78 THE LIGHT OF DAY 



To expect a man to affirm it by his unaided reason, 

 or upon any grounds of evidence that can be had, is 

 to expect the impossible. But Dr. Fisher says we 

 have proof in its nature experimental, like the veri- 

 fication of the calculations of the astronomer by an 

 eclipse occurring exactly on time ; namely, in the 

 miracles. But if an appeal is made to reason, does 

 he not see that reason demands proof that the 

 miracles occurred ? Eclipses take place in our day, 

 but miracles do not. The laws and processes of 

 nature are continuous, but theology introduces us to 

 a world devoid of continuity. 



Theologians lay much stress upon contemporary 

 belief and opinion — upon the statement of those 

 who themselves either witnessed the miracles or 

 simply voiced the popular belief in their reality. 

 But in such matters contemporary opinion counts 

 for but little. The contemporary belief in the real- 

 ity of witchcraft is overpowering. There is not merely 

 a cloud of witnesses — there is a world of witnesses. 

 The contemporary belief in the statue of Lot's wife 

 upon the shores of the Dead Sea and of the marvel- 

 ous character of the Dead Sea itself — namely, that 

 it was black and sticky, that it spit forth fire, that 

 it threw up great foul masses that burned like pitch, 

 that the fruit upon its shores was filled with ashes, 

 etc. ; the testimony of reputable travelers, Jews, 

 Christians, and Mohammedans, who had visited the 

 sea and witnessed these wonders — is as convincing 

 as such testimony can be. Tet do we not now 

 know that either the witnesses saw falsely, or else 



