divine and human, who raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, healed the sick, and finally raised Himself from the dead, and ascended into heaven, without feeling that reason is powerless to comprehend it, that it is out of the course of our natural experience, that it is to us a miracle.

We forbear to enter further into detail on this important subject, but gladly leave the task to abler pens, who will, we doubt not, fully establish, to the satisfaction of every reader of the Controversialist, the position, of which we have only outlined the proof, that a belief in the miraculous is essential to personal Christianity. R. S.

NEGATIVE ARTICLE.-I.

CHRISTIANITY is a faith. It consists of a doctrine, a law, and a worship. Its introduction into the world forms a history, and is contained in the Gospels. This history is filled with details about the origin of that faith, its early promoters and its divine institutor. The method adopted to establish that religion in the world as a definite fact and an active spiritual agency is there duly recorded. This is the history of Christianity, but it is not Christianity. The record the law, the doctrine and the worship-are not all in all and inseparable. Belief in the doctrines of Jesus, faith in him as a Saviour, sincerity in the worship of God, and

"Of the world's ransom, blessed Mary's Son,"

and perfect honesty in the attempt to live according to his divine example are perfectly consistent with the disbelief in the miraculous -as commonly understood and relied on.

In Jewry, "stubborn Jewry," where scepticism' arose from a mistaken faith-a faith in an earthly king-Messiah, such means as were requisite to convince the Hebrews might have been legitimately used, and might have seemed, and indeed been, to them, miraculous, i. e., wonderful, although they need not necessarily have been miraculous, i. e., supernatural.

"The means that Heaven yields must be embraced
And not neglected; else if Heaven would

And we will not, Heaven's offer we refuse."

Hence the Jews, who, through hardness of heart believed not, were in quite a different position from those who accept the doctrine and law of Christ, but do not feel the need of any farther belief in miracle than that is which acknowledges God's mercy amidst undeserving, and Him who was sent as an all-sufficing sacrifice for human sin.

The question of miracle lay at the root of the introduction of the Gospel, as a belief, into the great historic theocracy to be thence spread throughout all the earth; but it does not necessarily lie at the root of any one's personal christianity. This is obvious, not only from reason, but from Scripture, as, for example (John xiv. 11), "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else

believe me for the very works' sake," in which an alternative is offered, either of believing in Jesus as a divine teacher on the testi. mony of His own character; or if that were too great for the weakness of faith, then to believe on account of the miracles He performed. This, too, is only a reiteration of what he had previously said (John x. 38)," Though ye believe not me, believe the works," in which clearly the greater and holier faith is regarded as being "faith in Jesus Christ" in Himself, not faith in Jesus Christ on account of His miraculous doings among men on earth. This same idea is corroborated in (John iv. 41), where after telling us that many of the Samaritans believed on Christ because of the marvellous testimony of the woman of that city, that he had told her all things that ever she did, it is added, And many more believed because of his own word." In fact, the divineness of Christ's doctrine is the primary and superior ground of faith in Him and miracles constitute only a secondary ground-given in accommodation to the ignorance and folly of man; and this we may see was the opinion of the Lord Himself; for He said to Thomas, the Doubter, because thou hast seen me thou hast, believed; "blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (John xx. 29). "We walk" in the

66

Christian life" by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. v. 7) of miracles, or aught else; for faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Christians are those "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation," (1 Peter i. 5) and to such persons the apostle Peter speaks of their Saviour as "Jesus Christ whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory," (1 Peter i. 7,8.)

Scripture, therefore, as we interpret it, regards faith in Christ as the first ground of a Christian's hope; but shows us that in accommodation to human weakness, man's anxiety for external proof, to sensible, in preference to moral or intellectual evidence, Christ condescended to afford a secondary series of evidence-that of works,-sufficient to convince the beholders, and so turn them to the faith; but leaving the glorious light of truth itself as taught by Him to manifest Him as the Son of God, He makes a moral claim on the belief of a moral creature; but because that creature is fallen, He has "humbled Himself" to give palpable evidence to such as it was most requisite to convince. We, however, must believe in Himself.

"Miracles are ceased,

And therefore we must needs admit the means
How things are perfected."

We can never believe in the miraculous; we can only believe, at the utmost, in the testimony given regarding the miraculous. This, however, is faith in testimony. The miraculous is not put in evidence for us. It is only given to show that in the early ages sufficient evidence, according to their own inclinations, was given to

those who sought extrinsic rather than intrinsic, evidence of the divineness of the mission and ministration of the Saviour. To them it was, or seemed, miraculous; to us it is only testimony; nor is it necessary that we should believe that any of the works of Christ were, in the ordinary acceptation of the word, miraculous, i. e., contrary to nature, and in contravention of its common laws, either by suspension, addition, or specific and extraordinary interposition and change. In the operation of grace in the soul, men may be truly christian, who believe in nothing miraculous in that sense, although they may (and often must) regard creation and Providence as one continued and magnificent miracle. We do not deny miracles; neither do we require to do so. All that we require here to do is, to show that the belief in them is not essential to saving faith, which we presume is the most satisfactory form of Christianity, inasmuch as it not only provides for holy living and holy dying, but for a never-dying, ever-living holiness in heart, speech, and behaviour; not bounded by time, but transcending it and passing into eternity. This truly is personal Christianity, and may be had and enjoyed, as we think, although the miraculous were wholly disbelieved in.

No man, we doubt, will be saved merely because he believes in the miraculous; but no man, we think, who truly believes in Jesus Christ, whatever else he disbelieves, will ever be put to shame or have salvation withheld from him.

Belief is something positive. Doubt is a double thought. It has two sides-it may, and it may not. Scepticism is the putting of opinions in a balance. Doubt is permissible in much; belief is only essential in one distinct item, viz., faith in the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ, (Jude 4). He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. xi. 6), and that is all. While Jesus says, "The works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me,' (John v. 36) adds a higher witness and better evidence, "And the Father Himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of me," (John v. 37). The higher sources of faith open to us reduce the single belief of the miraculous to quite a subsidiary place in the faith of Christendom; for the doctrines of Christ have approved themselves divine by their efficacy on the hearts and consciences of millions of dying Christians; and the evidence offered by Addison on behalf of Christianity is real and convincing, "See how a Christian can die." Such an evidence speaks trumpet-voice to the soul. So long as

แ Men must endure

Their going hence, even as their coming hither:
Ripeness is all."

And this ripeness is gained by faith in Jesus alone.

We will not pursue this theme further now, for we do not know

in what sense exactly our fellow readers of the British Controversialist may understand the topic. We have cast together our first impressions without attending to the minutia of controversy, being anxious to cast abroad light, if we could, over the question, and to lift it out of the region of verbal quibble, into that of christian consciousness. Our last argument will, therefore, be a solemn one, viz., were 66 a belief in the miraculous essential to personal Christianity" the eternal welfare of the soul would be based on the absolute capacity or incapacity of reason, and not on faith. If this were so, extreme weakness of intellect incapable knowing what a miracle is, as well as that high far-seeing power of genius which beholds only one miracle-God, and finds that explains all, would be alike cut off from participation in the mercy of God in Christ. Whereas, the apostle assures every Christian, "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God," Ephes. ii. 8. Whether, Oh, brethren, miracle is comprehensible to you, or testimony be doubtful, let Christ be your all in all.

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the richness of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exeeeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end."

We

If it should be asserted that this Faith itself is a miraculous gift, and cannot be felt or enjoyed except by those who feel within themselves the stirrings of the Holy Spirit; we would reply, that Faith is Christian Life, and that it is no more miraculous than any, or every, other good gift of God-as life, health, and all things. It is communicated in the natural way of God's dealings with man. know, that in a predetermined way and by appointed means the gifts of God are bestowed; and whenever a gift is got by the usual means there is nothing miraculous-the miraculous being some indefinite and unusual method of imparting or producing change, whether in the material or mental universe, or any of its parts. Hence Faith is not miraculous.

TIMOTHY.

Philosophy.

DOES CIVILIZATION NECESSITATE

DEMORALIZATION?

AFFIRMATIVE REPLY.

WE cannot say that civilization necessitates demoralization with out affirming also that it necessitates morality, since without the agency of civilization neither the one condition nor the other could possibly obtain.

Man without civilization—that is, in a state of nature-has no moral principle other than his conscience to guide him, has no tangible hope of a future, has no revelation of the cause, the purpose of his creation, and has consequently no sufficient knowledge or motive for the practice of moral principles; he, gratifying his natural desires and appetites, cannot infringe any moral law, for he has none; his conscience, being untutored, may to him recognise only a positive duty where the civilized being may behold unmitigated evil. For instance, the pursuit of arms, among savages as among civilized beings, is considered the most honourable profession to follow; the moral education of the one teaches him to consign the bodies of those who fall, to the keeping of the earth, and, by religious aid, blessing from on high is invoked on those who sleep the sleep of death; but the cannibal education of the other causes him to feast his own body on the remains of his fallen foe, and his religious belief teaches him that a wild war dance is the fitting preliminary to his sanguinary repast, and if compunction he should feel, it would simply be caused by the leanness of his victim.

Now each of these, the civilized and the savage, acts according to the principles he has received, and to act otherwise would be to shock the notions of propriety that each entertains.

This consideration will prove to us, therefore, that civilization necessitates first, morality, because to be demoralized must involve a falling from a higher position in the moral scale. Instance this by another word; depopulation means that the population which was once there has ceased to exist, so must demoralization mean that the morality which once existed has ceased to be.

Assuming, then, that civilization is the progress that man has effected on his condition by his own intelligence and exertions, we have, first, to consider in what this civilization consists; and, Secondly, Whether its results must lead to moral perfection, or to ultimate demoralization.

Now civilization, i. e., human progress, includes various and dis