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the Ruler and Governour of the World; nor inconfiftent with his Character, as he is a good and gracious Being; that they be done openly, before a fufficient Number of competent Witnesses; readily, without any previous Forms or Ceremonies, which may make them look like. Incantation; and upon all proper and important Occafions, to denote the permanency of that divine Power, by which they are done.

Secondly, In relation to the Perfon, pre- From the tending to a Divine Miffion, it is requi- that do fite, that he be a Man of good Report for them. his unblameable Converfation; in the perfect Exercife of his Reason and Senfes; and conftant and uniform in the Meffage he delivers; and that the Doctrine, which he endeavours to establish by his Miracles, be confiftent with the Principles of true Reason and natural Religion; confiftent with right Notions and Worfhip of God; confiftent with the former Revelations he hath made of his Will; of a Tendency to deftroy the Devil's Power in the World, to recover Men from their Ignorance, to reform them from their Vices, to lead them into the Practice of Virtue and true Godliness by proper Motives and Arguments; and, in fhort, to advance the general Welfare of Societies, as well as every Man's par

ticular

racter of Jefus.

ticular Happiness in this Life, and in his preparation for a Better. And now to obferve a little, how all these Characters meet in the Bleffed Jefus.

The Cha- That Jefus of Nazareth was a Perfon of great Virtue and Goodness, in full Poffeffion of his Reason and Senfes, and conftant and uniform in the Meffage he delivered to Mankind, not only the whole Tenor of his Conduct, as it is recorded by the Evangelifts, but the Nature of his Doctrine, and Excellency of his Precepts, the manner of his Difcourfes to the People, and the Wisdom of his Replies to the infidious Questions of his Adverfaries, are a plain Demonftration. That this Jefus was a Man approved of God by Miracles, Wonders, and Signs, which God did by him in the midst of all the People, is manifeft, not only from the Teftimony of his Friends and Difciples, but from the Conceffion of Heathen Hiftorians, as well as the Traditions of the Jewish Talmud, wherein the Memory of them is preferved.

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Thefe Miracles indeed were above the ture of his Skill of Men or Angels to effect, but Miracles. they were not therefore impoffible, because subject to the Power of Almighty God.

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A&s ii. 2. Vid. Bp. Chandler's Defence, where he proves this, as well as the Traditions of the Talmud, by feveral Inftances, p. 429.

God. P For the fame Agent, who formed the Eye, could restore the Blind to fight; he, who wrought the whole Frame of our Bodies, could as eafily cure the Maimed, or heal the Diseased; and he, who causes the Rain to defcend, and a to water the Earth, that it may minifter Bread to the Eater, and Seed to the Sower, could be at no lofs to change Water into Wine, or to multiply the Loaves and Fishes, for the Relief of the Hungry.

These Miracles again, being Acts of Mercy, as well as Power, were not confiftent with the Character of an Impofter, or the Agency of any wicked Spirit; but, that God fhould have Compaffion on his Creatures, and exercise his tender Mercies over the Works of his own Hands; that he fhould give Bread to the Hungry, and Limbs to the Maimed, and Release to fuch, as were under the Captivity of Satan, is no improbable Thing at all. These were Actions fuitable to his Majefty, and highly comporting with his Wisdom and Goodness, fince they naturally tended both to beget Reverence in the Minds of Men towards his Messenger, and to reconcile them to the Belief and Obedience of his

Heavenly Will.

Ifa. lv. 10. Chandler on Miracles.

Thefe

The man

ner and

doing them.

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Thefe Miracles our Saviour did open. end of his y, in the Temple, in the Synagogues, and on the Festivals, when the Concourfe of People was greateft, and when the Doctors of the Law, who came on purpose to enfnare him, were fitting by, and beholding what was done. Thefe he did readily, and with a Word's fpeaking for Peace be fill quelled the raging of the Winds and Waves ; Young Man, arife, revived the Widow's Son; Ephatha, be opened, gave the deaf Man Hearing; and Lazarus, come forth raised him from the Grave, who had been four Days dead. Thefe he did frequently, and upon all proper Occafions For, after the time that he enter'd upon his Ministry, scarce a Day paffed without fome fresh Inftances of his Power and Goodness, infomuch that, if all his Actions of this kind had been particularly recorded, the World itself, as the Apoftle fays, (but by way of Hyperbole) would not contain the Books, which should be written; and (what crowns all) these he did with a Defign to establish a Religion, whofe Bufinefs it is to give Men the most exalted Thoughts of God and his Providence, and

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Mark iv. 39.

Luke vii. 14. * Mark vii. 34,

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35. Joh. xi. 43, 44. Joh. xx. 25. Chandler

on Miracles.

and the greatest Certainty of future Rewards and Punishments; to oblige them, by the strongeft Motives, to obferve and practice whatsoever Things are true, and honeft, and just, and pure, and lovely, and of good Report; to perfuade them to mortify every inordinate Affection, and to attain thofe excellent Difpofitions of Mind, which will make them refemble God, and beft prepare them for future Happiness. In a word, to establish the Practice of thefe two great Virtues, the Love of God, and the Love of our Neighbour, upon thefe two excellent Principles, of Faith in God, as the Rewarder of thofe that feek him, and Faith in Jefus Chrift, as the Saviour and Judge of Mankind.

159

the pre

nius.

Such is the Nature and End of Chrift's Comp1Miracles, and in this Manner were they performed: But where now (if we may tended be allowed to ask) is the great Simili- Miracles of Apollotude between what Apollonius is faid to have done, and them? y The History of Apollonius (as it is recorded by Philoftratus) has no other Voucher, than his Servant Damis, a weak and ignorant Perfon, (as the Hiftorian himself confeffes,) and confequently very capable of being impofed upon by the artful Juggles of his Mafter. But, befides the

Bishop Smallbrek:'s Vind. p. 15.

Weak

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