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
  • 杨维桢集

    杨维桢集

    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。
  • 巫庙

    巫庙

    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。
  • 太上元始天尊说孔雀经白文

    太上元始天尊说孔雀经白文

    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。
  • 优陂夷堕舍迦经

    优陂夷堕舍迦经

    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。
  • 刘涓子鬼遗方

    刘涓子鬼遗方

    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
  • 未曾相识

    未曾相识

    她,就是怀着这样的一种喜欢,将自己全部的骄傲抛下,像一只不知疲倦的羚羊,在这条荆棘丛生的路上奔跑,执著而倔强。
  • 盛世帝王谋

    盛世帝王谋

    简介一:一代帝王的成长史,一部围绕着四人的爱恨纠葛。素有铁血王爷之称秦琛为夺皇位不惜抛弃自己的心成为一位无心之人;一位深居山林擅长医术的女子姜明月可以为了爱人背弃师训参与到乱世之中;一位深居简出却拥有不输于邀月公子的谋略算无遗策的奇女子——锦沉梳只为一诺护着一切;世人称之为邀月公子的瞿卿言前朝皇室遗子算尽一切,看透世人却看不透他所爱之人的心。简介二:一场阴谋,扰乱朝堂;一盘棋局,谋划多年;一场战役,昔人逝去。官场沉浮,江湖纷乱,素手翻云,似明似暗。一局对弈,不死不休。四人之间,情感纠葛。乱世之中,造就帝王。 新书《灵书斋》
  • 一世珍藏的诗歌200首

    一世珍藏的诗歌200首

    中外诗歌浩如烟海,古史诗、叙事诗、抒情诗种类繁多,争奇斗艳。本书仅选录了文艺复兴以来并经过了数代读者检验的部分中外诗歌名篇(不含中国清代以前诗歌)。在长长的诗歌长河中,这些诗歌名篇是语言的精华,智慧的结晶,思想的花朵,情绪的珍珠。它沉淀着人类的苦难与欢乐、幻灭与梦想、挫折与成功,折射着人类精神结构中永恒的尊严和美丽,体现了人类追求真善美、扬弃假恶丑的执着意念和高尚情怀。人,寄居在大地之上,处身于喧嚣的世界,需要这甘甜的蜜汁滋养。中外诗歌遗产需要继承和发展,首先就需要阅读。阅读是一种感悟心灵的精神活动。
  • 逃婚王爷追逃妃

    逃婚王爷追逃妃

    她,本是军情处的最惊世骇俗的存在,却在一次任务中发生意外穿越到了一个并不存在历史上的朝代,还是龙临王朝丞相的宝贝女儿。却突然被皇上下旨指婚给了听说是龙临王朝最俊美无双,最才华横溢的轩王爷。他,是龙临王朝最俊美无双,最才华横溢的王爷,最讨厌的就是娶王妃这样的事情发生在他的身上,尤其还是娶一个整个京城都有名的刁蛮小姐。在丞相府内,她贼贼地笑,听说那个什么轩王爷竟然消失了,也就是说他竟然逃婚了!于是,她假装非常的伤心,几乎到了寻死觅活的地步,然后有一天,她留下一封信,带着身边的丫鬟随从离开了相府,理由是她要离开这个伤心地,要出去到外面散散心……
  • 秘爱甜宠:总裁,求不追!

    秘爱甜宠:总裁,求不追!

    被人算计,危机关头,君少破门而入,慕情安心的以为得救了。谁想一觉醒来,却已被这只笑面狐狸惦记上!这避如蛇蝎的男人从此缠上她的生活。“再敢逃,我让你们慕氏连根拔起!”某日,权倾乔城的君大少再次俘获小娇妻。“君御航,你有完没完?”笑面狐狸精明的算计:“老婆,我是商人,追债是我的强项,昨天的账我就不收利息了,但今天必须还完。”
  • 隔壁家有个小青梅

    隔壁家有个小青梅

    【烂尾别看】他来了他来了,带着三杯奶茶和儿子来了!国内知名高校,女孩围在一起看着那个高冷的男人抱着一个孩子,手里拿着几杯不符合气质的奶茶走去女生宿舍。余婠看着那个高大的男人穿过人海与她对视,按下心头那抹悸动,转头对着宿舍里的两个女人道:“不是天天想我脱单喝奶茶吗,还不下去接!”陈霆看着怀里的儿子,庆幸他们之间还有一个羁绊,不至于一别两宽。陈氏大宅——“爸爸爸爸,他们都说是因为我,妈妈才和你在一起的是吗?”男人处理公务的手一顿,“嗯。”“那我是不是很棒棒?”“嗯。”“那我能吃糖吗?”“不能。”陈可爱双手交叉,气嘟嘟的迈着小短腿准备去告状.......余生漫漫,护你无忧——陈霆and余婠【阅读须知,文笔稚嫩。情节内容不紧凑,家庭琐事也会出现,非一路宠到底,但绝对七分甜。】
  • 小公子(语文新课标课外必读第三辑)

    小公子(语文新课标课外必读第三辑)

    语文新课标指定了中小学生的阅读书目,对阅读的数量、内容、质量以及速度都提出了明确的要求,这对于提高广大学生的阅读写作能力,培养语文素养,促进终身学习等具有深远的意义。
  • 楚宫惊变

    楚宫惊变

    公元前262年的一个燠夏,碧云低卷,火轮高吐,八百里秦川热浪灼人。一位相貌清癯的青年驾着双马轺车,奔驰在潼关通往函谷关的驿道上。他就是在秦都咸阳充当人质的楚太子熊完,因父王病重,由同来咸阳的楚太傅黄歇设计,趁秦楚缔结和约之际,假扮楚使者朱英的车夫,逃离秦国。金银打点,轺车轻易出了关口,向东疾驰。因过关心急又紧张,加之天气闷热,假扮车夫的太子熊完脸色苍白,额头汗珠直滚。朱英忙说:“太子,快下来,让微臣驾车吧!”话音刚落,身体孱弱的熊完一头栽落马下,晕了过去。朱英吓得魂不附体,飞身跃下车,抱起熊完急唤:“太子!太子!您快醒醒,快醒醒!”
  • 情难自控:总裁太危险!

    情难自控:总裁太危险!

    简予妍怎么也没想到自己会,嫁给一个下半身瘫痪的男人?婚前,她做好了一切打算,准备享受这份得来不易的安逸。婚后,她却猛然发现,男人不但腿好,腰好,其他的地方更好,岂止是好,简直好到受不了!她怒:“楚君腾,你这个骗子..……”
  • 世界文学知识大课堂:西欧现代文学大家

    世界文学知识大课堂:西欧现代文学大家

    文学是一种社会意识形态,与社会、政治以及哲学、宗教和道德等社会科学具有密切的关系,是在一定的社会经济基础上形成和发展起来的,因此,它能深刻反映一个国家或一个民族特定时期的社会生活面貌。文学的功能是以形象来反映社会生活,是用具体的、生动感人的细节来反映客观世界的。优秀的文学作品能使人产生如临其境、如见其人、如闻其声的感觉,并从思想感情上受到感染、教育和陶冶。文学是语言的艺术,是以语言为工具来塑造艺术形象的,虽然其具有形象的间接性,但它能多方面立体性地展示社会生活,甚至表现社会生活的发展过程,展示人与人之间的错综复杂的社会关系和人物的内心精神世界。