Tracts for the Christian Seasons. FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY. The Miracles of our Lord. PROPER LESSOrs: Morning, Isaiah lvii.; Evening, Isaiah lviii. DURING this holy season of the Epiphany, our minds ought especially to be called to meditate upon the miracles of our Blessed Lord. For many times in its course are these mighty works brought to our remembrance, from the first recorded miracle which our Saviour wrought, to that last stupendous one which shall be wrought hereafter, when the trumpet of the angel shall gather the elect from the four winds. And the object of these few pages is to assist, if so it may be, devout minds in profitably considering these wonderful manifestations of Almighty power. Now there are two points of view, from which the Gospel miracles ought to be regarded. They are real events, and they are sources of instruction after the manner of a parable: as one has said, "just as He speaks parables, so are His works parables." They are real events, as real, it is hardly necessary to say, as any other event related in Holy Scripture, as real as any thing of which we ourselves are most certainly assured, our own birth, or life, or whatever may have befallen us during it. Still, while we believe them to be real events, actual works wrought by our Blessed Lord, as much as any other act of His earthly life, we may not therefore doubt that a great deal of deep instruction is conveyed under the veil, if so it may be called, of outward reality; we may not doubt that our Lord's works possess in this respect the same wonderful character as His words. We feel assured that He who has hid such manifold instruction under the outward forms of visible nature, will not be likely to do less, under those mighty works by which He proved that He was Lord of all things, throughout the universe. From these two points of view then we must always regard the miracles as real events, witnessing to our Lord, and as wrought parables teaching us deep spiritual truths. Bearing this then in mind as the first step, we shall find it well to go on in the next place to settle under what general heads the miracles may profitably be ranged. And these it is suggested should be four in number. I. Those that relate to the world of Nature; III. Those that relate to the world of Spirits, and, It is worth observing how the Church seems to countenance such a division, by bringing before us in the Gospels for the season, miracles which would include the several heads we have laid down. Thus in the miracle at Cana, and in the stilling of the tempest, we observe the first; in the cure of the leper, and the healing of the centurion's servant, the second; in the casting out of the many devils, the third; while the last Sunday presents to us the final and stupendous miracle, by which the conquest over death's fearful empire shall be achieved and completed. This may indeed be a mere matter of accident, if in speaking of such solemn matters, a word like this can be employed, but it rather means the appearance of design, or it may be of a divine intuition. Now if we look at these various miracles, merely as real events witnessing to our Lord, without any reference to their spiritual instruc Wherever the our minds to tion, we shall see that they cover a wide ground, and reveal a vast expanse of power. In fact, the ground they cover is as wide as that over which, to our view, the whole work and rule of Divine Providence extends. Providence of God seems to have dominion, there does the Author of these mighty works prove His power to be supreme. And if this be so, and that it is so all these miracles plainly bear witness, then do we not behold Him as One in nature and in essence with the God of Providence? Do we not see Him as King of kings, Lord of lords, and Ruler of all things, by whom not only the worlds were made, but who governs and who rules them with power which is His own? Do we not recognise Him, as the wonderful ladder, joining heaven and earth, by whom the blessed angels pass up and down, upon their merciful ministries to the heirs of His salvation. Probably if we have not considered this matter in this light before, we shall hardly be aware, how complete a witness the miracles bear to our Blessed Lord on how many points they touch, and with what a clear and solemn voice they proclaim Him to be " very God of very God, begotten not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made." But having listened to their testimony, and learned how very far it reaches, let us turn to those more inward and direct instructions, which they convey to us: and see if we may not find in them something which may enable us better to know ourselves, and our own spiritual state. And that they not only witness to the divine power of our Blessed Lord, but also fulfil this other great office of teaching and warning, is just what we see to be the case with all those other works of God by which we are surrounded. Let us look for instance on the natural world. Surely there is no more eloquent witness to the great Creator than it affords! Even so great and clear, that St. Paul considers those without excuse who did not learn from the things which were made, the invisible things of God, His eternal power and Godhead. And yet while this is so, and while every thing in heaven above, in earth beneath, and even in the awful depths below, thus speak of God, how many a good and holy lesson, how many a deep and precious truth do they also teach us. The changing seasons, the day and night, the sunrise and the sunset, the spring time and the autumn, nay, even down to |