Serm. CLXXV. Confrrm4tiori`i f Ghr sanity. 5o í real, are fufftciently detected to be the pranks of the Dedil, and net the great and glorious Works of God. Such were the Miracles íf the Heathen Deities; wrought fo privately and obfcurely, and confeffedly mi 'd with fo much ofimpoflure, as to bring a jolt Sufpicion upon them, that when they were real, the Devil was the Author of them. And fuch were the Miracles which are attributed to Mahoitiët';' either grofly ahfurd and ridiculous, as that of part of the Moon coming down into his Sleeve, and his remanding it to its place again ; orelfe deftitute of all proof and witnefs, as that of a Camel's fpeaking to him by Night ; and hiS Pigeon whit pering to him in the Ear ; which if ir had been intended for a Miracle, the Pigeon fhould not have whifpered, but have fpoken our, that others might bave heard it. But flahorrmet was fo confcious to him(elf of his own defe& in point of Miracles,that he laid no weight upon them,' being, as hefaid, not feat to convert the worldby Mi- racles ; but to conquer them 'by force of arms. And now I am lorry I have occafion to fay it, but it is too true, that the Miracles pretended to by the Church of Rome, for the confirmation of their Erroneous Do- ¿trines, are of the fame (lamp with thefe, taxed by feveral of theirbeft Writers of Impoflure and Forgery, of Fable and Romance, foextravagant and frcakifh and fàutaftical, wrought without any neceflity, and ferving to no wife end, that they are .fo far from g:virg credit to their Dc¿trines, that they are a mighty fcandal to them, and toour common Chriflianity : whereas thetruly DivineMiracles, reported to us in Scripture. how 'unlike are they to 'thefe ? How venerable in therrfIves, and in all the Circumftances with which they are related ? never wrought but upon great Neccfficy, and for excellent Ends, full of Benefit and Advantage, of Mercy and Compaffion to Mankind ;-and in a word, fuch asare every way Worthy of their Author, having plain Characters of the Divine Wildem and Goodnefs itampt uponthem. And thus I have done with the fail thing i propounded to (peak to, namely, that Miracles are a Divine Teftimony; and in what Circumftances, and with what Cautions and Limitations they are fo. I (hall at prefent only draw fome Inferen- ces from what bath been difccurfed upon this Argument. r. What bath been laid may latìsfic us of the Truth and Divinity of the Chriftian Doftrine. which had fo eminent a Teftimony given to is from Heaven, and did at firft to ftrangely prevail in the World, contrary to all human probability, not by might nor by power; but by the fpirir of the Lord. No Man can fuppefea Religion in Cireumflaeces of greater Disadvantage, and upon all human accounts'more un- likely to luftain and bear up it (elf, than Chriffianity was. The firft appearance of it was fa weak, its beginnings fo fmall, and the infiruments imployed in the propa- gation of it f, mean and despicable, that no Man but would have concluded it mutt prelently have funk and come to nought; and no other realen can be given- of the llrange fixed, and prcvalency of ir, but that it was ofGod, and therefore it could not b- overthrown. z. From hence we may judge how groundlefs the Pretencesare, which Men now adays make to inspiration and Infallibility ;- becaufe this is not to be proved, and made out any other way bu' by Miracles. For either we mutt believe every pretence of this kind ; and then we are at the mercy of every crafty and confident Man, to be led by him into what Delufions he pleafes : or we muff only believe thofe who give Come Teftimony of their Infpiration t but the evidence of inlpiration was al- ways Miracles. This is the Teftimony which God hath always given to thole whom he hath fent upon an extraordinary Mollige to Mankind. And this is that which we reafonably demand of our modern Enthufiafls, andof thegreat Pretender ro Infallibility, the Bdhop of Rome ; becaufe nothing can be more vain, than for Men to pretend to Infpiration, and an Infallible Spirit,, without Miracles. And yet I cannot learn that the Popes themftives, among all their boundlels Privileges and Powers, do (o much as pretend to a Power Of Miracles, which yet is theonly thing that can in Reafon fupport their Pretençet to Infallibility. 3, You fee what an immediate Teftimony from Heaven God was pleafed to give to the firft Preachers of the Chriftian Doftrine, to qualifie themwith any probability of breeds, to conteft with theviolent and almoft invincible Prejudices of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=