Of the Miracles 2rought in Vol. II, any nec' ittty, upon no good Occafion, tono wife End and Purpofe ; fo that one may know them by their very countenance to be the tricks and pranks of the Devil ; and not the great and glorious works of God, fuch as arc the Miracles recorded in the Holy Scriptures. Fourthly, The Miracles of the Church of Rome, taking them for true, arc very impertinently and unfeafonably wrought. When and where there is no need and occafion for them, they are very rife and frequent : but where there is greaten oc- cafion for them, and molt reafon to expo& them, they are either not at all, or very rarely fo much as pretended to. In Times and Places where their Religion did moft abfolutcly bear fway, and few or none durft oppofe it, and where the Do&rines, which they pretended to confirm by thcfe Miracles, were moft gene- rally believed, as in thofe long dark and ignorant times before the Reformation, and now in Italy and Spain, where die Inquifitioe forceth them all to be of one Belief, or to profefs to be fo, in thefe Times and Places, where there was leaft need and occafion for Miracles, then and there did they moll abound, even more (if we may believe their Hiffories) for feveral Ages before the Reformation, than in the times of our Saviour and his Aponles. But fine the Reformation, and that many of their Doctrines are called in queftion and difbclieved, Miracles are grown rare, and almoll ceafed even in Popifh Countries 9 and they have had but very ill fuceefs with thofe few they have pretended to ; witnefs the Miracle at Angiers in France, of a Child appearing over the Altar in the time of Plat, to convince all People of the Doctrine of TranftoJlantiation, with which the Papins made fuch a noife here in England about fourteen or fifteen years age, and which at laft was difcovered to be an artificial juggle and contrivance of fome cunning Prieft, and pubhlh'd to the World for a Cheat, by the honcft and worthy Bilhop of that place. Bat where there fecros to bemoft need of them, they are moft wanting : as for the converfion of Heathens 5 and the conviction of Heretick Infidels. For the Converfion of Heathens, in which Cafe, if Men did fincerely dcugn the propa- gation of the true and uncorrupted Chrinianity, I do not fee whyMiracles might not yet reafonably be 'expé&ed ; but yet for all this, we hear of very few Mira- cles, not fo much as the Gift of Tongues, even upon this occafion. In the firft Planting of the Well- Indies, we hear of no Miracles, except the moft prodigious Cruelties that ever were in the World,. to the infinite fcandal of the Chriftian Name. And in the Eaf- Indies, and China, Xaverius and the fun Mifhionaries fpeak with no afTuranceof anyMiracles wrought by them 3 and finte that time they have fo depraved the Chrifiian Religion there, by concealinga molt effential part or it, the Death and Sufferings of our Saviour, as if they were afhamed of the Crofs of ChriJi, that it is not credible, that God fhould vouchfafe the countenance of Miracles to thofe who Preach another Gofpel. And then for the eonvi&ion of líereticks (as they are pleafed to call us Pro- teftants one would ihinit' Miracles'(fince they have that Power) would be very proper for that putpófe to be wrought among them , as now here in England, where they are continually endeavouring (but efpecially of fate with more than ufual vigour and hopes) to renore their Religion : and yet for all data we cannot prevail with them to favour us with the fight of one Miracle, in order to our Cod- vi&ion , but if they have, any they keep them private among theinfelves, tho', both Reafon'and Scripture`tell us, that Miracles were not intended fir them that t- 7ieve , 'Put .to contonee them that believe not. Fifthly; He fromwhom; of all Perfons in that Church, 'we might expert the molt and greateft Miracles, does not, fo far as 1 can learn, pretend ,at all to that Gift, I' mean, the Head of their Church, the Pope, who both as he'is Vicar of Chrifl and SuccejJor of'St.`Peter in his full Power and Office, or if he be not hîs Sucee/òr, yet as he. is his Shdddw, and pretends to be hisSnccelfor might fairly prise- tend to a power ofMiracles' aboveany. in thac Church; and I have often wonder why lac does not': but it teems hé contents himleli with Infallibility; which is Pri- vilege and Powerenough for one Man ; and indeed if he had ir, add could farisfie others that he bath it, that would ferve his turn without Miracles : but the Mil- chief
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=