Bible Truths Illustrated by J. C. Ferdinand Pittman

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BIBLE TRUTHS ILLUSTRATED
Yet many, in our day, lay claim to the power to perform
miracles, and manage to surround themselves with gullible folk
who come for fleshly blessing. Jesus said: "If they hear not
Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one
rose from the dead" (Luke 16:31).
Miracles were the credentials of Christ and His apostles.
They have been likened to the scaffolding of a rising temple.
The church has been built, and the scaffolding of miracle removed.
But the gospel, which is better than miracles, ever
proving itself the "power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth," is still sounded out. The prolonged sunshine
of gospel blessings is infinitely preferable to the lightning flash
of miracle.
The blind body doth not now open its eyes by a miracle of
the Lord, but the blinded heart openeth its eyes to the word
of the Lord. The mortal corpse doth not now rise again, but
the soul doth rise again which lay dead in a living body. The
ears of the deaf are not now opened, but many closed hearts
now fly open at the penetration of divine truth, so that they
believe who did not believe, and they live well who did live
badly, and they obey who acted disobediently; and we exclaim:
"Such a person is become a believer."
Augustine.
567. It has been often urged, that in the grand commission
there is a promise running thus : "These signs shall follow them
that believe : in my name shall they cast out devils " etc. And
it is argued that we have no right to separate this from the
context. Our reply is that the separation has been made by God
Himself. In support of the position, I offer the following
dilemma. If we are not to confine the promise to the apostolic
era, but must consider it as absolute and universal in
its aspect, the case will stand thus : "If there have been
believers in all ages without supernatural power, the promise in
the commission has been falsified. On the other hand, if the
promise has not been verified, because the conditions of belief
and obedience have been absent, then we are forced to the
dreadful conclusion that there have been no believers since
apostolic days ! and the gates of hell have prevailed against the
church. This choice of impalement is offered to all who are
looking for the restoration of miraculous power. On one of
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