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Show HUBERT LARKIN AND MIRACLES. Wheir Hubert Lark in, in the explanatory correspondence cor-respondence which we publish this morning, writes that "miracles are the foundation of our faith." wo believe that he is logically and theologically wrongi Faith is the free gift from God and is given to the soul when it receives the Sacrament of Baptism. We are persuaded that the real and only ground of certitude in the supernatural order is Faith Did our knowledge of the supernatural rest for it-validity it-validity on the evidence of Miracles, it would br difficult to see why St. Paul should assert Faith tc be the evidence of things not seen. Xo evidence can prove a miracle to any one who did not p:viously believe the existence of a Supreme Being possess ing supernatural power. To a man destitute of the gift of Faith a miracle has no more value than s mathematical demonstration to a man destitute of the gift of Reason. Faith is to the supernatural life what Reason is to the natural life. Failh is a free gift from God, fitting us to re ceive supernatural truths. Without it. we are indeed in-deed imperfect; and in view of what is our proper end. our being is. in a manner distracted. To the supernatural, a mail without Faith stands iu tlv same relation as the idiot does to the Natural Hence St. Paul, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, Corinthi-ans, distinctly states that: "The natural man coi: not understand the things that are of the kingdom of God; they are foolishness unto him." But to the man in whose soul is implanted thr germ of the gift of Faith, the evidence; of miracles is of the highest value, not. indeed, as teaching hire the existence of the supernatural, but as affording him proof of the authenticity of the messuage which the miracle-worker delivers to. him. and of his commission com-mission or authority to deliver it. That this is the real proper office of miracle? seems to be shown from the second chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews, where St. Paul tells them that their faith was confirmed: "by signs and wonders won-ders and divers miracles." So likewise in the fact: of our Lord's ministry. Probably the greater number num-ber of His mighty works were performed though most of them are unrecorded by the Evangelists in those cities or towns where He specially says the greatest and least excusable unbelief obtained. "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Beth-saida! Beth-saida! for if in Tyre and Sidon had been done the mighty works which have been dono in you, they would long ago have done penance m sack-cloth and ashes." These miracles were done by our Blessed Lord as proofs that He was what he claimed to be, and that, being the Messiah, he ought to be believed. Those "mighty works" were wrought also, as confirmations con-firmations of the faith of the Disciples. And it is noteworthy that miracles succeeded the calls of the Apostles. For instance, St. Peter followed Christ long before he had seen any miracle; and afterward when the miracle on the Lake of Galilee was worked in his presence, it confirmed his faith indeed,., but that faith he had before exhibited, not only when he followed our Lord at Jordan, but when in obedience obedi-ence to His command he thrust out from the shore, "and let down the net for a draught." Again, what does St. John mean when, in tho' fourth chapter of his Epistle he warn! us: "Believe "Be-lieve not every spirit, bu try the spirits whether they be of God." For unless we already had faith, how could we distinguish the miracles of the gooc-spirits gooc-spirits from the wonders performed by devils or by mediums acting as the agents of devils? A miracle, then, is the manifestation of the Su. peruatural, and is no violation of the natural law but is above it. Tfherd is no antagonism here between be-tween the Natural and the Supernatural. The miracle mi-racle is simply a new fact, a, bringing in of an additional ad-ditional agency and it is the introduction of this new element that clears the mlrftcle from the charge of being a violation of Natural Law. But Faith first, then Miracles. Miracles are not the only manifestations of the Supernatural. The miraculous miracu-lous is the extraordinary way in which the Creator of all manifests the Supernatural to his creatures, but the Sacrificial and the Sacramental are the ordinary or-dinary methods. , It is the province of Reason to judge of the Natural; Nat-ural; with the Supernatural it has no right.-. to interfere. in-terfere. There, Faith is our guide, standing' in the i same relationship to the Supernatural thai : Reason does to the Natural. And so it comes to this; that the controversy between the'Christian and the Unbeliever Un-believer or Rationalist,, is from a metaphysical point of view, the Supernatural against the -Natural; from the logical point of view. Faith against Reason. - - , One more word. As we often see a man lose the gift of reason by a misuse of his faculties, that is by a disregard of the laws of Nature; so is faith destroyed de-stroyed in many a soul, by the misuse of the gift of grace, by disregard of the laws or order of the Supernatural. Apart from the assumption that miracles torrn the foundation of our' Religion. Hubert Larking letter is a distinct awakening of our memory, and a distinct addition to our knowledge of God'? dealings with His Creation. We earnestly suggest to our readers to look into it carefully. . |