The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1879-03-26

calling of dead man to life. Miracles be-
ing in their nature facts, can be 30 proved
by adequate human testimony as to make
doubt unreasonable. And of this we have
the demonstration given in such oVerwhelm'
ing arguments as those of DR.. Henry Ruff
ner in the University lectures on the EVi-
dences of Christianity, and of Starkie and
Greenlsaf in their philosophic views of the
laws of human belief But we must bear in
mind that ages Of miracles have been tssO
and far between. They are in fact the sea
sons of what may be called special and par
oxysmsl exercise of Divine power for high
purposes which do not reour except at i'm
menss intervals of duration. The heather
sentiment, "nec Deus intersit Risi digRus sat
UiMdics nOdus," which may be familiarity
paraphrased, "God does not intervene unless
the crisis be worthy of Him." may be with
some appropriateness applied to the doctrine
of miracles.
And therefore we are not to expect mira
cles in unmirsculous ages and seasons such
as we live in. And We have no warrant for
expecting God to OorE miracle in answer
to our prayers; and therefore we have no
right to pray for any temporal good or re-
suit, the granting of which would require q
miracle to be wrought of God. If "a Chris
tisn in cutting down tree by the side of
lake should find his axe fly from the heve
and sink in deep water, he would have no
warrant whatever for praying that the iron
implement might rise to the surface and float
on the water Neither is it very probable
that any one above an idiot would offer such
9 prayer!
But herein is the fatal error of reasoning
into which such philosophers as Tyndsll and
Newcomb fall on this subject. They are
obliged to admit that force or cause is at work
ell the time in the ordinary course of Ma
ture. But they arbitrarily and without a
shadow of reason ignore prayer entirely ss
suitable means for working out the ordinary
results of natural causes Now isAas been
agreed by the larger part of the scientists of
our day that Notion is the parent force, the
force of forces, the generating force to which
sl other forces such ss heat, electricity, mag
netism, galvanism are related, and that they
are sll correlated. Heat which was once
thought to be q substance and called caloric,
is now ascertsined to be only mode of mo-
ton. And whence comes motion if not from
God? Matter of itself has no motion. 1t lis
inert by essence and would never move with
out the forces emsnstiug from God.
What reasonable ground, then, is there for
denying that prayer, the earnest movement
of human soul towards God and in COM
munion with Him, may enter into the causes
under which the course of Nature is ope-
rated and controlled, Assuredly there is no
reason drawn from the nature of matter or
mind which forbids such belief. Nothing in
true philosophy or science negatives it and
inspiration expressly teaches it.
Hence we may pray to God for lawful
temporal good which is Of such nature and
under such conditions as that our prayer
may be granted Gf consistent with His wilD
in the ordinary course of Nature. And
among the causes working in this ordinary
course, it is both scientific and scriptursl to
believe that 'the efsctual fervent prayer of a
righteous man sVsileth much
From this discussion, We see at once how
unbelieving and unscienti6c was the answer
said to have been given by an eccentric min.
lister of the gospel to the application of his
people who, in time of great and long con-
tinusd drought which scorched up their
fields, entreated him to pray for rain. He
answered, " Brethren, l will pray, bat it
won't rain tiU the s0ind changes" The wind
would certainly change when heat caused .
semi mi.Vscuum in another region of the stmos-
phore, and heat would result from motion,
and motion might we'll answer to prayer
Nothing in true science, any more than in
Scripture, forbids as to believe that "Prsyer
moves the arm that moves the universe"
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