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truly enough took him for the Meffias, and believ'd in him, making an open Profeffion of his Faith in him, as the Son of God, and the Saviour of the World. And this he did not only for himself, in his own Perfon, but in the Name of all his Family, who embrac'd the fame Faith, and became Profelytes to, and Followers of our Saviour; for fo 'tis faid, that be himself believed, and his whole Houfe. The like we read of Nicodemus, another great Man, and Ruler among the Jews, who was convinc'd and profelyted by the fame Means, owning Chrift to be a great Prophet fent from God: John 3.2. Rabbi (faith he) I know thou art a Teacher come from God, for no Man could do the Works that thou doft, except God were with him. And before him many of the Jews, that were at Jerufalem, believ'd in him, when they faw the Miracles which he did; John 2. 23. So vain was that Cavil of the People, Have any of the Rulers be lieved on him? fince the Nobleman in the Text, and Nicodemus, a Ruler of the Jews, and Crifpus, a Ruler of the Synagogue, with many others, became his Difciples; Alts 18. 8. And indeed his Miracles were great enough to convince the World, that he was the Perfon prophefy'd of, and promis'd to come for the Salvation of Mankind. This was the End of all the Miracles he did, which far exceeded: all that was done by Mofes, or Elias, or any of the Prophets that went before him, both in the Nature, Number, and Manner of doing them.

As for the Nature of his Miracles, they confifted in raifing the Dead, and doing other fupernatural Works, which no mere Man ever did or could do, of which we have many Instances in the Gofpel; but the Wonder of all Wonders was the raifing himself from the Dead, after he had lain three Days in the Grave. This was foretold by the Prophets, and spoken of by himself before his Death, faying, Destroy this Temple, meaning his Body, and in three Days I will raife it up; which he accordingly did, to the Terror of his Enemies, and the Joy of all his Friends and Followers.

And as his Miracles exceeded thofe of Mofes and the Prophets in the Nature of them, fo did they in their Number too: Mofes did fome few Miracles, but Chrift vaftly more, as well as greater. Elias indeed rais'd one from the Dead, but Chrift many, and among them one that had lain four Days in the Grave: befide which, he rais'd to Life the Widow's Son of the City of Naim, he reftor'd to Life the

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Daughter of Jairus, a Ruler of the Synagogue; with many more, mention'd in fome of the foregoing Gofpels.

Laftly, Chrift's Miracles exceeded all others in the Manner of doing them; for he did them with a Look, with a Word, with a Touch, and many other ways, which could have no natural Force or Energy to the producing those Effects: He rais'd Lazarus from the Grave only by faying, Lazarus come forth; he reftor'd the Widow's Son at Naim only by touching the Bier, he rais'd the Daughter of Jairus, by taking her by the Hand, and bidding her arife. Mofes fed fome of the Ifraelites with Bread from Heaven, but Chrift multiply'd upon Earth a few Loaves and Fishes to the feeding of many Thousands; and there remain'd more after they were all fill'd, than was at first set before them. The Event of all which was, that many believ'd on him, as this Nobleman here did with all his House.

But the Atheifts and Infidels of our Age have ftarted two Difficulties about this Matter, that must be a little re mov'd.

The one is about the Truth and Certainty of these Miracles.

The other is about the way of distinguishing true and real Miracles from those that are falfe and feign'd.

For the First, the clearest Evidence that can be given of any Matter of Fact, is the Teftimony of fuch Perfons as were Eye-witneffes of it; and this Evidence we have for the mighty Works and Actions of our Bleffed Saviour: The things they attefted were fuch as might be fully per ceiv'd by them that faw them; they were no Illufions of the Senfes, but real and vifible Miracles. The Man that was born blind, was known to be fo by all the Country where he liv'd, and his being reftor'd to Sight was after as publick as his former Blindness, and was fo acknowledg'd by all about him: infomuch that the blind Man faw more than the whole Sanhedrim; for when they faid, Mofes we know, but for this Fellow, meaning Chrift, we know not from whence he is; he reply'd to them, Why, this is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence he is, and yet he hath opened my Eyes: If he were not of God, he could do nothing, for God beareth not Sinners; but if any be fent by God, and doth his Will, him he heareth: by which he plainly attefted his Divine Commiffion. The dead Man at Naim was known to be fo not only by the Bearers, who were carrying him to his Grave, but by the neighbouring People, who were at

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tending upon his Funeral; and his coming to Life again, upon Chrift's touching the Bier, was as vifible and attested by all that were prefent: and fo St. Luke tells us, It was done before much People. Luke 7. 12.

But the great Miracle of Chrift's Refurrection, upon which the Truth and Certainty of all the reft depend, was attested by so many Eye-witnelles, as fet it out of the reach of all Doubt and Contradiction. Of his Death and Burial both Jews and Romans were Eye-witneffes: The Soldiers that came to break his Bones, forbore it, because they found him already dead. That he return'd to Life again the third Day, was attefted not only by his Apoftles and Disciples, but by many other Witneffes, who faw and convers'd with him after his Rifing from the Dead: That he was not a mere Phantafm or Apparition (as fome objected) appear'd by the Difciples handling and feeing him; for a Spirit hath not Flesh and Bones, as they faw him to have: And that he rose in the fame real Body, in which he died, was evident by the great Incredulity of St. Thomas, who thrust his Hand into the Hole of his Side, and faw the Print of the Nails in his Hands and Feet, which faften'd him to the Crofs; and fo became no longer faithlefs, but believing. To all which, if we add the Number and Concurrence of thefe Witneffes, their great Care and Fidelity in relating them, their great Courage and Conftancy in propagating them, notwithstanding all the Threats and Terrors to hinder them, together with the great Succefs and general Belief they have gain'd every where; we may fafely conclude the Evidence of them to be fet beyond all reasonable Doubts or Diftruft of the Truth of them, and to cut off all the Pleas and Pretences of Infidelity.

But how may we distinguish true Miracles from falfe and counterfeit ones? For we read that the Magicians imitated the Miracles of Mofes, and did many wonderful things like him. In the New Teftament we are told that Satan and many falfe Prophets fhould come with Signs, and Miracles, and lying Wonders, and with that Deceivablenefs of Unrighteousness, as if it were poffible to deceive the very Elect: 'Tis requifite therefore to give fome Marks for the knowing one from the other, without which the Argument from Miracles would lofe all its Force. In answer hereunto, regard must be had to the Doctrine which Miracles are brought to confirm: if they are brought to confirm no Doctrine at all, or a Doctrine that hath been thoVol. IV. Part 2.

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rowly confirm'd already, we may conclude them to be falfe and lying Wonders; for the end of Miracles being to feal a Divine Revelation, for God to work Miracles, where no Divine Truth is to be confirm'd, would be for him to fet the broad Seal of Heaven to a Blank: and for the Spirit of God thus to confirm a Revelation that hath been already confirm'd, would be to exert its Divine Power to no purpose, and to do fuch great things in vain; which is abfurd and irrational to imagine.

Again, if any pretend to Miracles to confirm any falfe Doctrine, we may conclude them to be but Juggles and Impoftures; for as God fets not his Seal to a Blank, fo much less to a Lye: and therefore we read, that if any falfe Prophet foretold things to come, or fhew'd any Sign or Wonder, though the thing came to pafs, yet, if he perfuaded to Idolatry, or any evil Courfe, he was to be rejected as an Impoftor; and the Apostle tells us, that if any preach any other Doctrine, than that we have, though he pretend to Miracles, yea, though he were an Angel from Heaven, he was to be accurfed.

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Moreover, True Miracles may be known from falfe by the Circumftances and Manner of their Operation. Feign'd Miracles are commonly done by magical Arts and Enchantments, by Sleight of Hand, or Illufion of Sight; and fuch are perform'd ofttimes in the dark, or by Confent and Collufion of Parties. Of this kind were thofe of the Magicians, who contended with Mofes, till they were forc'd to own the Finger of God in Mofes's Miracles, and only Juggling and Sleight of Hand in their own. Such were the Wonders done by Simon Magus, Apollonius, and others, in oppofition to the Apostles; whereas Chrift's Miracles were open and plain in the View of all People, and the undeniable Effects of a Divine Power, and all done to feal the Truth of the moft Divine and Heavenly Revelation that was ever made known to the World. Perfons known to be dead, by a word's fpeaking were brought to Life again, and feen to be fo by Multitudes of People; Diseases incurable by the Rules of Phyfick, were immediately heal'd by a Word, by a Touch, by a Thought, and that as well abfent as prefent. So was the Miracle perform'd on the Nobleman's Son, of which we read in the Gospel for this Day, which is here faid to be the fecond Miracle he wrought after his Return into Cana of Galilee, where he wrought the firft.

This is the Subftance of this Day's Gofpel, which may teach us thefe Leffons.

ift, This Nobleman's coming to Chrift, may teach the greatest Perfons not to difdain to come to him; for he is higher than the higheft, and the Neceffities of all Men may drive them to him. Indeed Vertue and Religion add a Luftre to Greatnefs, adorn Nobility, and render it the more Noble and Illuftrious: Nobilitas fola eft atque unica Virtus; Vertue is only true valuable Nobility which fhould make Men ftudy not fo much to be great as good, and to prefer the Character of a true Christian before the highest of all earthly Titles.

Laftly, From this Difcourfe we may learn the Goodness of God in confirming our Faith by fuch evident Effects of a Divine Power; and likewife to answer the End and Design of them, by a firm believing in Chrift, and a ftedfaft adhering to the Doctrine deliver'd by him: by both laying the whole ftrefs of our Hopes of Mercy and Salvation upon him, who is able to cure all the Maladies of Body and Soul, and will e'er long place us above the Reach or Danger of either: Which God grant, &c.

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