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Etion of the firft Temple. But if no vifible Alteration be made in the cafe, either by Repentance on the one hand, or by Difobedience on the other; the Fulfilling of Prophecies, whether they contain Threatnings or Promifes, is a certain Sign of a True Prophet, and when the Event doth not answer the Prediction, this is as fure a Sign, that it was deliver'd by a falfe Prophet. But if the Prophecy were not pretended to be in the Name of the True God, but were given out with a profefs'd Defign to entice Men to the Worship of Falfe Gods; then God might fuffer it to be fulfill'd, to prove his People, Deut. xiii. 1, 2, 3. For this was confiftent with God's Truth and Goodness, especially after Warning given, and after fo clear a Revelation both by Prophecies and Miracles: if any Man, in this cafe, would be feduced by any Wonder, or Prophecy, to follow other Gods, it must be great Perverfenefs in him. But when Prophecies are deliver'd by many Prophets, in divers Ages, and different Places, all teaching the fame Doctrine, and tending to the fame End and Design in their feveral Revelations, and that End is the Difcouragement of all Wickedness, and the Maintenance of all Vertue and true Religion, these Prophecies have all that can be requifite to affure us that they are from God; and God, by fuffering them to be fulfill'd, and to pass fo long in the World, under his own Name, and with all the Characters of his Authority upon them, has given us all poffible Affurance that they are his, and engag'd us, in Honour to his Divine Attributes, to believe that they really are by his Authority.

And the Certainty of Prophecies being thus grounded upon the Divine Attributes, befides the direct Evidence which they afford to whatever is deliver'd by them, they add an undeniable Confirmation to thofe Miracles which have been foretold, and are

wrought

wrought at the Time, and in the Manner, and by the Perfons foretold by the Prophets; and the Prophecies likewife receive as great a Confirmation from fuch Miracles. For Prophecies and Miracles, which are fingly a fufficient Evidence of Divine Revelation, do mutually fupport and confirm each other; and hereby we have all the Affurance that can be expected of any Divine Revelation: And therefore, as Prophecy is in it felf a moft fitting and proper way of Revelation; so, in conjunction with Miracles, it is the most certain way that can be defir'd.

2. The Sutablenefs and Efficacy of Miracles, to prove a Divine Revelation. It is an extravagant thing to conceive, that God fhould exclude himself from the Works of his own Creation; or, that he should establish them upon fuch inviolable Laws, as not to alter them upon fome occafions, when he forefaw it would be requifite to do it: For unlefs the Course of Nature had been thus alterable it would have been defective in regard to one great End for which, it was defign'd; viz. it would have fail'd of being ferviceable to the Designs of Providence upon fuch Occafions. The fame Infinite Wisdom which contrived the Laws for the Order and Course of Nature, contrived them fo, as to make them alterable, when it would be neceffary for God, by fufpending the Powers, or interrupting the Courfe of Nature, to manifeft his extraordinary Will and Power; and by the fame Decree by which he at first establish'd them, he fubjected them to fuch Alterations, as his Wifdom forefaw would be neceffary.

We can, as little doubt, but that He who made the World, has the fole Power and Authority over it; and that nothing can be done in it, but by his Direction and Influence, or at least by his Permiffion; and that the Frame and Order of Nature which he at first appointed, can at no time be alter'd, but for great Ends and Purposes. He is not

given to change, as Men are, and can never be difappointed in his Eternal Purposes and Designs. But when any thing comes to pafs above the Course of Nature, and contrary to it, in Confirmation of a Revelation, which, for the Importance and Excellency of the Subject of it, and in all other refpects, is most worthy of God, we may be sure that this is his doing; and there is still farther Evidence of it, if this Revelation were prophefy'd of before, by Prophets who foretold that it fhould be confirm'd by Miracle. As, when Men born blind, receiv'd their Sight; when others were cured of the most defperate Diseases, by a Touch, or at a Distance; when the Dead were raised, and the Devils caft out; these were evident Signs of a Divine Power and Prefence, which gave Teftimony to the Doctrine deliver'd by those by whom fuch Miracles were wrought, and the Divine Commiffion and Authority was produced for what they did and taught. For what could be more fatisfactory and convincing to Men, or more worthy of God, than to force the Devils themselves to confefs and proclaim his Coming? to cause the most infenfible things in nature to declare his Power, by giving way, as it were, and starting back in great Confufion and Disorder, at his more immediate and peculiar Prefence, to inform Men that the God of Nature was there? This gave Teftimony to the Things reveal'd, and challeng'd the Belief of all Men, in a Language more powerful than any Humane Voice, whilft God fhew'd forth his Glory, and made known his Will, by exercifing his Sovereignty over Nature, in making the whole Creation bow, and tremble, and obey. All which was perform'd according to exprefs Prophecies concerning Chrift, that there might be a vifible Concurrence both of Prophecies and Miracles in Testimony of him. And this Difpenfation of Miracles was admirably fitted to propagate that Re

ligion which concern'd the Poor, as well as the Rich, the Unlearned, as well as the Learned. Miracles were futable to the Simplicity of the Gofpel, and to the univerfal Defign of it: For they are equally adapted to awaken the Attention, and command the Affent of Men of all Conditions and Capacities; they are obvious to the moft Ignorant, and may fatisfy the Wifeft, and confute or filence the Cavils of the most Captious and Contentious.

And this is what all the World ever expected, That God fhould reveal himself to Men, by working fomewhat above the Courfe of Nature. All Mankind have believ'd, that this is the way of Intercourfe between Heaven and Earth; and therefore there never was any of the falfe Religions, but it was pretended to have been confirm'd by fomething miraculous. We may appeal to the Sense of all Nations for the Authority of Miracles to attest the Truth of Religion: for whenever any thing happen'd extraordinary, they always imagin'd fomething Supernatural in it; they expected that Miracles fhould be wrought for the Proof of any thing that had but the Name of Religion; and no falfe Religion could have gain'd Belief and Credit in any Age or Nation, but under the pretence of them.

The only Difficulty therefore will be, to know how to distinguish True Miracles from Falfe; or those which have been wrought for the Confirmation of the True Religion, from fuch as have been done, or are pretended to have been done, in behalf of Falfe Religions.

But here it must be observ'd, That it is not neceffary, in this Controversie, that we fhould be able to determine what the Power of Spirits is, or how far it extends, and what Works can proceed only from the immediate Power of God: It is fufficient that we know, that God prefides over All; that Good Spirits act in conftant Subjection and Obe

dience to him; that Evil Spirits act for evil Ends; that Good Spirits will not impofe upon Men, and that he will not fuffer the Evil to do it, under any pretence of his own Authority, without affording Means to difcover the. Delufion. And the Question here is not concerning any ftrange Work whereof God is not alledged to be the Author, but concerning fuch as are wrought with a profefs'd Design to establish Religion in his Name. Suppofe then that there have been many Wonders wrought in the World, which exceed all Human Power, and which yet we know not to what other Power to afcribe: this makes no Difficulty in the present cafe; because here, not only the Works themselves, but the Design and Tendency of them is to be confidered. For Inftance, Whe ther the Miracles reported to have been done by Vefpafian, were true or falfe, by a Divine or a Diabolical Power, they are of no confequence to us; he established no new Doctrine, and pretended to no Divine Authority, but doubted the poffibility of his working them: And fuppofing them true, and by a Divine Power, the moft that can be faid of them, is, that as God mention'd Cyrus by Name to be the Deliverer of the Jews, fo he might by Miracle fignalize this Prince who was to destroy them. But the Miracles of our Saviour and his Apoftles were wrought with this declared Purpose and Design, That they were to give Evidence to the Religion which they were fent from God to introduce, as neceffary to the Salvation of Mankind.

Having premised this, I must resume what was be fore obferved concerning the Means by which false Prophecies might be detected. It has been already proved, from the Notion of a God, that there must be fome Divine Revelation; and it has been fhewn, That Prophecies and Miracles are the most fit and proper way of Revelation, and that way which Men have ever expected to receive Revelations by. If then there have

been

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