Religions which are seen in the World It can't be doubted but these are most violent Prejudices against some Christian Societies but 't is an easy thing to shew that they ought not to involve all Christianity in general First Unbelievers can't suppose without Examination as they do on this occasion that the Notion Men have of the Christian Religion in their Country or that of some Divines whom they have read is really the same with that of its Founders Some Alterations may have by degrees crept into the Doctrine of the Christians whom they know and so it may be very different from that of Christ and his Apostles No body can be sure of the contrary without going to the Source to compare it with the Streams which are said to flow from it that is without reading the Writings of the Apostles and comparing their Doctrine with that which is now pretended to be the true Doctrine of the Founders of Christianity This Unbelievers are necessarily oblig'd to do before they affirm that the Doctrine of Jesus Christ is false Else they would imitate corrupt Judges who vouchsafe not to examine the Instruments of a Suit in Law but give their Sentence at the first Report of it I am perswaded that if the Unbelievers of the above-mention'd Places would undertake that Examination they would presently see that most of the Doctrines which they dislike are not to be found in the Writings of the Apostles and consequently that whatever Christians think now ought not to be ascrib'd to them The same thing ought to be observ'd every where and Men ought not to judg of the Gospel according to the Opinions that are commonly receiv'd where they live or which is worse to condemn it from hearing a silly Preacher who represents it quite otherwise than it is Yet there are many People who entertain no favourable Thoughts of the Christian Religion by reason of the Explications thereof which they hear from the Pulpits which are but too often ill provided A great many things spoken there are so far from bearing a severe Examination of judicious Men that they could scarce be allow'd in the Conversation of any Persons not altogether destitute of common Sense That sort of Discourses can't without great Injustice be confounded with the Word of God tho there are some who affect to give them that Name as if such Preachers were inspir'd Apostles and authoriz'd with Miracles They should have a greater respect for the Gospel than to call such Meditations by the same Name with the Discourses of Christ and his Apostles I had not made this Remark were it not that such Expressions give occasion to Unbelievers to despise Christianity which deserves as much to be admir'd by the most penetrating and solid Wits as many Sermons deserve to be despis'd by the meanest and most illiterate Persons As no body could bear the Injustice of that Man who should judg of the Opinions of an Author by the Discourses of another who perhaps understands them not and whose Interest it is to explain them otherwise and then pretends he may with Reason vent his Explications as infallible so Unbelievers can't ascribe to the Apostles the Opinions which they hear preach'd as Apostolical Doctrines before they have carefully compar'd them with the Writings of the Apostles unless they are willing to be look'd upon as the most unjust of Men. Secondly Unbelievers are guilty of another Fault which is not much less than the foregoing when by reason of the false Doctrines which they have read in the Writings of some Divines or heard them preach they reject all Christianity For it must be granted that 't is not impossible but many Truths may be mix'd with Lies and as it can't be said that a Book contains nothing but Truth because some few Truths are to be found in it so it can't be affirm'd that every thing in it is false because some Lies have been found in it Is there for example any profane History either antient or modern without a mixture of Truth and Falshood Yet no body says that History contains nothing that 's true and certain They endeavour only to distinguish what is true from what is false The like ought to be practis'd with respect to the Explications of Christians Doctrines which we read or hear We ought neither wholly to reject them nor embrace them because there may be a Mixture of Truth and Falshood We ought as I said before to compare them with the Writings of the Founders of Christianity and judg by those Writings of Religion it self and of what is true in the Opinions of modern Divines this is if I may say so the Touch-stone by which only the true Doctrine of the Apostles can be known Thirdly Unbelievers undoubtedly know that a Truth changes not its Nature for being ill defended We see every day very good Causes ill pleaded by some Lawyers who understand not their Profession Nay 't is confess'd among all Christians that there are a great many Books whose Authors are really engag'd in the Defence of Truth but they do it so ill that it would certainly be condemn'd if it had no better Support Many People for example who have not studied well the Writings of the Apostles say they see no Character of Divinity in the Doctrine of the Gospel and can't convince an Unbeliever of it but nevertheless they believe it to be Divine with as great a Certainty as if they perceiv'd the Finger of God in every part of it because they are say they inwardly perswaded of it by the Holy Ghost without knowing why That 's the Cant of a perfect Phanatick who equals without being aware of it the Gospel with the Alcoran and all the false Religions the Followers whereof may all say as he does that they are perswaded of it by a secret and inward Operation of God upon their Hearts But the Apostles never said any such thing all their Preaching consists in some Facts and in good Reasonings attended with the miraculous Gifts they had and 't is by such Means they pretended to prove the Divinity of their Doctrine So that we should wrong them very much should we believe that they taught their Doctrine could not be embrac'd by the means of Knowledg but by a mere Enthusiasm Others to do the Christian Religion a greater Honour ascribe to the Apostles an Art which they themselves seriously * 1 Cor. 1.17 11.4 13 c. say they have not They set forth their Stile as an admirable Pattern of Eloquence which exceeds that of the Grecians and Romans What follows from thence Unbelievers read the Writings of those Holy Men to seek what they are told is contain'd in them and because they don't find it they fancy that those who said so design'd to deceive them and thereupon being exasperated against them who grounded in part the Truth of the Doctrine of the Apostles upon their wonderful Stile they wholly reject it They could not be
Christ viz. that there is no great likelihood that God would disturb the Order of Nature for so inconsiderable Matters as those are for which he is said to disturb it every day The Unbelievers who liv'd in the Apostles time and had not attentively consider'd the Circumstances which attend the preaching of the Gospel might perhaps have said then that they apprehended not how Providence was so much concern'd in the Establishment of Christianity as to work an infinite number of Miracles in its behalf seeing it made so little a Progress in the World But those who live now can't raise the like Objections against us having seen the Duration and Progress of the Christian Religion If it has not produc'd yet among Men all the Effects it should have produc'd if they had known their true Interest it can't be said that such a thing will never happen hereafter Those who would have conjectur'd at the beginning of Christianity that it should always be a contemptible Sect because it was then despis'd would have been grosly mistaken as we see at present and the Knowledg we have of the Time past ought to make us reserv'd with respect to the future 8. Let us see now what is the efficient and immediate Cause of Miracles We have seen already that they are neither Men nor other Bodies which act according to the Order of Nature It must be therefore some invisible Power that is either some intelligent Beings more excellent than we tho they are created or else God himself Some believe as I said already that Miracles are the Effects of an infinite Power and there is no doubt but God himself wrought several Miracles but the Question is whether they are all above the Strength of all other Creatures so that they have no other efficient and immediate Cause but God himself To deny that intelligent Beings more perfect than we are can work Miracles we should exactly know what is the Extent of their Power and distinctly see that Miracles are above it 'T is true we know they are above the Laws of Nature which God establish'd from the beginning but we know not whether he gives not to Angels the Power of altering sometimes that Order Tho it be originally the Effect of an infinite Power it follows not that none but an infinite Power can make some Alteration in it if the Power which establish'd it will permit it We can't therefore say that Angels work no Miracles in effect it appears from sacred History that God often made use of them when Miracles were wrought But I will not insist upon it because it belongs not to my Subject 9. It will perhaps be ask'd supposing Angels work Miracles First how one may know whether 't is God or an Angel that wrought a certain Miracle And Secondly how one may know that a Miracle was done by a good or bad Angel A Miracle being not of a Nature which necessarily requires a Cause whereof the Power is infinite I confess we see no Character in it if it be consider'd in it self whereby we may know whether it was wrought by God or an Angel But the more we see a thing above our Power the more it seems difficult to us and the more we perswade our selves that 't is the Effect of an infinite Power For example to foretel a contingent Event or depending upon Mens Will and which is to happen many Ages after seems to us to be a thing above the Knowledg of created intelligent Beings tho it be never so great But the raising of a Storm tho the Air is not dispos'd for it seems not to be a very difficult thing tho it be above our Power and we easily believe that Angels either good or bad can do it However it matters little to know whether God immediately wrought a Miracle or a good Angel seeing 't is certain good Angels do nothing but what is agreeable to the Will of God or is an execution of his Orders Whether God himself acts or an Angel 't is the same thing with respect to us seeing we neither see the Cause that works nor the manner of its Operation As for the other Question concerning the manner of knowing whether a Miracle was wrought by a good or a bad Angel one may say something more positive Truth being always the same contradicts not it self 't is a manifest Principle to all those who are not Pyrrhonians Wherefore the Miracles of God and good Anglels ought always to tend to the confirming or establishing some Doctrines agreeable to Truths that are known either by Revelation or Reason seeing 't is certain that God and good Angels always love the Truth If we see therefore that a Miracle confirms or establishes something contrary to a certain Truth we may be sure that Miracle is an Effect of a Power contrary to that of God and good Angels Thus the Design of a Miracle discovers its Author If we can't apprehend what 's the end of a Miracle we can give no certain Judgment about it nor draw from it any Consequence for or against Truth A bad Angel being not able to work Miracles which favour Truth and Vertue all those which contribute to it ought to be look'd upon as coming from a good Principle On the contrary a good Angel being not able to act for Lies and Vices all the Miracles which should favour either of them ought to be look'd upon as Miracles of bad Angels This is an infallible Rule to know by what sort of Angels a Miracles was wrought supposing it were known that an Angel was the Author of it 10. If the Miracles of the Gospel are examin'd according to those Principles it cannot be deni'd that they were wrought either by God himself or good Angels because their only Aim is to establish or settle Truth and lead Men to Vertue Now this is altogether inconsistent with the Notion one may form of a Power which delights in doing ill and deceiving Men. This Christ shew'd to the Pharisees who accus'd him of casting out Devils by virtue of a Power he had receiv'd from the Prince of Demons * Mat. 12.25 26. Every Kingdom says he divided against it self is brought to Desolation and every City or House divided against it self shall not stand and if Satan cast out Satan he is divided against himself how shall then his Kingdom stand That 's a convincing Proof of the Divinity of the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles against the Jews who were so extravagant as to ascribe them to an ill Power that was an Enemy to Vertue But because I write not against them I shall not longer insist upon it The Unbelievers who live among Christians are not more perswaded of the Power of the Devil than of God and deny all sorts of Miracles alike But I have shew'd from the Sincerity of the Apostles and the thing it self that they have no reason to deny those of Christ 11. Lastly If it be consider'd that Miracles
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
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
greatest Zeal for Religion should not justly render it suspected to Vnbelievers p. 131. Chap. 3. That the Incredulous are in the wrong for rejecting the Christian Religion because Interest seems to be the main Cause of many Peoples Devotion p. 143. Chap. 4. That the Divisions which reign among Christians is no good Reason why the Christian Religion should not be true p. 165. Chap. 5. That the Incredulous object in vain that Christianity being so little known and so ill observ'd in the World as it is can't be so useful to Mankind as a Religion reveal'd from Heaven for the Good of all Men should be p. 180. Chap. 6. That Vnbelievers can't conclude the Christian Religion to be false because the Divines of their Acquaintance make bad Answers to their Objections against it or because they maintain some false Tenets as true and as the Doctrine of Christ p. 199. Chap. 7. That the Difficulties which may occur in the Christian Religion ought not to bring the Truth of it into doubt p. 234. The Conclusion of the second Part. p. 277. Of the Truth of the Christian Religion p. 282. Letter 1. Wherein is prov'd the Sincerity of the Apostles concerning the Testimony they render'd to Christ's Resurrection p. 283. Letter 2. Shewing what a Miracle is and proving that from the Miracles of Jesus Christ and his Apostles we ought to look upon them as Persons truly sent of God p. 307. ERRATA Page 18. line 23. read angusta P. 23. l. 8. dele and. OF INCREDULITY The PREFACE Containing the Design of the Author in this Work I Cannot determine whether during the first Ages of Christianity more Books were written by the Christians to evince the Truth of their Religion than there may have been for these two hundred Years past But that we have fewer remaining of the precedent Ages than of the last two is most certain The Teachers of the Primitive Church and their Followers whilst Paganism was still considerable in the World labour'd more in confuting the Religion of the Heathens than to prove the Truth of that of Jesus Christ and his Apostles They thought if they could once convince the Heathens of the Falsity of their own Opinions that it would be no hard Matter then to make 'em Christians And this I could most easily shew were it at all useful to my Design On the contrary when Paganism was abolish'd in Europe and Christianity become the governing Religion the Teachers of it then left Paganism to attack the Religion of the Jews and that of the Mahumetans both which are yet in being amongst us But beside these two sorts of Vnbelievers there is yet a third who acknowledging the Falsity of the Mahumetan and Rabbinic Doctrines doubt notwithstanding of the Christian Religion or peremptorily judg it not true without setting up any other Religion in its Place Now to reduce these a new Method was absolutely necessary It was agreed therefore to prove directly the Truth of Christianity without insisting upon the Confutation of other Perswasions And it may truly be said to the Honour of the present Age and of that immediately preceding it that this Matter was never manag'd with better Success The Heathens the Jews and the Mahumetans were not ill confuted before but the Truth of the Christian Religion was far from being ever so well prov'd I am of Opinion nevertheless that there is still one thing behind which the most part of the Writers upon this Subject have either not touch'd at all or but very slightly I mean the secret Motives and general Reasons which the Incredulous have of not believing Christianity to be divinely reveal'd Their internal Disposition or Inclinations do so strongly incline them to reject all the Reasons offer'd them tho they are not aware themselves of the Motives by which they do this that all speaking to 'em is in vain before the Vnreasonableness of this Disposition be made evident Just as if any should plead a good Cause before prepossess'd Judges without endeavouring to cure them first of their Prejudices which must needs make them look upon that thing as false whereupon all the Reasons alledg'd are grounded 'T is certain that the Pleaders of such a Cause tho never so just would expose themselves to be cast or condemn'd This has been notwithstanding the Conduct of a great Part of the Champions of Christianity They have prov'd the Truth of it well enough but their Reasons appear weak to the Incredulous considering the Disposition wherein they are and whereof they know nothing themselves What is unreasonable therefore in this Disposition must be discover'd and laid so clearly before them that they may perceive how it imposes upon the Light of their Vnderstandings This is what the Author of the Christian Religion has taught us when he said that every one that doth Evil hateth the Light Joh. 3.20 neither cometh to the Light lest his Deeds should be reproved which signifies that Vnbelievers cannot look upon that as true which is contrary to the Maxims by which they have long govern'd themselves and to the Habits they have been contracting for many Years On the contrary he says that he that doth Truth cometh to the Light Ver. 21. that his Deeds may be made manifest that is to say that such as are dispos'd to live according to the Prescriptions of the Gospel are easily perswaded of the Truth of it In the same Sense he says elsewhere that if any will do his Will Joh. 7.17 he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether of himself Beside the Disposition wherein those may be who disbelieve the Gospel and which deceives them without their perceiving of it there are likewise certain general Reasons drawn from without that help to lead them into Error These Reasons must by all means be exploded because they are to them so many Prejudices whereby they determine the Truth and Falsehood of all that is said to them Whilst they think 'em good all the Proofs imaginable can make no Impression upon them because they never fail of opposing to them these Reasons which concluding to be solid they cannot at the same time embrace Christianity There are a world of People for example who discovering several of those Doctrines that go under the Name of Christ to be false judg of the rest by these and reject the good with the bad They are told of a thousand lying Miracles to whom those of Jesus Christ and his Apostles are join'd but finding the modern Miracles to be Impostures they give no greater Credit to those upon which the Christian Religion is grounded As long as they are of the mind that these Miracles are not more certain one than another all the Consequences drawn from those of Christ appear to them as built upon a rotten Foundation and the Christian Religion therefore but as a tottering Fabrick It must be shewn the Incredulous then that those Reasons drawn from without which
it will appear to him and the more conformable to the true Interests of Mankind By little and little will the Desire of seeing his Enemies cur'd of so great an Imperfection increase and he will insensibly rid himself of it to shew them a good Example At length instead of longing to revenge himself upon his Enemies instead of making Imprecation against them he 'll ardently wish they may become better Men and will beg it of God in his Prayers Nay he 'll on his side as much as possible contribute towards it and after praying God as he do's for himself that his Enemies may become more vertuous he 'll wish 'em all that God is wont to bestow and more as much as he would desire it for himself Now this it is to love our Enemies for we cannot love them above our selves and the Gospel requires no more It will be granted that these Thoughts are most reasonable and that it were to be wish'd all Mankind had the like Idea's And as Men so dispos'd would very easily comprehend the Possibility of loving our Enemies they would be far from doubting of the Truth of Christianity upon the score of this Precept All that can be said to this is that those who reject the Religion of Christ do it not upon the Account of its Morals which are beyond Contradiction very good and grounded upon the clearest Light of Reason but because it contains in their Opinion incredible Mysteries and supposes Miracles that have no Probability Two things we must remark then that we may know whether the Difficulty they pretend of believing the Mysteries and Miracles of Religion or whether the Dislike of its moral Precepts is the true Cause of their Incredulity The first is if they don't believe many things as incomprehensible or perplex'd And the second if the Maxims of their Morals be as reasonable as those of the Gospel or if they be not plainly opposite to it If it happens that upon all other Accounts they readily believe things they do not comprehend and that the Rules of their Conduct be more than the Gospel admits do they not give us just Occasion to suspect that their ill Habits are the secret but true Cause of their Disbelief of the Gospel whatever they pretend There is nothing so common as to see Unbelievers strongly perswaded of Judiciary Astrology and believing that Magicians can do several things beyond the Power and Order of Nature Two great Ministers of State for example whose Actions will not let us think that Religion was one of their greatest Vertues are both accus'd of believing the Predictions of Astrologers and one of them of perswading himself that a Man who vomited several sorts of Liquors did it by the Help of Magick Cardinal Richlieu says an Historian consulted besides Astrology all kinds of Divination even silly Women whose Knowledg consists in Vapours that make 'em foretel by chance some fortuitous Events He was so credulous as to attribute to the Operation of the Devil the Art of throwing out at the Mouth all sorts of Liquors after having first drunk Water as was done by an Italian Mountebank Mazarin who was not yet a Cardinal having at so simple a Discourse burst out a laughing had like to lose his Favour by it for the Cardinal being provok'd at this Mirth whereby he thought Mazarin jeer'd him said ironically to him that he was not Monsieur Mazarin who had a profound and exact Knowledg of every thing Mazarin very submissively reply'd that giving the fifty Pistols which the Mountebank demanded for teaching his Secret it might be seen whether the Devil had any hand in 't Mazarin himself look'd upon all Divinations as Fopperies except Astrology which he strongly fancy'd tho he feign'd the contrary When Madam Mancini his Sister dy'd and afterwards the Dutchess of Mercaeur his Niece according to the Prediction of an Astrologer at Rome given in Writing a great while before he became extraordinary sad and melancholy not out of Tenderness to his Relations but because this same Astrologer had fix'd the Term of his own Death to a Time that was very near He lost his Appetite upon it and slept not for many Nights c. 'T is also known that the Emperor Julian who could not believe the Prophecies of the Old and New Testament was extremely addicted to the Auguries and Presages drawn from the Intrals of Victims and the Heathens themselves have blam'd him for it I take it for granted that such things as these are as hard to be credited consider'd in themselves as the Mysteries and Miracles of the Christian Religion But the Incredulous believe them at the same time that they refuse their Assent to the Gospel because these Opinions do not regard the manner of any Person 's living and are not at all incompatible as the Christian Morals are with their ill Habits Moreover if the Unbelievers would strictly examine themselves and compare their Conduct with that which the Gospel prescribes I 'll own my self much deceiv'd if they find it Proof against the Rigour of its Precepts Julian of whom I was speaking had many excellent Qualities which he needed not to quit by any means had he remain'd still a Christian and several bad ones he had likewise which he must have rid himself of would he follow the Morals of the Gospel At least it is certain that he could not be so injurious to the Christians as he was which appears by many of his Letters From all this I conclude that notwithstanding whatever can be said the Disposition of a Person does exceedingly contribute to make him receive or reject Christianity and that Unbelievers ought to examine themselves hereupon to see whether this whereof we accuse them be not true CHAP. II. That Pride may be the Cause why Assent is not granted to the Proofs of the Truth of the Christian Religion PRide is inconsistent with a strong and lively perswasion that Christianity is true not only because the Gospel condemns it as it does all other Passions contrary to the Good of Mankind but also because those affected with it find themselves dispos'd by a particular Effect of this Vice to reject unexamin'd the Proofs alledg'd for the Truth of the Gospel This is what I design to shew after I have first describ'd Pride and its contrary Vertue Humility lest what I am to say concerning it should not be so well understood Pride is no other thing but a Disposition of Mind that makes a Man imagine he possesses more Knowledg Endowments or Vertues than he truly does and that by Consequence he should be more honour'd and esteem'd than he deserves The Proud cannot without Vexation bear that the one or the other should be deny'd to them especially if they are not refus'd to other Persons They have not only a high Idea of themselves but likewise despise others who they are easily perswaded have not the same good Qualities nor any thing worthy of that Esteem which
the Mahumetans the Jews and some of the Christians it is certain that true Christianity gives it no Approbation so that if the Falsity of these Religions or Sects may be hence concluded yet it follows not that we can reason against Christianity in the same manner I have already shewn in the precedent Chapter that it requires no such thing as a blind Obedience from such as embrace it and that it expresly condemns the furious Zeal which flows from this Spring One of Christ's Apostles acknowledging that the Jews had a Zeal for God Rom. 10.2 Gal. 1.14 adds that it was without Knowledg and blames it exceedingly Another says to those to whom he writes Jam. 3.14 If you have bitter Zeal and Strife in your Hearts glory not and lie not against the Truth This Wisdom descendeth not from above but is earthly sensual devilish for where this Zeal and Strife is there is Confusion and every evil Work This blind Zeal then is not an Effect of the Christian Religion and cannot be reasonably attributed to it it is a Consequence of the Temper and Education of the ignorant Populace who instead of defending the Truth by its proper Light and the Vertues it does produce in their Hearts who duly receive it defend it with the same Arms they would Error that is with Passion and Fury This sort of People cannot without extreme Injustice be look'd upon as Models whereby to judg of the Spirit and Effects of Christianity since it clearly condemns their Conduct We must on the contrary cast our Eye upon the understanding Persons who make use of none but good Reasons in its Defence and that to procure themselves Love and Respect practise only those calm and peaceable Vertues they learn from Truth This is the Character which the Founders of Christianity bestow upon them who ought to be consider'd as the true Christians The Wisdom that is from above says the same Apostle is first pure then peaceable gentle and easy to be entreated full of Mercy and good Fruits without Partiality and without Hypocrisy CHAP. III. That Vnbelievers are in the wrong for rejecting the Christiam Religion because Interest seems to be the Cause of most Peoples Devotion SInce Christianity has flourish'd in the World it has frequently prov'd an advantagious thing to shew great Zeal for the Doctrines of it Altho this makes no Change in the thing it self Truth not depending upon the Interest one has or has not to defend it yet the Incredulous are sure to take an occasion from hence of doubting the Truth of the Christian Religion There are Endeavours made sometimes to gain them over by representing to them the Consent of the Clergy in so many Places and Ages but they instantly reply that 't is no wonder if those Men did make a Profession of Christianity since they would be great getters by it in so doing but must lose infinitely if they did not And indeed we must confess that no cogent Conclusion can be drawn from the Example of all such as have defended or that now defend the Christian Religion against Infidels But their Reasoning is still less solid as I shall shew after putting it in a greater Light It is not well done to give those Occasions of saying that the Defenders of the Christian Religion diminish the Force of their Objections and those who by their ill Carriage put before them this Stone of Offence and Stumbling deserve to be reproached for it not to speak of revenging in this place the Wrong they do to Christianity Moreover I have from the very beginning of this Work propos'd to my self not only to deal with such as entirely reject it but with those also who seem to embrace it only by halves Let us imagine then a cheating Priest People but too much known in all Christendom who pretends to some Benefice if he has none already or aspires to a greater Dignity than what he possesses He appears humble gentle moderate and kind He speaks of nothing but Disinterestedness and the Vanity of all the Enjoyments of this Life If he has a Talent for the Pulpit he there principally shews his Zeal against the corrupt Manners of the Times Nay he 's in a Fury against scandalous Clergy-men and the Abuses committed in Ecclesiastical Matters so long complain'd of and not yet reform'd In a word he uses all the Discourses that should be made in that Place in order to pass for an honest Man and to make the World believe that had his Incomes been greater he would put 'em to much better Uses than most Ecclesiasticks do After acting his Part for some Years at last he obtains his end that is a Dignity and Income that render him considerable in the World and in the Church But then it may be said of him Quantum mutatus ab illo for indeed he 's no longer to be known He 's forthwith haughty hard-hearted untractable and passionate towards all such as he thinks his Inferiours Those who were his Friends before and upon whose Friendship too he valu'd himself ought to be very well satisfy'd with him if he now vouchsafes them a Look The Obligations they laid upon him while he continu'd a private Person and when they expected no Returns from him are quite lost He thinks they were all due to his Merit and that more were owing him but as for himself he owes nothing to any body and does 'em too much Honour when he coldly receives the Incense they are base enough to offer him If he prefers any Man he must be some Blockhead or Flatterer People that have no Idea almost of their Duty and that are ready to admire any thing the Bad as well as the Good so be you make 'em live at their Ease This Man so disinterested heretofore becomes oftentimes insatiable and the Revenues of the best Benefices are not sufficient to satisfy his Avarice He procures therefore as many as he can and has never too many If he be naturally covetous all that he preach'd before of Liberality is quite vanish'd all the Invectives he made against Avarice are laid in perpetual Oblivion He does Good to no body and thinks of nothing but laying up Treasure If on the contrary he be a voluptuous or stately Person he consumes his great Incomes in keeping a magnificent Table in having a stately Train and living as the proudest Men or the most addicted to their Pleasure in the World The sordid Avarice of the one is a Frugality becoming a good Clergy-man and the excessive Luxury of the other is but an Expence absolutely necessary to keep up his Rank in the World and to beget Respect in the Laity Far from making the least Reformation in the Clergy that depend upon them they let them loose to all the ill Customs and Manners to which they are subject on condition they be submissive to them and meddle not with their particular Method of living When Unbelievers consider such a
might pretend to some Force they could say that this Promise not being perform'd it was a sign it did not proceed from God But Matters are quite contrary Jesus Christ and his Disciples considering the Dispositions of Men and foreseeing likewise future Events have clearly prophesy'd of the Divisions that should spring up among Christians Suppose you says Jesus Christ that I am come to give Peace on Earth Luke 12.51 I tell you nay but rather Division For from henceforth there shall be five in one House divided three against two and two against three c. There must be Heresies among you 1 Cor. 11.19 says St. Paul that they which are approv'd may be also made manifest among you Here are express Words signifying that Jesus Christ and his Apostles were not ignorant of the Divisions which the Christian Religion ill understood or rather the Passions of Men would occasion among Christians But some may say that it is a thing unworthy of a Religion reveal'd from Heaven to cause so many Divisions especially having such fatal Effects I grant this if it be supposed that this Religion does of it self inspire the Spirit of Division and Disorder but if it be only the innocent occasion of them there can be no ill Consequence drawn from hence against it Now it cannot be doubted but that Christianity is directly opposite to the Divisions of Christians since Jesus Christ presses no Commandment so strongly as that of our loving one another John 13.33 34. 15.12 17 c. and consequently of living peaceably one towards another Every one knows this Christ however knew so perfectly the Heart of Man that he saw very well the new Command of loving one another which he left his Disciples should not be well obey'd and that his Doctrine as peaceable as it was would frequently serve for a Pretence to the Passions of Men in occasioning infinite Broils so that if his Design were to be explain'd by the Event it might be certainly said he came to bring Divisions on the Earth This is the Sense of those Words I cited a little above But what some will say Does it not seem a thing becoming God for the Honour of Religion and for the Good of Men to prevent its producing any Disorders not even by Accident No surely God ought not to intervene by the extraordinary Effects of his Power to keep the Peace among Christians The Reason of this is that his Design as it appears both by Revelation and the thing it self was by no means to bring Men at least ordinarily to his Obedience by Miracles of this nature but only by Laws to which he fix'd Rewards and Punishments as I have already said in * Part 1. Ch. 3. another Place This is what St. Paul hinted to in one word in that Passage I cited before when he says That there must be Heresies that they which are approved may be also made manifest This plainly signifies that if God by extraordinary means would hinder all Divisions about his Doctrine among Christians it should be no longer a Vertue to remain stedfast on the good side or to quit the bad in order to join it Those who love the Truth and keep to it out of Choice and Knowledg would be confounded with those who should embrace it without knowing why and who are as ready to embrace an Error were they taught it The constant Profession of the Truth could not expect any Reward since it would not be in any ones Power to forsake it In a word it would be superfluous to propose any Laws at all to Men since it could not be in their Power to violate them for God according to our Adversaries Supposition would prevent this by his Omnipotency But it will be said perhaps that a wise Legislator who foresees that his Laws may be ill understood or cause Division should he express them obscurely would take care to use very clear Expressions and that God who foresees all things ought by Consequence to express his Will in so clear a manner as to prevent all the Disputes which we see now among Christians To this I answer that God has express'd himself plainly enough in the Writings of the Apostles especially about what is necessary to be believ'd hop'd and done to obtain Salvation according to the Laws of the Gospel and that there would be no Disputes about Necessaries if Men did content themselves with the Scripture-Notions What made Divisions spring among Christians are the Additions and ill-drawn Consequences and not the Text of the New Testament Such as look in it only for the Truth they easily find this and are never deceiv'd about any thing essential but those who would find therein what vain Subtlety and humane Interests or Passions have added to it are apt I confess to be deceived every moment In a word to all sincere Persons who love the Truth preferably to every other thing the Gospel is as clear as the Sun and cannot occasion any considerable Dispute But to Men govern'd by their Passions and conceited of their Prejudices the most evident things in the World are obscure There is no Law so clear but a Wrangler may raise a thousand Difficulties about it and if a Legislator should not pass for a wise Man except he expresly prevented all possible Difficulties and mark'd all the Cases wherein ill-disposed Persons would abuse his Laws there had never been any Legislator to whom any Wisdom could be attributed None ever undertook to perform such a thing because then they would be oblig'd to write an infinite Number of Volumes to which something new must be added every Moment since there might happen infinite Cases every day Therefore if God had design'd to prevent all those Controversies already mov'd or that shall hereafter arise about the Sense of Revelation and rejected by Name all possible Errors he must have made so great a Number of Volumes that to use St. John's Expression the World could not contain them and their Multitude would render them useless For proof that the clearest Laws and the most proper to prevent all sorts of Disorders become obscure to such as are not dispos'd to observe them we need only call to mind what is already said of the Charity to be us'd towards those who are in an Error about any Article of Religion It was not possible to speak more clearly or effectually upon this Head than the Apostles have done and nevertheless the most part of Christians practise at this time what they ought to have done if they had said just the contrary Thus they dispute about the Sense of the Revelation rather because they are blinded by Prejudices and willing to dispute than because it is in it self obscure with regard to necessary Doctrines and God was not oblig'd by any means to condemn expresly all possible Errors to prevent Disputes as I have now shewn The Divisions that are among Christans should not hinder the Incredulous
there are many Readings which may be preferr'd before those of our modern Copies Did it follow from thence as his Adversaries would have it that the Authority of the Scripture should be destroy'd Unbelievers would undoubtedly have reason to triumph and it would be impossible to make any tolerable Reply to them But Cappellus shew'd very clearly that nothing can be more false than this Consequence as well as that which is drawn from the Novelty of the Vowels and so he freed the Authority of the Scripture from those Insults of Unbelievers to which his Adversaries had expos'd it 'T is manifest that there are scarce any more effectual means to confirm Unbelievers in their Obstinacy than the drawing of such Consequences For they hear on the one side some grave and much esteem'd Teachers say after a doleful manner that if certain Opinions are not true then Religion is lost and on the other hand they see Men of great Learning not only acknowledg those Opinions but also maintain them with very good Reasons They conclude from thence that nothing can be less certain than Religion by the Confession even of a Part of those that profess it 'T is to no purpose to undertake to prove the contrary to them by rejecting some Opinions grounded upon very solid Arguments whatever the Defenders of the opposite Opinion can tell them will only serve to make them pass for conceited Men and of no great Sincerity This helps them also to perceive in many Divines a strange Disposition which would dishonour the Christian Religion if it had any hand in it viz. it does plainly appear that they seek not what 's true but what they think proper to maintain the Doctrines they have embrac'd When they fancy that if a certain thing was believ'd some of their Doctrines might be doubted of they don't trouble themselves with inquiring whether their Fancy be ill grounded or whether that thing can be prov'd on not as they should do but they cry out in a woful manner That such an Opinion is dangerous that is to say it cannot be easily reconcil'd with Religion as they fancy This is the true Character of a Pleader who is not very sure of being in the right he suppresses whatever seems to him any way contrary to what he defends whether it be true or false if he is afraid it might appear from thence that he is in the wrong Such is the Conduct of the Governour of a Place who wanting Skill or Courage should say that if some ill-fortifi'd and inconsiderable Out-work were taken by the Enemies he must unavoidably surrender the Fortress Those who observ'd the Conduct of both would presently suspect the Pleader to be in the wrong and the Governour to be sensible of the weakness of the Place and that neither of them hopes to make a good Resistance Unbelievers have the same Thoughts concerning Divines when they observe that they greedily collect and catch at whatever can in any manner make their Cause better or at least make it appear so But what ought to be said is that those Divines don't know very well the Truth of Religion and stick to it only by a Spirit of Faction or Interest The Christian Religion is grounded upon clear and undeniable Arguments it stands in need of no weak Reasons to support it it needs but appear naked and such as it came from Heaven to put an end to all sorts of Difficulties If any one who do's not understand it and loves not Truth but only the worldly Advantages that attend it seem to be afraid for Religion it will never want more able Defenders who will be devoted to it out of a Principle worthy of so holy a Doctrine They will never be afraid as long as Religion is only assaulted with Reasons and Arguments CHAP. VII That the Difficulties which may occur in the Christian Religion ought not to make any doubt of the Truth thereof 1. THE abovemention'd Difficulties rather concern some Modern Divines than the Christian Religion which they explain or defend not so well as they should But because there is no Science without some Difficulties however it be understood it must be confest that there are some in the Christian Religion of which I speak in this Chapter wherewith I shall conclude this Work First I 'll make some general Reflections upon the Difficulties which may occur in the Christian Theology and then I 'll alledg some particular Examples thereof whereby I 'll shew that they ought not to make any Body doubt of its Truth There may be two sorts of Difficulties in a Science some of which don 't shake its Principles but others shew it is no Science at all tho so call'd but a Collection and a heap of ill-grounded Opinions and Conjectures For Example There are indeed some Difficulties in Geometry but no Body doubts of the truth of its Principles The Reason of which is because they are all grounded upon clear Proofs and which can neither become obscure nor doubtful Whatever difficulty there may be with respect to a Proposition following from those Principles they don't change their Nature and a Man is more apt to accuse himself of not understanding Geometry well than to doubt of it because he can't resolve a Difficulty or else they shew that the Proposition in question is of such a nature as not to be fully resolv'd On the contrary there are some Difficulties rais'd against Judiciary Astrology which not only perplex those who are fond of it but also are the Cause why all its Principles are look'd upon as false and all that pretended Science as a heap of Chimerical Thoughts The reason of that Difference is because the Principles of Geometry are either meer Definitions or Maxims clear of themselves or demonstrated Propositions whereas Judiciary Astrology is only grounded upon false Suppositions So that assoon as the Truths on which a Science is grounded have been demonstrated and there is no fault in those Demonstrations whatever Difficulty there may be in any Proposition drawn from them we don't look upon that Science to be less certain Now to apply that Observation to the Christian Religion and to the Difficulties which Unbelievers find in it The first thing to be done when any Objection is rais'd against Christianity is to see whether that Objection directly shews that the Proofs thereof are false Tho nothing could be answer'd to that Difficulty if those that raise it can't reply to the direct Proofs of Christianity that Difficulty does not weaken the strength of the Proofs and all that can be said is that the Objection is about a Thing which we do not well understand or that the Christian Theology is not perfectly known to us Wherefore the Incredulous act not wisely when they reject the Christian Religion because of some Difficulties tho they are not able to confute the Proofs on which it is establish'd Now I maintain that there is no Difficulty can destroy those Proofs
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
are the Effects of the Power of God or Angels one may easily apprehend that they are not contradictory things That which is contradictory is the Object of no Power 't is a mere Nothing as all those who know the Meaning of that word will grant it No positive Idea can be form'd of it and every contradictory Proposition is unintelligible in it self If the Miracles mention'd in Holy Scripture are examin'd not one of that Nature will be found among them There is none but what may be express'd in intelligible Propositions For example God can make a Man who liv'd to live no longer that is his Blood shall no more circulate and all his Members shall cease to perform their Functions On the Contrary he can make a Man whose Blood was settl'd and whose Members perform'd none of their Functions to begin to live again as it did before Those Propositions are easily apprehended But to make a Man to live and not to live at the same time taking the word to live in one and the same Sense is a contradictory thing which is not the Object of the Divine Power God never wrought any such Miracles Those who rank among the Miracles of Christianity that whereby they pretend that God makes a humane Body to be extended and not extended at the same time and to be in many Places at one time those Men I say feign a Miracle of which they have no Idea and rest contented with Words they understand not They ascribe to the Christian Religion a Mystery absurd and contrary to the clearest Light to Reason and Revelation What I said concerning Miracles has no relation with that and I pretend not to defend any such thing My Design was to shew wherein Miracles consist to make Unbelievers apprehend that they are very possible that they can't be assaulted but by shewing that there is an Impossibility in the miraculous Facts on which the Christian Religion is grounded There is besides another sort of Miracles which tho perhaps they happen every day can't be of any use to prove the Truth of the Christian Religion because they are not sensible God can very often do either by himself or the Ministry of Angels an infinite Number of things without the intervention of natural Causes when he thinks fit or good Men pray him to do it But because one can't perceive whether a supernatural Cause acts or not on those occasions because what happens is not in it self above the Strength of natural Causes and 't is not known whether they interven'd it can't be affirm'd that a Miracle was wrought For example a sick Man whom Remedies could not naturally cure is restor'd by the Prayers of his Relations because God or Angels supply what is wanting in the natural Virtue of Remedies But this can't be affirm'd without a Revelation Hereupon 't is ask'd How we come to suppose that God who works no more sensible Miracles according to us performs every day some invisible ones such as that which I have describ'd and why he should be desir'd to work this kind of Miracles not those which strike our Senses In answer to that I say that we can know nothing of God's Conduct but by sensible Effects or a Revelation Wherefore seeing we see no more such Miracles as strike our Senses we ought to say that God will work no more any such Miracles and if we can give some Reasons of it which are not unworthy of God's Wisdom nothing can hinder us from alledging them * Part II. ch 6. as I have done elsewhere On the other hand Revelation commanding us to offer Prayers to God in our Necessities and assuring us that if what we ask is truly advantageous to us if we ask it as we ought and it we obey the Precepts of the Gospel we shall obtain what we pray for we have reason to suppose that God will interpose after an extraordinary manner if it be necessary to hear our Prayers because he promis'd it But why will it be said did God make such Promises which suppose that he works still some Miracles of this latter sort seeing he will no more do sensible ones I have shew'd already why he works no more Miracles that fall under our Senses and there is no need I should repeat what I have said about it As for the other they are a necessary Consequence of God's Providence which consists not only in having given some Laws to Nature according to which it acts but in supplying the Defects of those Laws and making such Exceptions to them as God thinks fit Seeing therefore Providence exists not less now than it did formerly no body ought to wonder that God works Miracles of that kind There is nothing in it that 's unworthy of him and seeing he promis'd it it can't be doubted whether he does it and Men have reason to pray to him on that Supposition It can't be said that 't is an impossible thing and prov'd thereby that our Prayers are useless I think I have undeniably shew'd it by supposing that there is a God who made the World and is consequently the Author of the Laws of Nature and that there are some other intelligent Beings who can do what is above the Power of Men. I prov'd the first thing in the last Chapter of the 2d Part of my Discourse concerning Incredulity and the other can't be doubted of if we acknowledg the Authority of Christ and his Apostles confirm'd with undeniable Miracles Christ and his Apostles might have made their Doctrine to be admir'd with mere Reasonings as we do now but their Business was not only to shew that they said nothing but what was most agreeable to Reason they taught not their Doctrine as mere Philosophers or Divines but as Men authoriz'd by Heaven they were therefore to convince Men that they were sent from God To prove it undeniably there was no better way than to do some things above the Laws of Nature which were sensible Signs of God's approving their Doctrine and whereby they undeniably prov'd that they were his Messengers If they had done or said nothing but what other Men might have done of said they would have been look'd upon as Divines or Philosophers who vented their own Thoughts but when Men saw that after they had appeal'd to the Maker of the World for the Truth of what they said that there happen'd at their Prayers some things which are above the Power of all Men and all natural Causes they could not doubt but God declar'd himself in their behalf especially if they consider'd that the Doctrine they preach'd was most worthy of him So that the finest Doctrine that ever was attended with unheard-of Miracles ought to excite the Attention of all those who were not altogether blinded by their Vices and Prejudices and make them look upon them as the true Ministers of that God who created the World This is Sir what I had to say to you concerning Miracles not to exhaust the Matter but only to shew the Possibility and Truth of those of Christ and his Apostles I heartily pray God that it may contribute to reclaim those who out of Ignorance or otherwise doubt of the Truth of the Christian Religion I am c. FINIS Books lately printed for Awnsham and John Churchill A Short Discourse of the Knowledg of Christ Jesus to which are added some Passages in the Reasonableness of Christianity c. and its Vindication With some Animadversions on Mr. Edwards's Reflections on the Reasonableness of Christianity and on his Book entituled Socinianism Vnmasqued By Samuel Bold Rector of Steeple Dorset 8o. Prince Arthur an Heroick Poem in 10 Books By Richard Blackmore M. D. And Fellow of the College of Physicians in London Several Papers relating to Money Interest and Trade c. Writ upon several Occasions and published at different Times By John Locke Esq 8o. Mr. Talent's Chronological Tables or a View of Universal History from the Creation to the Year of Christ 1695. Wherein the most memorable Persons and Things in the known Kingdoms and Countries of the World are set down in several Columns by way of Synchronism according to their proper Centuries and Years In 16 Copper Plates Notitia Monastica Or a short View of the Religious Houses in England and Wales c. By Thomas Tanner A. B. 8o. The Resurrection of the same Body asserted c. By Hump. Hody D. D. The Gentleman's Religion with the Grounds and Reasons of it 12o. The Reasonableness of Christianity as delivered in the Scriptures c. With a Vindication against Mr. Edwards's Exceptions by the same Hand 8o. An Abridgment of Mr. Lock 's Essay of Human Understanding By Mr. John Wynne of Jesus College Oxford 8o.