登陆注册
5155200000001

第1章

(1) As men are accustomed to call Divine the knowledge which transcends human understanding, so also do they style Divine, or the work of God, anything of which the cause is not generally known: for the masses think that the power and providence of God are most clearly displayed by events that are extraordinary and contrary to the conception they have formed of nature, especially if such events bring them any profit or convenience: they think that the clearest possible proof of God's existence is afforded when nature, as they suppose, breaks her accustomed order, and consequently they believe that those who explain or endeavour to understand phenomena or miracles through their natural causes are doing away with God and His providence. (2) They suppose, forsooth, that God is inactive so long as nature works in her accustomed order, and vice versa, that the power of nature and natural causes are idle so long as God is acting: thus they imagine two powers distinct one from the other, the power of God and the power of nature, though the latter is in a sense determined by God, or (as most people believe now) created by Him. (3) What they mean by either, and what they understand by God and nature they do not know, except that they imagine the power of God to be like that of some royal potentate, and nature's power to consist in force and energy.

(4) The masses then style unusual phenomena, "miracles," and partly from piety, partly for the sake of opposing the students of science, prefer to remain in ignorance of natural causes, and only to hear of those things which they know least, and consequently admire most. (5) In fact, the common people can only adore God, and refer all things to His power by removing natural causes, and conceiving things happening out of their due course, and only admires the power of God when the power of nature is conceived of as in subjection to it.

(6)This idea seems to have taken its rise among the early Jews who saw the Gentiles round them worshipping visible gods such as the sun, themoon, the earth, water, air, &c., and in order to inspire the conviction that such divinities were weak and inconstant, or changeable, told how they themselves were under the sway of an invisible God, and narrated their miracles, trying further to show that the God whom they worshipped arranged the whole of nature for their sole benefit: this idea was so pleasing to humanity that men go on to this day imagining miracles, so that they may believe themselves God's favourites, and the final cause for which God created and directs all things.

(7)What pretension will not people in their folly advance! (8) They have no single sound idea concerning either God or nature, they confound God's decrees with human decrees, they conceive nature as so limited that they believe man to be its chief part! (9) I have spent enough space in setting forth these common ideas and prejudices concerning nature and miracles, but in order to afford a regular demonstration I will show -(10)I. That nature cannot be contravened, but that she preserves a fixed and immutable order, and at the same time I will explain what is meant by a miracle.

(11)II. That God's nature and existence, and consequently His providence cannot be known from miracles, but that they can all be much better perceived from the fixed and immutable order of nature.

(12)III. That by the decrees and volitions, and consequently the providence of God, Scripture (as I will prove by Scriptural examples) means nothing but nature's order following necessarily from her eternal laws.

(13)IV. Lastly, I will treat of the method of interpreting Scriptural miracles, and the chief points to be noted concerning the narratives of them.

(14)Such are the principal subjects which will be discussed in this chapter, and which will serve, I think, not a little to further the object of this treatise.

(15)Our first point is easily proved from what we showed in Chap. IV. about Divine law - namely, that all that God wishes or determines involves eternal necessity, and truth, for we demonstrated that God's understanding is identical with His will, and that it is the same thing to say that God willsa thing, as to say, that He understands it; hence, as it follows necessarily, from the Divine nature and perfection that God understands a thing as it is, it follows no less necessarily that He wills it as it is. (16) Now, as nothing is necessarily true save only by, Divine decree, it is plain that the universal laws of nature are decrees of God following from the necessity and perfection of the Divine nature. (17) Hence, any event happening in nature which contravened nature's universal laws, would necessarily also contravene the Divine decree, nature, and understanding; or if anyone asserted that God acts in contravention to the laws of nature, he, ipso facto, would be compelled to assert that God acted against His own nature - an evident absurdity. (18) One might easily show from the same premises that the power and efficiency, of nature are in themselves the Divine power and efficiency, and that the Divine power is the very essence of God, but this I gladly pass over for the present.

同类推荐
  • AGNES GREY

    AGNES GREY

    ALL true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity, that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut.汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大乘入楞伽经注

    大乘入楞伽经注

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 道德玄经原旨发挥

    道德玄经原旨发挥

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 咏慵

    咏慵

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说须摩提经

    佛说须摩提经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 复兴之路

    复兴之路

    二十五年前,临近高考的几个学子因酒后冲突导致命案发生,人生轨迹因此而改变。二十五年后再次相会,前程、财富、亲情、友情、爱情,炙烤出人性的黑暗与光明。日出日落,天道永恒。QQ群136803444
  • 古希腊之地中海霸主

    古希腊之地中海霸主

    这是一个群雄并起的时代:幅员辽阔的波斯,以武立国的斯巴达,商贸称雄的雅典,后起之秀底比斯,雄心勃勃的马其顿,西地中海的双雄,刚刚兴起的罗马……这是一个将星璀璨的时代:斯巴达最后的王者阿格西劳斯,底比斯崛起的名将伊帕密浓达,奠定马其顿霸业的开国之君菲力,锡拉库扎的僭主狄奥尼修斯,拯救罗马的独裁官卡米卢斯……这是一个百家争鸣的时代:伟大的哲学家柏拉图,犬儒学派创始人安提斯泰尼,以数为神的毕达哥拉斯学派,百科全书式学者德谟克利特,西医之父希波克拉底,伟大的戏剧家阿里斯托芬……主人公穿越重生,以一名低贱的雇佣兵身份来到这个时代,他将给这个世界带来什么?建了小说q群号:586893337,欢迎加入!
  • 星璇之主

    星璇之主

    一个普通的少年,一个奇异的星璇,从此开始不凡的修仙之路
  • The New Machiavelli

    The New Machiavelli

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 鹿眼

    鹿眼

    在小说主人公的童年时代,他与一个鹿眼女孩之间发生过一场奇异的感情,然而结局悲惨。稍长后他遇到同龄的姑娘,姑娘有一双鹿眼般纯真美丽的眼睛。再后来他成人后,在故园又遇到与他当年那般大小的孩子,男孩子女孩子,都长着那么美丽纯真的鹿眼。可是,孩子们之间发生了命案。一个最好的男孩莫名地肚子绞痛而死,另一个好男孩就此疯掉,他声称是自己和另一个孩子共同谋害了好朋友,起因是为一个鹿眼女孩……
  • 浪人拾舟林

    浪人拾舟林

    这是一本短篇小说,由歌曲启发的小故事,写的不好望体谅。
  • 宝宝入园常见问题百问百答

    宝宝入园常见问题百问百答

    入园是宝宝人生的一次重要转折,宝宝能否顺利入园并尽快适应幼儿园的生活是每一个家长都极为关心的问题。本书专门为准备上幼儿园的宝宝的家长编写,书中详细介绍了宝宝入园前会面临的诸如选择幼儿园、入园准备等一系列问题,以及宝宝入园后可能面临的诸如无法适应幼儿园的生活、容易生病、不爱学习等问题,并为家长们提供了详尽的解决方法。本书针对宝宝入园的百个常见问题,通过小故事的形式以及生动有趣的插画详细描写了宝宝从入园准备、进入幼儿园到爱上幼儿园的全过程,帮助家长解决最棘手的宝宝入园难题。
  • 佛说莲华面经

    佛说莲华面经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 苍空星河

    苍空星河

    在5082年刑武出世成为地球联邦的一员,他与一名科尔族的科学家成为了好友,后来5098年三个一级文明的种族被千年来最奇特的种族:虫族毁灭,这名科学家因为在地球联邦逃过一劫,但后来他所在的地球联邦也被虫族进攻,为了阻止虫族,科学家帮助刑武回到了3852年的无极星……『注:刑武后来被人称为邢武』
  • 左手遇见,右手离别(全本)

    左手遇见,右手离别(全本)

    我这一生,渴望被人收藏好,妥善安放,细心保存,免我惊,免我苦,免我四下流离,免我无枝可依。【正文简介】秋忆南觉得,这世上总有那么一个人,仅仅只见过一面,却是想忘而忘不了的人,总觉得该为她做些什么,付出点什么。那个人的名字叫水悠然。他记住她是源于第一次相逢时的怦然心动,是冥冥中的注定。他说:他要让她成为这世界上最幸福的女人!水悠然觉得,这世上也总有那么一个人,甚至没有见过面,仅仅知道他的名字,也会将他牢牢深记。那个人的名字叫秋忆南。因为他是她大学奖学金的资金赞助人,是她大学期间大部分生活费的来源之所。她说:我们的一生,只不过在寻找,寻找一个人,用一转瞬爱上,一辈子回忆。这样的两个人,从他们相遇的那一刻起,便注定了彼此的纠缠,彼此的牵绊,还有彼此的那份心动。他们彼此错过了六年,都以为六年的时间,足够他们忘了彼此,忘记一切该忘记的东西,却原来发现,他们都高估了自己的能力。六年的时间其实可以很快,快到美好的仿佛还在眼前,伤痛的却还来不及遗忘。六年前,她突然离去,留下满世界疯狂找她的他。六年后,她从英国归来,在那最美好的秋日与他再次相遇。只是那时的他,已经不再是六年前那个只会疼她,爱她,惯她的阿南了!他们的爱,被时间搁置了整整六年。他们的爱,彼此融入骨髓,刻骨铭心!他们的爱,隔了那六年的光阴,能否继续,谱一曲秋日私语?