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ORDINAEY MEETING, March 1, 1886. 



Rev. a. I. McOaul, M.A., in the Chaie. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and the 

 following Elections were announced : — 



Members : — Professor J. B. de Motte, United States ; Eev. 0. E. 

 Sherard, Braintree ; E. F. Wyman, Esq., London. 



Also the presentation of the following works for the Library : — 



" Bulletins of the Geological Sarvey of the United States." From the same. 

 " Transactions of the Anthropological Society of Washington." „ 



" Transactions of the Numismatic Society of Philadelphia." „ 



" Report of the Comptroller of the Currency of the United States." „ 



The following paper was then read by Mr. H. Oadman Jones, the author 

 being unavoidably absent. 



ON MIRACLES : THE FORCE OF TESTIMONY. By 

 the Rev. H. 0. M. Watson, St. John's, Christchurcli, 

 New Zealand. 



ANALYSIS OF THE ARGUMENT. 



It is objected that testimony cannot prove a miracle : Various 

 definitions of a miracle. Hume's accepted as a fair account of a miraculous 

 occurrence : a violation of the laws of nature. 



A. i. Objection. That a miracle is impossible. 

 Two divisions of this objection : — 



1. That there is no power adequate to its production. 



This postulates on the part of the objector a complete knowledge of 

 the forces of the universe. 



2. That a miracle is inconsistent with Divine attributes — a 

 miracle is an afterthought, and impugns the wisdom or the 

 power of God. 



The attributes of God are known only or mainly through revelation, 



which also reveals miraculous operations, 

 (a) Mr. Babbage's reply to this objection complete, but unsatisfactory. 

 (6) Contrivance the law of created being. Means to an end is 



contrivance, 

 (c) A miracle is in relation to God what an act of will is in relation 

 to Man. 

 ^Mill's opinion. 



