which there is fuch frequent mention in the Books of Mofes, the Pfalms, and all the Prophets. And. many Chriftians do expect the fame; and take thofe Texts as Litterally as the Jews do. We do Believe and Pray for the Converfion of the Jews. For this End they have been fo miraculously Preferved, according to the Prophejies fo long before of it. And when that Time fhall Come, as they are the most Honourable and Ancient of all the Nations on the Earth, fo will their Church Return to be the Mother Chriftian Church, as he was at Firft: And Rome muft Surrender to Jerufalem. Then all Nations will Flow thither. And even Ezekiel's Temple may be Litterally Built There, in the Metropolis of the whole Earth, which Ferufalem muft be, when the Fulness of the Gentiles, hall meet with the Converfion of the Jews. For no Nation will then contend with the Jews, nor Church with Ferufalem for Supremacy. All Nations will be ambitious to draw their Original from the Jews, whofe are the Fathers, and from whom, as concerning the Flesh, Chrift came.

THEN will be fulfill'd that outward Grandeur and Reftauration of the Jews and of Jerufalem, which they expect, purfuant to the Prophefies.

THEY pretend not that this is limited to any particular Time of the Reign of the Meffiah. They are fure it will not be at the beginning; for they expect, to go thro' great Conflicts and Tryals with their Meffiah, (as the Chriftian Church has done) before his Final Conqueft, and that they come to Reign with him. So that this is no Obftruction to their Embracing of Chriftianity. They fee the fame things fulfill'd in us, which they expect Themselves; and we expect the fame things they do.

I tell this to the Deifts, left they may think that the Jews have fome ftronger Arguments than they know of; That they are not perfuaded by the Miracles of our Blessed Saviour, and by the fulfilling

of

of all the Prophefies in him, that were made concerning the Meffiab.

As I faid before, I wou'd not plead even Miracles against these.

AND if this is fufficient to perfuade a few, it is much more fo to a Deift, who labours not under thefe Objections.

BESIDES, I wou'd not feem to clash with that (in a found Senfe) reasonable Caution, us'd by Chriftian Writers, not to put the Iffue of the Truth wholy upon Miracles, without this addition, when not done in Contradiction to the Revelations already given in the Holy Scriptures.

AND they do it upon this Confideration, That tho' it is impoffible to fuppofe, that God wou'd work a real Miracle, in contradiction to what he has already Reveal'd: Yet Men may be impos'd up. on by Falfe and Seeming Miracles, and pretended Revelations, (as there are many Examples, efpecially in the Church of Rome) and fo may be fhaken in the Faith, if they keep not to the Holy Scriptures as their Rule.

WE are told, 2 Theff. 11. 9. of him whofe coming is after the working of Satan, with all Power, and Signs, and Lying-wonders. And Rev. xiii. 14. xvi. 14. and xix. 20. of the Devil, and Falfe-Prophets working Miracles. But the Word, in all thefe Places, is only pa, Signs, that is, as it is render'd Matth. xxv. 24, which tho' fometimes it may be us'd to fignifie Real Miracles, yet not always, not in thefe Places. For though every Miracle be a Sign and a Wonder, yet every Sign, or Wonder, is not a Miracle.

X. Here it may be proper to confider a common Topic of the Deifts, who when they are not able to ftand out against the Evidence of Fact, that fuch and fuch Miracles have been done: Then turn

a

about and deny fuch Things to be Miracles, at leaft, That we can never be Sure whether any wonderful Thing that is fhewn to us, be a True or a Falfe Miracle.

AND 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 utmoft Extent of the Power of Nature: And no Man pretends to know that; therefore, that no Man can certainly know whether any Event be miraculous. And, confequently, he may be cheated in his Judgment between True and Falfe-Mi

racles.

To which I answer, That Men may be fo 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 Cafes, when we are not Cheated.

For tho' we do not know the utmoft 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 fome measure; and that certainly too. For Example; Tho' I do not know the utmoft Extent of the Power of Fire, yet I cer tainly know, That it is the Nature of Fire to burn: And that when proper Fewel is adminiftred to it, it is contrary to the Nature of Fire not to conJume it. Therefore, if I fee three Men taken off the Street, in their common wearing Apparel, and without any Preparation, caft into the midft of a Burning Fiery Furnace; and that the Flame was fo fierce, that it burnt up thofe Men that threw them in, and yet that thefe who were thrown in, fhou'd walk up and down in the Bottom of the Furnace, and I fhou'd fee a Fourth Perfon with them of Glorious Appearance like the Son of God, and that thefe Men fhou'd come up again out of the Furnace without

without any harm, or fo much as the smell of Fire upon themfelves, or their Cloaths, I could not be deceiv'd in thinking that there was a Stop put to the Nature of Fire, as to thefe Men; and that it had its Effect upon the Men whom it burned at the fame Time.

AGAIN, Tho' I cannot tell how Wonderful and Sudden an Increase of Corn might be produc'd by the concurrence of many Caufes, as a warm Climate, the Fertility of the Soil, &c. Yet this I can certainly know, That there is not that Natural Force in the Breath of two or three Words fpoken to multiply one fmall Loaf of Bread fo faft, in the breaking of it, as Truly and Really, not only in Appearance and Shew to the Eye, but to fill the Bellies of feveral Thousand hungry Perfons; and that the Fragments fhou'd be much more than the Bread was at firft.

So neither in a Word spoken, to raife the Dead, cure Defeafes, &c.

THEREFORE, tho' we know not the utmoft Extent of the Power of Nature; yet we can certainly know what is Contrary to the Nature of several fuch Things as we do know.

AND therefore tho' we may be cheated and impos'd upon in many Seeming-Miracles and Wonders; yet there are fome Things wherein we may be Cer

tain.

BUT further, the Deifts acknowledge a God, of an 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 fhould we know when God fent 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 fuch a thing as Nature? That all is not Supernatural, all Miracles, and fo difputable, till we come

to

to downright Scepticism, and doubt the Certainty of our outward Senfes, whether we See, Hear, or Feel; or all be not a miraculous Illufion!

WHICH, because I know the Deifts are not in clin'd to do, therefore I will return to purfue my Argument upon the conviction of our outward Senfes defiring only this, That they wou'd allow the Senfes of other Men to be as Certain as their own. Which they cannot refufe, fince without this, they can have no Certainty of their own.

XI. THEREFORE, from what has been faid, the Caufe is fumm'd up fhortly in this, That tho' we cannot fee 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 affur'd of the Truth of 'em, as if we faw them with our Eyes; because whatever Matter of Fact has all the four Marks before-mentioned, cou'd never have been Invented and Receiv'd, but upon the Conviction of the outward Senses of all those who did Receive it, as before is demonftrated. And therefore this Topic which I have chofen, does ftand upon the. Conviction even of Men's outward Senfes. And fince you have confin'd me to one Topic, I have not infifted upon the other, which I have only nam❜d.

XII. And now it lies upon the Deifts, if they wou'd appear as Men of Reafon, to fhew fome 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 Mofes and of Chrift: Otherwife they cannot, with any fhew of Reafon, reject the one, and yet admit of the other.

BUT, I have given them greater Latitude than this; for I have fhewn fuch Marks of the Truth of the Matters of Fact of Mofes and of Chrift, as no 2ther Matters of Fact of thofe Times, however true, C

have,