to which I muft now recall the attention of my reader; as they are thofe human truths, by which the author of our religion leads men immediately to the belief of its divine myfteries. This fpecies of truth was found to be more direct and obvious than any other; open to the apprehenfion, and familiar to the mind, of all men; refulting immediately from the individual objects prefented to the eye, the most perfect of the fenfes ; fpringing from effects themselves, without attention to their remoter causes; and requiring nothing for their proof, but the coincidence of tranfaction, perfon, time, and place, or for their conviction, but that the fenfes be found, competent, and well-informed. And, from their frequency and inceffant occurrence, in the ordinary courfe of human things, Facts are not only moft obvious and familiar in themselves, but alfo in their proximate and efficient caufes".

The Facts which our Saviour laid as an important GROUND, from which men were to reafon to the truth of his religion, were as palpable to the fenfes, and as easy to the apprehenfions, of all men, as it is poffible for

VOL. II.

" See Chap. IX.

F

any

any facts to be; differing only from the most common and ordinary that occur in the natural courfe of things, in one particular, which difference was as clearly to be appre hended by the plaineft conception, as they were themselves. And it is to this important difference, to which they owe their evidence: for, whereas other facts are the effects of common and ordinary causes; thefe were ftill more obviously the immediate effects of a most uncommon and extraordinary Caufe.

From the operation of this uncommon and extraordinary Caufe, not producing new phanomena in a natural way, but doing wonderful and particular acts, and producing wonderful and particular effects, in a fupernatural one, thefe Facts, appointed as the concomitant proofs and evidences of the religious difpenfation, were called Powers or Miracles; being, indeed, fuch "Works as no man can "do except God be with him," whofe allwife and perfect nature could not employ them to fanction a lie, but to confirm and establish the most important and beneficial truths.

These

Thefe miracles, however new, and different from the ordinary and uniform experience of men, and the common effects of common causes, and, on that account, the lefs credible in themselves; yet, being the only adequate credentials which could confirm to men the Teftimony of God and the divine commiffion of his Son, and abfolutely neceffary to the ends of a difpenfation fo important as to involve the happiness of the human. race, they derive a credit both from their fingular neceffity, and the fingular importance of their final caufe; and, when fupported by human teftimony which is fufficiently authentic, they are entitled to the belief of all future ages. They were alfo pronounced

and

* A MIRACLE, even when best supported by human' teftimony, needeth to be still further qualified, ere it can deferve credit of a rational Believer: namely, that it be ⚫fo connected with the system to which it claims relation, as that it feem to make part of it, or to be neceffary to bits completion.

It is otherwise in Facts acknowledged to be within the verge of nature and human agency. Here all that is ⚫ wanted to recommend them to our belief, is the teftimony of knowing and honeft Witneffes.

and declared by their agent, the perfon who was invested with the fupernatual power of working

< While in pretended Facts beyond the verge of nature ' and human agency, such as those we call MIRACulous, • much more is required when offered to our belief. The controul and arrest of the established Laws of Nature, by the God and Author of Nature, either mediately or im'mediately, is a thing which COMMON EXPERIENCE hath ' rendered fo extremely improbable, that it will at least balance the very best human testimony, ftanding unsup'ported and alone. And why? Because ordinary Facts carry their CAUSES openly and manifeftly along with them or if not fo, yet none are required, as we are ' convinced their causes must be intrinfically there. But in • Facts pretended to be miraculous, the immediate efficient • cause is extrinsical; and therefore leaves, room for doubt < and uncertainty: or rather, when, in this case, men per⚫ceive no caufe, they are apt to conclude there is none; or, in other words, that the report is falfe and groundless. So that when the whole evidence of the Fact, deemed mi• raculous, is folely comprised in human teftimony, and is, in its nature, contrary to UNIFORM EXPERIENCE, the Philofopher will, at least, fufpend his belief.

'But though in all MIRACLES, that is, in Facts deemed miraculous, the EFFICIENT CAUSE Continues unknown; yet, in those which our holy Religion feems to recom"mend to our belief, the FINAL CAUSE always ftands apparent. And, if that caufe be fo important as to make ⚫ the Miracle neceffary to the ends of the DISPENSATION, this is all that can reasonably be required to entitle it to

working them, to be exprefsly given as the ftanding teft, as the broad feal, of his divine

our belief; when proposed to us with the fame fullness of ' human teftimony which is fufficient to establish a com'mon fact: fince, in this cafe, we have the MORAL AT'TRIBUTES OF THE DEITY to fecure us from an error, fo fatal to our welfare.

"And the confining our belief of Miracles within these 'bounds, wipes away (as I conceive) all the miserable fophistry of our modern pretenders to Philosophy, both at home and abroad, against MIRACLES, on pretence of "their being contrary to GENERAL EXPERIENCE, in the ordinary course of things. At leaft the TRUE PHILOSOPHER [Mr. Locke] fo thought, when he made that ftrict enquiry into Truth, towards the conclufion of his immortal Work-Though COMMON EXPERIENCE (fays "he) AND THE ORDINARY COURSE OF THINGS have ' juftly a weighty influence on the minds of men to make 'them give or refufe credit to any thing propofed to their 'belief; yet there is ONE CASE wherein the STRANGENESS of the facts LESSENS NOT THE ASSENT to a fair' teftimony given of it. For where SUPERNATURAL

events are SUITABLE TO THE ENDS AIMED AT BY

1

HIM who hath power to change the course of nature, then, under fuch circumftances, they may be FITTER to procure belief by how much the more they are BEYOND OR CONTRARY TO ORDINARY OBSERVATION. This is the proper cafe of MIRACLES, which, well attefted, do not only find credit themselves, but give it alfo to other truths, which need fuch confirmation.'