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
A TREATISE OF THE Causes of Incredulity Wherein are examin'd the general Motives and Occasions which dispose Unbelievers to reject the Christian Religion WITH Two LETTERS containing a direct Proof of the Truth of Christianity Translated fròm the French of Monsieur LE CLERC LONDON Printed for Awnsham and John Churchill at the Black Swan in Pater-noster-row MDCXCVII The Translator's PREFACE MR. Le Clerc is a Person so well known to all the learned World that it could not be thought less arrogant than superfluous for me to give any Character of his Capacity or his Writings Nor can it be said that I transgress either way in recommending the following Treatise for setting aside all personal Considerations the Subject of it is enough to justify my Vndertaking The Study of Religion in general is so natural to Man that some would make this Inclination to pass for the only essential Distinction of our Species from all other Animals But the Study of the true Religion must needs be of the highest Importance since the Profession of it is not acknowledg'd to be more necessary than the Sects pretending themselves to be the only Persons enjoying that Happiness are found to be different from one another in their Opinions and Practices This Diversity join'd to the great number of Parties that lay their Claim to genuine Christianity exclusively of all the rest seems to render the Discovery of the Truth very difficult if not impossible And indeed thousands of well-meaning People have upon this very account given up themselves to Scepticism and Indifference in Matters of Religion or which is as bad are content to be implicitely led by their Teachers Now that Person deserves best of the World who not only makes the Truth plain and intelligible separating it from all the false Notions with which it is so mix'd and over-run sometimes as to endanger the entire Ruin thereof but who likewise establishes such an excellent Method that a Man may be most certain he 's on the right side without being oblig'd to undergo the endless labour of examining every Religion successively How far our Author has contributed to do Mankind this desirable piece of Service the Reader must determine for we pretend not to lead his Judgment And tho Mr. Le Clerc is so modest as to think his own Performance inferiour to that of Grotius upon the same Subject I must affirm and that with all imaginable Impartiality that in my Opinion there is no Comparison to be made between them for were it for nothing else but that the Evidence of Mr. Le Clerc's Reasons is obvious to Men of all Conditions whereas most of the other's Book is not intelligible but to profound Scholars as if these only had a Right to the Privilege of understanding the Grounds of their Religion this alone is sufficient to decide the Controversy But what is more notwithstanding the extraordinary Talents of Grotius he was not near so great a Master of the Oriental Languages nor so acute and solid a Philosopher nor yet superior in Philology or History to speak nothing of the Advantages of writing after him But let Mr. Le Clerc's Book speak for its Author As for my Version I shan't detain the Reader with any Apology because it is not more correct or polite if it be faithful and intelligible which is all that is necessary for those who sincerely study for Truth and if I be so happy as to satisfy them I care not much for the Displeasure of others To the READER 'T IS some Years since I first form'd a Design of writing upon the Subject of this small Piece which I publish at present and had my other Occupations purely depended upon my own Choice this had been perform'd long ago but being necessarily engag'd in some other things I was forc'd to put it off till now At length having finish'd my Latin Writings upon the Pentateuch I happily became Master of Time enough to turn my Applications upon this Subject I can freely say that I never thought of Matters of this nature without extreme Satisfaction for after what manner soever I could consider the Christian Religion it always appear'd to me grounded upon the firmest Proofs and the Doctrines of it perfectly conformable to sound Reason or to say all in one word worthy the Creator of Heaven and Earth Nor did I in my whole Life labour with more ardour and delight than I did in composing this Work wherein I have I think evidently made out that Unbelievers act against all good Sense in refusing their Assent to the Gospel and I perswade my self that if they consider the same things that I have they must necessarily acknowledg the Truth of it But whether I 'm mistaken or not that the World shall judg If this Book have the good luck to meet with that Reception in French which several others of this kind have had I may one time or other put it into Latin and in my Annotations upon it confirm all that I say by the Authority of the most antient Apologists of Christianity and that too of the most considering Heathens as the incomparable Grotius has done in his Books of the Truth of the Christian Religion I 'm far indeed from equalling my Work to his nor do I flatter my self with the same Success as to the Judgment of the publick but if Men had regard only to the Intentions of those that write I think I may safely say that none in the World had better than mine nor was more convinc'd of the Goodness of that Cause I have undertaken to defend John Le Clerc The CONTENTS of the Chapters THE Preface or the Design of the Author in this Work pag. 1. Part I. Of the Motives of Incredulity which spring from the inward Disposition or Inclinations of Vnbelievers Chap. 1. That it is unreasonable and unjust to reject the Christian Religion because it is contrary to the Dispositions a Man finds in himself p. 9. Chap. 2. That Pride may be the Cause why Assent is refus'd to the Proofs of the Truth of the Christian Religion p. 27. Chap. 3. That what hinders Vnbelievers from yielding to the Proofs of Christianity partly consists perhaps in mere Prejudices which all the while may be false p. 45. Chap. 4. That many are Vnbelievers only because they know not how to reason well p. 63. Chap. 5. That the Neglect of searching into Truth is often the Cause of Incredulity p. 75. Chap. 6. That Laziness keeps many People in Ignorance Doubts and Infidelity p. 93. The Conclusion of the first Part. p. 107. Part II. Of the Motives of Incredulity which proceed from the Occasions given Vnbelievers to doubt of the Christian Religion or entirely to reject it Chap. 1. That the Truth of the Christian Religion ought not to be call'd in doubt because several embrace it more out of Credulity than upon good Reasons p. 110. Chap. 2. That the Immorality or Ignorance of those who sometimes express the
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
how he did it This being undeniable I conclude from it that tho I have no distinct Idea of the Manner after which God may have produc'd Bodies out of nothing yet I can't deny it especially if we observe in Matter no Character of Eternity 't is an absurd thing even to suspect that it is Eternal and much more absurd still to find fault with Christian Divines who say that it was created out of Nothing Tho nothing can hinder us from grounding the Creation of the World upon that Foundation yet it must be confest that the Christian Religion which was instituted for illiterate Men as well as for Scholars do's not necessarily suppose these sorts of things which require a greater Meditation than the Vulgar is capable of It 's enough to apprehend that God imparted to Matter the Form it now has to pay to him all the Duties which he requires from us in the Gospel So that without supposing what I have prov'd concerning the Creation of the Matter of Bodies we must inquire whether there is any Reason to believe that the Form they have is Eternal There is nothing in the Form no more than in Matter which can make us suspect that the World as it is now never had a Beginning Tho we have not seen the Formation of the great Bodies that surround us and not one Eye-witness has left a Relation of it tho it seems that little or no sensible Alteration happens in the World in general yet no Body can say for all that that it has been the same from all Eternity because the World might have been fram'd before there was any Man upon the Earth But besides we cannot say that the Form of the World is Eternal and consequently that Men and other Animals which make a part of it have always been upon Earth the perpetual Succession which we see in their Kinds do's plainly teach us that they had a Beginning It can't be said that the Animals who live at present are born of their Fathers and Mothers and These after the same manner and so in infinitum so as never to come to the first The Reason of it is because Beings that have a limited Duration as that of every Generation is cannot equal Eternity by such a Duration as a number of limited Measures tho never so great cannot be equal to an infinite Extension Every Generation singly taken having had a Beginning we must necessarily come to the Beginning of those Generations 'T is therefore manifest that Men and Beasts began to exist upon Earth and consequently that they were form'd by some Cause Epicurus who said that they were form'd by a fortuitous Concourse of Atoms made more ridiculous Suppositions and more absurd Conjectures than what we find in the antient Fables Hence it is that no body maintains his Hypothesis now But others say that whatever exists is properly but one Being that modifi'd it self by a necessary Consequence from its Nature If any body knew what they mean or if they knew it themselves they might be confuted but an Opinion that is so absurd and nonsensical tho it has the outward Appearance of a Geometrical Order can deceive no body but those who will be deceiv'd and are inclin'd to it from some other Reasons Wherefore seeing nothing can give a Beginning to it self it must be confess'd that there is a Being more excellent than all Animals who form'd them upon this Earth and this is that Being which Christians call GOD Thus they must of necessity acknowledg a God who has created us 'T is an easy thing to prove that he created the Sun and the Planets because limited Periods as those of the Planets are can never exhaust Eternity tho they be never so much multipli'd So that we may very well say that there is a Maker of Heaven and Earth and no Objection can force us to renounce that Proposition seeing we directly prove it by undeniable Arguments and the Objections that may be oppos'd to them do not destroy them and are but the natural Effects of our Ignorance They object for example That they cannot apprehend how God who is suppos'd to be immaterial could create Bodies out of nothing None can give what he has not say they so that God being incorporeal could not give to Bodies the Proprieties which they have But it ought to be observ'd that this very Argument will prove that there is no Motion in Nature for one may say Matter has no Motion of it self and that which is immaterial has less still None can give what he has not wherefore Matter has no Motion Let them try to answer this Argument and the Answer if it be good will resolve the propos'd Objection against the Creation of Matter It may be said that God contains the real Proprieties of all Beings but without having the Imperfections and Defects of them seeing 't is certain he has created them and he is infinitely more perfect than all the Things to which he gave a Beginning By this Argument we ascend from the Effects to the Cause but we don't learn by it nor by any other Argument how the real Proprieties of Creatures are in God nor how he made them to exist The Fact is as certain as the Manner of it is above human Understanding as well as the Origin of Motion tho no body can doubt of its Existence There is another thing which the Incredulous will not believe viz. the Revelation which we say is contain'd in the Old and New Testament Whatever they say concerning Revelation in general is grounded upon this Prejudice viz. that they themselves having no Experience of a Revelation they can't be perswaded that there has been any But nothing can be weaker than Arguments grounded only upon our Ignorance and which suppose that what we know not is not true as I have already observ'd Those who deny Revelation should either manifestly prove that God cannot reveal himself to his Creatures after an extraordinary manner which no body will ever be able to prove or find out in that Revelation some manifest Characters of Falsity which no body can shew in the Revelation of Holy Scripture This might be sufficient to stop the Mouths of Unbelievers but their Repugnancy to believe the Christian Religion arising partly from their being ignorant of the History thereof and not perceiving how the Wisdom of God appears in it I shall set down that History in a few Words Men knowing nothing but by Experience and Reflection and Experience being slow and Reflection often-times difficult God shew'd them by some Revelations from the Beginning of the World what they ought to know concerning his Nature and the Worship he requir'd from them Tho Moses has given us but a short Abridgment of the History of what past during above two thousand Years before he receiv'd the Law of God yet he mentions †Gen. 3.3.9 c. 6.13 7.1 8.15 9.1 12.1 c.
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