cenfion of our Saviour. He fhewed himself alive to his Difciples, after his Paffion, by many infallible Proofs; he was feen of them forty Days, and converfed and difcourfed with them, tho' we are not told after what manner, and by what intervals of time he was pleafed to vouchsafe them his Prefence; this being concealed from us, as very many of the Particulars are of his former Life before his Crucifixion. But at the end of the fpace of forty Days, whilft he was in the midst of them, he afcended into Heaven in the fight of them all, in fuch a manner, that they diftinctly faw and beheld him, and kept their Eyes fix'd upon him in his Afcenfion, and a Vision of Angels befides informed them, that he is to return in the like manner, when he shall come to judge the World.

CHAP. XXX.

Why fome Works of Nature are more especially afcribed to God; why Means was fometimes ufed in the working of Miracles, and why Faith was fometimes required of thofe, upon whom, or before whom Miracles were wrought.

I.

A

LL the Powers of Natural Caufes proceeding from God, that may juftly be afcribed to him, which is wrought by them, for he works as truly by Second Caufes, as by his own direct and immediate Power, in producing any Effect. The Order and Frame of Nature was originally by his Appointment, and by his Care, and Providence, and Influence, it is upheld; and therefore the Scriptures afcribe the effects of Natural Agents to God as the Author of them; because these can do nothing but by his Support and Influence: and the continuance and preferFf2 vation

vation of Natural Caufes in the production of their Effects for fo many Ages in one conftant Tenour, is a manifeft and wonderful Demonftration of the Divine Power and Wifdom.

But those things may be faid, more especially, to be done by God himself, whereby, upon fome extraordinary occafion, his Power and his Will are more particularly manifested, or his Promife is fulfilled; for in those things, his Care and Providence is more concerned to bring them to pafs; and therefore God may employ a more than ordinary concourfe to fuftain and influence the Powers of Nature, that they may not fail in fuch Cafes to produce their Effects according to their ufual and fetled Course.

II. The Scripture takes no farther notice of the Works of Nature, than as they are manifestations of the infinite Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness of God; and therefore it refers all immediately to him, without any mention of the intermediate Natural Causes. But it gives fuch an Hiftorical Account of Miracles, as to exclude all Natural Causes, and by defcribing with what Circumstances they were brought to pafs, fhews, that they could not be produced by the Natural Courfe of Things. Natural Effects are ascribed to God, as the Creator and Preferver of all Things; by whofe Power and Influence alone it is, that Natural Caufes can act. But Miracles are afcribed to him, as acting without any fubferviency of inferior Caufes. It is one thing to omit the mention of Natural Caufes, and another to exclude them. Both Scripture and Reason teach us, that no Child can be conceived but by the Power of God: but we read, that Chrift was miraculously conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of a Virgin. St. Paul preached to the Athenians, that in God we live, and move, and have our Being, Acts xvii. 28. But when Lazarus was raised to life again, after he had been dead four Days; and when St. Peter, by pronouncing only a few words, caufed

caufed a lame Man to walk, we know from the Circumstances, that this Life, and this Motion was above all the Powers of Nature to bestow.

III. Miracles are more peculiarly the Works of God, because they are wrought without the Concurrence or Subferviency of Natural Means. For though fometimes outward Means were used in the miraculous Curing of Diseases, yet they were fuch as could have no effect in the Cure, but rather the contrary; as when the Man that was born blind received his Sight by washing in the Pool of Silvam at our Saviour's Command, after his Eyes had been anointed with Clay made of Duft and Spittle. The Ointment made of Duft and Spittle was fo far from having any Effect towards the Cure, that it would have been much more likely to have put out the eyes of a Man that had seen; and the Washing afterwards could only remove that which was fo far from being a Remedy, that it must have been an Obftruction to the best Sight..

As many miraculous Cures were wrought by our Saviour, without any more than a Word speaking, and sometimes even without so much as that, to fhew that he had no need of Means; fo when any Means were used, they were fuch as apparently could not tend to the Cure, and were not used as Remedies, but as Circumstances, in the working his Miracles to raise the Attention of the Beholders, to imprint what was done the deeper upon their Memories, and to give the greater Credibility to the Hiftory of his Miracles. For all matter of Fact is to be prov'd or disprov'd by Circumstances; and the more Circumstances concur in any Action, the less liable it is to Mistake or Impofture. Our Saviour therefore was pleas'd that his Miracles fhould always be accompany'd with remarkable Circumstances, which were fometimes of one kind, and fometimes of another, the better to work upon the Variety of Mens Tempers and Difpofitions; but whatever outward Means was at any time ufed by him,

it could have the Nature only of a Circumstance, and was no more proper and effectual to produce the Miracle, than any other might have been. Some he touch'd, fome he only spoke to, and others he sent to the High-Prieft, that he might be a Witness of the Cure. Now the Touch, the Speaking, or the Sending could have no Effect as outward Means, but only as they were attended with an inward and Divine Efficacy. But all these were confiderable Circumstances to excite the Obfervation of those who were present at these Cures, and to preferve the Remembrance of them to Pofterity.

IV.Tho' our Saviour had the most abfolute and unconfined Power of working Miracles at all times, and before all Perfons, whenfoever he pleased, yet we may obferve that he fometimes refufed to exercise it. For though he could always do his marvellous Works, yet it was not fit that they should be always done, but then only when they might be useful and ferviceable to the Ends for which they were wrought, and to his Design of coming into the World, to manifest himfelf by working them.. And that this was the Reason why our Saviour did fometimes require Faith as a Qualification in them who came to be healed, and at other times refused to work his Miracles before Unbelievers, will be evident, if we confider, that

1. Chrift had given undeniable Proof of his miraculous Power in many Inftances, before he required Faith, as a Condition in fuch as came to him to fee his. Miracles, and to receive the Benefit of them. When the Jews demanded a Sign of our Saviour, John ii. 18. he had wrought before them the greatest of all his Miracles, in St. Jerom's Judgment,. by cafting the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple. But they were fo unreasonable as upon this very account to ask for another Miracle: What Sign fheweft thou unto us,

a

• Comment. in Matt. xxi. 15.

Seeing

that

that thou doest these things?. Whereupon our Saviour fignifies to them, that he would rife again from the Dead; and this was no Refufal, but only a fhort Delay of his working other Miracles; for at that very Paffover when he was in Jerufalem in the Feaft-day many believed in his Name, when they faw the Miracles which he did. He rewarded the Faith of Two Blind Men, by opening their eyes, Matt. ix. 29. which was a proper Inftance, to fhew, that there might be a full Affurance of the Truth of Miracles, without the Sight of them; or else, what would become of the Blind? How fhould Men in remote Countries and future Ages be faved? He rejected the unreasonable Demand of the Scribes and Pharifees, who fought to destroy him for working one Miracle, and blafphem'd the Holy Ghost when he had wrought another, and yet required a Third, Matt. xii. 38. And then the first time we find Faith required as a Difpofition or Preparation in Men to have Miracles wrought for their Cure, or their Conviction, is Matt. xiii. 58. Mark vi. 5. And before the time to which these Texts have relation, Chrift had cured all manner of Difeafes, and caft out many Devils, and his Fame was spread abroad throughout all the Region round about Galilee, and even throughout all Syria, Matt. iv. 23, 24. Mark i. 28. He had cured the Centurion's Servant at a distance, and had restored to Life the Daughter of Jairus a Ruler of the Synagogue. Where it may be obferved, that he commended the Faith of the Centurion, tho' the Cure was wrought upon his Servant; that he exhorted the Father not to be afraid, but to believe, when his Fear or Faith could have no Influence upon his dead Daughter; as he also required Faith in Martha, that the might fee the Glory of God in raifing Lazarus, John xi. 40. He had caft out a Legion of Devils at once, and permitted them to enter into the Herd of Swine, to convince even the Sadducees, if any thing could convince them, that they were Evil Spirits which he had

caft