fore there are but few cafes, wherein the meer foretelling things to come ought to be immediately allowed miraculous, or the perfon predicting them owned, as one acting under fome invifible influence or infpi

ration.

And as for those furprizing things, which may be sometimes performed by cheats and cunning juglers, by chymifts or mathematicians, from an extraordinary skill in the powers of nature; there will be lefs reafon for any to account them miraculous, and therefore lefs danger of their being imposed on by them. For there will be many circumstances attending them, to be observed by a cautious fpectator, that will discover the flight of hand by which they are performed, and give a strong prefumption of the fraud and impofture of him, who by fuch works would endeavour to persuade others, that he acts by a divine power and authority. There will be fuch a manifeft plainnefs and fincerity, fuch a freedom and openness of behaviour, in a good man, acting under a divine influence, and fure of a divine affiftance, as can never be found in the tricks of an imposter; who is obliged to perform his feats as it were in private,and at a distance from others,

for fear of a discovery; left the fraud fhould be seen through, and the falseness and vanity of his pretenfions thereby become exposed.

But however, tho' there may be fome things, which may appear like miracles, though they really are not fuch; yet it cannot be denied, but that there are others, which we may as certainly know to be above all the powers of human nature, as we can be fure of any one fingle truth whatsoever; things which, at firft view, will manifeftly difcover themselves to be the effects of fome cause more excellent than our felves. That any man should foretel events, which depend on certain fixed laws of caufes and effects, which he understands,is not to be wondered at: but that he fhould foretel very diftant things, depending on the arbitrary determination of free agents, or which feem to be intirely at the pleasure and ordering of providence, can, I think, never be accounted for, but from fome intimation given him by a wiser and more knowing being than himself. That men should understand, and speak different languages, after a long courfe of study and application, is nothing more than may be expected but that mean and unlearned per

fons,

fons, who were never bred up to the knowledge of books, and never had the opportunity of converfing with men of foreign countries, fhould, in an instant, become acquainted with all the languages of the most different nations, so as to understand others when speaking, and to be able to speak diftinatly themselves; fuppofing the fact real, it is abfolutely impoffible, that it can be owing to any lucky turn of the blood and fpirits, to any thing of flight or craft, or in a word, to any thing less than the influence and information of fome fuperior intelligence. Once more; proper remedies, skilfully applied, have a natural tendency to cure diseases, to ftrengthen the conftitution, and confirm the bodily vigour and health but to be able, by a fingle word, to make a fick man well, the lame and maimed found and whole, the deaf to hear, the blind to fee, and the dead to return to life; these things are as evidently above all the powers of mankind, without the affistance of fome fuperior being, as the greatest impoffibility in nature. Whoever the person be, that can perform fuch wonderful works as thefe, doth real miracles, and thereby evidently proves himself to act by fome fupernatural

pernatural help; if not under the immediate influence of the God of nature himself.

But fuppofing for once,that men fhould be deceived in taking that for a miracle, which really is none; yet are they not, meerly on this account, obliged to submit to any one pretending to a divine commiffion, and producing fuch works as the vouchers of it. I do not apprehend that fuch things as feem moft to exceed the powers of human nature, done by any person, are, in themselves, a fufficient teftimonial that he is fent of God; unless they can be proved to exceed the power of other beings fuperior to us, and to be done by the immediate interpofition of God himself. This indeed will be an argument of his divine commiffion, and of the truth of every thing he delivers, confirmed by fuch teftimonials. But this we shall find a very difficult task to prove; because we know not what different orders of created natures there may be, and how much fuperior the powers and faculties imparted to fome, are to thofe of others. Till we can ascertain this, we ought not too pofitively to affert, even of the most wonderful events that have hitherto happened, that they were produced immediately by the hand

of

of God, and not by the miniftration or agency of inferior spirits.

So that all that real miracles seem directly to prove, is, either that fome fuperior agent hath furnished the perfon who doth them, with a power which otherwife he had not; or that there is fuch a confederacy and union between some invifible power and that perfon, as that for certain ends, and at particular times, fuch effects fhall be produced by his power, and at the others bidding and command. But whether this be done by a good, or a bad spirit, by God and his minifters, or by his and our enemies, other circumstances muft determine.

Such works, indeed, will command our attention and regard, and feem to be an obligation upon us to confider whatever comes attefted with fuch teftimonials. But that they are not fufficient vouchers, in themfelves, of a divine commiffion, is evident; because real miracles have been wrought, to weaken the credit of an authority actually derived from God; and because the fcriptures suppose that they may be wrought in confirmation of false pretences, and in op. pofition to the true religion. The producing of ferpents, blood, and frogs, was, at least,

to