sertions regarding his Divine
mission backed by a holy life. Nor is it by miracles alone that the
order of nature is, or may be, disturbed. The material universe is
also the arena of 'special providences.' Under these two heads Mr.
Mozley distributes the total preternatural. One form of the
preternatural may shade into the other, as one colour passes into
another in the rainbow; but, while the line which divides the
specially providential from the miraculous cannot be sharply drawn,
their distinction broadly expressed is this: that, while a special
providence can only excite surmise more or less probable, it is 'the
nature of a miracle to give proof, as distinguished from surmise, of
Divine design.'

Mr. Mozley adduces various illustrations of what he regards to be
special providences, as distinguished from miracles. 'The death of
Arius,' he says, 'was not miraculous, because the coincidence of the
death of a heresiarch taking place when it was peculiarly advantageous
to the orthodox faith ... was not such as to compel the inference
of extraordinary Divine agency; but it was a special providence,
because it carried a reasonable appearance of it. The miracle of the
Thundering Legion was a special providence, but not a miracle, for
the same reason, because the coincidence of an instantaneous fall of
rain, in answer to prayer, carried some appearance, but not proof, of
preternatural agency.'

The eminent lecturer's remarks on this head brought to my recollection
certain narratives published in Methodist magazines, which I used to
read with avidity when a boy. The general title of these exciting
stories, if I remember right, was 'The Providence of God asserted,'
and in them the most extraordinary escapes from peril were recounted
and ascribed to prayer, while equally wonderful instances of calamity
were adduced as illustrations of Divine retribution. In such
magazines, or elsewhere, I found recorded the case of the celebrated
Samuel Hick, which, as it illustrates a whole class of special
providences approaching in conclusiveness to miracles, is worthy of
mention here. It is related of this holy man that, on one occasion,
flour was lacking to make the sacramental bread. Grain was present,
and a windmill was present, but there was no wind to grind the corn.
With faith undoubting, Samuel Hick prayed to the Lord of the winds:
the sails turned, the corn was ground, after which the wind ceased.
According to the canon