could not be, unless a rooted Opinion had prevail'd in Men, that the Deity could certainly foreknow and foretel. And this is what I have to fay for GOD Almighty's foreknowing, what we term, future and contingent Events; and my aim in this large Digreffion has been, only to reconcile it to our Reason, the Objections arifing from this Quarter, and the Pretence being chiefly, that it is contrary to Reafon.

B. Seeing therefore it must be admitted, that the Deity can foreknow, and confequently foretel Events depending upon free Agents; if you pleafe, we will proceed to our Purpofe; compare these two together, the Evidence that Miracles give of a Divine Revelation or Commiffion, and this of Foretelling fome future Event, not depending on neceffary Caufes, but againft them; against all apparent likelihood and probability; and herein Illuftrate, and juftifie the foregoing Text; and of two great Confirmations of a Divine Revelation, fhew the grea'reft.

A. It may be worth our while, or in Order to it, it feems to me needful to confider, firft, what a Miracle is. And of this, the most common Apprehenfion I think, is, an Effect contrary to, or furpaffing the Power of Nature, and therefore appearing wonderful to the Senfe, and from Natural Cafes, unaccountable to the Reafon of its Spectators; or as others (a) would have it, an Effect that nothing less than a Divine, or an Almighty Power could produce. Which latter feems to me a very uncorrect Account or Defcription of Miracles, it laying the Foundation of much needlefs Difpute; neither is a whit ferviceable to the End to which it is intended:

(a) Dr. Fleetwood's Essay on Miracles.

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For

For it being Matter of Controverfie, whether any thing but GOD can work Miracles; it looks not altogether fo fair, to lay down in the Definition, that GOD only can work Miracles, and fuppofe the thing in Agitation and Difpute. Neither doth it advance the Purpofe, as we faid, of the Authors of this Opinion; for when it is plainly fhewn, that other things can, and have done Wonders befides GOD, they are forced to deny thefe to be true Miracles; and upon little other Foundation than the bare force of their Definition, which is nothing to Men of a contrary Mind. Juft as Des Cartes having laid down as a Principle, that the very Effence of Spiritual. Beings confifts in Thinking, and confequently the Soul of Man always thinks, he was forc'd to that hardiness, as to deny the Experience of all the World, and contend, that the Soul thought, when the Man knew nothing of the Matter. So here, when plain Inftances are produc'd of Miraculous Operations, that have proceeded from Evil Spirits, thefe Men ceptions that Mi are forc'd to deny them to be true Miracles, racles in which have yet all the Appearance of true Mithemfelves racles. But fuppofing this a true Account of are liable Miracles, how can any Man know this of an gard to a Effect, that it furpaffes the Power of Nature, Divine Re. and abfolutely requires a Divine Power? Not velation. clearly and undoubtedly, unlefs in particular Firft from Cafes, he can determine and demonftrate the our Igno utmoft Power and Force of Nature, and likerance of the Power Wife the Activity of Evil Spirits. As to the first, of Nature, the Power of Nature; herein the most acute

The Ex

to, in re

á

Philofopher must own himself fhort and defetive: Neither will it be fufficient, that an Ef fect appears contrary to what is ufually the Courfe of Nature, in all Cafes, to prove fuch an Effect Miraculous, and beyond the Power of

Nature,

Nature, because the World is abundantly fenfible, that many Things, that former Ages thought and term'd Miraculous, that appear'd ftartling and amazing to the Senfe and Reafon of Mankind; the Experience of latter Times hath discover'd to proceed from Natural Caufes, and to be nothing but meer Natural Effects; and that they imputed thefe Things to other Caufes Supernatural, was owing to their Ignorance of the Power and Operations of Nature. What a Miraculous Thing was Thunder, an Eclipfe of the Sun or Moon to former Ages, what Pannick Fears and Dread did it raife in them? And yet upon the Improvement of Aftronomy, this latter is an Effect fo Natural, fo Easie, that without much or deep Skill in this Art, not only a Flamsteed, a Newton, or an Halley, but every little Almanack Maker can foretel, and precisely determine to the end of the World, What a Prophet might (a) Archimedes have pafs'd for, had he affected that fort of Reputation, by his incomparable Skill in the Mechanicks! His burning the Roman Ships with Glaffes, at fuch a diftance would not have look'd a little wonderful. What more common in cur Age, than the way of communicating our Thoughts by Writing? and yet certainly in Times, when the ufe of Letters was unknown, a Man acquainted with this Art, might have us'd it, not to a little Amazement of the Vulgar. If a Man in former Ages had been acquainted with the fecret Attraction of the Load-Stone, it would have been a notable and surprising Feat to Byftanders, to fee a piece of Iron hang in the Air, without Hand, or any thing, to fupport it, which might eafily have been perform'd, by

(a) Liv. lib. 14.

placing

placing it between two Magnets. To this pur pofe again, Had that been true of Mahomet which others have afferted to be false, That he Order'd his Body, after his Death, to be involv'd in an Iron Coffin, within the Activity of a Load-ftone, which he had fecretly plac'd in the Ceiling of the Temple, and foretold his own Afcent thither: It is needless to say how Wonderful and Miraculous this would have look'd to Men unacquainted with the Virtue of the Loadftone; but furely a grand piece of Impofture to Men of this latter Age. Laftly, Had any Man, or Society of Men been acquainted with the Effects and Ufes of Gun-Powder, as an (b) Author of great Credit flyly infinuates (I am afraid, without any good defign) of the Heathen Priests, that they had this Secret; yet fuppofing this, and that they us'd and apply'd it fecretly, with the fame Art, as now, in Mining, in blowing asunder Rocks, in overturning the strongest and most ponderous Buildings, in making fuch terrible Ruins, and Devaftations and Slaughters, and at one fudden and momentous ftroke; to the Wiseft Man then living, unacquainted with this Secret, it must have appear'd downright Miraculous, nothing less than the Exertion of a Divine and Almighty Power; thefe Effects could hardly have been folvable by him on any other Principle. What Thoughts had the Indians of this when they firft faw it ?

B. Good Sir, let me interrupt you. What mean you by all this? Would you imply, as if there was no certain way of diftinguishing a true Miracle from a falfe one? See you not

(b) Sir William Temple,

what

what would follow from this? Let me intreat you, to forbear thefe Difcourfes.

A. This is not our prefent purpose, to fhew the diftinguishing Marks of a true Miracle; neither, indeed, to vindicate the Miracles recorded in the Old and New Teftament; neither can this, with any Good and Wife Man, invalidate them. But to remove this Scruple in your felf, or others, be pleas'd to answer me to one or two Questions.

First, Whether what I have difcourfed as to our Ignorance of the Power and Effects of Nature, be not true; would not thofe Matters have appear'd Wonderful and Miraculous to former Ages; which by us, by reafon of our Experience of thefe Things, are esteem'd nothing but plain, ordinary Effects of Nature?

B. It must be granted.

A. Can you tell then in thefe Cafes, as well as others, why Truth must not be spoken? If the Miracles of Mofes and the Prophets, our Saviour Chrift, and his Apoftles, be true, (as doubtless they are) muft not Truth in other Cafes be afferted, for fear of rendring them untrue? Muft we not Difcourfe of falle Miracles, of our Ignorance of the Power of Nature (which is a Truth open and evident, confefs'd by all Men) and in virtue of this, how liable Men may be to be impofed on; and hence I think fairly and rationally infer, That all Things appearing Wonderful to the Senfe, may not fingly prove a fufficient Ground of concluding a Man Divinely Infpired; I fay, muft we forbear to speak Truth, for fear of unfetling the Foundations of our Faith? But is this the way to make our Faith appear true, to inquifitive and difcerning Men? Does it not lodge great Sufpicion with Men of fome Weakness and Unfoundness

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