necessity ; and, if we only keep our ideas of botli distinct, we 
need feel no difficulty in reconciling both with foreknowledge, 
even as that is in the Divine mind.* 
The great practical question will be found in the end to be 
this — what has the Great Dispenser determined as to the con- 
ditions on which He will act ? Has He made His action in 
any degree dependent upon man’s asking ? 
But this belongs to moral rather than to metaphysical 
science. It is clear that there is no physical or metaphysical 
difficulty in the way of such a suspension. The difficulties 
appearing to exist are purely imaginary, and the fruit of 
modes of reasoning whose defects are transparent the 
moment we take all the facts of the case into considera- 
tion. Here, as in many other matters, we find a defective 
science, or a defective logic rather, at the foundation of objec- 
tions that look terribly formidable in their bearing against 
Christian truth. The flagrant fault is in the “ science/"’ Fault 
there is none in the Bible doctrine. 
At this point we come upon the question as to miracles. 
Is a miracle a suspension of natural law ? Hume says, “ A 
miracle is a violation of the laws of nature.”! If suits his 
purpose to say so. However clear our view is of God’s agency 
as actual, and as to a certain extent depending in its 
acting on human action, we are strongly constrained to 
believe in His adherence to law. Consequently, when a 
careful thinker is told of a suspension or infraction of natural 
law on the part of the Divine Agent, he cannot help feeling 
as if a serious difficulty were thrown in his way. It is this 
which we think gives Hume’s celebrated argument against 
miracles the power it has wielded over credulous minds. He 
says that “ a firm and unalterable experience has established 
these laws.” The fulcrum on which he rests his lever is 
what he thus calls “ experience.” And it cannot be 
denied that, so far as history records the experience of man, 
it is no easy matter to find in it a recorded instance of sus- 
pension or infraction of a true natural law. If that history 
records anything it records miracles, but those miracles which 
it does record are neither suspensions nor infractions of 
either natural or moral law. Hume is not entirely free from 
all suspicion of dishonesty, however, in this. He confounds 
* The best view of “ Divine Prescience ” I have seen, is given by 
Mr. Reddie in his Fresh Springs of Truth , — London : C. Griffin & Co. 
1865 (pp. 168-179), — a little volume of exceedingly courageous, yet cautious 
and valuable thought. — J. K. 
t Hume's Essays , Vol. II., pp. 120, 133, 138, Ed. 1800. 
