Page:The Scourge - Volume 5.djvu/39

Christ's miracles. 27

The most unconnected system, the most unintelligible doctrine, and the most revolting mysteries!"

These animadversions bear along with them, the internal evidence of their Parisian origin; and will rather excite the wonder of the Christian, at their absurdity, than shock his feelings by the wantonness of their blasphemy. But it is not long before the author forgets his tutors and depends only himself: he then luxuriates in deliberate blasphemy and throws aside all the restraints of feeling and of decency. In his comments on the birth of Christ, he indulges in a licentiousness of language, that even on any other subject would be unsusceptible of apology, and expresses his thoughts on the Conception, in terms which I shall not defile your pages by recording. His jests about a lusty young man; his transformation of the angel Gabriel into a gallant; and his endeavors to account for the flight -of Joseph into Egypt, are master-pieces of vulgar and witless blasphemy.

"the first miracle of Jesus at Cana (says the author) was performed in presence of a great number of witnesses already half drunk; but the text does not inform us whether they were equally astonished, the following day, when the fumes of the wine were dissipated. Perhaps indeed this miracle was witnessed by the steward alone, with whom it is not impossible Jesus had secret intelligence. The incredulous, less easily persuaded than the poor half-intoxicated villagers, do not observe in the transformation of water into wine, a motive for being convinced of the divine power of Jesus. They remark that in the operation he employed water to make his wine, a circumstance which may give room to suspect that he made only a composition, of which he like many others might have the secret. There was in fact no more power necessary to create wine and to fill the pitchers, without putting water into them, then to make an actual transformation of water into wine. At least by acting in this manner he would have removed the suspicion of having made only a mixture/*