equently on the existence of God, and on everything howsoever
perceived. Therefore miracles, in the sense of events contrary to the
laws of Nature, so far from demonstrating to us the existence of God,
would, on the contrary, lead us to doubt it, where, otherwise, we might
have been absolutely certain of it, as knowing that Nature follows a
fixed and immutable order.

Let us take miracle as meaning that which cannot be explained through
natural causes. This may be interpreted in two senses: either as that
which has natural causes, but cannot be examined by the human intellect;
or as that which has no cause save God and God's will. But as all things
which come to pass through natural causes come to pass also solely
through the will and power of God, it comes to this: that a miracle,
whether it has natural causes or not, is a result which cannot be
explained by its cause, that is a phenomenon which surpasses human
understanding; but from such a phenomenon, and certainly from a result
surpassing our understanding, we can gain no knowledge. For whatsoever
we understand clearly and distinctly should be plain to us either in
itself or by means of something else clearly and distinctly understood;
wherefore from a miracle or a phenomenon which we cannot understand we
can gain no knowledge of God's essence, or existence, or indeed anything
about God or nature; whereas when we know that all things are ordained
and ratified by God, that the operations of Nature follow from the
essence of God, and that the laws of Nature are eternal decrees and
volitions of God, we must perforce conclude that our knowledge of God
and of God's will increases in proportion to our knowledge and clear
understanding of Nature, as we see how she depends on her primal cause,
and how she works according to eternal law. Wherefore so far as our
understanding goes, those phenomena which we clearly and distinctly
understand have much better right to be called works of God, and to be
referred to the will of God than those about which we are entirely
ignorant, although they appeal powerfully to the imagination, and compel
men's admiration.

It is only phenomena that we clearly and distinctly understand which
heighten our knowledge of God and most clearly indicate His will and
decrees. Plainly, they are but triflers who, when they cannot explain a
thing, run back to the will of God; this is, truly, a ridiculous way of
expressing ignorance. Again, even supposing