ON MIRACLES. 213 



nature, and tLat tliat course of nature has not been departed 

 from throughout the entire chain of events, forwards or 

 backwards, from the present circumstances on which we 



formed our inference, to the conclusion In other 



words, any argument to prove a past event, expressed in 

 a properly - guarded manner, would run thus : — Assuming 

 there has been no departure from the course of nature, or, in 

 other words, no miracle has intervened, such and such an 

 event took place. I may illustrate this by the simplest case 

 of inference. Suppose I conclude that some event has taken 

 place, because a witness of good chai-acter tells me he saw it. 

 I must in that place qualify my conclusion by the assumption 

 that no miracle has taken place ; for be my witness ever so 

 trustworthy^, be his vison ever so cleai', his memory ever so 

 good, his judgment ever so sound, it would but involve a 

 miracle that he should deceive or be deceived." 



'^Arguments to prove past events are valid only in the 

 assumption that the course of nature, as known to us, has not 

 been departed from." 



This argument has seemed to some minds to be very 

 powerful and conckisive. The uniformity of nature is our 

 guarantee for the likeness of the men of a past age to the 

 men of the pi^esent age. We know the principles, motives, and 

 habits of men now. We assume, nature being uniform in 

 her operations, that men in the past were actuated by like 

 principles, motiyes, and habits. 



The fallacy of the above argument, that a miracle is 

 destructive of the validity of testimony, may be thus exhibited 

 in logical form : — 



If testimony is true then a miracle has occurred. 



If a miracle has occurred then nature is not uniform. 



If nature is not uniform then testimony is not true (cannot 

 be depended upon). 



If testimony is not true then a miracle has not occurred. 



If a miracle has not occurred then testimony is true. 



If testimony is true then a miracle has occurred, and so 

 on, ad infinitum. 



Or, to express the argument symbolically : — 



If A is B, C is D. 



If is D, E is not F. 



If E is not F, A is not B. 



If A is not B, C is not D. 



If C is not D, E is F. 



If E is F, A is B. 



