SERMON XXXI.
Preached on a feast of the Holy Mother of GOD.
ON SIGNS AND MIRACLES.
“And He sighed in His spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily, I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.”-S. Mark viii. 12.
THE race of Israel, unfaithful and corrupt, is menaced by the LORD that there shall be no sign given unto it. And we, Christians, the chosen people, on the contrary, are we not to hope that a sign shall be given unto us for our welfare and our salvation?
Yea, there was a time when Christians sowed abundantly, not in the earth and in the Resh, but in the spirit and in heaven, and accordingly abundantly reaped spiritual and heavenly fruits. They sowed faith, and reaped signs and miracles, beneficent and saving, feeding and strengthening the spirit unto eternal life. And in return GOD sowed from heaven signs and miracles, and they brought forth upon earth, among men, the fruits of repentance, reformation, faith, hope, thanksgivings to GOD, and virtues of <368> every kind. Not seldom did GOD work miracles, not only through holy men, but even through sacred symbols, or through visible signs and commemorative images of holy things; as for instance, by the agency of the pure bodies of saints, and through sacred images. And He worked chose miracles so evidently and so solemnly, that the Church has consecrated certain particular days to the celebration of some of those miracles or miraculous signs.
But is it not as mere commemorations that these signs are known to us now? Do we not seek for them, as for some rare thing? Do we not seek them in vain?
And therefore is not the LORD again complaining of this generation? Is He not again with stern resoluteness refusing signs? “Why doth this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.”
The remark, that we see no miracles now, is so common and so often accompanied by such varied and often strange judgments, that it will not be profitless to consider why we see no miracles now.
Some say decidedly, that we see no miracles, because there are none, and moreover there ought to be none in our time; for miracles are used by GOD as a means for spreading and confirming faith; and therefore, when faith is sufficiently spread and securely grounded, then miracles become useless to it.
I agree, if you wish, with such reasoners, that <369>miracles are used by GOD as a means of propagating and confirming faith; but ought we to conclude there from that miracles are no longer needed in our time? I leave the impartial to decide. If there exist unbelievers, then, the means of propagating faith are not superfluous. If there be enemies of faith and such as strive to shake it, then the means of confirming faith are not superfluous. But as unbelievers and enemies of faith, unto the grief and danger of the faithful, do really exist in our time and even in the very bosom of Christendom, like a serpent in the breast; then is it right, I repeat, to conclude that miracles as a means of propagating and confirming faith are no longer needed in our time?
But that we may not please those self-confident reasoners at the expense of truth, let us investigate their thought, that miracles are used by GOD as a means of propagating and confirming faith. There are miracles which are evidently meant for the propagation of faith. Such for instance is the gift of tongues or the miraculous faculty granted to the Apostles through the descent of the HOLY GHOST, of speaking languages until then unknown to them. Evidently the meaning of this miracle was to give to all nations the immediate possibility of hearing the teaching of faith. The history of Christianity shows that the gift of tongues worked powerfully at its beginning ; that by means of it faith penetrated with the swiftness of lightning into all the nations of the earth; <370>but soon, when every nation having received faith, came to possess in its midst such as both knew its doctrine and were able to communicate it in their native tongue, by the help of the usual study of those languages in which the men of GOD wrote, the miraculous gift of tongues disappeared. In this case we may affirm, and not without foundation, that the miracle ceased, being no longer necessary. But there are other miracles which are not so closely connected with the propagation of faith; which even where faith is already propagated and confirmed, may be used unto the benefit and salvation of men. Such for instance, is the gift of healing, or the miraculous gift of healing disease by prayer, word, the laying on of hands, or by means of some other signs. Why was king Hezekiah raised from his death-bed by the prophet Isaiah, and restored to life for fifteen years ? Was it that the glory of this miracle of faith might teach the infidel Babylon and draw thence an embassy as flattering as it was dangerous, which led the king into the temptation of vanity and called forth a prophecy of dreadful events? Not for this had Hezekiah wept and prayed. “I beseech Thee, O LORD,” exclaimed he, “remember now how I have walked before Thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in Thy sight. And GOD answered him through the prophet: I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee.” [2 Kings xx. 3, 5.] And thus <371> this sign was on the part of GOD an act of unutterable love and extreme condescension; and to Hezekiah it was a reward for his faith and virtue; for other believers, but weak in their faith, it was an incitement to a stronger faith and a firmer hope in GOD. Why did JESUS CHRIST Himself raise the son of the widow of Nain? The evangelist shows no other cause for this, than that the LORD “had compassion on her.” [S. Luke vii. 13.] When can such miracles become superfluous, with such incitements and for such ends?
When the Apostle James having prescribed, “is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the LORD,” adds the promise that, “the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up;” [S. James v. 14, 15.] what means it, if not that he perpetuates in the Church of CHRIST the gift of healing, bestowed in the beginning by the LORD on the Apostles? Was it but for a time that the LORD Himself gave to the faithful this commandment and this right,—“he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do?” [S. John xiv. 12.] He that believeth shall do, consequently, as long as there are believers upon earth, so long ought there to exist those who do the works of CHRIST, “and greater works than these,” and among the number of these great works, doubtlessly are also <372>signs and miracles included. Let us speak still more freely. Even as GOD always exists, even so there are always miracles; for as GOD always exists, therefore does He always work; if He works, then evidently these are divine works, and works properly of GOD are miracles. “Thou art the GOD that doest wonders!” [Psalm lxxvii. 14.] And vainly will the daring sophistry of the creature strive to deprive Thee of this eternal attribute and manifestation of Thy creative power,—“Thou art the GOD that doest wonders.”
But if according to that there shall even now be miracles, why do we not see them? We will not explain this by conjectures which are deceitful, but let us take counsel from experience which is sure.
At the time which all call the time of signs and miracles, at the time of the life on earth of our LORD JESUS CHRIST were there visible signs? were there miracles? You may laugh at these questions. But as the Pharisees of that time, question in general the men of that generation; did they see signs? were there then miracles? They saw them not,—there were none. They are necessarily obliged to answer thus; for if they had seen signs, then why should they “seek after a sign,” and by seeking, “tempt the LORD,” as they did. “And the Pharisees came forth and began to question with Him, seeking of Him a sign from heaven, tempting Him." [S. Mark viii. 11.] If you are not convinced by the hypocritical request of the Pharisees, <373> then let the open refusal of JESUS convince you. “Why doth," says He, “this generation seek after a sign? Verily I say unto you, there shall no sign be given unto this generation." If He said that no sign shall be given unto this generation, then surely He also acted thus, and therefore there was no miracle for this generation.
What dost Thou say, O LORD? How shall it be that “there shall no sign be given unto this generation? ” Didst Thou not give unto it innumerable divine signs? Hearest Thou not how one of their generation confessed them, “for no man can do these miracles that Thou dost, except GOD be with him?” [S. John iii. 2.] And what then, if not miracles and signs, dost Thou Thyself point out to the disciples of John, “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the Gospel preached to them?” [S. Matth. xi. 5.]
What then does all this signify? We meant to answer this question by an example, but in this example we have found a new mental knot. They see the signs and miracles of CHRIST, and yet are not aware of them; they do exist, and yet there are none. Let us find the ends of this knot, and all will be explained. Nicodemus sees the miracles of CHRIST, but the Pharisees see them not. To a few of John’s disciples the LORD gives many signs, but unto this <374> generation either none at all, or “but the sign of the prophet Jonas,” [S. Matth. xvi. 4.] that is, His death on the cross and His resurrection. It is not difficult to perceive from this, that it shall be even so throughout all time. For the believers there are signs and miracles, and they see them; unto the unbelievers partly signs are not granted, partly also they see not the miracles which are worked, they are to them as if they did not exist.
One of the causes why miracles remain invisible lies in the miracle-workers themselves. True miracleworkers do not like to make a show of the miracles. For JESUS CHRIST Himself, the chief and most perfect type of miracle-workers, Who came upon earth that men should know through Him the saving, miracle-working power of GOD, Who, working openly for the sake of divine glory, had no need to guard Himself against the temptation of human glory, possessing against this temptation divine power and glory, and yet seemingly He not so much revealed as hid His miracle-working power. Except the sign, solemnly promised and granted to this generation, or rather unto all generations and nations, “the sign of the prophet Jonas,” that is, the miracle of the death and resurrection of CHRIST, which it was absolutely necessary to put forth in light and glory, as the sun in the firmament of miracles, and except a few other signs, as for instance, the resurrection of Lazarus, and the heavenly <375> voice over the SON of GOD, glorifying in Him the Name of GOD in which miracles are revealed openly and solemnly,—the greater part of the miracles of CHRIST were accomplished not only without any effort to publish them, but even with some pains to hide them. He cleansed the leper, and immediately “JESUS saith unto him, See thou tell no man.” [S. Matth. viii. 4.] He raised the daughter of Jairus, and when the parents were astonished and ready to glorify Him, “He charged them that they should tell no man what was done.” [S. Luke viii. 56.] He was gloriously transfigured on Mount Tabor, but only in the presence of three chosen disciples, and even unto them “as they came down from the mountain, JESUS charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen again from the dead.” [S. Matth. xvii. 9.] Wherefore such secrecy? That, according to His parable, “pearls be not cast before swine,” [S. Matth. vii. 6.] that the holy works of GOD be not insulted by the unclean and blasphemous lips of the sinners, or trampled under the disdain of the ignorant; that the working of the mystery, spoken into the ear, might not be harmed by being prematurely proclaimed upon the housetops; that there might be left us the example of avoiding human glory so dangerous to virtue. And this wise and holy secrecy of the miracle-working GOD-Man is imitated as much by duty as by a fear of temptation by all men who work miracles, in every <376> age and throughout the whole universe. Let us point out a homely example. As long as S. Sergius lived, although in some of his works the power of working miracles could not be entirely hidden in him, yet his greatest miracle, the resurrection of the youth, was hidden by the strongest command laid on the father of the risen one.
Another cause why miracles remain not only unknown, but even are not at all accomplished, is unbelief, or want of faith, either on the part of those whom it would have behoved to work them, or of those for the sake of whom they would have been worked, or of both the one and the other. It is said, that “all things are possible to him that believeth,” [S. Mark ix. 23.] thereby is also said, that he who has little faith, has little power, while to the unbeliever all is impossible, in which a power above the human is necessary. Once the Apostles were unable to cast out the devil. “Why could not we cast him out?” asked they the LORD. “And JESUS said unto them, Because of your unbelief.” [S. Matth. xvii. 19, 20.] But what is still more wonderful, even the Almighty LORD JESUS, being at one time come into His native country, “did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.” [S. Matth. xiii. 58.] Does even Almighty power fail against unbelief? No; it always remains Almighty; but either the obdurate heart receives not the gracious power, like as a hard course <377> stone reflects not the light ; or the holy power, by a merciful providence, approaches not the unworthy, as fire touches not the straw that it might not devour it.
Address these general considerations on miracles, if you like, to our own time in particular, and to ourselves.
Why do we not see miracles? Let him who can answer otherwise, but to me it seems that we are of necessity brought to this answer, We do not see miracles, or we see them rarely, either because they are invisible to us as unworthy of trust, or because they are not even accomplished through our unbelief or want of faith.
How can miracles be accomplished in us by prayer, when our prayer is short, cold, inattentive, and offered up, not so much in faith and filial love to GOD, as in a sort of involuntary submission to His law?
How can a spiritual word work miracles in us, when our heart, like a field wild with tares, is thickly sown with idle words, and overgrown by carnal desires and unlawful thoughts?
How can the Sacraments work miracles in us, if we approach them but from absolute necessity, without a careful previous purification, without an ardent aspiration to be united to GOD? The Apostle Paul, convicting the Corinthians of an unworthy communion of the Body and Blood of CHRIST, concludes, “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and <378> many sleep,” [1 Cor. xi. 30.] that is, many are struck with sudden death for insulting holy things, I think that, unto many of us, it n already a miracle of divine mercy if on such occasions we are not visited with similar punishment.
Let us, my brethren, call upon the LORD Who is unceasingly working miracles unto our salvation, and both each for all and all for each, let us cry to Him with the Apostles, “ LORD, increase our faith,” [S. Luke xvii. 5.] And then also with David, “Show me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed; because Thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.” [Psalm lxxxvi. 17.] Amen.
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