IX.

ful it is (faith Origen) that in fo fhort a time it should fo CHA P. largely fpread itfelf in the world; for if the cure of men's bodies be not wrought without Divine Providence, how much less the cure of fo many thousands of fouls, which have been converted at once to humanity and Chriftianity, efpecially when all the powers of the world were from the firft engaged to binder the progrefs of this doctrine; and yet, notwithstanding all this oppofition, ivínnce, μù requxws κωλύεσθαι, ὡς λόγῳ Θεοῦ, καὶ γενόμεν@ τοσέτων ανταγο νικῶν ἰσχυρότερΘ, πάσης μὲν Ἑλλάδῳ, ἐπὶ πλεῖον δὲ τῆς βαρβάρου ἐκράτησε, καὶ μετεποίησε μυρίας ὅσας ψυχὰς ἐπὶ τὴν καὶ αὐτὸν θεοσέβειαν. The Word of God prevailed, as not being able to be flopped by men, and became mafter over all its enemies, and not only spread itself quite through Greece, but through a great part of the world befides, and converted an innumerable company of fouls to the true worship and fervice of God. Thus we have now manifested, from all the circumstances of the propagation of the doctrine of Chrift, what evidence there was of a Divine power accompanying of it, and how ufeful the firft miracles were in order to it.

CHAP.

СНАР. Х.

The Difference of true Miracles from false.

1. The Unreasonableness of rejecting the Evidence from Miracles, because of Impoftors. That there are certain Rules of diftinguishing true Miracles from false, and divine from diabolical, proved from God's Intention in giving a Power of Miracles, and the Providence of God in the World. II. The Inconvenience of taking away the rational Grounds of Faith, and placing it on Self-evidence. Of the Self-evidence of the Scriptures, and the Infufficiency of that for refolving the Question about the Authority of the Scriptures. III. Of the pretended Miracles of Impoftors and falfe Chrifts; as Barchochebas, David el-David, and others. IV. The Rules whereby to judge true Miracles from falfe. 1. True Divine Miracles are wrought to confirm a Divine Teftimony. V. No Miracles neceffary for the certain Conveyance of a Divine Teftimony: proved from the Evidences that the Scriptures could not be corrupted. VI. 2. No Miracles divine which contradict Divine Revelation. Of Popifh Miracles. VII. 3. Divine Miracles leave Divine Effects on those who believe them. Of the Miracles of Simon Magus. VIII. 4. Divine Miracles tend to the Overthrow of the Devil's Power in the World: the Antipathy of the Doctrine of Chrift to the Devil's Defign in the World. IX. 5. The Diftinction of true Miracles from others, from the Circumftances and Manner of their Operation. The Miracles of Chrift compared with those of the Heathen Gods. X. 6. God makes it evident to all impartial Judgments, that Divine Miracles exceed created Power. This manifefted from the unparalleled Miracles of Mofes and our Saviour. From all which the rational Evidence of Divine Revelation is manifefted,

fefted, as to the Perfons whom God employs to teach c HAP. the World.

H

AVING thus far ftated the cafes wherein miracles may justly be expected as a rational evidence of Divine authority in the perfons whom God employs by way of peculiar meffage to the world, and in the profecution of this difcourfe manifested the evidences of Divine authority in Mofes and the prophets, and in our Saviour and his Apoftles; the only remaining queftion concerning this fubject, is, How we may certainly diftinguish true and real miracles from fuch as are only pretended and counterfeit ? For it being as evident that there have been impostures and delufions in the world as real miracles, the minds of men will be wholly to feek when to rely upon the evidence of miracles as an argument of Divine authority in those perfons who do them, unless a way be found out to distinguish them from each other. But if we can make it appear, that, unless men through weakness of judgment or incogitancy deceive themselves, they may have certain evidence of the truth of miracles, then there can be nothing wanting as to the establishment of their minds in the truth of that doctrine which is confirmed by them. There hath been nothing which hath made men of better affections than understandings, fo ready to fufpect the ftrength of the evidence from miracles concerning Divine teftimony, as the multitude of impostures in the world under the name of miracles, and that the Scripture itself tells us we muft not hearken to fuch as come with lying wonders. But may we not therefore fafely rely on fuch miracles, which we have certain evidence could not be wrought but by Divine power, becaufe forfooth the Devil may fometimes abuse the ignorance and credulity of unwary men? Or is it because the Scripture forbids us to believe fuch as fhould come with a pretence of miracles, therefore we cannot rely on

the

X.

I.

BOOK the miracles of Chrift himfelf? Which is as much

II.

as to say, because the Scripture tells us that we must not believe every fpirit, therefore we must believe none at all; or because we must not entertain any other doctrine beside the Gospel, therefore we have no reason to believe that. For the ground whereby we are affured by the Scriptures that the teftimony of Chrift was divine, and therefore his doctrine true, is because it was confirmed by fuch miracles as he did; now if that argument were infufficient, which the Scriptures tell us was the great evidence of Christ's being fent from God, we cannot give ourfelves a fufficient account in point of evidence, on which we believe the doctrine of the Gofpel to be true and divine. But the only rational pretence of any fcruple in this cafe, must be a fuppofed uncertainty in our rules of judging concerning the nature of miracles; for if there be no certain xgrgia, or notes of difference, whereby to know Divine miracles from delufions of fenfes and the impoftures of the Devil, I must confess, that there is an apparent infufficiency in the evidence from miracles: but if there be any certain rules of proceeding in this cafe, we are to blame nothing but our incredulity, if we be not fatisfied by them. For the full clearing of this, I fhall firft make it appear that there may be certain evidence found out whereby we may know true miracles from falfe, and divine from diabolical; and, fecondly, enquire into thofe things which are the main notes of difference between them. First, That there may be certain evidence whereby to know the truth of miracles. I fpeak not of the difference, ex parte rei, between miracles and thofe called wonders, as that the one exceeds the power of created agents, and the other doth not; for this leaves the enquirer as far to feek for fatisfaction as ever; for granting that a Divine power is seen in one, and not in the other, he must needs be ftill diffatisfied, unless it can be made evident to him, that fuch things are from Divine power, and

others

X.

others cannot be. Now the main diftinction being CHA P. placed here in the natures of the things abstractedly confidered, and not as they bear any evidence to our understandings, inftead of refolving doubts, it increaseth more; for, as for inftance, in the cafe of the magicians' rods turning into ferpents as well as Mofes's, what fatisfaction could this yield to any fpectator, to tell him, that in the one there was a Divine power, and not in the other, unless it were made appear by fome evidence from the thing, that the one was a mere impofture, and the other a real alteration in the thing itself? I take it then for granted, that no general difcourfes, concerning the formal difference of miracles and wonders confidered in themfelves, can afford any rational fatisfaction to an inquifitive mind; that which alone is able to give it, must be something which may be discerned by any judicious and confiderative perfon. And that God never gives to any a power of miracles, but he gives fome fuch ground of fatisfaction concerning them, will appear upon these two confiderations.

1. From God's intention in giving to any this power of doing miracles. We have largely made it manifest that the end of true miracles is to be a confirmation to the world of the Divine commiffion of the perfons who have it, and that the testimony is Divine which is confirmed by it. Now if there be no way to know when miracles are true or falfe, this power is to no purpose at all; for men are as much to feek for fatisfaction, as if there had been no fuch things at all. Therefore if men are bound to believe a Divine teftimony, and to rely on the miracles wrought by the perfons bringing it, as an evidence of it they muft have some affurance that thefe miracles could not come from any but a Divine power.

2. From the providence of God in the world; which if we own, we cannot imagine that God fhould permit the Devil, whose only design is to ruin mankind, to abuse the credulity of the world fo far, as to have VOL. I. C c

his