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such order and harmony ? It is not enough to tell me, it is ; we can see 
that. But we want the living presence ; and this living presence (the solu- 
tion to all the questions with regard to miracles) is the Most High, who 
created all things according to His own will. Can you tell me how light is 
produced ? Or what, on the other hand, is darkness ? Why (for a third 
instance) are all things in nature circular ? Whence these wonderful powers ? 
We use the term “ nature,” it is true, as if we understood what is natural 
and what supernatural ; but all these things can only be understood when 
connected with one beautiful order and harmony by the Almighty. Now, for 
one moment again, to look at our individual selves, it is quite true, what was 
said in one of the papers read, there must be connected with man somewhat 
of all the principles of the material and spiritual universe, centred in him in 
one way or another. How is it that words, for instance, declare “ my will,” and 
that my thoughts spring up into ideas, and are embodied in the words I now 
utter in this assembly ? Here are beautiful mysteries, proving that my 
origin is not mere matter, not a merely temporary thing, not merely an 
advance on a monkey ; but rather is it not in this way, that man is 
“ made in the image and likeness of God ” ? Man feels that nothing is im- 
possible with Him. When I go to the Gospels, I see the manifestation of the 
Creator on the earth, in the marvellous things done by Christ’s word. When 
He speaks to the fig-tree, and commands it to bear no fruit ; there is a power 
from Himself which goes forth — the thing is done ; and so in all His miracles. 
He is thus a true light to me, and He solves all mysteries in creation by the 
mysteries of redemption ; He brings to light the things of darkness, and leads 
me and brings me home to that Paradise which I lost in the Fall. So we say, 
again, that men of science, if asked the cause of electricity, answer they do 
not enter into causes, and that we must be content with phenomena. But that 
is no answer, and I know the best men of science will admit that there must 
be a mysterious power besides, which they cannot reach. That leads us up to 
the Eternal. In Him we live and move and have our being ; and His living 
Presence alone is the solution of the whole question. 
Hr. Gladstone. — I should like to express the great admiration with which 
I listened to the first of the papers read this evening. The second was also 
interesting ; but I think we ought to avoid using the term miracles in the sense 
in which it was employed in that paper, — a totally different sense to that 
used in the first, and not miracles in the true sense of the word. Accepting, 
therefore, miracles in the proper sense in which the term is employed in the 
paper of Mr. English, I may perhaps be allowed to make one or two remarks. 
The first is, that the paper scarcely went beyond showing (that, however, it 
proved most conclusively) the possibility of miracles. It also stated, that 
supposing God to give a revelation to man, not only were miracles a prion 
possible, but also probable and necessary, because revelation itself was a 
miracle. But it appears to me that supposing God is about to communicate 
anything to His creature man, miracles are, a priori , probable in another 
sense besides that which is spoken of in the paper. It is quite clear, con- 
sidering the power of man’s imagination and the large number of false 
