t 98 The fifth Sign PART III. ing fome remarkable Words, with great Force and Energy ; The Perfon who is the Subject of fuch an Operation, may be from hence confident, that there are invifible Agents, fpiritual Beings from what he has experienced, knowing that he had no Hand himfelf in this extraordinary Elect, which he has experienced : And he may al- fo be confident that this is Chrift, whom he law and heard fpeaking And this may make him confident that there is a Chriff, and that Chrift reigns on a Throne in Heaven, as he law him ; and may be confident that the Words which he heard him fpeak are true, &c. - - -- In the fame Manner, as the lying Miracles of the Papifls, may for the prefent, beget in the Minds of the ignorant deluded People, a flrong Perfwafionof the Truth of many Things declared in the New-Tefla- ment. Thus when the Images of Chrift, in popifh Churches, are on fome extraordinary Occafions, made by Prieft-craft to :appear to the People as if they wept, and fhed frefh Blood, and moved, and uttered fuch and fuch Words; the People may be verily perfwaded that it is a Miracle wrought by Chrift himfelf ; and from thence m ty be confident there is a Chrift, and that what they are told of his Death and Sufferings, and Refurrection, and Afcention, and prefentGovern- ment of the World is true ; for they may look upon this Miracle, as a certain Evidence of all there Things, and a Kind of occular De- monftation Of them. This may be the Influence of of there lying Wonders for the prefent ; tho' the general Tendency of them is not to convince that Jefus Chrift is come in the Fiefh, but finally to promote Atheifm. Even the Intercourfe which Satan has with Witches; and their often experiencing his immediate Power, has a Tendency to convince 'em of the Truth of forne of the Dorines of Religion ; as particularly the Reality of an invifible World, or World of Spirits, contrary to the Dodrine of the Sadduces. The general Tendency of Satan's Influences is Delufion : But yet he may mix fome Truth with his Lies, that his Lies mayn't be fo ealily difcover'd. There are multitudes that are deluded with a counterfeit Faith, from Impreffions on their Imagination, in the Manner which has been now fpoken of. They fay they know that there is a God, for they have feen him ; they know that Chriff is the Son of God, for they have Peen him in his Glory ; they know that Chriff died for Sin- ners, for they have feen him hanging on the Crofs, and his Blood run- ning from his Wounds ; they know there is a Heaven and a Hell, for they have feen the Mifery of the damned Souls in Hell, and the Glory of Saints and Angels in Heaven, ( meaning fome external Re- prefentations, flrongly imprefs'd on their Imagination ; ) they know that the Scriptures are theWord ofGod, & that fuch & fuchPromifes in particular, are his Word, for they have heard him fpeak 'em to them, they came to their Minds fuddenly and immediately from God, without their having any Hand in its 3. Perfons
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