firft Cause of all things, they declared themfelves to be his ministers, appointed by him to reform mankind, they declared that all other religions were falfe, and that all the Gods of the Gentiles were no gods, they declared that they were fent to extirpate idolatry, and to overturn the dominion of evil spirits; and in attestation to this they wrought miracles. Here was a folemn appeal to the Almighty, and a public challenge to all other deities, and to evil Dæmons; it is not therefore reasonable to suppose either that God would permit men to abuse his name and authority for bad purposes and give fuch power to impoftors, or that the Gods of the Gentiles

and

P This will likewife answer the objection of the Jews, that Chrift wrought miracles by the affistance of the Devil.

a The Pagans were sometimes offended at their Gods and forfook them, because they did not fhew their power in refenting affronts and vindicating their own injured honour. In the reign of Theodofius, it happened that the Nile did not overflow at the common time. The Ægyptian Pagans grew tumultuous about it, and faid that this evil befel them, because they were not permitted to offer their accustomed facrifices to the River, and were afraid that he would be quite dried up;

At ille

Labitur, et labetur in omne volubilis ævum:

Soon

and evil spirits would not exert their utmost power against their profeffed and open enemies, and hinder them from working miracles, if they were able.

It hath been objected to miracles in general, that God, who is most wife and unchangeable, cannot alter that course of nature, which with perfect wisdom and prescience he hath established.

1. It would be proper to know what notions the objectors have of the Deity. If by the word God they mean the god of Strato or of Spinoza, it is very true that fuch a God cannot alter any thing.

2. When a miracle is wrought, the course of nature is altered, but the will and purpose of God is not altered, who could not establish a course of things which he should not be able to change, and who, when he established it, knew what changes he would at certain times make in it.

Soon after, he began to fwell, and flowed much more plentifully than was usual; whereupon the Alexandrians, who were ever famous for fcoff and ridicule, cried out in the Theatre, ὡς οἷα γέρων καὶ λῆρος ἐξέρησεν ὁ ποταμός, Nilum, tanquam fenem ac delirum, urinam effudiffe; and many of them became Chriftians. Sozomen. H. E. VII. 20.

Though miracles feem to be the best credentials which a perfon can produce, it is poffible that by being frequently repeated they may lofe fome of their effect on fome tempers, and make a fainter impreffion upon them. May we fuppose this to have been the cafe of fome careless and negligent men who faw the miracles of Christ and of his Apostles?

Christ often appeals to his miracles as to a fufficient proof of his authority; and his Apostles speak the fame language. The Pagans, when they were afterwards pressed with this argument, to elude the force of it, used to say that Chrift and his Difciples wrought miracles by magic art.

To remove the objection fome of the Fathers had recourse to this folution, that the miracles of our Saviour were exprefly

S

foretold by the prophets, as well as his

fufferings, his exaltation, and his everlasting

Juftin Apol. I. p. 48. Irenæus II. 57.

• The miracles of Chrift were foretold by the prophets, and acknowledged by adverfaries. Grotius de Ver. R. C. 5. III. and Le Clerc's notes. Cudworth Intell. Syft. p. 271. Huetius Dem. Ev. Prop. III. 6, 8. Bayle Dict. HIEROCLES. Bishop Chandler Def. of Christian.

II.

P. 429.

7, 14. V.

17.

kingdom.

kingdom. This circumstance, said they, distinguished the miracles of Christ from all illufions and fascinations, from all operations of evil spirits, and shewed that the fame Spirit of God, who fo long before had declared them, was also affisting in the performance of them.

Thus far the observation was ingenious, and the reply reasonable and pertinent. But others went farther, and faid that this circumstance was abfolutely neceffary, and

t

* As Tertullian in a certain place, and Lactantius V. 3. Arnobius, in his firft Book, hath reafoned better on this fubject, though reafoning was not his talent, and his judgment was not equal to his learning and vivacity. Origen alfo infifts upon miracles as proving the truth of Christianity no less than prophecy. Contr. Celf. p. 5.

The Gentiles alfo opposed miracles to miracles, and the Fathers would not undertake to affirm that fuch a thing could not poffibly be. When the Pagans faid that fome by imploring the aid of their Gods had been cured of diseases, the Christians replied that it might be true, for that their Gods were Devils, who, irrepentes corporibus occulte, ut Spiritus tenues, morbos fingunt, terrent mentes, membra diftorquent, ut ad cultum fui cogant, ut nidore altarium vel hoftiis pecudum faginati, remissis quæ conftrinxerant, curasse videantur. Minucius Felix. p. 137.

Our Saviour alfo foretold that falfe Chrifts and falfe prophets should arise and shew figns and wonders. To the objection which hath been made from this prediction, an anfwer is given, in Remarks on Eccl. Hift. vol. II. p. 32.

that if the miracles of Chrift had not been foretold, they would have deserved no regard and credit. This was making improper conceffions; for the "miracles wrought in fupport of the Gospel were attended with many circumstances to prove them to be the works of God, befides their correspondence with ancient prophecies. The predictions of Chrift and of his Apostles which were fulfilled, the noble ends for which their miracles were performed, the happy effects which they produced upon the bodies and fouls of men, and the character and behaviour of those who wrought them, all vouch for them that they were not only miracles, but divine miracles.

The particular nature of fome of those miracles leads us alfo to the fame conclufion, as for example, the refurrection of dead perfons, which requires a power equal to that of creation.

In the general opinion and estimation of mankind, the raifing of the dead hath

u The miracles afcribed to Chrift and to his Apostles recommend themselves to our belief on several accounts, which are confidered in the Remarks on Eccl. Hift. vol. II. p. 4.

paffed