whether any wonderful thing, that is shown to us, be a true or false miracle.

The great argument they go upon is this, that a miracle being that, which exceeds the power of nature, we cannot know, what exceeds it, unless we knew the utmost extent of the power of nature; and no man pretends to know that; therefore no man can certainly know, whether any event be miraculous; and consequently he may be cheated in his judgment betwixt true and false miracles.

To which I answer, that men may be so cheated, and there are many examples of it. But that, though we may not always know, when we are cheated, yet we can certainly tell, in many cases, when we are not cheated.

For, though we do not know the utmost extent of the power of nature, perhaps in any one thing; yet it does not follow, that we know not the nature of any thing in some measure; and that certainly too. For example; though I do not know the utmost extent of the power of fire; yet I certainly know that it is the nature of fire to burn; and that, when proper fuel is administered to it, it is contrary to the nature of fire not to consume it. Therefore, if I see three men taken off the street, in their common wearing apparel, and without

any preparation cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace, and that the flame was so fierce, that it burnt up those men, who threw them in, and yet that these, who were thrown in, walked up and down in the bottom of the furnace; and I should see a fourth person with them of glorious appearance, like the Son of GOD; and that these men came up again out of the furnace, without any harm, or so much as the smell of fire upon themselves or their clothes; I could not be deceived in thinking that there was a stop put to the nature of fire, as to these men; and that it had its effect upon the men, whom it burned, at the same time.

Again; though I cannot tell, how wonderful and sudden an increase of corn might bẹ produced by the concurrence of many causes, as a warm climate, the fertility of the soil, &c. yet this I can certainly know, that there is not natural force in the breath of two or three words spoken, sufficient to multiply one small loaf of bread so fast in the breaking of it, as truly and really, not only in appearance and show, to fill several thousand hungry persons; and that the fragments should be much more, than the bread was at first. So neither in a word spoken, to raise the dead, cure diseases,

&c.

Therefore, though we know not the utmost extent of the power of nature; yet we certainly know, what is contrary to the nature of several such things, as we do know; and therefore, though we may be cheated, and imposed upon in many seeming miracles and wonders; yet there are some things, wherein we may be certain.

But farther, the Deists acknowledge a God of almighty power, who made all things. Yet they would put it out of his power, to make any revelation of his will to mankind. For, if we cannot be certain of any miracle, how should we know, when God sent any thing extraordinary to us? Nay, how should we know the ordinary power of nature, if we know not what exceeded it? If we know not, what is natural; how do we know there is such a thing, as nature? That all is not supernatural, all miracles, and so disputable, till we come to downright scepticism, and doubt the certainty of our outward senses, whether we see, hear, or feel; or all be not a miraculous illusion.

Which because I know Deists are not inclined to do, therefore I will pursue my argument upon the conviction of our outward senses, desiring only this, that they would allow the senses of other men to be as certain, as

their own; which they cannot refuse, since without this they can have no certainty of their

own.

XI. Therefore from what has been said the cause is summed up shortly in this; though we cannot see, what was done before our time; yet by the marks, which I have laid down concerning the certainty of matters of fact, done before our time, we may be as much assured of the truth of them, as if we saw them with our eyes; because, whatever matter of fact has all the four marks before mentioned, could never have been received, but upon the conviction of the outward senses of all those, who did receive it, as before is demonstrated.— Therefore this topic, which I have chosen, does stand upon the conviction even of men's outward senses; and, since you have confined me to one topic, I have not insisted upon the other, which I have only named.

XII. Now it lies upon the Deists, if they would appear, as men of reason, to show some matter of fact of former ages, which they allow to be true, that has greater evidence of its truth, than the matters of fact of Moses and of CHRIST; otherwise they cannot, with any show of reason, reject one, and yet admit the other.

But I have given them greater latitude, than this; for I have shown such marks of the truth of the matters of fact of MOSES and of CHRIST, as no other matters of fact of those times, however true, have; and I put it upon them to show any forgery, that has all these marks. This is a short issue. Keep them close to this. This determines the cause all at once.

Let them produce their Apollonius Tyanæus, whose life was translated into English by the execrable Charles Blount,* and compared with all the wit and malice, he was master of, to the life and miracles of our blessed Saviour.

Let them take aid from all the legends in the church of Rome, those pious cheats, the sorest

*The hand of that scorner, who durst write such outrageous blasphemy against his Maker, the divine vengeance made his own executioner. Which I would not have mentioned (because the like judgment has be fallen others) but that the theistical club have set this up, as a principle, and printed a vindication of this same Blount for murdering himself, by way of justification of self murder; which some of them have since as well, as formerly, horridly practised upon themselves. Therefore this is no common judgment, to which they are delivered, but a visible mark set upon them, to show how far God has forsaken them; and, as a caution to all Christians, to beware of them, and not to come near the tents of these wicked men, lest they perish in their destruction, both of soul and body.