Experimental investigation of the spirit manifestations, [electronic ...

404 RELIGIOUS ERRORS OF MR. MAIIAN.being would resort to such miracles as would produce the desired effect;not such as would be only partially seen or believed^ and would become anew source of discord. Omnipotence could certainly devise miracleswhich could be seen and be believed in by all men; and which would soimpress their minds, as to make them believe in what they should hearand see. By a single fiat, God, if as omnipotent as represented in Scripture,could make all his people of one mind. He would not send them a'' sword to separate father from child, mother from daughterj motherin-lawfrom daiighter-in-laic," and to make the subordinates of each household,rise in rebellion against their master. A prescient God would notperform miracles of such doubtful character as, for want of evidence, tooblige one of the miracle-makers to enforce a belief in them by treacherousand cruel assassination, as did Moses. God would require no evidence ofhis miracles but such as could be recorded in the minds of believers. Hewould not have the records of his will so situated, as to be liable to be confoundedwith the fabrications of priestcraft.he would not have drowned a herd ofswine, merely to give those immortalmiscreants a ducking.If devils were to be cast out,19G3. So far are the miracles narrated in the gospel from commandijigmy credence, that the account of them proves to me, that the Evangelistswere men without discretion, in recording any thing so absurdand incredible,and so useless to the main object, of giving a knowledge of God,and of the 'incans of reaching a future ha/ppij state.19G4. How absurd to represent God as performing miracles remotelyand indirectly bearing upon his object, instead of exercising his omnipotentpower universally, effectually, and at once !1965. If God were to adopt any miraculous means to make his willknown, they would not be such as would fail in attaining their end.None but an idiot would resort to measures foreknown to be incompetentto the object for which they should be devised. As no miracles that havebeen alleged to have been performed have been productiveof general convictionof the truth of the creed which they have been alleged to support,it follows that they could not have had a divine origin. A prescientGod would not have resorted to incompetent miracles.196G. This reverend author is likewise of opinion that nothing butmiracles can be appealed to as evidence of the divine origin of Christianityor of any other religion.1967. When miracles are appealed to by different sects, in support oftheir conflicting pretensions, itmust result that, if religion is to be foundedonly on miracles, that religion only can be recognised as truewhose miraclesare so pre-eminently evident as to abrogate all others that conflictwith it. But it is notorious that the miracles brought forward by eachsect are denied, if not ridiculed, by others. Appealing to miracles is, infact, appealing to the human evidence on which they depend. In like