Sermon nor contrary to thofe notions which we have of him, Miracles are the highest Testimony that can be given to it, and have always been owned by Mankind for an evidence of infpiration. And therefore Nicodemus takes it for an acknowleg'd Principle, that Miracles are a fign of a teacher Sent from God, John 3. 2. We know that thou art a teacher come from God: for none can do thefe miracles which thou doft, except God be with him. And the Scripture conftantly refolves the Divinity of any Perfon or Doctrine into Miracles, as the chief external Evidence that they are from God. This was the Teftimony which God gave to Mofes, to fatisfie the people of Ifrael that he had fent him, Exod. 4. 1. And Mofes answered, and faid, But behold, they will not believe me, hearken unto my voice: for they will fay, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. Upon this God tells Mofes, that he would give him a power of Miracles, to be an Evidence to them, that they may believe, that the God of their Fathers, of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And all along in the Old Teftament, when Y 2 God nor XI. God fent his Prophets to make any Volume new Revelation, or upon any extraXII. ordinary Meffage, he always gave credit to them, by fome Sign or Wonder. And when he fent his Son into the World, he bare Witness to him, by more and greater Miracles than Mofes or any of the Prophets had wrought. And to this Teftimony both our Saviour himself and the Apoftles appeal, as the great Evidence of the Divinity of their Doctrine. When John the Baptift fent his Difciples to our Saviour, to be fatisfied whether he were the Meffias, he refers them to his Miracles, Matth. 11. 4, 5. Go and fhew John again those things which ye do hear and fee. The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raifed up. And John. 5. 36. But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the father hath given me to finish, the Same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the father hath sent me. And Acts 2. 22. Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you, ἀπὸ τὸ θεῖ ἀποδεδειγμένον εἰς ὑμᾶς, a man demonftrated by God to you, by miracles, and and wonders, and figns, which he did in the midst of you. And Acts 14. 3. Sermon it is faid, that when the Apostles XI. preached the Gofpel, God God gave teftimony unto the word of his grace, and granted figns and wonders to be done by their hands. From all which it is plain, that our Religion appeals to Miracles, as the great external Confirmation of it. 3. Especially if Miracles have all the Circumstances of advantage given to them which they are capable of; if they be many and great, publick and unquestionable, and univerfal, and of long continuance. And fuch were the Miracles wrought by Mofes, and by our Saviour and his Apoftles, which for their Nature and Quality, for the number and continuance of them, and for all other Circumftances, that may give credit to them, and argue them to be from God, are in no degree to be equalled by thofe which any other Religion hath pretended to. And in these Circumftances, Miracles alone are in moft cafes a fufficient proof of the Divinity of a Doctrine: Y 3 for for there is a great deal of difference Volume in reason to be made between one or XII. two strange and miraculous Effects, and those not of the highest and most unqueftionable rank of Miracles neither, privately wrought, and before few witneffes: and a long continued series of Miracles of all kinds, and fuch as are univerfally acknowledged to be above the Power of Nature, and those publickly wrought in the face and view of the World, in every City and Country,by a great many Perfons, for many years, yea for many ages together. The former may be doubted of, but the latter carry fo fenfible a conviction with them, that it is not credible, that the Divine Goodnefs fhould permit fo great and overpowering a Testimony to be given to a falfehood. 4. It cannot be denied, but that God doth fometimes permit Miracles to be wrought for the countenancing of a falfe Doctrine. This the Heathens pretended to at their Temples and Oracles; and it is not incredible, that God fhould permit the Deyil to do feveral ftrange and extraordinary things, tho' it be certain that XI. that there was a great deal of cheat M Sermon and imposture mingled with them. To be fure the Scripture owns the working of Miracles by falfe Prophets. Mofes takes notice of it in his Law, and provides against it as a cafe that might happen; and our Saviour exprefly foretells it, Matth. 24. and fo does St. Paul, 2 Theff. 2. that the man of fin should come after the working of Satan, with power and figns, and wonders of lies; that is, Thould work Miracles to countenance his false and impious Doctrines. And the Scripture likewife tells us, for what reafon God does fometimes permit this to be done. For the tryal of the good. Deut. 13. 3. For the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your hearts. And for the hardning of the wicked, by the just judgment of God. 2 Thess. 2. 10, 11, 12. Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be faved. And for this caufe God fall fend them ἐνέργειαν πλάνης, the efficacy of impofture that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, Y 4 5. And |