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Pretenfions to the Divinity. Thus his Religion has been represented as defective in certain Points of moral Duty by fome, while many of his Miracles have been ridiculed, and traduced as unworthy of a divine Author, by others. The practical or moral Doctrine of the Gospel will more properly fall under a future Head of this Enquiry, for which it shall accordingly be referved; and in respect of the Miracles wrought by our Saviour, I am happily precluded intirely in any formal Defence I might undertake to make of them, by the more ingenious and folid Vindications of others.-I fhall therefore refer the Reader to these, and content myfelf with briefly remarking upon this Article, that at least the far greater Number of the Miracles recorded in Scripture were as undeniable Demonftrations of the Goodness of their Author, as they were unanswerable Proofs of his Power. We may appeal to them for the Confutation of Infidelity in the Words our Lord himself made ufe of, in Answer to the Question put to him by the Disciples of John the Baptist ; "the Blind re"ceived their Sight, the Lame walked, &c. &c." (fee Matt. xi. 34, &c.) If then the Accounts of fome few Miracles, as that of the Herd of Swine, (fee Matt. viii. 32, &c.) or that of the barren Fig-Tree, (fee Mark xi. 12, &c.) which have occafioned fo much Wit, and exercifed fo much Malice, seem to lie open to fome Exceptions, and

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to be clogged with fome Difficulties, ought we not, agreeably to the Rules of Equity and Candour, to ascribe this to the Silence of the facred Hiftorians in regard to fuch Particulars and Circumstances, previous to, attending, or confequent upon the Performance of thefe Miracles, which, if known, would thoroughly clear up and diffipate all Doubts and Difficulties whatsoever?— It may, I am aware, be asked here, why they were filent upon this Occafion? and why they did not take Care to preclude all poffible Objections? To which Questions we may return, I apprehend, more than one fatisfactory Anfwer. First, that if the Evangelists have taken Care to vindicate, and effectually fecure the Honour of their Master in all effential Points, and abundantly to affert the unblameable Innocence, and abfolute Perfection of his Life and Conversation, it was by no means neceffary that they should endeavour to preclude all poffible Objections and Cavils against every individual Account they have given us. Neither indeed could this, in the Nature of Things, have been done in general; and if it had been done in the prefent Cafes, Perfons difpofed to cavil, and start Difficulties would never be at a Lofs for them. And perhaps fome few Difficulties may purposely and providentially have been left, to rise in Judgment against the Obftinacy and Perverseness of those who oppose them against the plainest Evidence,

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and the manifest Tenor of the facred Writings.Secondly, to fuch Questions we may reply, that these Accounts are like many other Narratives of Facts recorded in the Gofpels, which are often concife and fuccinct, and leave many Particulars to be supplied by the Imagination of the Reader.-To give an Instance or two of this;-how much is comprised in the following fhort Accounts of St. Matthew?. -And when the Men of that Place (viz. Genefaret) had Knowledge of him, they fent out into all that Country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased; and besought him that they might only touch the Hem of his Garment ; and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. (fee Matt. xiv. 35. and compare with Luke vi. 19.)- And great Multitudes came unto him, having with them thofe that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and caft them down at Jefus Feet, and he healed them. (See Matt. xv. 30. and Luke vii. 21.) In the following Narrative two Miracles are as it were interwoven together.— There came a certain Ruler, and worshipped him, faying, my Daughter is even now dead; but come and lay thy Hand upon her, and she shall live: And Jefus arofe, and followed him, and fo did his Difciples. (And behold a Woman which was difeafed with an Ijue of Blood twelve Years, came behind him, and touched the Hem of his Garment; for fhe faid within herself, if I may but touch his Garment, I

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fhall be whole. But Jefus turned him about, and when he faw her, he faid, Daughter be of good Comfort; thy Faith hath made thee whole. And the Woman was made whole from that Hour. And when Jefus came into the Ruler's Houfe, and faw the Minstrels, and the People making a Noife; he faid unto them, give place; for the Maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the People were put forth, he went in, and took her by the Hand; and the Maid arofe. And the Fame hereof went abroad into all that Land.-(fee Matt. ix. 20. and compare with Mark v. 25. Luke viii. 43.)

Now many Questions relative to thefe Accounts might be asked; as, who were all those that were diseased? what were their Names? or, from what Towns and Villages did they come ? In what Manner or Terms did they befeech him? Did they all befeech him separately? or, was one the Spokesman for the reft? Did neither they, nor the others mention'd after, make any kind of Acknowledgment when they were healed? or return any Thanks for fuch extraordinary Favours? How does it appear that those who laughed our Saviour to scorn," upon his afferting that the "Maid was not dead," were convinced that he was reftored to Life by Divine Power, and confeffed it accordingly?-We shall not be able perhaps to VOL. I. give

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give a precife Answer to every Queftion of this Nature that may be proposed; nor is it material that we should; for what can we infer from hence, but that these Historians made it their chief Point to record the Facts themselves, without a scrupulous Regard to all Circumstances attending them, as fo many unquestionable Vouchers of the Divine Power, and Authority of their Master?-Ought we not therefore to account for the Miracles in question by rational Conjectures, rather than prefumptuously charge the great Author of them with a wanton Abuse of Power, or with Cruelty, Ill-nature, and Injustice ?-But I fhall have Occafion to refer to these Miracles again; and therefore fhall quit this Subject at present, obviating by the way a Cavil which poffibly fome Chriftians fo called, as well as Deifts, may make to the infinite Knowledge of Jefus Christ, from the declared Circumstance of his not knowing "that the Time of Figs

(fee Mark xi. 13.) It

"was not yet, &. &c. is indeed fufficiently obviated by this easy Obfervation, that the fcriptural History of our Saviour fometimes exhibits him to us under the Divine, and fometimes under the Human Character: And if from Multitudes of Texts we cannot but infer that he was truly God, so must we conclude likewise from Numbers of others that he was truly Man. He was infinite in Power, or he could not have "done fo many wonderful Works;" he was infinite

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