Miracles the credentials of an ambassador from God.
It is not easy to see any way in which God could authenticate a message as coming from him, except by giving the messenger supernatural powers. Conceivably, he might proclaim his will from heaven directly, in terms of human speech. But even then doubts would be raised as to the words uttered; men's recollections of them would differ; some would question whether words were used at all, and would hold that it had "thundered" (John 12:29). If, to avoid such results, he speaks to man through man, how is he to make it clear that his prophet has indeed been sent by him? He cannot make his messenger impeccable, if he is still to be man. He cannot give him irresistible eloquence, for eloquence is at once suspected; the reason rises up against it and resists it. What other course is there, but to impart to his messenger a portion of his own command over nature—in other words, to give him the power of working miracles? The light of nature seems to have taught Pharaoh to ask for this proof. The same light taught Nicodemus to accept it—"No man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (John 3:2). So it will ever be with simple men in simple times. It is only when men have become sophisticated, when they have darkened the light that is in them by "foolish questionings" and "oppositions of science falsely so called," that they begin to see specious objections to miracles, and regard them as "difficulties in the way of receiving a revelation" rather than as convincing evidences of it. We may properly call upon an opponent to tell us what evidence of a Divine mission he would accept, if he rejects miracles as an evidence, and wait for his answer. We shall probably find that ὁ ἀναιρῶν ταύτην τὴν πίστιν οὐ πανὺ πιστότερα ἐρεῖ ("he who destroys this basis of belief will not discover a surer one").—Aristotle.
HOMILIES BY J. ORR