More in and Well meaning. Prophets. For that Paffage in the 21ft of Ezekiel does not say that those Diviners did truly Prophefie, but only that the King of Babylon made ufe of thofe Divinatory Arts, the Benouala, the Einqualia, and Aurufpicy which are there mentioned; he does graphically defcribe the Coming of the Babylonians, and therefore prophetically relates all the fuperftitious Rites which were preparatory to that Expedition. And as for the Perfian Magi, by whom you would have our Saviour's Birth to be revealed, whilft they were looking after their Aftrological Fooleries; I Anfwer, that by this, God gave no Countenance to any Divination by the Stars, as if there were no more Certainty in divine Revelation, than in this Sort of Fortune-telling, as you would flily infinuate; but that there being an univerfal Belief throughout the whole East, that fome great Man fhould about that Time be born in Judea, as Suetonius relates, thefe Magi, or wife Men, took Occafion to travel into Judea upon the Appearance of this extraordinary Star, fuppofing that this might prognofticate fomething of this great expected Birth. God might take this Occafion to make known the Birth of his Son to the Gentile World, and yet give no Countenance to all the Fooleries of Judicial Aftrology. Such an extraordinary Phænomenon as this was enough to awaken the Attention of any inquifitive Men, tho' they were not given to that Superftition, fo as to fearch after the Meaning of it; whofe diligent Endeavours God was. pleased to blefs with the glad Tidings of the Gofpel of Peace, and a Saviour of the World. 7. Befides, I would beg you to confider that there is Prophecy fomething more in Prophecy than Fancy and Well-meaning. than Fancy The Prophets were fomething better than religious Mad men. They generally had a Foundation of good Sense and a learned Education, being, for the most Part, brought up in the Schools of the Prophets, whereof one is mentioned at Naioth in Ramah, where Samuel lived, 1 Sam: xix. 19. another at Kiriath Jearim, 1 Sam. x. 5. Neither was Prophecy among the Jews, only the running about the Country, now and then, of a crazed Wretch, as your People People are wont to fay; but in a regular Manner, and a fettled Difpenfation; there being great Numbers of the Prophets in that Nation. For even in the most corrupt Times, there were Fifty of the Sons of the Prophets together, beholding Elijah when he was caught up into Heaven, 2 Kings 1. 7. and Obadiah hid an hundred Prophets, fifty in a Cave, during the Rage of Ahab's Perfecution, 1 Kings xviii. 4. Now it is not poffible that fuch a Number of Men fo regularly educated, fhould all be Enthusiastically mad. But I fee any Thing can be afferted, to ferve a Turn, or to vilify Religion; fometimes God's Minifters must be mad Fools, at other Times cunning Knaves, tho methinks the Priest-craft, which you are fo often upon, and Madness, do not fo very well agree. Phil. Come, Credentius, we won't make any Words about that Matter now; for we are now entering upon another Stage of Difficulties, which are so many and fo great, that, I am afraid, they will make you fweat under them, before you have got through them. What fay you to the Business of Miracles? Are not thefe, think you, pretty Things to cheat the Mob with? But I am afraid they will never ftand the Teft of Philofophy and Reafon. -One would wonder how fuch nonfenfical Notions as thefe should come into the World; but confidering the Stupidity of them, one might guefs them to be of Jewish Ori ginal. For probably when the first Jews faw the neighbouring Gentiles worshiping the natural Gods, as Sun, Moon, Earth, Water, &c. they to fhew these constant mutable and vifible Gods, to be under the Dominion of their Jehovah or Invifible one; began to brag of the Miracles which they pretended Jehovah had done by triumphing over poor Nature for their dear Sake, for whom they were fond to believe all Things were made. Thus this Notion got from the Jews to other Nations, and fo they have been coining Miracles ever fince. But really, Sir, a Miracle in your Senfe, is Nonfenfe. For you fuppofe fomething above the Power of Nature, which is the greatest and highest Power in the World. For the Power of Nature is the Power of God. Nature is one, eternal, fixt, immutable Chain, which is infinitely drawing out and expanding it felf, and not capable of the leaft Altera tion: Now if it was poffible (as you fuppofe) by a Miracle that one Link of this, fhould be difturbed or broken, the whole Frame of Nature would be confounded, and the whole Scheme of future Beings would be infinitely irregular. Nature is the eternal Will and Decree of God, executing it felf, and the Will of God is his very Effence; however it is firm and immutable, nay impoffible to be changed by the contrary Will of God himfelf: and therefore we may be fure, it is not to be interrupted by the Hocus Pocus of every capricious Prophet. And indeed Miracles are nothing elfe but the Dreams of blockheaded Brains, or a ready Solution of what the uneducated Mob are wont to gape at, and can give no Account of; fo that I doubt not, but that a common Almanackmaker that could calculate an Eclipfe, or write it out of an Ephemeris, would be a moft wonderful Prophet among the Indians; but when thefe People, by liberal Education, come to understand the exact Motions of the heavenly Bodies, the Miracle would be at an End: Nay, any Thing that is unusual is by the Vulgar reputed a Miracle, becaufe forfooth they admire it, tho' it be never fo natural; but it ceafes to be a Miracle, when their Admiration is wrought off. Thus a Comet is to them a moft wonderful Miracle, because it appears but now and then in a great many Years: But the Sun is no Miracle at all, because they fee it every Day; not that they understand the Nature of the Sun better than that of a Comet, but by continually beholding it; it does not make fo great Impreffion upon their Fancies, and therefore they ceafe to admire it. And I doubt not but this is the true Reafon of most of the reputed Miracles of Scripture, which are but the unusual Works of Nature, which would neceffarily have been for all any infpired Perfon; but only, they being uncommon Works of Nature, the Vulgar wondred at them, and deemed them Miracles. O! but we must have a Care of exploding Miracles, because they do demonstrate the Being of a God; and very lamely too. For the neceffary Laws Laws of Nature, and the Frame of the World, are a thou Cred. By your Leave, good Philologus; you have heaped here together fo many Falfities, or Mistakes, that I am forced to interrupt you, before you go any far ther. racles not 1. I pray what Reafon have you to think that the Fift Noti Notion of Miracles had its Origin from among the Jews? on of MiHad not the Greeks and Romans, in the earlieft Time, be from the fore they ever conforted with the Jews, the fame Noti- Jews. ons? What more common in Homer and Virgil than ftrange Prodigies, which are wont to amaze whole Armies, till they be unridled, and rendered favourable by fome Augur? What more ufual in Greek and Latin Authors, than regla, Oftenta, Portenta, Miracula? And you may fee a whole Chapter of several of these Miracles collected together in Valerius Maximus, and a great Deal of the fame in Plutarch. Inquire of any barbarous Nations in theWorld, and you fhall find, that they have the fame Notion of Miracles, tho' they never heard of the Jews, For our No No immu tion of Miracles, that it is the extraordinary Power of God, or a Power above Nature, is natural and eafy to the Minds of all Mankind; but that a Miracle should be the necessary Power of un-wonted Nature, is only a Dream of the Hob bian Philofophy, that few People who are awake, think of. 2. Neither is it any good Argument against Miracles, table Chain that they would break your fixt and immutable Chain of of Nature. Nature which you contend for. For there is no Proof that there is any fuch fixt immutable Chain; for if there was, there would be no fuch Thing as Freedom, either in God, or Man, but all Things would be bound up by a rigid Fate, of which every Word we speak, or Action which we do, is a fufficient Confutation. Now either this fixt immutable Chain of Caufes is God himself, or the Creature, or Work of God. That it is not God himself, I think I have fufficiently evinced, in a former Difcourfe, with you; from the Abfurdities which would follow, by allowing in God all the Imbecillities, Vices, and Irregularities in Nature, which are inconfiftent with his infinite Perfection. And the Freedom of Man, the fpontaneous Actions of Brutes, and the Alterations and Changes in the inanimate Parts of the World, are fufficient Arguments against the latter. Now if the World be the Creature of God, as we have proved it to be, then it must be fubject to his Power and Providence. For God's Creation fuppofes it fubject to his Power; for what is not fubject to the Power of God, must have a greater Power of its own to refift his Power. But this is impoffible for the World, or Nature to have, becaufe all the Power which they can poffibly have, they had from God in their Creation. Therefore God ftill keeps the Power over them, either to annihilate them, to continue them in their Being, or to alter them. To fay that God has alienated this Power, or given them a greater, is more abfurd. For this is in Effect to fay, God has divefted himfelf of his Deity, and made the World God inftead of himfelf. All that can, with any Probability, be faid, is, That God, by the Frame and Conftitution of the World, has been Conference with a Theift. Part I. pleafed |