| Show THE philosophy OF MIRACLES A miracle is an impossibility so go say the disciples disciple ri of huxley ingersol and other modern agnostics as they choose to call themselves although they frequently depart from the negative position of know ism and make positive assertions sert ions like that we have quoted it often happens that these dogmatic utterances carry some weight with them because of the technical signification attached to a term it is so with the sentence that commences this article its truth or importance depends upon the meaning of the word miracle those who deny the possibility of such a prodigy define ne a miracle as something contrary to the laws of nature taking this as aa a proper signification of the term they are able to bring forth some strong reasons against the existence of such a phenomenon any amount of testimony that may be adduced as evidence that miracles have been performed whether it be written or oral ancient or modern counts for nothing against the fiat of their impossibility ot of course if they cannot be all who say they are or have becia must be either deceivers or deceived A great deal of ridicule has been in infidels and tics bics at the expense of persons who profess belief in the miracles said mid to have been wrought by divinely called mini minister stere and teachers in times of old it is all based on the technical meaning the sc offers have attached to the word but while some religious people may have accepted the accounts given in the without thought as to whether the marvels described were violations of natures laws or not the most thoughtful and careful investigating believers repudiate the agnostic interpretation of the term and simply view the phenomena as effects of causes with which they are not familiar they do not believe in effects without a cause nor in anything really contrary to the operations of nature of co urse when the existence of a personal deity to is accepted the power of that being to produce marvels and to overrule and subvert nature must be conceded but the intelligent student of divine science perceives that the almighty is the god of nature and that he work in and through and by the principles of nature and that he is consistent with himself and his own established laws and therefore does not disrupt them or with their due process their understanding of the term miracle is well explained in the sub joined which is clipped from the toronto week I 1 in u the greek testament there are am three words used which may all be included in the generic term miracles viz mereia berata fyna these three are rendered very literally in R V by signs wonders and powers respectively occasionally the last named is accorded the old fashioned term mira cles 11 1 1 A miracle then according to the new testament is dy namia a power or the effect of a power Z force or energy which is mysterious or unknown to us and is therefore feras a marvel or wonder and also wm semeion eion a sign or token that the worker of the miracle possesses pos esses a power beyond our ken and so the miracle inspires ins ires us with a reverence and awe odthe of the worker thereof in that case it may be replied any one who astonishes another with some trick of jugglery or legerdemain performs a miracle well so he e does it Is a miracle to the beholder so long as he can not u understand the modus operands operandi for a miracle i ea marvel is such only relatively and ana subjectively it is no marvel to the performer V tc him it is only a matter of course the sudden eclipse of the moon wrought by the magazine in my hand was a miracle to the mosquito the white man in the heart of africa performs mira miracles cleo in the eyes of the blacks the english heroes of king solomons mines did perform veritable miracles so far as the beholders beholden were concerned they really and truly prophesied an eclipse which actually came to pass bee luse chev were possessed of information if it was a penny almanac which transcended the comprehension of the blacks again let an untutored savage bo taken into new york or some seaport town let some one say to him you see that h huge uge rock some three or four miles off in the midst of the bay inasmuch as that rock is in the way of the ships I 1 have decreed its destruction st this little child here shall at my bidding touch this little button the moment she does so you will see that huge rock shattered into a thousand esl I or again the untutored savage in the company of a similar guide is iu the midst of a large town at midnight all is in total darkness his guide says stand still and I 1 will show you a great wonder I 1 will give the word and ina in a moment the whole city will be ablaze with light can fancy with which the noble red man would receive such assertions but when those assertions were verified he would be convinced of the truth of the miracles for miracles in every sense of the word powers wonders signs they would be to him now let him go home to his wigwam wig warn in the west and recount the mighty works that he has seen and we may picture to ourselves the shrug of incredulity with which his testimony would be rec received elved we imagine that the braves woula would think their traveled brother was drawing the longbow long bow and we can make allowances AX tor them if they should conclude that no amount of testimony could establish the truth of such miracles but they would be wrong all the same now if god reigns over all this vast universe if he should choose to comma communicate licate with pie his creatures on this insignificant little planet he would surely do so in a way miraculous to us and in no other the latter day saints believe lu in miracles but view them as operations of natural laws and produced by a force or forces which are sometimes called supernatural because they are above the comprehension of the natural mind and they are not dependent upon the testimony handed down concerning them from bygone ages they have witnessed and them for them selves what are recognized as natural forces are not fully comprehended even by the most learned and scientific of our times therefore it is unreasonable to reject testimony as to the supernatural because it is not understood gravitation is spoken of familiarly to account for phenomena which cannot otherwise be explained but what is the force that goes by that name and is it not possible that there are forces which when set in motion naturally counteract the effects of gravitation also is it not probable that the same force may be reverse dand that the power by which the axe floated in the days of elisha was simply the reverse action of the identical force by which that implement went to the bottom of the brook it is easy to talk about weight but what is weight other than gravitation and what is a the force that is called by that name and ordinarily acts on fixed principles gravitation is temporarily overcome by a temporary exercise of some other force every day of our lives A boy can throw a ball up in air a balloon can be inflated and made to resist gravitation and conquer it the magnet exercises a mysterious power in opposition to iland none of these displays of power is called a miracle there is a force in faith which has been demonstrated thousands or times and has shown itself superior to what are called natural forces of natural laws and yet no doubt its operations are just as natural as those physical forces that commonly overcome gravitation who comprehends the unseen essence known as the vital force it is a reality yet it is beyond human control as it is beyond human perception cep tion when it ceases to act all living things perish and decay the senses reveal nothing concerning its source the laws that govern it or the key to its operations how far it may be regulated by higher or spiritual influences no mortal can determine yet it has been stimulated and moved upon by faith in former K and in latter days and the evide ofil of this fact are multitudinous it is the night hight of presumption the boasting scientist or tl speculative philosopher to guage powers and forces of the unive uni by his narrow experience experienc exper iene cua limited information and he W wl pronounces as the unknowable aa 1 t which is to him the uni simply displays a dogmatism idl arrogance that are contemptible the power of the human win will i mysterious force in the p prea times of spiritual ignorance yet ye is being studied and its pot potency enci I 1 effects are being recognized mind acts upon mind and also matter is conceded what force is and how it operates la 18 V comprehended yet it is a fact must not be ignored and it human mind can act u upon n 0 minds and upon matter by pi ly natural but not under unde laws and principles who van uan that beings who have adva beyond this mortal sphere can i else a force just as natural and almighty god by the his will power ani and of perfect fai may operate on all his creatures f creations and that also in a cafa way through means and that may be to us mortals 1 cerious and supernatural and OS t nature offers to the mind ailt regions yet unexplored T the wise Bf V and most learned man that lives bask h but touched the outer rim or of M aw sphere of immensity should check his dogmatism sea r humility hamili ty restrain his dicta arf ac ia realms of the spiritual if f to him because he seeks to explore them if at all by means only of aw ahal senses are yet as real as this poor crude world of ours and to otaw if not to him offer problems probles US to boh 1 and hights of knowledge to reba reach which are worthy of the g energies of the soul tind and the est eat efforts of both spiritual and fi t tel humanity |
