Sum. CLXXVII. Confirmation of Chri/lianity. 511 I come now in the III. and laft Place to anfwer that Objeáion from the innumerable Miracles which have been, and arc fill! pretended to be wrought in the Church of Rome. And fo indeed we find chat the Arians and other Hereticks in former Times pretended to Miracles, for the Confirmation of their Errors, a good while after Miracles were generally ceafed in the Chriftian Church, which (hews that this is no new or orange Thing. In anfwer to this Obje&ion, I defire thefe following Particulars may be cod- fidered. Firfl, That the molt Learned and Judicious Writers of the Roman Church do acknowledge, than there is no Neceflity of Miracles now, and that Chriflianity is fufficiently eflabhlh'd by the Miracles which were wrought at firft to give Tetti- mony to it ; and thereftre not being neceflary, without manifeft Evidenceof Fad, iv is not neceflary tobelieve that they are continued. Secondly, The Miracles pretended to by the Church of Rome, are of very doubtful and fùfpe&ed Credit, even among the wifft Perlons of their own Com- munion; and therefore I hope they do not expo& we fhould give mtich Credit to thofe Miracles, of the Truth of which they themfelves are in fo much Doubt, that they are generally looked upon by the more Prudent and Learned among them, as pious Frauds, to raite and entertain the Devotion of the weak and igno- rant. Several of them have been conví ed of Fraud and Impoflure, noc only here in England, in Times of Popery, and at the Beginning of the Reformation; but in other Countries, where that Religion bears fway. And it is obfervable,that the greateft Part of the Hiftory of thefe Miracles(which theycall Legends) woe written in the Romance-Age, and much in the fame Style, with the like Wantonnefs and Extravagancy of Fancy,and fulfomAbfurdity of Inven- tion,and it is to be feared with the like Regard to Truth. And I know not whether Romances had not their Name, as well as their Original, from thefe Roman Legends, of which they arc exact Copies and Imitations; and as they were Sacred, fo thofe were a Sort of Civil Legends, in which they reprefented their Hero's doing the like abfurd Feats and Miracles in Chivalry, as their Saints in their Legends are laid to do in Religion; and they were both written by the lazy and unlearned Monks, and by them dreft up and fitted ro the Guft of thofe ignorant and fu-. perftitious Agee. And yet thefe Legendsor lying Wanders have not only been put into the Hands of the People, buc Leffons out of them have been taken, as out of the Scrip- tures, and diliributed into the publick Offices of their Church, to be read there, as the Scriptures are, and inftead of them ; only with this Difference, that the People are permitted tohave the Scriptures only in anunknown Tongue,but the Le- gends, out of which thefe Lcffons are taken, they arepermitted to have at home in their own Tongue 5 as if there were no Danger of Error and Heretic from falfe Stories, but only from the Word of Truth. And herein is remarkably fulfill'd that Prophetic concerning the Followers of Antichrift, z Thef 4, t r. That becanfe they received not the truth in the love of it, God worldfend them /Prong De- lufons, évipyetmr srAärns, the efficacy of Impofiore, that they Jhould believe a Lie. And how could they more folemnly declare the Beliefand Love of Lies, than by putting thefe ridiculous Fables into the publick Offices of the Church, in place of the Holy Scriptures ? and' at the fame Time that they deny to the People the Ufe of the Scriptures in a known Tongue, to permit them the Ufe, and to re- commend to them the Reedingof thefe lying Legends, out of which thefe ridieu-. Ions Leffons are taken ? Thirdly, The Miracles of the Church of Rome, fuppofing leverai of them to be true, have loch Marks and Charaéfers upon them, as render it very fufpicious that they are not Operations of God, or good Spirits 5 but the Working of Satan, If any Man have but the Patience to rake into thefe Dunghills, and ro read o- ver thefe Legends, even as they have by the later Colle&ors and Compilers been purged and reformed, he lhall find the Miracles recited in them to be generally of one Stamp, very foolish and abfurd, frivolous and trifling, wrought without any
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