or Infidels from giving them the hearing when they exhort them to embrace the Christian Religion The Reason of this is that all Christians notwithstanding their Divisions are agreed about certain Articles by the Examination whereof Unbelievers must necessarily begin and not by those particular Controversies which divide Christians All Christians are agreed about the Creation of the World about Revelation in general the moral Precepts of the Gospel with the Rewards and Punishments annex'd to them They agree likewise about the History of the Gospel the Divine Mission of Jesus Christ and his Apostles the Resurrection and last Judgment These are the things they undertake to prove first when they deal with Infidels or Unbelievers and this is what with common Consent they call the Principles of Christianity which they prove all with like Reasons 'T is just with Religion as with several other Sciences in which the Learned are not less divided There are very great Disputes for example among the Physicians about the Causes of Diseases the Virtues of Remedies and the way of applying them but maugre all their Contests there are certain things wherein in they all agree In Anatomy in the Description of the Symptoms of Diseases in the Knowledg of Simples and in Chymistry there are a thousand things whereof no body doubts and which are the most important Parts of Physick with which a Learner of this Science must first begin And 't is so as I have already said with the different Sects of Christianity As the Diversity in the Opinions of Physicians keeps none that has a mind to it from examining the Principles of their Art so the Difference of Sentiments in Religion cannot discourage the Lovers of Truth and indeed as we have shewn in the first Part they are other sorts of Motives which take off the Incredulous from examining it What I have call'd the Principles of Christianity is the same thing with what we may name Christianity in general Altho there be no Christian Society that comprehends all its Belief within those Ideas only about which all Christians are agreed yet this hinders not but that those Ideas may include the fundamental Doctrines of Christianity and that we must be determin'd about these before we examine any particular Doctrine of those Societies which profess our Religion This is also what I undertake to defend in this Work and from the Truth or Falshood whereof depends all the rest If it be acknowledg'd for instance that these general Doctrines are true we must then examine in what Society they are most purely taught but were they found to be false then we needed not examine any particular Sect seeing that all defending the same general Principles if they were not true then all the Sects would be all equally false It is manifest then that the Divisions of Christians ought not to be any Prejudice against Christianity in general nor hinder the Incredulous from examining it Nor is it less certain that they cannot take any Person off from this Examen that has a mind to embrace any one Sect. The Divisions indeed render this Disquisition somewhat difficult but by no means impossible I shall be told no doubt that this is true with respect to Men of Letters or understanding Persons but the Question is what the ignorant Populace must do in these Divisions As they are commonly judg'd incapable of this Disquisition so the surest way for them some think is to engage with the first Party that offers it self To this I answer first That to pass for a good Christian one must know at least those general Principles we spoke of If there be People so stupid as to comprehend nothing of 'em tho otherwise Men of good Morals we leave the Disposal of them to God but as I said in another Place they differ very little from the Savages of America or Africa Secondly If such as have Parts enough to comprehend the Principles of the Christian Religion and Vertue enough to frame their Morals according to this Model are not able however to take Cognizance of those Differences which divide Christians it is not very difficult to determine what they must do both in Equity and Prudence They ought not to judg of what they do not understand They ought neither to approve or condemn any Party concerning the Doctrines in Dispute He that requires more of them makes them pass the Limits of their Understanding and obliges them to form an unjust and hasty Judgment While they find themselves uncapable to receive true Information of the Reasons on all sides or to distinguish certainly which is in the wrong they ought to suspend their Judgments about Controversies 'T is a Rule authoriz'd by common Sense not to judg of what we do not understand nor can we believe without renouncing common Sense that God would have any body acquiesce without good Reasons for it St. Paul tells us Rom. 14.23 that whatever is not of Faith or Perswasion is Sin that is that before we resolve to act in point of Religion for this is what he there treats of we must be perswaded that we are in the right but this we cannot be unless we evidently know why It will be said perhaps that God may be pleas'd with this Cautiousness and Moderation but that Men will not bear it since they commonly oblige those that live in the same Society with them to declare for all their Doctrines Notwithstanding whatever is requir'd of Men it is certain that they keep to this Wariness whereof I spoke because they are luckily uncapable of understanding such Controversies as divide Christians altho they easily comprehend the Ground of Christianity which is suted to all sorts of Capacities that are not quite destitute of their reasoning Faculty about what makes no Impression upon the Senses Those People giving little Attention to what they do not understand apply themselves wholly to what they comprehend Thus they leave their Controversies to Divines whilst they mind only the Essentials of Christianity Such as are not more knowing and yet venture further in their Opinions and act accordingly do judg and act manifestly against common Prudence and natural Equity To imagine that God would have any Regard to so unreasonable a Conduct is to extinguish the most certain Light of Reason or Religion In the third place If it be suppos'd that such as cannot enter into the Detail of Controversies have nevertheless a little more Knowledg than those I have describ'd then they may easily determine themselves after this manner without running any risk at all By reading Confessions of Faith they may learn wherein all Parties in Christendom agree and take that for the Foundation and Ground of Religion because it is not likely that so many different Parties who dispute so eagerly against one another should agree in acknowledging certain Heads as the true Doctrines of Christianity if they were not such in effect By the different Parties of Christendom I understand
may find fault with something or other should at last grow so conceited of their pretended Sagacity as to be almost incurable Such a Disposition is not at all agreeable to the love of Truth which they profess and can only serve to increase one's Errors And indeed what Truth can he find out who only seeks an Occasion of disputing and overcoming Truth which often flies from those that seek it with Application offers not it self to the sight of those that fly from it After those general Observations concerning the Difficulties that are offer'd against Religion I must alledg some particular Examples of the chief Doctrines which Unbelievers are wont to assault There is none they more frequently speak against than what Christians believe concerning the Creation of the World and it is of so great Moment that it may be said this Doctrine being once well prov'd 't is no hard matter to get the rest admitted whereas if it remains doubtful the other Doctrines of Religion will necessarily be uncertain All Revelation depends upon this viz. That there is a God who created Heaven and Earth And he that begins not with that can make no Progress in the Knowledg of Religion So that it will be necessary to prove it in few words There are two sorts of Beings some call'd Spirits Perceive Will Feel and Reason the other who have no Understanding are Extended Divisible and Solid and are call'd Bodies Those Spirits and Bodies are variously modifi'd as we see or know by Experience This is all that we know in the World besides God The Christian Religion teaches us that those Spirits and Bodies with all their Properties had a Beginning and that they were created by a Being who has no Beginning This is what Unbelievers say they cannot apprehend and it seems to them that every thing was always as it is now To know whether there is any appearance of Truth in what they say we must examin those two sorts of Beings and see whether they contain any thing whereby we may suspect that they are Eternal As to Spirits we only know our own Souls well and Unbelievers acknowledg no other Now I ask of them whether they perceive any thing in their Minds which induces them to suspect that they are Eternal 'T is certain that there is no such thing unless they will say that Ignorance and Weakness are Characters of Eternity If we examin Bodies which are inferior to Spirits because they are without Understanding we shall see nothing in them neither which may make one believe that they are Eternal There are but two things that can be consider'd in this latter kind of Beings viz. Matter and Form and if neither of them affords us any reason to believe that they have always been we cannot affirm it As for the Matter of Bodies 't is but a Substance Extended Solid Divisible and capable of Motion and all sorts of Figures That collection of Qualities which makes up the Essence of all Bodies as far as it is known to us contains nothing that looks like Eternity The notion of this Property however it be consider'd cannot be found in that Collection So that it cannot be affirm'd that the Matter of Bodies is Eternal All that can be said thereupon may be reduc'd to these two things First That one cannot conceive how meer Extension had a Beginning because notwithstanding all our endeavours to think upon the Time when God was alone before Bodies were created a simple and boundless Extension always offers it self to the Mind But a meer Extension in which we apprehend no Solidity is not a Body as it appears by the abovemention'd Definition of a Body There is another manifest Proof of it viz. because meer Extension is Indivisible and Boundless as we perceive it by trying to divide or put some bounds to it in our Mind whereas all Bodies are Divisible and continu'd within Bounds So that all that could be concluded from thence is that the Place of Bodies is Eternal Secondly Unbelievers say that they cannot apprehend how such a Substance as that of Bodies should be produc'd out of Nothing as the Christians say If to be created out of Nothing signifi'd to have no preexistent Cause and yet to begin to exist I confess that would be altogether impossible For supposing that nothing exists but a meer Extension how can it be conceiv'd that a solid and divisible Substance should be form'd in it One might as well apprehend that all sorts of Beasts Plants and Minerals may spring forth out of the Air without any Productive Cause But to be created out of Nothing signifies to have a Cause which contains in a more excellent manner the Proprieties which we see in the things created besides an infinite number of others from which Cause the things created have their Existence or by the Will whereof they begin actually to exist There is nothing in all this that 's contradictory and if we do not clearly apprehend wherein the Action of the Cause which creates out of nothing consists 't is because the Nature of that Cause is not perfectly known to us To explain what I have said by an undeniable Example no Man will deny that there is in Nature a Principle of Motion different from Matter seeing we perceive that Matter moves not of it self All that we perceive in it is Mobility but it cannot be said that we have any reason to believe that Matter moves and modifies it self This being so the immaterial Principle of Motion whatever it be produces Motion in Matter out of nothing that is to say being able to move without having the imperfections of Actual Motion he makes Motion to begin to exist in Matter which before was in the state of Rest This is a Fact which cannot be doubted of seeing Motion exists and Matter is not the Cause of it But 't is not known how a Being uncapable of Motion seeing it is not Material can produce it in Matter If any one should say that Motion is Eternal because he can't apprehend how it can have a Beginning he might be referr'd to Experience which teaches us that we move our Arms and Feet when we please after they have been at rest tho we don't know how it is done I know some Philosophers say that we only determin the Actual Motion of the Animal Spirits which move our Members as many ways as we please I will not here confute that Conjecture for 't is only a meer Conjecture but I maintain that 't is as difficult a thing to apprehend that an immaterial Being determines a Motion a certain way as to apprehend that he produces it anew So that if those Philosophers may be allow'd to affirm the one or if they cannot deny it tho they apprehend not how it comes to pass it would be a great piece of Injustice to find fault with those that say there is an immaterial Principle which produc'd Motion in Matter tho it is not known
prove the Apostles Sincerity They are contented to offer some Objections concerning the Nature of Miracles and so confine themselves to the second way of knowing the Falsity of a Fact which consists in discovering that 't is a thing absolutely impossible But I shall speak of this in another Letter wherein I shall explain the Nature of Miracles I am SIR Yours LETTER II. Wherein is shew'd what a Miracle is and that we ought to conclude from those of Christ and his Apostles that they were truly sent of God 1. SIR I promis'd you to discourse of the Nature of Miracles and I must perform my Promise seeing without it I should but half prove the Truth of the Christian Religion 'T is not enough to believe that the general Doctrines of Christianity are true and agreeable to Reason we must be also perswaded that they are of Divine Revelation and this we learn from the Miracles of those who first preach'd them That is the Seal whereby we clearly discover the Truth of the Christian Religion To shew that it was reveal'd by the same God who made Heaven and Earth and gave to Nature the Laws according to which natural Causes act they have often desir'd him to suspend the Effects of those Laws tho unavoidable at their Prayers they were suspended and the contrary of what the Experience of all Ages had observ'd hitherto and of what we still see happen'd then That 's an undeniable Proof not only of their Doctrines being agreeable to the Will and Designs of the Maker of all Things as it seems to be if it be merely consider'd in it self but also of their having an express Order from God to publish it among Men. Wherefore I 'll shew first what a Miracle is and how true Miracles may be distinguish'd from false ones Secondly I 'll enquire into the Author of them and what Consequence may be drawn from them Lastly I shall say something concerning the Extent of Miracles and their different kinds I 'll shew at the same time the Truth of the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles and I shall answer some Objections of Unbelievers 2. To look upon an extraordinary Effect as a Miracle and draw any Consequences from it First it must be a thing above the Power of Men. Secondly it ought to be above the ordinary Course of Nature or corporeal Causes and above the Strength of humane Souls for Nature or natural Causes and the Order or the Laws of Nature are nothing but the Souls and Bodies of Men other Bodies and the Laws according to which they constantly act without being able to violate them Thirdly he in whose Behalf that thing is done ought to know it before-hand or at least it must happen when he wants it I shall examin those three things one after another for the whole Strength of the Proofs which can be fetch'd from Miracles depends upon it 3. There are some Divines who maintain that a Miracle is only the Effect of an infinite Power and consequently that God only is the Author of it so that it is not only above the Power of Men but also above that of all other Creatures I shall speak of that hereafter 'T is enough to observe here that nothing which Men are able to do can be look'd upon as a miraculous thing Wherefore to be sure whether what is vented as a Miracle is really so the first thing that is to be consider'd is whether Men can do it For if it appears that it is not above the Power of Men there would be no reason to believe that it is an extraordinary Effect of God's Power or of some other intelligent Being Thus if a Man shew'd an usual Skill in Swimming and boasted of it as of a miraculous thing he might be justly accounted an Impostor because one may by Use get a Skill in Swimming which seems wonderful to those who have it not But if any body walk'd upon the Water as upon the Land without sinking in the least it could not be doubted that he did a thing which is above all the Strength and Skill of Men provided he had nothing under his Feet that might be seen or elsewhere to uphold him Every one knows that there being a certain Relation of Gravity between humane Bodies and Water the Laws of Nature allow not that a Man should stand upon the Water So that if it appears that any body walk'd upon the Water as upon the Land without having under his Feet or elsewhere any thing to hold him so it must be granted that a Power greater than that of Men acted in his behalf 4. But because there are an infinite number of natural Causes which Men make use of to produce some Effects which they themselves cannot produce by their mere Skill and Strength a thing to be look'd upon as miraculous ought not to be done by any other natural Cause such as are the Bodies which surround us For example great Weights which would presently sink if they were thrown into the Water will lie upon it without sinking if a Body much lighter than Water as Wood be put between the Water and those Weights There is nothing miraculous in that because it is done by a corporeal and known Cause But it could not be deni'd to be a miraculous thing if a Man should walk upon the Water as I have said When a learned Physician cures a sick Person with some Remedies after he has spent a long time in studying the Nature of Diseases and the Effects of Remedies that Cure is not look'd upon as a Miracle 't is ascrib'd to the natural Effect of the Remedies which have been well appli'd But if we should see a Man who only by touching all sorts of sick Persons or by speaking to them without using any sensible Remedy cures them upon the spot that Effect could be ascrib'd only to some supernatural Causes Some * Spinosa in Tract Theologico-Polit cap. 6. Unbelievers have endeavour'd to make that Character of Miracles uncertain by saying that we know not so perfectly natural Causes and their Effects as to be able to distinguish what they can produce from what is above their Strength Nay they pretend that what is call'd Miraculous should only be look'd upon as an extraordinary or rare Accident and the Effect of natural Causes which were not well known But tho it be very true that we are very far from having a perfect Knowledg of natural Causes yet it is not less certain that we know most certainly some things by Experience especially when that Experience is common and easy For example we perfectly know that no Man can stand upon the Water so as to touch it only with the Sole of his Feet without using the help of any other Body for it If any one should say that it may be such a thing happen'd sometimes by an extraordinary Effect of some natural Causes which we know not it is certain that such a Conjecture could only be
heard as a Proposition which is not contradictory but is not the less false for that as the Experience of all Mankind teaches us Indeed those who use that Argument to make Miracles doubtful do it only to perplex simple Men who hear them They know very well that we are perfectly sure of some things and that they can't be made doubtful by saying only that 't is not contradictory that the contrary be true If they durst deny the miraculous Effects on which Religion is grounded they would roundly do it and not have recourse to Objections so little judicious but not daring to do it and being not able to make the contrary of what we believe look probable they confine themselves to some such Objections I shall not undertake now to confute all their particular Objections because the Principles I lay down destroy them 5. 'T is therefore certain that we may know some things are above the Power of Men and can't be the Effect of any other natural or corporeal Cause and that if we see some happen or learn from faithful Witnesses that there happen'd some we may say without being mistaken that they are miraculous things Such is for example the Action of walking upon the Water and curing all manner of Diseases without Remedies However to draw any Consequences from a miraculous Fact in the behalf of any body he ought to know before-hand that that Miracle will happen or at least it must happen just when 't is necessary for otherwise it would be insignificant If when no body thinks of it there happen'd a thing wherein neither Men nor other natural Causes had a hand and no body knew of what use it would be nothing could be concluded from it and he who should say that it happen'd in his behalf ought to be suspected of Fraud Some * See my Dissertation De Trajectu maris Idumaei Historians for instance tell us that Alexander going to meet Darius led part of his Troops to pass at the foot of Mount Climax where there was no Passage when the South Wind blew because the Sea cover'd that way and that as soon as he came thither the North blew so that they went through it Not to say the Change of Wind at that time might be natural I affirm that Alexander having not known it before and being able to go another way it can't be look'd upon as a Miracle which Providence wrought in his behalf nor can it be concluded from it that Heaven approv'd his Designs To give another Example fetch'd from the History of the same Prince * Vid. Q. Curt. lib. 10. c. 10. 't is said that his Corps remain'd seven Days at Babylon before it was embalm'd without smelling ill in the least nor had his Face a different Colour than what it had whilst he was alive tho it be extremely hot in that Climate wherein Babylon was situated Let us suppose not only the Truth of that Fact but also that natural Causes had no hand in it 't is manifest that nothing can be concluded from such a thing either for or against Alexander For indeed what could the invisible Power mean by preserving the Body of Alexander from Corruption during seven Days None but that Power can teach it and if any one had undertaken to make his advantage of it he had been justly laugh'd at That Character of a true Miracle altogether destroys the Objection I have confuted already for if miraculous Facts were extraordinary Effects of natural but unknown Causes 't is manifest they could not be foreseen No Man can foresee a thing which scarce ever happens and is the Effect of some Causes which are unknown to him unless that Man be warn'd of it by an Effect of the same Causes which is to suppose without reason a thing altogether incomprehensible 6. Wherefore if we can shew that there happen'd some things that neither Men nor other natural Causes could do which notwithstanding were foretold by those in whose behalf they were done it must be granted us that they are miraculous Facts which happen'd in the behalf of those who foretold them The Gospels are full of the like Miracles but I shall only pitch upon one to apply what has been said to it It is of of great moment that if it be granted that 't is true the rest can't be deni'd I mean the Resurrection of Jesus Christ wherein we see all the Characters of a true Miracle First 't is certain by the Experience of all Ages that no Man or any other natural Cause can restore a dead Man to Life Tho the humane Body is not perfectly known to us no more than the Virtue of an infinite number of things yet we may affirm without Rashness that no body raises himself nor by his own Virtue or that of any other thing One can't affirm the contrary without being look'd upon as a mad Man among all the Nations in the World Secondly Jesus Christ * Mat. 16.21 17.23 26.61 27.63 often foretold his Resurrection and said it should happen on the third Day He concluded from thence before-hand that Men would be oblig'd to believe that he was sent by God his Resurrection being the greatest Sign of it that could be ask'd †Mat. 12.39 40. An evil and adulterous Generation said he seeks after a Sign and there shall no Sign be given to it but the Sign of the Prophet Jonas for as Jonas was three Days and three Nights in the Whale's Belly so shall the Son of Man be three Days and three Nights in the Heart of the Earth If the Apostles were sincere Men and were not deceiv'd that Fact is undeniable and consequently it must be acknowledg'd that he who rais'd Jesus Christ bare him a Testimony which can't be doubted of I have shew'd in the foregoing Letter that the Apostles were sincere Men and could not be deceiv'd on that occasion Their Master was not hid in a Chamber when it was said that he was dead 't was upon a Cross and in a publick Place surrounded with Roman Souldiers He had been buri'd his Enemies seal'd his Sepulcher they set a Guard of Souldiers about it and he was above four and twenty Hours in it Therefore no body could doubt of his being truly dead and his Apostles did not question it Afterwards they saw him several times touch'd him spoke with him and ate with him so that they could not be mistaken in it Wherefore if the thing had not happen'd it were not possible to vindicate their Sincerity and if they were sincere Men which they certainly were as has been shew'd the Truth of the Fact cannot be doubted of 7. The more we examin their Testimony the more we shall be convinc'd of it and without insisting longer upon that I had rather observe against those who acknowledg a God and a Providence that what may be said of feign'd Miracles can't be objected against that Miracle and other Miracles of