The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-18

Rev. DIR. James Mcleod, pastor OF
the First Presbyterian church, last
night gave the third of a series of
sermons on Christian Science. taking
tor his theme, Christian Science
Doctrine of Miracles" lie spoke as
follows
Among the many inialihlc proofs Of tho Truth
OF Christianity that OF miracles occupies con.
splcuous place. The Bible on a whole and in all
It's parts is miraculous book Its writer's were
mlraculously instructed and controlled Its cen.
'rdi doctrine deals with a miraculous person,
ana " we should eliminate its record Of miracles
We would rob IL OF more than half its charms.
MIRACLE DEFINED
u ~ significant that not one OF the inspretl
writers was authorized to define miracle. They
SIMPLY record the facts, and allow the miracles
10 speak for themselves. Definitions are admir-.
sbie for the sake Of precision, and for the pur.
pose OF discussion; but even IL we had a divincl,
inspired definition of a miracle it would scarcely
suu ahythng to its value as evidence for the
truths OF the Christian religion.
miracle has been variously defined as a
violation of natural law, and as q suspension OF
natural law and as q contravention OF natural
law and as an interference with natural law, and
as an event in the external world brought about
oy the Immediate efficiency, or simple volition Of
"on ana again 'as an act OF God which vsibly
deNiites from the ordinary working Of Ills
power, designed, while capable Of serving other
uses To authenticate Divine message" These
are few out OF great many definitions A
definition that would. perhaps. come as near to
the exact truth as any would be to say: 4
miracle is an event OF rare occurrence, and al
ways wrought for a special purpose, and is at
once both superhrman and supernatural. Wheth
er TINS definition be correct or not il i Ger
tinly applicable to all the miracles recorded
in the Bible, for they were only wrought on rare
occasions, and they We're all wrought for definite
and righteous purposes, and, in every case, the
worker was both supcrhuman and supernatural.
A NECESSARY BELIEF.
Every believer in the God Of the Bible is bound
TO believe in the miracle of the Bible. To every
christian the belief in miracles is a necessary
belief An infdel like Hume. or a pantheist
like spinoza. may deny the possibility Of miracles
but belief in the true God involves Of very
necessity belief in miracles. God Himself is
the miracle Of miracles. The man who believes
in the eternal and sclf.eNistrnt God, the Creator
OF all worlds, has no difficulty in believing that
lie has power enough to work all the miracles
recorded in the Bible. Ii miracles be- impossible
then God is impossible, and Jesus Christ is i'm.
possible, and the redemption and salvation of
sinners are impossible. But, il miracles be pos.
siblc, their occurrence may be verified by credible
testimony, and we have credible testimony of
the very highest order on which to base our
belief in Bible miracles.
CHRISTS CHARACTER.
The character Of Christ is unassailablc lie
would not deceive, and lie could not be dc.
ceivcd. We have His testimony. The same is
nelsurably true OF Chri>'s disciples and apostles
Their character, and their credbiity, and their
testimony are impregnablc. They could have
avoided prosecution, and they could have saved
their lives ii they had been willing to falsiy the
evidences OF their senses. They saw Christ work
miracles and they knew that, by Ills power,
they had themselves wrought miracles and we
have their testimony. Christ came into this
world to bear witness to the TRUTH" and Ills
truthfulness is conspicuous all through Ills
earthly life. lie reprovcd sin, and rebuked false.
hood, when He was well aware that His fidelity
to truth would result in His cnicitixion His
testimony is nfaible.
II is noteworthy that mostly all the miracles
OF Christ were wrought in the presence Of many
witnesses, and some witnesses were His bitter
toes. His critics were present when He raised
Lazarus from the grave. Whatever their opinion
as TO the source of Christ's power they could not
deny that He wrought a mighty miracle His
critics could not deny that lie gave sight in.
stantIy, to a man who was born blind, nor could
they deny that lie cast out devils All they
could do was To attribute His miraculous power
to Beelzebub. Hence, the tectimony Of Christ
and His disciples is corroboatcd by the testi
mony Of their foes.
AS STRONG As EVER
II has been suggested that miracles do not
furnish as strong testimony now, on behalf II
Christianity as they did In the days OF the
apostles and in the early Christian centuries
Time, we arc told, has weakened the force Of
their testimony, and II that be so, it is only
reasonable TO suppose that the time will come
when their testimony will have no force at ALL
There is nothing in this suggestion TO disturb
the faith OF Christian. Miracles are so inter.
woven with Christianity that the miraculous
threads cannot be removed without destroying the
entire web. Jesus Christ is Himself the greatest
miracle in the history Of the world. His name
is "above every name" II is not possible to
get rid of the testimony Of miracles without
A. the same time, getting rid OF the testimony
1f Jesus. The argument that would destroy their
force must first destroy His character. Thi.
being 80, there is not the least occasion to fear
that the testimony OF miracles will grow weaker
rs time advances, nor that in future ages, their
testimony will be entirely discarded ON the
.OntraTl, we believe that the claims of Christian
truth will be Acknowledged more widely as the
ages roll along, and, since miracles are part OF
Christian truth, their claims must be acknowl.