pleased to make it immutable; and therefore this Power being paffed out of his Hands, he cannot recal it, without Violation to his Wisdom, and a perfect Confufion to the prefent Scheme of Beings. But to confider this a little. As God by his omnipotent Power created all Things, fo by his Providence he governs them, and takes care of them. And it is equally Abfurd to fay any Thing should not be governed by infinite Providence, as to affert any Thing might be created without omnipotent Power. Both thefe are God's Attributes, and to do Violence to either of these is injurious to God. Now how can it be faid, that God by his Providence takes care of the World, when he has made fuch a fatal unalterable World that it is out of his Power to take care of? For whatfoever is governable, or the Subject of Government, must be in one's Power, and alterable: But God can no more govern a fatal World, than a Man can govern the Winds and the Sea. But to govern and take care of his Creatures, is the neceffary Attribute of a wife and a good God; and therefore the World, which he takes care of, must be governable, and confequently not fatal.

Phil. But by the Way, Sir, is it not more agreeable to the divine Wisdom to create a World fixt and immutable, than fuch a one whofe Laws fhould be weak and fhatter'd, that they muft need his Affiftance every Moment, to preserve them, and make them go according to his Will?

Cred. I do not deny but that the Laws of Nature are God's Fro in themselves fufficiently firm and immutable, and that vidence they will unchangeably preferve their Courfe, when it better than does not pleafe God they fhould be interrupted by his Fatality. Superior Power. But it is no Reflection upon God's Wifdom, that he did not make the World fo'immutable, that his Providence could not interpofe in it: Nay, it would have been a greater Reflexion upon his Wisdom, to have made fuch a World, which it was out of his Power to controul. Let any one judge, if a Prince does not act more prudently by granting a limited Commiffion to a General and Deputy to be fuperfeded at his Pleasure, than

by granting an abfolute and unlimited one, which it is out of his Power to reftrain.

Phil. This is true among Princes, because they have a finite Understanding, and can have no Knowledge of Futures; and fo may undo themselves by not referving a Power to themselves upon fome extraordinary Emergency; but God Almighty knows all Things, becaufe he eternally Decrees them: And therefore nothing can happen afterwards unexpected, or contrary to his Forefight; and therefore he might very well compofe a fixt and immutable World, without any Prejudice to himself, or Reflexion upon his Wifdom.

God a wife
Cred. Tho' we must not confider God as a finite
Governour, Prince, yet we muft confider him as a wife Governour; and
without fa- he cannot be a wife Governour by fatal Laws: For the

tal Laws.

Miracles

rences,

which the Vulgar do

Laws of Virtue, which are certainly God's Laws, fuppofe Liberty; but to command a Thing to be freely done, which cannot but be done, or is impoffible to be done, does argue a foolish Governour; and therefore God cannot do fo. God muft therefore referve to himself the continual Management of the Affairs of Nature to maintain the Freedom of Man's Will; and to adjuft Matters fo as becomes a good Governour. But to go on where we left of.

3. It is another of your great Miftakes to affert, That not Occur- Miracles are only fuch Occurrences in Nature as the Vulgar do not understand. For generally the Miracles which are recorded in Scripture, are fuch as the Vulgar are as eder- proper Judges of as the greatest Philofophers. Indeed if frand. the Miracles were only fome extraordinary Performances in recondit Arts and Sciences, then they would afford fome Reafon for learned Men, to queftion their Sincerity. If they were the Refolutions of fome very difficult Queftions in Algebra, fome curious Tables of the Motions of the heavenly Bodies for many Years, fome wonderful Performance by mechanick Philofophy, which had amufed the common People into the Opinion that they were Miracles; then fomething of this Nature might be pretended. But when all the Miracles in Scripture are fuch as the

meancft

meaneft Men might be Judges of, and which they cannot be deceived in, the Cafe is quite different. Any ordinary Man might be Judge whether it were not by a miracu lous Power, that bitter Waters, by a Word of the Prophet, were made fweet; that an Iron Hatchet was made to fwim; that a dead Child was raised to Life. Every ordinary Man was as good a Judge of Tafte, of the Heavinefs of Iron, and when the Soul was departed from the Body, as the greatest Philofopher. When our Saviour, by a Word fpoke, turned Water into Wine, cured the Blind and the Lame, and raised Men from the Dead; in thefe Cafes the relieved Perfons, and every Beholder, could 'tell that this was above the Power of Nature, as well as those that had continually applied themfelves to the Study of it. There is no Need for an Infight in Philofophy, For the Mathematicks, for Men to know when they are fick, or when they are well; to know, that tho' Phyfick does often cure diseased Men, yet Words naturally do not; that medicinal Operations are flow and gradual; and therefore when they fee Men inftantaneously cured of a Disease, which for a long while has baffled the Power of Medicine, that this muft needs be by a fupernatural Power, when they fee all natural Means have failed.

Men doust

4. And your Affertion is equally falfe, wherein you Miracl do lay down, That Miracles do rather make Men doubt of not make a God, than prove his Being to them. Now we do not of a God. fay, that Miracles are the beft Argument to prove the Being of a God, for the moft excellent Frame and Contrivance of the World, are the moft obvious Proof of it. But Miracles are far from making any wife Man doubt of the Being of a God. For the wife, and conftant Ends and Regularities in Nature are fo forcible a Proof upon Men of his Being; that every little Disorder cannot make a wife Man doubt of it. For if I behold in any Work a thoufand wife Ends that I am able to discover; I may very well conclude that a few other Things were as wifely defign'd, whofe Ends I am not able to guefs at. But why should Miracles make Men doubt of the Being of a God? In my Mind they do plainly prove his Existence,

R 3

For

Falfe Mi

Argument

against

For when ever a Miracle is done, there is fomething done by a Power fuperior to Nature: Now if there be a Power fuperior to Nature, then Nature is not Self-exiftent, and confequently there is a God which created Nature. This must be Demonftration to all Materialifts, that allow nothing in the World but infinite and eternal Matter, and a neceffary Concatenation of Caufes. For if a Miracle or fupernatural Power breaks or difturbs one Link of thefe Caufes, and Nature afterwards goes on undisturbedly again, it is moft certain that there is a Power above Na ture which directs it; for otherways a neceffary and fatal Nature would move on with an infinite Difturbance. So that I fay, Philologus, that tho' to an Epicurean, who would have all Things come by Chance, Miracles are not fo good a Proof of a Deity, as the Frame of the Univerfe, and the wife Ends of Things; yet to a Materialift, who will have all Things to be Nature, the Eviction of a Miracle must be Demonftration: For this overthrows his whole Hypothefis, and tells him, to his Face, that Matter and Nature are but a limited and fubordinate Power, and in Subjection to a fuperior Mind or Power, which is God. Nay, let the Miracle be true or falfe, either wrought by God, or the Devil, it is home-proof against a Materialift; for a Witch, or an Apparition, is total Deftruction to that Philofophy. Therefore it is no Wonder, that fo great an Outcry is raised against Miracles and preter-natural Powers; for if thefe are once evinced, the Hobbit is at an End.

5. And whereas you object against Miracles, that they racles no are no Proof of an Infpiration from God, because there may be a great many falfe Miracles, and that Mofes, in true ones. the 13th of Deuteronomy, gives them Warning of the fame: I think this is only puzzling the Cafe, and raifing a Duft, inftead of arguing the Point, For what though there be falfe and pretended Miracles, are there therefore no true ones? Because there have been many falfe Witneffes, muft therefore no true Evidence be credited? Becaufe there are very many Quacks and Empiricks, are there no good Phyficians in the World? Because

there

!

there are many Knaves, are there no honeft Men? This is a mad Way of concluding, which would deftroy all human Society and Converfation out of the World. Men must neither eat nor drink, because fome Men have been poisoned thofe Ways. They must receive no good Money, because there is a great deal of Counterfeit. They must believe nothing that is told them; because there are many Liars among Men. Now Man would be the most miferable Creature in the World, if he were to fquare his Actions by this Method. But God has given to all Men Judgment and Reafon to diftinguish between Truth and Falfhood, between Sincerity and Defign. And this we must make use of in confidering miraculous Powers, and proving the Spirits whether they be of God. By this we may difcern whether the produced Miracle be above the Power of Art or Nature, or whether it does not fhew the Finger of God; whether it be the Effect of a deluded Imagination, and not rather the Evidence of clear and undisturbed Senfe; whether it be the Operation of God, or the Power of the Devil; whether it tends to the Advancement of the Kingdom of Light, or of Darknefs; whether it tends to further moral Goodness and Piety, or elfe Wickednefs and Superftition; whether it contributes to the ftrengthening or overthrowing of God's Laws; whether it confirms what we are fure God has revealed before, or contradicts it. Now with this Caution we may very well diftinguifh true from falfe Miracles, and affent to the True, whilft we reject the Falfe. And therefore Mofes, in the Chapter which you alledged, does with very good Reafon, give the Jews Warning that they do not receive Impreffion from Miracles with too great Precipitancy, and gives them a good Rule to judge when they are falfe; viz. namely, when they contradict the ftanding Rules of Morality, or any otlier Revelation of God. If there arife among you a Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, and giveth thee a Sign, or a Wonder, &c. faying, Let us go after other Gods, &c. Te fhall not hearken unto the Words of that Prophet, &c. but ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and keep his Commandments, and obey his Voice, &c.

R 4

This