Chapter 5.—Why Miracles are Not Usual Works.

11. For since the divine power administers the whole spiritual and corporeal creature, the waters of the sea are summoned and poured out upon the face of the earth on certain days of every year. But when this was done at the prayer of the holy Elijah; because so continued and long a course of fair weather had gone before, that men were famished; and because at that very hour, in which the servant of God prayed, the air itself had not, by any moist aspect, put forth signs of the coming rain; the divine power was apparent in the great and rapid showers that followed, and by which that miracle was granted and dispensed.364    1 Kings xviii. 45 In like manner, God works ordinarily through thunders and lightnings: but because these were wrought in an unusual manner on Mount Sinai, and those sounds were not uttered with a confused noise, but so that it appeared by most sure proofs that certain intimations were given by them, they were miracles.365    Ex. xix. 6 Who draws up the sap through the root of the vine to the bunch of grapes, and makes the wine, except God; who, while man plants and waters, Himself giveth the increase?366    1 Cor. iii. 7 But when, at the command of the Lord, the water was turned into wine with an extraordinary quickness, the divine power was made manifest, by the confession even of the foolish.367    John ii. 9 Who ordinarily clothes the trees with leaves and flowers except God? Yet, when the rod of Aaron the priest blossomed, the Godhead in some way conversed with doubting humanity.368    Num. xvii. 8 Again, the earthy matter certainly serves in common to the production and formation both of all kinds of wood and of the flesh of all animals: and who makes these things, but He who said, Let the earth bring them forth;369    Gen. i. 24 and who governs and guides by the same word of His, those things which He has created? Yet, when He changed the same matter out of the rod of Moses into the flesh of a serpent, immediately and quickly, that change, which was unusual, although of a thing which was changeable, was a miracle.370    Ex. iv. 3 But who is it that gives life to every living thing at its birth, unless He who gave life to that serpent also for the moment, as there was need.371    [One chief reason why a miracle is incredible for the skeptic, is the difficulty of working it. If the miracle were easy of execution for man—who for the skeptic is the measure of power—his disbelief of it would disappear. In reference to this objection, Augustin calls attention to the fact, that so far as difficulty of performance is concerned, the products of nature are as impossible to man as supernatural products. Aaron could no more have made an almond rod blossom and fructuate on an almond tree, than off it. That a miracle is difficult to be wrought is, consequently, no good reason for disbelieving its reality.—W.G.T.S.]

CAPUT V.

11. Miracula cur non consueta opera. Vi enim divina totam spiritualem corporalemque administrante creaturam, omnium annorum certis diebus advocantur aquae maris, et effunduntur super faciem terrae. Sed cum hoc orante sancto Elia factum est, quia praecesserat tam continua et tam longa serenitas, ut deficerent fame homines, nec ea hora qua ille Dei servus oravit, aer ipse aliqua humida facie mox futurae pluviae signa praetulerat, consecutis tantis et tam velociter imbribus apparuit vis divina, quibus illud dabatur dispensabaturque miraculum (III Reg. XVIII, 45). Ita Deus operatur solemnia fulgura atque tonitrua: sed quia in monte Sina inusitato modo fiebant, vocesque illae non strepitu confuso edebantur, sed eis quaedam signa dari certissimis indiciis apparebat, miracula erant (Exod. XIX, 16). Quis attrahit humorem per radicem vitis ad botrum, et vinum facit, nisi Deus, qui et homine plantante et rigante incrementum dat (I Cor. III, 7)? Sed cum ad nutum Domini aqua in vinum inusitata celeritate conversa est, etiam stultis fatentibus vis divina declarata est (Joan. II, 9). Quis arbusta fronde ac flore vestit solemniter, nisi Deus? Verum cum floruit virga sacerdotis Aaron, collocuta est quodam modo cum dubitante humanitate divinitas (Num. XVII, 8). Et lignis certe omnibus et omnium animalium carnibus gignendis atque formandis communis est terrena materies: et quis ea facit, nisi qui dixit ut haec terra produceret (Gen. 1, 24), et in eodem verbo suo quae creavit, regit atque agit? Sed cum eamdem materiam ex virga Moysi in carnem serpentis proxime ac velociter vertit, miraculum fuit (Exod. IV, 3), rei quidem mutabilis, sed tamen inusitata mutatio. Quis autem animat quaeque viva nascentia, nisi qui et illum serpentem ad horam, sicut opus fuerat, animavit?