117 "all of them, we find to be that of miracles: "which, by the bye, feems to be an argument, "that miracles, or biftories of miracles, will ever "be an infufficient proof of the truth of any religion, efpecially if we confider, that God is faid "fometimes to have permitted miracles to be "wrought, even by the agency of Evil Spirits." Agreeably to this his friend the Prefacer fays, "Nothing can prove the divine authority of any "Revelation, but its internal moral excellence, its "confonancy to the reason of things, and its ten "dency to promote the happiness of the creatures "to whom it is made §." That every Religion pretends to the Seal of Hea ven; to use the Author's vague and improper terms; that is, that every religion pretends to be true religion, is certain and neceffary; fince otherwife how could it pretend to be religion at all? But that every Religion, that has ever been profeffed, has laid claim to the character of an immediate Revelation, and appealed to Miracles, as wrought purposely to fupport its claim, is falfe. That great impoftor Mahomet himself, was too cautious to lay claim to the power of working miracles, and to stake his credit upon his exertion of any fuch power, even though he was actually called upon to do it. The only Religions that lay claim to the character of immediate Revelations from God, and at the fame time appeal to a series of public and notorious Miracles, as wrought purposely, at the very time of their being firft revealed, to give mankind a rational and fatisfactory proof of their divine authority; are the Jewish and the Chriftian. And it is fo far from true, that every Religion confiders all others as counterfeit and false; as the Author + P. 368. § Pref. P. 34. afferts: afferts; that the New Teftament all along fuppofes the divine authority of the Old; and the Chriftian Revelation lays it down as a principle, that the Law of Mofes was, no lefs than itself, an immediate Revelation from God:-It is fo far from true, that the advocates of every Sect allow "that there "is but one true religion in the world," as the Author afferts; That all which the advocates for the divine authority of the Christian Revelation contend for, is-That That is the only Revelation now in force, and the only one defigned to be univerfal, and to continue always in force; the Law of Mofes having been defigned to be temporary only, and being now at an end. Nay farther, the advocates for the divine authority of the Chriftian Difpenfation do not contend, that That is the only true religion even now in the world: all they contend for is, That it is the only true immediate Revelation from God now in force. They allow that the religion of Reafon, or Nature; that is, the Syftem of truths and duties, which human reafon alone is able to difcover and approve; is ftill the true and proper religion of all to whom the Chriftian Revelation has not yet been made known: and the very reafon why they contend, That the Chriftian Revelation is the proper religion of all to whom it has been made known, is,-Because the Duties enjoined in it are so excellent, that nothing can be more worthy of God; and the Doctrines it reveals in the highest degree fubfervient to the purposes of moral virtue; and the Miracles it refers to, as the external evidence of its divine authority, are so authenticated, that they cannot reasonably be queftioned, and of fuch a nature, that they must have been divine. But the Author fays, that the claims to Miracles under all religions feem to afford an argument, that 66 that Miracles, or hiftories of miracles, will ever be an infufficient proof of the truth of any reli"gion," With Natural Religion, or the religion of reafon, Miracles have no connexion: the obligation of every duty enjoined, and the truth of every principle laid down, as the dictate of reason, muft be tried by Reafon Only. Miracles therefore can be alleged in fupport of Revealed Religion alone. And here the ufe of Miracles must be, not to prove immediately, that whatever is declared in that religion is true; but that whatever declarations it contains, of the truth of which human reafon is not an adequate judge, are certainly revealed from God: the neceffary and immediate confequence of which muft be, that all its declarations of this kind are true. But ftill Miracles alone will not prove this; fince the Duties enjoined, and the Doctrines delivered, in whatever pretends to be immediately revealed, must be feen to be fuch as may come from God, before Miracles can prove, that the Gofpel in which they are found, actually did. In this fenfe therefore what the Author fays is true; that Miracles themselves, confidered merely by themselves, will ever be an infufficient proof of the truth, or Divine Authority, of any Revelation. But this is not the meaning of the Author's affertion he means to argue, that becaufe Miracles have been falfely pretended to, which it is acknowledged were never wrought; to prove religions to have been revealed, that most certainly were not; therefore Miracles are not the proper evidence of, nor can ever, certainly point out to us, any Religion that was. But, though many falfe Miracles have been pretended, he will find it hard to fhew, that any false miracles have been pretended in order to prove the truth or certainty of a pretended Revelation of a New Religion. Be fides, what an argument is this? Because Miracles have been fometimes falfely pretended to, therefore no Miracles have ever really been worked? Or, because falfe teftimony relating to Miracles has fometimes been given, and detected; therefore it is impoffible for any true teftimony concerning Miracles to be given, and to be fo authenticated, as to make it our rational duty to believe it? Let us fuppofe; what however is most notoriously falfe, that there has been as ftrong evidence from teftimony alleged in proof of fome pretended miracles, which at the fame time it is certain from other evidence were never actually wrought; as is alleged in fupport of those miracles, on which the Gospel, as a Revelation, depends. To argue from hence, as Bishop Butler has excellently ob ferved, that the teftimony in favour of the miracles of CHRIST and the Apoftles, in oppofition to which no evidence whatever is even pretended to be produced, is not to be credited; would be juft the fame thing as contending; That if two men of equally good reputation had given evidence in different caufes, no way connected; and One of them fhould be convicted of perjury in what he had depofed, this perjury of the One would, without any evidence whatever, be a proof that the Other must be perjured likewife †. If he who fixed the standing Laws of Nature can fufpend them, Miracles may be worked: and if he who is himfelf above our natural comprehenfions, and undiscernable to our fenfes, fhould fend a fpecial Meffenger upon earth, to make known his will with authority to mankind; the fufpenfion of the ufual Laws of Nature, uncontrolled by any fuperiour fufpenfion to oppose it; +See Bishop Butler's Analogy, &c. P. 362.—8vo. is 4 is the only proof capable of being given us, of the divine authority with which he comes *. Miracles therefore are not only the proper, but the ultimate and only poffible proof by which we muft judge, whether any one who declares to us fuch duties and doctrines as may come from God, is actually a meffenger from God, or not.. And confequently the Author muft either contend, that God Himself is unable to caufe a miracle to be worked, or he muft allow, that when mira+ cles, alleged profeffedly in proof of a Revelation, fuch in its own nature that it may come from God, are authenticated in an unexceptionable manner; it is one of the firft and cleareft duties of Reason, or Natural Religion, to receive That Revelation, and obey it, as divine. The Author however apprehends we may ftill be deceived, in fuppofing that whatever can plead even Real Miracles in its fupport, muft therefore certainly come from God; Because God is faid "fometimes to have permitted Real Miracles to "be wrought by the agency of Evil Spirits We ought to have been told, where God is faid to have permitted this; fince, for my own part, I must confefs myself wholly unacquainted with the place. This is fo far from being true with respect to Pharaoh's Magicians, that, by attentively confidering what they did, it has been fhewn as plainly and fatisfactorily as the cafe requires, and do concife and imperfect a relation of the particu lars will admit, that their performances were no thing more than mere artifice and contrivance. *As the Author takes no notice here of Prophecies and their completion, fo I pafs them over likewife. And indeed Prophecies fulfilled are no otherwise an evidence in this cafe, than as they are themselves one species of Miracles. |