it to any in the town"

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And fomewhat a fimilar mode did our Lord adopt in the cafe of a man, "whom they brought † unto him, (near the "fea of Galilee) who was deaf, and had an impediment "in his fpeech, and they befeech him to put his hands upon "him; and he took him aside from the multitude, and put his

fingers into his ears, and he spit and touched his tongue, and, "looking up to heaven, he fighed, and faith unto him, "Ephphatha, that is, be opened, and ftraightway his ears "were opened, and the ftring of his tongue was loosed, and "he fpeak plain; and he charged them that they should tell no

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