Ver. 31.-0ne effect of miracles of healing. "They glorified the God of Israel.'· Two points may be unfolded and illustrated. This effect was good so far as it went. This effect fell far short of what Jesus desired. l. Trus EFFEOT WAS GOOD 80 FAB AS IT WENT. In a general way they praised God, who had given such power unto men. And it is always good to recognize the hand of God in our guidances, deliverances, and restorations. He is the Healer and Restorer; and we should always turn to thank the Source of blessing before we thank the agent whom God bas been pleased to use. But to class Jesus among God's prophets, to make of him only an Elisha, was to keep in the region of commonplace, when God would have tli.em step up into the higher region of revelation. It was an effect, to "glo~ify the God of I_srael," but it was not the effect. It was a good beginning, but a bad resting-place. It did not reach to apprehend the special meaning of Christ's miracles. Show that men still treat Christ in the same way. They thank God for the example of his life, for the teaching of his inspiring truths, and for the gracious deeds recorded of him ; and there they stop. That ie all-" They glorify the God of Israel." That does not go far enough. II. THIS EFFECT SHOULD HA.VE PREPARED THE WAY FOB A BETTER. Aft.er turning to praise God, these healed people should have resolutely fixed their attention on Christ, and tried to understand the Man who could do such mighty works. And this not as a merely curious inquiry, but with the distinct feeling that such a man must have a message; that his work could not end with opening blind eyes and unstopping deaf ears. Such things were signs of authority and power to do greater things. Israel knew well, from ite history, that miracles illustrate messages and authenticate messengers ; so they ought to have said of Christ, " Who ie he ? " "What has he to say?" It would be a deeply interesting subject of inquiry-What would have been the moral effects of our Lord's mission if his miracles had been entirely concerned with the healing of bodily infirmities, sicknesses, and disabilities? We may well fear that the people would have used the kind Doctor's gifts freely enough, and just satisfied themselves with" glorifying the God of IsraeL"-R. T. Ver. 36.-The mission of miracles of supply. They were corrective of the influence that was actually produced by the miracles of healing. The differences in the spheres and the character of our Lord's miracles ie not sufficiently observed. He wae no mere Eastern Hakim, with a wonderful panacea for all forms of bodily woe. He ie too often spoken of as if this were his description. More importance needs to be given to our Lord's walking the water, stilling the storm, raising the dead, and multiplying the food-supplies. It ie competent for any man to plead that the healing gift is, like the arti.,tic gift, the special endowment of individuals; and Jesus was a Man with an unusual gift of the healing power. No such explanation can be found for the miracles of supply, or for the miracles of control over nature. And we shall come back upon the miracles of healing with new and worthier ideas when we have rightly appre• bended the miracles of ~upply. We have ~een, in the previous homily, that O~rist'e doctoring work rather directed men's attent10n to the "God of Israel" than to himself, " God manifest in the flesh." L THE XIBACLES OF SUPPLY SET THE PERSON OF JESUS DI' PBOMINENOE. Illustrate by the effect of the wine-making at Cana. That miracle "manifested forth hie glory." Also by the other feeding of the thousands, which set ChrisL'e Person forth eo promi• neatly that the people wanted, then and there, to make him king. Miracles of supply are stranger things, more difficult to explain, and more impressively related to the individual, than miracles of healing. Forth from miracles of 11upply men go, saying to their neighbours, '"What think ye of Christ? whose Son ie he?" Compare the rema~k• able direction of the thoughts of the disciples to ~he fereon and m1ster1 of Clm11~, whep. he came w therii walking on the 8~. Cll'I, xvL 1-28.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDI~G TO ST. l\lATTIIEW. 129
II. TnE MinAClLEB OF SUPPLY BET THE SPIRITUAL CHARACTER OF THI': WORK f"ll" .l''EBIJB IN They belong to another and more snggestive regi,m. PnOMINENOE, Removal of disabilities may be a great thing, but renewal of life is greater. Food, to be tnken into a man's body, and turned into life, is a revelation of Christ's higber relation to men. He is soul-food; taken in by faith and love, he is turned into the soul's life. "Ho that eateth me shall live by me."-R. T.