tice of Men's felling their whole Estate and Subftance, and bringing all Things in common; the forbidding Ufury; the Approbation of Eunuchifin as the Way to the Kingdom of God; the Discouragement of Marriage, and recommending the State of Virginity and fingle Life; and divers other fuch Matters, too long to be enumerated here.

I conclude this Subject of Miracles with, the Obfervations of a late moft ingenious (m) Author. He fays, "Perhaps it may be faid, "that Miracles are a fufficient Evidence and "Criterion of a Revelation from God "But I would fain know, what Miracles there are, which may not be wrought by the "Power of fome invifible evil Spirits, or ma"licious and wicked Agents, at least, as to Appearance, and fo as to impofe on the Spectators, beyond their Capacity of detecting the Cheat; and which muft then have, "to all Intents and Purpofes, the fame Ef"fect upon them, as if the Miracles were

true and real? If it be urged here, that as "God himfelf cannot confirm any falfe Doc"trines by Miracles, fo it must be inconfif"tent with his Wifdom, Truth, and Good"nefs, to fuffer others to confirm any fuch "Doctrines by falfe and pretended Miracles, "and thereby impofe upon Mankind in a "Matter of fuch high Confequence, as their "eternal Salvation. It is eafy to reply, that

(m) Morgan's Preface to Tracts, p. 10.

"

"This is arguing against Fact and Experience; for that a very confiderable, and perhaps the "far greater Part of Mankind always have been, and still are, thus impofed on, by "the pretended Miracles of wicked Priests, " and the lying Wonders of Satan, is evident "in Fact; and therefore to maintain, that "This cannot be done, or ought not to be fuffer'd, is not to prove the Truth of Doc"trines by Miracles, but to impeach Providence, and deny the Perfections of God. "But the Truth is, that the People in Popish Countries, or wherever Miracles are in Vogue, are not to blame for not detecting "the Cheats of juggling Priefts and defigning Knaves, who impofe on their Senses; for This, perhaps, is what they cannot do; the Plot may be too clofe and deep, and the Defign too nice and knavish for them. But "what they are really to blame for, is, their receiving Doctrines as true and divine, the bare Atteftation of Miracles, as a "full and fufficient Proof, without Regard "to the Nature and intrinfick Character of the "Doctrines themselves. By this Means, they are often led into Schemes of Religion, which, in their whole Frame and Contrivance, discover the evident Marks and Sig"natures of Superftition and Enthusiasm, or of Knavery and Impofture; and which "therefore could not be reasonably received,

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upon

as coming from God, even though all the "Miracles done from the Beginning of the “World had been wrought to confirm them.

He

He concludes with a most just Remark, "that if any Doctrines are received in Virtue of Miracles, as coming from God, which "Doctrines are not characterised by the Rea"fon of Things, and the moral Fitness of "Actions, 'tis plain, there can be no poffible "Guard against Enthufiafm and Imposture, nor any Criterion, by which we may dif tinguish between Truth and Falfhood, or Right and Wrong, in Matters of Religion.

III.

I proceed to the grand Queftion, whether there are any Prophefies cited out of the Old in the New Teftament, literally or only typically accomplish'd? I fay the grand Queftion; as it is the Question started or begun by you; as it is a Question of the utmost Importance; and as it is a Question, that is the Foundation of all other Queftions in Theology, and in Respect of which all other Queftions, which you have started, are but Incidents.

Mr. Green begins his Proof of literal Prophefies, by afferting, (n)" that if the Truth "of a Propofition be fully proved, we are ob

liged to believe it, though we cannot an"fwer every Objection that is brought against "it by a learned and subtle Adverfary. For "This we may be fure of, that Truth is not

(n) Letters, P. 57.

contrary

contrary to Truth; and that there must be "fome Way or other of anfwering Objections against the Truth, tho' in many Instances, "thro' the Weakness of our Minds, and our

imperfect Views of Things, we may not be "fo happy as to find it out. Suppofing there"fore, adds he, that I should not be able to " anfwer your Objection against Christianity, "taken from the typical, or allegorical Proof "of it; That is, the Proof of it from Paffages in the Old Teftament, which are applied to JESUS, or Matters relating to him "in the New Teftament, and which you think, in their literal, obvious, and primary Senfe, had no Relation at all to these Things; yet, fince, as has been fhewn, the Miracles wrought by JESUS, his Refurrection from "the Dead, and the wonderful Things done by the Apostles in Confirmation of Chriftianity, fully prove That is the Doctrine of God, I fhould think myself bound to re"ceive it as fuch; and thus I must think, as long as the above-mention'd Arguments to prove it abide in their full Strength, and all Attempts to fhew their Weakness are vain.

To which I answer,

I. That if there can be fuch a Thing as a Propofition proved, that may be liable to an Objection [I leave out, brought against it by a learned and fubtle Adverfary, as a Thing wholly impertinent. For would it, for Example, alter the Nature of Mr. Green's Objections to what you think proved, to fay

they

they were brought by a learned and fubtle Adverfary? Does Learning and Subtlety in an Objector, make his Objections bad? Or Want of Learning and Subtlety make his Objections good?) that cannot be anfwer'd, there is then a Demonstration of both Sides, and thorough Scepticism introduced. There would then be no more Reason, to suppose the Truth lay in the Propofition proved, than in the unanfwerable Objection; and confequently there would be no Reafon for any Affent at all.

II. Secondly, there can be no fuch Thing, as a Propofition proved, to which an unanfwerable Objection lies; nor can there be an unanfwerable Objection to a Propofition, that does not destroy that Propofition.

III. All Defenders of Truth are not only obliged to produce Arguments for their Opinions, but to fhew their Confistency with other Truths, by answering all Objections; and if once Men own they cannot answer Objections to their Opinions, they implicitly give up their Opinions. It argues the utmost Weakness of a Caufe, for its Advocates to fay that they cannot answer their Adverfaries Objections.

IV. But, fourthly, the Cafe, for the Sake of which this Notion, which is fo abfurd and fceptical, and betrays the Caufe it is defign'd to advance; the Cafe, I fay, will, when confider'd, clearly determine the Point against him. For the Matters fuppofed to be proved, or fully proved, are, that they, who do Miracles, fully prove the Truth of the Doctrines