LECTURES AND ESS A YS 



preached, essays were published, articles were 

 written, while a copious correspondence occupied 

 the pages of some of the religious newspapers. 

 It gave me sincere pleasure to notice that the 

 discussion, save in a few cases where natural 

 coarseness had the upper hand, was conducted 

 with a minimum of vituperation. The severity 

 shown was hardly more than sufficient to 



demonstrate earnestness, while gentlemanly 

 feeling was too predominant to permit that 

 earnestness to contract itself to bigotry or to 

 clothe itself in abuse. It was probably the 

 memory of this discussion which caused another 

 excellent friend of mine to recommend to ray 

 perusal the exceedingly able work which in the 

 next article I have endeavoured to review. 



MIRACLES AND SPECIAL PROVIDENCES' 



1867 



IT is my privilege to enjoy the friendship 

 of a select number of religious men, 

 with whom I converse freely upon theo- 

 logical subjects, expressing without dis- 

 guise the notions and opinions I enter- 

 tain regarding their tenets, and hearing 

 in return these notions and opinions 

 subjected to criticism. I have thus far 

 found them liberal and loving men, 

 patient in hearing, tolerant in reply, who 

 know how to reconcile the duties of 

 courtesy with the earnestness of debate. 

 From one of these, nearly a year ago, I 

 received a note, recommending strongly 

 to my attention the volume of Bampton 

 Lectures for 1865, in which the question 

 of miracles is treated by Mr. Mozley. 

 Previous to receiving this note, I had in 

 part made the acquaintance of the work 

 through an able and elaborate review of 

 it in the Times. The combined effect 

 of the letter and the review was to make 

 the book the companion of my summer 

 tour in the Alps. There, during the wet 

 and snowy days which were only too 

 prevalent in 1866, and during the days 

 of rest interpolated between days of toil, 

 I made myself more thoroughly con- 

 versant with Mr. Mozley's volume. I 

 found it clear and strong an intellectual 

 tonic, as bracing and pleasant to my mind 

 as the keen air of the mountains was to 

 my body. From time to time I jotted 



down thoughts regarding it, intending 

 afterwards to work them up into a 

 coherent whole. Other duties, however, 

 interfered with the complete carrying out 

 of this intention, and what I wrote last 

 summer I now publish, not hoping to 

 be able, within any reasonable time, to 

 render my defence of scientific method 

 more complete. 



Mr. Mozley refers at the outset of his 

 task to the movement against miracles 

 which of late years has taken place, and 

 which determined his choice of a subject. 

 He acquits modern science of having had 

 any great share in the production of 

 this movement. The objection against 

 miracles, he says, does not arise from 

 any minute knowledge of the law of 

 nature, but simply because they are 

 opposed to that plain and obvious order 

 of nature which everybody sees. The 

 present movement is, he thinks, to be 

 ascribed to the greater earnestness and 

 penetration of the present age. For- 

 merly miracles were accepted without 

 question, because without reflection; but 

 the exercise of the " historic imagina- 

 tion " is a characteristic of our own time. 

 Men are now accustomed to place before 

 themselves vivid images of historic facts; 

 and when a miracle rises to view, they 

 halt before the astounding occurrence, 

 and, realising it with the same clearness 



1 Fortnightly Review, New Series, vol. i. , p. 645. 



