e "they falfe when utter'd; though afterwards, if they fell out by Chance, they happen'd to be true. Thus he of Predictions, that owe themfelves to Sagacity and Chance. He difcourfes as clearly of true Prophecy or Predictions. "But when the Perfon does not only foretell "the Event, but how, and when, and by what means, and by whom it fhould come to pass "This is no hazardous Conjecture, but an abfo+ "lute Demonstration and pre-inspired Difcovery of what shall come to pafs hereafter, and that too by the determinate Decree of "Fate, long before it came to pafs; for Exam, ple, to inftance (because he had no better In "tances) in the halting Agefilaus. Sparta, beware, tho' thou art Fierce and Proud, 1 Of fuch fort of Predictions, we wou'd be understood to speak, when we make them certain Evidences of Divine Infpiration, fuch as have all the clear Marks of Prophecy, and to which the Event fo agrees, that 'tis impofible any Sagacity fhould foresee, or any Chance fulfil. B. Very good. If you please then, we will commit the point to this Iffue; You fhall choofe your Prediction, and I will choose my Miracle; and I doubt not but the Miracle I fhall choose, will prove as ftrong a Proof of Divine Inspiration, as any Prediction you fhall felect. Let the Miracle be, the Raifing a Man from the Dead. I pray you, what think you of this; can you fay this would not have as great an Effect upon you, as the most exact and punctual fulfilling of any Prediction? I am fure it would on me A. Not 4. Not to oppose you with any Inftance, in the way of Prophecy, for I think the Business may be done without it, efpecially if you admit it demonstratively clear, that no Evil or Good Spirit can certainly foretel.: B. That I have before granted you. A. It will furely be beyond yours, or any Man's Skill, to give clear and demonftrative Proofs, that evil Spirits, left to their own Natural Power, cannot (I do not fay really and truly raise a Man from the Dead, for that, for ought I know,may be capable of Proof, but by deluding the Senfes,) cheat a Man with Shews and Appearances of it; and if the Delufion be undif coverable by Senfe, it is all one to us, as if really done. I wou'd fain know, by any thing we either can collect from our own Reason, or the Word of GOD, how this appears a Fact that furmounts the Ability of thofe Beings? Our Reason cannot furely difprove it ; and the Word of GOD seems in truth much to favour and countenance the Suppofition of fuch a Power in them. Not to repeat what we have already remark'd, touching the Magicians: although fome things cannot be pafs'd over. Did they not turn Rods into Serpents? What was that they did? Thofe that leffen their Power moft, tell you, they were not real Converfions, or real Serpents, but a Delufion of the fight of the Spectators. Admitted: But let any Man produce a good Reafon, why a Being, that can fo far impofe upon the Senfe, as to make a Rod appear a real Serpent, may not be capable of making, indeed any thing (for it is no matter what) appear like a real Man, or give it the outward Appearance and Form of any particular Man? That which can give a Rod the exact Figure and Form of a Serpent, why can it not give to any other Object, Object, the exact Form, Feature, and Lineament of a particular Man? In what doth it appear more difficult? I believe it is not eafily thewn. Againd A Being that has Power in an Inftant, to raise the Appearance of innumerable Frogs, why cannot that Being raise the Appearance of a Man? We difpute not how it was done. If they were real Frogs, the Power of the Being that rais'd them, is increas'd. To fhew the difference in the Inftances alledg'd, I am fure will display more Knowledge in those Matters, than is common, and will highly oblige the World. To advance with you a little farther. You fay the Devil cannot really raise a Man from the Dead. I am really of your Opinion But cannot he raife the outward Form and Figure of a Man? What more commonly acknow ledg'd of Evil Spirits? What think you of the Ghofts and Apparitions of Perfons Deceas'd 2 There is raifing a Man from the Dead, and according to your Suppofition, of a Particular Man, and in the exact Shape, and Form, and Dress likewise. If you deny the Matter of Fact, that ever any fuch things were done, the vaft Collections of Apparitions made with fo much Care and Fidelity, must be all discarded, fhewn meer Impoftures, which as no Man can do, fo no Pious Man would attempt the doing of. But what are thefe Apparitions? Are they the real Souls of Men departed? This will not fo well agree with Divine Revelation, as to be afferted. They must therefore be Evil Spirits affuming Bodies, in the Likeness of fuch, as they would represent and perfonate. To this purpose it may not be amifs, to remember again the Inftance of Samuel. Can you believe it was really the Prophet Samuel that appeared to Saul? Could a Witch raise up his Ghost ? In whofe 1 whofe Power muft fhe be fuppofed to act? Not furely that of GOD's, for then there would be no need of fuch Peoples being distinguish'd from true Prophets, with that Note of Blame and Infamy; neither of fuch ftrict Prohibitions of having recourfe to them. Either therefore the Devil rais'd up real Samuel, (a) (as I confess Justin Martyr and other Fathers have fancy'd, I doubt upon infufficient Grounds; but if this were admitted, it ftill magnifies the Devil's Power, and fhews his Capacity of doing the fame upon permiffion in other Cafes) or elfe, which is abundantly fufficient to our Argument, his Likeness, and that fo truely, that Saul himfelf in nothing defcry'd a Diftinction. How this Counterfet Samuel could foretel the Death of Saul and his Sons fo truely, in the Virtue of a Diabolical Power, we may have a fitter occafion of Explaining hereafter; when we fhall confider the Cafe of the Heathen Infpiration, and particularly of their Famous Oracles, from whence flow'd fome Predictions, full of very particular and punctual Circumftances, which feem as punctually to have been accomplish'd; and doubtless this Prediction proceeded from the fame Principle that actuated them, and is to be accounted for on the fame Ground, whichhere, we cannot interrupt our felves to unfold. To purfue our prefent Argument. It adds fome' weight to it, methinks, that upon the Jews a-fcribing all our Saviour's Miracles to Magick, and the Power of the Devil, our Saviour doth not deny their Suppofition of fuch a Power in him; which feems, if untrue, to have been needful to undeceive them in; fuch an Opinion implying a Fundamental Mistake as to the Divine(a) Fuftin Martyr. Dial, cum Tryp. Nature, Nature, and greatly derogatory to the Power of GOD, if no fuch Power had been any where else, and very fit to have been contradicted or refuted; nothing being of more pernicious Confequence, than wrong Apprehenfions of GOD; and in other Cafes our Saviour feems very jealous of this; as in that Saying, (a) Why callest thou me good, there is none good, fave GOD only; of which Reprehenfion there appears not fo juft Occafion and Ground, as in the former Cafe, if the Jews Suppofition had not been true, that the Devil could do things ftrangely Surprising and Miraculous; it being not likely the Jews apprehended the Goodness of Man so near to refemble the Goodness of GOD, as it was plain, they apprehended the Power of the Devil in thefe Cafes, to come near the Power of GOD; and if the Devil had no fuch a Power, it is clear their Apprehenfions of fuch Power in him, was a more unjuft and exorbitant Advancement of the Diabolical Power; and look'd more like robbing the Deity of an Attribute, than imagining, or cal ling Men good, was a Prefumptuous Affuming of a Quality that belong'd to GOD, becaufe of the infinite Inequality between the Human and Divine Goodness; and had there been equal Ground, there feems great Reason to imagine our Saviour would have dropt a Caution in the one Cafe, as well as the other. B. Nay, when all is faid, there can be no Difpute, as to the Opinion of the Jews, in this Point. They unqueftionably look'd upon a Prediction of greater Authority than Miracles. What elfe fhould be their meaning after all the Miracles they had feen our Saviour work, of (4) Matt. ch. 19. V. 17. the |