viour's Life, as in the course of this Work: I conceive it may be of fome ufe, to premife fomewhat concerning Miracles in general. Which I fhall do, in the plainest and most instructive manner, that I can.

1. Now the First thing I obferve on this occafion, is, That, upon all extraordinary and new Difcoveries of God's Will to Mankind, recorded in Scripture, it appears to have been his conftant Ufage to ftrengthen their Authority by Miracles. The Power of working These was ufually imparted to the Perfons, whom he thought fit to employ as Inftruments, for publishing those Discoveries to the World. In proof of this there is no need to labour: The whole Historical Part of the Old, and New, Teftament bear clear and ample Teftimony to it. For, from the very firft Call of Abraham, out of a Country, over-run with Idolatry and blind Superftition, down to the latest Memorials of St. Paul and the other Apoflles, the Narrative of two thousand years Tranfactions abounds with Inftances of this kind, fo very numerous, that it were an Undertaking almost as endless, as it is fuperfluous, but barely to repeat them. Let it fuffice then to remark, upon this occafion; that the End fuch wondrous Operations were defigned to ferve, is not merely the Manifeftation of God's Almighty Power, but, generally speaking, the employing that Power fo, as thereby to give Evidence to fome important Truth, to establish the Authority of fome eminent Teacher, to convince them who did not yet believe, or to confirm fuch as were still weak and wavering. They, who will be at the Pains to confider, and compare the Facts, and their several Circumftances, may quickly fatisfy themfelves, that this was their general Intent; and will eafily difcern one, or more of these Purposes, to have been the Motives, even where they were not the Effects, of them. They ought indeed to have been both. And we may justly think it matter of wonder, that

they

they should at any time fail of their intended Success; when that hath been confidered, which I defire may be observed in the

Exod. viii. 19.

2. Second Place. That there are few things, wherein Mankind feem to be more agreed, than in the Acknowledgment and Acceptance of Miracles, as an authentick and indifputable Teftimony, that the Perfons, entrufted with fuch Power, were employed by God. This Senfe of the thing appears, from the Confeffion and Practice, not of fuch only, upon whom the Acknowledgment of the true God, and the Prejudices of Education, might be pretended to have Influence; but of Heathens and Idolaters too. Thus Pharaoh's Magicians confefs the Miracles of Mofes and Aaron, to be the Finger of God. Thus, in the Controversy between Elijah and the Priests of Baal, it was without any difficulty accepted, as a fair Propofal; that He, who anfwered by Fire from Heaven, fhould be unanimously served and worshipped: and accordingly upon that Prophet's Sacrifice being confumed, the Caufe was immediately yielded. For all the People, when they faw it, fell on their Faces, and faid, The Lord he is the God, the Lord he is the God. Thus Elifha defires, Naaman the Syrian might be fent to Him, that his miraculous Recovery from his Leprofy might make him know, there was a God in Ifrael. And this effect it had; as appears by his folemn Declaration, that he would thenceforth offer neither Burntoffering nor Sacrifice unto other Gods, but unto the Lord. Thus again Nebuchadnezzar, and after

I Kings xviii, 24, to 39.

2 Kings v. 8, 17.

Dan. iii. & iv.

him Darius, was fo affected, with the wonderful Deliverances of the three Children, and Daniel; as prefently to reverfe their impious Decrees, to put to Death the Advisers of their Punishment, to advance these peculiar Favourites of Heaven to the highest Trufts, and to enjoin the Worfhip of the on

ly

ly true God, by a moft folemn Ordinance, to take place throughout their whole Dominions. Can we, after all this, think it ftrange, that, in a Country fo much better informed, fo much more accustomed to Events of this kind, a Learned Ruler of the Jews fhould in these terms accoft our Bleffed Lord, Rabbi,

John iii. 2.

we know, that thou art a Teacher come

from God; for no Man can do thefe Miracles that thou doeft, except God be with him? Or, that a mean Man, who had been born blind, fhould take the Confidence to confront a whole Affembly of Pharifees,

with this Argument, Since the world beix. 32, 33. gan was it not heard, that any Man opened the Eyes of one that was born blind. If this Man were not of God, he could do nothing? Or, that a Confult of wicked Rulers fhould affign this, as a politick Reafon for confpiring the Death of Jefus; This Man doth many Miracles; If we let him thus alone, all Men will believe on him? Or lastly, that our Bleffed Saviour himself should put the Credit of his Doctrine upon this fhort Iffue; If I do not the Works of my Father, believe Me not; But if I do, though ye believe not Me, believe the Works; that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in Me, and I in Him?

ix. 47, 48.

X. 37, 38.

I forbear fundry other Paffages to the fame effect: prefuming, that thefe fuffice to make it plain, how received a Teftimony this of Miracles was, and what Success it hath used to meet with, in all Ages and Parts of the World. The Obftinacy of Some that have stood out against it, proves it indeed to have been not a compulfive or invincible Argument; for nothing can be fo to Reasonable Agents. But the Sufficiency of it hath been abundantly feen, as upon other Occafions, fo efpecially in the Entertainment it prepared for the Gofpel, with All, whofe Minds were not before block'd up, by thofe two ordinary impregnable

pregnable Barrier, Wilful Ignorance; and Worldly Interest.

To what we find in Scripture, concerning the easy and favourable Reception of True Miracles, our own Reafon may add a Second Argument, from the Contrivance and Forgery of falfe ones. For every Counterfeit fuppofes fomething, not only of Reality, but of Excellence too, which it hopes to gain the Opinion of, by fuch artful Diffimulation. Thus Hypocrify in Religion speaks a confefs'd Goodness in Piety and Virtue; and a plaufible Lye, the Eftimate of Truth. And, as there would be no falfe Jewels, or falfe Money, if true Stones and Standard had not both been, and been high in value too: So, had no Miracles been ever wrought; Or had they not been, in the nature of the thing, fitted to fucceed in the Purpofes they were wrought for; It could neither have entred into any Man's head to pretend to them; nor could fuch Pretences have turn'd to any account. The frequent Impostures of this kind therefore, which fome think to take Advantage from, against Miracles in general, feem rather to conclude the quite contrary way. And instead of inferring, Because many have been falfe, there were never any true: It carries a much better face of reafon to fay, if there had not been many confeffedly True, it can hardly, if at all, be conceived fo much as poffible, that there fhould ever have been One Falfe; Lefs yet, that any fingle Man fhould have been deluded by it.

This feems to be the cafe of Miracles, as to the End, and the Fact; I only add in the Third place, That the Nature of Thefe is fuch, as renders them the most proper and convincing Evidences that can be, of the thing they are meant to prove: A Commiffion, I mean from Almighty God, to the Worker of them, and to the Truth of what he fhall declare to us in His Name. And in this point, I hope, the Three fol

E

lowing

lowing Confiderations may be admitted, for fufficient Satisfaction.

1. First, That by Miracles are properly understood fuch Events, as exceed the Power of Nature and ordinary Means, and which the Agent could never effect, by any Skill or Strength of his own. There are many Accidents unufual and ftrange; Many Compofitions and Productions in Nature prodigious and monftrous; Thefe happen very seldom, and for that reafon furprise us very much, when they do. But, becaufe the refult of fome fecret Powers, and the uncommon coincidence of Caufes, make them at least poffible to be accounted for, that way; they are not, in ftrict fpeaking, Miraculous, though Strange, and full of Wonder. The ground of which Diftinction lies in this; that fettled Rules, and natural Causes, cannot be marks of a Prefence, and Power, immediately divine. The Notions of God and his Providence do all confirm that Remark of the Pfalmift, He commanded and all things were created: He hath ftablished them for ever and ever; he hath given them a Law, which shall not be broken. So that these regular Appointments in Nature are under the fame Conditions with all other Laws; which cannot be fuperfeded by any Authority lefs, than that, from whence they derived their Sanction at first. When any Subject then receives an Operation, of which it is not naturally capable; Or, which though it be capable of, yet this is by fuch Means, as are not natuly fitted to produce it; Thefe Operations are miraculous. Nor need it here to give us any great trouble, that the Wifeft of Men cannot exactly determine, how far the Powers of Nature may go. Becaufe in thefe Matters it is enough, that there are many Cafes, to which the plaineft Man alive may be as fure, as he can be of any thing, that they cannot poffibly go. And therefore, when dead Carcafes are re

Pfalm cxlviii.

5, 6.

ftored