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"That is something supernatural," said the prince; and forthwith he called Kandaka to quickly saddle and bring him his horse. The gates also, which were before fast barred, were found to be broad open. (23) And while Kandaka stood considering whether he would obey the prince's order, the horse came round of his own accord, fully caparisoned for a rider. This story, marvelous as it may seem, is not as wonderful as that told of Peter, about five hundred years later. Herod had arrested Peter and put him in prison; and he was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. And the angel of the Lord (possibly Buddha's deva) came, and a light shone in the prison, "and the angel smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying: 'Arise up quickly.' And his chains fell off from his hands. (24) And the angel (23) The Devas, in this instance, were probably some of the Prince's friends. (24) The twelfth chapter of Acts, quoted above, is believed by many to be actually true, because it is so printed in the 26 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES said unto him, 'Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals' ; and so he did. And he said, 'Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.' And he went out and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel ; but thought he saw a vision. And they came unto the iron gate that leadeth to the city, which opened to them of its ozvn accord, and they went out, and passed on through one street ; and forthwith the angel departed from him." Peter was now certain that the Lord had sent his angel to deliver him out of the hand of Herod. I think I ought to add that the Hindu record seems nearer the truth than the Hebrew record. For the former says the heavenly spirits caused the barred gates to open, while verse lo, Acts 12, says "the iron gate opened of his oiL'n accord." The Hindu poet would have us believe that four spirits held up the feet of the horse, lest his trampling might alarm the castle; and that the Prince was cheered on his way by a great concourse of angels and Nagas (demigods) so that when the morning light streamed up in the East the man and horse were three Yoganas distant (about twenty miles). In these cases is it not safer to believe that both Peter and the Prince escaped solely by the help of human hands? For how is it possible that Peter's chains could "fall off from his hands," unless those chains were unlocked or filed ofY? And four men, not New Testament. But helief never makes a thing true. Moreover, if the story of Peter and the angel had been printed in the Hindu Bible we would discredit it entirely, at once. Are either of these Btories true? A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 27 angels, no doubt manag-ed the feet of Buddha's horse (padded them, probably) so as not to alarm the king. God never does for man what man can do for him- self. Moreover, it must not be overlooked that early Hindu writers were fully as extravagant as were the Hebrews, five hundred years later. CHAPTER II Some Hebrew and Hindu Miracles, Section i. As we have already encountered miracles, or supposed miracles, and in the further progress of this work shall be compelled to make frequent mention of them, let us at once define and illustrate that wonderful thing, a miracle. But first let us notice that for nearly nineteen hundred years past, no miracle, well attested, has ever taken place. Hence the inquiry arises : Did there ever happen any- where, at any period of the world, such a thing as a miracle? And is there any miracle, at any period of the world's history, that is well attested? What then is a miracle ? It is a supernatural event, contrary to the known or established laws of nature. In other words, those laws must be set aside, or annulled, for the time being, in order that something contrary to them can take place. To illustrate : sup- pose a man were to be decapitated, his head would roll from his body, his blood would gush forth from his veins and arteries, his body would soon become cold, pale, rigid ; you would be sworn that the body of such a man was surely dead. But here comes a Thauma- turgus, a miracle worker, who puts that man's head 28 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 29 back upon that body, fills his veins with blood, causes his heart again to beat, and breath again to come into his nostrils. You would watch such a performance with protruding eyes, and be amazed at the wonderful transforming scene, if that man came back to life. Now if such a thing could actually take place, under careful observation, before a jury or concourse of reputable persons known to be such, and the proofs or verdict duly made and attested, we might reluc- tantly give our assent. But not a single one of the supposed miracles recorded in either the Hindu or the Hebrew bible, took place under conditions such as above indicated. Ignorant and superstitious people readily give credence to supernatural wonders. Yet God's laws are the same and unchangeable, yesterday, today and forever. But where a people for genera- tions have been taught to believe in such things as miracles, the slightest and most flimsy evidence will suffice. In the Hindu sacred books ( i ) we find the miracu- lous story of Mendaka; who, when he wanted his granary filled, would bathe his head, sweep out his granary, sit down by the side of it, and cause showers of grain to fall down from the sky and fill his granary. His wife was also possessed of very miraculous pow- ers. She could sit by the side of a "pint pot and vessel for curry" and dip and dip, and so long as she did not get up, the vessel of curry was not ex- (1) Vol. 17, p. 121, Sacred Books of the East. 30 A QUESTION OF MIRACLES hausted. In fact, Mendaka's whole family were very miraculously endowed. Their son could take a small bag of money and give to each serving man six months' wages, and so long as he held the bag in his hand its contents were not exhausted. This easy and comfortable way of meeting all of life's wants soon created such a commotion among the Hindus that King Binbasara, so we are told, sent a minister to find out about it. For even their slave was possessed of a miraculous power, as when he plowed with one plow- share seven furrows were turned over. On reaching Mendaka, the minister made known his mission, whereupon Mendaka bathed his head, swept out his granary, and sat down beside it; when, lo! to the astonishment of the minister, showers of grain, so we are told, fell down from the sky and filled the granary to overflowing. Mendaka's wife also exhibited her miraculous gift by dipping from a pint pot until she fed a host of people. We stoutly dispute this Hindu story because we do not find it printed in the Hebrew bible. But many people have no trouble in believing, and some are abso- lutely certain, that Elijah, the Tishbite, who lived some four hundred years before Mendaka's time, pos- sessed that same miraculous power. Elijah, it seems, by the Lord's direct command to the ravens (2), was regularly fed by them, morning (2) The raven is a carrion eater, and if it brought Elijah some of its own kind of food, then Elijah's bill of fare was hor- rible indeed. A QUESTION OF MIRACLES 31 and evening, until "the brook Cherith dried up"; then the Lord told him to go to Zarephath, a little village in Zidon, where he had commanded a widow woman to support him. On reaching Zarephath, Elijah found the widow gathering sticks, and begged her to fetch him a morsel of bread. The woman replied, "I have put a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse, and I am gath- ering these sticks that I may dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die." Elijah told her to fear not, "for the Lord God of Israel saith 'the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.' " And the widow, we are told, did as Elijah directed, for "he and she did eat many days" (some say a whole year) "and the barrel of meal wasted not (3), neither did the cruse of oil fail." Both of these stories seem fabulous in the extreme, but nearly one thousand years later we find one greatly more wonderful, which was written concerning Jesus about one hundred years after his tragical death.