jlootttng unto 'jcfu£>. Chap z .Seer.4For the firlt, what they are? Miracles are u~ufual events wrought above the courf; or polllbility of nature; fuch were the Miracles of Chrifi, and fuch wererhe Miracles of the r,ophets, aad of the Apofrles of Chrifi ; for what they did was above nature. and all rhe difference betwixt thm ll!tracles and the Miracles of Chrifr was only in this: 11 iz.. they wrought rhem not rn their own name and power as Jefus Chrifi did .· Thus when Eliflu< with twenty loaves and fome full cars of corn fed an hundred men', Give untotheptoplc (fayes he). that.theym.ay ea.r; andhu fervitor faid, what jiJOI!!d I fi:tthi; ;z. T\ings I4· b.~ h d d ' H r. d h h h J' 4 ,. 43 • 'J ore~" J<n re mm. eJa' agam, gtve t epeople t at t ey may eat, for thm faith the Lord, they f/Mil eat and jludlleave themf. And when Pem cured v£ne.u, which had kept his bed eight years, and was fick of Mls9. J•· a Paliie, Jlmr faid ltnto him, o/.J:.'nea;, Jefu; Chrijf mak!th thee whole. And when be cured· that man that was lame from his mothers ~omb, whom they laid.daily at the gate of the Temple, Sdver and gold have I no,e, ( fard Peter) but fuch M I havegive 1thee; m theNameof tef"' Chriftof Naz.amh, rifeup, andwal~ ButourSavwur comesin Mkq,6. M"k 5. 4'· an higher !l:rain to the dead Damofel, I fay unto thee, arife : and in an higher !!rain to ~llrk ,. 39 • the flormy winds and feas, Peace tindbe ftiO: and in an higher !train to the raoino De" Luk' 4·31· vi! in the po!fe!fed, Be "'uz.ded, and come out of the man. Heres the differenc~be~wixt the Lord and his Servants; but in this they agree, rhdr miracles were nor miranda, but mirac11la, not only wonders, but miracles indeed; they were unufual events wrought above nature, or d1e courfe of nature. , For the fecond, why they are? Many Reafons are given, of whith I hinted before but in reference to Scriptures, ( which is the great controverfie) this is the main and the only true Reafon; MiracleJ are wrought Jor thl grounding or confirming of fomc di– vinetrmh or dol1rine at its firft (et!ing. To this purpofe Miracles were as the Trumpets or Heralds, by. which the Gofpel was firfi commended unto us; as the Law of Mofes was firfi authoiued by manrfold Miracles wrought rn Sinai, and rn the Dcfert, which afrj!rward'ceafed when they came t\), and were fet!ed in the promifed Land; fo the Go– fpel of Chrifl was fir!l: authorized by manifold Miracles, but the found thereof having ' · .how gone through all the world, thefe Miracles ceafe: If new additions of Miracles for .· the confirmation of Scriptures lhould be expected in every Age, the former Miracles of Matth. , 4 ., 4 . ChriJl: and his Apofiles would be llighted'of all; indeed Chrifi tells us of great fitns and wonders that Jha/1 be in the !aft dayes, but WHhall he tells us of falfe Chrifts, and fa!fe Prophets, that mull work them; ir may be difpmed whether thofe are true miracles, or meer deceptions and magical pretences; but becaufe they are fuch as rhe people cannot difcern them from miracles really fuch, therefore ir is all one as ro them; here then is Vtr. q, >5· Chrills Rule, Believe them rJot,--~ehcld I have toltf~ yo11 before; he that foretold us of the man, foretold us alfo of rhe Impoflure., and commanded us not to trufl him; in this refpecr it bad been more likely for Amichrifl to have prevailed u,,on Chrill:ians by doing no miracles, than by doing any ; for if he had done none, he might have efcaped with– out difcovery ; but by doing miracles, or wonders, he both verified the wildom and prefcience of Chril!, and he declared to the Ele<'l' that he was the very enemy of Chri!t. As all the Prophets that fpake of Chritt, bade us .believe him for his Miracles; fo all that foretold of Amichrifi bade us disbelieve him for his miracles ; which occafioned .AuConira mira guftine to fay, .AgAinft fuch miracle~mongers Godh~tharmedme to tak! heed. Gonot forth bulari: '!/,;' unto fuch, faith Chri!l:, Matth. 24- 26. and therefore Brethren ftand faft, faith Pa~d, [:,::~e"' me- 2 'Thef :z.. I 5. 'The great beaft decetvcth them that dJve/1 on the earth, by meansof mzracles; 114 , Aug in Jo·: thefe.are the words of rohn, 1\ev. 13: I4• bot if any mall have an ear, let htm hear ( t.) b". trail. 5 . let h1m beware, Rev. I 3. g. True Miracles that proceed from God, are wrought forrhe grounding of doctrine at t,he firfi fetling;. but being once grounded, and fc~!ed, and a plat-form defcribed for the rrght contrnurng of It, then -;ve are left to the Scrrpture, and are not to expect any new miracles forthe confirmm~ of It. . . For the third. whether they are chamed and continued rn thrs great tranfaCl:ron of our fouls falvation? I anfwer, yea; in this refpect miracles ceafe ~or; it is wid10ut conrro– verfie that J efus Chrifi in carrying. on our fouls falvatton ts addrng miracle to mi– racle. there is a chain of miracles rn the matter of our falvmon from firll: to !aft: As-'- I. It was a Miracle that God in his eternity, before wc had abeing, fhould have once thought of us. efpecially that the blelfed Trinity ~10uld lit in councel, and comrrve !hat mofi admir~ble and a!\oni01ing plot of the falvauon of our fouls:. Ohwlm a mira– cle was this! 2. It
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