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revelation divinely inspire d, are correlates,— the one implies the 
other, and each implies a miracle ; — neither could have been 
begun otherwise. Whatever, therefore, the value of miracles 
as mere evidences may be, they were at least essential to the 
nature both of a divinely- called Church and a divinely-inspired 
revelation. 
The Evidential Value of Miracles. — The value of miracles 
as evidences, says Professor Mansel, “ is a question which may 
be differently answered by different believers without preju- 
dice to their common belief. It has pleased the Divine Author 
of the Christian religion to testify His revelation with evi- 
dences of various kinds, appealiug with different degrees of 
force to different minds, and even to the same minds at dif- 
ferent times.”* This is a sufficient answer to the objection 
that Christian writers are not agreed among themselves as to 
the precise value of miracles as evidences. But as the miracles 
of the Bible profess to move in the sphere of redemptive 
work, and are themselves an essential and necessary part of 
that work, I cannot see how we are to regard them as mere 
evidences only. There may be a few of the miracles of the 
Bible less closely connected with the gift and development of 
revelation than others, but they were all either preparatory to, 
essential parts, or confirmatory of God’s revelation and will. 
They cannot, therefore, be viewed apart from the truth itself 
as mere evidences. The greater part of the hundred or more 
miracles in the Old Testament, and the most remarkable of 
them, cluster around the giving of the Law, the Exodus, and 
the times of the prophets, who were inspired to write parts of 
the Old Testament. 
Present Meed of Miracles. — It has been objected that miracles, 
if needed at all, were never more necessary than at this present 
time. “ When were miracles (it was asked in Essays cmcl 
Reviews) more needed than in the present day to indicate the 
truth amid manifest error, or to propagate the faith ? In 
this question, I think, there are confounded the gift and de- 
velopment of revelation, with a free acceptance of it; the 
facts of its divine nature and bestowal with its actual propa- 
gation. The faith, if it had to be propagated in every age by 
miracle, would require nothing short of continuous miracles ; 
which is absurd. But it would be very hard to conceive of 
any miracle which could possibly be of service to those who 
affirm that “ testimony is but a blind guide ” — that “ the 
essential question of miracles stands quite apart from any 
testimony ” — that “ if we had the testimony of our seuses to 
an alleged miracle, it would not establish it,” The objection, 
* Aids to Faith. f Pp. 125-6. 
