122 The nature ofChtifts Miracles. Thedifference betwixt Chrifts mita. cics,and the Deuills. lt.? Tho re of Chrift aime atomGood. Mom wan. tonnelle in matterofRe. !igloo. Hypocritesncuer beete- Vpon the VVednefday after red by Miracles. albeit God had fhowred downefuch (lore of miracles vpon them, yet all was as nothing, becaufè they were not difpofedto take noticeof them, not tomake thatgood vieof themas they ought to haue done. Hee that goes on bis way, mutingon thisor t'other thing ; thoughmany paffealongby him, yet in this his melancholly humour,his thoughts being otherwife taken vp, heneither mindes nor fees anything. Philoncompares them toSratua's,becaufe theyfee things as though they faw themnot. Twoqualities or efpeciallproperties had thofe mi- racles of our Sauiour Chrift , bywhicheuerie man mighthaue knowne them. The&f1; That they all tended to the profit and benefit ofman ; Tunc appe. rienturoculicacorum,Then(hall theeyes of the blindbeopened,faidEfay. Cecivident, Claudi ambulant, Leprafs mundantur The Blind fee, the Lamewalke, andthe Lepers areclenfed, faith Saint.Mathew. Virtu., deillo exibat, & fanabat omnes , Vertue went out ofhim, andhealedall, faith Saint Luke. And in our Creed we confeffe, Prop- ternos, & ropternotramfalutem,defcendit de Ca lit, For vs, andforourfaluation,hee defcended fromHeauen. So that thofemiracces whichheewas to thew heere vpon earth, is a condition andqualitie fo notoriousof thofewhich were prophecied andforetoldof theMeffias, that tohaue them tocome from Heauen,was a thing vnknowne tothe learnedDoorsof thofe times. Thou fendeat thy feruant on anerrand, and faiflvnto him, In fuchawalke thoushaltmeet with amanclad in greene wearing a hat with a feather in it of fuch and fuch colours , &c. Nowif he fhould fo farre miflake himfelfe, as to goe to one that were cloathed all inblacke, anddealer thy tríeffagevntohim , wouldft thou not hold him to be aPoole ! Saint .4uften in his Expofition vpon thofewordsofthe feuentiefe- uenthP falme, Immifionesper vingelos males, faith, Thatcommonly thofe fignes which directthemfelues to ill,areofthe Deuill, as thofewhich hee did in de- flroying lobs Subftance, [IgnirdeCoelo cecidit ; ] as altothole which [hall bee wroug ht byAntechrift. But God alwaies directshis miracles toour good. But hereby theway it is to benoted,That withthe I11,I11 candoe much,and Good, Iittle. Theodoret in thofe his Queftions vpon Genefis, faith , That when Pharaoh perceiued,that Godbegan hisPlagueswithfuch poorethingsas Flies, helofta greatpart ofthatfearewhich hehadbefore : but that ifhehadbegun where he left,(whichwas thedeathofal the firftborn)his heart wouldhaue tré- bled in hisbreaft. ThePhiliftinestookeArmesagainft theMacao , thinking with themfelues, That Godhadfpent the greateft part ofhis power in Ægÿpr. In aword, with the Ill, ill is molt powerful'. And, for all themiraclesofour Sauiour Chriftwere directed vnto good, Saint Ambrof faith , Luuriabantur in Chrifto ; Nothing wouldpleafe theirpalate,but daintie morcells, like little chil- dren whoare cockeredvp vnder their mothers wing : or like Gluttons, who when their bellies are full, andcloyed with ordinarie ditties, feekeafternicer and choicerfare, to prouokerheirappetite. TheScribes and Pharifees in like manner hailing takena furfet of thofemiracles which our Sauior wroughtupon earth,wouldneeds out ofdaintineffe defiremiracles from Heauen : which, if they wouldhaue beene betteredby them, he wouldnot haueftucke with them, to haue letthem hadthem either from Heauenor Hell ; but heeknew it was to nopurpofe. Andtherefore God, one whileas the AuthourofNature, another while as theAuthóur ofGrace,doth euermo aabhorreall exceffe,except incafesofne- ceflìtie: Andhethat createdall things,Inpyoondere, mtmeo, J menfura, Inweight, number,andmea ure,'cannotbutabhorreallfuperfluousand unprofitable things. And this mayfettle for an inftruetiontovs, to part with the faperfluities of our houfe
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