Miracles make the most he can of the facts attributed to the abbé Paris, what will this avail him? From what I have submitted to your consideration, it appears, that though we admit the facts, we have it in our power to deny the consequences; though we grant that some of the cures happened, yet are we able to give sufficient reasons for rejecting the claim of the Jansenists to have their saint looked upon as a worker of miracles. This, I say, we have it in our power to do. I wish, for the conviction of you and of your friends, it had been more frequently done. For I cannot but observe, that some of our defenders of Christianity have not taken a very likely method to evade the force of the argument, drawn from the pretended miracles of the abbé, in prejudice of the miracles of the gospel. The most common way has been to deny the facts in general, as the production of fraud and imposture. And yet, whoever attentively weighs the evidence urged in support of some of them, must own that few matters of fact ever were confirmed by more unexceptionable testimony. They were performed openly, in the sight of the whole world; in the heart of one of the greatest cities in the universe; on persons whom every body could see and examine; whose diseases could not be counterfeit, because we have the certificates of the most eminent physicians, who had previously attended or examined them; and whose recovery every inhabitant of the city of Paris could satisfy himself of, because they lived on the spot. And that the facts weref examined into with all the

I cannot, therefore, avoid dissenting from the learned Dr. Dodwell, who, in his Free Answer to the Free Inquiry, (p. 132,) tells us, as the reason why we must reject the facts ascribed to

art and address of the ruling part of the clergy, backed by the civil magistrate, is too notorious to

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the abbé Paris, "that they were not offered to public examination. Their enemies," says he, durst not attempt a free inquiry like the doctor's, lest it should have ended in a reflec"tion on their own cause. The court, which was no doubt "satisfied of the fraud, chose rather to proceed by way of au

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thority than of argument, lest that method should be carried "too far, and a little public examination might be demanded of "those miracles which were wrought in favour of received doc"trines." Now I much fear this reason of the doctor will not hold. For certainly, if ever facts were freely inquired into, the cures performed in St. Medard's churchyard were so. That many free inquiries were made into them, the Pastoral Letters of the archbishops of Paris, of Embrun, of Sens, of many bishops, an inundation of pamphlets of private ecclesiastics, and the repeated controversies in the Journaux de Trevoux, and other periodical papers, sufficiently prove. Nor is it less certain, that if recourse was had by the court to authority, it was only because argument had been tried, and found ineffectual. Nor is the doctor's reason, why the enemies of the abbé Paris durst not attempt a free inquiry, (viz. lest this should be carried so far as to affect the credit of the miracles wrought in favour of received doctrines,) such as will stand examination. For who were the enemies of the abbé Paris's miracles? Those very persons who, by having power in their hands, could, as they pleased, stop any disagreeable inquiry and by having the prejudices of the people in favour of the miracles admitted by themselves, could have no reason to fear any detection of these, which were admitted also by the Jansenists, who contended for our abbe's miracles: so that the detection of these could never endanger the credit of those admitted by both sides. Besides, as the enemies of the abbé Paris appealed to no new miracles in favour of received doctrines, the miracles they admitted could not be disproved by any new evidence. Add to all this, that the interest of the opposers of the miracles of our abbé, so clearly pointed out the expediency of detecting them, that it is not to be supposed they should discourage a free inquiry into them, merely because of a remote, possible consequence; be

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admit of a dispute; as it is also, that some of them could stand the examination, and remain undetected. So that to reject and disbelieve all the cures, in general, as the offspring of fraud, must necessarily give the advocates of infidelity great advantage, and leave the Christian in the labyrinth prepared for him, by puzzling him to assign reasons why he believes the miracles of our Saviour, while he rejects those ascribed to the saint of Jansenism.

Others again, finding, upon an examination of the evidence, that the certainty of some of the cures performed in St. Medard's churchyard could not be doubted of, have admitted that they did happen, but have accounted for them by ascribing them to the Devil. A solution this, that can serve only to throw confusion and uncertainty on the point controverted.

But the method which I thought myself obliged to follow leaves nothing to be objected, places the

cause, perhaps, a like public examination might be demanded of those miracles, which were wrought in favour of received doctrines. These are my reasons for differing from the opinion of a gentleman whose labours have done so much honour to himself, and so much service to the religion he professes. And I am confident that his candour will excuse these remarks, which I should not have made, had not I been obliged, by my argument, to assign a reason for rejecting the miraculous interposition of the abbé Paris, entirely different from that mentioned by him.

g Before my first edition of this work in 1754, M. des Vœux had published his book, in which, as I learn from Dr. Middleton, he accounts for the cures, said to be performed on the supplicants of our abbé, in the manner I have attempted. As the materials in my possession on this subject are very complete, my not having perused M. des Vœux's work seems to be of little or no consequence.

merits of the controversy in the clearest light, and must for ever silence those who would set up the cures performed in St. Medard's churchyard in opposition to the gospel miracles, which, as we shall see afterwards, are not liable to the same objections, because in them a supernatural interposition will be shewn to be clear and indisputable. Before we proceed to the proof of this, however, it may not be improper to take notice of a few other noted pretensions to miracles, which fall to the ground in consequence of the reasoning which has overturned those ascribed to the blessed deacon.

And this, in particular, is the case of the miracles pretended to here in England, about forty or fifty years ago, by those wild enthusiasts the French prophets. They were all cures of diseases, all performed on persons whose minds, heated with enthusiastic transport, were in an apt disposition to excite such a ferment in the body, as might in some cases not only change the state of the fluids, but also brace the relaxed solids. Of all the strange facts ascribed to these prophets, the cure of sir Richard Bulkeley of a rupture seems the most proper to be singled out as an instance. That the cure really was performed, without the application of any new remedy, and in consequence of prayer and the word spoken by the prophet, was not disproved at the time, and was, soon after, seriously affirmed by sir Richard himself, with all its circumstances, to a gentleman still alive, from whom I have my information. But though we may admit the fact, we deny the miracle. Remember the instance, quoted from Pechlin, of the cure of the Hamburgh physician's rupture, by the shock of a piece of bad news, and we

shall not be at a loss to point out a natural cause for the cure received by sir Richard h. That the cures attributed to these enthusiasts are to be accounted for in this manner, is evident from the bad success they had when they pretended to perform what was indisputably supernatural. The resurrection of Dr. Eames is a well known story. On this event they foolishly (for all enthusiasts must ever expose themselves) rested the credit of their party; and this failing, we are unavoidably led to account for any success they had in inferior instances, on principles that exclude all supernatural interposition.

Again; if the reasoning concerning the cures performed in St. Medard's churchyard be of any weight, it will also overturn the pretensions of the famous cure of madame de la Fosse to be a miracle. This story, having made full as much noise at Paris as did the cures at our abbé's tomb, very well deserves our notice here.

Anne Charlier, wife of Francis de la Fosse, a cabinet maker, forty-five years old, had for twenty years been afflicted at different times with an issue of blood, which for the last seven years had given

h Sir Richard's name was famous, not only for his being cured in this manner, but also for his having drawn his pen in defence of the prophecies of his sect; and for his attempting to obviate the objections which their agitations while they uttered them, and the failure of completion at the time marked, had justly given rise to, by comparing the conduct of his prophets with that of the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament. The reader may see, amongst the tracts of bishop Hoadley, an excellent and masterly answer to sir Richard's ingenious apology, which is, if I remember right, taken notice of by lord Shaftsbury in his Letter on Enthusiasm.