Serm. CLXXCII. Confrrmation of ehrillianity. i'-9 SERMON CLXXVII Of the Miracles wrought in Confirmation of Chriftianity. H E B. II. 4; The Second God alto bearing them witnefs, both with Signs and Wonders, and with di - Vers Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Gliofl, according to his own will ? IN thdewords three things offer themfelves to our eonfideration. Firfl, That Miracles are a Divine Fettimony given to a Perfon or Doélrine. Secondly, That God gave this Teflimony to the Apoftles and firft Pubiifhers of theGofpel, in a very emii%ent manner. Of there two I have difcours'd at large,and now proceed to the, Third, and laft thing which I propofed, viz,. The reafon why thefe Miracles are now ceafed in the Chriftian Church, and have been for a long time, fo that there have been no footfteps of this Miraculous Power for manyAges. And iñ the hand. ling of this Argument, I (hall do thefe three things. I, Shew that thefe Miraculous Gifts and Powers have ceafed in the Chriftian Church for feveral Ages. II. I (hail affign a plain Reafon of the coalingof Miracles after fuch a time. III. Anfwer the Obje&ion from the innumerableMiracles which have been, and areRill pretended to be wrought in the Church of Rome. I. I (hall thew, that there Miraculous Powers and Gifts have coaled in theChurch for feveral Ages. That they are now ceafed we find by certain experience 5 nor are they pretended to at this day, by any part of the Chriftian Church, except the Church of Rome, where yet they arenothing fo plentiful how a-days, as they were in thole Ignorant Ages, from the time of the degeneracy and Corruption of the We- n Church, down to the Reformation ; and now chiefly pretended to in thofe Parts of the Raman Communion, where their Religion reigns without anyCon- tradt&ion, and People are under the Awe and Lath of the Inquifitios,fo that they dare neither gainfay, nor offer to detect the Forgery and Impoffure of them and yet here is lefs need of them, becaufe the People are all of a Mind, and be- lieve as the Church would have them, and dare not for their Lives do otherwife. For where the Inquifition rules, and Ignorance, the Mother, not of true Devo- tion, but of Credulity and Superftition, is carefully preferved, there is no Need of Miracles, to make People believe what they have a Mind to: but in other Places, where their Religion is oppofed, and there is great Occafton for them, both to confirm thofe of their own Religion, and to reduce Hereticks, and Una believers, there is little or no Pretence to them, as I shall fhew by and by. So that all over the Chriftian Church, except in the Church of Rome, all Pre- tence to thefe miraculous Powers and Gifts is now ceafed, and bath been for ma- ny Ages. Sr. Chryfoflom fpeaking of his Time, which was about 400Years aftet Chrift, Pays that thefe miraculous Powers were then ceafed, and (peaks as if no Footfteps of them were left in the Palors and Governours of the Church, much lefs among private Chtiflians 5 for which he gives this fubftantial Reafon (which I (hall (peak to afterwards) that Chriftianity being now already eftablifh'd by Mi- racles, there was no Reafon ro expe& the Continuance of them. St. Aufliá indeed, fometime after, (peaks of many miraculous Things done at Sepulchres of the Martyrs, But this doth not contradict( what St. Cbryl'Jlom had laid, becaufe be fpeaks of the living Teachers and Members of the Church, in' whom theka raneetífo á'
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