New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-05-05
fAdvertissmerk.1
MIRACLES !
DISCOURSE OF GERRIT SMITH,
In Peterboro, April IA, 1861.


In Peterboro April IA. 1851.
Have there ever been niraelesf BY which mean,
have the laws of Nature ever been suspended
Neither the observations and computations Of asrono.
mers nor the explorations Of biologists detect sach sus
pension. "All things continue as they were from the
beginning of the tation" yet it holds true that,
"While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest,
and cold ard heat and Summer and Winter, and day
and night shall not cease"
Whatever the good that might come Of miracles,
certain it is that unreasonable evil would also come
Of them. Men would no longer know what TO rely on
in either the physical or the moral worldn the char
acter of Nature or the character Of God That with
God ais no vsriabeness, neither shadow OF turning,
and that like Ills Son. who reflects Him, He is the
same yesterday aud to-day and forever" is taught
more largely and surely by tie unchangng operations
Of His laws than elsewhere. What an appalling and
whitening uncertainty miracles would send throughout
the realms of natural science Quite discouraged
would be th biologists ard astronomers, and quickly
abandoned their enterprises should they come to fear
change in those operations. Unhappy would be the
effect upon the navigator, the farmer, the mechanic
the physician, and indeed upon whom not
But, You will say that miracles are too infrequent
for such disastrous consequences. You are, with few
exceptions Proesants and you will say that the cole
object of miracles is the authen caon OF Christianity
Nay you will say that there have been none for the
last eighteen centuries, and that there never will DO
any more.
Even, however, if miracles to this end only they
cannot be so nrequent You suppose. The cond Vps
Of belief in one age may differ very widely from boao
in other and 80, also, in ole country from e in
another. What 10 sbe Jews were miracles might NJ
10 tie Engish the .eatt semblaDee of them. 20
common were they in Judeo that their being Mrs
was not at al in the way Of their being believed It,
great change must lie wrought IN tie Enghsi ID,
before il can he brought far to lseD esti
mony In behalf Of present miracles. Deep rooed pre-
conceptions are 70 lie removed, and Lifelong hsb Il Of
thought to be the way will be clear TO
hear witnesses. Hence, though there may still Dger
30 much superstition, and religious prejudice In me
English mind as to make it st ae9uesce in old Jewish
mi acles it remains that Jewish testimony cannot
prove them 10 th.t mind. What, 70 the jew OF two
thousand years ago, might have been entirely con-
vnciDg evidence Of miracle, might, to the modern
Englisbman, be but Legitimate and inadmssible evil
denee TIE ancient jew u no more capable Of bring
ing proof on this subject 70 the modern Enelishman
than children Of proving TO their parents the truth
Of childrens marvellous stories. H. then, the miracu
ous authorization of Chri-tanity 10 needed there
should be miracles 10 this end In England ar well as In
Judea--mirseles within sight Of English eyes, and
within hearing Of English Jewish testimony Of
miracles, however honee The observation OF them and
however honest the transmitted record OF them cannot
suffice overcome ali iocreduEty outside OF Jncea
II follows then, In The light OF what has been said
hat II miracles are needed proof Of Christianity they
must be more frequent than You believe them to te.
They must be needed in this age aud that all along
down the track of time; in this ard that country, all
over the worlds surface.
Again, God is IMPARTIAL. The ,alvation Of one
people lie ta foolish, sehsh sinful Hebrew tupeTsti-
TONS TO the contrary notw ithsanding as dear TO Him
as that Of another. Hence il He would vouchsafe
miracles 70 one people for the purpose Of assuring them
that their religion true He would voucbsaie them TO
another people the means Of convincing them that
their rehion ID false. Tie would be ne needfu ~
the other. The Hndooe are In much need OF mira
cles 70 persuade them that their religion is false
were the Jews TO persuade ihom that Christianity was
true.
Evidently then, my negbbors you are bound by fair
logic either TO give up your faith In all miracles OF 10
admit that they frequent 10 forbid reliance
upon the unvsrying character and operation OF tho
laws Of nature. .
But you feel that you cannot possibly eease to credit
the miracles which Historically connected Win
your religion. Remember, however, that they are no
part Of IT, aud that its truth does not make them true
Your faith in them, TO lie untitled must have ba,is
quite Independent Of that OF your religious faith You
must neither 9rGDe nor inier tbeia 10 DO true. lou
must have clear aud direct prof OF hem or you must
reject then L. there enough Of such proof TO carry
eonvi. ton TO an enlightened and unbiased mind
think there II not. OF the nrInbe ess educated and
good uen. whether Prolestants or Catholic, wno BE-
heye IN mrncles 10 not think there Is ~ho could
believe In them, bni for their being iden lied in his
apprehensons with his rebgioa. Such idcDtihcation
makes II em rae ell 20 him. lie feels need OF their
being proved to him. and " every dproof OF them DO
ia imperyious aud tlnd.
We proceed 10 inquire why il Il that, as general
proposition, and indeed In every Gaze save this In
which the miracles are associated with the cherished
religion sound and cultivated men refuse their eIedenee
to them 1t IL because thei. observation and expert
ence the oonsancy and certainty OF natural lave
too conclusive to be shaken by the utmost aceu-
mutations u human testimony. Never have they seen
nconftancy aud uncertainty in theee Laws. But the
fllibiity " human testimony they have seen every
Il turns no, simply nor even mainly uron the WORDS
of the Witnesses whether believe OF disbeiieye IN the
alleged events. Much more depends upon the aneSe,
dent stae and habits 81 our minds-uTon our educated
prepara ion 10 believe or cisb.lieve-than upon tile
words or number or general credbty of tue wi nesses
read that a man has died. Why believe II 90 un-
besitatney IL chiefly becaufe death IL not only pos
sibe aud probable. but very common actual event
News comes that child il born with two beads and
four arms and four legs We disteleve IL. But when
houpands Of credible persOns that ley have
seen the prodigy, disbelief can hole out no longer
II is however st more by force OF our previous OBJ
serystion experience, convictions, or, In one word
sducaion than Of these numerous witnesses that we
are enabled to believe. We knew before that some
pereons were born deficient In memberr and some with
TOO many; and hence we were prepared TO isten 10
testimony n behalf Of this astonishing and at hrst In
credible phenomenon. But had the news been that
an infant was seen TO enter the world without
mother then, and even though millions bad tes HE'D
70 their personal and certain knowledge OF the event.
we shoud always provided that our religion did not
call for faith In D lave from 6t TO last refused 70 be-
lisve in the event For there is nothing in previ-
Gus knowledge and training 10 help but on the con-
t-ary everything to prevent, our believing IA II.
However entire faith In the honesty and intelligence
Of the witpe,see we nevertheless could not believe In
il. Nay, we would In such dscredt the report,
and irpeacb the Iustworthiness Of even our own
senses Tor while the hand our eyes, ears, aud
hands have often deceived us and we have known the
sem q of the most wary TO be the subjects Of lusons,
we have, ON the other never known the least iaterng
IN the laws of nature. In other words we have neve,