rded them for
us in writing, and to distinguish such opinions from the actual
impression made upon their senses, otherwise we shall confound opinions
and judgments with the actual miracle as it really occurred; nay,
further, we shall confound actual events with symbolical and imaginary
ones. For many things are narrated in Scripture as real, and were
believed to be real, which were in fact only symbolical and imaginary.
As, for instance, that God came down from heaven (Exod. xix. 28, Deut.
v. 28), and that Mount Sinai smoked because God descended upon it
surrounded with fire; or, again, that Elijah ascended into heaven in a
chariot of fire, with horses of fire; all these things were assuredly
merely symbols adapted to the opinions of those who have handed them
down to us as they were represented to them, namely, as real. All who
have any education know that God has no right hand nor left; that He is
not moved nor at rest, nor in a particular place, but that He is
absolutely infinite and contains in Himself all perfections.

These things, I repeat, are known to whoever judges of things by the
perception of pure reason, and not according as his imagination is
affected by his outward senses,--following the example of the masses who
imagine a bodily Deity, holding a royal court with a throne on the
convexity of heaven, above the stars, which are believed to be not very
far off from the earth.

To these and similar opinions very many narrations in Scripture are
adapted, and should not, therefore, be mistaken by philosophers for
realities.

Lastly, in order to understand, in the case of miracles, what actually
took place, we ought to be familiar with Jewish phrases and metaphors;
any one who did not make sufficient allowance for these would be
continually seeing miracles in Scripture where nothing of the kind is
intended by the writer; he would thus miss the knowledge not only of
what actually happened, but also of the mind of the writers of the
sacred text. For instance, Zachariah, speaking of some future war, says
(chap, xiv., verse 7): "It shall be one day which shall be known to the
Lord, not day nor night; but at even time it shall be light." In these
words he seems to predict a great miracle, yet he only means that the
battle will be doubtful the whole day, that the issue will be known only
to God, but that in the evening they will gain the victory. The
prophets frequently used to predict victories and defeats of the