And this is the proposition of the Humes and Mills and the anonymous author of Supernatural Religion.
But Mr. Mill makes one or two remarks of great importance here: “The miracle, as an extraordinary fact, may be satisfactorily certified by our senses or testimony.” But then there is a power which can interrupt the course of general laws and act by its will so as to produce “casual circumstances.” Mr. Mill will say there is no miracle, but a previously unknown law. I only admit an extraordinary fact. But I have a fact that is not accounted for by any known law or cause. Adequate evidence is admitted of facts, and that there is no way to account for the fact. Suppose the fact to occur at the command of an individual, and repeatedly, and to be contrary to every known law, as walking on the sea: we have clearly what is not the effect of general laws but Contrary to them, and attached to an individual and those empowered by him. That there may be evidence of it is admitted; to deny it is merely returning, not to evidence or science, but to the assumption that there cannot be, which is just a petitio princippii, which before he did his best to deny practically, but now, pleading, the ignorance of science, seeks to throw necessary uncertainty on its being supernatural. We find, if, adequately certified, they always happened by the intervention of given individuals, never without them; that they never happened before at any time, by any natural cause known or unknown. They belong to no general laws, and they always happened when the will of these gifted persons interfered.
The other remark is that an important element of the question will be the conformity of the result to the laws (read “character,” for with “laws” given to others, save as sanctions, they have nothing to do) of the supposed agent.
I have said that the statement that a miracle can be certified by observation or testimony is important, as it was sought to be proved impossible. This may be easily understood by the statement, “If an alleged fact be in contradiction, not to any number of approximate generalizations, but to a completed generalization grounded on a vigorous induction, it is said to be impossible, and to be disbelieved totally.” —Mill's Logic (8th edition, ii. 115).
We have already seen there is no ground for this; for the induction is only from the course of nature known as general laws. And the miracle, if such, is “a casual circumstance,” like the origin of permanent causes, and has nothing to do with these “laws,” or it is not a miracle. The statement, then, that “we cannot admit a proposition as a law of nature and yet believe a fact in real contradiction to it” (Mill, ii. 167), is simply a statement that there can be no exercise of power—than the course of nature known to us. But this is simply absurd and a mere assumption, contrary moreover to their own admission—that the origin of all is by some power of which science knows nothing.
In sum, we come to the conclusion, or rather gather up their admissions, that casual circumstances have taken place, revealing power not within their experience or the general laws of science, and of which science can give no account. And that is just what a miracle is.
Let me now consider the way in which scripture presents miracles. It is alleged, and Christian apologists seem to acquiesce in it, that miracles are the proof of Christianity. This is a great mistake. They are graciously given of God in compassion to man's weakness to confirm the word. But the revelation of God in the word, His nature and actings, are the first things. Thus we have in Mark 16 the Lord working with them, and confirming the word by signs following. So in Heb. 2., God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy ghost. And this is so much the case, that a faith founded on miracles is not owned of the Lord; the moral element which links man's quickened soul with God is wanting. “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover on the feast day many believed in His name, seeing the miracles which He did; but Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men and needed not that any should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” It was a human conclusion, drawn from the testimony of His works, and a just one; there was no new life, no moral renewal; it was “what was in man.”
Hence we find as a fact clearly revealed to us in the ways of God, that, as a role, miracles were wrought only at the introduction and establishment of a divine religions order, or where it was abandoned by those whom He had not yet abandoned; in a word, where a testimony needed to be confirmed in this way. Thus Moses wrought miracles, but no prophet in Jerusalem (where, however evil, the people were, as a system, the religion established by Moses remained) over wrought miracles. When Israel had set up the golden calves, and God visited the people to maintain a testimony of the truth for a poor remnant, Elijah and Elisha work miracles.
Again, whatever the miraculous power, it was to confirm the truth proposed, never for self. Paul leaves Trophimus at Miletus sick. Yet how many had he healed? Epaphroditus was sick nigh unto death, but God had mercy on him.
Hence, if a miracle was wrought leading away from divine truth, the miracle-worker was to be stoned (Deut. 13.). In mercy to man, adequate outward testimony was given, leaving man without excuse; but faith. which God owned rested in the word, and its effectual working morally in the heart.
So the Lord puts the double character of His testimony: “If I had not come and spoken to them, they had not had sin, but now they have no cloak for their sin. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin, but now they have both seen and hated both Me and My Father.” But while condemned for rejecting this testimony, faith formed on this alone is not owned, because it was purely human faith and not the moral power of the revelation working in the heart. And faith which is Owned is always by the word. Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth. “My sheep hear My voice.” “He that heareth My word, and believeth [on] Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life.” “The words that I have spoken unto you they are spirit and they are life:” It is equally even the ground of judgment. “The word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day." Thus, while special miracles confirm the truth, yet if they are not attached to the truth known from the word they are to be rejected. The word is the test.
Further, closely connected with this is the fact that these miracles were entirely separated from any honor attached to the persons who wrought them, though of course they attested the divine character of their ministry; they were wholly a testimony borne to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all He taught. This is true even as to Moses' works of power; as. Ex. 16:88And Moses said, This shall be, when the Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. (Exodus 16:8), and elsewhere. “What are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.” And when once they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips, saying, “Hear now, ye rebels: must we bring you water out of this rock?” as an expression of the strict regime of the law, he was not suffered to lead the people into Canaan (Num. 20:1010And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? (Numbers 20:10)). So, Ants iii. 13, Peter disclaims all regard to himself or John, putting Jesus alone forward. The Lord's power and resurrection are that to which the miracles testified. This gives a definite character to them. There was no personal relief, as we have seen, no self-aggrandizement by them, no glory sought for themselves or for their company. So Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:1414Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, (Acts 14:14)).
Now, it was the opposite to this in every other case which tradition records. It was to glorify the individual, a St. Anthony, or Gregory Thaumattirgus, or Martin, or the church corporately—in a word, themselves. They were always from motives, or for objects, which the scriptural miracles never were.
The religion was already established as a religion, for which they had been needed. They were wrought in mercy to a tigress who brought a deer-skin in recompense to the saint for giving sight to her cubs, and was told the saint could not work miracles for her if she went on with such work; or setting a cow right which a demon was riding, whom the saint only could see, the now coming and kneeling to him, and she was ordered to go quietly back to the herd, which she did. This saint promised Satan salvation if he ceased to tempt man.
Or, to go back farther still, let any one, take the miracles of the pseudo-gospels, and see the miracles attributed to Christ; and if they cannot discern the difference of these and scripture, we need not be troubled about their judgment as to anything. The things I have referred to, were in the first centuries. The church was utterly fallen, it is a constant fact in the ways of God that He gives counter-checks. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. The form of holiness cannot be received as of God if it be not founded on the truth, nor what is presented as the truth if it be unholy, nor one who presents truth itself as a minister of God. if he be unholy. So pretended miracles, or apparent works of power, if used to confirm what is not the truth of the word, are to be at once rejected. I may be, unable to explain them: this alters nothing.; they are not of God. He can only give testimony to the truth. If the sign, be one of real power as we have seen in Deut. 13, if it deny the Lord or his word, it condemns the worker, but does not deceive him who knows the Lord, and walks with Him. This supposes the truth known, the testimony of the Lord in the word received; and that is our case, or else a heart deceived by falsehood which of course cannot discern.
And here we see the importance of the scriptural fact that miracles were on the introduction of the truth and to confirm it. There holiness of walk, truth, and power, went inseparably together. It was not a record of past miracles; nor, on the other hand, when truth was there, a meaner to judge pretended ones by, but the truth introduced with the accompanying testimony which none could deny. In the case of Christ neither heathen nor Jews denied them; they might ascribe them to Beelzebub, or magic, or the sham-hammaphoresh;, but the facts were there. Miracles were a present visible testimony which, in point of fact, did so affect men that the religion was established in the face, and in despite, of all the power of the world.
For, after all, Christianity exists, and has had a cause of its existence. That that existence was identified with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ is unquestionable for any sober-minded person. Next to His person and death, of which even heathen authors (of course of more weight with infidels, because they believed no truth) testify, came the truths they testified of, which indeed could not be separated from Christ's person and work; but with these, both in the case of Christ Himself and those He sent out, miracles accompanied the testimony to confirm it, and the testimony was believed, and the religion was founded, in the midst, doubtless, of violent opposition and persecution; but the testimony and the miracles were before the eyes of those who did believe. The account is that they saw persons, who had been dead and buried, alive again and conversant with men; all sickness at once healed; lunatics, and those held to be possessed—for the difference is clearly made—instantly healed and delivered. And a religion, which has possessed the civilized part of the world, was founded through the effect produced making head against every prejudice and the whole power of the Roman Empire; and divine truth such as meets and heals man's soul introduced by it.
Other religions have been compared with Christianity. Mahometanism, every one knows, was propagated by the sword, and gives a sensual paradise of houris consecrating men's lusts. Buddhism, the most interesting phenomenon in the world, had no god, and was in despair at the state of human nature without a remedy, and its founder obtained Nirvana—practical annihilation by eating too ranch pork when he was fully eighty years old. Now he is a kind of god, and, in one vast country where it prevails, embodied in a man, and when he dies another is ready prepared, and the living power passes into him.
The miracles the word of God insists on were for the establishment of the faith; and the faith was established, and the grace and truth taught in it shines yet with undiminished and undeniable moral luster; while its shell is picked at by those who do not like the truth itself, because it has a power which speaks too plain to conscience—proves itself too clearly divine for the conscience to like it.