willing and urgent to do the same mighty works in His church at this day, and in every individual member of His church, which he once did in the land of Judea, with this only difference, that in the land of Judea His miraculous operation was applied to the bodies of men, whereas at this day it is exercised on their souls and thence on the external man, and body. But he will not rest merely in this belief of what the Sar VIOUR is disposed to operate, because he will discover further the necessity of co-operation on his part, in order to give full effect to the divine operation. Thus he will be led to see what JE SUS CHRIST meant when He said, He that be lieveth on Me, the works that I do shall he de also, and greater works than these shall he da, because I go to the Father, (John xiv. 12.) For co-operating with His SAVIOUR GOD in the great works of instruction, of reformation, of purification from sin, of regeneration through the di vine love and wisdom, thus of deliverance from all spiritual disease and infirmity, and of resur rection to the newness and blessedness of heavenly love and life, he will perceive clearly, that he doeth the works which JESUS CHRIST doeth, and even greater works, because they are done from, or under the influence of, the DIVINE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST, made one with the FATHER; thus they are done, not only on the body, but on the soul, and not only by JESUS CHRIST alone, but by JESUS CHRIST in conjunction with the co-operating will of man; consequently they are greater works than those done by JESUS CHRIST previous to His final glorification, because these latter were done only on the body, and without co-operation on the part of man, and were done also at a period, when the humanity of the INCARNATE GOD was not so fully glorified as it was after His ascension.* The reader then, if he be wise, will learn from the following explanation of the Lord's miracles, that he is called perpetually to do the same miracles, not indeed on the body either of himself or of others, still less by any power which he possesses merely of himself, but on his own soul and the souls of others, by instruction in the ways of righteousness, and by consequent reformation, regeneration, and resurrection to newness of life, and all this by virtue of a power communicated continually from the DIVINE HUMANITY of the INCARNATE GOD. Thus he will be further taught what JESUS CHRIST meant when He said, These signs shall follow them that believe; in Mv NAME they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover, (Mark xvj. 17, 18.) For in proportion as under divine influence, yet in perfect freedom as of himself, he renounces and rejects all known evils, he will discover that he at the same time casts out devils, See a fuller discussion of this subject at the close of this work, under the article entitled the Conclusion, page 346. who are in close connexion with those evils: In proportion too, as he professes, and practices the the evangelical doctrine of faith in the INCARNATE God, and of a life according to His divine precepts, he will make the further discovery, that he speaks with a new tongue: In proportion, again, as he elevates his sensual principle, with all its appetites, to conjunction with a spiritual or eternal end, he will rejoice in perceiving, that he takes up serpents: Again, in proportion as he escapes infection from the false persuasions injected into his understanding, he will experience an additional joy from the divine promise, that if he drinks any deadly thing, it shall not hurt him: And lastly, in proportion as he applies the divine aid of GOD'S HOLY WORD OF SPIRIT to the removal of all his spiritual maladies and infirmities, he will offer up continual praises to his Gon for the assurance given him, that when he shall lay hands on the sick, they shall recover. That the following pages may be rendered instrumental in begetting, cherishing, and strengthening the principles of such a faith, as manifests himself by the above unequivocal signs, is the devout prayer of the AUTHOR, Manchester, March 31st, 1817. 15 Miracle of the five Loaves and two Fishes 109 16 Jesus walking on the Sea.................. 124 17 The Sick healed in the Land of Genne- sareth .. 137 18 The Devil cast out from the Daughter 143 19 The Lame, Blind, Dumb, Maimed, &c. 154 25 The Barren Fig-tree cursed............... 206 26 The Miraculous Draught of Fishes...... 214 27 The Widow's Son raised 28 The Woman who had a Spirit of Infir- mity ...... 29 The Dropsy cured.......... 30 The Ten Lepers cleansed 31 Water turned into Wine 226 233 .......... 32 The Impotent Man at the Pool of Be- thesda 33 Sight restored to the Man blind from his Birth.... 34 Lazarus raised from the Dead........... 294 35 The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus Christ 307 36 The Miracle of Pentecost .................. ....... 330 37 The Conclusion............................ 346 38 A Prayer ............... ...... 355 |