Chriftian Religion proved by Reafon. ~JZ~1t;"t;, :~~ ;,r~;~~~~~;'er;;~~~f;r~~~~~ed.rh!~a~~~:~ l~~ ~:;r:,~~;~f :~~ ~~= &;.-;.' raged Winds and Seas to be ftill, and a great Calm followed; his Transfiguration be- ~ tore his D:ICJples, when the Beauty of Heaven delcended on his Countenance to be there more Beautiful, dilcover'd the fenGble Prefence of rhe Deity in h1m. 2 , The manner of hi; performing them is very conl!derable. Theyweredone in an inftant, by abfolnte Dominion over Nature. Thus w~en he fa1d to the Leper, I will, be thou cleau, immediately his Leprofie was cleanfed. 1 bus when the fa1thful Centnnon addre!l himlelf to him, ---- only JPeal,_the word, and my ServAnt ]ball be healed. He arif'wer· ed 1 Be it done tmto thee as thon bclicvejl; and hi! Scrv11nt was healed, &c. both ex- , pr~flions of Command and Empire. And his words Jo the Blind Man, Receive thy Sight, had the fame Creating Efficacy with tbofe, Let there be Light, and there nw Light. Thus with Authority he commanded the unclean Spm!S, even the moft funous and ob- !linare, and rhey were expeHed from their Man~ons wherein they had revelled a long time. Thus by the meer Afr of his W1ll he reversd the order of Nature. When the WIdows Son was carrying to the Grave, He only faid, Young MnH, I fay 1mto thee Arife; 1md he tbat WM Dead fate up, and began to fpeak. Now in. this rcfpetr, the power of Miracles in ) tfus CbriO: was rranfcendent above that that e1 ther Mofes, orthe Prophrts, or the Aportles h3d. 'Twasderived to rhem by favour and commiffion from an extrinfick fuperiour Principle, the Om~ipote.nce of God;, but. 'twas inherent in his Perfon, the Narural proper Attribute of lllS Dt~ty, and prov d Hun to be the Son of God, the Lord of Nature, vil!ble in humane Flelb. In all places thiS Blelfed Venue proceeded from him. 3 . The certainty of his performing them was fo great, that no lbadow of fufpicion could rcmam about ir. Vitruvitn the Maf\:erof ArchiteCl:s gives advice to thofe who buil t 'I."empJes to .Jt!'fcu!apitt~, or any other of the Heathen Deities that were invccated to the ~~']!il;:tni~aSJCk, that they fhould <hoofe [uch places as were open to the, moll_ fnvourab!e Afpecrs '"!"'" '""" and InH.uence of the Heavens, where there was a well-temper d Sod, clear Air, pure rorJXlr<~<Wa Springs of Water, that Difeafed Perfons comi~g from un~ealthy piaces mi~h_t obtain Reco- ~:;J1;;.af:,. very· and what was the Benefit of Naturem1ght be atrnbuted tO the Dtvme Vertue of tllU1,faMri- .lf!,Jculttpht~. Thus that Idolater counfell'd f~r the Honour of his Falfc Gods. But in this !j;, j!~n:,;:i· he judged aright, that the power of the Dt~ty was.believed and honoured by Men pro- fl"h""'"' • «· portionably to tl~e Cures that \yere rcce1ved from h1m. How much mme when_ done by ~~~~1 1'/a'";ffi:ran undoubted lVhracle? Of tlus the People the numerous SpeCtators were fo convmc'd, that cier~~r, 11.t ex fl;l· they fa id, WhC1t Chrijl cometh, the expelJed Deliverer, , wiU he do more Miracle.r thn!Z tllra/omnajothefe which this Mt~n ha~ done ? The Pharifees thernfelves could not deny the Effefu, :~;,~~:~;:~ but would not acknowledge the true Caufe. Envy W.!lS more powerful in their BreaO:s f>_ivinit~s. e:cci· than the cleareft Evidence. Therefore to invalidate his Authority, they a[crib'd fame of ~i~. ~~~~':.';:';. his wonderful works to the Prince ofDevils. But this pretence was fo void of all Reafan, and full of I!ppiety, that nothing but inveterate malice could fuggeft it. For would the Devil deftroy his own Kingdom ? Is he fuch a lover of Holinefs as to Authori[e the moPe perfefr Maflcer of it by a compliance with his Will? Thofe proud Spirits are fervi leonly in appearance , and when they Cutler themfelves to be commanded by Men, 't is always with deGgn to efl_ablifh and inereafe their own Dominion. Therefore • the moPe f.1mous Sorcerers obferve fame Rites by the Devil's prefcription, and in 1he ufing of rhem acknowledge his Power. But our Saviour had a Sovereign Empire over them, and ejected them not only from the Bodies, but from the Souls of Men, fubduing by his Hol y Dofrrine the Power of Sin, wherein the Kingdom of Satan conGfts. From hence he argues, If I by the Finger of God caft out Devils, then is the Kingdom ofGod come unto you. And hence it was, that he charges them with !elf-condemning Obflinancy. For if the Gentiles were inexcufable for not Acknowledging and Honouring God, fo clearly mamfe!led m the Works of Nature, the Jews we re as inexcufable, for rejefring ) efus Chri!l, fo powerfully declared to be the Son of God by fupernatural Operanons. . Add further, that in his loweflc ftate when he feemed to be utterly forfaken of God, yet then his Innocency and the D1vmity of his Per[on were miraculoufly teflified : For at his Dea th, even infenfible Nature as if it had been capable of Knowledge and AffeCtion, was in .th<; n:oft aftonilbing diforder,. as refenting. the Paflion of its Lord. The Sun was Echps d m a time and place agamft all poflib11ity of Nature. For the Moon was then in Oppofition to it, and in its Ful l, and in an in!lant pall a half Circle of the Heavens to interpofe between the Body of the Sun and the Earth, that the Air at Noon-Day was Darken'd as at Midnight. This compell'rl the RonMfl Cent11rion to acknowledge that he th•t fliffer'd was the Sqn of God. And his Refurrefrion from the Grave
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