reft, and acknowledged to be the genuine works of the authors, whofe names they bear, by enemies, as Trypho, Julian the Apoftate, and others of the earlieft ages, and authenticated by fucceeding writers through every following period. The numerous ancient apologifts for Christianity, in their addreffes to the Emperors, confirm the particulars of the New Teftament History by their appeals to records then extant, and perfons then living. And history fhews, that thofe appeals were fo convincing as to gain the Chriftians from time to time favour and mercy from the Emperors.

That the Mofaic Hiftory of the Patriarchs, and their pofterity the Jews and Ifraelties, is genuine, is in a manner vifible at this day from the prefent circumstances of that part of them, who are diftinguished from all other people, I mean the Jews, or the pofterity of the two tribes: for thofe of the ten are, according to the predictions of prophecy, at prefent undiftinguished, though hereafter to be restored with their brethren the Jews to their own land. There is no fuch minute and circumftantial proof, that the Italians are the defcendents of the ancient Romans, or the French of the Gauls.

It is to be observed, that the miraculous and fupernatural parts of the facred ftory depend on the very fame authority as the common, and are accordingly related in the same manner; and the whole hangs fo together, and reits on the fame foundation, that they muft either be both true, or both falfe. But no one ever imagined the latter to be the cafe.

The fimplicity of the Scripture accounts of the most ftriking and amazing events any where related, their being defcribed in the fame artlefs and unaffected manner as the common occurrences of hiftory, is at leaft a very strong prefumption, that the relators had no defign of any kind, but to give a true reprefentation of facts. Had Mofes, the moit ancient of hiftorians, had any defign to impofe upon mankind, could he, in his account of the creation, the flood, the deftruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire, from heaven, of the efcape of the Ifraelitish people from Egyptian tyranny, and their paffage through the wildernefs under his own conduct,

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conduct, (a retreat more remarkable than that of the ten thousand under Xenophon, which makes fuch a figure in hiftory) could the relator of thefe amazing events have avoided expiating and flourishing upon such astonishing scenes, had they been mere invention? Would the fabulous writer of a fet of adventures, of which himself was the fictitious hero, have spoke of himself with the modefty which appears in the Mofaic History? Would he have reprefented himself as capable of timidity, diffidence, or paffion? Would he have immortalized his own weakneffes? Had the inventor of the Scripture account of Abraham, and his pofterity, intended his fictitious hiftory as an encomium upon that people, as Virgil did his Æneid on his countrymen, would he have reprefented them as a perverse, difobedient people, fo often under the difpleasure of their God; condemned to wander forty years, and perish at laft to the number of many thoufands in the wilderness, to the feeming difparagement of the wifdom of their leader; ever deviating into the worship of idols, contrary to what might have been expected from the numerous miracles wrought in their favour by the true God, a circumftance very improper to be dwelt on, as being likely to bring the truth of thofe miracles into queftion with fuperficial readers?

Would the inventors of the New Teftament Hiftory, fuppofing it a fiction, have given an account of fuch a feries of miracles in the cool and unaffected manner they do, had they not been genuine? Could they have avoided fome flights of fancy in defcribing fuch wonders, as the feeding of thoufands with almost nothing; the curing of difeafes, calming of tempefts, driving evil fpirits from their holds, and calling the dead out of their graves, with a word? Could they have given an account of the barbarities inflicted on the most innocent and amiable of all characters, without working up their narration to the pitch of a tragedy?

Muft not a man be cut of his wits before he could think of writing a fet of grave directions about the conduct of miraculous and fupernatural gifts, as of fpeaking foreign languages, which the fpeakers had never learn

ed;

ed; foretelling future events, and the like; muft not a man be distracted, who, in our times, when no fuch miraculous gifts fubfift, fhould write of them as common and unquestionable? This the Apoftle Paul, one of the moft judicious writers of antiquity, facred or profane, does in a variety of places; mentioning them incidentally and without going out of his way to prove the exiftence of them, and even depreciating them in comparifon with moral virtues. What is to be concluded from hence, but that thofe miraculous gifts were at that time as notorious, and common, as perhaps the knowledge of mathematics, or any other fcience, is now among us?

Miracles being a very important part of the evidence for Revelation, it is proper to confider a little that fubject. And firft, one would wonder, that ever it fhould have occurred to any perfon, that the proof from miracles is a weak or fufpicious one, fuppofing the miracles to be really fuch, and nothing inconfiftent in the doc trine they are brought in proof of. For nothing feems more reasonable to expect, than that, if the Author of Nature fhould choofe to be likewife Author of Revelation, he should fhew his concern in the establishment or promulgation of fuch Revelation, by exerting that power over nature, which we know he is poffeffed of, and for which we believe and adore him, as the Author of Nature. Can any thing be more reasonable to expect, than that He, who firft breathed into man the breath of life, fhould, in order to affure mankind, that a particular meffage comes from Him, give power to thofe he employs in carrying fuch meflage, to reflore life to the dead; or than that He, who made the elements of the natural world, fhould authenticate his revealed laws by giving to thofe, whom he employs in promulgating them, a power over nature, a command of the elements of air and water; fo that winds may ceafe to rage, and waves to roll at their word? There is indeed all the reafon in the world to believe, that thofe very objectors against the propriety of miracles, as a proof of a Revelation coming from God, would have found fault with Chriflianity, had there been no

of miracles in Scripture, as deficient in one very strong and convincing evidence of a Divine Original.

The proper definition of fuch a miracle as may be fuppofed to be worked by Divine Authority for proof of a Revelation from God, is, An immediate and extraordinary effect of power fuperior to all human; exhibited in prefence of a competent number of credible witneffes, in fuch manner as to be fubject to their deliberate examination; exprefsly declared to be intended for establishing a doctrine in ittelf reafonable, and ufeful for the improvement of mankind in virtue.

First, a proper miracle, in the theological fenfe, must be an immediate and extraordinary effect of power, exhibited exprefsly for the purpose. For the application of any of the conftant and regular powers or properties of natural bodies, in however artful, or to common people inconceivable, a manner, is no miracle; elfe all the arts, especially chemistry, might be faid to be fyftems of miracles. The pretended miracle of the liquefaction of the blood of Saint Januarius, with which the priests in Popish countries yearly delude the ignorant people, is no more than the natural effect of a certain liquor dropped upon a mass of a particular gummy, or refinous fubftance, which diffolves in a manner as little miraculous, as that of a lump of fugar, upon which water is dropped. But to proceed. The miraculous work performed muft be the effect of a power fuperior to all human. It is not neceffary, that it be fuperior to angelic power. Because our beft notions of the Divine Oeconomy lead us to believe that fpiritual beings are the inftruments of God for the advantage of mankind. So that while we believe this to queftion a miracle performed by a good angel, would be infulting Heaven itself. And we may reasonably conclude from the tendency of the doctrine or laws to be established, whether the miracle is wrought by a good or evil being, according to our Saviour's reafoning, Matth. xii. 25. A miracle performed in confirmation of a doctrine tending to promote and establish virtue in the world, and to defeat the defigns which evil beings may have against mankind, may reasonably be concluded to be wrought by the power, not of a fiend, but a good fpirit, and contrariwife.

contrariwife. For it is reasonable to expect a being to exert his power for the advancement of what is agreeable to his own character, and not for the contrary purpose.

Some miracles may be conceived not to be clearly, and indifputably, above all human power; and yet to be genuine miracles. Some of the works of Mofes were fuch, that the Egyptian artists could imitate them in fome manner, delutive indeed, and defective; but which rendered it at least difputable whether they were wholly above human power, or not. Nor is it neceffary, that every Divine miffion be fo authenticated as to put its genuineness beyond all poffible question. It is enough, if, upon the whole, there be a confiderable overbalance of credibility. For, after all, direct Revelations of all kinds, are ever to be confidered as exuberances of Divine Goodness; as advautages beyond what rational agents, in moft cafes, have any ground to expect; and are therefore by no means to be thought deficient, if they want this or that evidence, and be not attended with all the circumftances of conviction which our fantastical imaginations could invent. The leaft and lowest degree of fupernatural affiftance is more than we had any reason to expect, or pretence to demand. And had we never been bleft with any clear and extenfive Revelation, we should have been altogether without excuse in acting a wicked part, and ftifling the light of natural confcience.

Others of the Scripture miracles, and those by far the moft confiderable part, are fuch as to be clearly and unquestionably above all human power. Of this fort are the dividing of the Red Sea, the curing inveterate diseases with a word, and raising the dead.

A miracle ought (in order to its being received by those who were not eye-witneffes) to have been wrought in the presence of fuch a number of credible witneffes, as to render it unlikely that there fhould have been any delufion. Though it may be poffible, that the fenfes of one or two perfons may be deceived, it is not to be fuppofed, that thofe of any number fhould. And the greater the number of the witneffes is (fuppofing them credible) the probability of their being all at the fame

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time.