་ "cially the firft Writers) fhould omit "the greatest of all, and only take no<tice of the leaft. If Matthew indeed "had recorded only the Story of La zarus, Luke had added that of the "Widow's Son, and John, laftly, had "remembred us of the Ruler's Daugh<< ter, which the other Evangelifts (for "Brevity's fake) had omitted; all then "had been well, and no Objection lain "against their Authority. But, as the "Cafe now ftands, it will always be "Exception enough against this Miracle, "that it was never once mentioned by "the firft Hiftorians, nor indeed invent"ed by the laft, until he was above an "hundred Years old, and every Body "dead, that should have confuted ❝ him. "But (befides this fufpicious Circum"ftance) fince Jefus thought proper to "raife no more than three Perfons, why "he fhould prefer an infignificant Boy, "and Girl, and the obfcure Lazarus, "to thofe of a more publick and de"ferving Character, to the ufeful Ma giftrate, or induftrious Merchant, "whofe Life is a common Bleffing, and "Death a publick Lofs; why no Hi"ftory fhould give us any Account "what became of these three Perfons "after their Refurrection, how long "they "they liv'd, and of what Use and Ad66 vantage their reftor'd Lives were to "Mankind; and why there is not the "leaft hint of any Difcourfe they had "with their Friends concerning their feparate Existence, where their Souls "had been, in what Company, and in "what Condition (tho' a Narrative of "this kind would have been of excel"lent Service to Religion) is a Thing "unaccountable. "We have therefore abundant Rea"fon to prefume, that there was either "fome Mistake, or fome Collufion in "these pretended Miracles: That the "Ruler's Daughter was only in a Fit, or rather afleep, as Jefus tells the Company, and as his Charge to her Parents, to conceal the Miracle, seems "to imply; that the Widow's Son "was in a Lethargick State, or rather, "that his pretended Death was a con"certed thing between him, his Mo"ther, and Jefus, as his meeting the "Corpfe upon the Road, juft at the "nick of time, feems to denote; and "that Lazarus was in the like Contri66 vance, both from Jefus's weeping and "groaning, and calling fo loud at the "Sepulchre, which looks like acting a "Part; and from the other's coming out thence with a Napkin bound about "his "his Face, which gives no small Suspi"cion of Fraud. "And indeed, had there not been "fome apparent Signs of Fraud and "Fallacy in this Cafe, it is not concei"vable, why the Chief Priefts and "Pharifees fhould be fo far incenfed "against Jefus, for working fo fignal < a Miracle, and against Lazarus too, "for being the Subject of it, as to con"fpire together to take away their "Lives. Upon the Suppofition that "the Miracle was true, no Inftance in "Hiftory can parallel this Barbarity. "But it feems as if there were a De"tection of Fraud on the one fide, and a Consciousness of Guilt on the other, "when we read that the chief Actor in it, 2 walked no more openly among the "Jews, (for fear of Apprehenfion) but "went thence into a Country, near the "Wilderness (a convenient hiding place) "and there continued with his Difciples." 337 than a All Miracles, in the very Notion of No one them, are fupernatural Effects or Pro- Miracle ductions; and, however we may use greater the Terms greater or lefs with regard to nother. common Operations, yet, when we come to apply them to Things, which tranfcend Ꮓ tranfcend the reach of Nature, they are not fo juftifiable. In Effects, that are produced by human Power, we are apt to fay indeed that fome of them are greater than others; i. e. that they require more and greater Degrees of Power for the Production of them, and make a nearer approach to the utmost Boundaries of our Capacities: But this Distinction vanishes in our Confideration of the fupreme Being, fince his Power is not to be meafur'd, like ours, by Degrees, nor limited to any certain Extent. The greatest Effect, we can imagine, gives no Limitation to his Omnipotence, but is, equally with the smallest, within the Compass of his Power. And therefore, fince all the Miracles which our Saviour did, were the undoubted Effects of a divine Power, his raifing any Perfon to Life again (if actually dead) tho' dead but for an Hour, is as great a Miracle, as if the Perfon had been dead twenty Years, fince between dead and dead there can be no difference: and confequently, tho' we could not give a fatisfactory Account why the three first Evangelifts have made no mention of Lazarus's Refurrection, yet fince Lazarus's Refurrection, is, in reality, no greater Miracle, than that of the Ruler's Daughter, or the Widow's Son, the mat ter ter seems to be indifferent, and entirely left to his Choice, which of these three Miracles each Hiftorian fhould think proper to record. omit ma The Evangelifts, no doubt, recorded The Ethe Miracles of Jefus Chrift for the fame vangelifts Reason that he wrought them, namely, uy. to fhew that he was a Prophet fent from God; but fo far were they from Vanity and Oftentation in what they wrote, fo far from expatiating upon this copious, Subject, that, after a Recital of fome Particulars, we find them frequently mentioning the reft in a fummary way. Thus b St. Matthew, having fet down the miraculous Cures of a Leper, of the Centurion's Servant, and of Peter's Wife's Mother, relates no more, but only fays in general; that, when the Even was come, they brought unto him many that were poffeffed with Devils, and he caft out the Spirits with his Word, and healed all that were fick; and, in like manner, St. Luke, having related a Cure or two, one done in the Synagogue, and the other in a private Houfe, concludes what he had more to fay upon the Subject in this compendious manner; a Now when the Sun was fetting, all they, which bad any fick with diverfe Diseases, brought с them 22 |