tó4 A CAVEAT AGAINST INrIDELtTY. yond what most of "them enjoyed, who lived in the time of Christ orhis apostles. To this end let us attend to the following con- siderations : I. Though there were several persons blessed with the ac- tual sight of many of these miraculous works, yet there were also multitudes who lived in the age of miracles, who perhaps never had opportunity to be actual eye-witnesses of one single miracle wrought by Christ or his apostles. Herod had long de- sired it, and yet it was not granted him ; Luke ix. 9. Many therewere who asked our Saviour to opera them a oignfrona hea- ven, but hedid not think proper to gratify their humour, nor was it fit that signs and wonders shouldbe made too common : some- times he reproves their curiosity, and calls them a wicked and adulterous generation, probably because he knew their obstinate' and cavilling temper, that they derided his preaching, and did not give due credit to the many undeniable reports that were made concerning his miracles, and therefore he would spew them no new ones. Observe farther, that as there were many inthe -days of Christ, who never beheld one of his miracles actually wrought, so it is most probable there were multitudeswho ne- ver saw above one or two of them : There were but compara- tively few of the same persons, whohappened to beoften actually present, and were eye-witnesses of very many of these different wonders ; for though they were not done in a corner, yet they were wrought in distant towns and villages, where not a quarter of the same persons could be present. As for their knowledge of the rest of these miracles, which their own eyes saw not, it must be conveyed to them by the report and testimony of others And perhaps these reports might not be always so just, soexact, so ,authentic as the narratives whish we enjoy, because these were committed to writing by the apostles themselves who saw them. It is probable also that few of those persons who lived in the clays of our Saviour, had ever so large, so particular and so complete an account, as we have of all thevarious miracles which are transmitted down to us in the histories of the gospel. If then many of them never saw one miracle, if those who saw one or two, must come at the knowledge of the rest of the miracles of Christ the saine way that we do, that is, by report, and ifwehave a much larger and more complete account of them, than most of the Jews were favoured with, and that by as sure and cre- dible a report, that is, by the writing of eye-witnesses, I would humbly enquire whether this may not compensate, if not over- balance their advantage who lived in that age, even though they saw a miracle or two with their own eyes. Surely all that collection of the miraculous works of Christ, and the gifts of the blessed Spirit to the apostles, whereby wonderswere wrought
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