Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	wonder_n	work_n	work_v	96	3	6.3578	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A28280	The sufficiency of a standing revelation in general, and of the Scripture revelation in particular both as to the matter of it and as to the proof of it : and that new revelations cannot reasonably be desired and would probably be unsuccessful in eight sermons preach'd in the Cathedral-Church of St. Paul, London, at the lecture founded by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq., in the year MDCC / by Ofspring Blackall ...	Blackall, Offspring, 1654-1716.	1700 (1700)	Wing B3055; ESTC R6615	150,254	268

words fall to the Ground all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that he was established to be a Prophet of the Lord. The before-named Exception having therefore no Place in our Saviour for his Doctrine was Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Mat. 4.10 and him only shalt thou serve and there being not one of those many Predictions that he gave forth tho' several of them were concerning the most casual Events that could be which has not been in its due time fulfilled we may safely conclude that he was a true Prophet of God and consequently that he ought to be hearkned to in every thing that he said 5. Another Testimony that was given by God to the divine Mission of our Saviour was by the Power of working Miracles more and greater Miracles than ever had been done before since the beginning of the World the Relation of which makes up a great Part of the Gospel-History Mat. 11.4 5. Joh. 10.25 37 38.14.11.15.24 And to these our Saviour himself frequently appeals as to a most evident Proof that he was sent by God and that he was the Son of God Joh. v. 36. The Works which the Father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witness of me that the Father hath sent me And indeed what better Evidence can be desired that a Person speaking in the Name of God is sent by him than to see him do the Works of God that is such Works as cannot be done but by the Power of God And that our Saviour's Miracles were such cannot I think be doubted by those who believe they are truly related in the Gospel which it is now supposed they are And if to this it be said that the first Opposers of Christianity both Jews and Gentiles who either saw the Miracles of our Saviour or had such good Assurance thereof from Eye-Witnesses or Credible History that they could not deny them yet were not thereby convinc'd that he was a Prophet of God but rather thought that he did all his mighty Works by Magick Art and by the Help of the Devil I answer 1. That 't is a thing which we cannot be sure of that the true Reason why any of those who saw our Saviour's Miracles or were persuaded of the Truth of them did yet refuse to receive him as a Prophet sent from God was because they were not convinc'd that his Miracles were done by a divine Power for Men do not always act according to their Judgments for we read of some of the Chief Rulers in Joh. xii 42. that they believed on him that is they were convinc'd in their Judgments by the mighty Works that he did that he was the Person he pretended to be but they did not confess him lest they should be put out of the Synagogue for they loved the Praise of Men more than the Praise of God And therefore I think it most probable that they who attributed those Miracles of his which they could not deny to the working of the Devil did not nay could not believe what they said but only said it because they were resolv'd never to receive a Doctrine whatever Evidence was given of the Truth of it that was so contrary as our Saviour's was to their Prejudices Lusts and Worldly Interests and they could not tell what else to say to justifie themselves to the World But 2. If their Blasphemy in ascribing our Saviour's Miracles to the power of the Devil was not meerly malicious 't was however most evidently groundless For 1. Tho' the Devil be without doubt of much greater Power than we are and understanding better than we do the Force of Natural Causes can do many things which to the Eyes of Men may appear Miraculous because it may be past their Skill to give an Account of them by Natural Causes there is no reason however to believe that he can do a true Miracle that is that he can ever alter the Course of Nature or produce any Effect but by the Means of Natural Causes working in such a manner and by such Laws and Rules as God hath appointed And therefore the Apostle calls those strange Appearances which are done by the working of Satan 2 Thes 2.9 Lying Wonders But they were not Lying Wonders which were done by our Saviour they did not only seem to be done but were done and they were Miracles not only in appearance but in truth being many of them such Effects as were evidently above and beyond the Power of Nature and therefore such as could not be done but by a Power Superiour to Nature that is by God's For who but he only who at first brought all things out of nothing Mat. 14. Mark 6. Luke 9. John 6. could with five Loaves and two small Fishes satisfie the Hunger of more than five thousand Persons leaving a Remainder of more than twice the number of Baskets-full of Fragments that there had been of Loaves at the first Luk. 7.11 c. Joh. 11.39 c. Or who could restore to Life a dead Carkass that began to putrefie but he only who first form'd it out of the Dust of the Ground Who could call back the departed Soul and fix it to its former Residence but he only into whose Hands it was returned and who first breathed into our Bodies these Immortal Spirits And as to some other of his Works which may be thought to be such as might be produc'd by the working of Nature only the manner in which they were done plainly shews that they also were done by a Power Superior to Nature for thus a Sick Man may be restor'd to perfect Health in time and by degrees by the use of proper Medicines and such a Cure we reckon Natural But those were plainly Super-natural Cures which were wrought as our Saviour's for the most part were without the use of any Medicines only by a Word speaking and many times at a great distance and by which those who had been long Sick or Infirm or Cripples were restor'd to perfect Health and Strength in an instant of time To suppose therefore that the Devil can thus at his Will alter the Course of Nature is to attribute to him such a Power as is peculiar to the God of Nature who only doth great Wonders Ps 72.18.136.4 But 2. If the Miracles of our Saviour had been only such as we might reasonably think did not exceed the Devil's Power to do yet that they were not wrought by his Help and consequently that they were done by the Power of God is abundantly evident from the Design of them which was to establish a Doctrine the most contrary that could be to the Devil's Interest For to this Purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil and he did it 1 Joh. 3.8 by preaching to Men to turn from the vanities of Idols to the worship and service of the Living God Act. 14.15