Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-12-06
MIRACLES Ne EVIDENCE OF.
TRUTH. /.
Abstract OF a Disc urse Belly
ersd by eT. :. Tuska.


cred by +esF. :. Tuska.
The many works written on the sub
jset OF miracles would, II collected, form
a very large library. Writers OF every
age have taken great pains to daEermint
whether the nirEcles recorded IN Scrip
ture were real or legendary, natural OF
supernatural. Why? Because most o.
them were Of the opinion thst miracles
constituted the only sgse foundation oi
religion that the truths and principles
of devotion would be devoid of proof.
but for the evidence of supernatural mi
Escles wrought 10 their behalf. That
this opinion still prevails appeared only
recently from . controversy carried On "a
this very paper, in wlich 3 learned al
vine of this city declared that unless tae
miracles were supernatural, mysterious
acts, both Judaism aud Christianity
were mere fsTces, having no foundation
for their existence. This may, perhaps,
apply 10 Christianity; bat az To-
Judaism, tins truth and divinity
OF its doctrines does not depend upon any
miracles whatever. Ycu may cut Gu
every verse and chapter of the Bible Ie-
leting 10 miracles, and the principles o
Judaism will not be affected in the leas
CHEESE rest upon an entirely ditf=ren
foundation their basis IL reason The
creed of Israel will stand the severest ia
tfonel scrutiny. Were it not go, II the
doctrines OF cur religion could Q stanc
the test OF reason, IL the only evidence
we have for their truth and correctness
were miracles, then would thst fOunda
ton be most precaTiCus and unstable IN
deed. For, IN the language OF one al onf
most enlightened philosophers (her del
sonarQne whom We have al learnEd to
| reye~S3nd honor Rs 3 most piO1s AND
learned man, "if q man were to cume
and perform the greatest miracle that
aver was performed, IL, for example, be
wae to raise from their graves all those
who have died from Adam down, which
would certainly be the greatest miracle
imaginable, and he was on the top oil
that to tell you that tive and two make
five, or that fire is cold while ice 10 hot,
We would say 10 him you are inds ed d
great apd powerful man yOn have
wrought wonders before me; but sc can
not believe what you maintain We do
not believe you are correct EheR you say
two and two makes five, for IL IS contrary
to reason and common sense, snd al tbs
miracles you Ia perform could not
weigh a feather in the way OF proving |
the assertion
Your assertions must stand the test OF
reason; if so, then they need no miracles
for their support, but If your assertions
be not true, then all miracles will BE-
without avail.
But 1t IS not u object to show from, a
rational point Of view, that miracles are
no proof, no satisfactory evidence OF the
truth or divinity of any doctrine. We
would merely refer to-day to b Bible
itself, and learn from the divine word
whether miracles are really to BE- taken
as satisfactory evidence OF truth. We
will select two decisive instances from
scripture in relation to this question,
from which we shall find that the Bible
is far from teaching that miracles are
evidence Of truth, even foTbids US TO re-
grad miracles as evidence Of ruth. The
nrst is in the 9TH chapter Of Exodus.
'If,n says the Lord to Moses, "Pharoah
shall ask you to give q sign that you
have been commissioned by the Lord,
thai yCu are his ambassador, then take
thy staff, east it down, it shalt become
q serpent"
Moses did so what was the result ?
The wise men and the magicians who
were with the King, In whose presence
Moses performed his miracle, performed
the very same thing they initiated the
sign. Nov what are we to infer from
this ? What does this plain record teach?
1t is tina the advocates Of error are just
as able to work miracles as the advO-
Gates of truth. No reader Of scripture
will maintain that the magicians OF the
Court OF Pharaoh did work their mira
cles, or give their sign, by divine aid
But what differ it2 What matters ii by
whose aid either Moses or the magicians
performed their miracles? In appear
nee it was the came in both cases. To
Pharaoh and the royal cOuTtiers, it made
no difference. They could not, ever If
they would, ascertain by what means
either Of them performed these miracles.
This instance shows, therefore, cOnciH-
sively, that q man may perform mira
cles, even though he teach f~slsehOOd, ss
well as the man who teSehes the truth
and if we are to believe 8 man simply
because he works q mirscl We will have
10 believe all the eharlatans and impos-
tors that have existed frcm the time OF
Moses until the present day.
How was Pharaoh to decide whether
Moses was right or wrong? Here was
Moses teaching one thiug, that he was
commissioned by the Lord here are the
magicians denying this point blank, yet
both performing the same miracle. l
Pharaoh Was b0und to ~believe--if any
one else was bound to belie7e-Moses
Simply because be performed that mira
Gle, then we and all others would be
bound to put equalfsith in the ms gicisns,
for they did precisely the same thing.
We learn from this example, as well
as from others, that Moses utterly failed
la attaining the object for which he had
beer commissioned. II indeed the object
of Moses, by performing this miracle, was
to convince Pharosh Of his diYine lega-
it,, - vrhan he oaof Tho pod 1pma and
changed it into q serpent, Is was his de-
sign to prove that be had been sent by
the Lord, and that it was the divine aid
by which he performed this miracle,
then HE design vas utterly frustrated by
the jugglers OF Egypt FOR they did the
same thing. The sacred historian admits
by his own confession, that his object
was not attained, simply because the
msgicians themselves wrought the very
same miracles Thai be did. 1t matters
not what view We take OF the imitation
made by the msgieians, it matters not
whether the imitation was real or only
apparent, whether they actually charged
rhe rods into ssrpentsi OF only made il
appear 30, that bias nothing to do with
the question Under consideration. Moses
ADMITS that his miracle was initiated, So
ii appears 70 him, as we'll as TO Pharaoh,
consequently Moses hinself indirectly M
admits the i~mprOpriety Of endeavoripg /
to prove a thing by performing s mira
Gle. He admits ia his own words that the
teachers of falsehoOd and superstition
were just IS sble TO perform miracles as
he himself, the teacher of truth alone.
You will aek Why thal did Moses per-
form this miracles What was tine object
10 giving the sign Did be not know
that Pharoah would not be convinced ?
Did be not know that msgicians
initiate this sign, and
thus Illustrate the object which
desired to attain Why, in short, go
there and perform the miracle II 1t ives
not 10 convince Pharaoh Of his divine
mission? Moses only acted in accord
ance with the spirit OF the times. II was
then a universal praetlee for those who
to teach something new, or some
thirg important, 10 present as ereden-
tials, as il were, their ability TO perform
miracles. 1t was 8 demand of the age
the people wanted miracles, and looked
mon them as evidence Of the truth.