, 1876-07-15

vine can only be dcclIcl ny the conNid.
Grafton o! great number of other cir.
OF which the moral and
spiritual drift ot the events OF which at
formed a part, and the historical sorigin
and historical effect of that series of
events, are probably quite the most i'm.
pUrtant"
The second bomb which the ChwrL
Qaarteriy Rccic,r cXplodes under the po.
sitiOn assumed 10y u large class of Chris.
tian people is that miracles must not be
regarded as ~ suspension or intraction
Of the laws or principles OF nature, but
simply as the introduction OF such new
conditions, by the exercise OF n supcrnat-
urul will, rs will impress an articulalc
purpose and significance on those natur.
al cau~cs which, wien left to themselves.
could only be understood rs parts OF
system, not as embodying any ndividu.
Ill lCSStu' lHlS NlcN HAS DCtu SuDs'du'
TALLY taken by Hume and Others who
wrote before this time 1t is tantamount
to the declaration that, in case of n mir
acle, no existing condition of things has
been interrupted, no law has been sus.
pended, but some new condition has been
established setting in operation some
new phenomena Of nature, which are
prOpOrtionally mysterious and awe in
spring as the beholder is ignorant or
crcdulOus. The Re0ieIn draws the follow.
ing illustration: Thus our Lord warn
cd His Disciples against supposing that
the persons killed by the fall of the
Tower OF Sloan were in any sense pun
ished by what we now call Divine judy
mGnt All that could properly be in
ferred tOm the circumstance itself was
that all the eighteen suffered the natural
consequence OF some negligence on the
part OF the builders or conservatOrs OF
the tOwGr,-not that God had any com.
mon moral purpose-the same for all
in their death" This is very bold MS
sumption tor an evangelical church or
gan. II this be IN orthodox view, what
becomes Of the belief of many Christian
people that when theatcr takes fire and
lives are lost thereby, it is manitcsta-
tion of the anger of the Almighty
against those that were in attendance;
thut when n railroad-train running on
Sunday meets with disaster, it is Di-
vine judgment aud punishment .or that
when pleasure.boat sailing on the first
day Of the week, is blown over 10y a sud
den gust tand some one is perha IS drowned
1t is Il direct visitation ol DIVINE displeas-
ure ut the violation of the Sabbath I"
The rationale Of the miracle is thus con
cisely put by the RecieW:
2" All laws operating in the lower re-
gions of matter are at work also in the
higher, but their effects are vitality alter.
ed by fhe laws OF the higher chemical
laws assume the nechunical, but add
new and important principals which
wholly alter their effect vital laws rs.
sume chemical laws, but add new prin.
ciples which transform them; the action
OF the human will assumes physiological
laws, but adds new directing principle;
and so. too, supernatural events assume
the laws of all that we call natural phe-
nomena as their basis, and envolye only
new controlling principles which greatly
modify the isSue."I
As to the application of the miracle, it
says; "All the energies OF the physical
world are as constant duality, even in
relation to God, as they arc in relation to
man, and that God works miracles only
by altering the disposition of the forces
which He himself provides, and never 10y
creating new force The most impor-
tant feature Of this discussion of the mir
acle, is not so much its influence upon re
liGious philosophy, which will be very
important, as its indication OF gradual
change in perception of the laws Of the
universe, which progresses in proportion
to the spread of intelligence, investiga-
tion, and reflection. The more the hu.
man mind is enlightened, the iuster and
clearer become its conceptions of the ma
ture OF Divine Providence, and the laws
by which the Almighty governs men as
vel as spheres.-TriJwae.