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 OF THE 
 AT 
 
 PRINCETON, N. J. 
 
 u t» 3J- jw. T I o :>r o 1.- 
 
 SAMUEL AGNE^V, 
 
 OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. 
 
 QA'o 
 
 •S<^^>3' 
 
 
 Division 
 
 I 
 
 Bony, 
 
 USt^GC.^iBi-*^'^*'" 
 
 ', cciion 
 
 No ^...«.. 
 
 
A B R I E F 
 
 D IS COURSE 
 
 Concerning the 
 
 C L EDIBILITY 
 
 OF 
 
 Miracles and Revelation: 
 
 , To which is added, 
 
 APosTscRiPTin Anfwer to the Lord Bifliop 
 of Ldchfield*s Char ■ e ic his Clergy. 
 
 BY 
 
 ARTHUR Ashley's YKEs, a d. 
 
 L r D N: 
 
 Printed for John and Paul Knapton, atthe 
 Crown^ in Ludgate-Strcet* Mdccxlii^ 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE fincere defire I have always 
 had to ferve the caufe of Virtue^ 
 ahd Religion both natural and re- 
 vealed, and to place them upon their true 
 Foundations, made me fome years agoc 
 publifh an Ejfay on the Truth of the Chri" 
 Jlian Religion ; and not long lince, a Trea- 
 tife wherein I endeavoured to (hew, the 
 T^rue Connexion between Natural and Re^ 
 vealed Religion. The Subjefts were of con- 
 fequence; and as I had had an Opportu- 
 nity of feeing Some things wrote againft 
 Revelation with very great Acutenefs, I 
 ^ound it neceffary to treat the Defence of it, 
 in a manner fomewhat different from what 
 other Writers had done. What I now lay be- 
 fore you finifhesmy Defign; which was as 
 far as I could, to compleat a Vindication of 
 the Chriftian Religion in a conjijlent^ ratio- 
 nal manner ; and to iliew that there is no- 
 thing abfurd, or incredible, in it. 
 
 I do not by this pretend to condemn, or 
 find fault with, any Others who have wrote 
 
 A 2 in 
 
!v PREFACE. 
 
 in defence of Chriflianity : But I have pur- 
 fued fuch a thread of Reafoning as I think 
 ilrong and conclufivej and leave the intel- 
 ligent Reader to judge of the neceffity, or 
 expediency, of what I have faid. 
 
 When I vi^rote The Connexion^ &c. I was 
 well aware of the Difficulties which I have 
 here diflinftly confidered : and this was the 
 reafon that led me to eftablifh the credibi- 
 lity of Revelation in the manner I then did. 
 I have now examined the Objections them- 
 felves with that freedom and impartiality 
 that is due to them^ and I own that unlefs 
 they can be fatisfacflorily removed, I (hall 
 not wonder at the Doubts and Sufpicions 
 that may lie upon the minds of very ho- 
 neft Men, Wherever I have met with any 
 thing that I conceived to be an Objedlion 
 to what I was faying, I have examined it 
 as fuch, without naming the Perfon from 
 whom I differ, becaufe I would treat this 
 Subjed: in a manner as little Perjonaly as 
 I could. And if the real Objeftion againft 
 the Gofpel be removed, I fhould hope it 
 might be a means to bring Men, to like, 
 and to practife^ what they are convinced to 
 be true. 
 
 The 
 
PREFACE. V 
 
 The AfFair of the PopiJl:> Miracles requi- 
 red, I thought, fomething more to be faid 
 to it, than I had met with. There is not 
 a Profejlant of common Underftanding that 
 is not fully perfuaded of their being either 
 Enlargements of little Incidents, or Tricks, 
 or mere Inventions -, or if any thing really 
 extraordinary has happened, it has been per- 
 verted to the Abufe of the Ignorant weH- 
 meaning people, and by that means has 
 been what what the Scriptures call it, A Mi- 
 racle of a Lye. Unbelievers have greatly 
 taken occafion hence to triumph over Chri- 
 ftianity itfelf, and to impute the Miracles of 
 Chrift to the fame caufes, as Believers do the 
 Popip ones. It was therefore neceflary fo ta 
 fpeak to this point, as to (liew a difference in 
 the cafes : or to affign a Reafon why a Man 
 might reafonably believe the One, at the 
 fame time that He either rejedts, or trou- 
 bles not himfelf about, the other. 
 
 But the principal thing which led me to 
 treat on this Subjed: at this time was, an 
 Objedtion againft the Credibility of theGof- 
 pel Miracles taken from the diftance of 
 T^ime between the Fadls as they were done 
 by Chrift, and the Publicatio?i of them. I 
 do not know that this Objection was ever 
 
 urger^ 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 urged in Print, with that force that it hajj 
 been lately: and how much foever the 
 Treattfe where it occurs, or the Author of 
 it, may be defpifed, I cannot help thinking 
 it very acutely urged, and a point of the ut- 
 moft confequence. When thefe Sort of 
 Difficulties are fairly and freely canvaffed, it 
 never produces that ill effedt that fome fear- 
 ful good men imagine : and till they arc 
 ^ fairly and fully anfwered, the fad will be, 
 that Unbelievers will encreafe, and triumph 
 in a falfe Security and Strength. 
 
 I had once refolved with Myfelf, not to 
 have troubled my Lord Bifliop of Lichfield^ 
 with any Vindication of Myfelf againft his 
 Charge. But as I have here treated on the 
 Subjefts of Miracles and Prophecy, I have 
 added, by way of Poftfcript, fo much of 
 what I had wrote to his Lordfhip in my 
 own defence as concerns thofe points, omit- 
 ting here what I had fometime agoe drawn 
 up in anfwer to his other Accufations. 
 p ' ■ ■ .... . I II. I., 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 p. a6. I. lO, for or J read as. 
 
 49. 1. 18. for tonoludey read concludtt 
 
 94. 1. lilt, after hai put , 
 126. I. 6. read to f articular infiancet. 
 164.. 1. penult, for e/itrely, read entirely, 
 JI91. 1. 7. for Rogues, vjbicb ^erba^s^ r, ptrhapt Rogues , tvhicb 
 
 A BRIEF 
 
( I ) 
 
 A Brief 
 
 DISCOURSE, (fc. 
 
 THERE are, or have been, but 
 Two Religions in the World, 
 founded or pretended to be found- 
 ed upon Miracles : The one, the 
 yewijh'y the other the Chrijiian, Many 
 indeed have derived their refpedive Inftitu- 
 tions from Heaven ; and the Religious Le- 
 giflators of old fupported their Authority to 
 inftitute fuch facred Rites, as they thought 
 would be moft acceptable to the Gods, or 
 moft ufeful to the People, by pretending 
 fome extraordinary Diredlions or Commands 
 from above : And this extraordinary Inter- 
 courfe with the Gods hath been called a 
 Miracle, But whatever the pretenfe of im- 
 mediate converfation with, or Revelation 
 from, any fuperior Being has been, yet none 
 have attempted, or laid claim to a power of 
 'working Miracles in order to eftablifli their 
 Laws, or to confirm their Commiffions, ex- 
 cept the Jewifli and the Chriftian Law- 
 
 B givers. 
 
( 2) 
 
 givers. Zoroajler and Zamolxis^ MinrnzXiA. 
 Lycurgus^ Triptolemus ^.nANuma, pretend 
 ed to receive their Laws from Vejla^ and 
 Jupiter y and Apollo^ and Ceres^ and Egeria j 
 Others likewife derived their Laws from 
 fome other God or Goddefs ; and at lafl 
 Mahomet laid claim to Infpiration from the 
 God of Heaven. But none of them con- 
 firmed their Claims by working of Miracles^ 
 or appealed to that kind of Evidence for 
 the Truth of their Doftrines. The only 
 * Miracle pretended was, the Conference 
 itfelf, with the God or Goddefs and not 
 2iny fenfible work done to confirm fuch Con- 
 ference. 
 
 Setting therefore all thefe afide as foreign 
 to my purpofe, I fhall confider the Claims 
 of the Jewi/Jj and Chrijiian Legiflators, 
 who have appealed to the Miracles they did, 
 for the Truth of their Dotflrines. And that 
 I may more clearly proceed in what I de- 
 fign, I fhall confider Firji^ what a Miracle 
 
 * Deorum metum injiciendum ratus eft : qui cum defcen 
 dere ad animos fine aliquo commento Miraculi non poflet, 
 fimulat fibi cum Dea Egeria congrefTus nodlurnos effe : ejus 
 ic monitu, quae acccptiflima Diis effent, lacra inllituere. 
 Liv. 1. I. 
 
 is. 
 
( 3 ) 
 
 k Secondly, Whether there be any diffe- 
 rence as to Credibility y betwixt Thofe done 
 by Chrift, and thofe done by Others who 
 have fince pretended to work Miracles.- 
 Thirdly, Whether an equal Credit, or even 
 a greater, is not to be given to fome Popifi 
 Miracles, the Accounts of which were pub- 
 lifhed foon after they were done, than is to 
 be given to the Miracles mentioned by the 
 Evangelifts, the Accounts of which were 
 not publifhed till many years after the Death 
 of Chrift. Fourthly, What are the Lying 
 Wonders mentioned in the New Teftament, 
 and how they may be diftinguifhed from 
 true Miracles. And Laftly, I fhall confider 
 what degree of Credit is to be given to the 
 Gofpel Records, fince they contain Ac- 
 counts of Miracles reported to the world fo 
 long after the fads. 
 
 From hence I {hall proceed to another 
 Set of Enquiries arifing from the dodrinc 
 of Miracles confidered as attefting any Re- 
 velation. £. g. Firft, Whether we can dif- 
 cover whether it be God, or an Inferior 
 Agent, that works a* Miracle. Secondly, 
 Whether a Dodrine may not come from an 
 Evil Agent feducing Men. Thirdly, What 
 
 B 2 Degree 
 
(4) 
 
 Degree of Aflent is due to any Dodrinc 
 which ftands confirmed by Miracles. 
 Fourthly, Whether a Partial Revelation 
 will prove that it comes from God, or from 
 an Inferior Being. And Laftly, Whether 
 God be obliged, fuppofing that he grants a 
 Revelation, to grant it to all mankind 
 equally. 
 
 The furprizing Cheats carried on at times in 
 the feveral parts of the World, very dextroufly 
 and very fuccefsfuUy, by which the Igno- 
 rant have been grofsly abufed, and even the 
 more knowing have been in a great meafure 
 confounded, from which a handle has 
 been taken to call in queftion the Truth of 
 Chriftianity itfelf, will juftify this Enquiry 
 into the Nature and Credibility of Miracles, 
 
 It muft be confelTed that the Men of all 
 Religions, not only Jews and Chrifiiam^ 
 but Heathens and Mahometans^ have made 
 ufe of pious Frauds: And when they 
 have had an Intrigue to carry on, or an In- 
 tereft to ferve, or a Party to flrengthen, or 
 an Adverfary to deftroy, or any private 
 Ends to promote, they have made no fcru- 
 ple to recur to the extraordinary methods of 
 Miracles^ and have pretended to thofe helps 
 
 the 
 
(5) 
 
 the better to accompllih what they could not 
 efFedl by ordinary means. Sometimes En- 
 thufiafts have put off their extravagant Ima- 
 ginations for real Infpirations, and have 
 fought with Devils, and have come off more 
 than conquerors : Some have cured the Sick 
 and raifed the Dead, as well after they have 
 been dead themfelves, as before. There is 
 nothing fo wild and frantic that has not been 
 pretended ; and by this and fuch like means 
 fo great a darknefs has been thrown on the 
 Subject of Miracles, that it is become a 
 matter of no fmall difficulty to (hew that 
 any regard is due to what is pretended to be 
 fupported by this fort of Evidence. 
 
 It would be no fmall Entertainment to the 
 Curious, were any one to give us an exadt 
 impartial Hijlory of Miracles from the End 
 of the Firft Century of Chrift: He would 
 enquire, How long a power of working them 
 continued in the Church of Chrift ; what re- 
 gard is due to thofe that are mentioned by 
 Writers before the Fourth Century, as well 
 as to thofe recorded by Athanafiis^ and Je- 
 rom, Riiffinus^ Severus^ and Others who lived 
 in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Centuries: 
 What is the difference, if any, betwixt thofe 
 
 B 3 done 
 
( 6) 
 
 done by Heretics, and thofe done by the 
 Orthodox ; what they were that were 
 done by Heretics ; what were the Ends 
 and Ufes that Both Sides made of them, 
 &c. The early Fathers and the Church 
 Hiftorians would fupply him with plentiful 
 materials : and if he were to defcend to 
 later Times, he would rather fink under 
 the Burden, than want materials for his 
 work. Mr. Wbifion has fixed the years of 
 Chrift 383, or 384, for the ceafing of 
 the truly divine and miraculous powers, 
 and the fetting up the Dcemoniacal ones. 
 " The very laft," fays he, " of our Savi- 
 " our's miraculous Gifts," [That of cafting 
 out Devils] " was taken away from the 
 " Church, juft at or after the Council of 
 " Conftantinople " — and then " he gave it up 
 *' to ftrong delufions that they fhould be- 
 lieve a Lie, the lying frauds and wonders 
 of Popery^ and to Dcemoniacal Cures 
 and Conjurations." — " In fhort, fays he, 
 «' while the Church of Chrift was properly 
 " Chriftian and Pure, the power of true 
 " and divi7ie Miracles continued : But as 
 " foon as ever it became Athanafian^ An- 
 \\ ticbrijlian, and Popip^ thofe powers all 
 
 " ceafed 
 
 
( 7 ) 
 
 ** ceafed immediately, and the Devil lent 
 ** it his own cheating and fatal Powers in 
 " their ftead/* Records^ p. 94.5, 946. This 
 fliould be examined with the greateft ac- 
 curacy : For it will require fome proof, 
 that all Miracles , done fince the year 
 384, were done by the DeviL Some cri- 
 terion muft be found out by which we 
 may diftinguifh betwixt fuch as were done 
 a hundred years before that year, and thofe 
 done after it. Or will not fome of the Mi- 
 racles done before That year, be as much 
 entitled to the Devil as fome that have 
 been done fmce ? Of may not fome that 
 Were done before That year, be imputed to a 
 Faculty of enlarging, or to miftake, or to 
 Craft of Men, or to Forgery, or to Enthu- 
 fiaftick Vifion, or to mere Imagination, as 
 well as fome that have been done iince ? 
 
 It is certain that every Age, efpecially the 
 dark and tyrannical ones, have too much 
 pretended to, and made ufe of Miracles. 
 The Church of Rome has been in a particu- 
 lar manner lavifli in its pretentions to this 
 power. Its latefl Advocates tell us, " That 
 " God has been pleafed in every Age to 
 " work evident Miracles in his Church by 
 
 B4 '^ the 
 
( 8 ) 
 
 the Miniftry of his Saints, in raifing the 
 Dead to Life, in curing the Blind and 
 the Lame, in cafting out Devils, in heal- 
 ing in a moment inveterate Difeafes, and 
 the like ftupendous works of his Pov^er, 
 attefted by the moft authentic Monu- 
 ments, and very frcquendy ( as may be 
 
 " the Saints ) by the Depofitions of innu- 
 '' merable Eye-witnefles examined upon 
 «' Oath, and by the public Notoriety of the 
 " Fadts: Which kind of Miracles fo au- 
 " thentically attefted, will be to all Ages a 
 ^^ Jlanding Evidence^ that the Church in 
 *^ whofe Communion they have all been 
 " wrought, is, the T^rue Spouje of ChriJiJ' 
 Vid. Catholic Chrijiian injlru^ed, Pref. p. 1 8 
 — 19. 
 
 It is not my bufinefs here to examine into 
 the Truth of thefe Fa(fts thus confidently 
 alTerted. I fhall only obferve, ift. That the 
 Miracles appealed to, were never wrought in 
 confirmation of this Truth, that the Churchy 
 in whofe Communion they are wrought, is 
 the 'True Spoufe of Chrijl. 2. It is certain 
 in fadt, or at leaft it is attefted by Hifto- 
 rians, that Miracles have been wrought by 
 
 Hereticsj 
 
( 9) 
 
 Heretics, by Heathens, by Mahometans, 
 by Jews, as well as by Roman Catholics. 
 Now fhould they reafon, as the Roman 
 Catholics do, that their Churches are the 
 true Churches of God becaufe Miracles are 
 done in them ; — this would be as conclufive 
 as the reafoning of the Papifts,that the Church 
 of Rome is therefore the true Spoufe of 
 Chrift, becaufe Miracles are performed ia 
 That. Suppofe, e. g. 2l Pagan had argued for 
 the Truth of the Pagan Religion in the 
 very fame manner which this Roman Catho^ 
 lie In/iruBor does j and had inferred from 
 the Miracles recorded by Livyy Valerius 
 Maximus, Plutarch^ Pliny^ in fhort, the 
 beft and moft reputable Writers, — Suppofe, 
 I fay, that he had inferred the Truth of 
 Paganifm^ or that the Heathen Religion was 
 approved by God, or that Thofe amongft 
 whom all thofe Miracles had been wrought 
 were the true Church ofGod^ fince the Mi- 
 racles done amongft them are fo authentic 
 cally attejied by fuch univerfally approved 
 Writers,— would this Inference be allowed 
 to be juft ? 
 
 if 
 
( lo ) 
 
 If we confult Mahometan Writers, They 
 
 too tell us, that " the Companions and 
 
 ^* Followers of Mahomet were Saints, and 
 
 ** did greater Miracles than the Apoftles, or 
 
 ** any other of other Nations. For fome 
 
 ** of them carried Armies through the Seas : 
 
 ** One of them drank Poifon : Another 
 
 " raifed the Dead : Another multiplied both 
 
 *' Viftuals and Drink." For the Truth of 
 
 all this Ahmed the Son of Abdalhalim is 
 
 quoted by Maraccius in his 2d Part of his 
 
 Prodromus ad Refut. Alcor, If one would 
 
 fee an Account of the Miracles done by 
 
 their DerviceSy the fame Author has col- 
 
 lefted a great many inftances from RicolduSy 
 
 BuJbequiuSy and Sir Paul Ricaut j and has 
 
 attempted a Confutation of them. But a 
 
 Mahometan will be juft as deaf to fuch a. 
 
 Confutation, as a Papijt is to what a Prote- 
 
 Jiant fays of the Popijh Miracles : And will 
 
 conclude, or may do fo, that Mahometanifm 
 
 is approved by God, or that the Mahometan 
 
 Churchy ( or whatever he will call it) is the 
 
 true Church of God, from the Miracles done 
 
 in that, as juflly as i\^ Catholic concludes 
 
 his Church to be the true Spoufe of Chrifi 
 
 from the Miracles done in That, 3 . The 
 
 Miracka: 
 
Miracles of the Church of Rome are ufually 
 produced in order to confirm or eftablifli 
 fome abfurd, impoffible, foolifli or falfe 
 Notions. Now no Miracles how well foever 
 attefted can ever prove a Contradiction, Ab- 
 furdity, or Falfhood to be true; and there- 
 fore they prove nothing but the folly of thofe 
 who admit fuch confequences. 4. Not- 
 withftanding all the boaft of Roman Catho- 
 lics^ there may be juft ground to fufpedt the 
 Truth of the Fadls by them afferted, lincc 
 they are almoft always done in private or 
 fufpicious places, or remote Countries, and 
 never before fuch as are Enemies to their 
 Religion, or for the Converfion of Infidels, 
 or of fuch as they call and efteem Heretics, 
 The Miracles of our Lord were 2i\\fenjtbk 
 Operations done openly to convert the Jews 
 to his Religion : Thofe of Mojes were done 
 openly in the Sight of Pharaoh and the £- 
 gyptians^ or in the Sight of Thoufands of 
 Spedators in the Wildernefs. Whereas fe- 
 cret Miracles done where no one has oppor- 
 tunity of examining into them, are like 
 fecret Witnefles that may be brought to 
 atteft any thing when they are not to be 
 confronted, or crofs examined. But, laft- 
 
(12 ) 
 
 ly, fuppofing thefe Miracles to be real- 
 ly done, and thofe Adls of the Canoni- 
 zation of the Saints to be as well attefted as 
 is pretended, yet ftill the Confequence is to 
 be made good, that the Church of Rome is 
 the true Spoufe of Chriji, For how does it 
 appear that thefe Miracles are not done 
 to atteft fome other Dodrine ? Befidcs, 
 there is certainly much Superftition, and 
 much Idolatry in that Church ; and no Mi- 
 racles how well foever attefted can fupport 
 that Superftrufture. Suppofing therefore the 
 Miracles done by thefe Saints, How will it 
 appear that I am to draw the confequence 
 which this Author does from them ? 
 
 But I ftiall have occafion to confider more 
 particularly fome of the beft attefted Mira- 
 cles of the Church of Rome hereafter. Not 
 that I intend to examine the Truth of their 
 Legendary Stories, or to trace out their 
 Frauds and Lying Wonders, but, admitting 
 them to be F^^i fufficiently proved, (which 
 is more perhaps than ought to be allowed, 
 and certainly more than I have occafion to 
 allow ) I fhall confider them as Evidences 
 to the Truth of any dodrine, if they are 
 produced as fuch ^ or I ftiall fhew what re- 
 gard 
 
( 13 ) 
 
 gard IS to be paid to them, when no Doc- 
 trine is attefted by them. But, 
 
 Before I enter into any thing of this na- 
 ture, it will be neceffary to ftate exadly, 
 
 Firji^ What is meant by the Word, Mi- 
 racle? 
 
 In Order to the Explication of this, I muft 
 obferve 
 
 ift. That every thing \\\2i\,furprizeSy or 
 ajlonijhesy or makes men wonder^ ( mirari ) 
 is not what is meant by the Term, Miracle. 
 It is frequent indeed in common Speech, 
 when we don't know what is the reafqr. of 
 any ftrange thing, or from whence it could 
 proceed, or how it could be done, to call it 
 a Miracle, And in this Senfe OmenSy Pro- 
 digieSy Dreams^ all odd Events which may 
 have happened and which we cannot con- 
 ceive how they ihould be, may come under 
 this Denomination. But this is only popu- 
 lar Language, and not what is the Subjedl 
 of the prefent Enquiry. For in this Senfc 
 not only all extraordinary things may be 
 called MiracleSy but That may be deemed a 
 Miracle by fome, which is no more than 
 the EfFedl of the peculiar Properties of cer- 
 tain Bodies known to Some, which have not 
 
 fallen 
 
( H) 
 
 /alien under the Notice of Others. For ad 
 Men are of very different Abilities, Appre- 
 henfions, Sagacity and Underftanding, fo 
 there are peculiar circumftances in Life 
 which give to Some, Opportunities of 
 Knowledge which Others never can have. 
 There is in Some a flight of Hand, a Dex- 
 terity, by which they are enabled to furprife 
 the ignorant or lefs knowing part of man- 
 kind, and to make them imagine That to 
 be the effedl of Conjuration, or of the aid 
 of fome Being fuperior to Man, which in 
 reality is no more than fuperior Art and 
 Skill. Sometimes the accidental meeting, 
 or the mixture of certain Bodies, produces 
 efFedls which are amazing. But Thefe, or 
 any fuch like inftances, come not under the 
 term. Miracle^ unlefs, as I faid, in a loofe 
 and figurative Senfe ; how*much foever we 
 may admire and wonder at what we cannot 
 comprehend, or what we are perfectly un- 
 acquainted with. 
 
 2dly, Whenever we confider the conjlanf 
 regular courfe of things either in Heaven or 
 the Earth , how incomprehenfiblc foever 
 they may be, yet we do not give the name 
 oi Miracles to them. Thus, how it comes 
 
 to 
 
( »5 ) 
 
 to pafs that the Moon, and Earth, go round 
 a Center, and move in Circles, and do not 
 fly off in their refpedive Tangents : And 
 What it is that keeps them in their Orbits, 
 is matter of as much wonder as any that can 
 be conceived ; yet v/e do not call this a M/- 
 racle. Nay, fhould either of them, or any 
 other Planet go off in the Tangent of its 
 Orb, ( which is v^hat all bodies which are 
 moved in Circles would do, were they not 
 retained by fome Hand or other ) — This 
 would juftly be deem'd and called a Mira^ 
 r/f, as foon as it was perceived. So that 
 the immediate Interpofition of God, or of a 
 Being fuperior to Man, if it be conjiant 
 and what we are acquainted withy does not 
 make a thing to be deemed miraculous j nor 
 do we apply that Term to things which pro- 
 ceed in an «/^j/ regular manner. 
 
 gdly, Nor do we apply this Term to 
 what may be refolved into Melancholly^ 
 Idiofyncrijy^ or Enthujiafm, how flrange and 
 furprizing foever the EfFeds of thefe are : 
 Becaufe we impute to Temperament, or 
 perhaps to Diftemper, the odd Symptoms 
 and Circumftances of perfons under the in- 
 fluence of thefe cafes, ;ind often find we 
 
 can 
 
( i6 ) 
 
 can by Medicines remove the AfFedions 
 here mentioned. And 
 
 Laftly, There are uncommon Cafes, 
 t, g. Monflrous Births ; what is called Long- 
 ing in Women with Child ; extraordinary 
 Chances and Events, &c, which though not 
 reducible by us to any general Rules or 
 Laws, are not called Miracles^ but Anoma" 
 liesy or Irregularities. 
 
 Thefe cafes being fet afide, A Miracle is, 
 a defigned Effedl^ fenfible^ unujual in itfelf^ 
 beyond the Art or Power of Man to do. Who 
 is the Agent that influences, or enables, the 
 Man to do or work a Miracle ; Whether it 
 be God himfelf, or fome inferior Being 
 afting mediately or immediately by the Or- 
 der or Will of God, makes no difference as 
 to this point ^ fmce the Miracle is the fame 
 let it be done by either God, or any other 
 Being fuperior to Man. Let us fuppofe, 
 what implies no abfurdity or contradidion, 
 that there are Invifible Beings, fuperior to 
 Man : and let it be admitted that a Man 
 (hould purpofe, and fhould walk on Water, 
 or in any Medium thinner and rarer than 
 Water is, without linking ; or fuppofe e,g, 
 that he fhould attempt to fly in the Air with- 
 out 
 
{ 17 ) 
 
 out Wings, or any thing which might fupply 
 the place of Wings, and fhould do it,— This 
 would be a Miracle, whether it were per- 
 formed by the Affiftance of God himfelf, 
 or any other invifible Being of any lower 
 clafs. 
 
 I would not chufe to put into the defini- 
 tion of a Miracle, that it muft be an ef- 
 fedl above, or bejides, or contrary to, the or^ 
 dinary courfe of Nature, For, if I do not 
 miftake, a Miracle may be wrought, and 
 yet it may not be above, or befides, or con^ 
 trary to the ordinary courfe of Nature : nay 
 it may be agreeable unto it. It is indeed 
 above, or befides, or contrary to the ordinary 
 coiirje oj Nature among us, for a Man to 
 fly through the Air unaffifted by any En- 
 gine; or to walk on the Water without 
 finking at all : But it is not above, or be^ 
 Jides, or contrary to the ordinary courfe of 
 Nature -, for an Angel, (I fuppofe fuch Be- 
 ings here the better to explain my meaning) 
 to fupport a Man upon the Water, or to 
 carry him through the Air, more than it is 
 contrary to the ordinary courfe of Nature for 
 a Veflel to fupport him in the Water, or 
 for any Beings, firojig enough^ to carry him 
 
 C through 
 
f i8 ) 
 
 through the Air. And I apprehend, that 
 when a Miracle is defined to be, Afenfible 
 eff'edl above or befides the ordinary courfe of 
 Nature, or of thofe Laws by which the na- 
 tural world is governed in the courfe of God's 
 general Providence, — I apprehend, I fay, 
 that this definidon is not exadt, becaufe I 
 can conceive a Miracle to be worked, (as in 
 the cafes above-mentioned, ) which yet is 
 7iot above^ or befides^ or contrary to, the 
 ordinary courfe of Nature, but perfedly 
 agreeable to thofe Laws by which the natu- 
 ral World is governed in the courfe of God's 
 general Providence. It is indeed befides the 
 ordinary courfe of Nature, or what is ufually 
 and commonly pradlifed by or among Men : 
 but it is too general a manner of Expref- 
 fion to fay, that any thing is above^ befides^ 
 or contrary to the ordinary courfe of Na- 
 ture, which is confident with the commoa 
 courfe of Nature, i,e, with the ordinary pow- 
 ers which Agents have, or may be conceived 
 to have. 
 
 Again, as I put into my definition, that 
 it is an Operation above the power of Man 
 to do^ it is plain, that it muft be the EfFedt 
 or Operation of fome fuperior Being -, and 
 
 not 
 
( 19 ) 
 
 not the refult of any powers of Bodies, how- 
 ever unufual or inexplicable fuch powers 
 may be. Whatever is a FaB^ or an Effe5i^ 
 however beyond the Art or Power of Man 
 to do, muft be owing to fome Caufe : and 
 we muft impute it to fome Agent, who is 
 able to produce it, fince it is an abfurdity to 
 fuppofe an Effed without a Caufe. In every 
 Miracle then, there being an EfFed:, by 
 fuppofition beyond the power of Man to 
 produce, we cannot but impute it to fome 
 invifible Agent who has greater Powers 
 than Man has. Now that there is One 
 fuch Superior Being, the Lord of all, pow- 
 erful, capable of doing what he pleafes, and 
 how he pleafes, and where he pleafes, is 
 too clear to be denied : And that there may 
 be innumerable, inferior, invifible Beings, 
 fubordinate to the One Great Governor of 
 all, is certainly pojjible. There is no Abfur- 
 dity in fuppofing fuch ; and the Scale of 
 Beings, vifible in this world, makes \i pro- 
 bable that it is continued upwards ; and the 
 thinking Subjlance within us, fliews every 
 man that in fad there is fuch a thing as 
 an invifible Agent. It is not necefFary to 
 proceed farther than this in the prefent En- 
 
 C 2 quiry: 
 
( 20 ) 
 
 quiry : Since if either a poffibility, or 
 probability of Invifible Agents, or a cer- 
 tainty of the Exiftence of God, all fuffi- 
 cient, Almighty, is admitted; — That is all 
 that can be required to account for any Pho^- 
 nomenon. But further, 
 
 When a Miracle is faid to be beyond the 
 power of man^ — it may be thought impoffible, 
 or at leaft very difficult, to fix the bounds 
 which the Knowledge or Induftry of man 
 may arrive at. Hence it has been fuggefted, 
 becaufe it feems not to imply an abfolute 
 eontradidlion in the fuppofition, thatHemay 
 fome time or other arrive at the Skill of rat- 
 fmg the dead \ that he may acquire the Secret 
 of making the Juices of the Human body 
 flow again after they have ceafed to flow j 
 and that he may be able to diflblve coagu- 
 lated Blood, and make it move freely again 
 after it has totally ceafed to move. Sup- 
 pofing all this, but not admitting it to be 
 true ; which furely is taking the largeft 
 Strides in Suppofition, — All that will follow 
 from hence is, that That which is now a 
 Miracle^ and not in the power of Man to do, 
 will then become within the Human power j 
 and in courfe the raifing of a dead man to 
 
 life 
 
( 21 ) 
 
 life will then ceafe to be miraculous, be- 
 caufe the efFeft of the power of man. And 
 this reafoning will hold univerfally. To re- 
 ftore a man to his Eyes or Feet, or to give 
 him Health and Soundnefs by a word, by 
 no Touch, nor by any Application what- 
 ever, is now properly a Miracle. But fhou'd 
 fuch a Secret ever be found out, as to cure 
 any, or all forts of fick or difordered folks, 
 or to reftore life to dead perfons, without 
 any application, or Touch, the term, Mi- 
 racky wou'd not then be applied to fuch 
 cafes more than it is now to the Rifing of 
 the Sun or Moon, or to any common Cures 
 of Diftempers. The common Agency ex- 
 erted regularly to fuch a cure of Diforders, 
 wou'd be upon this Suppofition nothing ex- 
 traordinary or unufual -, and confequently 
 no more miraculous than any thing elfe 
 within the compafs of Human Skill or 
 Power. 
 
 I have indeed admitted thefe Suppofiti- 
 ons, extravagant as they are, becaufe they 
 ferve to convey the Ideas which we have, 
 as well and as juftly as any others can. And 
 (hould it be faid, that the Cure of Diforders 
 done by Chrift, or his Apoftles, by a Word, 
 
 C 3 without 
 
( 22 ) 
 
 without any Touch, or Application, was 
 owing to any peculiar Skill or Knowledge 
 
 in them which now is loft, This muft 
 
 be left to Every body's Judgment : with 
 only this additional circumftance, that our 
 Lord controuled the Winds and Waves, 
 with a word, as well as the fluids and fo- 
 lids of the Human Body : He cured ab- 
 fent as well as prefent diforders : He multi- 
 plied bread, and fifh, fo as to feed Great 
 Numbers with little food : and in {hort, 
 afted as much in a proper niiraculous man- 
 ner as we can conceive. To imagine fuch 
 Skill, fuch Knovi^ledge to be acquired^ fo as 
 to efFeft any thing, or every thing, with a 
 bare word^ is in reality to imagine the 
 greateft effeds to be producible without 
 any fufRcient caufe ; or that nothing is able 
 to produce every effedt. 
 
 But let it be farther obferv'd, that as far as 
 we are able to judge, God governs the World 
 by ftated general Laws, and Caufes are fuf- 
 fered to produce their EiFed:s regularly. 
 Hence it is, that from our own, and other 
 peoples Experience, we can fay with aflu- 
 rance what will be the Event of things a great 
 many years hence : The Sun, e. g, will 
 
 rife 
 
( 23 ) 
 
 rife at fuch a Minute on a given day, fix 
 or fix hundred years hence : and if it be 
 warm, rainy weather, in the Summer 
 Months, the Grafs and Fruits of the 
 Earth will thrive. Whatever we fee to be 
 agreeable to the ordinary courfe of things 
 in our fphere is never deemed miraculous by 
 us, however incomprehenfible it may be to us. 
 It is a general Law that Iron fliall be at- 
 tradted by a Load-fl:one, and that Iron 
 touched by a Load-flone (hall attradl other 
 Iron, and this Attraftion is made contrary 
 to the Laws of Gravity. How this is done, 
 we know not ^ but yet we never reckon it 
 to be miraculous. So likewife there is a 
 certain agreement or difagreement betwixt 
 certain bodies, that the application of one to 
 the other fhall caufe Qinet or Motion, re- 
 move or increafe certain Effects. Now, 
 however furprifing this may be to any Ob- 
 ferver, yet it is not deemed miraculous^ be- 
 caufe it is fuppofed to be the Refult of the 
 original make, or of the properties of cer- 
 tain bodies -, and this by the ordinary courfe 
 of a General Law. The odd Effects pro- 
 duced by the Application of Bodies to one 
 another are regular and certain, and con- 
 
 C 4 ilant 
 
( 24 ) 
 
 ftant in the fame circumftances ; and there- 
 fore tho' we do not know the Reafon of the 
 EfFeds, yet having difcovered the Fadl, we 
 acquiefce in the unknown caufc, and do 
 not imagine the Interpofition of Invifible 
 Agents, in order to account for that we 
 commonly fee. It is plain that fome forts 
 of Matter have ftrange properties which we 
 do know ; and there are as ftrange ones ftill 
 undifcovered, which by Juxtapofition, by 
 mixtures, by the help of Fire, by invifible 
 Efluvia, by motion, by one art or other, 
 are daily difcovered. Thefe EfFeds, how 
 wonderful foever, are never look'd upon as 
 miraculous ; fince Obfervation grounded on 
 Experience and Information, makes us judge 
 them to be owing to fome general Laws of 
 Matter and Motion, which we find to be 
 certain, tho* we are ftrangers to them. 
 
 There was, not very many years ago in 
 England^ a Man very famous for the ftrange 
 Cures by him performed ; and every fad; 
 comes to us fe well attefted by the Beft, and 
 Ableft, and moft Judicious men then in this 
 Kingdom, that their Truth cannot be 
 doubted : I mean fuch Men as Bifliop JVil- 
 kins, Dr. Cudworthy Dr. Patrick^ Dr 
 
 Whichcot,^ 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 Whichcot, Dean Ruji, Dr. Evans, Mr. 
 Boyky and a great many more, who have 
 attefted the Truth of Mr. Greatrak's Cures. 
 Can any thing look more like Miracle, than 
 that the '^ Ague, the Falling Sicknefs, the 
 " King's Evil, the Fever, Lamenefs of 
 *' many Years ftanding," fliould " be re- 
 ^' mov'd by the meer laying on of hands, 
 " and ftroking the part afFe^ed ?" That he 
 fliou'd " make the Pains fkip and fly from 
 ^* place to place till they run out," and left 
 the Patient w^ell ? Here was a fenfible, de- 
 figned Operation, very unufual, and one 
 wou'd think beyond the power of man : And 
 accordingly Mr. StiMs the Phyfician, call'd 
 him. The Miraculous Conformiji. But yet, 
 I am inclined to believe that Mr. Greatrak's 
 Stroking, which produced fuch extraordi- 
 nary EfFedls, was not properly miraculous. 
 There might be fome thing peculiar to him 
 and to his Conftitution, that enabled him to 
 do fuch wonderful Cures ; and Others, if 
 they knew it, may have a like Quality, and 
 might do the fame. 
 
 When, I fay, This fnay or might be the 
 cafe, — I ground my notion upon a well 
 known fadt, that Mr. Greatrak, who was 
 
 able 
 
( 26 ) 
 
 able to cure fome^ in the manner aforefaid, 
 yet was not able to cure others j no, nor 
 was he able to cure the perfon who applied 
 to him, unlefs the fick man was able to tell 
 him where the pain lay : Or if Mr. Grea- 
 trak had, by his Stroking, removed the dif- 
 order from the afFedled part, and had drove 
 it into fome other part ; (which frequently 
 was the cafe) if the Perfon was fo reduced, 
 €, g, by his Fits^ -« to have loft the ufe of 
 his Speech, or was unable to te// where his 
 Diforder lay, He could do no manner of 
 Service to him. This, I conceive, would 
 not have been the cafe, had thefe Cures 
 been efFefted by fome Superior Invifible Be- 
 ings ; who could have eafily known into 
 what part of the Body the Diftemper, or 
 Pain, was removed, without the Patients 
 declaring where it was ; and by their means 
 the perfon might have been cured, tho' 
 Mr. Greatrak did not know whither the 
 pain was gone. 
 
 I do not by this attempt, nor wou'd I be 
 underftood to philofophize, or to account 
 for the cafe before-mention'd, or for any 
 other ftrange things which may be met with 
 in Hiftory, where the fads have been fo 
 well attefted, that they cannot eafily be de- 
 nied. 
 
( 27) 
 
 nied. All that I mean is, r. That where 
 an EfFedt is poffible to be accounted for by 
 the Art or Power of men 5 or by the means 
 of matter and motion ; or by any natural 
 powers known to us, it fhou'd not be 
 ranked amongft Miracles^ but fhou'd be im- 
 puted to its proper caufe, how extraordinary 
 foever it may appear to fuch as are not 
 well verfed in thefe matters. And, 2. That 
 men (hould always be fure of the Fa6l it- 
 felf, before they pretend to enquire for 
 either a natural ox ^fupematural cdcak ^ Or 
 elfe they may difpute for ever about an ima- 
 ginary Subjedt, and take a great deal of 
 pains to find out the caufe of nothing. The 
 famous Story of the Golden Tooth that was 
 faid to grow in a Boy's head at Weildorjl in 
 Silefia^ fo artfully contrived as to impofe on 
 that famous Phyfician James Horjiius, and 
 many others, and which was not for a long 
 while difcovered to be a Tooth plated over 
 with Gold : And all the Legendary Stories 
 of Miracles faid to be done by Saints^ or 
 by the Hojl^ of which you have a tolerable 
 Colleftion in The School of the Eucbarifi, 
 fliould make us careful firft to be fure of 
 
 Fa^s 'y 
 
( 28 ) 
 
 FaSfs ; and then it is time enough to confi- 
 der whether They are Miraculous^ or not. 
 
 Thus much concerning what is meant by 
 the word Miracle. Let us next confider it 
 as it ftands, or may (land, conneded with 
 DoSirines, Here I muft lay it down, 
 
 I. That nothing that is derogatory to 
 the Honour of God ; nothing that is con- 
 trary to, or inconfiftent with Goodnefs, 
 Juftice, Mercy, Truth, or any of the Mo- 
 ral Attributes of the Deity, can ever be 
 proved true. For thefe Properties or Attri- 
 butes are fo certain, that let a Revelation be 
 pretended, or any Evidence whatfoever be 
 produced, yet what is true cannot be proved 
 to be falfe, any more than a demonftrated 
 Propofition in Geometry can be confuted 
 by a contrary demonftration. Indeed cou'd 
 this be done, there wou'd be no fuch thing 
 as Truth or Falfliood , nor cou'd there be 
 foundation for Aflent of Mind, nor any 
 thing to be believed or difbelieved. 
 
 a. No Doctrine can be affented to. That 
 is contrary to the nature and reafon of 
 things : God himfelf is governed by them ; 
 and all intelligent Agents are under Qbliga- 
 tion to purfue the fame Rule of Action. 
 
 3. What- 
 
( 29 -) 
 
 3. Whatever is, either thro* our want of 
 capacity, or thro' the nature of the thing, 
 unconceivable by us, cannot be the Subject 
 of Revelation. For as to all intents and 
 purpofes, it is exactly the fame thing not to 
 be revealed at all, as to continue perfectly 
 unintelligible, after a Revelation is made. 
 And 
 
 4. It feems moft reafonable to imagine, 
 that if God, or any Superior Being were to 
 inform mankind in an extraordinary manner 
 of any Truths, they would be fuch as were 
 ufeful to them, and worthy of Him who is 
 pleafed to give them fuch Information* 
 
 This being premifed, I now take it for 
 granted, i. That a Miracle may be done, 
 /. e, a Work above the Power of man : And 
 fince it is above his power, it muft be done 
 either by God himfelf, or by fome other in- 
 vifible Agent inferior to God. 2. I fuppofe 
 that fome Doctrines may be difcovered, or 
 revealed to men by Invifible Beings. And, 
 3, That there are certain Tefts, by which 
 a man may judge, Whether he ought to 
 receive a Doctrine as revealed, or not. The 
 
 Second Point then to be confidered is. 
 Whether there be any material circumftancc 
 
 attending 
 
( 30 ) 
 
 attending the Miracles done by the Foun- 
 der of the Chrijlian Religion and his Firft 
 Difclples, which may make them more to 
 be regarded than thofe done by the French 
 Prophets, or by xSx^Abbe Paris, or any other 
 who pretend to work Miracles, and which 
 may determine an honeft man to believe 
 the one to have been done, at the fame time 
 that heis juftifiable in difbelieving, or in not 
 being at all foUicitous about the other. 
 
 There is certainly a general prejudice, ari- 
 ling from the nature of the thing, which 
 makes men lefs apt to give into a belief of all 
 miracles whether done many hundred years 
 ago, or done in their own times. They are 
 xYiing^ unufual-y and what is very unufualy and 
 not within the reach of our Conceptions, is for 
 that very reafon rejected as improbable. No 
 one therefore fliould be furprifed, if Miracles 
 in general, or if thofe of Mofes and Chriji 
 in particular, are attacked by fuch common 
 Topicks as Thefe: — Miracles are fit argu- 
 ments only for the Weak ; that Credulity 
 is a never-failing, unfathomable Abyfs, that 
 readily fwallows all Prodigies, and whatever 
 has the Appearance of the Wonderful-^ that 
 
 it 
 
( 3' ) 
 
 it is an old Obfervation *, that the more 
 Prodigies are believed by a fimple and fu- 
 perftitious people, the more and the greater 
 will ever be invented, and published 5 and 
 that none but credulous and weak people 
 ever regard them. You may indeed pre- 
 tend, that Honejl men, who are unwilling 
 to deceive, or to be deceived, give their Af- 
 fent to fuch Fads : But Honeji men may 
 eaiily be mifled themfelves, and when they 
 are fo, they may as eafily miflead others. 
 It is well known, that tho' fome men are 
 Honeft, yet Others are Artful^ and know 
 how to impofe on, and feduce thofe who 
 are honeft ; nay, the more difpofed they 
 are to follow Truth, the more eafily are 
 they apt to believe, and to truft the Re- 
 ports of the Men of Cunning : They there- 
 fore may be allowed to be well meaning, 
 upright men, and yet being over eafily per- 
 fwaded, they may undefignedly impofe oa 
 others. Or fay that they are unwilling to 
 be ^edulous, and fearch as well as they are 
 able for the Truth of any Fadls j yet it is 
 
 * Prodigia co anno muka nuntiata funt, quse quo magis 
 credebant iunplices ac religiofi homines^ eo ecum pluis 
 nuntiabantur. Liv. 1. 24. 
 
 eafy 
 
(32 ) 
 
 cafy to conceive how they may impofe up- 
 on themfelves. Whatever is wonderful^ is 
 apt to ftrike Mens minds very powerfully ; 
 and when This has made the firft Impref- 
 fion, an Interefl: may infeniibly warp them 
 from their Integrity ; Or if they have no 
 Intereft themfelves, Others to whom they 
 ftand related fome how or other, or from 
 whom they receive their Information, may 
 have an Intereft to ferve by their Credulity. 
 It may be a Queftion, how far Fame^ or 
 Reputation may work upon men who have 
 no Fame or Reputation to lofe : if they 
 fucceed, is it not a prodigious Advantage to 
 men of low condition in life to be efteem'd 
 the Agents, or immediate Inftruments of 
 God J and perhaps to be fubmitted to in 
 whatever they fhould declare to come from 
 Heaven ? 
 
 Should any one fay. That Eye-witneffei 
 cannot be deceived : and if fuch are Honeft, 
 there can be no reafon to doubt of their 
 Reports : It will be replied. That 
 
 Eye-witneffes of things improbable in 
 themfelves^ may juftly be fufpedted. How 
 many have been made to imagine that they 
 fee, what never exifted ? How many Eye- 
 
 witneiTes 
 
x^ 
 
 ( 33 ) 
 
 witnefles are there of Popijlo Miracles, who 
 cannot be reafonably charged with Difho- 
 nefty ? They certainly believe thofe to be 
 true Miracles, which others are convinced 
 to be mere lUufion and Fraud. But 
 
 Belides this, There may be much more 
 reafon to doubt of Miracles, when they are 
 only grounded upon a Relation of them, 
 made Thirty, Forty y Sixty years after they 
 were faid to be performed. Who would 
 now give Credit to any Miracle faid to be 
 done at the Revolution, and never publifh'd 
 to the World till this Year, when Few cou'd 
 poffibly examine into its Truth, and Fewer 
 would trouble themfelves about it ? There 
 is not only reafon to fufpect the Truth of 
 fuch Relations, but there is no Obligation 
 to concern ourfelves with fuch furprifing 
 or unaccountable Fads, even were they to 
 happen in our own Times. And indeed ex- 
 traordinary Fadls are related in every Age ; 
 and if the world were to give into a Belief 
 of Miracles every where faid to be done, 
 there wou*d be no caufe to complain of the 
 Wanty but on the contrary, of the Excefs of 
 Faith. 
 
 D Now, 
 
( 34 ) 
 
 Now, all this declamatory Objecftion 
 vanifhes into nothing, if it can be made to 
 appear, that as a Miracle is poffible, fo no- 
 thing is here urged to fliew that the Apo- 
 ftles were infaB mifled bylntereft, or fwayed 
 by any finifter views, or any ways impofed 
 on. If it could be (hewn that the Evange- 
 lifts in particular were not men of Honefty 
 and Abilities, from any circum_ftances in 
 their Hiftories, which cannot be reconcird 
 to their Veracity and Integrity, then indeed 
 a conjectural Objedion might be reafonably 
 urged 'y and it would not be fufRcient to 
 reply that Matthew^ or Johi were Eye- 
 witneff'es ; or that we have as good Evi- 
 dence for the Genuinefs of their books as 
 we have for Cicero^ or Ccefar^ for Livy^ or 
 Salkjl, But there are in the ^Evangelifts, 
 all the marks of Integrity, and Abilities, that 
 can be expeded or given : And confe- 
 quently, a mere conjedural Objection is of 
 iio validity againft them. 
 
 Should it be faid, that the Genuinefs of 
 the Book is not enough to juftify the Truth 
 of any thing improbable in itfelf that is con- 
 tained in it : Or, that the Author may be 
 impofed on, or byafs'd in relating Fadts 
 
 which 
 
( 25 ) 
 
 which in themfelves are unlikely ^ — Though 
 this may be true in generaly yet when it 
 comes to be applied to particular perfons, 
 and to particular circumftances, it may be 
 falfe and groundlefs. It is true, in general, 
 that Man is a lying, wicked, falfe creature : 
 Yet, if any one fliould thence argue, that 
 therefore fuch a particular Perfon is a Liar, 
 or very wicked, the conclufioji might be 
 ycry falfe and very unjuft. And fo it is in 
 the prefent cafe : Miracles in general are 
 unlikely or improbable. Wou'd any one 
 from thence conclude, that there never was 
 a Miracle done ; or that never any body was 
 a competent Eye-witnefs, or a faithful Re 
 lator of fuch a faft ? If indeed one can ex 
 cept to a particular perfon's credit, or to his 
 credulity, or can prove him an incompetent 
 Witnefs, the Improbability of the fa<5t will 
 juftify our disbelief; and the more of fuch 
 circumftances concur, the greater will be 
 the grounds of Sufpicion. But before we 
 reje<fl the relation of a Miracle as abfolutely 
 incredible, the circumftances are to be con- 
 lidered ; and what is true /;/ general^ muft 
 be true in particular ^ or we may difbelieve 
 a certain Truth, and rejeft what has the 
 
 D 2 ftrongeft 
 
( 36) 
 
 flrongeft Evidence that can be produced for 
 any faft. 
 
 How then are we to ad in the prefent 
 cafe ? And how can we poflibly arrive at 
 any degree of Evidence, that the Miracles 
 done by our Saviour were really and truly 
 done ? Or will they not always ftand upon 
 the Foot of other Miracles which are treated 
 as incredible^ and rejedled as fuch ? 
 
 I anfwer. No. There may be jTw^? cafes 
 put, which will juftly give Credit to the 
 Miracles which are attended with them ; 
 and will juftify our AfTent to them, tho' 
 we refufe it to all others. The 
 
 Firji is, Suppofe the perfons who are faid 
 to have work'd Miracles^ have by means of 
 a Prophetic Spirit fliewn, that they had fome 
 Intercourfe with Invifible Beings : Imagine, 
 that He or They have plainly and clearly 
 foretold things Two, Three, Five hundred, 
 or a Thoufand years or more, before they 
 came to pafs : Suppofe too, that the mat- 
 ters foretold are fo exprefs and clear, (in 
 many cafes at lead,) that the words of the 
 prediction muft be racked and tortured 
 much, in order to pervert them to a wrong 
 meaning : And laflly, Suppofe that there is 
 no difpute, nor can be any, that the Books 
 
 which 
 
( 37 ) 
 
 which contain thefe Prophecies are public, 
 and were fo long before the Events. I need 
 not flay to obferve, that this is the cafe in- 
 difputably of theWritings of the Old and New 
 Teftament. In this cafe, the Prophet has a 
 Gift fuperior toother men,andmufthave his 
 Knowledge from fome Superior Beingy who 
 either can govern and direct the Actions of 
 free, voluntary Agents, fo as to bring about 
 things juft as they are foretold ; or elfe he 
 mniikmwhovf the perfon that does govern all 
 things will adl at the given time. If the Pro- 
 phet is enabled to work a Miracle^ and this 
 Miracle is recorded by One that was an Eye- 
 witnefs, or of Abilities and Integrity, — I fay, 
 'there is good reafon for any one, at any dif-^ 
 tance of time, to believe that fuch a Miracle 
 was worked -, becaufe one muft know, that 
 the Perfon who worked it, had fome 
 Intcrcourfe with fome Invifible Being, who 
 could as well enable him to work it, as he 
 could enable him iofrediclio diftant, fo re- 
 mote a futurity. 
 
 Suppofe now a Miracle work'd, e.g, by the 
 Abbe PariSy and related as his Elogiil, 
 Monf. Montgeron has told it. I have a right 
 to call in queftion, or to doubt of the facl \ as 
 it muft be owned that I have to doubt of 
 
 D 3 every 
 
(38 ) 
 
 every thing that is unlikely^ or improbable ; 
 efpecially if I have grounds to fufpect Inte- 
 reft, or Policy, or Enthufiafm, or Party, 
 or what elfe you pleafe, to be concerned in 
 the affair ; and I have no collateral Evi- 
 dence to induce me to believe that the T^omb 
 of the Deacon could do fuch wonders, or 
 that God would do them at his Interceffion. 
 Should any one, therefore, in this cafe, 
 doubt of the Truth of an uncommon, 
 extraordinary Fact, He could not be 
 blamed ; efpecially fhould he fee it contro- 
 verted on the Spot, whether fuch Miracles 
 are done, or not. But when he has a cer- 
 tainty of a man's having a correfpondence 
 with Superior, Invifible Beings, from Tro^ 
 phecy and Events exactly correfponding ; 
 and when this is not a thing that lies with- 
 \n the reach of human conjecture, but 
 what muft depend upon him who-governs 
 the world 5 Or if, (as is the cafe of the 
 Scriptures) there may be many fuch In- 
 flances, and we our/elves can fee the Events 
 exactly tallying to what fo many years before 
 was predicted, — One cannot but fee the 
 Miracle to be probable^ probable in the 
 higheft degree^ and to have a greater degree 
 
 of 
 
(39 ) 
 
 of Credibility than what can be derived from 
 the mere Authority of the Writer. Where- 
 cver any extraordinary FaBs are related, 
 eipecially fuch as are above the powers of 
 Men to do, let them be called by the name 
 of Prodigies^ or what the Writer pleafes. 
 Every man has a right to doiibt^ xofufpeB^ 
 to call in quejiion the Fact, or the Informa- 
 tion, or perhaps the Honefty or Abilities of 
 the Relator : And fhould he go fo far as to 
 difbelieve what is fo very unlikely, unlefs 
 very flrong Evidence could be produced to 
 the contrary, he wou*d not go beyond the 
 bounds of Reafon. But it is not fo where 
 Proof of an Intercourfe with God, or with 
 fome Superior Invifible Being, is evident > 
 becaufe Prophecy and Event is like 2. /land- 
 ing ^ perpetual Miracle y done before mine^own 
 EyeSy which I cannot be convinced to be 
 falfe, till I can be convinced that fuch or 
 fuch propofitions are not wrote down in fuch 
 a book, or that they do not mean what their 
 plain purport is. 
 
 You'll fay, perhaps, that to appeal to Pro- 
 phecy for the credibility of Miracles is ap- 
 pealing to a thing as hard to be conceived 
 as Miracles themfelves : That a Miracle is 
 
 D 4 a Fact 
 
{ 40 ) 
 
 a Fact of which tliQ Sen/es are the proper 
 Judges : And that if any perfon doesy^^ fuch 
 a thing done, it is enough to have, and one 
 ought to acquiefce in fuch Teftimony. 
 . It is true, that the Senfes are the proper 
 Judges of a Miracle ; and there can be no 
 greater evidence given than that of mens 
 o^NVi fenfible Experience. Let men argue 
 ever fo fubtilly, yet ftili no one can prove 
 that a man did not fee, what in fact he faw 
 to be done. If a Miracle therefore was really 
 done ; if a dead man, e.g. was raifed to life, 
 or a lame man reftored to the ufe of his 
 Limbs by a word, — This was an Evidence 
 beyond all queftion, to all fuch as were pro- 
 per Eye-wifneffes, The Facts ought to be 
 examined into in the moft careful manner ; 
 and if no Art, no Trick be ufed, but the 
 thing done be fuch as is plainly above the 
 power of man to do, no Evidence can be 
 flronger than Eye-Jighf ; and fuch as have 
 that Evidence cannot but believe. Thofe 
 therefore that fee a Miracle, need not, canr- 
 not hav^e ftronger Evidence of its Truth than 
 Eye-fight will afford. 
 
 fiut 
 
( 41 ) 
 
 But this fort of Evidence being only to 
 be had by thofe who are Spectators of the 
 thing done, what Satisfaction can others, 
 who are not prefent at the working of the 
 Miracle, have ? May it not be reafonable 
 for thofe who live at a great diftance of 
 either Time or Place to doubt of fuch ex- 
 traordinary fadls, and to JufpeEi delufion or 
 impofture ? There is fo much deceit in the 
 world, io much juggle, fo many private 
 Ends and Views to ferve, that it cannot but 
 be right to fufpend our Judgment, till proof 
 of extraordinary facts can be produced. Our 
 Saviour, Seventeen Hundred years ago, is 
 faid by the Evangelijls^ to have worked a 
 great many Miracles in proof of his Miffion : 
 Two of the Writers of his Life and Acts 
 were his immediate Attendants, and faw 
 the wondrous Works he did. If now we 
 are fatisfied with their Hiftorlcal Evidence, 
 or from what thefe Eye-witnejfes have de- 
 clared, there's an end of the Enquiry. Bui 
 Unbelievers ftill doubt : they are not fatisfied 
 with this Teftimony : they fee many in- 
 ftances of Miracles, well vouched, and yet 
 rejected by adverfe Parties : they fee con- 
 ftant accounts from Popip Countries of 
 
 Cures 
 
{ 42 ) 
 
 Cures of all forts, done by Images^ by Re- 
 liquesy and I know not what confecrated 
 Gewgaws. How many Miracles is Ignatius 
 Loyola faid to have worked ? How many 
 did Francis Xavier ? And yet we all make 
 no fcruple to condemn and reject fuch 
 Stories, as Fictions and Romances. Why 
 then fhould affent be given to the Accounts 
 of Miracles, related by the Evangelijlsy 
 which were done fo many hundred years 
 ago ? Now, 
 
 The cafe I fay is different, and we our- 
 felves m2iyfee the difference, if we confider 
 the Prophecies which occur in the Sacred 
 Writings. I do not mean fuch Prophecies 
 as were of things very near^ or what an ad- 
 verfary would impute to Chance^ or Conjee^ 
 ture 5 but I refer to fuch predictions of re- 
 mote Events as could not be owing to fuch 
 caufes. Of thefe we are competent Judges ; 
 we fee and know their completion; and 
 when wey^^ the completion, we can fee 
 a power with the perfon that works the 
 Miracle, fufficient to enable him to do it ; 
 and confequently have ground to believe 
 the Miracle itfelf to be done. 
 
 -m 
 
 f^K^k\^jx 
 
 ^ Prophecy^ 
 
(+3) 
 
 Prophecy, as I juft now obferved, is like 
 a Standing Miracle of which we our/elves 
 are certain Judges ; and the appeal here lies, 
 not to the Eyes of thofe who lived many- 
 hundred years ago, but to our own Facul- 
 ties. We ourfelves are as fure of the com- 
 pletion, as the concurring Teftimonies of 
 all parties, Heathens as well as Chriftians, 
 Enemies as well as Friends, nay, our owa 
 Eye - fight, can affure us. When the 
 Hiftories of paft Times are related, and 
 the Hiftorian knew not that he was 
 ferving any purpofe but that of writing faith- 
 fully what pafled in the world. He was 
 giving a demonftration of the Truth of 
 Chriftianity, and eftablifhing an Evidence 
 for its Truth that is indifputable. Here 
 conjeBural Objections are of no force, 
 againfl: fo clear and pofitive an Evidence; 
 nor ought any man to give up what is true, 
 unlefs all Hiftory be falfe, for the fake of 
 mere poffibilities. 
 
 When I fay, unlefs all Hijlory be falfe ^ I 
 do not mean what is reported to be the 
 motive to, or the Springs of action in Princes 
 or States, or little Incidents which admit of 
 Controverfy ; but I mean the Events^ the 
 well known Facts^ the Revolutions in Em- 
 pires, 
 
( 44 ) 
 
 pires, the Practices of Chriftians ; Things 
 which all agree in. Such are the Prophe- 
 tic Defcription of a Polity to arife in the 
 Church remarkable for its Idolatry and Per- 
 fecution j the Apojiacy which was to confift 
 in the Worfhip of DamonSy in abftinence 
 from Marriage^ and from certain Meats, 
 which God hath ordained to be received with 
 Than/giving ; The Continuance of the Jews-y 
 the Popes fubduing juft 7 hree Kingdoms j and 
 many other Fadls of the like nature. Thefe 
 are fuch ftanding Evidences of a Superior 
 power with thofe who are reported to work 
 Miracles, that one cannot diftelieve the ac- 
 counts which we have of their MiracleSy 
 unlefs fome direct and pojitive proof, and 
 not a merely conjeBural one, cou'd be pro« 
 duced againft them. 
 
 But do not the Scriptures themfelves fup- 
 pofe, that a man may work a Miracle ^ and 
 utter a Prophecy at the fame time, and yet 
 be a Lying Prophet ? If there arife among 
 you a Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, 
 and giveth thee a Sign, or a Wonder-, and 
 the Sign or Wonder come to pafs, whereof 
 be fpake unto thee, faying^ Let us go after 
 ether Gods^ which thou hajl not known, and 
 
 let 
 
 >'nn.(f; 
 
(4?"T 
 
 let usferve theniy Thou poalt not hearken to 
 the words of that Prophet — for the Lord 
 your God proveth yoUy to know whether you 
 love the Lord your God^ Deut. xiii. i — 3. 
 
 But this is of no weight in the prefent 
 cafe. No Evidence can be greater than that 
 of Eye-fight y and therefore if any one 
 fliouldy?^ fuch a falfe Prophet work a MU 
 racle^ He could not doubt of the Truth 
 of the Miracle itfelf. But if the prophet 
 join'd to this Miracle a falfe Dodrine, if 
 he attempted to feduce the people to Ido- 
 latry, or to worfliip any Beings befides the 
 God of Heaven j this confequcnce wou*d 
 by no means follow. The cafe is put of 
 one that had had heretofore a Revela- 
 tion from God, and is therefore ftyled a 
 "Prophet. Suppofe that fuch a one were 
 to give a Sign^ or a Wonder \ or, fup- 
 pofe that he were to add to That a Pre^ 
 diction of fome future Event, and all this 
 were in order to induce the people to do a 
 wrong, unjufi:, unrighteous acS, yet they 
 were not to hearken to him ; becaufe no 
 Evidence, no Argument was fufficient to 
 prove a falfhood to be true. The nature 
 and reafon of the thing is always to be con- 
 fider'd, and muft never be forfaken : And 
 
 {hould 
 
'(46) 
 
 fhould a Worker of a Miracle foretel any 
 Event, and fhould fuch Event happen — All 
 that will follow is, That fuch a man was 
 really aflifted by fomeSuperiorBeing, who en- 
 abled him to do the Miracle, and to prophe- 
 {y : Both thefe extraordinary Events were, 
 or might be true 5 but the confequence 
 drawn from them was falfe, 'uiz. That the 
 people therefore were to go after other Gods.- 
 But this is not the point I am now upon. 
 A Miracle is fuppofed to be done ; and I 
 want to know, Whether I may not arrive 
 at certainty, that fuch Miracle was not ow- 
 ing to Trick, or Art, or Miftake in them 
 that have related it to the World. Suppofe 
 then, that the Perfon who work'd the Mi- 
 racle^ did foretel very diftant Events, of 
 which I am a competent Judge, and which 
 I fee to have happened juft as it was foretold 
 that they (hould happen ^ in this cafe, I 
 myfelf can fee that fuch Prophet was in- 
 fpired, or influenced by a Superior Being ; 
 and thence I can conclude, that the Miracle 
 is probable ; and then it is eafy to aflent to 
 the Relators of fuch Miracle, if I have fuf- 
 licient grounds not to fufpedl their Veracity 
 or Abilities. 
 
 Secondly^ 
 
(47) 
 
 Secondly J Another cafe may be put, which 
 may give great credit to Records of Af/- 
 racles done Teriy ^wenty^ Thirty^ Sixty 
 years before the Record was publiflied : 
 An.d that is this, Suppofe that a company 
 of men fliould be enabled to work Miracles 
 from, and by the Perfon, who is reported to 
 have worked Miracles fo many years before : 
 Suppofe that they fhould every where, as 
 occafion or opportunity offered, do the 
 fame, or greater Miracles than thofe con- 
 tained in fuch records, — This would argue 
 a great degree of Probability, or would 
 amount to Evidence, that that perfon who 
 could give fuch a power to others, did do 
 the Miracles he is faid to do himfelf. 
 
 Suppofe, e. g. that a number of men 
 fliould go about the feveral parts of the 
 world, and work Miracles^ and write Books 
 and in them declare, that they did not the 
 Miracles they did by any power of their 
 own ; but that whatever they did, it was by 
 a power received from One, who many 
 years ago work'd Miracles himfelf. The 
 Records indeed of thefe firft Miracles were 
 not publifhed till twenty, or thirty, or even 
 Sixty years after the death of him that did 
 
 them. 
 
( 48 ) 
 
 them. Bat then, here were a large com- 
 pany of men, who appealed for the Truth 
 of what they did to All^ to Enemies as well 
 as Friends j and They worked Miracles vi- 
 libly and openly, as oft as Circumftances 
 arofe which required them j and they de- 
 clared, that whatever powers they had, they 
 had from him, who did fo many Signs and 
 Wonders fo many years ago. Are not thefe 
 later Miracles a good ground to believe 
 that even xh^ former are, or might be true ? 
 And muft not every one, who was an Eye- 
 witnefs to thefe later Miracles, conclude* 
 that thofe which were done fo much before 
 might have been real ? 
 
 Now, fhould it further appear, upon the 
 flridleft Examination, that thefe very men 
 who liv*d fo much later than our Saviour, 
 and worked Miracles by a power derived 
 from him^ had likewife the gift of Prophe- 
 cy y and did foretel many diftant things, and 
 they came to pafs exaflily as they foretold, 
 it will be a ftrong Evidence of thefe mens 
 Infpiration, or Intercourfe with fome Invi- 
 Jible Being ; and in courfe, that the Miracles 
 they relate were true^ or more to be regard- 
 ed 
 
{ 49 ) 
 
 ed than any others not attended with fach 
 Circumftances. 
 
 Suppofe now the queflion to be, Upon 
 what grounds do we believe the Miracles of 
 the New Teftament to be real, or really 
 done by them who are faid to have done 
 them ; fince all Miracles are improbable in 
 themfelves, as being unufual, and beyond 
 the power or art of man ? The Anfwer is. 
 They are agreed to be the works of Beings 
 fuperior to man. Now Jefus fliewed fafii- 
 ciently, that He had fome Intercourfe with 
 fome Superior Beings, by the Prophecies that 
 He gave of future, diftant Things, and We 
 ourfelves are Judges of thcfe Truths from 
 our Knowledge of their Completion. The 
 Apoftlcs had the fame Spirit of Prophecy, 
 Hence one may conjjjlude, that both He and 
 his Difciples might pojjibly do what is re- 
 ported of them : pojjibly^ as to the Fact^ 
 however, unlikely in itfelf ; and pojjibly^ as 
 to the men who are faid to have done fuch 
 and fuch Fa6ts. Then come in, in their 
 full force, all the Arguments for the Truth 
 of the Gofpel Records, taken from the In- 
 tegrity and Honefty of the Writers, from 
 their being Eye-witnefTes, fron\ their having 
 
 E no 
 
( 50 ) 
 
 no Interefl: to ferve, from their facrificing 
 every thing for the Truth of the Gofpel ; 
 and, in fliort, every Topic which is ufually 
 urged in behalf of the Gofpel. What is 
 unlikely^ or improbable^ in any other Writer 
 appears in the prefent circumftance to be 
 very probable -, and in courfe, v^hat is incre- 
 dible in general here commences credible. 
 
 To ftrengthen this credibility ftill farther, 
 it muft be obferv'd that the Apoftles of our 
 Lord did not confine themfelves to any one 
 part of the v^orld, but difperfed themfelves 
 to places very remote from Jerujalem : They 
 went to Samaria, to EphefiiSy to Athens, to 
 Thilippi, to Cori?2th, to Rome ; in (hort, 
 they traverfed the world, and went to all the 
 principal Places, preaching the Gofpel, as 
 long as they livedo and they woiktA Miracles, 
 and they likewife Prophejied ; and JVe are 
 competent Judges of the Truths by them 
 foretold, fince we can fee the Events, Mi- 
 racles openly done in fo many places, fo re- 
 mote, fo diftant, gave a fair opportunity for 
 great numbers of men every where to exa- 
 mine, to fee with their own eyes, and to 
 believe. What they faw done at Rome, e. g, 
 would make what was reported to be done 
 
 at 
 
at Jerufakm, to be credible becaufe of a 
 like nature. And then as to Us, at this 
 diftance of Place and Time, no Arguments 
 taken from the Improbability of FaBs are of 
 any Significancy, when we are fure of fuch 
 a power influencing thofe men as is able to 
 make them perform what is faid to be done 
 by them : And when that Objedion is re- 
 moved, which made the thing incredible^ 
 the reft muft ftand upon the foot of Fads 
 recorded by Men of Integrity and Ability. 
 
 It may be here afked, Whether any other 
 Religion, except the Jewifi and the Chri- 
 Jlian, has the Advantage here mentioned ? 
 And my Anfwer is. No. There are, I 
 think, fomewhat more than Twenty places 
 in the Alcoran^ which are exprefs, that Ma- 
 hornet never worked any Miracle ; that he 
 was not fent to work Miracles, but to 
 preach and admonifh j that Faith did not 
 depend on Miracles, but upon God, 
 &c. Neither are there any Prophecies^ 
 from which we might infer, that He was 
 affifted by the Angel Gabriel, as he pre- 
 tended. If his Followers have invented M/- 
 racks for him, they are not to be admitted 
 againft the exprefs Declarations of Himfelf : 
 They are like the Legendary Stories, told 
 
 E 2 by 
 
f 50 
 
 by fome Chriftian Writers, concerning our 
 Saviour, or certain Saints, which nobody 
 believes or regards. And as to Popijh Mi- 
 racles, They will be confidered in their 
 proper places. 
 
 I may now proceed to the Third Queftion, 
 Whether the Miracles done at the Ton^b of 
 the Abbe Paris are not of equal, or of 
 greater Credibility, than thofe related by the 
 Evangelifts, fince the Accounts of the One 
 were pubhfhed to the World in five oi fix 
 years time after they were done, and were 
 prefented to the King of France himfelf 
 upon the Spot : Whereas the firft Account 
 of the other, I mean St. Matthew's Gofpel, 
 was not publillied, as Dr. Mill affures us, 
 till almoft Thirty years after the Fafts ; and 
 St. yoh?is Gofpel, not till Sixty years, or 
 more, after the Death of Chrift. 
 
 It is but common Juftice to give a fhort 
 account of the fads mentioned by Monf. 
 Montgero72y at firft himfelf a great Unbe- 
 liever^ and afterwards a Convert^ upon feeing 
 the wonders done at the Tomb of the de- 
 ceafed. The Sight of the Fadls done there, 
 brought him even to a Belief of Chriftianity 
 itfelf, and made him fee reafon to give cre- 
 dit 
 
(53) 
 
 dit to what he once rejeded ; nay, to write 
 a Defence of Chriftianity, when He faw, 
 and critically examined into feveral Facfts 
 of a like nature with thofe of Jefas 
 Chrift, done at the Tomb of the Bleffed 
 Deacon Francis, Being fully convin- 
 ced and converted himfelf, a man of 
 figure and confequence, a Counfellor of 
 Parliament, he wrote the Hiftory of the 
 Fadts, and dedicated it to the King of 
 France ; and what is more, he adlually 
 prefented his Book to the King, " induced 
 by an ardent zeal for his Majefty, to dif- 
 clofe to him many Truths which were 
 kept from him, and which it was his Ma- 
 jefty 's Intereft to know. I know. Sire, 
 that the Step I have taken will draw upon 
 me the hatred of thofe who imploy all 
 their efforts to hinder your Majefty and 
 your principal Minifters from being ac- 
 quainted with the fads, of which, this 
 contains the proofs ; but I never made any 
 doubt to expofe myfelf to their Refent- 
 ment, becaufe it was a doing to your Ma- 
 jefty, and to Religion, the greateft Ser- 
 vices:" This was done ^/z/y 29. 1737. 
 There are Letters of the Bifliop of Settez^ 
 
 E 3 and 
 
f 54) 
 
 and of the Blflbop of Montpelier^ highly ap- 
 proving the Step that Mr. Monfgeron took 
 upon this Occafion, bearing date the Auguji 
 following. 
 
 Thus much of the Author : Let us next 
 confider the faB^ themfelves. The Jirfi 
 Miracle which he mentions is, the reftoring 
 Sight to a young Spanifh Gentleman^ Jul. 2. 
 ,,,1771. The Second was the cure of a woman 
 whofe belly was fwelled to an enormous 
 Size, her Legs as big as the body of a 
 Child, her Feet all fwelled as large as a 
 Head, her left fide entirely ftruck with a 
 Palfy, terrible Ulcers and Sores at the bend- 
 ing of her left arm, and upon her thighs, 
 &c. This poor creature, after having been 
 in this diftrefs for four years, or thereabout, 
 was with great difficulty, brought and laid 
 at the bottom of the Abbe's Tomb, on the 
 19th oi'June^ ^73 !• upon the fheet in which 
 fhe was to be buried, in cafe (he died : She 
 was cured that very day 5 all her Limbs 
 were reftored; fhe got up in the fight of 
 numbers of Spedators 5 fhe fat upon the 
 Tomb, moved her arms, clafped her hands ; 
 the Sores were all cured ; the paralytick 
 fide was reflored 5 (he even put on her flioes, 
 
 and 
 
( 55 ) 
 
 and was perfedlly cured. A Third Miracle 
 was of one whofe left fide was fo ftruck 
 with a Palfy, that (he was forced to go with 
 Crutches, and every Step to throw her body 
 back, in order to draw with a Sling her left 
 foot forwards : She was cured fuddenly and 
 perfedly, on the i3thof yz/j^^*, 173 1. -Ano- 
 tber had, for Three years, terrible Vomi- 
 tings of blood, and for Five years a conti- 
 nued Fever; and was tormented with a pain 
 in her fide, which caufed a continual Wa- 
 king : Her left fide was all paralytick, and 
 her whole body Dropfical ; at length, (he 
 had feveral attacks of Apoplexies, and Le- 
 thargy. She was cured of her Bleeding and 
 Fever at the Abbe'^ Tomb, July 16 : She 
 recovered her Speech the 17th \ the pain of 
 her Side ceafed the 1 8th ; her Dropfy dif- 
 appeared the 19th, the fame year. Another 
 was cured of a Cancer and Palfy, the 12 th 
 of Augufi^ the fame year. Another had loft 
 her fpeech for fome days, and both her Legs 
 for fome years, and was reduced fo low, 
 that (he fainted away in the chair, in which 
 they carried her : As foon as (lie was put up- 
 on the Tomb of the Abbe PariSy Aug. 2. 
 1731. (he recovered the free ufe of her 
 
 E 4 fpeech. 
 
( 56 ) 
 
 fpecch, and of all her paralytick parts, and 
 had a perfedl health. Another almoft en- 
 tirely deprived of his left eye from his 
 Childhood, by Two Catarafts, which co- 
 vered the pupil, and having his right eye 
 pierced with a?z awh which entered in- 
 to the Chryftaline humor, and hurt the 
 parts eflential to feeing ; he recovered one 
 Eye, the 2 2d of Aprils ^73 3- ^"d the 
 other, the 14th of May following. I might 
 mention the Maimed, and the Halt as well 
 as the Blind and Paralytick there faid to be 
 cured, within the compafs of thefe ten years; 
 of which all the City of Paris rung, and 
 to which numberlefs people bore their Tefti- 
 monies. 
 
 Here are the Blind, the Lame, the Sick, 
 cured fuddenly, where application of Medi- 
 cines had before been fruidefs ; and their 
 cafes are fo circumftanced, and fo defcribed, 
 that it feems impoffible to fay, how a mo- 
 nument, or a piece of the Abbess Shirt 
 fliould produce fuch furpriling cures. The 
 Hiftory of them is publifticd in Four ox Five 
 years time after the Fafts : The cures were 
 critically examined into by Monf. Montge^ 
 ron \ He went to the Phyficians, Apothe- 
 caries, Surgeons, who had had the unfortunate 
 
 Patients 
 
( 57 ) 
 
 Patients under their hands : He enquired 
 into every circumftance, and he makes his 
 Report like a man that was defirous of know- 
 ing, and defirous of propagating nothing 
 but the Truth. Thus far Monf. Montgeron 
 feems to act with Honefty ; and tho' fome 
 of his Facts are denied, (at leaft, as to the 
 manner by him related,) and it may be fug- 
 gefted, that the Janjeiiifts had an intereft to 
 ferve in oppofition to the Jefuits ; and at 
 this diftance of place, it is impoffible to 
 know whether the Cures were fuch as this 
 Author has reprefented them, — Let us ad- 
 mit the Facts, which is as much as can be 
 defired by Monf. Montgeron. But then 
 
 It will not follow, what the Title Page 
 of the Book holds forth, that thefe Miracles 
 were, opere a t inter cejfion de M. De Paris ^ 
 Bone at the Intercejfion of the Abbe Paris. 
 For admitting the Fads to be done at his 
 Tomb, it neither follows, that He did them, 
 nor that he interceded with God for the Per- 
 fons that were cured; There appears no 
 Evidence, no pretence of proof, no difco- 
 covery m^A^from above to any of thefe af- 
 flided Perfons, nor to any one elfe, either 
 before, or after, or at the time of their Cure, 
 
 that 
 
(S8) 
 
 that Abbe Paris had obtained, or had afked, 
 any fuch power from God, to do the cures 
 which were done at St. Medard. This is 
 all mere Invention, upon no other founda- 
 tion than that the cure was done at the 
 place where this good man, or finner, was 
 buried. 
 
 I do not deny, nor concern myfelf about 
 a fad:, which, upon the credit of Eye-wit- 
 nefles, able, honeft, and good, is here faid 
 to be done. But what I affirm is, that Mr. 
 Montgeroriy and the Appellants take for 
 granted what ought to have been particular- 
 ly and clearly proved, that the Abbe Paris 
 cured thefe people,or that God, or fome other 
 Invifible Being did thefe things at his Inter^ 
 cejjion or Requejt. God, or any other Invi- 
 fible Being may do thefe wondrous works : 
 But fuppofing the Truth of the Fads, the 
 point that ought to have been proved, and 
 which is taken for granted by the admirers 
 of the Abbiy is, that the good Deacon 
 Francis, or Abbe Paris, requefted, or did 
 them. Whereas, nothing follows from thefe 
 fa&s, even fuppofing them fupernatural, but 
 that fome Invifible, Superior Being, we know 
 not whether Abbe Parisy or any particular 
 
 Being 
 
( 59') 
 
 Being elfe interpofed, and really did fuch or 
 fuch Things, at fuch or fuch Times, in fuch 
 a particular Place, and in fuch a Manner. 
 Here is fuppofed an Inftance indeed of 
 great Power, fuperior to what Man has, 
 which was exerted, and which did a real 
 Service to thefe miferable Objects : But nioho 
 did the facSl, is not at all known. 
 
 It is allowed, that Aflent is due to proper 
 Teftimony ; and if it appears that men are 
 no ways impofed on, nor do defign to im- 
 pofe on others, credit ought to be given 
 to a Fact by them reported. The Extraordi- 
 narinefs of the Fad: if faithfully related, 
 is not a reafon why a fufficient Evidence 
 ihould not be admitted : And if anextraor- 
 ninary fadt be committed to writing, the 
 perfon who writes, if he be a proper wit- 
 nefs, ought to be believed. Men ought to 
 objedl to whatever they think liable to Ob- 
 jedlion ; and if many years intervene be- 
 twixt an extraordinary fadl and the Relation, 
 there may be, in general, probable grounds 
 to fufpedt Addition, or Subftradion, or Al- 
 teration of Circumftances, which every man, 
 however honeft, may be liable to make. And 
 where an apparent Interefl: is to be carried on, 
 or ferved, (as is the c^fe of the Appellants m 
 
 France 
 
( 6oJ 
 
 France againft the Jefuits) there may be juft 
 ground to fufpeft that Monf. Mantgeron may 
 outree fome points, and leffen others, not- 
 withftanding his delire of being faithful. 
 But fuppofing all the Exadtnefs and Fidelity 
 that can be expefted or wiflied, all that can 
 be faid is. That fuch Facts were done : 
 Nothing depends upon them, and if men be- 
 lieve or difbelieve them, no more depends up- 
 on it, than there does upon believing, or not be- 
 lieving that there is a Bird at Amboyna^ v^ith 
 jive great Claws upon each Foot, and which, 
 inftead of feathers, has only long hairs upon 
 his Body, and the Pinions of his Wings. 
 
 Suppofe now the Facts which are men- 
 tioned in the Gofpel to be done ; and 
 fuppofe the Facts which Monf. Montgeron 
 relates to be equally true : What then ? If 
 nothing farther be added, you may believe 
 them Both, or might reject them Both, 
 without any great Evil, or Mifchief. But 
 the Truth is, that a DoBrine is expreflly 
 taught in the one cafe, ufeful, which natural 
 Reafon could not difcover, and which, when 
 revealed, appears to be perfectly agreeable, 
 or not contrary, to Reafon. In the other, 
 nothing but the Miracle appears ; and that 
 ftands upon the foot of every other unufual 
 
 Act 
 
(6i ) 
 
 Ad of Providence. In the one cafe a Rule 
 of Aftion, or a Motive to Adion is made 
 known ; and this is declared to come from 
 an Invifible, Superior Being, vv^hich Invi- 
 fible Being has manifefted himfelf by the 
 Exertion of a power beyond, or above the 
 power of Man : In the other cafe, no doc- 
 trine, no difcovery of any truth is made ; 
 and all that is to be remarked is, the Mere 
 Power and Exiftence of fome Agent fupe- 
 rior to ourfelves. 
 
 When the Miracles done at Abbe Pansys 
 Tomb are appealed to, the Ufe that is made, 
 and the Inference that is drawn, is. That 
 the ^bb^ was an extraordinary Good man ; 
 that He is now a Sai?2t ; that thro* his pre- 
 vailing Intereft, He has obtained a power to 
 affift the Miferable that refort to his Tomb, 
 and that the Sai?2t intercedes with God, in 
 behalf of thofe that pray at the place where 
 He was buried. But thefe are hafty Infe- 
 rences, which, Firft, are not revealed to any 
 perfon : and 2dly, Suppofe they (hould be 
 pretended to be revealed, they would not ea- 
 fily be admitted, by fuch as read the Scrip- 
 tures, and underftand what has already been 
 difcovered bv our Lord. How does it ap- 
 
 pear^ 
 
( 62 ) 
 
 appear, that Abbe Paris heaPd the Paraly* 
 tick Women, or cured Don Alphonfo de Pa- 
 lacios of his Blindnefs ? Why, thefe cures 
 were done at his Grave. True. But is 
 that a proof that Abbe Paris AaA them, more 
 than the man that trod upon that ground a 
 thoufand years ago j or than the Grave- 
 digger^ who fince turned up the Mold to 
 make the grave that the Abbe lies in ? How 
 can Monf. Montgeron prove. That the Abbi 
 intercedes with God, or with any other 
 Agent, to work thefe Cures ? How is it 
 proved, that the Abbe hears the prayers of 
 thofe who call upon him ? Or if he does. 
 How is it certain, that it is He who helps 
 the poor afflifted Mortal ? Still the only an- 
 anfwer is. This is done at one particular 
 place, where the Saint was buried. But 
 this is very far from proving, that the Abbe 
 does it, unlefs it could be proved, that no 
 other Being but the dead Saints work Mi- 
 racles where their Sepulchres are made. 
 
 You'll fay it muft be owing to the Sainf^ 
 fince the Saint is invoked at his Tomb ; and 
 the cure is done. I will not anfwer that this 
 is a confefs'd Invocation of Saints^ which 
 our Englijh Catholics deny to be the pradife 
 
 0/ 
 
(63 ) 
 
 of the Church of Rome. They '' hold it 
 *' to be pious and profitable to apply our- 
 " felves to them, in the way of defiring 
 " them to pray to God for us, but not fo 
 " as to addrefs ourfelves to them,—- as if 
 " they had any power to help us indepen- 
 *^ dently of God*s good Will and Pleafure. — 
 " When we beg their Aid and Defence^ we 
 ** mean, to beg the Aid and jDefe?2ce of 
 " their Prayers. Cathol. Chrijlian injlru&ed^ 
 " pag. 224." We are not then allowed to 
 fay, that the Saint is invoKdy except it be to 
 beg his Prayers, God then alone is invok'd^ 
 but we beg the Aid and Defence of the 
 Saint's Prayers at the Deacon's Tomb ; and 
 the Prayer ij heard, and anfwered. What 
 now has the Saint to do in the Affair ? Why, 
 nothing but to make his Prayer to God, who 
 is able to grant the Afliftance that is defied : 
 Whereas, it is not proved, that the Saint is 
 able to hear, or able to relieve the poor, af- 
 flidled Patient ? It will be faid. 
 
 That the Prayer is offered to the Saint^ 
 that He wou'd pray to God ; and from the 
 Event it appears, that the Saint did comply 
 with the Requeft, and did i^itercede with 
 
 God, 
 
(64 
 
 God, and did obtain the favour of the mi* 
 raculous cure. The Anfwer is, 
 
 The Event fhews, (for I admit the Fact, 
 as it is reported, w^ithout examining farther 
 into it) the Event I fay {hews, that the cure 
 is done : but the Event does not fhew, that 
 Abbe Paris heard the Petitioner, or that he 
 interceded v^ith God, or obtained the Help 
 defired : No, nor does it fhew, that the 
 Petitioner was cured for the fake of the In- 
 terceffion of the Saint : Nor can this be 
 proved, unlefs it could be fhewn, that God 
 would never interpofe, unajked oi iovnQ Saint 
 or other, to help any miferable creature. 
 For if he ;w^^ interpofe, the cure willfliew an 
 Interpolition ; but whether a Saint in Hea- 
 ven, or a Mortal upon Earth, makes a Re- 
 queft, and is heard, cannot be proved. What 
 if God fliews mercy to an honeft, upright, 
 mijlaken^ miferable creature ? How can it be 
 proved, that God did not grant the cure, for 
 the fake of the Uprightnefs of the petitioner,^ 
 and not for ih^Jdke of the InterceJJion of the 
 MbS? 
 
 But does not the Miracle prove, that the 
 Saint heard the prayer of the Devout, Sick 
 Perfon, and interceded with God for him, 
 
 and 
 
(65 ) 
 
 and came to his Relief upon the perfor- 
 mance of a nine Days Devotion ? 
 
 No. It is impoffible it (hould prove a 
 Faft, or be urged as a Teftimony to a Fadt, 
 which it never was worked to prove. God 
 might immediately v^ork the cure : Any 
 other Invifible Being might work the cure ; 
 and j^ii^ Paris be as infenfible as the Tom^ 
 in which He was laid. So that, to infer 
 from the Fadt done at the Abbes Tomb, 
 that He heard the Petitioner, or that He in- 
 terceded with God for the miferable Object, 
 or thatH"^ helped him, and worked the Mi- 
 raculous Cure, is much more than the Mi- 
 racle will grove, or any good reafon will 
 juftify. 
 
 I will add here, by the by, that when 
 the Miffionaries here in England tell us, 
 that the Catholics never Pray to Saints, ex- 
 cept it be fo defire them to pray to God for 
 us. They tell us a flat contradidion to their 
 Breviaries, and to the Catechifm publiflied 
 by the Decree of the Council of T^rent ; 
 which muft be looked upon as Standards, by 
 which one may know the certain dogmas of 
 the Church of Rome : Not here to mention 
 what has been faid a thoufand times by all 
 
 F their 
 
( 66 ) 
 
 their Writers to juftify that Pradtlce. But 
 I return to my Subjed, from this fhort di- 
 greffion, occafioned by what the Catholic 
 Chrijiian injiru&edy has lately publifhed to 
 the world. Therefore 
 
 2dly. If no doftrine be difcovered by the 
 perlbn that works the Miracle, (which is the 
 cafe I have been conlidering) I am no more 
 concerned in the affair, than I am in all, or 
 any unufual Work of Providence. Livy 
 relates a great many ftrange Prodigies, which 
 it may be as hard to confute, as it is to be- 
 lieve them : Take them therefore as they 
 are, and call them true, or call th^m Jal/e, 
 juft as the Fancy or the Judgment of the 
 Reader is; — They maybe the ground- work 
 of Superftition to fome -, but then it will 
 arife from a falfe reafoning upon the cafe. 
 Suppofing it to be true, that it rain'd upon 
 a certain day Blood, or that the Heavens ap- 
 peared all on fire ; if you believe the fad:, 
 you are not the better ; or if you difbelieve 
 it, you are not the worfe. But then, if any 
 doSrme be revealed by the Agent that does 
 the Miracle, this may be of confequence, 
 and ought therefore to be confidered : It 
 comes from a Superior Being, and bis Supe- 
 riority 
 
C 67 1 
 
 rlority is manifefted by the work he does. 
 Is the doftrine then agreeable to thofe prin- 
 ciples of Reafon which we have, or does it 
 contradid: them ? Is it agreeable to that Re- 
 velation which is already admitted upon a 
 full Examination ? If it tends to promote our 
 good, it becomes our duty to attend to it, 
 and to encourage the Reception of fo good 
 and ufeful a Dodtrine. 
 
 Compare now in this view the Miracles 
 done by our Saviour, and thofe faid to be 
 done by the Abbe. Nothing of confequencc 
 arifes from the belief of the one, more than 
 does from the b^ief of the Prodigies re- 
 corded by Livy : Whereas, from the other, 
 our Lives are affedled, our manners are cor- 
 rected, our ill Habits are reformed, our Ap- 
 petites and Paffions are controuled and regu- 
 lated, and the difcovery made by that bene- 
 ficent Being who enabled our Lord to do' 
 the Will and Works of him that fent him, 
 is of that nature, that we are all concerned 
 in what is to all our Advantages, who know 
 the points that are revealed. And confc- 
 quently, admitting the Fadls, which I all 
 along do purely to avoid a needlefs contro- 
 
 F 2 vei'fy, 
 
( 68 ) 
 
 verfy, the cafe of our Saviour's, and that of 
 Abbe Paris s works, are totally different. 
 
 In this way of reafoning, here is no pre- 
 tence for faying that wc argue in a circle, or 
 prove the Miracle by the dodtrine, and then 
 the doSlrine by the Miracle. The Miracle 
 is the fame, be the doftrine what you will ; 
 be it e'er fo irrational or abfurd, be it all im- 
 moral or contradictory, yet I fuppofe the 
 Miracle done by a Superior, Invifible Agent. 
 Should he indeed deliver a falfhood, or a 
 doftrine that tends to Vice, He wou'd be a 
 bad, immoral Being; but flill his Miracle 
 would be a true Miracle ; and it wou'd 
 prove a Superior, Invifible Agent, who 
 thought fit to declare fuch a Doctrine, tho' 
 it wou'd not prove that I ought to receive it. 
 
 All Doctrine mull either be known to be 
 true, or falfe, or only poffible to be true, but 
 its connexion with truth, fuch as we cannot 
 in our prefent condition perceive. If we 
 know it to be True^ Miracles do not make 
 it more fo ; but only carry the Atteftation of 
 that Superior, Invifible Agent to the Truth 
 which is made known. If we know the 
 doctrine to ht falfe ^ no Miracles can prove it 
 True : And fhould Ten Thoufand Miracles 
 
 be 
 
(69) 
 
 be wrought to prove what Reafon can dif- 
 cover to htfalfey they ought to be of no mo- 
 ment or regard : They only bear witnefs at 
 moft to the Truth of what we know to be 
 falfe-, and in courfe, we (hou'd treat the 
 Being that gives his Teftimony to a Faljhoody 
 as fuch a Being is, a Deceiver^ a Deluder^ 
 an Impojlor, an Evil Being, If the Doc- 
 trine be pojiile to be true, but we are not 
 competent Judges, whether it be fo, or not ; 
 all the Evidence the Miracle affords, is. 
 That the Doftrine comes from one Superior 
 to us, and who has fhewn himfelf Superior 
 to us, by his working the Miracle ; That 
 we can have, from what appears, no reafon 
 to fufpect him of ill defigns ; That, con- 
 fidering his Station in the clafs of Beings, it 
 is more probable, that he will not, than that 
 he will deceive us ; and That if the Doc- 
 trine has a Connexion with our Good, we 
 are in common prudence, oblig'd to take 
 notice of it. 
 
 Si^ppofe it fhould be revealed, that God 
 had fent his Son into the world to redeem 
 Mankind, and by him had promifed that 
 their paft Sins fliould be remitted, or pafs'd 
 by, if they would return to their allegiance, 
 
 F 3 and 
 
( 70 ) 
 
 and become his Subjects, and obey his Laws, 
 and live for the future as they ought, in 
 Virtue and true goodnefs of Life ; and that 
 if they did thus, they (hould have an emi- 
 nent Reward in Heaven. There is in this 
 Doctrine nothing that Reafon can determine 
 whether it be true or falfe ; there is no Ab- 
 furdity, no Contradiction, no apparent mark 
 by which a man can be affured, whether in 
 itfelf it be true or falfe. Imagine now, that 
 this doctrine is confirmed by Miracles: What 
 is the Affent that ought to be given to it? 
 Here is One from the Other World, that 
 comes, and proves his Miffion by extraor- 
 dinary works; the Doctrine he teaches tends 
 to promote and encourage all that our own 
 Minds tell us to be right and proper for us 
 to do : the afTurance given of an eminent 
 Reward, is a great motive to do what is 
 right : I am obliged as a Ratioftal creature 
 to do what is Right, even tho' I had not this 
 Encouragement, or Motive ; but I am liable 
 to Temptations, Infirmities, Paffions, Appe- 
 rites, Pleafures in a thoufand Shapes, which 
 may warp me from my Duty. If there- 
 fore, fuch a Motive be offered from fuch 
 a Being, no poffible reafon can be given, 
 
 why 
 
( 70 
 
 why Ifhould not obey the Advice given; 
 and there is plainly a ftrong one why I 
 fhould believe the Motive to be right, be- 
 caufe it tends to promote my Happinefs 
 through rational means. This is Reafon 
 fufficicnt, why I ought to mind a Miracle 
 wrought for fo good an End ; whereas a 
 Miracle not attended with fuch an ufeful 
 LefTon, is no more to be attended to, or re- 
 garded, than any other unufual Adt of Pro- 
 vidence. 
 
 At the Abbe Paris s Tomb a fick perfon 
 is recovered: at Old Rome^ Water was 
 carried in a Sieve ; or in Egypt ^ Veffafian 
 cured a Blind Man. Let all thefe Fafts be 
 true, or all falfe, or fome true and fome 
 falfe, nothing that I know of arifes from 
 them, but that certain inftances of great 
 Power were cxerteci;, or are fuppofed to 
 have been exerted. And what am I con- 
 cerned in this, more than in any other Pro- 
 vidential Act ? If the Vouchers are good, 
 and fuch as I believe, I fhall credit the 
 Fact ; if not, I fliall reject it, or difregard 
 it, as having no relation tome. 
 
 F 4 BiU 
 
( 72 ) 
 
 But ftill It may be afked— Whether the 
 Miracles done by Abbe Paris are not more 
 credible than thofe done by our Saviour, 
 fince the Narration of the One was pub- 
 liihed in Jive or fix years time ^fter they 
 were done, the Hiftory of the Other was 
 not pubhfhed iiWfeven or eight and twenty 
 years at fooneft after the Fads ? 
 
 The Anfwer is, That notwithftanding 
 this circumftance which may feem to fa- 
 vour the one more than the other, yet the 
 Evangelical Miracles are moji credible. I 
 do not except to the Time which Irenam 
 fixes on J which if I did, I might feem to 
 evade the difficulty : but as His opinion is 
 very probable, and it is the earlieft ; and 
 the reafons affigned by Others for the writ- 
 ing of St. Matthew's Gofpel within a much 
 lliorter date are no more than mere gueffes, 
 I rather chufe Irenceuss Account ; and fay, 
 that the circumftances attending the Chri- 
 Jiian Miracles make them more credible, 
 than the circumftances attending thofe of 
 Abbe Francis^ even fuppofing the Account 
 of thefe later was publiihed fo much earlier. 
 Thofe of Chrift have Both the Circum- 
 ftances which I have already mentioned; 
 
 AbbS^ 
 
(73 ) 
 
 Abbe P arts' s have neither of them : Thofe 
 of our Saviour are attended with a Doctrine 
 revealed ; Abbe Parish are not. So that 
 if v^e take in the Prophecies accompanying 
 thofe of Chriji^ even JVe at this diftance 
 have fufficient reafon to give credit to them ; 
 whereas JVcj at this diftance, have no Evi- 
 dence fer the other, but the Hiftorian's 
 word, who may for ought we know have 
 mifreprefented Fads. Common prudence 
 will juftify our taking notice of what we are 
 fo fully aflured concerns us, in the Firji 
 cafe: in the Latter^ let them be true or falfe 
 we are no ways interefted^ or concerned in 
 them, more than we are in any other un- 
 ufual adt of Providence. 
 
 Let us now proceed to the Fourth Que- 
 ftion, What are the Lying Wonders men- 
 tioned in the New Teftament, and how 
 may They be diftinguifhed from True 
 Miracles ? 
 
 To this it is fufficient to fay, that all 
 Miracles, or Prodigies, or by whatever 
 name they are called, which lead men into 
 a belief of Falfhoods, or Abfurdities, or 
 Impieties, or Wrong pradlices, are pro- 
 perly, repctlcc ^pguj'(3t;^, Miracles of a Lye : 
 
 and 
 
^ 74 ) 
 
 and they which are dcfigned to bear witnefs 
 to 'Truthy are to be diftinguiihed from fuch 
 as bear witnefs to Falfhood, juft as the 
 Ends which are propofed are diftinguifha- 
 ble. There are certain points fo fixed, 
 that they may be made the fure Tefts of 
 whatever any perfon attempts to do : Not 
 indeed of this; — whether the perfon does a 
 Miracle, or whether he is influenced im- 
 mediately by a Good or a wicked Spirit, or 
 whether he be a mere Jugler : but whether 
 the thing done be a Miracle of Faljhoody 
 or of Truthy or which of thofe Ends it 
 has in view. If a Sign or a Miracle led 
 men to a firm adherence to the One God 
 and Father of all ; or to any ftrift obferva^ 
 tion of his commands, it was then a Mira>^ 
 cle of I'ruthy if it led to Idolatry in any 
 fliape or degree, it was then a Miracle of 
 Lying, So if it leads to Chrift, and a con- 
 ftant Obedience to the New Covenant, it is 
 a Miracle of Truth ; Truth is its End : 
 But if it tends to lead men from Chrift ta 
 any Antichrifts, whatever they are, or 
 wherever they may appear, it is a Miracle 
 of a Lye^ or has Falfliood for its End: and 
 whatever has That as its point in View, or 
 
( 75 ) 
 
 its Objefl, is imputed to Satan and to his 
 Operation, as the fource or fountain of all 
 Evil ; even though the thing be performed 
 by Mefi^ and by their Jugling Tricks and 
 Arts. Lipfms^ Two famous Virgin Ma-- 
 ry\ One at Hall about three miles from 
 Brujels, the Other upon a Hill near Sickheim 
 about five miles from Louvain^ were once 
 famous for the Cures of many more Dif- 
 tempers than ever were cured at St. M?- 
 (lard. So was the Image of our Lady gjf 
 Peace at the Village of Fieulame in the 
 Diocefe of Noyon in France^ called the 
 Image oi Notre Dame de Paix^. The 
 Hiftory of the moft remaricable Cures faid 
 to be done by this Image, was publiflied in 
 the year 1662, and dedicated to the Queen 
 Mother : it was ftrongly recommended to 
 the world by an Ordonnance of the Bt/I:op 
 of Noyofiy who was Cotmt of Noyon and 
 Peer of France : And there are inftances 
 produced of feveral flrange Cures done, 
 upon the Maimed and Halt, and Falling 
 Sicknefs j and many other diforders. 
 
 * Hiftoire de ce qui s'eft pafle de plus remarkable, a I'oc- 
 cafion d'une Image dc la Sainte Vicrge, dite, N. Dame dc 
 Paix, nouvellement trouvee dans le Village de Fieulaine, 
 Diocefe de Noyon. A. S. Quentin 1 662. 
 
 Suppofc 
 
(76) 
 
 Suppofe now that the Virgin Mary at 
 Haily or Fieulainey or any where elfe, did 
 thefe Cures j and that they are not Impof- 
 tures ( as I find fomc of them faid to be 
 done at Fieulaine were in fad, and that the 
 Cures were fo far from being done, that 
 what in the relation is called a Supernatu^ 
 ral Cure^ p. 50, was fo far from being fo, 
 that the perfon died of the very illnefs very 
 foon after *, ) but fuppofing them I fay to 
 be real cures, yet if the doSrine from 
 hence is, that the Virgin Mary^ or her 
 Image was to be worjhipped^ the Miracles 
 are fuch as have a Lye for thek End, and 
 are therefore to be rejedted. The Virgin, 
 or a piece of Wood are faid to cure a com- 
 
 " :*^At the End of my Book, is wrote this Remark of 
 Monfieur Mettayer, a French Minifler that died at London, 
 Mr. Du Caflel Doileur en Medicine m*a dit, que aijant ete 
 nomme comme premier Medicin pour examiner le miracle 
 pretendu fait en Ja perfonne de Jeanne Boulet dont 11 eft fait 
 mention en la page 47. de ce livre, il avoit fait un report, 
 que blen loin qu'il y eut aucun miracle en le guerifon de 
 cette fille, quelle nefioit nullement guericy maisau contraire eij 
 pire eftat qu'elle n'avoit efte. Ce qui fe trouva fi veritable, 
 que ladit Boulet mourut fort peu de temps de la meme ma- 
 ladie. Ce que le dit Sr. Du Cartel me dit qu'il temoigne- 
 roit avant tout Juge, ayant honte de l^impojitire 8c du M^«- 
 fongef que Ton avoit voulu fe fervir gour Etablir cette devQ^ 
 tion Superftitieufe. 
 
( 77 ) 
 
 pany of invalids : This is fuppofed to be a 
 faft indifputable. But how does it appear, or 
 what Evidence is produced, either that She^ 
 or Her Image produced thefe EfFedts ? The 
 Perfon Sick of the Propfy, Palfy, or any 
 other Infirmity, is cured, or a dead man is 
 raifed to Life ; ( fo does Lipjius tell us, and 
 fo does Ribadineira fay of Ignatius Loyola 
 and his Followers. ) I afk, Does the Invi- 
 vifible Being who does thefe fads, or that 
 makes ufe of any Man, or Image, as his 
 Inftrument, tell the devotees, that they are 
 to pay worjhip to the Virgin, or to her 
 Imagey becaufe they receive fuch Benefit 
 firom Her ? No. How then comes this 
 Notion into any perfon's head ? Or why is 
 the Image of our Lady of Peace more to be 
 worfhipped, than the Walls of the Church 
 againft which the Image is placed ? Or how 
 will it be proved that the Cure is more ow- 
 ing to the One than to the Other ? Should 
 a Command be produced to worfliip fuch 
 an Image, or fuch a Saint, it would not be 
 of credit enough to make a man be guilty 
 of fuch abfurdity without fault or blame, 
 but it would be one of thofe Miracles of 
 Faljhood m^iiiiomdi in the Scripture, and no 
 
 proof 
 
( 78 ) 
 
 proof of the Lawfulncfs of fuch prac- 
 tices. 
 
 I have argued hitherto upon Suppafition, 
 that fuch Miracles as thofe I have men- 
 tioned, were really done by fome Invifible 
 Superior Beings : and upon Suppofition too 
 that the Evidences for the Fads virere ftrong 
 enough to caufe affent. But they may be, 
 and as I faid juft now, moft properly they 
 are^^'mere cheats, and jugling Tricks, and 
 in this refpedl Lying Miracles : Not efFeds 
 fuperior to the powers of Man, but Lies^ 
 i. e. pretences of Cures where none are donej 
 or Frauds, or Illufions, or Legerdemain -, 
 nay fome of them fuch erraqt bungling 
 Tricks, that the only matter of wonder is 
 that they are not feen through 5 which yet 
 It is as unfafe to contradift upon the fpot, 
 as it is to be guilty of murder or high Trea- 
 fon againft the State. But be thefe Mira- 
 cles either way, real or pretended, there is 
 no great difference. No Doftrine is pre* 
 tended to be given, unlefs it be a falfe one ; 
 no Rule of Aftion is commanded, but what 
 is contrary to reafon : And if fo, you are at 
 liberty to believe them or not, juft as you do 
 any other extraordinary fads mentioned in 
 7ISfllb1^^i^^^ other 
 
Other writers. Suppofe it related that a 
 Ship was drawn againft the ftream by a 
 Virgin's Girdle i that Water was carried in 
 a Sieve ; that a Whetjlone was cut in two 
 with a Razor ; that a Beard ftrok'd with a 
 hand was turn'd into Brafs : I know no 
 body that requires the Belief o( (ach things: 
 or if you do believe them to be true, it would 
 be monftroufly abfurd to pay any religious 
 regard to the Girdle, or Sieve, or Razor ^ 
 if they were extant. 
 
 Having thus confidered the cafe of Mi- 
 racles, and compared thofe of the Gofpel 
 with thofe reported by later Writers, I (hall 
 in particular enquire, 
 
 Lajlly, What degree of Credit is to be 
 given to the Gofpel Records, fince they 
 contain Accounts of Miracles reported to 
 the world fo long after the Fadls. It muft 
 be granted, that a Record containing an 
 Account of Miracles, not publifhed in lefs 
 than Twe?ity or Thirty years after the fact, 
 is in itfelf, and independent of other cir- 
 cumftances, much more liable to fufpicion 
 of falfliood than one publifhed in Twq or 
 Three years, or in a lefs time, would be. The.-i. 
 nearer to the Time or Place where fuch ex-*i? 
 
 traordinary 
 
( 8o ) 
 
 traordinary cafes happen the Hiftory of 
 them is made public, the better Opportuni- 
 ties have men of examining into the Truth 
 or Falfhood of them ; and the Sufpicions 
 that may be raifed are always in proportion 
 to the want of Opportunity to examine. 
 St. Matthew'^ Gofpel was wrote about 27 
 or 28 years after the death of Chrift, i. e. 
 A. C. Ixi. And the Arguments which have 
 been urged to prove that He wrote it foon- 
 er, will only prove that thofe who urge 
 them wijh he had wrote it fooner, not that 
 he really did it. St. John did not write his 
 Gofpel, or at leaft publifli it, before A. C. 
 xcvii. /. €, above 60 years after the death of 
 Chrift. Now admitting them to be (what 
 cannot be difproved ) the genuine Authors 
 of the Books which bear their Names, 
 what credibility will the Account of the 
 Miracles of our Saviour which they relate, 
 have ? 
 
 I would willingly give this Argument all 
 the Strength it can have, taken from the 
 Times and the Places^ where and when the 
 f^vcral Gofpels were publifhed. Nor is it 
 of any ufe to conceal a Strength which an 
 Adverfary knows, and makes his boaft in: 
 
 Nor 
 
( 8i > 
 
 Nor can any caufe fufFef, that is to be tried 
 by Truth, when an Objeftion is fet in its 
 full light. Thus then it has been argued ;— 
 St. Matthew publiflied his Gofpel in the 
 place where our Saviour worked his Miracles j 
 in yerujalem itfelf, fays Athanajius^ Symop. 
 and Hippolitus ; in Talejliney fay feme j in 
 yudea^ fay others. But as to St. JohUy his 
 Gofpel was publifhed not only too many 
 years after the faifts, but, at Ephefus, too 
 far from the place where the fcene was 
 tranfacted. Sixty years after a fact, and Six 
 hundred Miles from a place where an extra- 
 ordinary work was done, is enough to make 
 all Enquiry ufelefs. Thefe were the only 
 Eye-witneJJes ; and then as to St. Mark^ His 
 book was wrote at Rome, (about Two years 
 after St. Matthew,) Two Thoufand Miles, or 
 thereabouts, from Jiidea, And St. Luke 
 wrote his flill a year later 5 and at Alexandria 
 in Egypt, far enough from the Land where 
 our Saviour did his works. Admitting now, 
 that each of the Evangelifts was the real 
 Author of the Book whofe name it bears ; 
 yet, may not the Facts they relate, be liable 
 to juft Sufpicion, confidering thefe circum- 
 ftances of their Rcfpective Hiftories ? 
 
 G I an- 
 
(.82 ) 
 
 1 anfwer; Not at all, if the Miracles 
 they relate are attended with the Circum- 
 ftances which I have mentioned above. Thefe 
 Records contain Predictions of future Events, 
 and declare what fhall happen not within 
 the compafs of fuch time as may give ground 
 to imagine, that what is faid arofe from 
 conjecture, or human Forefight ; but at fuch 
 great diftances likewife as excludes all ob- 
 jections of that fort. Where this appears, 
 you have a confirmation of the Miraculous 
 Interpofition ; and they that fee the Event, 
 fee the fame kind of power exerted as was 
 necefiary to produce the Fact about which 
 the doubt was raifed. 
 
 Again : If the fame kind of Powers con- 
 tinue to be openly exerted, and Miracles 
 themfelvcs are done, quite down to the 
 Times when the Records of thofe former 
 ones are publiflied, there then cou'd be no 
 doubt of the powers related, to have been 
 exerted. Our Saviour worked certain mi- 
 raculous Cures ', his difciples did the fame, 
 and continued openly to do them, for many 
 years. What reafon can there be to queftion. 
 Whether our Saviour did them, when his 
 Difciples, ^n his name^ and only in his name, 
 
 profefs 
 
( 83 ) 
 
 profefs to do, and adually do the fame? 
 If therefore Miraculous powers continue fo 
 long at leaft till the Records are publifhed, 
 and thefe Miraculous powers are exerted in 
 the feveral parts of the World where thefe 
 Records are public, the People who lived 
 then had Opportunities fufficient of Exa- 
 mining into the Fadls done every where a- 
 mongft them ; and thence had ground to 
 believe the like Facfts faid to be done by our 
 common Mailer: And We at this-diftance 
 both of time and place can fee the Predic- 
 tions of our Lord and of his Difciples com- 
 pleted y And thence we conclude a certain 
 Intercourfc with fome fuperior Invifible 
 Agent; and from thence the very high Pro- 
 bability, or rather Certainty of the Facts 
 themfeives. 
 
 It may be fuggefted, and it often has 
 been, " That Prophefies, whether fictitious 
 " or true have infpired thofe for whom they 
 " were made, with the defign of under- 
 *' taking thofe things which were promifed 
 " them." I am ready to allow this to be 
 often the cafe, when a prediction is made of 
 fome degree of Good to the perfons incited 
 to action , or if any Scheme of things is 
 
 G 2 car- 
 
( 84) 
 
 carrying on, where an Interefl may be 
 ferved ; or v/here a Party is to be fpirited 
 up ; or a particular Zeal and Courage is to 
 be infpired. But Thefe are Artifices that 
 by no means agree with the Scripture Pro- 
 phecies. For Thefe relate to affairs which 
 were to be accompliihed at very great di- 
 ftances of Times, and which have hitherto 
 come out in fuch a manner as fhew that no 
 Artifice, no human contrivance confpired to 
 produce the Event. £. g. That the Little 
 Horn in Daniel fhould fubdue juft T!hree 
 Kingdoms^ and no more, nor lefs : That the 
 Church of Chrift fhould apojiatize, juft as 
 St. Paul faid it (hould, in a Worfhip of 
 De?7207is, abftinence from Marriage^ and 
 Meats which God had commanded to be re- 
 ceived with thankfgiving ; That fuch a Ty- 
 rannical^ perfecutingy and idolatrous^ pow- 
 er fl:iould arife in the Church, and act as is 
 defcribed both by St. Paul and St. John j 
 That the things foretold by our Saviour in 
 very many of his Parables ( which, in ge- 
 neral, are all real prophetic accounts of 
 what was to happen in his Church ) (hould 
 come out exactly as he faid, is very fur- 
 prizing : That Chri/iiaJis fhould fall into 
 
 the 
 
i^5 ) 
 
 the very praftlces, not injoined hwi f orb id ^,ni. 
 condemned^ by the Apoftles, and by their 
 Lord 5 who at the fame time are received 
 and acknowledged as infpired by God, is more 
 ftrange. Had the Difciples of Chrift enga- 
 ged in courfes, fuch as they were enjoined^ 
 and to which our Lord, and the Apoftles 
 had promifed fuccefs, it might have been 
 fuggefted that the foretelling the Event oc- 
 cafioned the condud of the difciples. But 
 in the prefent cafe it is juft the reverfe : 
 They conftanriy condemn and forbid the 
 practices which they foretold: They call 
 it an Apofiacy from the Faith: They fay 
 the coming of that wicked power is after 
 the working of Satan, with all power and 
 Jigns and lying wonders : They call it the 
 Myjiery of Iniquity : and dechre that the 
 Lord will confume it and deftroy //. And 
 notwithftanding all this precaution, and all 
 this fevere condemnation. We fee what has 
 tome to pafs in the Chriftian World. Thy 
 Words, God, are Truth. 
 
 It will be objefted here that I fuppofe 
 Miracles, real Miracles, to be done ; and I 
 contend that even upon that fuppofition no 
 more regard is to be paid to them than to 
 
 G 3 any 
 
( 86 ) 
 
 any uncommon adl of Providence. Muft 
 it not likewife be allowed, that both a 
 pretence as well as a Reality of Prophecy has 
 been as ufual as either real or pretended Mi- 
 racles, or more fo: and that fuch ftrange 
 things have been foretold and fo unlikely, 
 that one cannot impute them to the Inven- 
 tion of the Artful, or the Imaginations of 
 the Melancholic, or the Wildnefs of En- 
 thuliafts. How many have received Or- 
 ders, real or pretended, as from fome fupe- 
 rior Being, to write — Thus faith the Lord 
 — as the Prophets of Old did; when yet 
 the Event has fhewn that the pious man 
 has only wrote down his own Follies ? But 
 then at other times has not the Event pro- 
 ved the Infpiration ? It was told to Sylla by 
 Pojlhumius the Pontifex^ that he would fuf- 
 fer any punifhment, nay forfeit his life, 
 — " Nifi ea quas Sylla in animo haberer, 
 *' diis juvantibus impleviffet- — //"Sylla did 
 *' not Jiicceed in what he had in hii 
 " Thought sy So in the times of the Mi- 
 fhridatic War, Sylla received an Aj]u- 
 ranee from Jupiter by Lucius Titius, that He 
 fould overcome Mithridatcs ; aiid it came to 
 pafs. Afterwards, vjhen he was returning 
 
 ta 
 
( 87 ) 
 
 to Rome he promifed him again Power ^ by 
 which he Jhould recover from his 'Enemies the 
 Commonwealthy though not without much 
 Bloodfied, To name but one more in- 
 ftance, Lucius Pontius's Slave foretold that 
 the Capitol would be Jet on fire : He went 
 out of the Camp, and the next day return- 
 ing He faid the Capitol was then adlually 
 burning. This was done whilft Sylla was 
 at Tarentum^ i. e. about 350 Miles from 
 Rome. How could all this be done, with- 
 out fome fuperior Being's tiihtr foretelling 
 the Fate of the Capitol, or telling it fo foon 
 at that diftance? Vid. Aufiin, De Civit. 
 Dei, 1. ii. 
 
 I do not think myfelf obliged to account 
 for thefe and fuch like ProphecieSy more 
 than I am to account for any Miracles that 
 are faid to be done. I know not whether 
 They are, or would be, muchmiftaken, who 
 fliould impute all this to Syllds contrivance : 
 It may be imagined to be a Trick of His, 
 artfully to have the Temple fet on lire, at a 
 given 'Time ; and from thence to argue to 
 the Populace the Anger of Jupiter again ft 
 the impious Party of Marius. An impious 
 Politician flicks at nothing to fecure his 
 
 G 4 point i. 
 
( 88 ) 
 
 point ; and knows how to turn to his own 
 Advantage every accident. 
 
 But fuppofe, that all that was foretold to 
 Sylldy was not owing to Art and State con- 
 trivance : Imagine that it was fome fuperi- 
 or Being, that out of Kindnefs for Sylla^ 
 { that matchlefs inhuman Tyrant ) foretold 
 thefe Events : Suppofe ic faid — " Vidtoria 
 " tua eft, Sylla ; atque ut id divino fpiritu 
 ** clamaffe crederetur, nuntiavit etiam ali- 
 quid, et prope futurum, et mox fadlum — 
 7he Vi^ory is yours Sylla. And that he 
 might be believed to have faid this as from 
 Gody he told him fomething that both was 
 foon to happen^ and accordingly did happen!* 
 So St, Aufiin ftates this matter, He Civ, 
 Dei, lib. ii. c. 24. In this cafe, an Event is 
 foretold : The Being that foretells it, is as 
 much unknown, as he is invifible ; nor can 
 you argue to the Right or yujlice of an 
 Adion becaufe it is foretold, more than if 
 it never had been mentioned. The Fore- 
 telling is an Argument of Knowledge in 
 him that reveals any fad:, but it does not 
 prove the Goodnefs of the Agent ; nor of 
 the Adion itfelf, fince an Evil Adion of a 
 
 wicked 
 
( 89 ) 
 
 wicked man may be as cafily foretold, as 
 any Good A<flion can. 
 
 If thefe Events then were foretold^ no 
 confequenqe can be drawn either to the Ap- 
 probation or the Difapprobation of the Fads 
 foretold, excepting this, that there is fome 
 Superior Being who has thought fit to inter- 
 pofe, and to difcover certain fafts. But as 
 fuch fadls are no ways interefiing to us, 
 there can be no occafion to be foUicitous 
 about them, more than there is whenever 
 any other unufual adl of Providence appears. ^ 
 
 However, This Sort of Prophecies which 
 may be imputed to conjedture, or to contri- 
 vance, or to any other caufe, are not fimi- 
 lar to the Prophecies of Scripture. The 
 One relates to remote things as well as pre- 
 fent; the Other only to fuch incidents as 
 were near, and within the reach of the 
 conjeftures or contrivances of any one ad- 
 mitted into the fecret, or who would fet up 
 for a Diviner. The One relates to Pradtices 
 condemn d^ and Uron^y forbidden to the per- 
 fons who fhould do them : The Other re- 
 lates to Incidents encouraged^ and with a 
 view to encourage what was foretold. The 
 One, is join'd to Miracles in order to con- 
 firm 
 
( 90 ) 
 
 firm a DoBrine that is revealed from fome 
 Superior Being ; The Other is of no Ufe or 
 Confequence farther than the prefent Occa- 
 fion makes it worth any Notice. > 
 
 It may feem proper next to enquire. 
 Whether Prophecies may not come from 
 fome invifible Being, fuperior indeed to 
 man, but inferior to God himfelf. It is 
 cafily conceivable, That fuch Beings may 
 know futurities, and may difcover them; 
 and as to the great Governor of all. He may 
 not immediately interpofe nor foretel what 
 He defigns to accomplifh. Prophecy there- 
 fore like Miracles, may prove an invifible 
 Agency 5 or that there are Beings fuperior 
 to us ; but it will not neceflarily prove, that 
 it is God himfelf who foretels Events, more 
 than that he himfelf works Miracles. And, if 
 an inferior Being foretels what is defigned to 
 be accornpliflied by the great God and Fa- 
 ther of all, and the Event anfwers to the 
 Predicfbion, it will be to us much the fame 
 as if God himfelf foretold his own defigns. 
 For fince the Providence of God has 
 brought about Events exadly correfponding 
 to the Prediflion, it follows that God de- 
 figned, or that it was agreeable to the 
 
 Mind 
 
( 9t ^) 
 
 Mind of the Great Governor, that fuch E-. 
 vents (hould happen. And vrhether He 
 himfelf, or fome other Being predidted, 
 what was in fa<5b to happen, it muft be to 
 us in effect the fame thing. All our Infe- 
 rences will be the fame, as to God's fupream 
 Dominion and Government : We fhould 
 neceiTarily conclude, ift, The Superiority 
 of the Being declaring an Event > and 
 2dly, His great Knowledge; and 3dly, If 
 a Miracle be done, his great Power ; and 
 4thly, That if a Being, our Superior, who 
 knows Events, and gives a proof of his 
 Power and Superiority by a Miracle, fhould 
 likewife make to us a difcovery of any 
 Truth, it would deferve our Attention ; and 
 5thly, That fhould we neglect fuch Truths, 
 and afterwards fufFer for fuch carelefs con- 
 duct, fuch fufFerings would juflly be inflict- 
 ed on us, nor could we have any right to 
 complain, when previous notice was given 
 us, plainly manifefled by the Evidence of 
 one of a fuperior Clafs of Beings, and not at 
 all inconfiflent with our own natural Powers. 
 However, let us pafs to the other Set of 
 Queflions, arifing from the Doctrine of Mi- 
 racles, as attefting to any Revelation in 
 
 which 
 
( 92 J 
 
 which this point will be more particularly 
 difcuflfed. There muft be fome Being or 
 other, fuperior to Man, or elfe there could 
 be no fuch thing as Miracle : Now the 
 Jewifli and the Chriftian Legiflators ap- 
 pealing to the Miracles they did, as proofs 
 of their Miffion from God 3 it will be pro- 
 per to enquire, 
 
 Firjl^ Whether we can difcover whether 
 it be God, or ^n Inferior Agent that works 
 a Miracle ? 
 
 Secondly^ Whether a Doctrine may not 
 come from an Evil Being feducing men ? 
 
 Thirdly y What degree of Aflent is due to 
 any doctrine revealed, and which ftands 
 confirmed by Miracles ? 
 
 Fourthly^ Whether a partial Revelation 
 will prove that it comes from God Himfelf, 
 or from an Inferior Being ? And 
 
 Fifthly, Whether God be obliged, fup- 
 pofing that he grants a Revelation, to grant 
 it to all mankind equally ? 
 
 It muft be granted that every effect above 
 the powers of matter , or the Art or Skill of 
 Man, muft be produced by fome "Qtrng fu- 
 perior to them both. I fpeak of the powers 
 of matter^ as if matter were able to pro- 
 duce 
 
( 93 ') 
 
 duce effects of itfelf ; whereas I mean no 
 more than the general effects of Matter and 
 Motion, however, or by what Application 
 foerer, they may be produced. 
 
 Again; If a man be enabled to perform 
 a Miracky and has at the fame time a Re- 
 velation of any truth made to him ; it is 
 mofl probable that Both proceed from the 
 fame Agent, whoever it is. And 
 
 Lajilyy If the Revelation be fuch as 
 tends to promote what Reafon dictates to 
 be right, and what as a reafonable Creature 
 I am obliged to perform ; if e, g. it offers 
 me motives to right Action, or difcovers to 
 me fuch doctrines which I can perceive to 
 have a relation to, or which encourage my 
 moral Behaviour, I cannot but conclude, 
 that the kind, benevolenty cijjijling invifible 
 Agent is a Good Being : at leafl he is fo to 
 Me-y and if it be not God himfelf that 
 thus excites and aids me^ it is a Being that 
 is well affected towards me ; and ihews a 
 difpofition to excite me to act as I ought 
 towards God and Man. 
 
 The Queftion then is, Whether we can 
 dlfcover whether it be God himfelf, or 
 fome other invifible Agent, that works a 
 
 Miracle, 
 
(94 ) 
 
 Miracle. The Effect fuppofes an invifible 
 Being to produce it : but can it be inferred 
 to be a Divine Operation, or done by God 
 himfelf, feeing fupernatural Effeds may be 
 produced by the Agency of other invifible 
 Beings ? 
 
 It is and muft be granted, that certain 
 Adts are not within the power of man to do. 
 He cannot walk upon bare Water without 
 finking j much iefs can he walk in the air 
 without any fupport: He cannot reftore 
 Sight to the blind, or Strength to the weak, 
 or Limbs to the maimed, by a word^ or at 
 a dijiance^ or without any Application of 
 things to the parts or perfons affedted ; Nor 
 can he inftantaneoufly, by a command^ 
 make a dead man revive. And fhould any 
 man exert fuch a power, and exercife it as 
 he pleafed, one cannot but conclude that he 
 muft be helped in all fuch Adls by fome 
 Superior Agent. Whether God himfelf 
 does immediately interpofe, or not, is a 
 point on which I find good m-en divided : 
 But thus much will follow, that as fome 
 Superior Agency is neceflary to produce fuch 
 Effedts, fo where we fee Superior powers 
 to what man has^cxerted, we can certainly 
 
 infer 
 
( 95 ) 
 
 infer a more powerjul Being : And where wc 
 are fpeaking of fuch powerful Beings a- 
 mongft Intelligent Agents, we may venture 
 to affirm that to be the Superior ^ which ex- 
 erts the greateft power ^ and a Being exert- " 
 ing very great power, and giving us direc- 
 tions for our Good, ought to be fdlowed^ 
 in his Advices, Inftruffions, or Direftions ; 
 becaufe all this is agreeable to Reafon. 
 
 Reafon cannot difcover whether the di- 
 redl dominion over us be That of God 
 himfelf immediately, or whether he may 
 not have committed Power and Judgment 
 to fome Subordinate Being. But then Rea- 
 fon will dicftate this, that fuppofing the Do- 
 minion over us of iomQ fubordinate Agent, 
 and that Agent fhouid reveal to us any 
 Doftrinal Points, and fuppofing that he 
 ihould prove his Dominion by a Series of 
 Miracles, we ought to fubmit to any direc- 
 tion which he may give us ; fince we can- 
 not conceive that a Perfon, fo empowered 
 and fo appointed by God for the Good of 
 his creatures, will abufe the Trufl repofed 
 in him, or that he will not execute his Of- 
 fice faithfully. 
 
 It 
 
( 96 ) 
 
 It may be faid that we find the contrary 
 very often amongft men : They are veiled 
 with Authority, and yet they more fre- 
 quently abufe the truft repofed in them, 
 than execute it as they ought. 
 
 'Tis true : But as in the cafe of men, the 
 more they grow in Wifdom and Know- 
 ledgCj they are lefs apt to adl a foolifli or an 
 abfurd part ; fo we may believe in general, 
 that the higher any one is advanced in the 
 clafs of Intelleftual Beings, the lefs will he 
 be difpofed to aft a little, ungenerous, un- 
 friendly part, Suppofing therefore that God 
 in his wifdom were to think it proper to 
 commit to any one a Power and Dominion 
 over us, and a Revelation were to be made 
 by fuch a Being to Mankind ; and this Re- 
 velation appears to be for their advantage if 
 it be purfued ; one could not but conclude 
 that this was agreeable to the Great Gover- 
 nor of all ; and that He would not permit 
 his Creatures to be deceived in what was 
 thus communicated to them under the pre- 
 tenfe and fanftion of his Will : Or if he 
 did, He could not juftly punifli fuch Sub- 
 jects for obeying fuch pretended commands, 
 
 if 
 
(97 ) 
 
 if they had not proper means or power to 
 difcover the cheat. 
 
 Suppofing now that a Revelation be given 
 by fome Superior Invifible Being, who 
 {hould have, or pretend to have dominion 
 over mankind, and he fhould work one or 
 more Miracles in confirmation of what he 
 faid- — One might juftly and fairly impute 
 that to God as the remote caufe, though He 
 were not the proper immediate efficient 
 caufe : and as He is the Univerfal Governo'r, 
 one might from the tendency of fuch Reve- 
 lation to our Happinefs through Virtue, be 
 certain that it was God'^ will. Men might 
 indeed iniquitoufly and unjuftly pervert fuch 
 doctrines, and not make tliem fubfervient to 
 the End defigned : But this would not at all 
 leffen the probability of their coming from 
 God. For whatever is good, may be per- 
 verted by wicked or carelefs men : and ic is 
 no more to be concluded that fuch a thing 
 came not from God, becaufe it has or may 
 occafion Evil, than it can be inferred that 
 Reafon or Liberty were not given us by 
 God, becaufe by abufing each they have 
 been made the Occafions of much mif- 
 chief. 
 
 H If 
 
( 98 ) 
 
 If therefore one were to admit, that 
 one cannot determine abfolutely, whether 
 it be God or a Jubordinate Agent that does 
 a Miracle, or makes known a T^ruih unto 
 us ; it is not of fuch great moment as fome 
 may imagine. For it is in our power to 
 try the Dodlrme, and judge of its tendency ; 
 and if it does not agree poffibly or aduaily 
 with reafon it is to be difcarded. As 
 to any Miracle^ which is not attended with 
 a Revelation, it is nothing to us, who does 
 it: It is of no more regard than any 
 other unufual Providential Ad, which is 
 and muft be attended with Gratitude and 
 Thankfulnefs, or with Awe and Fear, or 
 whatever Affedion is fuited to the cafe. 
 The great Governor of all is always enti- 
 tled to acknowledgment for his Mercies and 
 Goodnefs, iince under his diredion and by 
 his grant of Power, and by his not inter- 
 poling to prevent our good, we receive ex- 
 traordinary Favours: And if it be our Mif- 
 fortune to fuffer any prefent Evil, He has 
 it in his power, and knows beft, when and 
 how to make us ample amends, 
 
 vhi Let 
 
(99) 
 
 Let us fuppofe that God were to reveal 
 to mankind any Truth — be it either by 
 himfelf, or by fome other Agent, it is the 
 Moment of the Dodtrine, and not the Per- 
 fon that delivers the Doctrine, which is 
 to be confidered by thofe to whom it is 
 fent. Is it worth while to difpute and di- 
 ftinguifh betwixt the Commands of a King 
 delivered in perfon, and thofe which are ac- 
 tually delivered from him by his Minifter? 
 Or is it of any great confequence, whether 
 the Meffage be fent by one of a Great or 
 Small Eftate, by one of greater or leffer Qua- 
 lity ? The Dodrine is the thing in which 
 we are concerned: and provided we can 
 know it to be true, and to come from 
 God, it may be needlefs to enquire, whe- 
 ther it comes mediately or immediately 
 from him. 
 
 However, iince I am confidering this 
 matter, it is fit to obferve, 
 
 That fome have taken a fliort way to 
 determine the Qaeftion, whether it be 
 God himfelf, or Some Other Agent that 
 works a miracle. They imagine that it 
 requires Omnipotence^ or an Almighty Pow- 
 er ^ to perform them ; and confequently 
 
 \{ 2 real 
 

 . f TOT ' 
 
 (ICO ) 
 
 real Miracles are incapable of being wrought 
 byanybut God. They argue thus — " Tho' 
 it may be allowed that there are Beings in 
 the Spiritual World that are capable of per- 
 forming things above the power of men, 
 and therefore amazing to mankind, yet 
 it is juftly denied that any created Be- 
 ^*^4^gs, and confequently Agents of a limi- 
 ,f * ted power, are capable of performing — 
 ^^l, proper and real Miracles, either thofe of 
 " the Matter^ Or of the Manner^ indepen- 
 dently of God j Since great as their pow- 
 er is, it is not hijimte, ^nd therefore cannot 
 perform thofe Operations, either as to 
 *' the Matter or Manjier of them. No 
 .*' lefs power than what is infinite being able 
 " to overcome the otherwife infuperaWe 
 5* difficulties and nat,ural ImpoiTibilities that 
 '' attend them." 
 
 To underftand what is meant by Mira- 
 cles of the Matter^ and thofe of the Man^ 
 ner^ it muft be obferved, that the Miracles 
 of Chrift have been divided into two Sorts : 
 " Thofe of the Matter^ are Jefus's curing 
 " Difeafes juftly thought incurable, refto- 
 ^ ring the withered hand, giving fight to 
 " one born blind, railing the dead ©r. 
 
 " With 
 
( loi ) 
 
 *' With regard to the Manner of perform- 
 '* ance are, His curing difeafes by a mere 
 '' word fpoken by Jefus either abfent or 
 " prefcnt, or by a touch of his hand, or e- 
 '' ven of his Garment.— Both thefe Me- 
 " thods require an Almighty Power, Omni- 
 " potence, or a power equivalent to that of 
 •' Creation." 
 
 That Both thefe Methods require a pow- 
 er fufficient to produce the defigned effedl 
 is certain : But that they fhould require an 
 Almighty Power, or that no Power lefs than 
 hifinite is fufficient for thofe purpofes, 
 fliould not be taken for granted. If in- 
 deed it be prefuppofed that ablolute Omni- 
 potence is neceffary to produce a real Mira- 
 cle, then it may be urged, that '' no pow- 
 " er lefs than infinite is able to overcome 
 " the otherwife infuperable difficulties 
 " which attend" the performing of fuch 
 an Action. But this is the point to be 
 proved, not to be taken for granted. When 
 a Hand is withered, or an Eye is loft, 
 Of a Body is dead, we mean by fuch ex- 
 preffions, that the Parts are fo affected as 
 not to be able to do their Offices in 
 fuch manner as once they had done. 
 
 H 3 Novs?: 
 
(I02) 
 
 Now that a Being may have Skill and 
 Power to reftore the preexiftent parts, or 
 to fupply the place of what has been loft, or 
 ta ftrengthen what has been decayed, is ea- 
 fily conceivable, without his having a power 
 to create new parts. He may have a pow- 
 er to work on preexiftent materials, and he 
 may be able to remove Obftrudions, with- 
 out being Omnipotent^ fince even We, weak 
 and ignorant as We are, are able to do fo 
 many things towards reftoring a decayed 
 Conftitution. If therefore we conceive a 
 Being that had ten thoufand times, or ten 
 millions of times, our Abilities and Know- 
 ledge, He might be able to do what is re- 
 ally a Miracle to us, both as to the matter 
 and the mamier without being properly 
 Omnipotent, 
 
 Suppofe only that any Being had Pow- 
 er to enter into, any Parts of our Bodies, or 
 that He could penetrate the fineft and moft 
 delicate fibres, it is eafy to conceive then, 
 that he could have ftrength to open any 
 Valve, or to take away whatever caufed 
 Obftruclions: He might eafily arrange what 
 was out of Order, and thofe parts which 
 were decaying, or adually decayed, He 
 
 might 
 
( I03) 
 
 might reftore, without an abfolate Infinity 
 of PowQr, 
 
 Should it be objedled, that '' if any Spi- 
 " ritual Agents, placed in different Ranks 
 % betwixt God and Mankind, were fuppofed 
 " to Derform fuch miraculous Adions in- 
 dependently of God, they muft likewife 
 be fuppofed to have an equal power of 
 creating and rejloring with God bimfelj] 
 and therefore not to be inferior^ limited 
 ** and created Beings : which is contrary to 
 the very Suppofition of their nature, 
 and is fo abfurd, as confequentially to in- 
 troduce a Plurality of Beings of infinite 
 ^* Power, and therefore of Rival Gods" 
 
 Should this I fay be objected, we muft 
 be allowed to reafon, a pari, in the 
 cafe. A good Phyfician, from his Ob- 
 fervation of effedts, produced in certain ca^ 
 fes, is able to do a great deal towards the 
 Reftoration of a decayed Conftitution ; and 
 partly by removing of certain Ohftrudtions, 
 partly by the Application of proper Sana- 
 tive Medicines, he is able to cure certain 
 diforders, which if let alone would certain- 
 ly and infallibly carry off the unhappy Pa- 
 tient. An Angel endued w^ith a million of 
 
 H 4 times. 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 <c 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 
( 104 ) 
 times the Knowledge and Skill of the very 
 beft Phyfician could certainly do a vafl deal 
 more good to any decaying Body than luch 
 Phyfician could do. Suppofe therefore an 
 Angel were to reftore a withered Hand, or 
 to cure a loft Eye, by proper Application of 
 Something that he may know, — why muft 
 he be fuppofed to have an equal power of 
 rejioring with God? No, no more than a 
 Man who is able in his Sphere to remove 
 the caufe of a Diftemper, or to cure a 
 Diforder in the Eye, which if not taken in 
 hand and removed would certainly deftroy 
 the Sight. The man rejlores^ and the An- 
 gel rejiores^ each in their refpedive ways, 
 and proportionably to their Skill and Pow- 
 er ; not independently oj God, but Both ad- 
 ing by their ordinary Powers received from 
 God. They both can do what they pro- 
 pofe: But it does not follow, that they are 
 therefore not inferior limited and created Be- 
 ings: Nor does it follow, thatfuchaRe- 
 ftoration introduces a Plurality of Beings of 
 INFINITE Power, and therefore of Rival 
 Gods, 
 
 - A. 
 
 That 
 
<c 
 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 
 ( 105 ) 
 
 That which embarrafles this Queftion of 
 Miracles very much is, that Writers give 
 fuch definitions of Miracles as make com- 
 mon Appearances to be miraculous, to which 
 no Nation ever applies that term. " A 
 *' true Miracle," fays the Learned Author 
 whofe account I am here confidering, *' is 
 properly a Supernatural Operation, difa- 
 greeing with and repugnant to the ufu- 
 al courfe of things, and the known 
 laws of Nature, either as to the Subjedt 
 *' Matter, or the Manner of its Perform- 
 " ance." Suppofe now that a Heavy Bo- 
 dy were to be moved round in a Circle 
 with a great Velocity, and were not to go 
 off in the Tangent of its Curve, would not 
 This be a proper Miracle? For it is a 
 known Law of Nature, that all Bodies that 
 move in Circles, endeavour to fly off from 
 their Centers, and would move on in ftrait 
 Lines were they not reftrained by fome 
 certain force. If this be a hiown Law^ or 
 the iijiial courfe of things^ is it not a Af/>^- 
 cle^ a real and true Miracle^ for any Body 
 to move in a manner difagreeing with and 
 repugjiant to this courfe ? And yet, do not 
 the Planets all move in this manner ? And 
 
 whoever 
 
(io6) 
 
 whoever applies the Term, Miracle, to 
 this common, ordmary motion ? The Mo- 
 tion of the Planets is certainly the efFed: of 
 a Supernatural Operation, difagreeifig with 
 the known Laws of nature, as to the Man- 
 ner of its Performance, Yet whoever 
 looked upon the daily rifing of the Moon, 
 or Sun, 2iS Miraculous? In truth this defini- 
 tion of a Miracle is faulty : fince it makes 
 thofe things to be Miraculous which no one 
 reckons to be fo ^ and the making Omnipo- 
 tence, ot ijtfinite Power, abfolutely neceffary 
 to the performance of a Miracle, will make 
 many things to be not miraculous, which re- 
 ally and truly are fo, £. g. 
 
 Was not it properly a Miracle, when 
 Peter came down out of the Ship and 
 walked on the water to go to Jefus, Matt. 
 xiv. 29 ? Was it not a Miracle, when Jefus 
 went unto his Difciples walking on the Sea, 
 V. 25? Was it not a Miracle, when Elijha 
 made the Iron fo fwim, 2 Kings vi. 6 ? 
 And do any of thefe Ads require Omnipo^ 
 tence to do them ? Or why may not an in- 
 ferior Being do them, by his own native 
 powers ? ' 
 
 -Sut a Diftinction is made betwixt mere 
 Signs and Wonders, and true Miracles. 
 
 " Whatever 
 
(rlQ7 J 
 
 ^^ Whatever Performances Evil Spirits can 
 naturally and independently of God ex- 
 ert, they muft be merr Signs and Wo^i- 
 derSy and not true Miracles : The work- 
 *' ers of them may by lower inftances of 
 " power, furprvze weak and wicked men, 
 *^ and thofe that are otherwife incredulous, 
 *' but they cannot perform fuch works by 
 " their own natural Ability, as are men- 
 *^ tioned to be done by Chrift." 
 
 Should it be asked. Why cannot an "Evil 
 Spirit exert his power to perform a true 
 Miracle^ I know not what would be the 
 Anfwer, unlefs it ihould be fuppofed^ that 
 no work of theirs could be Miraculous^ or 
 that no work which was performed by a 
 Power lefs than Infinite could be juflly cal- 
 led a Miracle, If the latter Suppoiition be 
 true, neither Good nor Evil Spirits can 
 work a Miracle ^ becaufe the Powers of 
 neither of them are infinite : If the for- 
 mer be tlie cafe, the queftion will always 
 be, Why is not a Supernatural Act of E- 
 vil Spirits as properly a Miracle^ as the 
 Supernatural Act of Good Spirits? It is 
 granted that Evil Beings can naturally ex^ 
 ert a power to do fuch S^igjis and Wonders^ 
 as may fur prize ^ weak and wicked and in- 
 credulous 
 
( io8 J 
 
 credulous Men : why can they not furprize 
 good and juft ones too ? But they cannot 
 exert them " independently of God*' True: 
 No more can any Spirits, Good or Bad. If 
 the Goodnefs of the Agent is neceffary to 
 a Miracky then the Agent is to be put into 
 the definition of a Mirack^ fincc the Effect 
 of a Supernatural Operation muft have a 
 different name according to the Agent that 
 does it. I mufl obferve further, that it is 
 not the Scripture Language to impute to 
 Rvil SpiritSy Signs and Wonders ; and to 
 God only true Miracles ; but all of thefe 
 are attributed to one and the fame Spirit. 
 God himfelf has Signs and Wonders attribu- 
 ted to Him, Hebrews ii. 4. God himfelf alfo 
 bearing them witnefs with Signs and Won- 
 ders and with diverfe Miracles and Gifts of 
 the Holy Ghojl according to his own will. So 
 when God h fpeaking to MoJeSy Exod, vii. 
 3. He fays, And I will harden Pharaoh's 
 hearty and multiply my Signs and my 
 Wonders in the Land of Egypt. So Dew 
 teronomy vi. 22. l^he Lord Jhewed Signs 
 and Wonders, great and fore upon Egypt, 
 upon Pharaoh and all his Houjehold, fee 
 Deut. vii. 19. xxvi. 8, xxxiv. 11. Nor do 
 
 Ire^ 
 
8oi ^'^ 
 
 ( 109) 
 I recollect any one place where the Opera- 
 tions of Evils finis are contradiftinguifhed 
 from the Acts of God Himfelf, or Good 
 Spirits, fo that the One is called a Sign and 
 Wonder^ the Other a true Miracle, 
 
 I know not whether it be worth while 
 to examine more particularly into this 
 groundlefs Diftinction, that Evil Spirits can 
 work" mere Signs and Wonders and not 
 <^ true Miracles." However I will tran- 
 fcribe a Note of the Learned Dr. Whitby 
 on Heb, ii. 4. Speaking of the Signs and 
 Wonders and Miracles and Gifts of the Ho- 
 ly Ghojl mentioned in that verfe, He fays, 
 " Here are four Things mentioned which 
 ^' will admit of a diftinct confideration ; 
 " the firft and fecond are, (j^i^ltct i^ Tipa,- 
 %y Signs and Wonders, which refer to 
 " Portentous Actions done in the Heavens^ 
 as when the Sun food fill: In the Earth, 
 as when it opened to fwallow up Da- 
 " than ^//^Abiramj In the Air, as when;> 
 '*^ was turned into Darkiiefs : In the Waters^ 
 " as when they were turned into Blood: 
 ** And thefe were often wrought by Mo- 
 " fes and Others under the Old Tefaf?2enty 
 ^' and ftill are ftyled gyii^H^l ?cctl rg/^cc)*. So 
 
 " J^xod, 
 
 <i 
 
 cc 
 
( no ) 
 
 ," Exod. vii. 3. ^Xr^rjm TcL (ryjfjLiicL fXy xgl] 
 " TepstTct, I will multiply my Signs and 
 " Wonders in the Land of Egypt, And 
 " again, ver, 9. Deut, iv. 32, He took his 
 " people out of that Nation, h cyifjiiloig jcctl 
 " Tgfcto-t ^jy 5/^;^j ^;z^ Wonders: Shewing 
 " cvifjLucL xcLi TzpcLTcL fJnyoiXciLy Signs and 
 " great Wonders upon Pharaoh and all his 
 *' Houfe. Chap. vi. 22. And vii. 19. and 
 " xi. 3. xxvi. 8. xxix. 3. And there arofe 
 *' not a Prophet like unto Mofes, h tcSlcti 
 ** rois cfifjiiiois xcti repcLo-iVy in all the Signs 
 " and Wonders which God fent him to do 
 *' in the land of Egypt, Deut. xxxiv. ii. 
 *' See Nehem. ix. 10. Pfalm cxxxiv. 9. 
 ^' Jer. xxxii. 42. Thus Nebuchadonofor de- 
 *' clares, (TyjfjLucL y.cLi Tepotrct, /& /S'/^;?^ ^«^ 
 *' Wonders which the moji high God had 
 *' Jhewed to Him^ Dan. iv. 2. And Darius 
 *' fays of him. Chap. xxvi. 27. ^m\ ayi- 
 
 *' tAiicL XCLl repCLTd ev too SpOLVCO X.CH BTTl Ty\^ 
 
 *' 7>i^, He doth Signs and "wonders in the 
 '^ Heavens and on the Earth, 
 
 *' Moreover, ^yif^iicL and Aui/ctfteT^ are 
 *' ufed in the New Teftament, with rela- 
 *' tion to the Miracles wrought by the ^- 
 " pojiles upon others, in cafting out Devils, 
 
 " making 
 
(Ill) 
 
 *' making the Blind to fee, and the Lame 
 ** to walk, and healing all manner of Dif- 
 " eafes; Now none of thefe things were 
 " done by Mofes^ and very rarely by any of 
 " the Prophets. And laftly, As for the 
 *' Diftributions of the Holy Ghoft, con- 
 '* fitting in the internal Gifts of Wifdom, 
 " Knowkdge, Faith, the Gifts of Tongues, 
 ** and the Interpretation of them j Thefe 
 " were peculiar to the latter days, that is, 
 *' the times of the Meftahr So very 
 groundlefs is the Notion that Evil Spirits 
 can only work Signs and Wonders and not 
 true Miracles, that we find Signs and Won- 
 ders to be imputed to God Himfelf, and to 
 thofe whom He fent j and not at all to Evil 
 Spirits, 
 
 It may be faid, that '' the cafe of Good 
 " Spirits is very diftinguifhable from that 
 of Evil Spirits^ who cannot for feverai 
 reafons be fuppofed to have an equal 
 power communicated to them, that is, 
 fuch a divine power as is neceffary to per- 
 " form Miracles, And therefore if Evil 
 Spirits fcem in any cafe to perform what 
 appears miraculous, it muft be Fallacy, 
 Juggle, and Delufion, fince they are in- 
 
 ** capable 
 
 
 cc 
 
(112) 
 
 ^* capable of it both in a natural and naoral 
 ** Senfe/' 
 
 This puts me in mind pf the known fay- 
 ing. Duo cum faciunt idem non efl idem. 
 Why may not an Evil Spirit exert his natu- 
 ral Powers as well as a Good one ? Or why 
 muft a wicked Do6frine be neceflarily tack- 
 ed to any wonderful work that an Evil Spi- 
 rit does ? Or why muft every furprizing Adt 
 of Evil Spirits be Juggle^ Fallacy ^ and De- 
 lujion ? Suppofe an Evil Spirit exerts his na- 
 tural Powers, and does ^furprizing Adtion 
 before weak and wicked Men^ — This is al- 
 lowed to be prafticable : And yet fhould they 
 feem to perform what appears Miraculous — 
 They are incapable of this in any Senfe, 
 How are the furprizing Aftions to be di- 
 ftinguiihed from fuch as appear Miracu^ 
 lous f 
 
 Perhaps I have been guilty of a fault in 
 taking fo much notice of any particular 
 perfons falfe Reafonings on this Subjeft: 
 but as they have given me an Opportunity 
 of clearing up fomc matters which I could 
 not fo well have done in another manner, it 
 may not be thought a mere digreffion from 
 my point, which was^ Whether we could dif- 
 
 cover 
 
("3) 
 
 cover whether it were God^ or any other 
 Agent that works a Miracle. To proceed 
 therefore in our Enquiry. 
 
 No one doubts but that the Great God 
 and Father of all may work a Miracle: 
 Some have doubted whether Any Being but 
 He can do one. It may afford fome light to 
 confider what the Scriptures have any where 
 faid upon this Head ; For Revelation 
 alone can fatisfadtorily determine this 
 point. And, 
 
 I/?, It never appears throughout the Old 
 Tejlamenfy that the Great God, who?7i no 
 man hathfeen nor canfee^ i Tim. vi. i6. 
 the invifihle God^ Col. i. 15. John vi. 46. 
 Col. i. 15. Heb. xi. 27. i Job. iv. 12. ever 
 did upon Earth any Miracle ; but as He 
 made all things by the Son^ io He does all 
 things by means of Him, or fome Angel or 
 other who executes his Commands. As to 
 the Father himfelf, no man hath feen him 
 at any time^ John i. 18. The Angel of the 
 Lord that appeared to Mofes in the bu(h, 
 and who /aid, I am the God of thy Fathers, 
 Acts vii. 30 — 32, enabled Mofes to do the 
 Miracles He did in Egypt, and elfewhere. 
 
 I So 
 
(114) 
 
 So fays Jujiijz Martyr^ affuring us, * that 
 Mofes received ftro?ig power from Chrift that 
 fpake to him out of the buflo. And it was an 
 inferior Angel ftill, who in the Name of 
 God, fays, 22d"y. xi. i= — 3. I will give pow^ 
 er to my T^wo Witnefjh^ and they fmll pro^ 
 fhefy in Sackcloth. 
 
 I do not enquire who it was, or what An^ 
 gel it was, whether that Perfon who is cal- 
 led the Angel of the Covenant^ or as we ren- 
 der it, the Meflenger of the Covenant^ Mai. 
 iii. I. the Angel of his Prefence^ Ifai. Ixiii, 
 9. — I do not enquire, I fay, whether this 
 Perfon was the Chrift, who made the fe- 
 veral Appearances under the Old Tefta- 
 ment. Whoever it was, it was one that 
 fpoke in the Name of God\ and in whom 
 the Name of God was, Exod. xxiii. 21. 
 The Jews aflert that Angels are the Media- 
 tors betwixt God and all other Beings -, and 
 that one cannot find an Liftance where God 
 did any Work but by the means oj fome An-* 
 
 T^fpk, ;tp'5-5. Jaft. Apol. i. And in his 2d Apology he 
 blames the Jevjs for imagining that the Father of all things 
 fpake to P^lo/es, it being the Son of God, who is called an 
 Angel and a Meffenger, 
 
 gel. 
 
get. Non enim invenieSy fays Maimomdesy 
 
 Deum ullum opusfecijfe nijiper manus alicu* 
 
 jus Angeli. More Nevoch. Pars. 2. c. 6. 
 
 The Jews received the Law by the Difpo-- 
 
 fition of Angels, A5ls vii. 53. Mojes was 
 
 fent to be a Ruler and Deliverer by the 
 
 hands of the Angel which appeared to him 
 
 in the bu^o^ v. 35. St. PW obferves that 
 
 the Law was ordained by Angels, Gal. \\u 
 
 19. And in the Epiftle to the Hebrews^ it 
 
 is called the wordfpoken by Angels, r. ii. 2. 
 
 It is not my prefent bufinefs to confider 
 further whether it was Chrift, or another 
 Being inferior to him who thus appeared, 
 and enabled Mofes to work Miracles. It 
 plainly was not the Great God and Father of 
 ally whofe voice no one hath heard at any 
 time^ Joh. v. 37. But 
 
 2. One cannot but obferve, That our Sa- 
 viour himfelf, whilft He was upon Earth in 
 his incarnate State, feems conftantly to have 
 been under the Guidance and Influence of 
 the Holy Ghojl in all his wondrous Works : 
 and whatever he did, it was by a Power 
 communicated to him by that Perfon. This 
 Obfervation is juftified by the following 
 Texts. I will put my Spirit upon him, and 
 
 I % he 
 
( "6 ) 
 
 he fmll Jloew Judgment to the Genti les, M^tt. 
 xii. 1 8. But if Icaft out Devils by the Spi- 
 rit of God, the?! the Kingdom of God is 
 come unto you^ Ibid. v. 28. Hence is he 
 faid, to be full of the Holy Ghoft, Luke iv. 
 I. and that God gave not the Spirit by mea- 
 fure unto him, John iii. 34. In the A5ts it 
 is faid, that God anointed Jefus of Nazareth 
 with the Holy Ghoft and with power, c. x. 
 38. From thefe and other paffages of the 
 New Teftament I feem to gather, that all 
 the Miracles which our Saviour did upon 
 Earth, were done by him through the Ope- 
 ration of the Holy Ghoft ^ enabling him in his 
 incarnate State to do all fuch works as were 
 necefTary to demonftrate who He was, and 
 what his Errand to us was. 
 
 3. The fame Perfon which enabled our 
 Saviour to work Miracles, did likewife ena- 
 ble the Apoftles and the Difciples of our 
 Lord to work Miracles. Hence it is that 
 that they were to be baptized with the Holy 
 Ghoft^ Adl. i. 5. and as foon as they were 
 filled with the Holy Ghoft they began to 
 fpeak with other Tongues as the S^\nt.gave 
 them utterance, c. ii. 4. x. 45, 46. xix. 6, 
 When the feveraK Gifts of the Spirit are 
 
 enume- 
 
( 1^7 ) 
 
 enumerated, i Cor. xi'i. (amongft which are 
 t&e Gifts of healwgy v. 9. tbe working of 
 Miracles, Prophecy^ dijcerning of Spirits^ 
 and divers kinds ofT^ongues^ v. 10.) it is ad- 
 ded, All these worketh that One and 
 the felf fame Spirit, dividing to every man 
 fever ally as he will^ v. 11. In the Epiftle 
 to the Hebrews, c. ii. 4. the Author fpeaks 
 of Signs and Wonders and divers Miracles 
 and Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, by which 
 God bore witnefs unto the Apoftles. 
 
 Hence then may we be enabled to un- 
 derftand all thofe paffages of the New Tef- 
 tament, wherein our Saviour attributes all 
 the wondrous works which he did, to his 
 Father, or to a Power received from the 
 Father. If I do not the works of my Fa- 
 ther, believe me not : but if I do, though ye 
 believe ?20t me, believe the works, John x. 
 37, 38. The Father which is in me, he doth 
 the works, John xiv. 10. And though in 
 feme places, our Saviour fpeaks of his works 
 as done by his own power, yet dill he re- 
 ferred every thing that he faid or did to the 
 Father, as the Author, or great Principle, 
 of whatever he did, and by whofe Will and 
 Authority he afted in every inftance : From 
 
 I 3 Him 
 
(ii8) 
 
 Him all Power was derived ; and through 
 the Influences of the Holy Spirit^ was com- 
 municated to the Soriy and by that means 
 to Mankind. 
 
 When an Angel made any Appearance, 
 and worked any Miracle, it feems to be 
 only when God fent Him on any mefTage, 
 or commanded any thing to be done. 
 Whenever any one reprefented the Perfon 
 of the Great God, He did or adled as fuch 
 a Reprefentative ; and then the words or 
 things are diredly imputed to God himfelf, 
 as if He were the immediate Agent. For 
 this reafon the Sacred Writers ufe concern^ 
 ing fuch Angels fo adling, the terms not 
 only of Adonai^ El^ Elohim^ but likewife 
 that of Jehovah \ as appears by comparing 
 places together. Thus £;>cc^ xiii. 21. "Je^ 
 hovah is faid to go before the Camp of the 
 Ifraelites, by day in a pillar of Cloudy and 
 by night in a pillar of fire : whereas in the 
 very next Chapter, xiv. 19. it is faid — The 
 Angel of the Lord which went before the 
 camp of Ifrael removed, and went behind 
 them. And Ch. xxxii. 34. Behold mine 
 AngdJJjallgo before thee. And ch. xxxiii. 
 17. The Loid faid unto Mofes-^ — Iwill 7nake 
 
 all 
 
(119) 
 
 all my Goodnefi pafs before thee, and I will 
 proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. 
 This can no otherwlfe be underftood than 
 as the Word of a Being Subordinate to the 
 great Jehovah, who reprefented him, and 
 adied by his Authority, and Miffion. 
 
 Now an Angel may be conceived to have 
 Power of his own, either fufficient to guacd 
 the Ifraelites, or to do whatever is imputed to 
 him, without any new extraordinary convey- 
 ance of power to him. His Commijjlon in- 
 deed, or his Authority to a^l is always re- 
 ferred to God, who fent him upon 
 fuch a Meffage, or fuch a Bufmefs : But 
 whether He was veiled with more than his 
 natural Paiver on fuch Occafion, does not 
 appear. If we confider the Things done/ 
 we can conceive a power lefs than infinite, 
 able to execute them: Why then may not 
 an Angel do them, by a Power immanent 
 and inherent in himfelf? When Pharaoh 
 purfued the Children of Ifrael, it did not 
 require Ofnnipotence, or an infinite power, to 
 trouble the hofi of the Egyptians, or to take 
 off their Chariot-wheeh fo as to make them 
 drive heavily, Exod. x^v. 24, 25. This aa 
 Angel might be able to do by his own 
 Strength; and whilfl: fuch power was ex- 
 
 I 4 erted^ 
 
( 120 ) 
 
 erted, tnvifibly to us, it would be deemed 
 a Miracle^ though the power by which it 
 was done was very fhort of infinite. 
 
 What the Powers of the Hio-heft Oafs 
 of Superior Beings may be, it is abfurd for 
 us to pretend to determine. But yet, Let 
 the Miracles of our Saviour be ranged into 
 their refpedive Orders, according to our 
 Conceptions of the Difficulties which at- 
 tend their performance, and there is none 
 of them that feem to require an abfolute 
 infinity of power. The Higheft kind is 
 Raifing the dead^ and giving Sight to fuch 
 as are born blind. The Second is, What 
 may be done by Natural Caufes, but yet 
 were done without them: fuch as the 
 Sudden cure of Difeafes, Leprofy, Palfy, 
 ^c. The 'Third is. What likewife may be 
 effefted by natural Caufes and were in 
 fadt done by them, whereas there appeared 
 no connexion nor relation to them : Such 
 were the cure of the Blind by Spittle and 
 Clay, John ix. 6j The Cure of the Deaf 
 and Dumb by putting his fingers into the 
 Ears and Spitting, and therewith touch- 
 ing the Tongue, Mark vii. 33; The cure 
 ©f difeafes by the Motion of the Waters at 
 
 Bethejda. 
 
(I2l) 
 
 Bethefda. John v. 4. There is another Sort of 
 Miracles recorded in the Scriptures, done by 
 natural means, but yet fo done that fuppo- 
 fing them ufed, yet they would not pro- 
 duce their efFedt, had not they been ufed by 
 fome Superior Being for fuch an EfFedl at 
 fuch a particular tim.e, and on fuch a par- 
 ticular occafion. Thus the Samaritans were 
 deftroyed by LionSy at that particular time 
 let loofe as it were upon them, for a pu- 
 nifliment for their deferting the Worfhip 
 of the one God. Of the fame kind feem 
 to be the great draught of FiJJ:es mentioned 
 Luke V. 6. John xxi. 6. Now none of 
 thefe, however the efFefls of Power Superior 
 to Man, feem to require an infinite power, or 
 what may be conceived beyond the Abilities 
 of a Being inferior to the Great God to 
 effedl. And fince Revelation has not given 
 us an inftance of any Miracle done by the 
 Almighty himfelf, but always attributes 
 them to fome other Agent afting in his 
 Name, and by Authority from him; it 
 feems mod reafonable to conclude, that all 
 miraculous Operations are the effefts of 
 Beings able by their natural powers to pro- 
 duce 
 
duce them, and not the immediate Opera- 
 tions of the Great God himfelf. 
 
 You'll fay ftill, that it is God himfelf 
 who immediately gives Power to the infe- 
 rior Agent to work a Miracle : or in other 
 words, that God alone works the Miracle 
 whether he does it by the Agency of an 
 Inferior Being, or not. For as he alone is 
 the immediate Caufe of all Eifedts of na- 
 ture, by his eftablifhing the general Laws 
 by which he governs all things, fo he alone 
 can fufpend thofe general Laws or produce 
 efFefts contrary to them. 
 
 But this is faying nothing, unlefs the 
 general Laws were .known, which could 
 not be fufpended by any Being but God 
 himfelf. Suppofe it a general Law, that 
 fuch a Man fliould dye, if fuch 
 or fuch certain Obftruftions fliould 
 happen in his Body. Thefe Obftructions 
 may be conceived capable of being remo- 
 ved by a Being that can get at them ; juft 
 as we know how to remove them in ma- 
 ny cafes which otherwife would prove mor-^ 
 tal. Should an invifible Agent exert his 
 Power on fuch Occafion, or fhould he en- 
 able any Man to do fo, This would pro- 
 perly 
 
(123) 
 
 perly be a Miracle: And fince God has 
 created Beings endowed with Agency of 
 their own, many things may be accom- 
 plifhed by fuch Agents, which would be 
 indeed abfurd if we fuppofe nothing in the 
 Univerfe, but what is the effect of fome 
 blind neceilary caufe. 
 
 Nor is this Opinion any ways detrimen- 
 tal to Religion, nor can it be turned to the 
 difad vantage of Revelation. A fuperior 
 Being comes from above and tells us, as 
 from God, fome Doctrine or Truth : It is 
 idle to difpute whether this fliall, or fhall 
 not, be called a Divine Revelation. If a 
 man affifted by any Superior Being works a 
 Miracle, and tells you at the fame time, that 
 the works which he does are not his own, 
 but his that fent him, and that the Doc- 
 trine he delivers is from God, though it be 
 by the mediatioH of fome other Being, This 
 may in the greateft Strictnefs be called a 
 Divine Revelation, though even Man be 
 the intermediate Agent. It does not ceafe 
 to be the Command or Will of the King, 
 notwithftanding it is delivered to a third 
 or fourth Perfon by the means of proper 
 Minifters who are the fubordinate Agents. 
 If the Queftipn be, How fhall I know, 
 
 tha: 
 
( «24 3 
 
 that the Meflage delivered is really from 
 God, and that I am not impofed on by a 
 Being that deceives me — This is the 
 
 Seco?2d Queftion here to be confidered, 
 viz. How does it appear that the Do<Srine 
 and the Miracle are not from fome Evil 
 Being Seducing men ? There are Evil Be- 
 ings Superior to Man 5 and They have, or 
 had, great Powers -, and we do not know 
 that ever they loft or were deprived of them. 
 They may therefore work Miracles; and they 
 may pretend to infpire Men y and they may 
 utter Untruths^ and confirm their Lies by 
 Signs and Wonders^ as well and as much as 
 any benevolent Beings can. Which way 
 then can we ever know that a Miracle^ or 
 a Revelation^ comes from a Good or Evil 
 Agent ? 
 
 It muft be owned that Evil Beings have 
 Powers fuperior to Man, and they may iiU 
 ter Falfhoods, and confirm their Lies by 
 Signs and Wonders ; But yet we are not de- 
 ftitute of all means of knowing how we 
 are to aft. There will be indeed this gene- 
 ral prejudice in favour of all Superior Beings, 
 that the higher we conceive any of them 
 to be in the clafs of rational Beings, 
 
 we 
 
(I25) 
 
 we fliall always imagine them to be lefs 
 inclined to impofe on the lower part of the 
 Creadon, becaufe it is little confiflent with 
 Wifiiom to do any Hurt or Mifchief to Be- 
 ings not capable of guarding againft the 
 Evil. 
 
 But let us fuppofe an Evil Being to make 
 a Revelation, and to confirm it by a Sign, 
 and fuppofe that I know not the Being to 
 be Evil. The Firft thing is to confider, 
 what this Revelation is, whether it be, 
 what our Reafon tells us is right, and what 
 may tend to our Good. Now if the Agent 
 does deceive me to my Goody I have no 
 reafon to complain. If I know not, whe- 
 ther the Revelation tends to either Good or 
 Harm ; my Affent or Diflent, will be as it is 
 to a purely Speculative Propofition, of which 
 I know not the Ufe. As to the Moral 
 Chamber of the Revealer, whatever it be in 
 general, (of which by fuppofition I know 
 nothing,) it muft be owned, that in the 
 Revelation of what is Good to Me^ He 
 ads a Good part : Should he feduce me to 
 my Goody in that too he would fhew himfelf 
 kind and benevolent : And that is all that I am 
 concerned in, or from which I can frame 
 
 a Judgment, 
 

 (126) 
 
 a Judgment. Should the Revelation be i/n-^ 
 moraly or what tends to encourage of 
 promote Vice in any Shape or Form, — -I 
 could not but conclude the Being that dif- 
 covers fuch U?2triithsy to be an Evil Being, 
 
 To apply this to -^ particular inftancej 
 may tend to make the cafe more plain. 
 Suppofe a Superior Being fhould difcovef 
 this Truth or Dodlrine — " That God will 
 judge Mankind by fome Man who is ap- 
 pointed Lord of air — Is it a Good or an 
 Evil Being that reveals this? i. There is 
 nothing contrary to Reajon in this? 2. It 
 is certain, from the Miracles done, that 
 this Revelation is not the fidion, or fancy, 
 or Imagination, or Revery, or whatever it 
 may be called, of a Mad or Enthufiaftic 
 man, but what comes from above. 3dly, 
 If I aft upon this perfuafion, and live fuch 
 a life as is recommended by the Revealer, 
 I am affured that I (hall be happy. And 
 4thly, The Life I am commanded to live 
 is that of exaft Morality y or Goodnefs-y or 
 agreeable to my beft and perfefteft Faculties, 
 jthly, The Difcoveries which are made, 
 are fuch as tend to promote my good: 
 They are Motives to Goodnefs, or Encour- 
 agements- 
 
(127) 
 
 agements toperfevere in it, or are Declarations 
 of God's Government of the World ; or o- 
 penings of the Scenes of his Providence; or 
 in fhort what may raife a moft fixt and 
 certain Dependance upon him^ who diredls 
 and governs all things. Hence it follows, 
 I ft. That it cannot but be a benevolent Be- 
 ing, that makes a Difcovery of what is 
 Good to me j or let him be in Himfelf as 
 Evil as you pleafe, it is nothing to me, 
 fince the Revelation is perfecflly good. And 
 if I am Jeduced to my Good-^ the Being 
 that feduces me fliews a benevolent difpo- 
 fition towards me. Should a Wife and 
 knowing Man tell me that if I aft in 
 fuch a particular manner, I jfhall cer- 
 tainly maintain and keep a conftant 
 courfe of health; and I fee and know 
 myfelf, that the Courfe I am put into can 
 do me no harm, ought I not to pay 
 that deference to his fuperior Judgment, as 
 to follow his prefcriptions ? Suppofe that 
 a Superior Intelligence fliould inform me of 
 a Propofition ; and I am no competent 
 Judge, by any natural power I have, whe- 
 ther it be true or falfe ; Suppofe too that I 
 cannot be hurt, if I admit what he fays for 
 
 a truth; 
 
(128) 
 
 a truth ; and It may do me much good if 
 I do receive it ; — Ought I not then to 
 pay that deference to the Revealer, even 
 fuppofmg that I know no more of this in- 
 vifible Agent, than that I have the Revela- 
 tion from him? His Superiority in the 
 Rank of Beings entitles him to fome re- 
 gard ; and if I find that he adts benevolent^ 
 ly towards me, why (hould not I depend 
 upon his Friendlinefs and Service, fince he 
 voluntarily offers them unto me, and gives me 
 fuch Evidence of his good difpofition toward 
 
 me ? 
 
 The tendency then of the Doftrine muft 
 determineboth my Behaviour and theCharaft- 
 er of the Invifible Being, and induce me toaf- 
 fent to it, or to rejedt it. But then 2dly. Sup- 
 pofe that Being were to work a Miracle, and to 
 reveal this Propofition to me, Anau hanau 
 NamboUatfi tangho. I can only afTent to this, 
 that thefe words or founds were ealed ; 
 but I can't fay whether it be a G A or E- 
 vil Being that revealed it, becaufe I cannot 
 conceive any meaning to thofe words. 
 But 
 
 3, Should 
 
(129) 
 
 3- Should a Being reveal any Propofi- 
 tion that tends to encourage Idolatry, Su- 
 perftition, Falfhood, or any thing contrary 
 to the Attributes of God, or any thing idle, 
 ufelefs, or abfurd, one muft conclude the 
 Being to be, what his Revelation fhews him 
 to be, and confequently not to be obeyed. 
 
 4. Should the Revelation be that, fuch 
 a one is to go to the Eajl-lndies^ or that 
 Mofes is to go to Pharaoh ; then the deter- 
 mination is to be according to the Evidence 
 which a man has for fuch command. Sup- 
 pofe therefore a Superior Being were to 
 work a Miracle, and to command fuch a 
 behaviour. There is no poffibility of know- 
 ing, a priori^ whether fuch Miflion be to 
 deceive, or not, but a man ought to obey, 
 as being in the hands of fuch Superior 
 Agent. If indeed an Evil Being were to 
 work a A^' "cle, and there was no dodrine, 
 nocdmmW.^- ^annexed, it would then be no 
 more than an extraordinary phaenomenon, 
 which we fhould be concerned in juft as we 
 are in all other inftances of a like nature. 
 We could not but affent to the Fadl, if we 
 fee it ourfelves, or if we have fufficient Evi- 
 dences of it. 
 
 K Bat 
 
But fuppofe a Conteft betwixt two Per- 
 fons, each of which is enabled to work a 
 Miracle, or a feries of Miracles ; and they 
 appeal to what they do, as Evidences of a 
 Commiffion from Above, What in this cafe 
 muft be done ? Or which are we to believe ? 
 Suppofing, I fay, fuch a cafe, 
 
 Firft, He that works the great eft Mira- 
 cles will fhew himfelf either to be, or to 
 be influenced by a Being, Superior in pow^ 
 er: and he that proves himfelf to be the 
 Superior will juftly claim our Submiffion. I 
 fhall prefently confider the queftion how the 
 Magicians of F,gypt did the wonders they 
 did : Whether by flight of Hand, or by 
 the Afllfl:ance of an Evil Spirit : But here 
 it is fufficient to fay, that what Mofes did 
 argued a vaftly Superior power ; and con- 
 fequently that He ought to be obey'd rather 
 than others^ who did only lefs wonders, and 
 confeflfed that they were not enabled to do 
 what Mofes did. 
 
 Secondly, In cafe of contefl:. He that 
 continues to do the moft Miracles, may 
 juftly claim our AflTent. For the ceafing to 
 go on, argues an Inability to work what a- 
 nothec does and continues to do j Or it im- 
 plies 
 
(131) 
 
 plies fome Rejiraint ; or fome want of will : 
 In the former of thefe circumftances a want 
 of power cannot but be concluded ; in the 
 fecond cafe, an Inferiority or Submiffion to 
 another 3 and in the third, a want of equal 
 benevolence. 
 
 It may be perhaps fuggefled, That all 
 Miracles are equal ; that " it is as eafy to 
 " turn fix hundred Gallons of Water into 
 '' blood as fix Quarts 5 and to bring up a 
 Million of Frogs, as four and twenty. 
 Out of the way of nature, all things 
 feem alike impoffible, or alike pofiible. 
 Bring me a Man, or Spirit, that can make 
 a Fly by his power, and I will fhew you 
 one that can make an Elephant.** 
 On the contrary I cannot perfuade myfelf, 
 that in thefe inftances it may be as eafy to 
 do the one as the other, " to turn fix hun- 
 " dred Gallons of Water into blood as fix 
 " Quarts," or to " bring up a Million of 
 ** Frogs, as Two dozen : No nor that 
 " when we are got out of the Sphere of 
 " our Adion, all afts of power are alike 
 *' ifnpojjibky In the Analogy of things, it 
 is eafy to conceive many degrees of Beings 
 as much Superior to Man, as there are in 
 faft Beings below him. And as a Mite, or 
 
 K 2 any 
 
 (C 
 
 u 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
f 132 ) 
 
 any other Animalcule, would falfly infer that 
 a Dog, or a Horfe, or an Elephant could do e- 
 very thing equally, that was out of the way 
 of the natures of fuch Animalcules: So 
 fhall we be guilty of the fame abfufdity, if 
 we conclude that every Being Superior to us 
 can equally do the fame things. Thofe Su- 
 perior Agents may do equally many things : 
 But yet even their powers may be limited 
 to certain points which they can no more 
 tranfcend, than We can the powers which 
 nioe are vefted with. It requires but a low 
 degree of Power to make a Man walk upon 
 the Water, or to carry him through the 
 Air, (which yet to us is a Miracle) in compari- 
 fon of what it does to make a Fly or an Rle- 
 fhant : and confequendy it is not impofSble, 
 that a Being may be able to do the one, 
 who yet cannot do the Other. It requires 
 not only a difference of power, but a dif- 
 ference of Skill and Knowledge to do feve- 
 ral Miracles. To turn water into Blood, or 
 into Wine, is not the fame as to reftore an 
 Eye to one that is blind, or Life to one that 
 is dead : becaufe in the one cafe a Change 
 of the particles of Water into fuch as make 
 Blood or Wine is fufficient^ in the otber^ the 
 
 liquidg 
 
( 133 ) 
 
 liquids andfolidsof the body muft bereftored j 
 Every Part muft be adapted to its ufe ; Every 
 Tube or Canal made capable of receiving its 
 proper Juice or Liquor; every Fibre^Mufcle, 
 Tendon,Nerve, muft have its proper Elafticity 
 and Strength, and do its Office, as well as eve- 
 ry liquid, that was become altered in its na- 
 ture, muft be reftored to its due ufe. 
 
 Again; it may not be as eafy to turn 
 great quantities of Water at once into blood, 
 as it is to turn fmall ones. It argues much 
 greater power at leaft to do the One than 
 the Other; as it fhews greater Strength to 
 carry Six thoufand pound, than it does to 
 carry Six. It requires more Power to carry 
 a Mountain than to carry a Moufe through 
 the Air : and confequently all things out of 
 the Sphere of our Adlion, are not alike pof- 
 fible or impoffible: nor are we left inca- 
 pable of judging whom we ought to ad- 
 here to, in cafes where a conteft may arife 
 and both parties work Miracles. 
 
 Are we then always to aflent to him in 
 whom we can perceive the greatejl Power ? 
 Or is it more juft to believe him to be 
 the Superior Beiftg^ who exerts the moji 
 Pdwer^ than it is to believe that Man to be 
 
 K 3 tb« 
 
('34) 
 
 the beji and wifejl that is endued with 
 ^reatejl Strength ? The Anfwer is. 
 
 That in many cafes mere power will prove 
 Superiority -, and where a conteft in mere 
 adls of Power is all that appears, there we 
 cannot but infer a Superiority in him that 
 has the greateft Power. Mofes was enabled 
 to exert and difplay a greater power than 
 the Egyptians-, the Magicians themfelves 
 acknowledged, and every inftance of his 
 Miracles evinced it ; and when the conteft 
 was in adls of power. He that (hewed him- 
 felf the Jlrongeji was to be preferred. And 
 fuppofing that the point is, whofe Condud 
 am I to fubmit myfelf to ? In fuch a cafe 
 ceteris paribus, no queftion can be made 
 but it will be to his, whofe power is the 
 moft prevailing. For Power is the only 
 thing we fee ; and this is difplayed by Invifi- 
 ble Beings through the means of Men : and 
 the Agent who fhews the greater ^^'re^^r, com- 
 manding Pharaoh to let the people go, Pha- 
 raoh ought to have fubmitted to fuch com- 
 mand, rather than fuffer what fuch a Being 
 might inflict. 
 
 But 
 
(135) 
 
 But as I have here mentioned Mojes and the 
 Egyptians, it will be proper to confider 
 their cafe more particularly, becaufe it ufu- 
 ally is reprefented as an inftance of an Op- 
 pofition between Two Agents invifible, each 
 working in his refpedlive way, for and a- 
 gainft a command. The difficulty is fuch 
 as has led Men into very different Hypo- 
 thefes, in order to folve it : for which rea- 
 fon I {hall particularly examine what the 
 Scriptures have faid about it 
 
 The cafe then was this : Mofes was fent 
 by Go J, or by an Angel from God, (which 
 is to all intents the fame thing) to 
 Phafaoh with a Commiffion to demand of 
 him to let the Children of Ifrael depart out 
 of Egypt, and likewife to acquaint the If^ 
 raelites themfclves, that he was to deliver 
 them out of their Bondage. Both the King 
 and the People were to be made certain of 
 this Truth, that Mofes was fent for thefe 
 purpofes to them. And how could this be 
 known ? Or what muft be the evidence that 
 he was fent by God on fuch an Errand ? 
 Mofes was firft to be convinced himfelf that 
 God was, and would be, with Him; andthea 
 
 K 4 he 
 
( 136 ) 
 
 he was to be enabled to convince all thofe 
 to whom he was fent, of his divine com- 
 miffion. For the firft, he was enabled to 
 to turn his Rod into a Serpent : then, his 
 Ha?2d was made Leprous only by putting it 
 into his bofom j and it was reftored to its for- 
 mer Strength and Colour again, only by 
 doing the fame thing, Exod. iv. 3 — 7. Con- 
 vinced thus Himfelf that God was with 
 him J and being aflured by the Being that 
 appeared to him in the Bufhjthat he fhould 
 work Miracles in the prefence of Pharaoh^ 
 He went to him and delivered his Meflage ; 
 and Aaron cajl down his Rod before Pharaoh, 
 aftdit become a Serpent, Chap. vii. 10. Pha- 
 raoh unwilling to let the people go, fufpedl- 
 ed fome Trick -^ and disbelieved the Mira- 
 cle. He therefore called the Wife men and the 
 Sorcerers : and the Magicians of Egypt al- 
 Jo did in like manner with their Enchant^ 
 mentSy v. 11, 
 
 It will be neceflary before we proceed 
 further, to find out the exad Idea belong- 
 to each of thefe words, Wife men^ Sorce^ 
 rerSy Magicia?2s and Enchantments. 
 
 I. The firft. Wife fnen, feems to be a ge-^ 
 neral word, by which is meant, fuch as 
 zxt eminently Skilful in any Science or Art. 
 
 But 
 
(i37 ) 
 
 But fomething of Cunning or Craft was 
 intended to be exprefled by the LXX 
 when they interpreted it here, (ro(piT^s de^ 
 ceiverSy fuch as circumvent others by deceit^ 
 ful words. In Daniel it is tranflatcd, co- 
 <pyV, the Wife men^ no lefs than fourteen 
 times. Whatever then it was that thefe 
 men excelled in the Knowledge of, whe- 
 ther it was Art, or Science, they were here 
 fent for in order to do whatM^x had done, 
 and to confront him. 
 
 2. The fecond word, which we tranflate, 
 SorcererSy is O^StWDO Mecefliaphim. This 
 is fomething more appropriated, and figni- 
 fies fuch as ufe Slight of handy Legerde- 
 main J Such as can impofe on By-flanders 
 fo as to make them imagine that they fee 
 what they do not fee ; fuch as pretend to 
 do ftrange, wonderful things. The LXX 
 not only in this place, but I think where- 
 ever it occurs, render it by (pctp/^AJtoV, or 
 what implies ftriftly working mifchief to 
 others by poifon ; not that they meant any 
 fuch thing as poifoning in this place, fince 
 that was not the bufinefs they were fent for 
 here j but they underftood by it, ill per- 
 fons who by their Art could do fomething 
 
 that 
 
(138) 
 
 that feemed prodigious, or ftrange. There 
 always were a Sort of Men and Women in 
 the world, who from their Skill and Know- 
 ledge in the virtues of certain things, and 
 from their contrivances to conceal their 
 Arts, have been deemed, and reported by 
 the ignorant, able to do almoft every 
 thing. They are imagined wife enough to 
 know other people's fortunes, to difcover 
 where any thing that is loft may be found ; 
 to enchant ; to bewitch -, to raife Storms, 
 or to lay them ; to turn themfelves or o- 
 thers into any Shapes ; to ride through the 
 Air; to afFefl: the Moon itfelf by their 
 Charms ; to flop the courfe of Rivers, and 
 what not. By what Arts they impofed on 
 their credulous confulters, it is needlefs to 
 enquire j The things made ufe of on thefe 
 occafions, were called (pctpjttctjta, and fuch as 
 ufed them to hurt others, were (poLpf/.cLxli : 
 and hence the LXX made ufe of this word 
 to exprefs what we tranflate Sorcerers. The 
 artful contrivances which thefe men have 
 to work upon the credulity of the Many, 
 and to deceive them into an Opinion of 
 their Abilities, made thefe Egyptians be cal- 
 led, Mecepaphim. Could therefore any 
 Men be lent for, that by any Art or Ma- 
 nagement 
 
(139) 
 
 nagement could turn their Rods into Ser- 
 pents or feem to do fo, as Mofes had done 
 his, thefe would certainly be the proper 
 men to confront him, and to flievv that M?- 
 fess Meffage was all falfe. 
 
 All our Didlionaries agree in this — that 
 cafiaphy fignifies to ufe Jtigling trickSy to 
 caft a mift before any one's Eyes. Buxtorf 
 fays it is, Prajligiis ufus eji j and its par- 
 ticiple, MecaJJjeph^ One that ufes fuch tricks^ 
 P^<^Jiig^^^ utensy Prajiigiafor. Pagninus in- 
 terprets it, (and he quotes R. Abraham for it) , 
 Prejligmm. MecaJJoaphy prejligiator. Dicit 
 enim quod ejl levis (agilis) manibus fuis, qui 
 tenet oculos, qui fcit horas quando aliquid 
 ejl faciendum^ et cognttionem habet SomnU 
 orum fecundum dijpojitionem Stellarum. 
 Eft enim Prseftigiator, qui circumftantibus 
 ita oculorum aciem prasftringit, i. e. {yalde 
 ftringit^ aut claudit^ obtenebrat) ut non ad- 
 vertant dolum, ut res aliter videre faciat 
 quam fint. TJnde Prajiigium, Incantatio. 
 falfa ojlentatio: ut jaciuyit ii qui nojlra 
 'vernacula lingua dicuntur Baghatellarii 5 et 
 illorum delujio^ Baghatellas. 072e that has 
 Slight of hand, that can Jo caji a mift be- 
 fore the Spedlators Eyes that they J}:a?it 
 perceive his trick 5 that can make a tbitig 
 
 feem 
 
( »4o J 
 
 feem otherwife than it is : One who knows 
 the lucky hour when any thing is to be done^ 
 and has a Skill in Dreams from the Dijpo- 
 Jit ion of the Stars : One that can fo hold 
 the Eyes of the By-ftanders, that they 
 (han't perceive any Deception. Hence it 
 may be ufed. He fays, for Fafci?iation^ or 
 he that ufes Fafcination, 
 
 One cannot but obferve (what feveral 
 have taken notice of,) that this Word is al- 
 moft always in Scripture joined, or ufed 
 with, others which fignify Fortune-tellings 
 or revealing^^r^/ things, Divination^ Inter- 
 preting DreamSy and fuch like. By which 
 one may conjecflure in general what fort of 
 men they were that here were fent for. 
 
 It is true, that in the Mifcbia^ a di- 
 ftindlion is made betwixt the perfon that 
 plays mere jugling Tricks^ and one that 
 pretends to Magick Arts : The One, they 
 fay is punifhable with death, the Other not. 
 Hamecafephy fignifies. One that really does, 
 the thingy and not one that deceives your 
 Eyes, Is eft qui rem patrat, non qui liidit 
 oculosy Mifch, de Synedr, c. 7. Here the 
 word is confined to an ill fenfe, to fuch as 
 defignedly injure others by Tricks or Arts: 
 And under this Term is comprehended 
 
 all 
 
( hO 
 
 all fuch as pretend to charms^ incantations^ 
 and all that wicked Trade of In:ipofing on 
 the weak or ignorant, in oppofition to thofe 
 who either for diverfion, or for their plea- 
 fure, or profit, profefs to pradlice the art of 
 Legerdejnain. And in this fenfe the word 
 is taken, Exod. xxii. 1 8. which we tranflate — 
 Tboujhak notfuffer a Witch, Mecafliephah, 
 to live. The word here fignifies One that 
 craftily pretends to the Secret Art of Divi?ia- 
 tion^ or Fortune-telling. It is certain that it has 
 no relation to Poifonings as Jofephus would 
 have it. It was ufual for fuch as pre- 
 tended to thefe Arts, to mutter certain 
 words, and to ufe certain rites, w^hich ferv- 
 ed to cajl a mijl before the Eyes of fuch as 
 came to confult them, or to try their pow- 
 ers. What the Old Egyptians did in fuch 
 cafes, is, I think, unknown: but yet one 
 cannot but obferve, that when the Egyp- 
 tians went after JofeptSs Brethren, and 
 charged them with having ftoUen the Silver 
 cup which their Majier ujed in Divination, 
 Geii. xliv. 5. — This is an inftance of the Art 
 of impofing and deceiving by fome idle pre- 
 tenfe, the better to carry on the Fraud. 
 
 Here 
 
( '42 ) 
 
 Here were innocent men in the hands of 
 one who ufed them roughly, and had con- 
 trived the trick to terrify them. The E- 
 gyptians firft tell them what their Mafter 
 ufed the cup for : and then Jofeph himlfelf 
 fays — Wot ye not that fuch a Man as I 
 can certainly divine ? v. 1 5. 
 
 The old Magicians did not, as far as ap- 
 pears, pretend to any intercourfe with Evil 
 Spirits: They did not attempt to accom- 
 plifli their Ends by means of the Affiftance 
 of thofe impure Beings, which have in la- 
 ter days been called into their Aid. We 
 have fome remarkable inftances in ^heo-^ 
 crituSy and Virgil^ and Horner^ of Wo- 
 men pretending to do great feats by means 
 of noxious herbs, and certain mixtures, 
 with certain forms of fuperftitious Words, 
 and ridiculous ceremonies, and fupplications j 
 who yet never pretended to receive their 
 powers from any commerce with Spi- 
 rits, or Demons, but to learn their Arts 
 from Nations or Perfons famous for their 
 Pradtifes in thefe affairs. Thus when Sy^ 
 mcetha was to try her Art upon her Lover, 
 fhe invokes the Moon and Hecate y but does 
 
 not 
 
( H3) 
 
 not pretend to have her Art from them ; 
 {he learnt her Philters 
 
 AcTjupt'o)— -TTctpcc ^ilvoiOy Theoc. Id, 2. 
 
 from an AJfyrian Acquaintance. She prays 
 indeed to Hecate to make her Charms 
 as powerful as were thofe of Circe^ Medea, 
 or Perimede, 
 
 ^ipflOLXA Tdiv^* 'i^SoiffOL XgggfoVflt jU>lTg Tl-KlgJtg^ 
 
 M>jTg ri My]StU$y jttyjTe ^avSfa^^ nepift>)<5oc^. ibid. 
 
 But does not pretend to derive her pow- 
 er to enchant from her, but imputes ic to 
 the virtues of thofe Herbs and other things 
 She had learnt; 
 
 When indeed the Witches of old talked^ 
 as if they could flop Rivers, and make 
 them run upwards, to their Fountains, or 
 Trees come down from the Hills on which 
 they grew, or make the Moon or Sua 
 come down from Heaven, or could flop their 
 courfe, we know it to be all mere Words, 
 and therefore it is needlefs to enquire upon 
 what grounds they pretended to do fuch 
 Prodigies. 
 
 Firgil's 
 
Virgil's Witch in the fame manner had 
 all her Skill and Art from Mceris. 
 
 Has herb as ^ at que hcec Ponfo mihi leSta venena 
 Ipfe dedit Mceris: ?2afcuntur plurima Ponto, 
 His egofape lupum fieri ^ & fe condere Sylvis 
 Moerim, fape animas imis exire Sepukhris 
 Atqiie fat as alio vidi traducere Meffes. 
 
 Virgil Eel. 
 
 The Sorcerers then, oxMecafephimy here fent 
 for, were men that could ufe great flight 
 of hand, and had the Art of deceiving the 
 Spectators Eyes, and by their Skill or Know- 
 lege in nature, could feem to do wonderful 
 things; nor do they appear to have any 
 dealings with Evil Spirits. 
 
 The ^hird Term to be explained is 
 what we tranflate Magicians : uD^QUin. To 
 judge of the meaning of this word, it mufl 
 be obferved that it is ufed by Daniel, c. ii. 
 10, 27. for a fort of People called in to 
 find out or difcover Nebuchadnezzar" ^ 
 Dream, In Genefis c xli. 8. they were fent 
 for to interpet Pharaoh's dream, as they 
 were to interpret Nebuchadnezzar Sy Dan. 
 iv. 4. In the 9th verfe of this Chapter, 
 Daniel is called Mafier of the Magicians^ 
 
 by 
 
( 145 ) 
 
 by which is meant, the Chiefs the Govern- 
 nor^ the Head of them : as we find him 
 appointed, c. ii. 48. Chief of the Governors o- 
 ver all the JVife men of Babylon. It is not then 
 a Term which fignifies a familiar commerce 
 with an Evil Spirit^ nor is fuch a Notion 
 neceflary to make a Man be deemed 
 Hhartom^ or what is in Daniel rendered 
 a Magician : fince not only the Prophet 
 Daniely but Hananiahy Mijloael^ and A- 
 zariahy were deemed, Hhartummimy Ma- 
 gicians. By it was meant what the Queen 
 faid io Beljhazzar Dan,w, 11, 12. There 
 is a man in thy Kingdom in "whom is the 
 Spirit of the holy Gods, a?2d in the days of 
 thy Father light and underftanding a^id 
 wifdom like the wifdom of the Gods was 
 found in him^ whom — thy Father made Ma- 
 iler of the Magicians, Hhartummin, — For- 
 afmuch as an excellent Spirit, and Know- 
 ledge, and Underftanding, interpreting of 
 dreams, and (hewing of hard fentences 
 ^nd diffolving of doubts were found in the 
 fame Daniel. 
 
 The Text indeed has it, in whojn is the 
 Spirit of the Holy Gods : and From tHs 
 place, Daniel is fuppofed to have had the Af- 
 
 L fiftance 
 
(,46) 
 
 fiftance of God to enable him to be a 
 Hhartom^ a Magician in a good Senfe, as 
 the other Magicians^ in a bad fenfe, are 
 fuppofed to have the Spirit of Evil Be- 
 ings to aflift them. But this is quite 
 groundlefs. Belpazzars Queen meant 
 no more, than what is expreffed in the fol- 
 lowing verfe, viz, that he was endued with an 
 extraordinary, very eminent Wifdom, even 
 fuch as was like the wifdom of the Gods, 
 great, extenfive, and from which nothing 
 was hid. She ufes the words which Nebu- 
 chadnezzar had nfed, c. iv. 8. which the 
 LXX have interpreted, to ^tvivj^it S-eS" kyi^y 
 the Spirit of the Holy God-, or the holy 
 Spirit of God: intimating an Opinion that 
 he was blelTed with an eminent Wifdom, 
 greater than any other Man had. 
 
 This will fujfficiently fliew us what is 
 meant by the Magicians of Egypt who were 
 called in to oppofe Mofes and Aaron. 
 
 Later Jews explain the word by Hhacam 
 ''Toledoth 5 So the Hebrew Concordance print- 
 ed at Venice^ A. D. 1524. Either that He 
 underftands the Qualities of things, their 
 Caufes, Sources, Natures: Or one who 
 from the Birth-day of a man can pronounce 
 
 his 
 
(147) 
 
 his Fortune and Succefs: So Tagnin from 
 Aben Ezra, From hence it feems plain, 
 that this Word means a very wife or knowing 
 man that could difcover Secrets, or inter- 
 pret dreams, fi'om knowing their caufes, 
 or how the Mind mufl be afFedted, by its 
 having fuch or fuch Images before it at the 
 time of Sleep. It has been long obferved 
 by the Interpreters of Dreams, *' that 
 " many more of them would come out 
 " true, if we went to bed perfcdly fober: 
 " but the reafon why they are fo confu- 
 '' fed and irregular is, * becaufe we go 
 *' to Refl loaded with Wine and Vidlu- 
 *' als." And Apuleim tells us, ^f* that 
 *' Good and able Phyficians obferve that 
 '* they who go to bed full of Viduals and 
 ** Drink are apt to dream trroublefom and 
 " bad dreams. 
 
 Thefe were the Men called in upon this 
 occaiion by Pharaoh to confult with, and 
 to try whether the Miracle worked by Mo- 
 
 * Vera quldcm multo plara evcnircnt fi ad quietcm intcgri 
 iremus; nunc onulli cibo 8c vino pcrturbaia U conllifa 
 cernimus. Cic. de D'^vinat. 1. i. 
 
 -j* Nx merito inquam Medici fidi cibo Sc crapula diflentoj 
 fcaeva et gravia fomniare auLumanc. ^«/. Met. 1. i. 
 
 L 2 f:s 
 
( 1+8 ) 
 
 fe^ was any Evidence of his coming from 
 God. It may be queftioned, Whether the 
 Jihartummin here mentioned, be any more 
 than a more general Word expreffing and 
 comprehending under it, both the Wife ?iien^ 
 and the Sorcerers. Bat it fignifies little ; 
 Thefe Men did as Mofes didy they caji down 
 every Man his Rody and they becafne Ser- 
 pents : Only it is faid, that they did it with 
 their Enchantments, which is 
 
 The Fourth wovd which wants a parti- 
 ticular Explication. They did it an^lDn'Sa 
 or crn^ioba. The radical word is either 
 DH"?, Laat, which fignifies to cover, to hide, 
 and thence it is put for Secrets fuch as the 
 perfons juft now mentioned were fuppofed 
 to know. Or if it be derived from 13^*7 
 that fignifies much the fame: Lat or ielat, 
 is, Secretly y quietly, privately. That thofe 
 who were wont to utter their charms, did it 
 with a low vaice, or muttered over what they 
 had to fay, is well known. Simcetha in 
 Theocritus fays to the Moon, 
 
 Theoc. Id. 2. 
 A And 
 
( 149 ) 
 
 And Lucina, in Ovid's 9th Book of the 
 Metamorphofis, fpeaks her Charms in a fi- 
 lent Voice, 
 
 •Tacita qiioque carmina voce 
 
 Dixit, & inceptos tenuencnt carmina partus. 
 
 Ovid. Metam L. 9. 
 
 and Pamphile in Apuleiiis, after (he had 
 anointed herfelf, Miiltum cum Lucerna fe- 
 creto collocuta, muttered a great deal, having 
 her candle in her hand, ApuL Metam, 1. 3« 
 and in his ift book he calls it, Magico fit- 
 furrafnifje, by magic muttering. Or laftly 
 if it be derived from Un*7, Lahat this fig- 
 nifies to fet on fire, to burn : and thence 
 comes the Subftantive to fighify a bright, 
 well poliJJjed, Shining Sword-blade, quod ta- 
 les incantationes Jierent ferro aut acie gla- 
 dii', fays Pagnin. Mercer adds, S^uaji fit 
 quoddam Incantationis feu prcefiigiarum o- 
 pus quod fit Lamina gladii adhibtta, Pag- 
 nine cites Rabbi David, for the account of 
 this Sort of Incantation dojie by the blade of 
 a Sword: and Mercer explains it by iaying. 
 As if there was fome hicantation or trick 
 done by iifing a Sword in the operation^ 
 V4 Pagnin, T'hefaurus. 
 
 L 3 Buxtorf 
 
Buxforf tells us, that Incantations were 
 called Lati}?Jy becaufe they were Jeer et^ and 
 done injecref^ or that the Eyes of the Spec- 
 tators were as it were covered^ afid had Juch 
 a Mljl caji over them that they could not fee 
 the true ObjeB, Quod occaltse fint et oc- 
 culte fiant -, aut fafcino oculi fpedlantium 
 obvolvantur et operiantur, ut veram fpe- 
 clem non videant. And he quotes Cod. 
 Sanhedriny c. 7. fol. 67. for a diftinftion 
 betwixt the two words made ufe of, that 
 Belahatehem fignifies the work of Devils ; 
 Belatehem, the work of 'Jiiglers, See his 
 Lexicon. But This is a mere Rabbinical 
 diftindtion, without the leaft foundation. 
 
 One cannot but obferve, that it was one 
 of the Tricks which thofe who ufed the 
 Art of Legerdemain in days of Old, played, 
 to feem to eat a Swordy or to run it into 
 their bodies , in order to amufe, and to make 
 their gains out of, the credulous By-ftanders, 
 There is a remarkable inflance of this in 
 ApuleitiSy who tells us of one "* " whom he 
 
 * Et tamen Athenis proxime ante Psecilen portlcum ido 
 gemino obtutu circuJatoiem afpexi equcftrem fpatham pras- 
 acutam mucrone infedo devorafTe: ac mox eundem, invita- 
 mento exigux flipis, venatoriam lanceam, qua parte mina- 
 tur cxirium, iu iraa vifccra condidifie. A^ul. Metam. ]. i. 
 
 « faw 
 
" faw himfelf at Athens /wallow a Horfe^ 
 " maJis great Jharp Sword, riin7mig the 
 " point in at his Mouth, Prefcntly after- 
 " wards, for the fake of a little piece of 
 ^' money, he thriijl a Hunt mans Spear into 
 *' his belly y If now the Egyptian Magi- 
 cians did what they did Belahatehem, by the 
 Art of managing their Swords, it is evident 
 how they might amufe the By-ftanders, and 
 do the things they were employed to do, 
 whilfl they caught and held the Spedlators 
 Eyes by this, or fome fuch,^ management of 
 their Swords, 
 
 lannes and lambres then caft down their 
 Rods as Mofes had done, and they became 
 Serpents. The queftion then is, by what 
 Power they did this, and whence it was de- 
 rived ? There are no lefs than 7hree Soluti- 
 ons of this Difficulty. The Firji is. That 
 they were enabled to perform what they did, 
 by a Power derived from God. The 5*^- 
 cond is. That they were affifted by Evil 
 Spirits. The La/l is. That they were er- 
 rant Juglers, and did what thty did by 
 mere flight of hand. 
 
 L 4 la 
 
( 152 ) 
 
 In behalf of the Firjl Scheme, it i$ 
 faid, That God alone is able to do Miracles, 
 real Miracles; for he alone can alter the 
 Laws of his own making : that the Scrip- 
 tures affert this power and prerogative to 
 God alone : that could any power lefs than 
 that of God alter what he had fettled, " this 
 would be to have Rivals, Cheques, nay, 
 and Controllers of his Will and Empire : 
 That no ufe could be made of Miracles, 
 if any one but God could work them in- 
 dependently of him, and at their plea- 
 fure. They could not manifeft a Di- 
 vine power, if any lefs could work them, 
 nor could they atteft to any one's being 
 ** fent of God, if any other than God 
 ^' could exercife fuch Power, becaufe they 
 " might proceed from one as well as the 
 " other." When the Scriptures any where 
 fpeak upon this fubjed: it k-^Bleffed be the 
 Lord Gody the God of Ifrael, who only 
 ^^//6 wondrous works, iy^/. Ixxii. i8. Who 
 is fo great a God as our God-, I'hou art 
 the God that doth wonderSy Pfal. Ixxvii. 
 O give thanks to the Lord of Lords — to 
 Ilim who alone doth great wonders, PfaL 
 exxxvi. 3, 4. And Mofes himfelf fays. 
 
 Who 
 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 vc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 cc 
 
(153) 
 
 Who is like unto thee, O Lor J, among the 
 Gods ? Who is like thee, glorious in holinefs^ 
 fearful in praifes, doing wonders? Exod. 
 XV. II. intimating that none but God could 
 do what he pleafed in heaven or earth. 
 Thefe Writers tell us, That: the Devil him- 
 felf can work no true Miracle by his own 
 power ; much lefs can any wicked man. 
 Wicked men may indeed be fo far feduccd 
 as to believe that the Devil has a power 
 Y^hich he may communicate to them ; and 
 fo thefe Egyptian Sorcerers might imagine, 
 that they turned their Rods into Serpents by 
 the help of fome Being with whom they 
 were confederate ; whereas they were only 
 the Agents of God in doing what they did; 
 And confequently that God ufed them, and 
 their help, only that in the conclufion thefe 
 Sorcerers themfelves might be brought to a 
 Confeflion, that, it was God himfelf that 
 did the Miracles which Mofes did. 
 
 This is faid in favour of this Opinion : 
 But the Anfwer is, — It is owned, that in 
 whatever Senfe it is faid of God, that He 
 alone doth wonders, all others muft be ex- 
 cluded. There is none among the Gods of 
 the Nations that could, or ever did any 
 
 won- 
 
(154) 
 
 wondrous'works : and therefore God alone ^ 
 the great Governor of all, is faid to do 
 them. But yet this does not exclude other 
 Agents from doing wonders^ who never were 
 defigned to be excluded by thefe Propofi- 
 tions* For it does not require infinite pow- 
 er to alter fuch Laws of God, as may make 
 a true and real Miracle to us ; tho' it may 
 require a power equal to his who made all 
 things, to change every Law that was ap- 
 pointed by him. Suppofing therefore the 
 Egyptian Sorcerers to be confederate with 
 Superior Powers, there does not appear to 
 be any contradiction, or abfurdity, in con- 
 ceiving them able to do the Miracles pre- 
 tended. All that place the Miracles of thefe 
 Men in the powers received from Evil Spi- 
 rit Sy plainly enough conceive a Power in 
 them fufJicient to enable the Sorcerers to do 
 what they did : But to conceive that God 
 ihould enable men to work againft his own 
 defigns by an exprefs particular delegation 
 of extraordinary Power, is fomething very 
 har(h, and too extravagant to be admitted 
 without fufficient proof. What is the Co?!- 
 fejjion of Evil Men, that That is to be fo 
 much regarded ? Were not the Miracles 
 
 done 
 
done by Mojes of as much weight and cre- 
 dit without the Conjejjion of fuch men, as 
 with it ? But enough has been faid already 
 to (hew, that Other invifible Agents befides 
 the Great God may work Miracles to us by 
 their natural powers ; all which is in point 
 againft this Notion. I proceed therefore to. 
 
 The Second Scheme, that thefe Egyptiah 
 Sorcerers performed their Miracles by the 
 Aid of Evil Spirits, It is juftly here fup- 
 pofed that there are Evil Spirits ; and that 
 they are able to affift fuch with whom they 
 may be confederate, to do what is miracu- 
 lous: and the Pharijees agreeably to this 
 Notion accufed our Saviour to have done 
 his works by the aid of the Prince of the 
 Devils^ Matt. ix. 34. Thefe Beings then, 
 whofe Abilities and Will no one can call in 
 queftion, it is faid, enabled the Magicians 
 to turn their Rods into Serpents^ as real true 
 Serpents^ as any Good Being could enable 
 Mofes to turn hie. 
 
 But This Scheme labours under difficul- 
 ties, which are not eafily furmountable. It 
 is granted that there are Evil Spirits : But 
 Mofes never pretends that the Egyptians did 
 their Miracles by the help of dJiyfuch con- 
 federates. 
 
( '56 } 
 
 federates. He never names them ; nor re- 
 lates the fafts as done by any fuch Beings. 
 It is a mere Hypothefis invented only to ac- 
 count for this and fuch like fadts : and it has 
 been attended w^ith pretenfions to '' En- 
 " chantments. Sorceries, Predidtions, and 
 " all that ftrange and idle Trade of dealing 
 *^ with the world of Spirits and Powers 
 *^ invifible ;" as Biihpp Fleetwood well ex- 
 prefTes it, when he was refuting this No- 
 tion, in order to eftablifh his own. 
 
 The modern Magic confifts in a fuppofed 
 communication with Spiritual Agents, by 
 which Men are enabled to do what they 
 aim at, however incredible in itfelf. But 
 antiently there does not appear to have been 
 more pretended, than a knowledge of the 
 powers of certain herbs, minerals, and fuch 
 -like things, by which they were enabled to 
 do great feats ; or elfe an Art or Skill to di- 
 vine ovforetel futurities by the Obfervations 
 they had made in nature, by obferving 
 caufes and effeds, or by taking notice in a 
 long feries of Obfervations what things ufu- 
 ally happened after one another: and as 
 thefe men ufually lived retired, they had 
 the reputation of converfing with the Gods. 
 
 But 
 
( ^57) 
 
 But I queftion whether any inftance occurs 
 of mens being affifted, or being thought to 
 be affifted by Evil Spirits -, or that men 
 could perform what is imputed to Art Ma- 
 gic, by fuch means, till towards the times 
 of the latter Plato7iifts. Then indeed we 
 read of ftrange feats done, caca coaBorum 
 Numinum violentia^ as Apiileius expreflcs 
 it ; as if Magicians could compel Spiritual 
 Beings to do what they delired or com- 
 manded them to do. But a familiarity 
 with Evil Spirits, or an adting by and un- 
 der their ajfiftance^ feems to be a Notion 
 much later than the days of Mofes. The 
 Antients pretended indeed a fort of Sympa- 
 thy betwixt things on Earth and things a- 
 bove ; and that by that Sympathy they could 
 influence the Sun or Moon, or other Beings 
 that were above : but this I think is the ut- 
 moft that '^'^ pretended \ and this was done 
 to carry on thtm frauds with the greater 
 appearance of Probability. But, as I faid, 
 Mofes never charges thefe Egyptians with 
 any commerce with Evil Beings j nor is 
 there any ground to fuppofe that they had 
 fiich communion with them, unlefs we pre- 
 
 vioufly fuppofe that they worked real Mi^ 
 
 racks. 
 
(158) 
 
 racles^ or could do what they pleafed bj^ 
 
 fuch Aid or Afliftance. In truth, Magic^ 
 
 neither Name^ nor Things feems to be fo old 
 
 as the days of Mofes in Egypt : and when the 
 
 Term was ufed firft inPerJia it fignified fome* 
 
 thing good ; Magus fignified a Prieji^ or one 
 
 that was well acquainted with the Rites and 
 
 Ceremonies of imrjhipping the Gods : then by 
 
 a common Error of the ignorant, thofe who 
 
 fearched more minutely into the caufes of 
 
 things, or the nature of Providence, had 
 
 this name given them: and laftly, it came 
 
 to fignify one who was fuppofed by the Aid 
 
 of Spiritual Beings to be able to do juft 
 
 what he pleafed. 
 
 lannes and lambres did a certain Fadl. 
 T^hey caji down their Rodsy and they became 
 Serpents. To account for this. Some Evil 
 Spirit is brought upon the Stage ; and He 
 muft either turn the Rods into Serpents, 
 real Serpents ; Or He muft change the Me- 
 dium, fo that the Spedators might be decei- 
 Ted by looking through a falfe medium j 
 Or he muft fome how afFed: the Eyes or 
 Brains of the Spectators, that they muft 
 imagine they faw, what they did not fee. 
 If the Evil Spirit Si^cd in the firft way. 
 
 He 
 
(»59) 
 
 He muft inftantaneoufly either change the 
 Rods, or elfe take them away, and with the 
 utmoft celerity fubftitute real Serpents, (ei- 
 ther new formed ones, or new brought in- 
 to the place,) in the room of the Rods. 
 This latter is nothing but mere jlight of 
 hand'y which the Men themfelves might 
 have done without any Affiftance from 
 Spiritual Beings: if the former be pretend- 
 ed, there muft indeed be the aid of a Spi- 
 rit, but how is that known, fince Mofes 
 never has faid it. He owns his own Pow- 
 ers to be received from God, or from the 
 Angel that appeared to him in the Bufli : 
 but when He recounts what the Egyptians 
 did. He never once imputes to any Superi- 
 or Being what they performed. If the E- 
 vil Spirit deceived the Spedators by chang- 
 ing the Medium, or afFedting the Eyes, or 
 Brains, of the Spectators, fo as to make 
 them imagine, or fancy, that they faw 
 what they did not fee. The Egyptians 
 would have appeared to have done more^ 
 if not greater^ Miracles than Mofes, They 
 muft in efFedt work a Miracle upon every 
 man that was prefent, by fo difpofing the 
 Medium, or the Brains of every particular 
 
 perfoD, 
 
fi6o) 
 
 perfon, that every particular perfan muli be 
 made to fee what was not. If a thoufand 
 people therefore were prefent, a thoufand 
 real Miracles would be done : And if the 
 Devil made them fancy that they faw a 
 Serpent, where there was none, or blood or 
 frogs where there was no blood nor frogs ; or 
 if the Egyptians turned more Rods into Ser- 
 pents than Mofes did (as it appears from 
 the Hiftory that they did, fince every one 
 of the Magicians did fo) then the Miracles 
 done by them were more and greater than 
 thofe done by Mofes -^ and for that Reafon, 
 They ought to have been obeyed rather 
 than Mofes. But not a Word of Evil 
 Spirits is ever here tnentioned by the facred 
 Writers. 
 
 I had occaiion juft now from Apuleiui 
 to mention what the Jugler did at Athene 
 with a Swordy and Huntfman's Spear ^ to a- 
 mufe the Spedtators. He adds a circum- 
 ftance as little credible as any, without the 
 help of Spiritual Agents ; and yet he never 
 pretended to any fuch Afliftance. Art and 
 Slight of Hand will do, what thofe who 
 are unacquainted with them cannot but im- 
 pute 
 

 
 Ci 
 CC 
 CC 
 
 <c 
 
 CC 
 
 (i6i) 
 
 pute to Spirits, " When he had made the 
 Spear go though the Groin and come out at 
 the back part of his neck, lo! a lovely ten^ 
 *' der boy arofe up juft after the Iron of the 
 Spear, and danced, and twifted himfelf a- 
 bout it, as if he had neither bones, or any 
 *^ thing that was ftifF in him, to the great 
 Admiration of the Speftators. You 
 would have faid. He had been the Ser- 
 pent that wreaths himfelf about the 
 knotty Staff that the God of Phyfic 
 carries." Had we not been told, that 
 the Man that played thefe tricks, was 
 nothing but a Jugler^ his Dexterity 
 would have been imputed to fome Su- 
 pernatural Alliftance, and the dancing 
 and twifling of the boy to Magic Art. Fa- 
 ther Montfaucon has given us feveral Im- 
 preffions of Efculapius^ with Staffs entwined 
 by Serpents, and one with a Spear twifted 
 
 * Ecce, pone lancea? ferrum, qua baclllum inver/i teli ad 
 occipitium per inguen fubit, puer in mollitiem decorus infur- 
 git, inque flexibus tortuofis enervem & exo/Tem faltationem 
 explicat, cum omnium qui aderamus, admiratione. Diceres 
 Dei Medici baculo quod ramulis femiamputatis nodofum ge- 
 rit, Scrpentem generofum lubricis amplexibus inhcrere. A-^ 
 ful. Metam. /. i. 
 
 M about 
 
(l62 ) 
 
 about in like manner, which may help us 
 to conceive how this lictle boy twifted about 
 the Spear that feemed run through the Bo- 
 dy of the Man. L» Antiquity Expliquie, lib. 
 ii. p. 286. 
 
 But if we fuppofe an Evil Spirit concerned 
 in the Wonders done by the Egyptian Ma- 
 gicians, it will be natural to ask. Why could 
 they not have produced the Lice, or changed 
 the Medium, or altered the Brain of the 
 Speftators on that occafion, as well as when 
 the Frogs were produced, which is a much 
 larger Animal ? It requires not fo much 
 power to produce siLow/e as it does ^FrGg-^ 
 fince it has not fo many parts, nor fo ma- 
 ny conduits for the blood and Animal jui- 
 ces to pafs. Whence then is it that the 
 Lowfe fliould prefently be confeffed to be 
 the effed: of the Finger of God, when the 
 Frogs could be produced by Spirits? And 
 further ftill : 
 
 How comes Mofes never to deteS thefe 
 Magicians, or never to tell Pharaoh that what 
 they did was done by Evil Beings'? Pha- 
 raoh mufl have been acquainted with what 
 thefe Men could do, or elfe He never 
 would have called for them to confront Mo- 
 fes. 
 
(i63) 
 
 f€S. Now Mofes never hinted to Pharaoh 
 that thefe men were aflifted by the Devily 
 or his Agents ; nor did he ever intimate 
 fuch Affiftance; or pretend that his own 
 Miracles were done by God, but theirs 
 by Wicked Spirits oppofmg the Great God. 
 
 It will be faid, that God permitted them 
 to go fo far 5 but would not permit them 
 to go any further: He had fet his 
 bounds to them as he has done to the Sea, 
 and they could then do no more. 
 
 But ftill this is all a mere hypothefis ; ta- 
 king for granted what Mojes has no where 
 faid, and in courfe as eafily denied as it is 
 affirmed. The Fad indeed is plain, that 
 lannes and lambres did not, or could not 
 pretend to do, the Fourth thing that Mcfes 
 did : but who it was that hindered them is 
 no more faid, than who it was tl:iat ena- 
 bled them to do what they did in the for- 
 mer inftances. 
 
 Laftly, If Spirits were concerned, it is 
 unconceivable, that they fhould directly op- 
 pofe, and work Miracles in oppofition to 
 God. If they did not fee it in the firjl in- 
 ftance, it is fomewhat ftrange that they 
 fliould be fo ignorant in the Second, or in 
 
 M 2 the 
 
( i64 ) 
 
 the T'hird cafe: or how came they not 
 to find it out before they made their 
 Fourth Eflay ? ^ * • 
 
 I do not queftion but that the Serpents of 
 the Magicians were real Serpents : but the 
 queftion is, whence they came ; Whether thefe 
 real Serpents were the immediate produftions 
 of Evil Spirits, or whether they were only 
 brought into fight by flight of hand, in thofe 
 who made them to appear. It is certain that 
 no mention is made of Evil Spirits in the 
 Hiftory^ and were it not for the words Sor- 
 cerer j and Magician^ which with us carry 
 with them the Ideas of fome Communica- 
 tion with Evil Spirits, who are thought to 
 enable perfons to do ftrange things, it would 
 be hard to Ihew any foundation for fuch a 
 notion. The Pfalmift indeed fays, Pfalm 
 Ixxviii. 49. That God caji upon them the 
 Jiercenejs of his Anger ^ Wrath ^ Indignation^ 
 and trouble 5 and fent Evil Angels amongji 
 them. It is in the Original, Angels^ or 
 Meffengers of Evil, Hence Evil Spirits 
 are fuppofed to be the Inftruments of God 
 in working thefe Evils to the Egyptians. 
 But this is entrely groundlefs. The fend- 
 ing Mofes and Aaron^ by whom thefe 
 
 Plagues 
 
( i65 ) 
 
 Plagues were threatned, and even done, is 
 fufficient to account for the expreffions of 
 the Plalmift, without concerning ourfelves 
 with either Good or Evil Spirits, as here 
 imployed by God : Or if Mofes and Aaron 
 are not deemed the MeiTengers of Evils to 
 Pharaoh, Surely the Angel that fmote the 
 Firjt-born of Egypt, and that deftroyed 
 the Egyptians themfelves, was properly the 
 A?2gel of Evils to them: Not a vjickedy 
 immoral^ evil Being, but a Being that 
 brought the Evil of Punifliment upon a 
 hardned, wicked, obftinate generation, who 
 oppofed the will of God in the deliverance 
 of his People, 
 
 This Scheme being then unlikely, and 
 impoflible to be proved. 
 
 The Third Scheme by which fome have 
 attempted to account for what the Magici- 
 ans did, is, That no real Miracle was ever 
 done by them 5 but thefe Magicians did by 
 mere Slight of hand whatever they did, 
 and oppofed Mofes s real and true Miracles 
 by nothing but Trick and Legerdemain : 
 They think that there is no occafion to 
 imagine them affifted by any Evil Spirits^, 
 in order to oppofe the defigns of God, or 
 
 M 3 to. 
 
(.66) 
 
 to turn Rods into real Serpents; but they 
 were mere Pretendei's, who could withjland 
 MofeSy and take upon themfelves to work 
 wonders in the fight of Pharaoh^ as much 
 as Mofcs armed with a power from God 
 could do. They were what all the words 
 by which they are called fignify, Men, who 
 by dint of Slight of hand could feefn to 
 produce Serpents, and thus impofed on the 
 fight of the Spectators. The Egyptians 
 were always famous for dealing in Aftro- 
 logy, and Fortune-telling, and all thofe 
 Arts which common people impute to Spi- 
 rits, and men of Learning defpife as mere 
 impofl:ure and cheat. Suppofe thefe an- 
 tient Sorcerers to be much the fame with 
 the prefent ones, that know how by little 
 Tricks to impofe on the ignorant; it is pof- 
 fible that they might aft before Pharaoh 
 their Parts, fo as to make him believe that 
 Mofes had no other commiffion than them- 
 felves had. It is well known, that Serpents 
 may be made fo tradable, as not to be any 
 ways dangerous. Sir Paul Ricault tells us 
 that fomc /Egyptian Dervices pretend, that 
 there is a power communicated to them of 
 inchanting Serpents and Vipers, which they 
 
 handle 
 
(167) 
 
 handle as boldly as we do the tameft Ani- 
 mals. And I find in the Digejis^ L. 47. Tit. 
 xi. § xi. That Paulus the Lawyer is of O- 
 pinion, * that an Adllon will lie againfl 
 thoje fellows who go about with Serpents, 
 and play tricks with them^ if any MifchieJ 
 happens to any one through Jear of thenty he 
 JJjall recover damages proportionable to the 
 harm fuftained. It was always the common 
 Trick of thefe Juglers to impofe upon 
 By-flanders, by producing, or by irritating, 
 or by playing with thofe venomous crea- 
 tures to the Great Surprife of Spedlators, 
 and the more ready picking their pockets 
 of their Money. When Mr. Greaves 
 was at Cairo^ among the Obfervables he 
 faw there. He tells us of a man *' who 
 " had many Ceraftes [a particular Species 
 " of Serpents] which he could take in his 
 " hands, open their mouths, and they 
 " would not hurt him. The fame Gen- 
 *' tleman had many four-legged Serpents, 
 " blackiih with long knotty Tails, ending 
 
 * In Circulatores, qui ferpentes eircumfenint & propo- 
 nunt, fi cui ob eorum metum damnum datum eft^ pro mo- 
 do admifli adio dabitur. Uigeft. L. 47. Tit. xi. S. xi. 
 
 M 4 '\ ia 
 
( i68 ) 
 
 ** in a point obtufe. The Serpents when 
 ** the weather is hot, would upon Mufic 
 *^ come oiat and run upon him : He had 
 *' Vipers, whofe mouths he would open 
 ** with his hands, and fhew little Bags un- 
 «' der every Toorh." Vol. II. p. 323 — 4^ 
 How eafy would it be if any Man had fuch 
 Inftruments of his Craft, to impofe on By- 
 ftanders by Slight of hand ? 
 
 Mofes and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh — 
 end Aaron cajl down his Rod before Pha- 
 raoh, and b^ore his Servant Sy and it be- 
 came a Serpent. Then Pharaoh alfo called 
 the Wife men and the Sorcerers ; and the Ma-- 
 gicians of Egypt, they alfo did in like man- 
 ner with their Enchantments, For they cajl 
 down every Ma?2 his Rod, and they became 
 Serpents, But Aaron's Rod fwallowed up 
 their Rods, Exod, vii. 10, 11, 12. Pha- 
 raoh fo far imagined that what Mofes and 
 Aaron did was owing to flight of hand^ 
 that he called for Men famous for fuch Arts, 
 to do as they did : and they feemed to do 
 the very Same. Their Serpents were real 
 Serpents, as much as Aaron's Serpent was ; 
 only the one was the efFedl of Slight of 
 hand^ the Other a Miraculous Produdion : 
 
 the 
 
(i69) 
 
 the One was done by a real power from 
 God, the other was by their Enchantments, 
 I. e, by dazzling the "Eyes of the Spedla- 
 tors by a Sword, whilft they did their Feats, 
 or by fome covered contrivance which de- 
 ceived the Eyes of thofe that flood by ; as 
 is the meaning of the word which we tranf- 
 late Enchantments. 
 
 It may deferve to be confidered, and in- 
 deed it is remarkable, that all that thefe 
 Men pretended to do, was only to do fome- 
 thing of the fame kind that Mofes did be- 
 fore, and what was eafy to be gathered to- 
 gether, or had : but when it came to be 
 fomething producible in quantity, or, that 
 was not poffible to be done by Slight of 
 hand, then they confeffed the finger of God, 
 
 You will ask. How it appears that the 
 Wonders done by Mofes were not wrought 
 in the fame way, and by the fame Slight, 
 that thofe of lannes and lambres were ? 
 
 The Anfwer is. Look into the Fadls 
 themfelves, and compare them, and the 
 Finger of God will be apparent. Frogs in- 
 numerable produced: All the Waters of 
 the Nile turned into Blood : The Duft of 
 the Land turned into Lice : The Land cor- 
 rupted 
 
(i7o) 
 
 rupted by reafon of the Swarm of Flies • 
 A murrain upon all the Cattle of the Land : 
 Handfulls of the Afhes of the furnace, be- 
 came duft in the Land, and caufed a boil 
 breaking forth into blains upon Man and Beaft 
 throughout all the Land of Egypt : The 
 Hail: The Locufts: The Plague of Dark- 
 nefs for three days : — Thefe are not things 
 capable of being done by Art -, or by impo- 
 fing on the Sight ; they afFeded a whole 
 Country; And they were brought on, and 
 removed by a word, and the Evils were felt 
 for many days. The Nature therefore of 
 the Plagues fhew that they were effeds 
 owing to a Supernatural caiife, and could 
 not arife from Human Art or Power. 
 
 The only material Objedlion to this So- 
 lution is, That what Mojes did, and what 
 the Egyptians did, is exprefled in the very 
 fame words. Aaron caji down his Rod, and it 
 became a Serpent. The Magicians caJi down 
 their Rods, and they became Serpent s» The dif- 
 ference is, I ft. That the whole feries oiMofes\ 
 Adions (hew an impcffibility that they 
 could be done any other way than Miracu- 
 loufly: So far as the Magicians aded, it 
 may be nothing but Slight of hand. 2dly, 
 
 The 
 
(171) 
 
 The Fafls of Mofes are expreflly attributed 
 to a power derived from God : The Fads 
 of the Others are as exprefHy imputed to 
 Legerdemain. They did it Belahatehem^ 
 by impofing on the Eyes, or deceiving the 
 Sight by their covered Arts, And 3dly, 
 Aaron s Rod fwallowed up their Rods : The 
 Serpent produced by Aaroriy devoured the 
 Serpents produced by the Magicians ; which 
 evidenced at leaft a Superiority on the Side 
 of Mofes. 
 
 It may ftill be alked, How comes Mofes 
 all along to fpeak of the Tricks of the Ma- 
 gicians in the fame manner that he fpeaks 
 of his own real Miracles ? How comes he 
 not to fay in diredt terms, that what lannes 
 and lambres did, was nothing but errant 
 Fraud and flight of Hand ? 
 
 The Anfwer is plain : Mofes tells the 
 Fadls that were done in Oppofition to Him ; 
 and at the fame time he tells us whatySr/ of 
 Men were called in for that purpofe. Men 
 of Legerdemain^ errant impofers on the 
 Sight, mere Juglers. Nor need there any 
 more particular Deteftion of their Frauds, 
 than to fay that whatever was done, was all 
 done hyfucb men. 
 
 Thus 
 
( ^72 J 
 
 Thus it is faid in the fame Chapter, 
 E:>cod, vii. 20, 22. He lifted up his rod^ and 
 fmote the waters that were in the river, in the 
 fight of Vh2iX2Lohy and in the fight ofhisfer-^ 
 vantSy aftd all the waters that were in the 
 river were turned to blood — And the Ma- 
 gicians g/' Egypt did SO with their Enchant- 
 ments. It muft be obferved, that the Ma- 
 gicians did not turn all the Waters that 
 were in the Nile into blood, as Mofes had 
 done J but artfully changed fome that was 
 taken from places dug about the Riverj 
 V. 24. and made that appear like blood* 
 The particle SO, does not fignify, that 
 the Magicians did every thing in as ample 
 or full a manner as Mofes did 5 but only im- 
 plies a Similitude of Action, fomething in 
 like fort. 
 
 It feems to be juft the fame in the 'Third 
 Experiment, about the Frogs. Mofes pro- 
 duced that terrible Evil which afFecSed 
 Btgypt then, as fome other Countries have 
 been fince in a mere natural way, as our 
 Commentators have obferved. Kzxovijiretch^ 
 ed out his hand over the waters of Egypt, 
 and the Frogs came upy and covered the 
 Land of Egypt, And the Magicians did 
 
 SQ 
 
(»73) 
 
 S O with their Enchantments^ Exod. viii. 6, 
 7, One would naturally exped: that Pha- 
 raoh jfhould have employed his Wifemen^ 
 and Magicians^ to have ridded the Land 
 of thefe Two Evils. But it was eafier to 
 feem to produce more Evil of the fame 
 Kind^ than it was to remove it. The Ma- 
 giciam could by their Arts imitate the Rea- 
 lities of others, and feem to do what they 
 could not really do : But it was Mofes that 
 was dcfired to remove the Evil which was 
 real, and owing to the power which he had 
 from God: And He that alone could, did 
 remove the Evil. 
 
 Thus far there appears but little difficulty 
 in fuppofing that the Magicians adled by 
 mtvtjlight of hand. But then it is natural 
 to afk — Why could not thefe Artifts by the 
 fame flight of hand produce the Lice as well 
 as they did the FrogSy or as they copld 
 change the Water into Blood ? They had 
 the materials ready made to their hands by 
 Mofes^ for they were upon Man and upon 
 Beafi. But yet the Magicians, thougb they 
 tried by their Ljchantments to bring forth 
 Lice^ could not do it, ch, viii. i8. In an- 
 fwer to this, 
 
 I would 
 
( 174) 
 1 would obferve, that in all the former 
 Inftances Mofes had not only beforehand told 
 what he defigned to do, but after He had 
 done it, He waited fome time; and Then 
 the Magicians did what they could in oppo- 
 fition to him. But in the cafe of producing 
 the Lice^ he did not think proper to give 
 any previous notice of what he defigned to 
 do ; and in courfe the Magicians were not 
 at all apprized, nor could they be prepared for 
 this Event. They might get ready Serpents^ 
 or FrogSy or whatever they thought proper to 
 tinge the water with in order to imitate 
 blood ; but in the prefent cafe, they were 
 to aft ifijiantaneoujly, without any Prepara- 
 tion ; and therefore Here their Folly was 
 made manifeji unto all men^ 2 Tim. iii. 9. 
 Here was a plain reafon why they could 
 not ufe zny Jlight of hand: And befides, 
 they found upon themfelves, and all that 
 were prefent, what they were to have pro- 
 duced if they could : and fince the very 
 dujl was became Lice throughout all the land 
 of Egypt, they could not pretend to imi- 
 tate what was adually already upon all. 
 
 If 
 
(•75) 
 
 If this Account then of the Miracles of 
 Mofes and the Egyptians be admitted, the 
 cafe of a Contejl betwixt Superior Beings, 
 each exerting a Power for,and againft,a Com- 
 mand, will be a mere Speculation, a point 
 to which we know nothing iimilar 3 and in 
 courfe as ufelefs and trifling in Divinity, as 
 the mereft metaphyfical abftradt Speculation 
 in Philofophy can be. 
 
 But there is another inftance, where Mi- 
 racles feem to be worked in Oppofition to 
 thofe which were brought as Evidences of 
 Truth, which defer ve our utmoft Attention. 
 They are expreffly imputed to Satan ; and 
 confequently are the Works of an Evil A- 
 gent in contradiftion to the Works of God. 
 The Cafe I mean is, That of thofe Miracles 
 which falfe Chrifts and falfe Prophets were 
 to do. What were thofe great Jigns and 
 wonders which they were to JheWy which 
 {hould deceive ( if it were poflible ) the 
 very ele6l ? Matt. xxiv. 24. What muft we 
 fay to i?/;;/, whofe comifig is after the work" 
 ing of SataUy with all power, and figns, 
 a7id lying wonders ? 2 'Theff, ii. 9, Here 
 Miracles are oppofed to Miracles ; thofe of 
 Antichrift to thofe of Chrift j the one to 
 
 confirm 
 
(176) 
 
 confirm and eftabli/h a Truth, the other 
 with all the deceive ablenefi of Unrighteouf- 
 nefs^ to induce 2iJirong delufion^ and to make 
 men believe a Lie, 
 
 It muft I think be admitted, ift. That 
 a Miracle attefting any Dodrine good in it- 
 felf, or that is a means or motive to Good- 
 nefs, is fufRcient to determine our Aflent : 
 Miracles were the means made ufe of by 
 Mofes and Chriji^ to eftablifh and confirm 
 their refpedtive Dodrinesj nor could any 
 other inethod be taken fo likely to procure 
 aflent to any Truth, as fuch extraordinary 
 works would do. But then to draw any 
 Doftrines from any Miracle which are not 
 eflabliihed expreflly by it, or in proof of 
 which the Miracle is not done, is to impofe 
 upon ourfelves, and to eflablifh our own 
 Righteoufnefs inftead of the Righteoufnefs 
 of God. 
 
 2. It cannot be denied, that any work 
 above the power of man to do, if defigned, 
 fenfible, and unufual, is properly a Mira- 
 racle. Whether the Signs and Wonders of 
 Antichrift be fuch, /. e. be real Miracles, is 
 the point to be proved : And fuppofing that 
 proved, yet if a falfe Dodlrine, or an ab- 
 
 furd 
 
(177) 
 
 furd one, or any thing that is contrary to 
 common fenfe, is pretended to be confirmed 
 by them, they are marks of Impofture, and 
 muft not be regarded. 
 
 3. The Apoftle, calling thefe Signs and 
 Wonders, the Miracles of a Lie, he muft 
 have a view to the Means ufed to fupport 
 the Truth ; bad Means to fupport a Good 
 Caufe, Fidions and Lies to confirm the 
 Truth : Or he muft have refpedl to the 
 End for which they are pretended, which is 
 to feduce men into an Opinion of the Truth 
 of that which is falfe in itfelf : Or that they 
 are counterfeit^ the Tricks of artful or de- 
 ceiving Men : Or that they 2X^fi5litious and 
 fabulous^ the Inveiitions of Lyars : Or 
 laftly, that they are the effeds of the natu- 
 ral powers of Bodies, but impofed upon the 
 ignorant and credulous as fupernatural Ope- 
 rations either of God, or of fome other Be- 
 ings of the Other World. In all thefe 
 cafes, how dexteroufly foever the Cheat 
 may be carried on, yet it is no great diffi- 
 culty to difcover the Wickednefs of either 
 Evil Spirits, if they are the Authors of 
 them, or of Evil Men, fince they are 
 adting againft the Truth of Chrift himfolf. 
 And no Mirack, let it be true or falfe, real 
 
 N or 
 
(.78) 
 
 or pretended, can ever prove that either 
 Virtue and Goodnefs are to be difcarded, 
 or Nonfenfe, Contradidion, or Abfurdity is 
 to be believed. 
 
 Take then any Miracle of Antichrift, 
 thofe that are moft boafted of, and the 
 greateft ftrefs is laid on, and let us fee what 
 ufe may be made of it. Miracles are ne- 
 ceflary to fhew that a perfon has his com- 
 miffion from Heaven, if he pretends to 
 derive it from thence. But when once a 
 Revelation is made and believed, the necef- 
 fity of the continuance of Miracles is at an 
 End. We cannot therefore but conclude, 
 that Miracles are unnecejfary to fupport a 
 Revelation already made and received ; and 
 confequently we have a general prejudice a- 
 gainfl the Probability of all fuch Miracles^ 
 as may be pretended now to be worked. 
 
 Again. Let a Miracle be fuppofed to be 
 worked. No man has any right to fay that 
 it was done for any particular certain fixed 
 purpofe, unlefs fuch purpofe be fpecified by 
 the perfon that works the Miracle. For 
 where no Doftrine is declared, every one 
 has as much a right to annex his own 
 Fancy, and to make the Miracle an At- 
 
 teftation 
 
(^79) 
 
 tcftation to That, as any One has. Should 
 therefore One man fay, That fuch a Mira- 
 cle was done to ihew that the Church of 
 Rome is the true Spouje of Chriji -, Another 
 has an equal Right to fay, That it was done 
 to make men take notice, that That Church 
 is guilty of the Apoftacy foretold, and has 
 corrupted the Doftrines of Chrift. 
 
 The ftrange Ufes and Interpretations that 
 have been made of, or put upon, Mira- 
 cles, by fome zealous well-meaning men ; 
 The Inventions, Arts, Impoftures, Lies, 
 and Frauds of others to work upon the 
 people, and to make them believe what 
 they thought fit to impofe, or tell them, are 
 the juft wonder of every thinking man. 
 The Appeal is made to Fads, and Wit- 
 neffes are produced ; and their Veracity is 
 urged with fo much Aflurance and Confi- 
 dence, as if no pofiible doubt could be 
 raifed about the Affair. 
 
 When Marracius was confuting the Al- 
 coran, He produced Five permanent Mira- 
 cles, as he calls them, in proof of the Truth 
 of Chrifliamty, " allowed, fays he, by all 
 •' the world." His Firft is, " That fa- 
 " mous Houfe in which the Bleffed Virgin 
 
 N 2 " wa* 
 
(i8o) 
 
 *^ was born and bred at Nazareth, in which 
 ** {he conceived the eternal word, and dwelt 
 " with him fo many years ; and which 
 after his death was had in the higheft 
 Efteem by Chriftians. This Houfe, 
 taken off of its foundations, by the Help 
 of Angels, was brought to Dalmatia^ 
 A. D. 1 29 1, on the 6th day of May : 
 ** and three years after, on the 10th of 
 December J was brought to the Picene ter- 
 ritory, a Province of Italy^ where now 
 it is frequented by all Chriftians, and 
 known by the name of the Temple of 
 %Lorettoy For the Truth of this he pro- 
 duces Evidence, which, he fays, can't be dif- 
 puted or doubted of. " For at the fame time 
 ff.that the Houfe was not at Nazareth^ it 
 appeared in Dalmatia : and it was not in 
 Dalmatia from the time that it was brought 
 into the Marquifate of Ancona. Now, 
 " many faithful witneffes being fent to 
 *' Nazareth, who were to examine into the 
 '^ Truth of this Fadl:, they found the 
 *' Houfe removed, its foundations being left 
 " of the fame meafure, materials, ftruc- 
 *^ ture, that was it^w in Dalmatiay and 
 *' now at Loretto\ and all the Pilgrims who 
 
 " return 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 
(i8i) 
 
 '^ return from Palajtin confirm the Truth 
 " of this. Nay God himfelf confirms the 
 '' Truth of it daily by remarkable Mira- 
 ** cles and Wonders there done." 
 
 This puts me in mind of the Witch in 
 Apuleius, who, to revenge herfelf of one 
 who was the Ringleader of a Plot againfl: 
 her, * '' took him in the middle of the 
 " night, and his whole Uouje^ the Walh^ 
 *' the Foundations^ the Ground on which it 
 " flood, fhut up as it was, and carried it to 
 *' another city a hundred Miles off^ that was 
 " fituated on the top of a craggy moun- 
 " tain, and in courfe that wanted water. 
 And becaufe the houfes at this new place 
 happened to ftand fo thick , that (he 
 could not find room to place the Houfe 
 which was brought thus far, flie threw 
 ** it down before the Gate of the City, 
 " and went away.'* 
 
 * At vero csetus illius auftorem no6le intempefla, cum 
 tota domo, id elV, Parietibus, et ipfo folo, ct omni funda- 
 mento, ut erat claufa, ad centeflimum lapidem in aliam ci- 
 vitatem fummo vertice raontis exafperati fitam, et ob id ab 
 aquis fterilem, tranilulit. Et quoniam denfa inhabitantium 
 aedificia locum novo hofpiti non dabant, ante portam pro- 
 jedla domo difceflit. ^pul. Met. 1. i. 
 
 N 3 Let 
 
 <c 
 c( 
 cc 
 cc 
 
(.82) 
 
 Let us now fuppofe this Story to be true, 
 and that this houfe was brought by Angels 
 from Nazareth to Loretto* Every one that 
 fees it, or hears of it, may reafonably won- 
 der at it. But if Maraccius fancies that 
 therefore a Mahometan muft believe Chrijli- 
 anity to be true, (for that is the ufc he 
 makes of this Miracle,) — How will this fol- 
 low? Was the Houfe brought by Angels fo 
 many Leagues with a defign to prove this 
 Truth? Did the Angels fay fo? Not a 
 word. It is the Inference of fome idle 
 Monks, who might better have inferred 
 that it was done, that Chriftians fhould 
 make it a Storehoufe, to lay up Gold and 
 Silver, and Jewels in itj and then they 
 would have fpoke a certain Truth. 
 
 His Second Jlanding Miracle is, That fa- 
 mous Crofs at Malabar in the Eaft-Indies 
 upon which St. Thomas was killed by a cer- 
 tain Bramin. " Every year upon the fame 
 day, whilft divine Service is performing 
 ** before it, at the beginning of the Gof- 
 pel, it becomes blackifli intermixed with 
 brightnefs j after the Offertory, it grows 
 lighter coloured; till at length the whole 
 >J^ Crofs appears white and fhining. Whilft 
 
 '' the 
 
 <c 
 
 
(( 
 
 " the Confecration is making, the Crofs re- 
 " fumes its natural Colour, and is all covered 
 over with a bloody fort of Sweat, with 
 which the faithful tinge linnen cloaths, 
 and God by them does wonders. But if 
 ** it happens that that Crofs at that time 
 <' does not change its Colour, it is found by 
 Experience, that fome dreadful Calamity or 
 other is portended to the Chriflian Peo- 
 ple there." For the certainty of this 
 Fadt, he appeals to innumerable Eye-Wit^ 
 nejfes : and be the Credit with them ; for it 
 is better and fafer to believe it, than to 
 go and fee it, I will fuppofe this Fidtion 
 to be as true as that of the Journey of the 
 Houfe of Loretto from Nazareth to Ita^ 
 ly : what follows ? That Chriftianity is true? 
 The Miracle is not pretended to-be done in 
 confirmation of it. How therefore could 
 Maraccius propofe this as an inftance to 
 his purpofe ? This annual Miracle may 
 ferve to impofe on weak and ignorant 
 people ; But whilft the Spiritual Being that 
 works it, (I will fuppofe that to be the cafe,, 
 tho' there are fuch evident Marks of Trick 
 and Fraud) Whilft that Being that works it 
 makes no declaration about it, no one is o- 
 
 N 4 bliged 
 
(i84) 
 
 bligcd to believe more, than that fuch a 
 ftrange thing has happened, which may 
 and muft be believed, or disbelieved, ac- 
 cording to the Evidence produced for the 
 
 ha. 
 
 His TfoW Miracle Is, " ThatatJB^r/ (a 
 *' famous City of Apulia in Italy^) from 
 *• the Bones of St. Nicholas Bifhop of My- 
 ** ray there flows daily a moll pure and 
 **' limpid liquor, (they call it ^be Manna 
 *' of St. Nicholas) which being kept in glafs 
 " Viols never corrupts nor vermifies, unlefs 
 *' amongft thofe who are vicious and great 
 " Sinners." 
 
 His Fourth is, *' That from the Arms 
 of St. Nicholas of Tolentino^ (who has 
 been dead above three hundred years,) 
 the Veins fwelling, there flows a copious 
 blood. This is obferved chiefly to hap- 
 pen when any great Calamity hangs over 
 *' Chriftians/' 
 
 His Fifth is, that " at Naples is kept in 
 " two glafs Viols, the concreted blood of 
 *' St. yanuarius (who was killed above a 
 " I GOO years ago by the Infidels) and this 
 *^ blood aflbon as it is expofed before his 
 [[ head, prefently melts, and bubbles as if it 
 
 " were 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 <c 
 <c 
 cc 
 
*« were juft (hed. But if it continues con- 
 " creted, Experience has ihewn that it pre- 
 " fages fome Evil to Chriftianity/* 
 
 Thefe are the Handing Miracles of Chri- 
 ftianit)\ fays MaracciuSy and prove its ■ 
 Truth: on the contrary, I think they are 
 flanding Lying Wonders of Antichrift: they 
 are calculated to deceive fuch as are weak 
 enough, or willing enough, to be deceived 
 into Errors, or fuch notions as have no foun- 
 dation in the New or Old Teftament. Let 
 them be done by Evil Spirits, or by Evil 
 Men, or if you will have it fo, let them 
 be done by even Good Spirits ; Let them 
 have all the Advantage of being called 
 Miracksy yet ftill they are nothing but Mi- 
 racles ; no Doftrine is revealed ; no Rule 
 of Adtion given ; nothing is done that o- 
 bliges me to mind them, more than there 
 is to mind the Corufcations in the Air, or 
 any Phasnomenon in the natural world. 
 Could indeed this Confequence be made 
 2ood, that that Church in which Miracles 
 are ever wrought, is the true Church 
 of Chrift, and that therefore whatever 
 fuch a Church taught, or thofe who 
 were in communion with it, was to be 
 
 fubmitted 
 
(186) 
 
 fubmitted to, then indeed the Fa^s them- 
 felves {hould be examined carefully, and 
 all fliould be upon their guard, that they 
 might not be impofed on by the Frauds of 
 Men. But which way can this be proved ? 
 Or what Medium can be thought on, that 
 can make out fuch a confequence ? 
 
 It may be faid perhaps, that God and 
 Good Beings only will work Miracles in 
 the Church of Chrift; but all thofe wonders 
 that were worked by Pagans of Old, or by 
 Heretics in the Church of Chrift, or all 
 thofe that are faid to be worked amongft 
 the Mahometans^ were mere bricks and De- 
 lujions of the Devil, or of Evil Spirits, and 
 That God will not lend his Seal to Evil 
 Beings. 
 
 But this is gratis faid, or gratis applied j 
 fince unlefs the Catholic previoufly fuppofes 
 himfelf to be of the True Church, (which 
 will never be granted) Each party will 
 claim the privilege of being the True 
 Churchy the favourites of Heaven; and till 
 this can be adjufted, their Dodrine of Mi- 
 racles will leave every body in the fame 
 Uncertamty it finds him. It is a great mif- 
 fortune that people fliould be fo far prepof- 
 
 fcflcd^ 
 
fefled, as always to give into fuch Notions 
 as favour their own prejudices ; but when 
 any thing of the fame kind appears in con- 
 tradiftion to their Schemes, then all the Sub- 
 tilty of the moft acute Logic appears in or- 
 der to fend off a confequence, which plainly 
 affedls them. A Roman Catholic fits eafily 
 contented, and refts fatisfied with the Tales he 
 is told, whilfl he fondly imagines that they 
 make for, or prove, his Religion. WhenaAf<^- 
 hometan is to be confuted, then the Maho- 
 metan Miracles are the feats of Magicians 
 and Juglers, and generally are wont to be 
 done by the Devil: *' Haec nimirum pro- 
 " pria funt Praeftigiatorum, et Magorum, 
 " et ut plurimum a Diabolo fieri foleant ; 
 " nullamque habeant neceflitatem vel utili- 
 " tatem ;" and have no neceflity why they 
 fhould be done, nor Ufefulnefs when they 
 are done. Marac, Prodr. pars II. p. 74. 
 He goes on to attack Mahometanifni by 
 this * irrefiftible Argument; " That it is 
 
 " impof- 
 
 * Infurgo contra Moflemos hoc ineluBahili Argument. 
 ImpoffibiJe eft, Deum concurrcre veris Miraculis ad confir- 
 inandam ralfam Religionem : Ergo impoffibile eft Mahumc- 
 tem vera miracula fecifle. Nam cum Deus Chriftianam Re- 
 
 ligicnom. 
 
u 
 
 (i88) 
 
 impoflible that God can work true Mi- 
 " racks to confirm a falfe Religion ; There- 
 " fore it is impoflible that Mahomet could 
 " ever have worked True Miracles." 
 
 It is true, that God will not confirm a 
 falfe Religion by true Miracles ; But then it is 
 as true, that the Miracles which the Roman 
 Catholics produce,will be denied to be Mira- 
 
 ligionem, non folum Chrifti, fed etiam Apoftolorum, & ali- 
 orum fanftorum Chriftianorum Miraculis, qux Moflemi ip- 
 fi & Alcoranus vera fuiffe fatentur, confirmaverit : neceffario 
 fatendum eft, Chriftianam Religionem bonam effe & veram. 
 Ergo impoflibile eft, Deum per vera miracula, Mahumeta- 
 nicam feaam, quae Chriftianae fere ex diametro opponitur, 
 approbaffe. Hie non video, quid refpondere poflint Mahu- 
 metani, nifi Deum Chriftianam Religionem veris miraculis 
 approbaffe, quamdiu bona, & vera fuit, nempe ufque ad 
 adventum Mahumeti. Hasc vero refponfio dupliciter reji- 
 citur, Primo quia— Chriftiana Religio eadem femper fuit 
 tarn ante Mahumetum quam poft Mahumetum : neque ulla 
 ratione probari poteft, illam unquam mutatam fuiffe. Sc- 
 cundo, quia Deus eadem miracula operatus eft, in Chrifti- 
 ana Religione, & hodie quoque operatur poft adventum Ma- 
 humeti, quae ante ilium confueverat operari. Nam ubiquc 
 Terrarum vel per Sanftos Viros, vel per Sacras Reliquias^ & 
 Imagines vel aliis modis, plurimi mortui fufcitati funt, pluri- 
 mi cieci illuminati, & alia Miracula oftenfa, quae fola Dei 
 virtute fieri poffunt, neque de harum veritate locus relinqui- 
 tur dubitandi : cum non in una regione, neque in una Urbc, 
 neque ab uno fanfto, neque iifdem teftibus, fafta funt: 
 fed in diffitifilmls regionibus, a Sanftis diverfiffimis, & coram 
 teftibus, quorum alii nunquam alios viderant aut noverunt. 
 Nullum eft ergo Mahumetanorum Argumentum. Mavaccius 
 Trodro. pars II. p. 74. 
 
 clet 
 
(189) 
 
 cles worked byGod or any good Being. Or 
 if they are allowed, the confequences which 
 the Roman Catholics draw from them will be 
 difowned by thofe whom they call Heretics : 
 nor is it poffible for them to make them good. 
 A Proteftant will ufe every word that 
 Maraccius here has ufed againft the Maho- 
 metanSy changing only the Objedt, and fub- 
 ftituting Roman Catholic for Mahometan^ and 
 imputing every miracle faid to be done by 
 the Papijiy to the fame Caufes, or Authors to 
 Vf\{ic\iMaracdus imputes thtMahometan Mi- 
 racles. Some he will abfolutely * deny : O- 
 thers are -j- triflings ridiculous^ unworthy oj 
 credit: Others are the efFed of mere j ef- 
 frontery and impudence : Others are owing jj 
 
 * Confuetudo mentiendi — prascipuum eft argumentura 
 cos maxime in his miraculis recenfendis mentitos fuifTc. 
 p. 54. Quam perfrida & audaci fronte confinxere, iffc. ibid. 
 
 •f Pleraque eorum quae referuntur cum per fe levia fmt 
 ridicula& omni fide indigna.— Quid magis ridiculum — quid 
 improbabilius— quid levius, ^r. p. 53. 
 
 % Sed impudentiflime mentitur hie Thrafo: — Hanc efTe 
 fabulam ex eo convlncitur.— Quemcunque teftem adducat, 
 «x hoc faltem convincitur, hoc elFe commentum, quia nullus 
 libi perfuadebit, ^c. p 76. 77. 
 
 II Facilitas ilia fingendi miracula, quam in qualibet fere 
 religione vel fefta olim fuiiTe, & adhuc efTe non ignoramus, 
 perfuadet nobis, ncc mirum, nee novum efle, fi hasc omnia 
 qua: Mahometo tribuuntur, vel omnino fidla funt, vel ita 
 aufta, ut ex non miraculis miracula fa^a fucrint. p. 59. 
 
 to 
 
I 190 ) 
 
 to a faculty of Lyings and feigntftg ; or 
 elfe fadts 2XQjb enlarged, that from things ori- 
 ginally not miraculous^ Miracles have been 
 made: Others are owing to Evil Spirits^ 
 *f and Others to the tricks of Evil Men. 
 AH thefe are the Subjedts of a long Dif- 
 courfe in the Second Part of Maraccius's 
 freliminary Difcourfe in confutation of the 
 Alcoran : and every Topic is equally ftrong 
 againft the Lying wonders of the Church of 
 Rome. Now what is ftrong in a Catholic's 
 mouth againft a Mahometan^ muft be equal- 
 ly ftrong in a Protejlanf^ mouth againft a 
 Catholic, unlefs he can (hew a difference in 
 the cafes. Or if we admit the Miracles to 
 be done, and even to be all true Miracles, 
 it will not follow, that the Popifi Church 
 is pure and uncorrupt in her Doctrines, or 
 her PraSiices. 
 
 Before I leave this Subjeft, I muft ob- 
 ferve one thing more from this Writer. 
 Maraccius tells us * '' That in a certain 
 
 *' Kingdom 
 
 t Multa quidem non miracula, fed Daemonum ludibrii 
 ac prseftigia refcruntur etiam a nollris Au6loribus de illis qui 
 vulgo Sanaiones et Dervifii nuncupantur. ^ p.77. 
 
 * Contigit aliquando, ut in quedam Chriftiani Orbis Reg- 
 no Offa qusdam intra montis cavernas profundiffime fepul- 
 
«* Kingdom of the Chriflian World, Som« 
 *' Bones were found very deeply buried in 
 *' the Caverns of a Mountain, v^hich w^ere 
 <^ judged to be the Reliques of fome great 
 *' SaintSy from the Infcriptions over them: 
 '' but in truth they were common Bones, of 
 *' fome UnbelieverSjOrRogues, which ^MiHfs 
 " were laid there by fome Mahometans^ 
 " as it afterwards was difcovered, who act- 
 ed outwardly as if they had been Chrifli- 
 ans. It is fcarce to be credited, how ma^ 
 ny Miracles were reported among thecoma 
 mon People to have been done by thefe, 
 which like wife were confirmed by Sworn 
 WitnejJ'es. And yet no one was done ; nor 
 indeed could there be any true Miracle. 
 
 cc 
 
 iC 
 
 cc 
 
 ta reperirentur, quje ex infcriptionibus appofitis, magnorum 
 Sanflorum reliquiae eiTc judicabantur, Sc tales ftatira ab om- 
 nibus creditse funt. Sed revera crant olTa communia, & 
 fortafle aliquorum hominum infidelium vel fceleftorum quae 
 ibi ad fraudem ftruendani a quibufdam, ut poftea comper- 
 turn eft, Mahumetanis, qui fe ut Chriftianos exterius gere- 
 bant, fuppofita fuerant. Vix credi poteft, quot ftatim Mira- 
 cula de lis in vulgus emanaverint, quae etiam adjuratis tef- 
 tibus confirmabantur. Et tamen nullum hie erat, nee efle 
 poterat verum miraculum. Unde hoc? an quia nonnulli 
 fponte maligneque mentiebantur ? Non puto, fed ex inani fa- 
 ma, fallaque perfuafionc, vel imaginatione, & crrore Vulgi 
 totum eveniebat. Hie tamen Error brevi deprehenfus eit, 
 iisntentia Summi Chriftianorum antiftitisdamnatus ac fublatus. 
 
 *' Whence 
 
(192) 
 
 " Whence came this? Was it that fome 
 " willingly, and with ill defign, told lies ? 
 ** I don't think it; but it all arofe from 
 " groundlefs famCy and falfe perjuafion^ or 
 ** Imagination and Error of the common 
 '* people. This Error was foon found out 
 " and condemned by the Pope." 
 
 He adds a Second Story, -f- That *' the 
 ** Life of one who was deemed a Saint ^ 
 and who was reported to have lived above 
 four hundred years ago, was lately prin- 
 ted. It was all compiled from very an- 
 tient Manufcripts, (which were alfo 
 fhewn) produced out of the mod famous 
 libraries of Italy. So many Miracles were 
 told of him, and fo great ones, that he 
 
 (C 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 <c 
 cc 
 
 f Nuper etiam in lucem prodiit typis imprefla vita cujuf- 
 dam, qui fandli nomine cenrebatur,& antcquadringentosan- 
 nos floruifle fcrebatur. Tota colledla & compafta erat ex 
 antiquiffimis Manufcriptis (quae etiam often debantur) excc- 
 Jebrioribus Italiae Bibliothecis produftis. Miracula vero adeo 
 multa, adeoque magna de illo fcribebantur, ut temporum 
 fuorum Thaumaturgus merito poiTet appellari. Ejus corpus 
 fortuito, non fine Miraculi opinione,in vetufto monumento, 
 cum infcriptione antiquis Charaderibus incifa repertum eft. 
 Quis hie fraudem vel Mendacium fufpicaretur ? Et ta- 
 men nihil nifi fraus erat, & impoftura ; quse tamen ftatim 
 deprehenfa eft, & publico Romans Ecclefise edifto pro- 
 fcripta, 
 
 " ttiight 
 
(i93) 
 
 *^ might juftly be called the Wonderworker 
 *' of his times. His body was accidental- 
 " ly found, not without an Opinion of a 
 " Miracle, in an antient Monument, with 
 *' an Infcription cut in antient Charadlers. 
 " Who would here fufpedl any Frauds 
 *' or Lye? and yet it was all Fraud and 
 <^ Impojlure^ prefently found out, and con- 
 *' demned by an Edidt of the Church of 
 " Romer 
 
 Maraccius himfelf was one of thofe 
 that was appointed to examine into both 
 thefe cafes, and he owns that They * " a- 
 bundantly prove, that many and great 
 Miracles may be forged concerning any 
 one particular Man; and if the FiBion 
 be not difcovered, the Miracles will be 
 deemed true by all, and openly fpoke of 
 « as fuch." 
 
 He goes on, J Nor are thofe Arguments 
 
 O by 
 
 • Hi duo cafus, quibus Ego ipfe difcutiendls cum doc- 
 tiffimis Viris deputatus fui, fatis fuperque probant, pofle de 
 uno aliquo homine multa, & magna miracula conHngi; H 
 nifi fidlio deprehendatur vera ab omnibus haberi & prs- 
 dicari. 
 
 \ Neque argumenta ilia, quibus Adverfarii, Prophet* 
 fui Miraculorum veritatem probare conantur, ponderis alicu- 
 jus funt vcl Momenti. Quod enim aliquld maxim* vulga- 
 
 turn 
 
 <c 
 
( 194 ) 
 
 *' by which our Adverfaries endeavour to 
 
 " prove the Truth of the Miracles of their 
 
 *' Prophet, of any Weight or Moment, 
 
 /' For it is no Argument of the Truth of 
 
 ** any thing, that it is commonly fpread a- 
 
 *' broad and believed by Afo;^;', nay by -4//: 
 
 *^ as is plain from what Writers have 
 
 /^ faid about the Heathen Gods. They will 
 
 ,M; tell us, that ibme Miracles were done by 
 
 *' Mahomet^ before many witnejfes. But 
 
 ", .this is the point to be proved. For it is 
 
 . * J not enough, that it is received by Tradi^ 
 
 tlon\ nor that Fame has fpread fuch a 
 
 thing. Do T^raditiofi and Fame always 
 
 tranfmit truth only? Does Experience 
 
 :." confirm this? 
 
 I need not tranfcribe more : nor will a 
 Frotejiant defire more, than what this P(?- 
 pip Writer has laid down when he was to 
 
 turn fit, Sc ^ multis, vel etiam ab omnibus receptum, non efl; 
 certum veritatis argumentum ut patet in iis, quae de Diis Gen- 
 tium Ethnicarum Scriptores vulgavere. At enim, Miracula 
 quasdam a Muhameto multis coram tellibus fafta funt. Scd 
 Jioc eft probandum. Neque enim fatis eft, quod ita per tra- 
 ditlonem multonim habeatur, neque quod fama ita vulga- 
 verit. Anne traditio & fama, femper vera tranfmittunt ? 
 Experientia, hujus rei Magiftra eft ? Marac. Prodr. pars II. 
 j[>.6o. 
 
 confute 
 
(195) 
 
 confute the Alcoran. Here were many Mi- 
 racles, and great ones publifhed and belie- 
 ved by the common people: Here were 
 Witneiles on Oath to confirm the Truth of 
 the Miracles 5 and yet there was nothing 
 but Frauds Forgery and Lying, When 
 many Wit7ieJ]es are faid by the Mahometans 
 to attcft Mahomet*s Miracles, their teftimo- 
 nies are rejedled : Tradition is rejected ; com- 
 mon Fame is defpifed. What Evidence now 
 can be produced for Popijh Miracles^ that a 
 Protejlant ought to fubmit to, when he fees 
 how eafily iht Mahometan Miracles are fet a- 
 fide, or refuted, by this Catholic? 
 
 Should it be faid, that the Church of 
 Rome condemned as Impoftures the Miracles 
 faid to be done in the Two cafes juft 
 before mentioned; that therefore the Refi 
 ought to be admitted as true — How hard 
 will it be, to get this confequence admit- 
 ted; when we fee fo many ways (which 
 Maraccius himfelf has taught us) of guar- 
 ding againftit? The Fadt msiy he denied -, 
 the thing may be in itfelf incredible ; It 
 may be a trijle enlarged into a Miracle ; it 
 may be a Forgery undifcovered ; it may be 
 the Trick of wicked Men; it may be the 
 
 O 2 cffea: 
 
(196) 
 
 efFedl of downright Perjury, it may be a 
 ridiculous Aft ; in fhort, it may be fome- 
 thing that I cannot account for, but yet am 
 not obliged to believe, or concern myfelf a- 
 bout. So that thefe Lying wonders do not 
 ftand upon a foot of credibility ; nor can a 
 Papijl prove them to be real Miracles -, or 
 if he were able to prove them to have been 
 real Miracles, no Ufe can be made of them 
 to prove the Church of Rome to be the 
 true Spoufe of Chrijt, In fhort, the great 
 thing wanting in all thefe cafes is, to re- 
 move the Improbability of the thing itfelf 
 before the Miracle can be believed ; and till 
 fome Evidence is produced ftrong enough 
 for that purpofe, all the Objections which 
 this Author has produced againft the Maho- 
 metan Miracles, will ftand in full force a- 
 gainft the PopiJJj Miracles. 
 
 Should a Deift^ or any Infidel, attack a 
 Chrijiian in the fame manner as a Jioman 
 Catholic does a Mahometan, or a Proteflant 
 does a Papijl, and impute the Miracles of 
 Chrift to the fame Authors, or caufes, as 
 the Catholic does thofe of Mahomet, or the 
 Protejiant does thofe of Antichrijl — Either I 
 deceive myfelf much, or I have iliewn a 
 
 manifeft 
 
( »97 ) 
 
 manifeft diflference of the Cafes, The Mi- 
 racles of Chrift are fo circumftanced, that 
 their credibility does not depend upon the 
 fame ground or Evidence that the Miracles 
 of the Church of Rome do^ andconfequently 
 the one may be believed though the other 
 are rejeded as ridiculous, or feigned, or a 
 downright impudent impofition upon the 
 Senfcs of Mankind. 
 
 It may be fuggefted. That if inferior A- 
 gents can, or are permitted, to work Mi- 
 racles, and to give a Revelation to Mankind, 
 it will follow that the Great God himfelf 
 can never make a Revelation to us diftin- 
 guifliable from that which iwoh Inferior Be^ 
 ings give. The Being that afts is by fuppofi- 
 tion, Invifible : and though mighty works are 
 done, and thence we can infer Superiority of 
 power, yet we can never know what degrees 
 of power are imparted by God to fome Beings; 
 nor whether He acSs himfelf immediately or 
 riot, in giving a Revelation to us. 
 
 Admitting all this to be true, it makes 
 nothing againft the credibility of a Revela- 
 tion fupported by Miracles uncontrolled. I 
 dare not prefume to fay, that God cannot 
 immediately give to Man an indifputabb 
 
 O3 Teft 
 
./■^ }"^ »r 
 
 ( 198 ) 
 
 Teft of His Works, or of His Will: But 
 this I think, that notwithftanding we are 
 not Judges of what is the refult of the moft 
 perfcd: and abfoluteft Power, yet if fufficient 
 Evidence is given for a Doftrine's coming 
 from God, which appears to be worthy of 
 Him, and tends to our Happinefs, and this 
 be uncontrolled, we are obliged to follow it. 
 Nor does it fignify whether We can diftin- 
 guifh. Whether a dodrine worthy of God 
 comes from God himfelf immediately, or 
 not ; Since it is the Dodlrine that we are 
 to follow : And if I am put into the right 
 way that leads to my Journey's End, what 
 fignifies it Who the perfon is, that (hews 
 it me ? It is my Duty to purfue the path, 
 which I know to be the true one as foon as 
 I fee it ; Nor am I obliged to trouble myfelf 
 about the dignity or moral Charadler of the 
 perfon that puts me into it, further than 
 from given circumftances to judge whether 
 He knows the Road which I am bound to. 
 purfue. I muft 
 
 thirdly confider. What degree of Aflent 
 is due to any dodrine revealed, which ftands 
 confirmed by Miracles. This, if I mi- 
 flake not, lies within a very narrow com- 
 
 pafs. 
 
( 199 ) 
 
 pafs. For, however true the Doftrine may 
 be in itfelf, and however well attefted, yet 
 fince it is conveyed to us only through the 
 Channel of Authority, and we are not able 
 to prove it by any comparing of Ideas ; our 
 aflent to it cannot be the fame as to a pro- 
 pofition which we know, or can prove, but 
 it muft be proportioned to the grounds of 
 Probability that we are not impofed on. A 
 Miracle done in confirmation of a Propofi- 
 tion, does not prove any dodrine to be fo 
 true that it " implies a contradiftion, or an 
 '' Impoffibility in nature to fuppofe the con- 
 *' trary :" But it implies the Interpofition of 
 fome fuperior Being, who difcovers or de- 
 clares fuch or fuch a propofition to us as 
 true. Could we be certain, that none but 
 God alone can difcover any Truth from 
 above, we might be certain then, even to 
 demonftration, that the propofition revealed 
 was True ; becaufe we then {hould have the 
 Tedimony of one who could not in the na- 
 ture of things be deceived, nor could 
 deceive. And in this particular cafe. 
 Faith would be as certain as Reafon, and 
 pur Affurance of the Truth as ftrong as any 
 
 O 4 intu-^ 
 
( 200 ) 
 
 intuitive Knowledge could afford. But as 
 Other Beings may difcover to Man certain 
 Truths, our Affent muft always be propor- 
 tioned to our conception of the Ability and 
 Integrity of the Being that makes a Revela- 
 tion to us. 
 
 t Let us fuppofe that fome important 
 Truth is difcovered to us by one, who af- 
 fures us what he is; the Son of Gody the 
 Brightnefs of his Glory^ and the exprefi 
 Image of his Perjon ; one to whom all pow- 
 er is committed 'y the perfon by whom all 
 things were made^ and who is laord of all — 
 Suppofe, I fay, that fuch a perfon fhould 
 
 declare that he cajne to do the will of God^ 
 and fhould prove his Miffion by frequent 
 Miracles , and fhould difcover many im- 
 portant Truths^ — In this cafe, the Greatnefs 
 of the Perfon appearing, uncontrolled, and 
 giving us famples in all his works of the 
 powers he pretended to have, viz. to raife 
 the Dead, to forgive Sins, to grant Happi- 
 nefs or Mifery to his Servants, muft create 
 a very ftrong Affent. Not indeed Affent as 
 to Truths which " imply a contradid;ion, 
 ** or an impoffibility in nature to fuppofe 
 
 *' the 
 
(20l) 
 
 *^ the contrary," but to Truths as ufeful, and 
 fit for a reafonable creature to follow 5 to 
 fuch as are Probable in the higheji degree ; 
 to fuch as one cannot doubt or hefitate about. 
 Probability is a loofe word, of very indeter- 
 minate meaning ; and contains all the vari- 
 ous degrees of Credibility from what is 
 barely poflible, up to what is but a mathe- 
 matical point fhort of Certainty : /. e. it con- 
 tains infinite degrees, and therefore is capa- 
 ble of being much mifreprefented by a ma- 
 licious or abufive adverfary. When there- 
 fore I here fpeak of Probability,! mc^in by it, 
 that fuch great Inducements to admit the 
 Truths difcovered by fuch a perfon are to be 
 taken from the Miracles he did, that they 
 amount to, and muft caufe an Aflent of the 
 Mind, but a Point fhort of Demonftration. 
 
 A Miracle is fuppofed to be done, and an 
 Information is given by fome Superior In- 
 telligent Being, that one or more certain 
 fadts will happen ; and a fuppofition of 
 thefe fads will have an apparent tendency 
 to make men follow more ftriftly their 
 known Rule of Aftion. Let the points 
 revealed be— That there will be a general 
 
 RefurreSlion i 
 
( 202 J 
 
 RefurreBion 'y and that all muji appear at 
 the Judgment-Seat of Chrifi. What is the 
 degree of aflent which is to be given to 
 thefe Propoiitions ? I cannot demonftrate 
 the Truth of either of them, ,or reduce it 
 to a contradidion to fuppofe that there (hall, 
 or fhall not, be a RefurreBion^ or a future 
 Judgment by Jefus Chrifi: It is a future 
 fad, and only to be believed^ on the Autho- 
 rity of the Revealer. If it be alked— May 
 not the Revealer impofe upon and deceive 
 me ? — I cannot demonftratey that he may 
 not : But the Probability that he does not, 
 arifes fo near to certainty, that in refpect of 
 the conduct of Life it amounts to the fame. 
 The Revealer is a Being Superior to Man ; 
 (that is evident from the Miracle :) He is 
 uncontrolled by God: He is a Benevolent 
 Being, becaufe he is fo good as to difcover 
 ufeful Truths to me : He is more knowing 
 than any mortal is. Nov^ where Superior 
 Knowledge y and Superior Rower y uncon- 
 trolled, or no way hindered by the Governor 
 of all, and aftual Benevolence are (hewn, 
 what ground is ther^ to doubt of the T^ruth 
 revealed? One may hefitate, perhaps, where 
 
 one 
 
( 203 ) 
 
 one fees nothing but Power and Knowledge^ 
 or nothing that can or will diredt them to 
 proper ufes : but when Goodnefs is evident 
 in the Being who is bleffed with thofe other 
 Properties too, it is impoffible not to place 
 the higheft alTurance in his word, though 
 we cannot demonjlrate its Truth. 
 
 It is granted then that a Miracle is pro- 
 perly an Evidence of Power : And not a 
 diredl Evidence of Truth. But then it is 
 an Evidence of the Power of one, who is 
 fuperior to Man ^ and if he difcovefs any 
 ufeful Doftrine to us, the point is, How far 
 we ought in prudence to aflent to fuch a 
 Revelation ? Should a man in low circum- 
 ftances of Life meet with one of his own 
 Species that is his Superior, and has the 
 Reputation of great Power, Wifdom, and 
 Goodnefs, who fhould voluntarily diredl, 
 affift, and put him into the way of grow- 
 ing eafy and happy ^ — What regard ought 
 he to pay to fuch a benevolent kind Advi- 
 fer ? When a Miracle is fliewn, an Evidence 
 is produced of a Superior Being : whoever he 
 is. His Station in the Clafs of Beings fliews 
 him Superior to us, and to know more than 
 
 we 
 
\- 
 
 ( 2Q4 ) 
 
 we can ; and he appears to be kindly difpo- 
 fed towards us, by his difcovering an Vfefiil 
 piece of Knowledge to us : If he declares 
 that he is fent from Gody from the Great 
 Governor of all things, on fuch a particular 
 Meffage to his creatures, and the Meffage is 
 agreeable to all our Ideas of things, Belief 
 cannot be refufed, becaufe the commiffion 
 is attefted in a manner as extraordinary as 
 the Meffage itfelf is. It muft raife the Af- 
 fent of the Mind, which we call Faith ; 
 and it will be weaker or ftronger, in pro- 
 proportion to the Evidence we have of the 
 miffion. I proceed 
 
 Fourthly to enquire. Whether a partial 
 'Revelation will prove that it comes from 
 God himfelf, or from fome Inferior Being. 
 We have not any certain criterion by which 
 we can difcover whether any A6t be the re- 
 fult or effeft of the moji abfolute Power^ 
 and confequently whether God himfelf im- 
 mediately ads, or not. But may we not 
 guefs, in cafe a Revelation be made ? Should 
 a *' Revelation be given to one Nation, or 
 *' one People only, when the reft of Man- 
 " kind ftand alike in need of it," may it 
 
 not 
 
( 205 ) 
 
 not be " urged, that fuch a partial condiidt 
 ^^ makes it probable^ that it was not God, 
 " but fome other invifible Agent, who 
 " wrought thofe Miracles in favour of that 
 *^ Revelation." I anfwer. 
 
 That {hould fuch an inference be drawn, 
 it would not be a juft one ; becaufe God 
 might make ufe of an inferior Agent to ex- 
 ecute his purpofes, and yet thofe purpofes be 
 the fame, as if He executed them himfelf. 
 Did it indeed neceflarily follow, that a par-- 
 ttal Revelation could not be given, confident 
 with the Goodnefs and Power pf God, then 
 indeed it would be true, that God is not, or 
 could not be, the Author of a partial Re- 
 velation ; and if fuch a one was given, it 
 muft proceed from fome Inferior Being i 
 But where is the Inconfiftency with Good- 
 nefs or Power not to grant to every Beine 
 the utmoft they are capable of receiving ? 
 Or what neceffity is there, that if God adls at 
 all, he muft give all that poflibly can be recei- 
 ved ? In the ordinary courfe of God's Provi- 
 dence, the Goodnefs or the Power of God arc 
 not fo difplayed, as to make all Beings of the 
 fame Kind equal in all refpedts. All parts 
 
 of 
 
(206) 
 
 of the natural World are not fo difpofed as 
 to make all the Earth equally fertile, or e- 
 qually capable of producing the good things 
 of Life. I do not fpeak of places, which 
 by their difpofition on the Globe are Unin- 
 habitable, but of * fuch as are well peopled^ 
 and which by the Temperature of their 
 Clime are fit and proper for Inhabitants. 
 Why is there that difference betwixt the 
 deferts of Arabia, and the fertile foil of E- 
 gypt ? Why are fo many places in all well- 
 inhabited Countries to be cultivated with in- 
 finite Labour and Sweat, and Expence; 
 whilft others, perhaps contiguous, almoft 
 fpontaneoufly produce whatever is neceflary 
 for Life ? 
 
 This is by no means an Argument againft 
 God's Providence, but it only ferves to fhev^ 
 that one may as well argue againft Wijdom 
 and Goodnefs in God from fuch Topicks as 
 
 * Inter locorum naturas quantum interfit videnius: alios 
 cfle falubres, alios peftilentes : in aliis efTe pituitofos & quail 
 redundantes, in aliis exficcatos atque aridos : multaque funt 
 alia, qu2B inter locum & locum plurimum differunt. Athe- 
 tis tenue coelum, ex quo acutiores etiam putantur Attici: 
 cralTum Thebis j itaquc pingues Thebani & valentcs. C/f» 
 di fati. 
 
 thefe^ 
 
(207) 
 
 thefe, or that Thofe Properties were not 
 exerted in the making thofe barren Soils, 
 and thence to infer that God did not make 
 them, as to argue from the Inequality of 
 Revelation, that God him/elf did not make 
 it. 
 
 But go on to the Moral World, and fee 
 whether there is not a great diftindlion a- 
 mongft Mankind. Have all equal Parts and 
 Abilities, equal Underftanding, and Capaci- 
 ties ? Why then did not abfolute Goodnefs 
 and Power produce fuch Equality ? Whe- 
 ther we can find out the reafon of this, or 
 not, is not of any confequence : but I ar- 
 gue from the well known Fadl ; and fince 
 Every one fees fuch a manifeft Inequality, 
 fhould he reafon from thefe Properties of 
 God, that all men muji be equal, one may 
 be confident that he argues wrong. The 
 Conclufion does not follow from the Pre- 
 mifles in other vifible cafes: Therefore 
 fomc how or other we argue wrong in 
 this. 
 
 Perhaps it will be faid, — That the mani- 
 feft Inequality amongft Men, and all other 
 Animals, whenever compared with others of 
 
 the 
 
(208) 
 
 the fame Species, proves that they all were 
 not made by God, but by fome inferior 
 Being, who had Power and Goodnefs 
 enough to produce fuch Species of Creatures 
 as he did, but he had not power to make 
 all equally perfect: That this is the very 
 reafon of the Partialityy and difference be- 
 twixt Beings, which were all made by the 
 fame Invifible Agent, who if he had had all 
 the Wifdom and Power of the God and Fa- 
 ther of all, he would certainly have made 
 all of the fame Species equal. 
 
 But neither does this by any means fol- 
 low : For unlefs we could tell a prioriy that 
 it is not beft to have things as they are, or 
 that it was not the Will of God that they 
 fhould be as they are, we muft not prefume 
 to affirm that the prefent Scheme is not hefty 
 or was not agreeable to the Will of God. 
 So far as the human Mind has hitherto been 
 able to fearch and difcover the natures of 
 things, we fee nothing but Wifdom, and 
 excellent Art, and all the Contrivance ima- 
 ginable. The conclufion therefore is, not 
 that Wifdom is not made ufe of in parts in 
 which we are not able to trace it, but that 
 
 we 
 
( 209 ) 
 
 we are too fliort-fighted, and have not yet 
 fufficicntly difcovered what in procefs of 
 time may be as clear as the Sun at Noon- 
 day. How can it be fhewn that this Ine^ 
 quality is not the beft ? How can it be pro- 
 ved that it is not moft agreeable to the great 
 "Ends of Providence? Are we fufficicntly 
 acquainted with the Secrets of the Almigh- 
 ty ? Or are we competent Judges of the 
 Extent of his Thoughts ? How does it ap- 
 pear that the Great God might not fee rea- 
 fon for fuch an Inequality in his creatures, 
 even of thofe of the fame Species ? Sure I 
 am, it is more becoming fuch weak im- 
 perfedl creatures as we are, not to con- 
 clude from any thing's not being what we 
 fancy it ought to be, that therefore it is not 
 the work of God's hands, (efpecially where 
 we fee no Evil in its frame;) than to con- 
 clude againji a vifible faft, when we can 
 difcover a priori the Exiftence and Provi- 
 dence of God. 
 
 We are able by arguing from EfFeds to 
 Caufes to arrive at the Exiftence of the great 
 Firft Caufe of the Univerfc, who made and 
 governs all things : And wherever we arc 
 able to trace out any point, we perceive 
 
 P Wifdom, 
 
( 210 ) 
 
 Wifdom, and Skill, and final Caufes, which 
 manifeft fuch a Superintendency as cannot 
 he owing to Chance, or Fate, or Fortune. 
 It is but little that fuch (hort-fighted crea- 
 tures as we are can difcover ^ but yet we are 
 able, as I faid, to difcover a fuperintending 
 Being, and fome few of the General Laws 
 by which moral Agents are governed. What- 
 ever are the Orders of Spiritual Subfiftences, 
 or what Powers Good or Evil Beings may 
 have, or how far they can exert their Pow- 
 ers in our Sphere, we have no data to work 
 on, or at leaft not fufficient to make any 
 great difcoveries. 
 
 We know, that God is the Great Gover- 
 nor of all, to whom all things are fubfervi- 
 ent, and whofe Power no Being whatever 
 can refift. Be an Inferior Being Good or 
 Evil, he can neither oppofe the Power of 
 God, nor refufe Submiflion to his Autho- 
 rity, nor contradict his Will, without be- 
 ing obnoxious to a difpleafure fufiicient to 
 make him repent. 
 
 The Government of God is that of Or- 
 der, and not of Confufion, And therefore 
 
 Evil Beings as well as Good Beings, muft 
 
 be 
 
(211 ) 
 
 be under the general Laws of their State ; 
 and not be at Liberty to perplex and con- 
 found, terrify and affright, all fuch other 
 Agents as are inferior to them, without be- 
 ing accountable for their behaviour. But 
 then. 
 
 We cannot difcover by any light of rea- 
 fon, how this great machine is governed j 
 whether the Infinite, the Immenfe, the 
 Almighty God, immediately diredts and go- 
 verns all things Himfelf^ or whether He 
 does this by other Agents to whom He has 
 committed Authority and Power. Here 
 Revelation muft be our Guide, and did not 
 That tell us, we might be fure that Every 
 thing muft be tranfadted according to his 
 Will^ and to his Honour and Glory. To 
 infer therefore that a Revelation is not di- 
 vine^ becaufe it comes from a fubordinate 
 Being : or that fuch Being had not Power 
 to make us all equally perfeft, becaufe ia 
 fadt we are not made fo, is to argue abfurd- 
 ly, or without the leaft^ Probability of 
 Truth. 
 
 It is I think abfurd to pretend," that the 
 various fpecies of Beings were called into 
 Exiftence merely for the fake of Variety. 
 
 P 2 I have 
 
y if, *:. 
 
 (212) 
 
 I have no doubt that in the great Wifdom 
 of him that governs all things, a much 
 greater Good may be carried on thereby j 
 but v^hat that Good is, I prefume not to 
 determine. When I fee great Wifdom, and 
 great Goodnefs, exerted in every inftance 
 that I am able to comprehend, I cannot but 
 imagine that the fame Wifdom and Good- 
 nefs may be difcovered in all other Afts 
 where the fame Being is concerned. If 
 therefore there be a difference in the fame 
 Species of Creatures ; if one man is made 
 with greater Parts, Sagacity, Beauty, exaft- 
 nefs of Proportion, to fit him for bufinefe 
 than another ; I cannot but conceive that 
 Some End is to be ferved by this in the Go- 
 vernment of Providence, different from what 
 would be ferved, if all things were made 
 equal in all refpeds. And fo it may be in J 
 
 the cafe of Revelation made known at dif- 
 ferent times to different people : Some Good 
 Ends may be ferved, nay a greater Good 
 may be carried on in this method than in 
 any other : at leaft it correfponds exadlly to 
 the method of God's Providence in making 
 a great difference at prefent in creatures of ^ 
 the fame Species, If this be called a Par- 
 tiality, 
 
(213) 
 
 tialtty^ Of a DefeB of Benevolence in the 
 one cafe, fo it will be in the other : And 
 Both muft be condemned, or Both ac- 
 quitted. 
 
 I do not in this manner of reafoning afk. 
 Why all men had not all powers given 
 them : Or why God did not make all men 
 the Bejl and P&rfe5lejl Beings that He 
 could ? But, Why are not all Men of equal 
 Strength, Beauty, Proportion ^ of equal 
 Parts, Abilities, Capacities; of equal \]vi^ 
 derftanding and Memory 5 or of equal Tem- 
 pers and Difpoiitions to moral Good? Is 
 there not an appearance of Partiality in this, 
 as much as there is in giving a Revelation to 
 ibme and not to ethers ? The Fadl I think 
 is indifputable : and if we know not the 
 reafon of the conduft of Providence in this 
 cafe, we ought to argue from Analogy, ta- 
 king it for a fure Rule, that He that is per- 
 fect Wifdom and Goodnefs can never do a 
 foolifh or an unjuft Adion. We may not 
 be able to comprehend his ways; but to 
 condemn him as guilty of a defe<5t of Be^ 
 nevoknce^ becaufe he does not grant what 
 we have no Right to demand, and what,, 
 were he to deny us, he could not be faid to 
 
 P 3 injurs 
 
( 214 ) 
 
 injure us, or to do us any Injujlice^ would 
 be an Arrogance or Infolence not to be ex- 
 cufed, much lefs to be juftified. 
 
 But does not this Inequality make it pro- 
 babky that all fuch Beings as labour under 
 fuch great differences, are the Works of 
 fome Inferior Agent, and not of God him- 
 felf : and by Analogy, that a partial Reve- 
 lation proceeds in like manner from fuch 
 Inferior Being, and not from Him who is 
 all Poiver and Goodnefs ? 
 
 The Anfwer is. No. For one cannot 
 infer fuch a thing to be prohahle^ or likely y 
 unlefs one could by fome medium or other 
 prove, that God \i\m{€ii could not, or would 
 not, have created fuch an imperfedt creature 
 as Man is : or that his properties were fuch 
 as to prevent his making a difference in Be- 
 ings of the fame Species : Or that his Ends 
 cannot be obtained by giving to fome T^en 
 TalenfSy and to others but One. What we 
 have not fufficient data to reafon upon, 
 muft be very dark or obfcure : and to infer 
 a Probability from what is not fufiicient 
 to juflify fcarce a Pofjibility^ is idle and ab- 
 furd. But then, 
 
 I mufl 
 
( 215 ) 
 
 1 muft add, that fuppofing it probable 
 that an Inferior Being, and not God him- 
 felf, made all things, ( which can be known 
 only by a particular Revelation ) He muft 
 make them agreeably ^o the Will^ 2Xidi good 
 Fleajure of God, and in fugh manner as 
 God himfelf intended and dejigned. And 
 what Will be the difference in the cafes. 
 Whether God himfelf makes things, or a 
 fuborcjinate Agent makes them according to 
 his Will ? They will be what they are, in 
 cgfe of either Suppofition ; and the Argu- 
 ment drawn from the Wifdoniy GoodnefSy 
 and Power ^ of God, will make no diffe- 
 rence. For God muft biow and intend fuch 
 forts of Beings, whoever inade them : and 
 then as to all effedsand purpofes it will be the 
 fame, whether He does any thing immedi- 
 ately himfelf, or by the Agency of another. 
 
 The Notion we have of God as the Su- 
 preme Lord and Governor of all, implies, 
 Tliat fuppofing he has committed a Subor- 
 dinate Government of the World to any 
 Being, He muft have Powers and Abilities 
 equal to fuch an Office : He muft fo adl as 
 Bever to do any thing inconfiftent with the 
 Will of God, Suppofing now that 'This 
 
 P 4 Subor- 
 
(216) 
 
 Subordinate Governor were to reveal any 
 Truths to Mankind, and were himfelf to 
 work, or to caufe to be worked, any Mi- 
 racle in confirmation of fuch Truth, we 
 cannot prefume any thing lefs, than that 
 what he fays is agreeable to the Will of 
 God. Suppofing that this Subordinate Be- 
 ing made men with different capacities, 
 parts, &c. and fuppofe that he gave a par^ 
 tial Revelation, this muft be agreeable to 
 the Will of Gody who defigned fuch diffe- 
 rences, and approved them, and approved 
 fuch Revelation : and if we are to fland or 
 fall by our conformity to that, the ufes of 
 it are the fame as if God himfelf had imme- 
 diately given it. 
 
 But fuppofing it to be either God himfelf 
 or ioiHQ fubordifiate Being j that gives a Re- 
 velation, and that we are not able to deter- 
 mine which it is ; — the Point is, What de- 
 gree of Credibility has the Tubing itfelf? 
 The Revelation comes from fome Being fu- 
 perior to man: it is well attefted, and it 
 carries with it an inconteftable connexion 
 with our Happinefs. Is it of much Impor- 
 tance, as to our Conduct, who is the Ad- 
 vifer, if the Advice itfelf tends to make us 
 
 Happy ? 
 
(217 ) 
 
 Happy? Is it worth the difpute, whether 
 the King himfelf advifes, or whether He 
 fends his Agent to advife ? Or can we hope 
 to pleafe the perfon who fends us his Com- 
 mands, if inftead of obeying them, we arc 
 quarrelling about the perfon who brings us 
 the MeiTage, and imagine fuch Zeal to be 
 fufficient to juftify our Conduct ? 
 
 It may be faid. That admitting an Ine^ 
 quality among Men, yet the Cafes are not 
 parallel For " if things could have been 
 " better conflituted they would. The dif- 
 " ference betwixt the Capacities and Cir- 
 ** cumftances of men refults from the ori- 
 ginal Frame and Conftitutlon of things, 
 — and could not be provided againft with- 
 out the introdudlion of fome other, equal 
 or greater, Evil." But it is not fo in the 
 cafe of a partial Revelation : For " a more 
 *' general Good would be carried on by an 
 univerfal Revelation than is by a partial 
 one. Whereas, to make the cafes ex- 
 actly parallel, it muft be affirmed, that a 
 " Revelation made to all would be intro- 
 *' dudtive of fome equal or greater Evil, 
 " than what refults from its being given par- 
 *' tially to fome/* 
 
 Now, 
 
( 2i8 ) 
 
 Now in this comparifon, It is ifl: faid> 
 If things could have been better conftitu- 
 x.qA \}:ity would!* And again, " the DiC^ 
 ference of Capacities — could not be pro- 
 vided againft without the Introduction of 
 fome Equal or greater Evil." How does 
 this appear, without fuppofing a principle 
 which will equally refolve the Cafe of a 
 partial Revelation ? Tis aflerted that " the 
 *' difference of Capacities in Men could 
 " not be provided againft without the In- 
 ** troduftion of fome Equal or greater E- 
 ** vil /' Now it plainly implies no Contra- 
 didion, or Impoffibility in the nature of 
 the thing, to fuppofe all men of equal parts. 
 Beauty, Strength, Goodnefs : Why then were 
 they not made fo ? The known Wifdom 
 of the Agent, and the 'vijible fa5l to the 
 contrary, makes us conclude that this- 
 imperfect State, this Inequality of crea- 
 tures is beji. For as to us and our con- 
 ceptions, it will be hard to fay^ what Evil 
 would arife to mankind, were all men equal- 
 ly fagacious, benevolent, and good. How- 
 ever from the Wifdom and Power of the 
 great Creator of all, we determine in one 
 cafe that things are beft as they are : and 
 
 confi-- 
 
( 219) 
 
 Confidering the Weaknefs and Im : erfcction 
 of our Judgments, and the very little we 
 can trace out of the ways of him who is in- 
 finite in Knowledge and Goodnefs, we infer, 
 and that juftly, that Things could not have 
 been altered without the Introduction of 
 ibme equal or greater Evil. Ought we not 
 to argue in the fame manner about another 
 of the ways of Providence^ which I like- 
 wife do not underftand ; and from the Wif- 
 dom and Goodnefs and Power of God com- 
 pared with a Fact which I have full Evi- 
 dence of its coming from above, ought I 
 not to conclude that This Revelation could 
 not have been made to all equally, with- 
 out the Introduction of fome other equal 
 or greater Evil? 
 
 To fay, that we can conceive no harm 
 that would arife from an Univerfal Revela- 
 tion, and can conceive an Evil from a par- 
 tial one, is making ourfelves Judges contra- 
 ry to the Fact : and it will be replied, that 
 we can conceive no Evil from all men's be- 
 ing of equal Strength, and equally good 
 Conftitutions, and do fee Evil arifmg from 
 the defeds which men labour under in the 
 prefent cafe. 
 
 If 
 
( 220 ) 
 
 If It be faid, That the difference betwixt 
 the Capacities and Circumftances of men 
 qualifies them to attain different degrees of 
 Happinefs — it may be anfwered, That if 
 their Capacities were all equal to the befl 
 and greateft, and their Circumftances fo too, 
 they might be equally qualified for the befl 
 and greatefl Happinefs. For if difference 
 of Capacities and Circumftances differently 
 qualifies for Happinefs, equal Capacities mufl 
 equally qualify for it: And then the Que- 
 ftion will always be. Why did not the Wife 
 and Powerful God order things fo, that all 
 might equally attain equal Happinefs ? The 
 Anfwer to this will account for God's gi- 
 ving a Revelation to fome and not to o- 
 thers, fuppofing the End of Revelation 
 to be, that they which have it may at- 
 tain greater Happinefs, than thofe which 
 have it not. 
 
 But Greater Happinefs^ it is faid, is not the 
 point: " It may be expedled that a divine 
 *' Revelation would not be barely to qualify 
 ** men for obtaining a higher degree of 
 " Happinefs, than otherwife they are in 
 '■ danger of not obtaining, but alfo to ob- 
 " tain Happinefs itfelfm oppofition to its. 
 
 ** contrary. 
 
(221) 
 
 " contrary, and to prevent their Being 
 ^* greatly and laflingty miferable^ which 
 *' Mifery they are in danger of bringing 
 " upon themfelves ." From hence it is ar- 
 gued, " That if God out of a tender re- 
 ♦' gard for the well being of his creatures 
 kindly interpofed for the relief of Some^ 
 that regard would equally difpofe him to 
 interpofe for the relief of All in like 
 *' circumftances." 
 
 This is the Fifth Point I propofed, viz. 
 Whether God be obliged, fuppofing that 
 he grants a Revelation, to grant ic equally 
 to all Mankind ? 
 
 In order to determine this, it fliould 
 not be taken for granted that all who have 
 not the benefit of a Revelation are to be 
 greatly and lafiingly miferable. It is true, 
 that Man is an accountable creature; but it 
 cannot be true, that he is accountable for 
 what he never had. He has a law written 
 in his heart, by which, and for the breach 
 of which, he may juflly be tried : And his 
 Maker who knows him, and all the cir- 
 cumftances he is in, is the proper Judge of 
 his Abilities and Powers ; what were the 
 forces of Temptations \ what difficulties he 
 
 had 
 
( 222 ) 
 
 had to ftraggle with J what Opportunities 
 he had j what Light of Mind -, what Know- 
 ledge and Underilanding; and in fliortp 
 what was the true State of his cafe ; and 
 will not condemn any one arbitrarily and 
 unjuftly. They that have not the benefit 
 of Revelation, are not on that account to be 
 miferabky more than are all they who have 
 it, to be happy. But Revelation is to b^ 
 confidered as Light and Knowledge ; and an 
 Improvement in Morals in confequence of 
 greater Knowledge, is like the Improve- 
 ment of many Talents^ it mufl qualify for 
 proportional rewards. 
 
 It will be faid, That there was no Occa- 
 fion for Revelation on this account, fmce 
 God might have granted different, or a pro- 
 portional degree of Happinefs, without 
 granting any Revelation. But this is 
 fuppofmg it unworthy of God, to caufe 
 fuch differences of circumftances, as 
 might deferve and have extraordinary 
 degrees of Happinefs. God may grant 
 indeed his Happinefs as He thinks fit; 
 but if He is pleafed to fuit fuch and 
 fuch degrees of it to fuch as have made 
 a proportionable Advance in Virtue, He 
 
 may 
 
( 223) 
 
 may grant the means to fuch Advance, and 
 thus create as it were thefe New Relations. 
 Suppofmg therefore a certain proportional 
 Growth in virtuous Habits to be the ground 
 of Reward, God might difpenfe what is 
 the efFecSt of Favour as he pleafes and when 
 he pleafes : and whilfl: he injures none, he 
 may grant capacities for Happinefs in the 
 grant of Revelation, juft as he grants 
 different Abilities to Men which will be 
 rewarded according to their Improvements. 
 Can any one pretend to fay, What perfec- 
 tion fome Men have been brought to in 
 confequence of their Faith in Chrift, and 
 their careful endeavour to obey his will? Or 
 what particular degrees they may attain in 
 the Scale of Happinefs, which without 
 Revelation they might not have attained ? 
 
 It may be urged, " That if a Revelati- 
 " on be ufeful, or neceflary, or a kindnefs 
 *• to one nation, it muft be alike ufeful, or 
 ^' neceflary, or a kindnefs, to all, at lead to 
 *' all in like circumflances\' " Were it 
 •* equally in any one's power to affift: feve- 
 ** ral as One, it would be an inflance of 
 ** Partiality^ and an Indication not of true 
 
 " Goodneji 
 
( 224) 
 
 " Goodnefs, but of fome other Motive which 
 " excited to Adtion " Now, 
 
 Admit that a Revelation is a kindnefs 
 wherever it is granted, and is alike to all in 
 like circumftances ; when this rule comes to be 
 applied to particular inftances, we are as much 
 at a lofs as if we had no fuch rule. For we do 
 not know that Revelation was not given to 
 all that were in like circumftances: Nor 
 is any Mortal Man a competent Judge who 
 are, or who are not, as to this, in like cir- 
 cumftances. Nor is it right to fuppofe, or 
 take for granted, that all Mankind are in 
 like circumftances, and thence to argue a- 
 gainft the condudt of God. The Argu- 
 ment {hould be (if any thing can be con- 
 cluded from this way of Reafoning) ftated 
 thus — Like Kindnefs does 7iot appear to be 
 (hewn to all mankind by Him who is al- 
 wife, powerful and good. Therefore they 
 are not all in like circtcmjiances. It is true, 
 *' that a good and wife Being will always 
 " diredl his Aftions by the Rules of Wif^ 
 " dom and Goodnefs, and will not difpenfe 
 " his Favours arbitrarily and partially.'* 
 But then if we pafs a Judgment on the 
 Aftions of God without knowing his Ends^ 
 
 or 
 
(225) 
 
 or without knowing the Reafons of his Ac- 
 tions, or of his defigns,we cannot but be guil- 
 ty of Prefumption and Arrogance. 
 
 We fee a plain faB^ which runs through 
 all that we know, whether it be the Na- 
 tural, the Animal, or the Moral World: 
 There are in them all, differences in crea- 
 tures of the fame Species. The Fact is in- 
 difputable, whatever is the caufe. Say that 
 thefe differences arofe from the Will of God, 
 or his immediate A5i ; or fay that it arofe from 
 the AG. of an Inferior invifible Agent, acting 
 according to the Will of God, the Fadt it- 
 felf cannot be denied. The Wijdom and 
 the Goodnefs of God is not pretended to 
 be affeded by this : but if we move a Step 
 farther, and talk of Revelation given to 
 Some and not to others, then — This is 
 Partiality and Lijiifiice. I ask, Why is not 
 Partiality and Injujiice in the ordinary 
 courfe of things, as much as it is in the 
 Extraordinary} God has given to fome 
 Men Abilities to reafon, and to trace out 
 his Exiftence, Attributes, Properties, and 
 the general Laws of his governing the Na- 
 tural and Moral World: Others can no 
 more underlland, even now when they are 
 found out, much lefs could they ever 
 
 Q^ have 
 
( 226 ) 
 
 have found out thefe Laws, than they can 
 fly. Is this Partiality or Injujtice^ or want 
 of Goodnefs ? No. Go a Step further, and 
 fuppofe that God fhould difcover his Mind, 
 or lay down to fome the Scenes of his Pro- 
 vidential Government of Mankind, and not 
 to Others— This is Partiality. Why? Is 
 It more partial than to give Powers to 
 fome^ which they can improve to the Be- 
 nefit of their Moral condudl, and increafe 
 in Knowledge and Virtue, greatly in com- 
 parifon of Others who have no fuch Abili- 
 ties? Either^// {hould be made £j'«^/ in 
 all refpefts, or a difference and diftindion 
 may be made without the Imputation of 
 Partiality y or JVa7it of Goodnefs. 
 
 It will be faid, " That God does good 
 ** for Goodnefs fake ; and that therefore he 
 *V will difpenfe his Favours alike to all who 
 " are alike the Objeds of his Goodnefs." 
 But, 
 
 I. Does it follow from the known Good^ 
 nefs of God, that all tlie pofible Good that 
 Qod himfelf can do to any or all his crea- 
 tures, inuji be done by him ? Is He obli- 
 ged to make all his creatures Eqiialy by gi- 
 ving them all the Benefits which he can 
 •--w ... confer 
 
(227) 
 
 confer upon them? Or may he not con* 
 fult his own Ends, and give various Ta- 
 lents, as he in his infinite Wifdom may 
 think proper? Or, 
 
 2. Does it follow from the Goodnefs of 
 God, that he muft difpenfe his favours to 
 all, who are alike Objeds of his Goodnefs, 
 at one and the fame time ? Or cannot Fa- 
 vour be (hewn to One, until it is {hewn to 
 another ? It is granted that Injury is not to 
 be done to any one ; and that whatever is 
 any one's Rights or what he can demand as 
 its own, or what it would be Injiijlice to 
 deny, there God is obliged to act equally, 
 and he would be properly partial were he 
 to act otherwife. But to act partially, is not 
 merely to grant favours to So7ne and not to 
 Others -, but it is to do f6 without any reajon 
 for fuch Action. He is not partial that 
 fhews Kindnefs to fome particular pcrfons ; 
 but He that does it without good reafon, 
 without any Ends that may juftify his con- 
 duct. And, 
 
 3. 'Tis true that God does good for Good^ 
 fiejsfake : but yet his Goodnefs is always de- 
 termined by his Wifdom, and he does Eve- 
 ry thing for Wife Ends. Now fuppofe that 
 
 0^2 Cod 
 
{ 228 ) 
 
 God may deftgn^ that his creatures fliould 
 go on towards Perfection ; that they fliall 
 have Opportunities of acting fome how and 
 fome where, if they have not thro' their 
 own faults neglected the Opportunity offered 
 to them : That they fhall all have proper 
 Opportunities in their time, if they reject 
 not the council of God againft themfelves, 
 of becoming the Objedls of God*s Good- 
 nefs. This is not an abfurd or an unlike- 
 ly fuppofition ; And We have feveral in- 
 ilances in Natural Philofophy which are a- 
 nalogous to this Moral reafoning, which 
 iliew us how things may approach conti- 
 nually nearer and nearer, and yet can ne- 
 ver tojich. How can it be known that 
 this is not, or may not be the cafe of Man 5 
 or that he may not be advancing higher and 
 higher towards the All perfect Being, and yet 
 never be able to come up to abfolute Perfec- 
 tion ? what if thofe who have great Light 
 and Knowledge communicated to them ad- 
 vance a Step in this Scale nearer and higher 
 than others do ? And what if others fucceed 
 them as Opportunities offer ? And is it of 
 much confequence, whether this Opportu- 
 nity be offered to all ^t once -, or whether the 
 
 progrefs 
 
(229) 
 
 progrefs may be kept up by fucceffive Op- 
 portunities granted? 
 
 We do not know, nor can we pretend to 
 know the great Deligns or Ends of Provi- 
 dence : and therefore if any poffible Scheme 
 can be conceived confident with Wijdom 
 and Goodnefs, it may juftly be offered, be- 
 caufe we know that God is a Wife and 
 Powerful and Good Being, and always 
 afts according to the Rules of Right. It 
 does not follow from God's doing Good 
 for Goodnefs fake^ that therefore He muft 
 make all his creatures equal -y or difpenfe 
 to all equal Favours : it does by no means 
 follow, that if a Revelation be granted to 
 fome and not to others, that therefore God 
 himfelf does not give it , nor that an inferi- 
 or fubordinate Agent does give it. For the 
 Interpofition of God himfelf, may be re- 
 conciled fcO fuch a Difpenfation, as well as 
 to that of fome other Being whofe Abili- 
 ties are bounded : Nor can more be infer- 
 red from a particular Revelation than this. 
 That it was not the JVill of the great Go- 
 vernor of all things that it fhould be other- 
 
 Q.3 It 
 
( 230 ) 
 
 It may be objected, that if we are fo 
 Ignorant of the Schemes of God as not to 
 be able to form a Judgment about the Good 
 or Evil of them, than the moft barbarous^ 
 and burdenfome InftitUtions " may be 
 *' from God. For even thefe in their re-r 
 *' mote and fecret confequences may be for 
 *' the Good of mankind; and were a Mi- 
 " racle or number of Miracles to be worked 
 " in behalf of fuch an Inftitution, an Op- 
 *^ pofer might be anfwered, that as extra- 
 *^ ordinary Evidence was given in behalf 
 of fuch an Inftitution, it ought to be ad- 
 mitted, though we perceive no good arifing 
 from ity 
 But let it be obferved, 
 I. That a Revelation is not bad in itfelf^ 
 nor is it to be charged with the Abufes 
 that a free Agent may make of it, more 
 than Reafon is to be loaded with the Evils 
 which a perverfe Being of intelligence may 
 make of that. Be a Revelation ever fo good 
 in itfelf, it may be perverted, and made ufe 
 of to quite contrary ends to thofe for 
 which it was defigned : and the Donor of it 
 is no more chargeable with thefe perverted. 
 
 confe- 
 
 
( 231 ) 
 
 confequences, than God is for giving any 
 free Being good powers which he neglects 
 or abufes. 
 
 2. 1 am perfuaded that no inftance can 
 be produced of any revealed Inftitution, the 
 good end of which is not to be feen. For 
 a Revelation is not to be charged with 
 confequences which ignorant, or foolifh, 
 or wicked, Men may objecft, but only with 
 fuch as naturally arife from // itfelf^ and 
 not from the Corruptions and GlofTes that 
 artful Men may make or add to it. But, 
 3. Suppofing an Inftitution which is now 
 deemed to be burdenfom; it is poffiblc 
 that what at other times, and other places, 
 and other circumftances, may feem fo, 
 might not have been fo at the given time, nor 
 be in given circumftances irrational. If we 
 at this diftance can difcover the remaim 
 of a beautiful Fabrick, over which much 
 Rubbifti has been caft, we fliould not 
 call the Fabrick itfelf deformed and iU 
 contrived, which in truth deferved and 
 had that Appellation only from the Rub- 
 bifti which concealed its Excellency. We 
 ^rc apt to give hard words, and contemp- 
 
 0^4 tuoua, 
 
(232) 
 
 tuoiis language, to what we do not un- 
 derftand -, whereas the confequence (hould 
 be, that if whatever wc do underftand is 
 juft and reafonable, and all proceeds from 
 a wife Being, what we do not underftand 
 is moft probably Wife and Good, becaufe it 
 proceeds from fuch a Being. 
 
 4. It is not therefore enough for any 
 one to take notice of fome Evils, Corrup- 
 tions, Abufes, openly avowed and main- 
 tained by fuch as lay claim to Revelation ; 
 or to argue from fuch Notions, or Perver- 
 lions, that therefore fuch or fuch Revela- 
 tion could not come from God, becaufe he 
 muft and did forefee the perverfe Ufe that 
 would be made of it. But Revelation 
 fhould be confidered as it is in itfelf ; all 
 prevailing Opinions, all received Interpre- 
 tations fhould be difcarded ^ and men fhould 
 come to it juft as they do to any other 
 Books: they fhould confider the natural, 
 vifible ufe of it amongft the Perfons, and at 
 the times, to whom, and in which, it was 
 given ; if any thing was peculiar to one age, 
 that ought not to be fuppofed as necelTary 
 for all : and from hence the true Eftimate 
 of its Good or Evil is to be made, and not 
 ... from 
 
(233) 
 
 from other Perfons and other Times for 
 which it was not defigned. 
 
 ^thh\ When a Revelation is given to the 
 World, great care fhould be taken not to 
 comprehend under that word, what is not 
 Revelation. For it is eafily poffible to be 
 led into very great miftakes by a carelefs or 
 inaccurate manner of Expreffion upon fuch 
 Subjects. And then, 
 
 bthly^ Suppofing an extraordinary Evi- 
 dence were given that a Revelation comes 
 from above ; and fuppofing too that " we 
 '* perceive no good arifing from it," what 
 fhould be the natural thought on fuch an 
 Occafion ? The Miracle demonftratcs an 
 immediate Interpofition, and makes the 
 Fad indifputable : the only difficulty is, 
 that /, weak imperfed. as I am, cannot per- 
 ceive any good arifing from this Revelation, 
 though it has fubfifted for Many Centuries. 
 Is it not natural to afk — Whether I have 
 any certain means, by which I can compare 
 one Generation of men with another, fo as 
 to be able to determine which upon the 
 wholie is bed or worfl ? We find a great 
 Evil of fome particular Species, in the pre- 
 fent Generation j and we fee and feel it> 
 
 and 
 
and therefore judge the prefent to be worfe 
 than the paft Generation of which we read, 
 and have no more to reafon upon, than 
 what happens to be taken notice of by the 
 Writers of thofe times. We fee certain £- 
 Vi7s very rife in one Generation, which we 
 know had not any Exiftence in another : 
 But then, we do not fee fhe Good done in 
 that very wicked Generation, not taken no«. 
 tice of by thofe who are ready to paint 
 what deferved diflike, in the very blackeft 
 colours. The Enormous Vices make a 
 great figure in the Generation defcribed by 
 a warm Hiftorian, who takes but little no- 
 tice of much Good done by very many : 
 and yet even what Some will reprefent asr 
 Enormous Vices, may be in themfelves no 
 Faults : Nay, Some of them may be Ex- 
 cellencies. Party-Reprefcntations are al- 
 ways Sufpicious J and Zeal will eafily con- 
 vert Virtues into Vices, and Vices into Vir- 
 tues. Good men may eafily imagine that 
 very few arc good, when yet there are ma^- 
 ny thoiifands who will not bow a knee unto 
 Baal. Every Generation is fancied to be 
 worfe than the former ; and the humor has. 
 prevailed to talk in that manner, for fome 
 
 thoufanda 
 
( 235) 
 
 thouftnds of years: But this only proves 
 that prefent Objefts appear bigger than re» 
 mote ones : and that our prefent Paflions 
 work upon us, and govern us where they 
 are touched ; but in other points we are 
 cool, and impartial, and indifferent. '^ 
 
 I do not here argue from the Jeered and 
 remote conjequences which a Revelation may 
 have upon Mankind; but affirm, that if 
 in its natural confequences it brings an ap- 
 parent Good, the thing itfelf ought to be 
 admitted ; that we make ourfelves too often 
 very incompetent Judges of the Good that 
 may be done in and by a thing of this nature ; 
 that we are not to argue againft ^\i2Xmay{o be 
 perverted, as to produce Evil amongft carelefs 
 and ignorant men : but we ought to reafoa 
 from the nature and intent of the Revela- 
 tion itfelf, and fee whether it will not pro- 
 duce much Good if it be followed, or whe- 
 ther it tends to produce Evil, unlefs it be 
 abiifed. 
 
 Thushavelconfidered the cafe of Af/r^- 
 cles^ and have flie wn what Credit is due to the 
 Gofpel'Miracles in particular, and how they 
 maybe diftinguifhed from all Others ; Hence 
 
 will 
 
(236) 
 
 wili It be eafy to determme what Aflent is 
 due to all Revelation, and to That of Chrlfl; 
 in particular. God grant that what is de- 
 figned for the promoting of his Glory may 
 be ef^dlual to that purpofe, if what is faid 
 be true : if not, that he may raife up fome 
 abler hand, to do juftice to a caufe, which 
 ought to be fupported by nothing but 
 Truth^ and which has been confounded by 
 fo many wicked frauds, that it has puzzled 
 many an honcft man to diftinguifli between 
 what he ought to believe, and what he 
 ought to refufe his Aflent to. 
 
 FINIS, 
 
 A P O S T- 
 
<237) 
 
 POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 In ANSWER to the 
 
 Lord Bifliop of Lichfield's Charge 
 to his Clergy. 
 
 IT is, my Lord, with the greateft con- 
 cern and uneafinefs that I am obliged 
 to trouble your Lordfhip with any com- 
 plaint ; but I think myfelf fo much mifta- 
 ken, and mifreprefented, and am fet in fo 
 bad a Light to the Clergy of your Diocefe, 
 by the Charge delivered by your Lordfhip 
 to them, and fince made public, that I am 
 perfuaded your Lordfhip will not be dif- 
 pleafed, nor they neither, if in this public 
 manner I attempt to clear myfelf of what 
 your Lordfhip has publicly imputed to 
 me. 
 
 I do not defign to concern myfelf ai fre^ 
 fent with any other part of your Charge than 
 
 what 
 
(238) 
 
 what relates to the Subjeft I am immedi- 
 ately upon ', viz. the Miracles and the Pro^ 
 phecies of the Scriptures, And here as I 
 ftand charged by your Lordfhip with having 
 *^ kjjmed or depretiated the Authority of the 
 ** FaBs recorded in the Gofpel/* and with 
 having " depretiated all the Prophecies but 
 " thofe oi Daniel^' P- 33- and confequently 
 with having proportionably diminiflied " the 
 *' credibility of the Chriftian Religion^"— 
 permit me, my Lord, to examine this impu- 
 tation with all that deference that is due to 
 your Lordfhip, and with that Juftice that Is 
 due to myfelf and my own Charadler. 
 
 The Firji Point which here I fliall coDr- 
 iider is, your Lordfhip^s Charge of '' lejfen-^ 
 " ing or depretiating the Authority of the 
 " Fads recorded in the Gofpel,'*/. 25. By 
 the FaBs^ your Lordfliip means " the Mr- 
 racles that Jefus Chrift performed, or the 
 Prophecies that he accompli fhed." ibidi 
 And as to the Miracles^ your Lordfliip has 
 particularly in view, T!wo: " Thofe that 
 " relate to the power exercifed by "Jefus 
 " over Satan and all his infernal Spirits, in 
 " the difpoffeffion of them from the Bodies 
 " of miferable men over whom they moft 
 
 *' cruelly 
 
 
(239) 
 
 « cruelly tyrannized :"p.2 5. And that other, 
 " the Eclipfe of the Sun which was quite 
 " contrary to the courfe of nature at the 
 *' time of our Lord's Crucifixion " p.34. 
 
 I will not complain, my Lord, of hard 
 ufage, or of unjuft Rcprefentations, to your 
 Lordfliip ; but will only fay in general, That 
 fuppofing all that I have faid about Phle- 
 gon's Tejlimonyy and all that I have faid a- 
 bout the Demoniacks of the Gofpel, to be 
 falfe ; yet I deny that ever I depretiatedov lef- 
 fened thQ Miracles of Chrift, I have endea- 
 voured to reprefent them as what I thought, 
 and do ftill think, they were : and tho' your 
 Lordfhip may difapprove my Sentiments, and 
 may be convinced thati am miftaken, yet the 
 Reafons produced by your Lordfliip, are not 
 fuch as, I apprehend, will juftify fo heinous 
 an Imputation, as lejjening or depretiating the 
 Miracles of Chrift. 
 
 To make good your Lordfliip'^s charge 
 you fay, that by reprefenting our Lord's 
 *^ cafting out Devils to be no more than 
 ** miraculous Cures of the mere difeafes of 
 ^^ Madnefs and Epilepfies, I moft certainly 
 ** fubjiitute Miracles of an inferior kind in 
 
 '\ the 
 
( HO ) 
 
 ** the room of thofe that are much fuperiof 
 '« to them •," p. 26. and thus it is that I /g/- 
 fen or depretiafe them. Now 
 
 I/?, Suppofing it true, that I have *' fuh- 
 " ftituted Miracles of an inferior kind," 
 yet it muft be acknowledged that the Mif- 
 iion of our Lord, and the Evidence for that, 
 is fecured upon the principles that I contend 
 for. For if Miracles be really done, there is no 
 neceffity that every one muft be of the high- 
 eft kind poflible, in order to eftablifh and 
 confirm the Dodrine, or the Miflion of the 
 perfon that comes from God. And if no- 
 thing that weakens the Evidence for Chrift's 
 Miflion be maintained, — Surely the affair of 
 the Demoniacks may be amongft thofe Ca- 
 fes where Men of Learning may abound in, 
 and enjoy, their own Senfe. But 
 
 2^/y, I deny that I have fubftituted an 
 inferior kind of Miracle in the room of one 
 that hfuperior. Your Lordfhip acknow- 
 ledges the Miracle, upon my reprefentation 
 of it, to confift in the " making alterations 
 " in the Blood and other Humours, and 
 ** even in the Nerves themfelves," fo as in- 
 flantaneoufly to cure the difordered habit, by 
 a word, without touching the difeafed per- 
 fon. 
 
C 241 ) 
 
 fon. This is what you call a Miracle of 
 the inferior kind. The fiiperior kind of 
 Miracle, is the commanding an Evil Spirit, 
 or a Legion of them, to leave a man. 
 Now I cannot but apprehend the former 
 of thefe to be the greateji Miracle of the 
 Two. For it feems no mighty matter for a 
 Perfon of our Saviour's Greatnefs, T!he Son 
 of God 'y the Perfon who made all things y and 
 by whom all things fubfi/i j the bright nefs of 
 God's Glory y and the exprefs Image of his 
 perfon ; — it feems, I fay, no mighty matter 
 for fuch a perfon to command an inferior 
 Being to depart out of his prefence, or to 
 go out from fuch a place: Whereas to 
 change inftantaneoufly the fluids and folids 
 of a difordered Habit without any Touch, 
 or external Application, and thus to cure 
 them, argues an Exertion of real Power^ 
 Superiority of Station or Authority is all that 
 is neceflary in the one cafe : in the other, 
 there muft be the Exercife of real invifible 
 Power. But 
 
 3^/y, Is every miraculous cafe recorded in 
 the Sacred Writings always fo to be under- 
 ftood as to make it the moft miraculous 
 
 R poffible? 
 
( 242 ) 
 
 poffible ? Or, Is it a fault fo to underftand 
 the Scriptures, as not to reprefent the Mira- 
 cle as great as poffible ? Your Lordfliip is 
 pleafed to cenfure me for depretiating^ lef- 
 Jeningy and Jinking the Miracles of Chrift. 
 To make out this Accufation you fay, — 
 *' They that Jink them into Cures, though 
 *' confeffedly miraculous, — do moji certainly 
 *^ fubftitute Miracles of an inferior kind in 
 " the room of thofe that are much fuperior 
 " to them, fince it is evident that the im- 
 *' mediate reftraint and abfolute command 
 " of Evil Spirits confidered as free Agents, 
 " and tranfported with rage and malice to 
 *' mankind, is a Miracle of a much higher 
 *^ clafs than the Cure of bodily Difeafes, 
 " by making alterations in the blood and 
 " other humours, and even in the Nerves 
 " themfelves, that are matter, and depend 
 ^ upon Mechanifm," p. 26, Your Lord- 
 fhip here takes for granted what appears to 
 me to want great and clear Proof. You fay 
 " it is evident that the immediate reftraint 
 and abfolute command of Evil Spirits — is a 
 Miracle of a much higher clafs — than the 
 cure of bodily Difeafes. This is fo far 
 
 from 
 
( 243 ) 
 
 from being evident to me, that the contrary 
 feems moft true. A Perfon of fuperior 
 Power and Authority may command and 
 will be obeyed : and the Authority of a Su- 
 perior is eafily proved by the ready Submif- 
 fion of the Inferior : nor is any thing elfc 
 necelTary than barely to fpeak his Will : But 
 the cafe of a Cure of bodily difeafes requires 
 not Authority, but Power and Skilly to 
 fet all Parts to right, and to make the 
 machine (excufe my ufe of this word,) 
 go as it ought to do. A Prince may com- 
 mand and be obeyed by his Inferiors : and 
 yet have no Power or Judgment to cure a 
 diftemper. What therefore your Lordfhip 
 here fays, is evident and certain^ requires 
 good proof; and efpecially fince it is made 
 the Subjed: of a grievous Accufation. But 
 
 n^thly^ Let us admit that I really have 
 " fubftituted a Miracle of an inferior kind 
 *' in the room of one that is of a much fu- 
 *^ perior," (which yet I deny that I ever 
 have done,) your Lordfliip will flill have it 
 to prove, that I have depretiated, lejjcned^ 
 or funk the Authority of the Fads re- 
 corded in the Gofpel. To depretiate or 
 
 R z lejjen 
 
( 244 ) 
 
 kjjen the Authority of any Fad, is to 
 make it have lefs credit by fpeaking againft, 
 or by fpeaking flightly or contemptuoufly of 
 it. This indeed would be a crime, which 
 had I even careleflly or inadvertently been 
 guilty of, I (liould have no occafion for re- 
 proach from others: mine own confcience 
 would foon have condemned me, and I' 
 Ihould have been among the firft that 
 would have afked the World's pardon. But 
 to interpret or to underftand a miraculous 
 cafe fo as not to fuppofe the greatefi power 
 pojftble exerted, in order to produce the Ef- 
 fedt, is not to depretiate or lejjen the Aiitho-- 
 rity of the Fadt; but to enquire into the 
 meaning of the Fa<3, and thence to deter- 
 mine what the cafe is. Your Lordfhip will 
 cxcufe me if I add 
 
 t^thly^ My thanks to your Lordfhip for 
 acquainting the World, that the Scheme 
 which I have advanced, is not to be found 
 in the Commentaries of Socinus, or the Fra- 
 tres Poloni. Had any of thofe Gentlemen 
 happened to have maintained the fame Senti- 
 ment that I have, I had certainly been ranked 
 in what your Lordfhip may think very ill 
 
 ^v^ compan}^ 
 
( 245 ) 
 company. Thefe fame Fratres Poloni were 
 furely very wicked, very impious Fellows, 
 that whenever any one is defigned to be 
 painted in odious Colours, or reprefented as 
 fit to be hunted down, his Notions are pre- 
 fently taken from The?72 1 Happy for me that 
 I am not caught in fuch company! But 
 why then are they brought in, or mentioned 
 by your Lordfliip, fince it feems your Lord- 
 ihip fays that what I fay is not to be found 
 among them ? But I muft go a little further, 
 and fay, fuppofing that any of thofe dread- 
 ful writers had faid that the Demoniacks of 
 the Gofpel were nothing more than Epilep- 
 ticks, or atrabilarian Madmen, would the 
 Notion have been more or lefs true ? Why 
 are thefe Fratres Poloni mentioned, when 
 you allow that what I fay is not to be found 
 in them, unlefs it be in your Zeal for fome- 
 thing to exprefs your wiflies to join me with 
 them, and thus to raife an odium againft a 
 book which has not yet been confuted ? 
 
 6thly, I do not think it neceffary, or pro- 
 per, here to enter into the debate about De- 
 moniacks. I will only fay, that it is not a 
 fijfRcient refutation of my Notion, which 
 
 R 3 youc 
 
( 246 ) 
 
 your Lordfhip urges from '' the Number 
 " of thofe ejefted Demons being fome- 
 *' times fo minutely fpecified j a circum- 
 " ftance" fays your Lordfhp " inconfiftent 
 ^ with THEIR being mere difeafes" p. 27. 
 I do not remember, my Lord, that I ever 
 faid that Demons were mere difeafes, I have 
 maintained indeed that Perfons labouring 
 under certain Diforders have themfehes im- 
 puted fuch Diforders to Demons as the cau- 
 fes of them: and fo likevvife have many 
 others done befides the Difordered perfons. 
 But I do not remember that I have ever 
 maintained Demons or Devils to be Difea- 
 fes. There have been thofe, my Lord, who 
 have *' fometimes fo minutely fpecified the 
 " Number of thofe ejedted Demons," as to 
 make themfelves the Subjedts of great ridi- 
 cule. I have heard of a famous Prefbyte- 
 rian Preacher at Edinburgh, who, by en- 
 tering into a minute calculation of what 
 Number made a Legion, and how the De- 
 vils muft be divided to enter into two thou- 
 fand Swine, told his people, that '* there 
 « «z£;^r^ not above T^bree Devils to each Hog!^ 
 But then the remaining 666 Devils, the w- 
 
( 247 ) 
 
 ry Number of the Beajly being left undifpo- 
 fed of, they, faid he, entered into Anti- 
 chrift, where they have been ever fince. 
 This was the good man's account of this Mi- 
 racle : but Others, who have not fo dex- 
 troully been able to difpofe of thefe odd 
 Numbers, have been forced to fomething 
 very like fplitting of Devils. Now which 
 is it that " expofes the Gofpels to down- 
 *' right ridicule and contempt," fuch as 
 talk in this way, or fuch as ufe even for- 
 ced Interpretations^ even as forced as thofe 
 odious men the Fratres Poloni^ I leave 
 your Lordfhip to judge. 
 
 The Other inftance of my leffening or 
 depretiating of the faSls recorded in the 
 Gofpel is, " That of the Eclipfe of the 
 " Sun, which was quite contrary to the 
 " courfe of Nature, at the time of our 
 *' Lord's Crucifixion/* 
 
 Here again I lay, that I do not remember 
 that I have at any time, in any Book or 
 Writing, fo much as defigned or attemp- 
 ed to lejfen or depretiate this, or any other^ 
 Scriptural Fa5l. And I muft call upon 
 your Lordfhip, if there be any regard to be 
 
 R 4 paid 
 
( 248 ) 
 
 paid to Truth, if there be any Honour, if 
 there be any Honefty, to name the Book, 
 or Paflage, where I have been guilty of 
 fuch a Crime, that I may publickly retradt 
 fuch an Error. And here, 
 
 ift. Does the Scripture call that dark-- 
 nefs at the time of our Saviour's Crucifixion, 
 an Eclipfe of the Sun ? Or does it fay that 
 it was quite *' contrary to the courfe of Na- 
 " ture r Suppofing therefore that I have 
 depretiated this Notion, yet I have not by 
 that depretiated any FaB recorded in the 
 Gofpel? But, 
 
 2dly, Your Lordihip cannot imagine it 
 fufHcient to prove me guilty of any fault, 
 to fay, that becaufe I have *' endeavoured 
 " to leflen the credit of Phkgon'^ Teftimo- 
 " ny," that therefore I have endeavoured 
 to leflen or depretiate " a Scriptural FaB!* 
 Is Phlegon alfo among the Apoflles? Or 
 did the Perfons who wrote againft me 
 ** vindicate That Scriptural Fadl;" or was 
 it Phlegon s Teftimony to a Scriptural Faft ? 
 If Phkgon's Tefl:imony to a Scriptural Fad: 
 be the fame thing as a Scriptural FaB, 
 (which your Lordfhip has not yet proved) 
 
 then 
 
( 249 ) 
 
 then indeed I muft fit down with Shame, 
 and repent of what I have faid upon 
 that Subjed:. But though your LordlTiip 
 may imagine, that " the Authority of the 
 *' miraculous fadl recorded in the Gofpel 
 " had been confirmed by the Teftimony of 
 " Phlegon" yet furely it is very confident 
 to examine the Teftimony^ and if it be found 
 defective, to reject it ; and yet to admit the 
 Scriptural Fact as certain and indifputable. 
 You tell us, my Lord, That " hisTefti- 
 *' mony had been accordingly appealed to by 
 ** the beft of the Primitive Apologifts for 
 '* the Chriftian Religion," and refer to 
 TertuUian'^ Apology^ c. 21. My Lord, 
 I have looked into this Tract of 7^r- 
 tidliaity and I do not find Phlegon's 7^- 
 jiimony fo much as mentioned, much lefs 
 is it appealed to. It would be thought in 
 any other cafe a ftrangc way of appealing 
 to any Man's Teftimony, never to name, 
 or refer to him, or his Writings, or what 
 he has faid. How does it appear that it 
 was Phlegons more than any one's elfe, to 
 whom Tertullian appeals ? Or is it giving 
 
 any Strength to a caufe to appeal to a cre^ 
 
 dulouSy 
 
( 250 3 
 
 dulous^ fuperjlitious^ weak Writer, who 
 took up with any romantic ftrange Tale, 
 that he met with ; and gravely related any 
 idle Story that had much of the Marvel- 
 lous in it? But I am again depretiating 
 Phlegon 5 and your Lordfhip may call this 
 a lelTening and depretiating a FaSi record- 
 ed in the GofpeL 
 
 It is not very common to meet with Inftan- 
 ces of this nature, and therefore I ihall dwell 
 on this a little longer. A heavy accufation 
 is brought againft me, before the Clergy of 
 a Diocefe, for lejfening and depretiating 
 certain FacSs recorded in the GofpeL A- 
 mongft other inftances this is given — That 
 I have leffened and depretiated *^ the Au- 
 ** thority of this Miraculous Faft," viz* 
 *^ the Eclipfe of the Sun which was quite 
 ** contrary to the courfe of nature, at the 
 ** time of our Lord's Crucifixion /' How 
 is this made out ? Why, it /eems I have 
 " endeavoured to leflen the Credit of Phle^ 
 " gon's Teftimony." I acknowledge, that 
 I have endeavoured to prove that Pble- 
 gon's Teftimony related to a Natural Eclipfe 
 of the Sun : and not to the J)ark?2efs at the 
 
 time 
 
(251) 
 
 time of our Lord's Crucifixion. Several 
 perfons wrote againft me, upon that oc- 
 calion, and your Lordftiip fays " vindi- 
 " cated that Scriptural Fact." 
 What Scriptural Fad? The Scriptural 
 Fad is, that there was a darknefs over all 
 the landy or if you pleafe over all the earthy 
 at the time of our Saviour's Death: This 
 Darknefs I never denied, nor did the learn- 
 ed Gentlemen who wrote againft me at- 
 tempt to vindicate : it was acknowledged 
 on all fides. But the Queftion in debate 
 was, Whether Phlegon\ Teftimony, ufual- 
 ly produced and appealed to, related to the 
 Scriptural Fadt^ or not. The Scriptural 
 Fadl is certain, and depends folely on the 
 Authority of the Evangelifts, whether Phle-- 
 gon's Teftimony related to it, or not : So 
 that I may leflen or depretiate the one 
 without leffening or dcpretiating the other; 
 unlefs your Lordftiip can prove that Phle^ 
 gon% Teftimony is the fame with that of 
 the Evangelifts. 
 
 The Third thing your Lordfliip charges 
 me with is — *' The leffening of the Num- . 
 " her of Prophecies about the Meffiah^ 
 
 " and 
 
<c 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 
 ( 252) 
 
 and confequently depretiating of them 
 all but thofe of Daniel:* p. 33. *' It 
 is," fays your Lordlhip, '^ furpriz- 
 ing to all fincere Chriftians, that the 
 forementioned Author'* (y6ur Lordfhip is 
 ipeaking of me) *« thought fit even in a 
 *^ profeffed Vindication of the Chriftian 
 *' Religion, to reduce all the antient Pro- 
 phecies of the MeJJiah that are of any 
 importance to the Prophecies of Daniel 
 alone ^ if not chiefly to one only of them." 
 You add, " It is fuperfluous to offer any 
 proof that fuch a leffening of the Num- 
 ber of Prophecies about the MeJJiah^ and 
 confequently fuch a depretiating of them 
 all but thoje of Daniel^ carries along with 
 it a proportionable diminution of the 
 credibility of the Chriftian Religion/' • 
 p. 32, 33- I reply, 
 It is. My Lord, furprifing not only to all 
 fincere Chriftians, but to all Men of com- 
 mon Candor, that your Lordfliip ihould 
 fall into fo ftrange a Miftake, or (hould fo 
 inadvertently mifreprefent the defign of that 
 Book, which you refer to. You firft 
 charge me with '^ reducing all the antient 
 
 " Prophecies 
 
 cc 
 <c 
 <c 
 
 <c 
 <c 
 
 (C 
 
 cc 
 
 <c 
 cc 
 
(253 ) 
 
 « Prophecies of the MeJJiah tliat are of a- 
 " ny importance to thofe of Daniel alone :** 
 and then in a Note this Obfervation is made. 
 — This V/2LS laterally truey when that" Au- 
 *^ thor profeffedly vindicated the Chrijiian 
 *' Religion^ viz. in 1725. But fince he 
 " has thought fit in his late Treatife of the 
 ** Principles and Connexion of Natural and 
 •" Re'vealed Religion^ to allow fome other 
 " Prophecies befides thofe of Daniel^ as 
 <^ fulfilled in Jefus Chrift, and fince there- 
 by he has confequentially retradled his 
 former ill-grounded Reduiftion of antient 
 Prophecies — &c. 
 
 My Anfwer is, ifl. That I never did in 
 Thought, or Word, or Deed, attempt or 
 think fit to reduce all the antient Prophe- 
 cies of the MeJJiah that are of any im- 
 portance to the Prophecies of Daniel 
 ** alone:" and confequently what your 
 Lordihip fays *' was litter ally true in 172 c," 
 I call upon your Lordfhip to prove to have 
 been true either in 1725 or at any time 
 either before, or fince. And ndly. I never 
 have retraced in my late Book, either di- 
 redly, or confequentially, any (uch former Re^ 
 duSiqn of antient Prophecy, 
 
 Tg 
 
 <c 
 
 (( 
 
(25+) 
 
 To flievv hovv- much your Lordfliip has 
 miftaken me and my defigns — Is there not 
 in the very Book your Lordfhip refers to, a 
 whole Chapter, wherein an Enquiry is made 
 why our Saviour and the Apoftle« did not 
 appeal to certain Prophecies, which, fince 
 their days, Chriftians have commonly appeal- 
 ed to ? Is there not in that Chapter the fa- 
 mous Prophecy of Genejis xlix, lo. And 
 That of Haggai c. ii. 7, 8. accounted for ? 
 Are there not feveral Prophecies (not one 
 of which are in Daniel) allowed to be Pro^ 
 phecies relating to the MeJJiahy mentioned 
 betwixt p. 232 — 293 ? Nay did I not ex- 
 prefly declare in the Preface to my Book, 
 ** that I did not defign nor would I be un- 
 ** derftood to exclude ^//, or any other 
 " Prophecies?" Your Lordftiip may in- 
 deed forget, or might not take Notice 
 of, the Declaration made in xhtPrefacei 
 but it is not fo eafy to account for your 
 charging me with fuch a depretiating of 
 them all but thoje of Daniel ; or the redn-*^ 
 iing them all to Daniel alone. 
 
 Is the Ground of this Charge this, That 
 I have infifted principally on the Prophe- 
 - ' cies 
 
(255) 
 
 cies of Daniel} I own I did j and I think 
 a wifer perfon than either your Lordfhip, 
 or myfelf, or any other Man, Ihewed me 
 the way. Our Saviour I had obferved, ap- 
 pealed to Daniel^ or referred to him, or 
 had him in view, above 200 times, and in 
 comparifon but very rarely appealed to o- 
 ther Prophecies. What He made the foun- 
 dation of his preaching to the Jews, I hum- 
 bly conceived to be the ftrongeft founda, 
 tion I could infift on to convince an Un- 
 believer. And if our Lord himfelf is not 
 chargeable with reducing all the antient 
 Prophecies to thofe of Daniel alone^ or 
 with depretiating all but thofe of Daniel^ 
 I hope I may be excufed for following his 
 unblemifhed Example. 
 
 But fuppofing, my Lord, that I had not {o 
 good a reafon as this for taking the Method 
 I at that time did: Jiay fuppofc that I 
 had never fo much as mentioned any o- 
 ther Prophecy but thofe of Daniel^ will 
 your Lordfhip thence infer that I depre^ 
 tiated all the Reft ? Becaufe that Learned 
 Prelate the Lord Bifliop of Durham infift- 
 ed on ^wehe Prophecies, would you fay that 
 
 h« 
 
(256) 
 
 he confequentially depretiated all but thofe 
 Twelve ? The Prophecies of Daniel which 
 I infifted on, were enough for my purpofe, 
 and fully anfwered my Deligns; and if I 
 had no occafion for more to make good 
 my Argument, I do not fee that I was 
 obliged to ufe more : or that I thereby depre^ 
 tiated or flighted, what might be ufeful in 
 another manner of treating the Argument 
 againfl Infidelity, 
 
 The Conclufion of your Lordfliip's Note 
 IS almoft as remarkable as the beginning of 
 it. You tell us, that " you cannot too for- 
 *' bear to obferve on this occafion, that 
 " this Author in his lafl: Treatife is grown 
 fo very fond of the Argument of Pro- 
 phecies which he had reduced before to 
 very narrow limits^ as to fufpend the Ar- 
 gument of Miracles chiefly, if not fole- 
 ly, on the Prophecies of the Old Tejla- 
 " ment^ and therefore to make the latter 
 " the primary and principal proof of the 
 ^' Truth of the Chriftian Religion. But it 
 *^ is to be hoped from the beforemention- 
 " ed Inftance of reforming his Syfl:em, that 
 *^ this new dependence of the Truth of 
 
 " Miracles 
 
 cc 
 cc 
 
 €i 
 
(^57) 
 
 *' Miracles upon the Truth of Prophecies 
 ** will in due time be likewife retraBedy 
 " and a juft ftrefs be rejlored to the Argu- 
 *' ment of Miracles." — 
 
 Give me leave my Lord to exprefs my A- 
 ftonifhment at fuch a heap of Mifreprefen- 
 tations. I never did, nor never attempted to 
 reduce the Argument of Prophecy to "oery 
 narrow Imits^ nor to any limits at all : I 
 never have reforjned my SyJletUy nor have I 
 fecn occafion to do it ; I have never taken 
 any thing from the Argument of Miracles, 
 and therefore I can never refiore any thing to 
 it : I have never fujpended the Argument of 
 Miracles either chiefly ox Jblely on the Prophe- 
 cies of the OldTeJiament : I have never retra-- 
 Bedy nor have I yet had reafon for retraEiing 
 any thing Lhave faid about Prophecy : And 
 whereas your Lordihip tells me that I am 
 grown fo fond oiiht *' Argument of Prophe- 
 ts cy — as 10 Jufpend the Argument of Mira- 
 <* cles chiefly if not folely on the Prophecies 
 of the Old Tejlament," — If I have ufed the 
 Argument fromProphecy to purpofes to which 
 it does not belong, as well as to whai it does 
 belong — If I have ufed it improperly and 
 
 S unfea- 
 
(258) 
 
 unfeafonably — If I have applied it to ca- 
 fes which it does not concern, or afFeft, your 
 Lordfhip might fay I was grown very fond 
 of it. But I take the liberty to aflfure your 
 Lordfhip, that my Notions of Prophecy are 
 the fame now as they were in 1725, and I 
 do not know that your Lordfhip has any 
 grounds, or any Authority, for talking of my 
 retra5ling^ or reformings my Syftems. 
 
 In the prefent A^i?/'^, yourLordfhip fpeaks 
 of my making '^ the Prophecies of the Old 
 *' Te/iamenf^ the primary and principal proof 
 " of the Truth of the Chriftian Religion :*' 
 and thatlfufpend the Argument of Miracles 
 chiefly, *' ifnotfolelyonthePropheciesofthe 
 ^* OldTieflamentr Strange Propofitions ! un- 
 known to me, and I believe to every body 
 elfe ! How have I expreffed myfelf that 
 your Lordfhip could poffibly gather fuch 
 Abfurdities from my Books ? I wiih your 
 Lordftiip would take the trouble to cite my 
 own words, that I might be able to change 
 what could miflead your Lordfhip ? The 
 Prophecies of the Old Tejlament which re- 
 late to the Mefjiah mufl agree to Jefus of 
 Nazareth^ or elfe he could not be The Chrijl 
 
 foretold : 
 
(259) 
 
 foretold : But how they are, or can be the 
 primary or principal proof of the Truth of 
 the Chriflian Religion, I know not. They 
 are not Proofs y but \ht fine qtianon-y All 
 circumftances in them muft agree to the 
 Perfon who claims to be the Chrijl^ or elfe 
 no Miracles, no Proofs, whatever can be of 
 any force. So again ; I am charged with 
 '* f^fp^^ding the Argument of Miracles up- 
 ** on the Prophecies of the Old T!eflamentl* 
 What Argument of Miracles ? Do you mean 
 the Argument taken from the Miracles done 
 by Chrift, or the Apoftles, to prove their 
 Miflion ? Have I fufpended this upon Pro- 
 phecies of the Old Tejlament ? What Rela- 
 tion has the One to the Other ? Or have 1 
 never mentioned Prophecies of the New Te- 
 
 flamenJ: as well as Old Tejlament. 
 
 So again 5 You fay " that You cannot 
 <* but take Notice that in my late revieia 
 *' of the Argument of Prophecies as ful- 
 " filled in Jefus Chrift, I have thought fit 
 " to deny the force of all Typical Prophe- 
 *' cies." And for this you refer to my Pr/;/- 
 ciples and Connexion, c. x. p. 2 i8. &c. Eve- 
 ry Reader may well be furprized to be told, 
 
 ^'' * S 2 that 
 
( 26o ) 
 
 that I never did deny the force of all Typi-^ 
 cal ProphecieSy either in this Book, or in 
 any other. Even your Lordfhip in the ve- 
 ry next words is pleafed to limit and con- 
 fine your own words ; and you declare that 
 you mean not all Typical ProphecieSyhnt on- 
 ly " all thofe prefigurative charadlers which 
 ** in their primary fenfe related to other 
 ** things or perfons, but were afterwardsy«/- 
 " Jilledy i. e. were more eminently accom- 
 *' pliflied in our blelled Saviour, or fome 
 *' of his Tranfadtions." Whether I deny 
 thefe or not I cannot fav, till I fee them 
 particularly fpecified. But as your Lord- 
 fhip has produced an inftance of what you 
 mean in the following words ; viz. " that 
 *' xht fame figurative Expreffio?is are ufed by 
 " Jefus Chrift himfelf in the Prophecy of 
 *^ the Deftruition of jferufalem^ that arc 
 " ufed in the very fame Prophecy of the 
 *' Deftru£tion of the whole World," and 
 *' thofe very lofty Expreffions were firft ve- 
 " rified in the deftrudion of Jerufalem^ 
 " confidered as Typical of the deftrudtion 
 ** of the World, and therefore one day to 
 <y be more eminently accomplifhed," — lown 
 
 Ida 
 
(26l) 
 
 I do deny this Typical Prophecy^ and am 
 perfuaded that our Saviour gave diftind: Pro- 
 phecies of the deftrudtion of yerujalemy 
 and of the End of the Werld, and of his 
 coming again : And if the fame figurative 
 Expreffions be ufed, yet ftill v^rhat is faid 
 of Jerufalem extends to nothing but Jeru- 
 faleniy and has no relation to the End of the 
 World ; no, nor is it Typical of the End 
 of the World. But I will not enter into 
 this, but leave it to your Lordfhip's fecond 
 thoughts. 
 
 The Laft Thing I am charged with by 
 your Lordfliip is, " That in proportion as I 
 have depretiated or lejfened the Miracle^ 
 and Prophecies of the Gofpel, I have lef- 
 fened the Authority of the Moral Pre- 
 cepts that Chrijl inculcated on all his DiJ- 
 ciples^ p. 25. 
 I am contented, my Lord, to admit this 
 confequence, fince I have fufficiently vindi- 
 cated myfelf from ever having depretiated 
 or lejfened either the Miracle s^ or the Pro- 
 phecies of the Gofpel ; and it is allowed that 
 this accufation is only in proportion to what 
 has been made out upon the former heads, 
 
 I an% 
 
( 262 ) 
 
 I am forry your Lordfliip has given me 
 any occafion to make fuch complaints as 
 I am forced to makej but I will trouble 
 you no longer than to fay. That I am, 
 
 My Lord^ 
 Tour's Sec. 
 
 A. A. Sykes. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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