L,etm. CLXXXI. of the Chri/lian 'Religion. 5 S 5 Tcltamcnt were greater Confirmation, than this tingle Tcftimony of a Voice trom Heaven does amount to. lu. I proceed to the next Evidence, which thofe who lived in our Saviour's time had of his Divine Authority, viz. the Power of working Miracles, which he was endowed withal; and this is the higheft Teftimony that can be given to any Perfon that he is fent fromGod. And in this refpe& chiefly is the Gofpel call'd the light of the glorious Gofpel of Ch,rifl, becaufe of thole glorious Miracles whereby the Gofpel was confirmed. This is as it were the Broad Seal of Heaven, which is Çafficient to give Confirmation to any Do&rine which does not evidently contra- di& the Petfe&ions of theDivine Nature : and it is not credible, that the Providence of God is fo little tender of. theconcernments of Mankind, as to communicate this Power to any Perlon that will aboie it to the confirmation of a Lie. I deny not but the Devil may do many firange things, and fuch as we cannot diflinguifh from fume fort of Miracles *; and where Men by fome, great precedent provocation,. of e&, have made it juft for God to give them sop to /bong De1fions to believe Lies, becaufefee mare they would not believe the Truth, but' had pleafure in Vnrigbteoufnefs ; there God vot. u. may permit the Devil to work o 2 range Wonders, as 'cis foretold, a The": Senn,7S IT 9 , That the comingof ArtichriFt(hallbe after the working of Satan, with all Power and Signs, and lying Wonders, and all deceivablenefs ofunrighteoufncfs. But in this Cafe there will remain Two ways whereby impartial and confederate Men, and Inch as are not blinded by Prejudice or theirLufts, may fuflieiently difcover, that this is. not from God. r. By the Abfurdity of the Do&rine which thole Wonders are brought to Con- firm and fuch were the lewd, and filthy, and fenfelefs Do&rives of the Gnoflicks, to which Simon Magus pretended to give a Confirmation by the Wonders that he wrought. And this very probably may be that which the Apoftle refers to in this Chapter. And fuels likewife are feveral of the Doetrines of Popery : Such as the Adoration of theVirgin Mary, of Saints and Images, and the Do&rive of Tranfub- ftantiation; for the confirmation of which, they pretend a great many Wonders have been wrought. . a. By the Contrariety of the Doctrine to that whichhash had the Confirmation of far greater Miracles. Therefore if we fhould grant to the Papifts, that fevers! of thofe Miracles which they brag of, were really wrought, (which, confidering the infinite Cheats and Impoftures which have been praébl'ed by theth in that kind, and have been difcovered, we have nb reafon togrant; ) yet becaufe the Do&rine, which they pretend to confirm, is abfurd, and unreafonable, and contrary to the Do&rine which they themfelves own to have had a far greater Confirmation, by Miracles far greater, and more unqueftionable, more publickly done, and in fuch a manner, and with fuch Circumftances, as do free them from all fufpicion of im- pofture ; .I fay, for this reafon we cannot admit thofe Do&nines to be of Divine Authority ; becaufe the Confirmation which is given to them by thofe Wonders, is over-power'd by a greater and more Divine Teftimony ;'as the Magiciansof Pharaoh, tho' they did many odd Feats, yet were plainly mafter'd and conquer'd by the greater Miracles which Males wrought. The fum is this, That where-ever any Perlon is endowed withan eminent Power of working Miracles, fuch as are of the firtt rank, great, and unqueftionable, and many, and publickly wrought, this is one of the higheft Evidences we can have of the Divine Authority ofany Perlon or Do&rine. ThereforeNicodemus does upon this-ground very reafonably conclude, that our Saviour was tent from God, Sohn 3. 2. We know that thou art a Teacher come from God : for no man can do thofe mira- cles which thou doll, except God be with him. And our Saviour himfelf infifts upon this frequent! as thegreat Proof of his Divine Authority, Matth. r 1. 3 , q. When yohn Baptifl lent two of his Difciples to him to be fatisfied whether he was the Maas, he bids them report to john what the Do&rinewas which they heard him preach, and what Miracles they law himwork for the confirmation ofit ; Go and Jbew John thofe things which ye do fie and hear, The blind receive their fight, and the lame walk, and the lepers are cleanfed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are railed up,
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