82 CAKON E. B. GTEDLESTONE^ ON THE SCEIPTURAL IDEA, ETC. 



Professor Orchard. — All religion is based upon the supernatural, 

 and in the case of Christianity, the supernatural involves the 

 miraculous. Eliminate the supernatural, and (as we are reminded 

 on p. 75) there will be no Gospel left worth preaching or believing. 



A miracle may, I think, be defined as an unusual manifestation of 

 supernatural .power. As pointed out by the author, Christ is 

 Himself " the miracle of miracles." Kenan has justly remarked that 

 the character of the Lord Jesus is such that it could not have been 

 invented — " It would require a Jesus to invent a Jesus." 



The miracles which He Avrought were always attestations to His 

 mission and teaching, that men, believing in Him, might have life 

 through His name. 



The Secretary wished to join in his expression of gratitude to 

 the author, not only for the paper but for the willing manner in 

 which Canon Girdlestone had undertaken to prepare it, when it was 

 suggested to him on the occasion of a meeting which took place at 

 Whitby last summer. Such papers as that now before the meeting 

 could not fail to be helpful to many anxious minds, tending to 

 strengthen faith in the miraculous statements both of the Old and 

 New Testaments, and particularly at a time when indifference and 

 unbelief is unhappily prevalent in society. KnoAving how full of 

 work is Canon Girdlestone, he (the Secretary) felt it was especially 

 kind in him to undertake a task which must have added much to 

 his labours."^ 



A warm vote of thanks was then passed to the author, who 

 replied to a few points raised in the debate, and the meeting 

 separated. . 



* In reference to the miracle of the raising of Lazarus from the dead, 

 which to us seems one of the most notable, and was certainly one of the 

 most publicly recognised, it may be suggested that our Lord exercised 

 his power rather to preserve the body of Lazarus from decomposition 

 than to raise it to life after decomposition had set in. Tlie statement, 

 a very natural one of Martha (John xi, 39), was not assented to by the 

 Saviour, who always adopted the simplest means in carrying out His 

 gracious purposes. Having from the beginning deterun'nod on calling 

 Lazarus from the grave He would in accordance with this view have 

 adopted the simpler course above suggested. — Ed. 



