Here's a little gem that's rich in beauty and
simplicity. And it's a part of William Jennings
Bryan's great lecture on The Prince of Peace.
I'm going to give it to you. I just love it and
I read it ever so often because it's just so
practical. I was eating a piece of watermelon
some months ago and was struck with its beauty.
I took some of the seeds and dried them, weighed
them, and found that it would require some 5
,000 seeds to weigh a pound. One of these put
into the ground when warmed by the sun, moistened
by the rain, takes off its coat and goes to work.
It ornaments the outside with a covering of green.
a layer of white. Within the white, a core of
red, and all through the red, its scattered seeds,
each one capable of continuing the work of reproduction.
What architect drew the plans? Where does a little
seed get its tremendous power? Where does it
find its coloring matter? How does it collect
its flavoring extract? Until you can explain
a watermelon, do not be too sure that you can
set limits to the power of the Almighty or say
just what he can do or how he will do it. All
right, here's another one. You know, we think
we're so smart. And after all, we're so stupid.
And it's the person who is really smart is the
first to acknowledge how little he really knows.
Science can't explain this one. Mary and I brought
home a miracle yesterday. His name is Mark Matthew,
and he'll not be a week old until 11 o 'clock
tonight. Just before his mother decked him out
in a yellow knitted suit for his trip home from
the hospital, he weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces.
A normal 5 ounce drop from his 8 pounds. I think
he's a handsome boy. Alert. But it's not fatherly
pride that insists that he's a miracle. To me,
he's a miracle because nine months ago he didn't
exist. And now he's taken over every one of the
bedrooms in my house. Science is wonderful. But
this is one that science can't explain adequately
to me. Science, for instance, can't explain to
me how... Come, this boy has a full head of black
hair. Sure, both his mother and father have black
hair, but who arranged things so that this boy's
hair should be black? Mark Matthew has ears and
eyes, a nose, a mouth, hands, and feet, a healthy
cry when he's hungry. He snorts and he sneezes
and he frowns. Who arranged all that? He likes
to rub his nose with the back of one hand. Where
did he learn that at such a tender age? Two days
after he was born, he was feeding happily and
greedily at his mother's breast. Did science
furnish him the little mimeographed sheet of
instructions telling him where his dinner was
and how to get it? When he closes his eyes, it's
dark enough for him to sleep. Did an Einstein
figure that one out? I know that as time goes
on, he'll learn to talk and to walk, that he'll
grow a set of teeth. There's a big apple tree
out in the backyard, and I know the day will
come when he'll climb it. I know that at first
he won't like girls, and then he'll like them
but refuse to admit it. I know he'll dislike
vegetables and try to save his appetite for the
ice cream. I know all that will happen. But science
can't tell me why. It can only suggest. And then
there's a theory about this and that. And they
can tell me from experience how to... cope with
a small boy when he does all these things he'll
do in the years to come. But science can't tell
me who, or if you will, what is behind this miracle.
And if Martin Matthew is not a miracle, then
why do I feel about him the same that I felt
about the three girls and one boy who preceded
him in that? Quit. Argue with me if you will.
But we brought home a miracle. It's just like
that. How can you look at a sky full of stars
and say there is no God? How would the flowers
know it was spring except for a smile from God?
How can you gaze at a sleeping child and not
feel the angels near? Do you thrill with the
song of a happy bird? Do you realize that it's
God that you really hear? Of all that was and
all that shall be, God is the beginning and the
end. And if the heart... that he gave you cannot
understand, then I'm sorry for you, my friend.
And it's just like that. You talk about a miracle?
You say you do not believe in miracles? I believe
in miracles with every atom of my being. I would
be a fool not to believe in a miracle. and in
miracles. But I believe in miracles because I
believe in God and for no other reason. All right,
we're going to turn to the ninth chapter of John.
We take the Word of God. And as Jesus passed
by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master,
who did sin, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath
this man sinned nor his parents, but that the
works of God should be made manifest in him.
I must work the works of him that sent me while
it is day. the night cometh when no man can work
as long as i am in the world i am the light of
the world and when he had thus spoken he spat
on the ground and made clay of the spittle and
he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the
clay and said unto him go wash in the pool of
siloam He went his way, therefore, washed, and
came seeing. The neighbors, wouldn't you know
it, he had neighbors too. Neighbors are no new
things. Here came the neighbors. The neighbors,
therefore. And they which before had seen him
that was blind said, Is not this he that sat
and begged? Some said, This is he. Others said,
He is like him. But he said, I am he. Therefore
said they unto him, How were thine eyes opened?
Tell us, what happened? Just what happened, confidentially?
How were thine eyes opened? And he answered and
said, A man that is called Jesus made clay and
anointed mine eyes and said unto me, Go to the
pool of Siloam and wash. And I went and washed,
and I received sight. Then said they unto him,
Where is he? He said, I know not. They brought
to the Pharisees him that aforehand was blind,
and it was the Sabbath day when Jesus made the
clay and opened his eyes. Then again the Pharisees
also asked him how he had received his sight,
and he said unto them, He put clay on mine eyes,
and I washed. and do see. Therefore said some
of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because
he keepeth not the Sabbath day. Others said,
How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles?
Then there was a division among them. They say
unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of
him that he has opened thine eyes? He said, He
is a prophet. But the Jews did not believe concerning
him that he had been blind and received his sight
until they called the parents of him that had
received his sight. And they asked them, saying,
Is this your son who ye say was born blind? How
then doth he now see? His parents answered them
and said, We know that this is our son, and that
he was born blind. But by what means he now seeth,
we know not. Now who hath opened his eyes, we
know not. He is of age. Ask him. He shall speak
for himself. These words spake his parents, because
they feared the Jews. For the Jews had agreed
already that if any man did confess that he was
Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
Therefore his parents said, He is of age. Ask
him. Then again, Then called they the man that
was blind and said unto him, Give God the praise.
We know that this man is a sinner. He answered
and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know
not. One thing I know. That whereas I was blind,
now I see. And it's just that simple. There's
something about the simplicity of this whole
thing. How often I've gone through this whole
thing myself. It's as real as though... It had
not been taken out of the word of God, but had
just happened yesterday at the great miracle
service, or will happen again at the next great
miracle service. Here's somebody wonderfully
healed of cancer by the power of God, and after
that one has been gloriously healed, has returned
home, the neighbors will say, well, how can it
be? Maybe... that one didn't have cancer at all.
Maybe the thing was not diagnosed correctly by
the doctor. Oh, the neighbors will talk. Even
the church people will talk. Your best friends
won't believe it. How often after a great miracle
has been performed by the power of God, and I've
said to them, and you've heard me ask the questions,
well, uh, what... Did the folks say after you
went back healed? Went back home carrying your
brace? And invariably you get the same answer.
Some believed and some didn't. When I went back
to work, there were those who believed and there
were those who didn't believe. It just couldn't
be. I love this portion of the Word of God. And
the answer that the young man gave, he didn't
understand it. I don't know, he said. I can't
give you the answer. I haven't even stopped to
try to analyze the thing. one can't analyze the
power of god you can't do it in desperation he
said all that i know and there is only one thing
that i do know and it's just this where as i
was blind now i see you accept The power of God
in exactly the same way that you accept the person
of God. Who can analyze a little thing like a
watermelon? Who can? Now really, this is such
a homie, such a simple little thing, but it's
a gem. Who can? Oh, sure I know. From the standpoint
of science, we are rich when it comes to science.
In this generation, we've gone to the moon and
back. Oh, look at the scientific discoveries.
There's television. There's a thousand and one
things that this generation has discovered through
science. And yet, who can really analyze the
planting of a little seed? And after such a length
of time, here we have our vegetables. We have
our beautiful spring flowers. Try to analyze
these things from the standpoint of science?
Oh, sure, but beloved, at the basis of everything,
there is God. We try to analyze life in the human
body. We take it apart and we try to analyze
it. But yet, beloved, when it comes to the final
analysis, it's God who gives that life. We come
to the human body. With all of our great scientific
discoveries, we still haven't been able to make
a human hand. There it is. Four fingers, one
thumb. and all the millions of dollars in the
world cannot buy a human hand should that one
lose that hand. Miracles? And you say you don't
believe in miracles? Put that hand over that
heart of yours and feel the beat of that heart.
Sir, just be big enough to put your hand over
the heart, your own heart, and feel that heartbeat.
And that heart is only beating through the mercy.
that god gives it's just like that he giveth
life he taketh life one thing i know said the
young man just one thing i don't know the theology
of the thing From the standpoint of science,
I don't understand. All that I know is that whereas
I was blind, now I see. For years, I've seen
the manifestation of God's power. I have stood
there. I have watched. Men and women receive
the healing for their sick bodies. I have stood
there and I've said, can you hear me now? And
that one standing there holding the hearing aid
in their hand will say yes. I've stood there
with my hand over an eye that was good and the
one was seeing out of an eye that had been blind.
And I've raised my hand and say, how many fingers
do I have now? How many now? And I've stood there
thrilled, knowing that I was witnessing the power
of God. I knew better than anyone else that I
had nothing to do with that which had happened
in that physical body. I have seen them come
to the stage. tearing their braces. And I knew
better than anyone else in that great auditory
that Catherine Cooman had nothing to do with
that miracle. I had no healing virtue. That one
was healed before they ever stood in my presence.
Beloved, We need to get back again and realize
that God is still God Almighty. The God of Abraham
is our God. The God of Moses is our God. the
god that supplied the little widow with her meal
and her oil is still god almighty the god that
made the iron to swim is still limitless in his
power yes that thou shouldst so delight in me
and be the god thou art is darkness to my intellect,
but sunshine to my heart.