MIRACLES AND SPECIAL PROVIDENCES 15 



acle to give proof, as distinguished from mere surmise, 

 of Divine design." 



Mr. Mozley adduces various illustrations of what he 

 regards to be special providences, as distinguished from 

 miracles. "The death of Arius," he says, "was not mi- 

 raculous, because the coincidence of the death of a here- 

 siarch taking place when it was peculiarly advantageous 

 to the orthodox faith . . . was not such as to compel 

 the inference of extraordinary Divine agency; but it was 

 a special providence, because it carried a reasonable ap- 

 pearance of it. The miracle of the Thundering Legion 

 was a special providence, but not a miracle, for the same 

 reason, because the coincidence of an instantaneous fall of 

 rain, in answer to prayer, carried some appearance, but 

 not proof, of preternatural agency." The eminent lec- 

 turer's remarks on this head brought to my recollection 

 certain narratives published in Methodist magazines, which 

 I used to read with avidity when a boy. The general 

 title of these exciting stories, if I remember right, was 

 "The Providence of God Asserted," and in them the most 

 extraordinary escapes from peril were recounted and as- 

 cribed to prayer, while equally wonderful instances of 

 calamity were adduced as illustrations of Divine retribu- 

 tion. In such magazines, or elsewhere, I found recorded 

 the case of the celebrated Samuel Hick, which, as it illus- 

 trates a whole class of special providences approaching in 

 conclusiveness to miracles, is worthy of mention here. It 

 is related of this holy man that, on one occasion, flour was 

 lacking to make the sacramental bread. Grain was pres- 

 ent, and a windmill was present, but there was no wind 

 to grind the corn. With faith undoubting, Samuel Hick 

 prayed to the Lord of the winds: the sails turned, the 



