“MIRACLES AND THE MIRACULOUS.”

Wairarapa Age, 2 March 1927, Page 6

“MIRACLES AND THE MIRACULOUS.”

ADDRESS BY THE REA’. G. S. KING

Below is given the second and concluding instalment of an outline of an address by the Rev G. S. King on “Miracles and the Miraculous.” The address was delivered in the Lansdowne Church before an inter-denomin-ational conference of the ministers ©f the Wairarapa:—

Continuing his address, Mr. King said: The contention that the possibility of miracles is excluded by the laws of nature is not scientific; for that which has happened, if properly authenticated, makes all laws bend before it. Laws have their validity and their utility only in virtue of things that have come within the scope of experience; whenever there is a clash between reality and stated law it is the law that must give way for the law rests upon pre-existent fact. It is surely the worst form of mental conceit to say that because we do not understand the principle of causation of any phenomenon we will not believe that it occurred. That would be to claim omniscience for ourselves. Wit> regard to miracles the scientist does not dogmatically deny their happening, he is prepared to examine critically in its sotting every recorded miracle, for he admits the possiblity of effects the causes of which are not understood. One encouraging thing to-day is that the crass materialism of forty years ago is not the creed of any first-rate scientist. Physicist and psychologist agree with the theologian that in the universe there is spirit as well as.matter. If the actuality of spirit be given, it is not difficult to account for miracles. If God is, then He is free—free to work His will if men. do not understand his activity. I believe that was in the mind of the Master when He, being asked to explain His own wonder* ful works, said ‘* My father worketh hitherto and I work.”

After the foregoing considerations it does not seem an unreasonable thing that miracles should happen; rather, their happening should help to fill out for us a propertly ‘balanced concept of God. The miracles of the Gospels served to authenticate the mission of our Lord and Jesus did himself use them in that connection, when the Baptist sent to Him to ask “Art thou He that should conio or do we look for another?” Jesus answered, “Go tell John what ye see and hear, the blind receive their sight c.nd the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear and the dead are raised up and thn poor the Gospel preached to them.” The working of miracles by Jesus Christ was a necessary concommitant of the introduction and prepatoiy period of the Gospel Dispensation and was proof that a new Divine revelation had been given to men.

One line of proof for miracles may be .grasped in a statement such as this: “The Miracles of the Gospels are proved by the miracles,wrought by the Gospel.” To me and to many others the crowning proof that miracles are possible is the character of Jesus Christ. There is in the Christian religion a wisdom more than human, a virtue unparalleled, a merciful, renovating regenerating influence contained in no other system, but 1 trace it all to the character of the Man Christ Jesus. As wo waten His Majestic figure in the narratives, His Goddike dignity, His Royal condescension, His human sympathy with the oppressed, His kindness to the fallen, His encouragement of those who were weak, the splendour of His selfless life and the stupendous tragedy of His sacrificial death; there bursts involuntarily from our hearts the confession of the centurion who saw Him die: “Truly this man is the Son of God ” and as the Son of God, there is no miracle that He might perform, that would raise a doubt in j>ur minds, for unto Him in heaven and earth is all power given., PROPER TREATMENT. If treated properly, a cut or wound ; s quickly all right, but if neglected it sometimes leads to blood poisoning. All wounds should be kept clean and free from dirt, and Chamberlain’s Pain Balm applied as quickly as possible. If applied to a cut at once, Chamberlain’s Pain Balm will remove all pain and cause the part to heal without leaving I a scar. Sold by Chamberlain’s Ltd., 520 Riley Street, Sydney.*