Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
deaf shall be unstopped.--Isaiah xxxv. 5.
Is it not highly proper, that those who profess to be intrusted with
offices of authority, should be able to exhibit the credentials of
their appointment, in order to be accredited? The prophet Isaiah was
commissioned to proclaim many of the marks by which the Messiah
should be distinguished. Amongst other signs "the eyes of the blind
were to be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped." Jesus of
Nazareth not only declared himself to be that long-promised Messiah,
but constantly exhibited, in the most public and open manner, the
credentials of his high official character, and confirmed his
claim to our belief by his numerous miracles. Could we inquire of
Bartimeus, who, of old, sat by Israel's way-side begging, who was
the skilful oculist that restored to his long sightless eyeballs the
power of vision; joyfully would he point to Jesus the Son of David,
as the gracious benefactor whose almighty word had again caused him
to behold the gladsome light of day. Might we hold converse with
him who had never beheld the cheerful face of man, whose eyes had
rolled in gloom and darkness, deprived of the sight of nature's
beauteous works; no doubt he would, with the same undaunted courage
he displayed before the Jewish Pharisees, declare that Jesus of
Nazareth had opened the eyes of one born blind. Nor were these the
only recipients of his Divine bounty. By his almighty voice the
deaf were made to hear: the 'ephphatha' of Jesus could "clear the
obstructed paths of sound, and bid new music charm the unfolded
ear," for it was the voice of one whose biddings were enablings.
When the disciples of John came to inquire of Jesus if he were the
illustrious personage so long promised, or if they were to look for
another, we are told, "in the same hour Jesus cured many of their
infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits, and unto many that
were blind he gave sight," and requested the disciples of John "to
return, and tell the things which they had seen and heard;" how
that "the blind saw, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the
deaf heard, the dead were raised, and to the poor the gospel was
preached." To one so well instructed, as we may presume John to have
been in the writings of the Old Testament, he could not wish for
more satisfactory evidence to prove that Jesus was the Messiah. John
bore witness unto the truth, but Jesus "had greater witness than
that of John, the works which the Father had given him to finish,
the same works which he did, bore witness of him that the Father had
sent him."
That Jesus wrought miracles his enemies could not deny; but how
absurd they should attribute them to satanic influence. The Devil
is not wont to be a benefactor to our race; we should not expect
to find him lending his power to destroy his own kingdom, or to
benefit the children of men. The miracles of Jesus were not an
useless display of power, wrought to gratify idle curiosity, or
for sordid or ambitious motives; they were all designed to promote
some honourable or useful purpose, and were of the most benevolent
character, not unworthy the incarnate Deity whose pity for his
creatures is commensurate with his power. His miracles were numerous
and diversified; they were wrought openly, and proclaimed publicly;
not confined to one place: Jesus went about healing all manner of
sickness and disease among the people. The disciples were not the
only witnesses to these extraordinary events. Jesus was surrounded
by great multitudes when he healed the leper. Jairus's daughter was
raised to life in the presence of her friends and the mourners.
The Pharisees beheld the devil cast out of the dumb man--the whole
congregation in the synagogue witnessed the instantaneous cure of
the withered hand--four thousand, and five thousand men not only
beheld the miraculous increase of twelve loaves and a few small
fishes, but their bodies were refreshed by the plentiful repast. All
the people of Gennesaret sent to collect the diseased, so convinced
were they of the wondrous cures effected by a touch of the hem of
his garment. When in Galilee, great multitudes came unto Jesus,
bringing the lame, blind, dumb, and maimed, and he healed them all.
When the poor father's lunatic son was cured, multitudes witnessed
the fact. Jesus was surrounded by crowds when he gave sight to the
two blind men. The Chief Priest and Scribes saw the wonderful things
he did in the temple--driving out the merchants, and healing the
lame and blind. In the synagogue he cast out an unclean spirit. When
the widow of Nain's son was raised from the dead, much people of the
city were with her. The lawyers and Pharisees watched Jesus when he
cured the man of the dropsy. Many Jews were present when he called
Lazarus from the grave. Jesus was surrounded by his persecutors
when he healed the ear of Malchus. The enemies of Jesus witnessed
his miracles; they possessed every opportunity that incredulity
itself could desire, of examining the several objects on whom he had
displayed his omnipotent power: this circumstance, together with the
diversity of time and place, precluded all possibility of deception.
Peter boldly declared to the "men of Judah, and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem," that "Jesus of Nazareth was a man approved of God among
them, by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him, in the
midst of them, as they themselves also knew." The intrepid disciple
feared no contradiction, it was a fact too clearly established for
any of that age to deny; and what madness is it for any in a later
period to cavil against a truth they possess not a single fact to
disprove. The more minutely the New Testament of our Lord Jesus
Christ is examined, the clearer do its marks of divine authenticity
appear. The exalted character of the Man of Nazareth requires only
to be known to ensure admiration. Who, that attentively considers
the sketch given of that model of all perfection, can imagine the
history of the Evangelist to be only a cunningly devised fable? The
schools of philosophy, with all their boasted learning and virtue,
could not conceive any thing half so refined, or so far exalted
above the most elevated of the human race. From whence, then, did
the beloved physician, the tax-gatherer, and the two fishermen,
obtain that beautiful model of holiness, presented to us in their
writings? They must have copied from life--they must have witnessed
the living character--those unlearned Jews could not have invented
so correct a likeness of incarnate Deity. Even if they had taken
the united virtues of the most eminent saints in the Old Testament
for their pattern, it would not bear a comparison with the artless
grandeur and majestic simplicity discoverable in this history of
the life of Jesus of Nazareth; which, it should be remembered, was
written at a time when the religion of the Jews was little more
than superstition; for the law of God was made void by the absurd
tradition of the fathers.[57] Yet no trait of false Judaism is
discoverable in the character of Christ. In short, the history of
the four evangelists is the very reverse of what might reasonably be
expected from ignorant men, who had strongly imbibed their nation's
bigotry and superstition. The gospels carry their own evidence,
and prove the men who wrote them not only had the example of Jesus
for their guide, but that they were divinely inspired.[58] They
have mixed up none of their own corrupt notions or false ideas, but
presented us with a book which is not unfitting the God of Truth to
acknowledge as his own.
[57] Mark vii. 9. 13.
[58] 2 Tim. iii. 16.